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Smedley Toastmasters Club Volume 2 Issue 1 Release in October 2015
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Be a Leader
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Dr. Ralph C Smedley (1878-1965) Founder-Toastmasters International
SMEDLEY VOICE NEWSLETTER OF SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB | OCTOBER 2015 | VOL 2 ISSUE 1
Club No. 2046498, Area 43, Division E, District 20
Table Of Contents
Oct 2015 Volume 2, Issue 1
Inside This Issue From Division E Director …………..…........ 02
From the Editor’s Desk …….……….………. 03
Cover Story: Be A Leader Like ……….……... 04
President’s Distinguished Club Award ..……. 08
Smedley Leadership Changes Hands ...……. 09
The MLM Toastmaster …………….....……. 10
Meet Our Leaders ...…….…………….…… 12
ACG Award for TM Jose ...…………….…… 15
ACB Award for TM Bijith ….…………….… 15
New Members …………...…………………. 16
Smedley Speechcraft …...…………………... 17
Language Usage: Oxymorons ...……………. 17
CC Project 1: Icebreaker Tips ….…….……. 18
CC Project 2: How to Organize Tips ……….. 20
Express Journey for TM Rimzan ……….…. 22
Health Tips for Chest Pain ….……….…….. 23
Live Life, Pass It On ………………….……. 24
Captivating Cancun .………………….……. 25
Meeting Photos ………………….……….… 27
Tickling Toastmasters ………..….………….. 32
Smedley Club Meeting ………..….………….. 33
Special points of interest
How to write an Icebreaker and Sample P1 speech
Tips to organize your speech and Sample P2 speech
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
2
Fellow leaders,
An idea is nothing without the presentation of the idea. That’s
why you will see that not all scholars and intelligent people are
able to fully communicate the ideas that they possess. In
toastmasters, one of the ways that you can put forth the ideas and
the strengths of your club is via the newsletter. What is more
authentic than a news letter to know about a club and the club
activities?
On behalf of Division E , let me congratulate the
SMEDLEY Toastmasters club for releasing the very first
newsletter of Division E for the current year 2015-16. I would like
to specially thank the Smedley Club VP
Membership and Editor of this newsletter, TM Lesiley Mathew,
and her team for bringing out this wonderful product. We also
appreciate the many hours of hard work , compiling, assimilating
and setting up the thoughts and ideas that has shaped up this
newsletter.
The Smedley Toastmasters Club has been in the forefront during
the immediate past year by attaining the President’s
Distinguished Club Status under the able guidance of
TM Jothinathan and TM Jose. Keeping up with the tradition of
last year, Smedley TM Club has also come up this year with the
very first newsletter in Division E that shows right from the get-
go that the new Executive Committee (Excom) are at work.
A brand new venue at the Sharq Capital on C-Ring Road also
provides new impetus to the already quality meetings of the
Club. I applaud the commendable efforts of the new Excom !!
This is keeping up with the Toastmasters promise to help the
Club maintain a positive and friendly environment necessary for
all members to learn and grow.
I extend my sincere wishes for a wonderful year to
Smedley Toastmasters club! May you achieve more accolades in
the time to come!
TM Ravi Kumar,
Division E Director, Division E – District 20,
Toastmasters International
From Division E Director
Division E Director TM Ravi Kumar
TM Ravi Kumar is the
Division Director for
Division E during the year
2015-2016.
TM Ravi has been in
toastmasters for the last six
years. In the past, he has
served as a president and
Area Governor. He is also
the immediate past Assis-
tant Division Governor for
Division E last year.
TM Ravi is a dedicated
and dependable leader
who is well on his way to
achieving the President’s
Distinguished Division
Award for Division E this
year!
3
Dear Toastmaster,
I am excited, energized and elated to release the first edition
of our dear newsletter “Smedley Voice” for the year 2015-2016.
Through this media, I hope to give you the latest and greatest
about our growing club, Smedley Toastmasters.
I would like to take this moment to thank the secret silent
skilled members who helped to craft this newsletter. That
would be none other than the mastermind DTM Raghavan,
who suggested the cover story as well as varied content for the
newsletter. I would also like to thank all my proof-readers,
mainly the Excom, DTM Raghavan, TM Rimzan and TM
Maimoona for reviewing this newsletter.
This newsletter was released to show the world what a creative
and positive niche Smedley Toastmasters club members have
created for themselves through the years! What I like about
Smedley Toastmasters club is that we create a positive fun
loving environment for our members. We motivate our
members to work hard, and help them grow, and we try to do
that in a relaxed setting where everyone is encouraged to
learn, laugh and lead.
