Smedley Voice April 2016 Release

Contest Season 2016

Compete with Confidence!

SMEDLEY VOICE NEWSLETTER OF SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB | APRIL 2016 | VOL 2 ISSUE 3

Club No. 2046498, Area 43, Division E, District 20

Table Of Contents

Feb 2016 Volume 2, Issue 1

Inside This Issue From Area 43 Director ……………………………… 03

From the Editor’s Desk …….……………….……… 04

Cover Story: Smedley Contest Fever …….………… 05

Contest: Meet our Champions …………………….. 06

Module: Evaluate for Contest ….....……………….. 14

Module: Guide to Table Topics ……………………. 16

Crafting a Humorous Speech ………….……….….. 17

A Whistle Blower ...…………………….……………. 18

Award Achievers …….……………………………... 20

Tickling Toastmasters ………..………………….… 22

Upcoming Events …...………..………………….…. 23

Meeting Minutes & Photos …………….……….….. 26

Smedley Club Meeting ………………..….…………. 29

Smedley Vo ice i s a

newsletter published by the

Smedley Toastmasters Club

in Doha, Qatar.

T h i s n e w s l e t t e r i s

published for internal circula-

tion among the members of

the Smedley Toastmasters

Club and to promote the

i d e a s a n d g o a l s o f

Toastmasters International.

The Publisher and Editor

does not take responsibility

for the authenticity / opinion

of the articles and/or authors,

published in this newsletter.

Toastmasters International

and its logos are trademarks

registered in the USA, Cana-

da and many other countries.

For comments or sugges-

tions regarding the news-

letter, please contact Le-

siley Mathew at 66053485

or send an email to

[email protected]

2

Salute To Smedley!

Toastmasters is a fraternity of competitive people willing to

achieve excellence in Life through sincere efforts to follow

Toastmasters International Guidelines.

The core values a Toastmaster follows are :

Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence

The Annual Contests at Club, Area, Division, District and

International Level are the frontiers which every Toastmaster

tries to conquer in the quest to Achieve Excellence.

Smedley Toastmasters Club Excom & Members have taken

excellent efforts the entire Year and have been the Top

performers in AREA 43.

The Toastmaster to represent AREA 43 in the Prestigious

International Speech Contest at the Division level is from

Smedley Toastmasters Club. This in itself reflects the efforts

being taken by Smedley Toastmasters Club Excom & Mentors.

Smedley Toastmasters Club has grown exponentially from the

point of extinction due to the extraordinary efforts of Chief

Mentor DTM Raghavan and the members are doing justice by

excelling in the Toastmasters Fraternity at Various Frontiers.

Sincere Best Wishes to Smedley Toastmasters Club for their

Successful Journey ahead and accolades to come their way.

Abhijit P Kuwalekar

Past President– ICC One Toastmasters (2014-’15)

Current-Area 43 Director

From Area 43 Director

3

Area Director Abhijit Kuwalekar

TM Abhijit Kuwalekar is

the current Area Director

for Area 43 in Division E

during the year 2015-2016.

He has been a member of

Toastmasters since 2008.

In 2014-2015, he served as

the President of the

prestigious ICC One

Toastmasters Club. He is

a l so an eva luat ion

champion, and the current

nominated leader for the

position of Division E

Director for the next term.

Smedley Toastmasters

club members would like

to wish him good luck and

a great leadership journey

as Division Director next

year!

Dear Toastmaster,

Contest Season can be really nerve wracking for everyone in

a Toastmasters Club, the participants who have to stand in

front of a huge audience, the coordinators who have to find

role players and even the judges who have to listen to endless

set of speeches and judge without bias.

Nevertheless, Smedley Toastmasters has once again risen to

the challenge and done a wonderful job in conducting quality

club contests followed by a fantastic participation at the area

contest.

This edition will cover all the important events that took place

for contests. You can get some insights on how to win at an

evaluation and table topics contest from the articles that

summarize the educational modules covered in our club. We

also have interesting articles from mentors on how to write

humorous and international messages. We took the time to

interview our club champions to understand their journey and

to get some tips on what helped them become winners.

I hope that you’ll re-read this newsletter every time you go in

for a contest. And remember that contesting is not about do-

ing better than other contestants. It is all about doing your

best and becoming better than yourself.