Our club members want to be leaders like Dr. Ralph Smedley.
Our cover story is about our dear founder and leader, Dr.
Ralph Smedley and his unique leadership style that made
Toastmasters so popular. And that’s why this edition is
released in October 2015, the month that Toastmasters came
into existence through Dr. Ralph Smedley.
I hope you enjoy reading our first edition for the year 2015-
2016!
Regards,
Lesiley Mathew,
Editor & VP Membership,
Smedley Toastmasters
From the Editor’s Desk
4
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
Be a Leader like ….
Dr. Ralph C Smedley is the founder and first leader of
Toastmasters International. Dr. Smedley was born in Waverly,
Illinois, a city twenty miles southwest of Springfield. He
remained in Illinois most of his youth.
After high school, he taught schools in the countryside before
enrolling at Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington,
Illinois. After his graduation in 1903, he started working at the
local YMCA.
As Educational Director of the "Y" he discovered there was a
need for training in speech. He began to design a club and
struggled for a name. The General Secretary of the "Y",
George Sutton, suggested calling it a Toastmasters club.
The boys liked the name and the club was a success. At each
club meeting, there was a rotation of duties with members
taking turns at presiding and speaking. Short speeches were
evaluated by Ralph and the other older men, and the boys were
invited to join in the evaluation to learn more. The club
performed its intended purpose as leadership and speech
improved in the other educational groups with which these
young men were associated.
The club only lasted a year after Ralph Smedley moved to the
YMCA at Rock Island, Illinois as General Secretary in 1910. He
organized a Toastmasters Club at the Rock Island "Y" which
soon reached a membership of 75. When Ralph Smedley left the
Rock Island "Y", the Toastmasters Club there also soon
perished. When he became a Secretary at a San Jose YMCA, he
started another club. But that club also stopped meeting when
he moved to San Anta, California.
But that didn’t dissuade Dr. Ralph Smedley, the ever-persistent
leader who believed passionately about his idea of public
speaking! He knew that some people at the “Y” thought that
he was peculiar and his “toastmaster” idea was considered as
one of his “idiosyncrasies”!
5
COVER STORY
6
In Santa Ana, California in 1922, another club was immediately organized and still exists as
Club No. 1 of Toastmasters International. He introduced the Toastmasters Club idea. The
first meeting was held at the YMCA Building on October 22, 1924. Until then, the
Toastmasters Club was an educational arm of the YMCA. The Toastmasters Club idea
spread to Los Angeles, Long Beach, and other southern California cities. Representatives of
these clubs met and organized an association.
In order to save the time consumed in replying to many letters and inquiries, Ralph prepared
a "Manual of Instructions" and "Ten Lessons In Public Speaking" which he mimeographed
and bound in paper covers. On October 25, 1928, Ralph obtained copyrights on his
publications and copyrighted the name Toastmasters Club all of which he later assigned to
Toastmasters International.
He resigned as YMCA Secretary in 1941 to devote more time to Toastmasters International.
Through the war years he operated the organization out of a small office. In 1950, Smedley
wrote Beyond Basic Training. In 1956, Toastmasters itself gave Smedley the title of honorary
president and lifetime board member. In 1950, Illinois Wesleyan University recognized
Smedley's service to mankind by conferring the honorary degree of L.H.D. -- Litter arum
Humaniorum or Doctor of Humane Letters. Santa Ana named a junior high school after him
in 1955.
The Santa Ana Toastmasters Club renamed itself the Smedley Number One Club in honor of
its founder. A photograph of Ralph Smedley and the original club charter are placed in an
empty chair near the lectern to represent his continuing inspiration. This started at Club
Number One and several other clubs around the world also chose to honor Ralph Smedley in
this way. Dr. Smedley teaches us to “learn” through “enjoyment”, and that’s exactly what
Smedley Toastmasters club is all about—learning through enjoyable moments.
Dr. Smedley’s famous quote aptly describes Smedley Toastmasters
"We learn best in moments of enjoyment"
Source: Wikipedia, Toastmasters International and NewsInvestors.com
Smedley Toastmasters Club in Qatar was founded by DTM Shubha Anupindi to honor Dr.
Ralph Smedley and we conduct our meetings with a photograph of Dr. Ralph Smedley placed in
the meeting room. The photograph reminds us that he is still with us today in spirit, and
inspires us to be positive in everything that we say and do. Smedley Toastmasters club is the
third club to be named after Dr. Smedley after Smedley Number One Club and Smedley
Toastmasters club in SriLanka.