Regards,

Lesiley Mathew

Newsletter Editor,

Smedley Toastmasters

From the Editor’s Desk

EXCOM 2015-2016

CLUB PRESIDENT

TM Vimal Raj

VP EDUCATION

TM Benov Jacob

VP MEMBERSHIP

TM Lesiley Mathew

VP PUBLIC RELATIONS

TM Shibu K Reghunath

SECRETARY

TM Vijesh

TREASURER

TM Ammad Kanghat

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

TM Musthafa A

4

Smedley Contest Fever

5

COVER STORY

Contest fever struck the Smedley Toastmasters Club

in January 2016. It all began with educational mod-

ules on evaluation and table topics to prepare mem-

bers. Each module was followed by a demo contest in

which interested members could participate. The

educational modules and demo contest took place in

January 2016.

The Smedley Club Contests were conducted in Febru-

ary and March 2016. The Area contest for Area 43 was

conducted on Saturday, April 9, 2016. Smedley

Toastmasters came out with flying colors and bagged

7 trophies out of the 11 trophies at the Area Contest.

Sunish Nair

How did you prepare for the contests?

There’s only one way to prepare for the contest—

PPP. Practice, Practice and Practice. Only the

places of practice changed. I heard many other

speakers and mentally prepared myself to face

the crowd.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a young handsome man. Married to Kavitha.

Have two sons – Rohith, aged 15 and Rudraksh

aged 5. I currently working with ORYX GTL Lim-

ited as Project Cost Controller. I have been in

Qatar for more than 15 years. I’m thankful to God

for this life.

Tell us about your family. Did they help you pre-

pare for the contest?

I miss my elder son now. He used to be my timer

and permanent audience. Like always, I have to

thank my wife for the support – even though she

gets bored by hearing the same speech, still she

bears it. But the now the distance between the

speaker and the audience (my wife) is a bit more

long.

When did you start your Toastmaster journey?

I started my Toastmasters journey in 2007. Took a

break in 2010 and joined back in 2014

Is this your first time participating in a contest?

No, I have contested before.

What is the most important lesson that you

learned from the contest?

I learned how to become a better version of my-

self. This is a lesson which is always a learning

for me as I want to improve myself.

What advice do you have for people interested in

participating for contests?

Do not worry about the results. Every contest for

me is the just like doing your project. Bring out

what you have and try to improve. Winning will

automatically come behind you. I believe in the

motto—“Do not chase success. Do your part

and you will find success chasing you after a cer-

tain point.”

How does it feel to be a contest winner?

There’s no two thoughts about it. It always feels

great!

6

CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS

TM Sunish Nair bagged three first prizes in Evalua-

tion, International and Table Topics Speech contests

at the Smedley Toastmasters Club Contest in 2016.

At the Area 43 Contest, TM Sunish came second in

Evaluation and Table Topics contest.

“To prepare for any contest, I follow

the principle of PPP – Practice,

Practice and Practice!”


Since I took up science as my subject, there was not

much creative writing in school. Of course you can-

not change the theorems and definitions to suit

your objectives! But when I had to do objective re-

porting in my Masters’, I understood that I enjoy

writing. Now I understand why I scored high in

languages during school and college. Keeping the

mind open to all the opportunities that come my

way and doing thorough ground work before start-

ing anything are my strengths.



My husband and two sons were frantically search-

ing everywhere for my speech topics. At every step,

they gave me feedback from their own point of

view. Whenever I wanted to practice they were

ready with colored cards and time device. In fact

they are my harshest critics.


I joined the ICC Eves Toastmasters club in 2014. I

was not new to Toastmasters itself as my younger

son is a gavelier since September 2013. I used to

look through his manuals and help him prepare the

speeches. So I had a fairly good idea of writing

speeches before embarking on this journey. A year

later I joined Smedley’s club to fast-track my goals

of earning CC, CL and ALB by June 2016.


I had participated only in Table topics in ICC

Eves last year, within a few months into my jour-

ney, but did not progress to the area level. But

this is my maiden success.



Surely contest is an eye-opener with a larger au-

dience. It shows where you stand in your journey.

After you finish that contest speech, the calmness

that comes over you is the high point for which

you can go to contests again and again. To me,

contesting is more important than the results.



Whatever the outcome, you are the winner. You

have won over your fear of public speaking

through one more speech. Enjoy the journey it-

self.


It felt like I was in seventh heaven as this was my

first contest win. The initial euphoria subsided

and then gave way to the feeling of huge responsi-

bility that rests now on my shoulders – the area

contests. The competition is against myself now

– to do better than before.

7


Girija Chari

TM Girija Chari bagged three second prizes in Evaluation,

International and Table Topics contests at the Smedley

Toastmasters Club Contest in 2016. At the Area 43 Contest,

TM Girija came second in International Speech contest and

came third in Evaluation and Table Topics contest, walking

away with three trophies!

Vimal Raj


The first step for a contest speech is to prepare

a great speech. I always start with a serious sub-

ject and end up with a humorous speech.

Tell us a little about yourself

Bald and want to be bold.



A family's love makes life beautiful. I have one

wife & one son at present. I always try to include

my loved ones as characters in my own speech to

arouse their interest in hearing my speech. My 5

year old son is my first spectator, proofreader &

mentor.


I started my Toastmasters journey in 2012 when

Smedley Club was first started.

Did you always write humorous speeches?

I never realized that I had potential to do

humorous speeches till I started speaking at the

club and found people falling over with laughter.


No, this is my second time in Area level. The first

time that I contested, I got third place. The sec-

ond time I contested, I got second and the third

time, I will be the champion.



Know your audience and give your best, may be

you will not be the winner, but you can win

their hearts.

What advice do you have for people interested

in participating for contests?

Prepare well, practice well and most

importantly, participate well.


My individual success lasts only for a short pe-

riod of time. The success of being a part of the

Smedley Toastmasters Club, which is now in

the limelight of Qatar Toastmasters fraternity,

will last the longest. We were able to bag seven

Trophies out of eleven in Area level. That's

what I am mostly proud of. After the contest, I

received about 5 personal calls from veteran

Toastmasters in Qatar. They valued both my

individual & team performance, which made

me even more proud of our achievements!

8


TM Vimal Raj, the Club President of Smedley

Toastmasters Club bagged the first prize for the

Humorous Speech Contest with his instant dynamic

humor. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Vimal Raj bagged

second prize for the Humorous Speech Contest.

“Contesting and winning has helped

me become more self-confident both

at work and at Toastmasters.”

Maimoona Abubaker

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I have lived in Qatar for the past 26 years with my

husband and four children. I am working at Maersk

Oil Qatar as a cost controller for the past eighteen

years. My dream is to become the World

Champion of Public Speaking one day.



My family consists of my husband, me, four chil-

dren, and two grand daughters. I got a lot of sup-

port from them. They patiently sat through my

practice hours listening to my speech and gave con-

structive feedback each time. Also, my family gives

me the inspiration to write speeches. I have written

many beautiful speeches about my husband, my

children, my daughter in laws and even about my

grandmother. So my family has helped me gain

speech topics easily.


I prepared for the contest with lots of practice and

perseverance. I had a lot of help and encourage-

ment from my fellow toastmasters and mentors.

Toastmasters are a group of people who are always

willing to help each other. I had help from mentors

who were contesting themselves. It just shows the

selfless nature of Toastmasters.


My toastmaster journey started in early 2014


No, In 2014, I participated for the ICC Eves

Humorous Speech Contest and came third.



To never give up. If we want something with our

complete heart and soul, we should never give up.



Lots of Practice. And also you must have a per-

sonal touch to your speeches.


It feels truly amazing. Like a long awaited dream

come true. I am competing in both Humorous

and International Speech Contests at the Division

level. One year ago, that dream would have been

impossible. But with enough practice and perse-

verance and my faith, I will be contesting at the

Division. Please wish me luck and come to cheer

me!

9


TM Maimoona came second for Humorous Speech Contest and

third for the International Speech Contest at the Smedley

Toastmasters Club Contest. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Maimoona

was declared the champion at the International Speech Contest and

will be representing Area 43 at the Division E Contest for 2016.

Rasha Rafiq


I am a project management professional with an

IT background and I currently work as a

Strategy Specialist in Aspire Zone Foundation.

Tell us about your family. Did they help you

prepare for the contest?

My family is supportive all the way. They

proof-read my speeches. They watch my rehears-

als and they get excited whenever I get back home

with a certificate or a trophy.


I started my Toastmasters journey in May 2015.


Yes, this is my first year participating in contests.


The contest season was tough, especially that I

am a member of three clubs.. Honestly I did not

write specific speeches for the contests, I fo-

cused on projects in my CC manual.



Never compare yourself to others, your competi-

tor is always yourself !



Prepare ahead of time, listen to your mentors

and practice, practice, practice.


It feels awesome! For me being a table topics

winner means a lot especially that this category

needs no previous preparation, so it just showed

me I am capable of being a good speaker..

10


TM Rasha Rafiq is a budding Toastmaster who has achieved

so much in the last six months, including completing her 10

speeches, editing newsletters, creating websites and her

latest accomplishment is becoming a contest winner. She

bagged third prize at the Smedley Toastmasters Club and

Qatar Toastmasters Club for the Table Topics contest, mak-

ing her an excellent impromptu orator.

“Prepare ahead of time, listen to your

mentors and practice, practice,

practice! ”

Nusrath Tencherry


I come from a small family with 5 members; my

parents, my elder brother, me and my twin sister.