The Smedley Toastmasters club members in Qatar strongly believe in following Dr. Smedley’s
positivity in our club meetings. No one is reprimanded for mistakes and we work together and
run meetings with lots of smiles and laughs to motivate everyone who comes to our club.
Dr. Smedley’s biography also teaches us great lessons on leadership and shows us how to be a
true leader like him.
The first lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley’s life is his positive and supportive nature. He
stressed on two ideas—that the meetings should be positive and supportive to all members and
that people should understand the reason behind the rules and protocols rather than give im-
portance to the rules itself. A true leader always knows how to be positive and bring out the best
in others.
The second lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley is his persistence to continue with the idea of
Toastmasters. He opened club after club in different locations, and he never gave up on his idea
even though many clubs closed down and some people ridiculed him for his idea. A true leader
always believes in his idea and is persistent in his efforts to see his idea come to fruition.
The third lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley is his great passion for toastmasters. He was
dedicated and committed to serving the community by improving their communication skills
through the idea of Toastmasters. He could have charged a crazy fee for his patented idea, but
instead he chose to share it with all the people and only included a small nominal membership
fee to help sustain operating expenses. He was so passionate about his idea that he retired from
his career to devote full time to his passion. He wrote manual after manual to help people. It is
not a surprise that in 2015, Toastmasters International has 332,000 registered members.
If you’re passionate, positive and persistent like Dr. Smedley, you too can achieve any goal that
you set in life. Thank you, Dr. Smedley, for teaching us to be a leader like you!
By TM Lesiley Mathew
TM Lesiley is the VP Membership for Smedley Toastmasters and can be contacted for
comments at [email protected]
7
8
Hooray!!! 10 out of 10 Distinguished Club Points for Smedley in 2015!
Smedley Toastmasters Club has achieved the President’s Distinguished Club
Award (10 Distinguished Club Points) for the term 2014– 2015 due to the sheer
dedication of the Executive Committee for 2014-2015.
TM Jose, the Club President last year, ran the meetings like a true leader, and mentored
numerous members.
TM Jothinathan, the VP Education worked day and night to get new members, motivated
everyone to take on roles, and ran the club meetings with great vigor and enthusiasm. He
was the Knight in Shining Armor for Smedley Toastmasters club and is the real mastermind
behind the whooping 10 out of 10 DCP points for the Smedley club in 2014– 2015 tenure.
TM Mohammad Ali as VP Membership helped to add many new members.
TM Benov as VP Public Relations last term brought out the first ever club newsletter for
Smedley Toastmasters called the “Smedley Voice”.
TM Vimal Raj as Secretary completed all the administration work on time.
TM Midhun as Treasurer, provided accurate records of club finances.
TM Rimzan was a sergeant at arms plus official photographer, and even provided 3 club
points out of 10 towards the Distinguished Club Points.
President’s Distinguished Club
CLUB AWARDS
Smedley Leadership Changes Hands
All good things must come to an end and that’s what happened when the Smedley Executive
Committee (Excom) for 2014-2015 stepped down on June 30th after accomplishing a whooping 10
out of 10 Distinguished club points last year and earning the President’s Distinguished Club
Award for the term 2014—2015.
On June 16th, 2015 a new set of vibrant toastmasters were sworn in as leaders. These new leaders
want to run creative meetings where all of us can learn and laugh together!
The Excom for 2015-2016 begins with Area Director Abhijit Kuwalekar from Area 43 to which our
club belongs.
Area Governor for 2014 - 2015, TM Muneer Sheikh conducted the installation ceremony with
incredible efficiency. It began with the discharge of current Excom followed by the installation of
new Excom members — the sergeant-at-arms TM Musthafa, Treasurer TM Ammad, Secretary
TM Vijesh, Vice President Public Relations TM Shibu, Vice President Membership TM Lesiley,
Vice President Education TM Benov and the President TM Vimal.
The Smedley Toastmasters Club is in good hands with the new leadership already taking bold
initiatives to create a new agenda and move to an upscale location, Sharq Capital. Five new
members were also added in September 2015. Let us work together to help the new leaders make
Smedley a President’s Distinguished Club AGAIN this year!
9
CLUB NEWS
10
In 2012, Area 71 Governor TM Sathish visited the previous com-
pany that I worked for – McDermott in Chennai. AG Sathish
conducted a demonstration meeting to showcase the benefits of
Toastmasters for our management. The impressive speakers con-
vinced the company leaders to start a corporate club. Due to my
exuberant attitude and age, I was nominated as the Charter
President. Then the task of finding twenty members fell to me,
and I canvassed the idea to all my colleagues. With sheer
dedication, I managed to find 20 members to start the Corporate
Club called McDermott Toastmasters on January 11, 2013.