I’m married to M.K.Basheer Ismail with 2 chil-

dren, a boy and a girl. I currently work as

Secretary to the Tender Department for Salini

Impregilo S.P.A Qatar Branch.



I have a small and very sweet family. They were

very supportive, especially my daughter who

helped me in the preparation for the contest. She

would record my speech and even correct me if I

skip a line.


I practiced at every opportunity I could get. I

practiced it even while taking a shower or doing

any house chore and even at my office desk.


I started my toastmaster journey through Smed-

ley Speech craft in October 2015.


Yes, this is my first time participating in a con-

test. I was just 4 speeches old during the club

contest.



Speech contests are the best step towards greater

improvement. There is always room for improve-

ment. Work on your strengths as well as weakness-

es. Hard work and persistence pays off.



I encourage everyone to take part in speech

contests whenever there is an opportunity. The

speech contest motivates you to become a better

speaker.


It feels incredible!! I really enjoyed being a part of

the club contest. Whatever the result, good or bad,

is certainly valuable.

11


TM Nusrath Tencherry is a fairly new member who joined Smedley

Toastmasters through the Smedley Speechcraft program conducted in

November 2015. TM Nusrath bagged the third prize at the Smedley

Toastmasters Club Humorous Speech Contest and gave a humorous

speech about her quest for beauty. She participated in the Area 43 Con-

test and did a fantastic job!

Midhun Babu


I am currently working with Qatar Tractor &

Equipment Co. as Senior Sales Engineer. I am

a BTech graduate in Mech Production from

SCT college of Engineering. I love listening to

music and watching any sport.

Tell us about your family. Did they help you

prepare for the contest?

My wife, Mrs. Sreedevi, is a software professional.

She gives me good support to my toastmaster

journey. She is also a very good critic who helps

me to improve while I practice.


I joined Smedley Toastmasters Club in May 2012.


I had represented Smedley for Area contest in

Evaluation and Table topics in 2013.


I watched a few videos of evaluation from you

tube. I also watched some speeches and tried

evaluating.



Toastmasters is a place where you have ample

opportunities to perform. A platform like a

contest is a great opportunity to judge our

performance, correct it and continue on the

path of improvement!



Good preparation will help you perform better.

When you get an opportunity like a contest, try

to participate and make the best of such

opportunities. For that there is only one solu-

tion - PRACTICE.


When you take a role in a toastmaster meeting

as a timer or as a speaker, the moment you

finish the task and get that applause from your

ever supporting members, the confidence that a

toastmaster gains is immense. It takes the indi-

vidual to the next level. When it comes to an

event like a club contest, after winning, it makes

me confident and more importantly, it triggers

the drive to learn more and more through this

great organization.

12


TM Midhun Babu has been with Smedley Toastmsters since

its inception. TM Midhun Babu enthusiastically took part

in the Evaluation Contest at the Smedley Toastmasters Club

and was declared the third prize winner at the Evaluation

Contest after delivering a fantastic performance and provid-

ing an apt evaluation for the test speaker at the contest.

“Good preparation will help you

perform better.”

Smedley Club Awards

13

CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS

Smedley has bagged innumerous awards this year both at the club

level and district level, for club achievements.

PQD Excellence Award: Club DRP Achiever

Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon and

Certificate for the President and VP Education who facilitated to

get the District 20 PQD Excellence Award. This award is given to

clubs who achieve 6 DCP Points before December 31, 2015.

PQD Excellence Award: Club Fast Track Communicator

Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon

and Certificate for the four or more members who

achieved the CC Award before December 31, 2015.

Club Award: Smedley Award for Membership

Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon

for achieving the annual Smedley Award for adding 5

or more members in Aug-Sept 2015.

Club Award: Talk Up Award for Membership

Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon for

achieving the annual Talk Up Toastmasters Award for

adding 5 or more members in Feb-March 2015.

President’s Distinguished Club Award

Smedley Toastmasters Club has achieved the Prestigious

Distinguished President’s Club status by Dec 31, 2015.

EVALUATE FOR CONTEST Evaluation Module was conducted by TM Lesiley Mathew followed by a demo contest in January 2016

for Smedley Toastmasters club to familiarize new members to evaluation. Here’re the highlights:

EVALUATION JUDGING CRITERIA is based on the sections below:

Analytical Quality – 40 % (Clear, Focused)

Recommendations – 30% (Positive, Specific, Helpful)

Technique – 15% (Sympathetic, sensitive and motivational)

Conclusion/Summary – 15% (Concise, encouraging)

ANALYTICAL QUALITY (40%):- the ability to accurately analyze the speaker’s strong and weak

points. This includes presenting the points in a sandwich method with 2 strong points, followed by 2

weak points and finally specifying another strong point.

ANALYTICAL POINTS TO EVALUATE:

CC Project 1- SPEECH CONTENT: Introduction : (Clear / Interesting / Attention grabbing )

Body : (Statistics / Testimony / Examples / Stories / Anecdotes / Facts / Visual aids)

Conclusion : (Impressive / Effective)

CC Project 2: ORGANIZATION Outline : (Chronological / Comparative / Topical / Problem-solution)

Overall organization : (Easy to understand / Easy to remember / Credible / Enjoyable / Logical)

Transitions : (Appropriate / Smooth)

CC Project 3: SPEECH PURPOSE : Type of speech : (Inform / Persuade / Entertain / Inspire)

CC Project 4 – HOW TO SAY IT? DICTION: Written for the ear? : (Clarity – Short words / sentences)

Usage of vivid words : (Descriptive / Creativity/ Imagination)

Incorporation of rhetoric devices : (Simile / Metaphor / Alliteration / Triads)

Presence of grammatical errors? : (Subject verb agreement / misplaced modifiers/ misused pronouns)

Pronunciation :Presence of jargons and unnecessary words?

CC Project 5 - BODY LANGUAGE : Stance / Posture : (Poised / Confident / Shy / Weak)

Movement : (Purposeful / Smooth / Nervous / Awkward)

Gestures : (Natural / Evocative)

Facial expressions : (Animated / Friendly / Genuine)

Eye Contact

14

EDUCATIONAL: EVALUATE FOR CONTEST

15

EDUCATIONAL: EVALUATE FOR CONTEST

CC Project 6 - VOCAL VARIETY: Volume : (Loud / Soft)

Pitch : (Varied / Conversational), Rate : (Fast / Slow / Normal)

Quality : (Pleasant / Friendly / Monotonous / Artificial)

Silence / Pauses : (Appropriate / Effective), Expressiveness : (Conveys emotion / meaning)

Voice : (Natural / Consistent / Clear / Modulated)

CC Project 8 - VISUAL AIDS: Type of visual aids :Appropriateness :

Visibility : Handling visual aids : (With ease / confidence)

CC Projects 9 and 10 - 3 Cs: Conviction :Credibility :Connect with the audience :

RECOMMENDATION (30%): This can make the difference between winning and losing!

Do not just say the weak point, BUT Explain “HOW TO IMPROVE” the weak point

Example: Grammar problem – ask speaker to :

A.Consider getting mentor to proof read, B. Memorize grammatically corrected sentences, C. Practice

the speech with mentor so that mentor can point out grammar issues. D. Take reading as a hobby.

TECHNIQUE(15%): Be empathetic/sympathetic/sensitive to target speaker’s feelings

Smile at target speaker and uplift speaker by mentioning positive points with enthusiasm

Think that you’re advising “YOUR BOSS” not your peers, to be gentle in evaluation

Never use word “IMPROVE”, say instead, “Recommendations for your speech”

Empathize—If you had the same issue, mention that and explain how you worked on it

CONCLUSION:(15%): DO NOT FORGET TO CONCLUDE (Conclusion holds 15 marks)

Please say “TO CONCLUDE” or “TO SUMMARIZE” LOUDLY to ensure judges hear you.

Keep an eye on the time. If you see “Red”, start concluding.

EVALUATION SPEECH FORMAT

Opening Statement, Contest chair, Fellow Toastmasters and my target speaker {Speaker Name}

Strong Point 1: Strong Point 2: Strong Point 3:

Weak Point 1: Recommendation 1: Weak Point 2: Recommendation 2

Strong Point 4: Conclusion: (Summarize strong points in single sentence followed by improvement and

conclude with a positive remark to speaker and begin with “To conclude” or “To summarize”):

TM Lesiley Mathew

For comments, you can reach her at [email protected]

Guide to Table Topics This is one of the segments in the Toastmasters Meeting which almost everyone is afraid of or rather

wants to avoid. Not only in Toastmasters, in our day to day life also, we come across some situations

where we are asked to talk on a subject, out of the blue.

Many a times, we find it difficult and struggle to put across our idea, if we have any, to the audience.

Many a times, we find ourselves going totally blank and have a feeling like sinking into the ground. This

is quite natural and we should not be ashamed of it. Rather, we should be developing ourselves and our

speaking skills in such a way that we are able to handle such situations with ease.

Table Topics segment in a Toastmasters meeting is the best opportunity available. We should use this

opportunity and develop our thinking and speaking skills to the best possible limit. With this idea and as

a helping or guiding arm to the new Toastmasters, I conducted an educational module on Table Topics

– basically the idea was to explain the requirement of being a good Table Topics Speaker and my ideas

on how to approach the same.

The below mentioned common ideas were put forward with certain examples –

Things to remember while attempting Table Topics :

Your table topics speech is also a speech and therefore we should have a proper structure for the

speech with an introduction, body and conclusion.

Do not fill the empty spaces with ums and ahs. Instead use pauses to a greater effect.

Preparation :

Read a lot – newspapers, editorials, books, novels even children’s school books.

Always be prepared to speak as this is the best opportunity to get rid of your fears.

Common Methods to attempt Table Topics :

PREP – method – Position, Reason, Examples and Position

PEP – you could straight away start with your position, examples and position again

PPF – Past, Present, Future – put some light into the past or background, what is the present situa-

tion and what do you foresee as the future

Personalize – Repeat the question / statement, then personalize it with your own example. Explain

the solution / achievement, then repeat the question / statement, and reaffirm your final opinion

TM Sunish Nair

For comments, you can reach TM Sunish at [email protected]

16

EDUCATIONAL: TABLE TOPICS GUIDE

17

EDUCATIONAL: CRAFTING A HUMOROUS SPEECH

Crafting a Humorous Speech Crafting a humorous speech is an unbelievably difficult task for many Toastmasters. After I carved a

niche for myself in humorous speeches, some Toastmasters approached me with a question, “How

do you make your speeches funny?” In my quest to become a humorous speaker, I have done a lot of

research and here’re some of those valuable tips that can help you in this quest if you want to be a

humorous speaker.

Tip # 1: Speech Material

The best humorous speeches are those written about yourself with self-deprecating jokes, first time

failures that you had, or a funny incident that happened to you, or a bad incident with irony in it.

Your personal stories are the best because they're unique and has elements of surprise and twist that

no one's heard before.

Tip # 2: Originality

Please note that originality is extremely important for humorous speeches. So try not to use jokes that

you've heard before because this can lead to disqualification. Remember that judges are always sen-

ior toastmasters who are extremely well read. If you liked a joke, then you can be 100% sure that at

least one person in the room will have heard the same joke and remember it well.

Tip # 3: Rule of Three—this technique is effective and has never failed me.

You say two points that are similar in nature and the third one should be completely different or ex-

actly the opposite of the first two points. A good example, “My husband was handsome like movie

stars, dynamic like champion speakers and … foolish enough to get married.”

Tip # 4: Using metaphors to compare two unrelated examples

Example: After getting married, my husband created a long list of tasks for me—cooking, cleaning,

laundry. After seeing that list, I realized that marriage was like joining the military.

Tip # 5: Exaggeration of a situation

Example: My husband expected me to be a goddess who would cook delicious food for countless

lives. But after I almost set the house on fire, he realized that instead of cooking delicious food for

countless lives, I MIGHT TAKE countless lives trying to cook anything at all.

Tip # 6: Twisting a famous quote

Example: I once went to a beauty salon and ended up getting a sea weed body wrap treatment that

unfortunately smelled like dead fish. That’s how I learned a great truth. An apple a day keeps the

doctor away, but a sea weed wrap can keep your husband away for a month or more.

TM Lesiley Mathew

For comments, you can reach her at [email protected]

A Whistle Blower

“A Teacher affects eternity. No one can tell where her influence

stops” said Henry Brook Adams, a famous American Historian.

Teachers are the ones who make us. They are an integral

part of our adolescent years. They make an impression

that lasts a lifetime. We may not remember their names

now . Yet.. there are a few teachers who impact you so

much, you remember their words till you reach your

grave. In short this is an ode to the unsung heroes in our

life who inspire us…..….the teachers.

Our school was the most popular school in the neighborhood. It was churning out rank

holders in 10th and 12th grades every year. So naturally it was the preferred choice of

many parents. I was enrolled in that huge school in my 6th grade. It was a very strict all-

girls school run by the nuns of a convent. We called them sisters or mothers. All were

women , the teachers, helpers, the administration staff…. There were only 2 men in that

huge campus, a watchman near the gate and the god in the church.

Every morning at 9 am, there was an assembly without fail, come rain or shine….. All the

1500 students will stand in their designated slots without talking to one another and wait

till the Mother Superior appeared on the stage to preside over. This might take anything

from 15 to 25 minutes. This was the most painful time for all the girls. Not because of the

harsh morning sun, not because of the waiting time but because of one whistle blower….

She was our PT teacher.

She took discipline and sports quite seriously…. more than our subject teachers’ worry

about completing our syllabus. She was omnipresent , yet you cannot see her always. But

when you talked to your friend nearby in the assembly, she would know that immediately

wherever she was. She would come stealthily behind you like a leopard on prowl. Until her

hand landed on your back and shocked you, you would not hear her. What a blow it would

be….. a ton of bricks broken on your back…When it came to discipline, she spared no

sticks. And sticks…She never carried one…. she instantly got one by breaking a branch

off a tree. That was when deforestation started I believe. We had PT classes once a week

only. But she occupied our minds 24/7. She never wore any jewelry and she was always

clad in a white sari. Her only ornament was a whistle in her mouth.

18

INSPIRATION: A WHISTLE BLOWER

19

INSPIRATION: A WHISTLE BLOWER

Whenever she catches us doing a mischief , she would say only this “You will

bring disgrace to your family if you behave like this”. At 11 and 12 years of age, I

was thinking not standing in a line or talking in Assembly are the only disgraceful

events. For all the terror she spread, at times, she showed her softer side. When

someone throws the ball right or matches her level of play, in any of the many

games she played, she used to smile a little. It was like a lightning streak crossing

an overcast sky… just a second. You blink, you miss it type.

One day ….around 12 noon in October month in 1984, suddenly all hell broke

loose. The entire school was dismissed and the students were asked to leave the

campus immediately. The reason… Our Prime Minister was shot at. The buses

were not running. Shops were downing their shutters. We had to walk through a

particularly crowded market area to catch a vehicle or the sub urban train, if it

were available. We really got to see the good side of our PT Teacher on that day.

She made sure we were accompanied by at least one teacher or parent past that

market place. That incident taught us that we were wrong in judging her to be

hard-hearted.

After more than 25 years, now when I look back, I understand her discipline had

taught me to be cautious when I had to spend 3 years away from my family, alone

in a working women’s hostel. It had helped me shield myself from awkward situ-

ations in my youth. She stays in my memory more than other teacher . Above all,

it had clearly taught me the importance of nurturing good character right from

childhood! Even now whenever I hear a long whistle……………..I stop and stand

in attention immediately.

There are a few people who leave an indelible mark in our life. Your friends, men-

tors, relatives, parents, anybody else …. All of them teach a value during the

course of their interaction with you. Some do it with a disarming smile, some

with a whistle and a stick like my PT teacher, some with a tight slap…The way

they teach may be unpleasant, yet it guides us throughout. Keeping an open mind

will help us understand those values. Believing that it is all for our own good will

help us live a better life. Because these values are tried and tested thoroughly.

By TM Girija Chari, CC

For comments, please contact TM Girija Chari at [email protected]

20

AWARD ACHIEVERS IN 2016

HIGH PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP

Every aspiring DTM must complete a High Performance Leadership project

during their journey to DTM. TM Lesiley Mathew has completed her High

Performance Leadership project in this tenure by conducting the Smedley

Speechcraft program for 19 participants. This led to an increase in member-

ship and the completion of a milestone. Her achievement was published on

the District 20 Facebook website.

21

AWARD ACHIEVERS IN 2016

TM Maimoona, CC

TM Maimoona completed the Competent

Communicator manual and has received her award in

2016. She is currently serving as the Sergeant At

Arms at the ICC Eves ladies club and has already

completed two speeches of her Advanced Manual

“Humorously Speaking”.

TM Kamarudheen Narattayil

TM Kamarudheen Narratayil is a dual Toastmaster

who completed his Competent Communicator manu-

al in December 2015. He joined Toastmasters in

April 2014 and is currently the Treasurer at Doha

Toastmasters. His motto in life is “Do your best and

give your best to enhance the quality of life”.

TM Girija Chari is a dual Toastmaster who complet-

ed her Competent Communicator manual in April

2016. She started her Toastmasters journey in Sep-

tember 2014 and is currently the Secretary at ICC

Eves Ladies club during this tenure. She is deter-

mined to complete her CL and ALB in this tenure.

TM Girija Chari, CC

TM Rasha Rafiq, CC, CL

TM Rasha Rafiq is a dual Toastmaster and has com-

pleted the Competent Communicator and Competent

Leadership manuals in 2016. She is currently serving

as the VP Public Relations for Qatar Toastmasters

club and is also the newsletter Editor for the Smedley

Speechcraft Newsletter released in 2016.

22

TICKLING TOASTMASTERS

23

UPCOMING EVENTS - DIVISION E CONFERENCE

DIVISION E CONFERENCE , QATAR ON FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2016

AT COLLEGE OF NORTH ATLANTIC

REGISTER FOR FREE ENTRY AT :

http://goo.gl/forms/DtHlrOOQf5

http://goo.gl/forms/DtHlrOOQf5

24

UPCOMING EVENTS - DIVISION Q CONFERENCE

REGISTRATION FULL To be on a waiting list, please email

[email protected]

DIVISION Q CONFERENCE TAC-Q , QATAR

ON FRIDAY APRIL 29, 2016

AT COLLEGE OF NORTH ATLANTIC

25

UPCOMING EVENTS - DISTRICT CONFERENCE

DISTRICT 20 CONFERENCE 26—28 MAY, 2016, ABU DHABI, UAE

REGISTER AT http://www.dtac2016.com

26

Club Meeting Minutes and Photos

Excitement is impossible where there is no contest- Henry Cobot Lodge.

Meeting # 81 was the start of contests in Smedley Toastmasters Club for 2016. This evening we

had Humorous and Table Topics Contests. Vice President-PR TM Shibu Reghunath was the

Contest Sergeant-at-arms and invited VPE TM Benov Jacob to Preside the meeting.

TM Benov introduced the Chief Judge TM Thayalan Kailaya Pillai. TM Benov then introduced

the Contest Chair for Humorous Contest TM Lesiley Mathew. The contestants were TM

Noorudeen Veetykadan, TM Shylesh Kunnanattil, TM Maimoona Abubaker, TM Nusrath

Tenchery, TM Vimalraj and TM Joseph Daeda.

The hall was soon filled with uncontrolled laughter. After the Break the Contest Sergeant-at-

arms TM Shibu introduced the Contest Chair for Table Topics Contest TM Noorudeen as a

person who is unable to find his socks (something from his humorous speech). The Contest

Participants were then escorted one-by-one to the hall to deliver their table topic speeches. TM

Kiran, TM Shylesh Kunnanattil, TM Sunish Narayan Nair, TM Girija Vasudevan Chari, TM

Nusrath Tenchery, TM Rasha Rafiq Abualhassan, TM Thavamayooran Balasridharan and TM

N Kamruddin.

Smedley Club Humorous Speech Contest 2016 Results

1. TM Vimal Raj

2. TM Maimoona Abubaker

3. TM Nusrath Tenchery

Smedley Club Table Topics Contest 2016 Results

1. TM Sunish Narayan Nair

2. TM Girija Vasudevan Chari

3. TM Rasha Rafiq Abualhassan

All together, we had a fun-filled contest session.

Smedley Meeting # 81 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Feb 17, 2016

27

Club Meeting Minutes and Photos

Smedley Meeting #82 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Mar 2, 2016

Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or

other- Charles Lamb

Meeting # 82 was the second contest day for 2016 in Smedley Toastmasters Club. This

evening we had Evaluation and International Speech Contests.

TM Benov introduced the Chief Judge DTM N V Raghavan and the Contest Chair for

Evaluation Contest TM Ammad Kangath. The participants were TM Midhun S Babu,

TM Mohammed Ali O K, TM Girija Vasudevan Chari and TM Sunish Narayanan Nair

participated in the contest. The Test speaker was TM Afzal.

After the Break, our VPE TM Benov Jacob invited TM Shibu K Reghunath to chair the

International Speech Contest. The participants were TM Girija Vasudevan Chari, TM

Sunish Narayanan Nair, TM Rasha Rafiq, TM Vimalraj, TM Maimoona Abubaker and

TM Noorudeen participated in the contest. We had awesome, creative and inspiring

speeches by the participants.

TM Benov invited Division Director- Division E TM Ravikumar to address the gather-

ing. TM Ravikumar recalled his childhood memories while hearing the speech topics of

the evening. He also expressed his appreciation for the contestants and club’s activities.

Smedley Club Evaluation Speech Contest 2016 Results

1. TM Sunish Narayanan Nair


3. TM Midhun S Babu

Smedley Club International Speech Contest 2016 Results

1. TM Sunish Narayanan Nair


3. TM Maimoona Abubaker

All together, we had a fun-filled contest session.

28

Club Meeting Photos

SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS

Meets on

Every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays

At Sharq Capital

C-Ring Road, Doha, Qatar

Phone: 66053485

Email: [email protected]

www.SmedleyToastmasters.ORG

Toastmasters International

is a nonprofit educational

organization that operates

clubs worldwide for the

pu rp ose o f he l p i ng

members improve their

communication, public

speaking, and leadership

skills.

TOASTMASTERS

INTERNATIONAL

VALUES:

Integrity, Respect,

Service And Excellence

EVERY TOASTMASTER’S

JOURNEY BEGINS

WITH A SINGLE

SPEECH !

OUR CLUB MISSION:

We provide a supportive and positive learning

experience in which members are empowered to

develop communication and leadership skills, resulting

in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

http://www.smedleytoastmasters.org/

Documents

Smedley Voice April 2016 Release