After starting the club, I was entrusted with a bigger challenge.
The management asked me to double the club strength. I
grabbed every opportunity to talk about toastmasters and its
huge benefits. Soon, I became a “dreaded” figure called the
“MLM Toastmaster”. MLM means Multi-Level Marketing and
is a concept where the salesman not only sells the product, but
also recruits other people to become “sellers” for the product.
As I talked to others, I realized that there were a lot of
misconceptions about “Toastmasters”. One person asked me,
“What kind of bread do you use for the toast?” and yet another
asked interestedly, “Which wine do you use as toastmaster?” I
decided to clear the misconceptions through a demo meeting. As
I wrote invitations, I classified the people into three categories:
First, the people who were not interested at all
Second, the people who showed interest, but were too busy
Thirdly were the people who were extremely interested
I abandoned the first category of people—people with no
interest. And the third category of extremely interested people
had already joined the club.
I invited people from the second category to the demo meeting –
people who showed interest, but were too busy. I hoped to
persuade them to join Toastmasters too despite their busy
schedule.
TM Jothinathan, CC, CL
TM Jothinathan is the backbone of
the Smedley Toastmasters club
and served the club as VP Educa-
tion for the term 2014-2015. He
motivated all the club members to
complete their educational goals
and achieve club points that
contributed to the President’s
Distinguished Status in 2014-2015.
TM Jothinathan has completed his
CC and CL manuals, and is
working towards his ACB manual
this year.
He increased the club strength last
year by over 10 members and still
continues to bring at least one
guest to every meeting. His efforts
are applauded and commended by
every toastmaster who has ever
visited the Smedley Toastmasters
Club.
The MLM Toastmaster
INSPIRATION
The only way to persuade someone is by understanding what motivates that person. The
primary motivation for all employees at a company is monetary benefits. I introduced the
concept of Toastmasters and explained the benefits of being a good communicator in
simple terms – Better “customer” interaction leads to better “sales”, which leads to
“promotion” and “salary raises”. That sales pitch got their attention.
Here’s my motivational speech after describing the benefits of Toastmasters:
“All of you can get that promotion or salary raise, but to get it, you must act on your interest
to improve yourself. My father once told me that there are two kinds of people in the world
– people with an active personality and people with a passive personality. People with an
active personality never feel satisfied with a single activity. They like to “act” in parallel –
they may have a job, but they’re always trying to improve themselves through different tech-
niques like studying further, starting businesses on the side or improving their social net-
work. Active personalities never “stop” climbing up the corporate ladder. On the other
hand, people with a passive personality are extremely satisfied with their current job. They
have no interest in moving further up the chain, and they do just enough to sustain their
position and income. Now which of those personalities do you have? Do you have an active
or passive personality? I have an active personality, that’s why in addition to my job, I am
pursuing higher education. I’m a partner in another business, and I’m the President of this
corporate Toastmasters club. Let me leave you with the story that changed my personality
to an active one:
Once a farmer found an abandoned eagle's nest and in it, was an egg still warm. He felt sor-
ry for the egg and brought it back to his farm. He then laid the egg in the nest of one of his
hens. The egg hatched and the baby eagle grew up along with the other chickens. It pecked
about the farmyard, scrabbling for grain. It spent its life within the yard and rarely looked
up. When it was very old, one day it lifted up its head and saw above it a wonderful sight -
an eagle soaring high above in the sky. Looking at it, the old creature sighed and said, "If
only I'd been born an eagle".
Dear friends, I realized that instead of being satisfied with my current job, I could also work
on my skills and reach greater heights like the eagle. You are also born with a lot of poten-
tial. Do not live like a hen. All of you are really EAGLES. Recognize your potential and
become the eagle that soars through the sky!”
After that meeting, our club strength increased to 40 in a short span of three months. When
I submitted my resignation letter to move to Qatar, my HR manager joked to my functional
manager, “Please don’t accept Jothi’s resignation. He’s the best salesman in our
company.”
By TM Jothinathan
TM JOTHINATHAN, CC, CL is the immediate past VP Education of Smedley Toastmas-
ters Club and can be contacted for comments at [email protected]
11
Area Director for Area 43, TM Abhijit Kuwalekar
12
Area Director, TM Abhijit hails from SantaCruz, in Mumbai, India.
He has a civil engineering degree and 20 years of experience in
project management. Currently, he works as a Civil Manager for
Um Al Houl Power( Facility D) in Qatar. He lives in Qatar with his
loving wife, Dhanasheela and their teenage son, Vedang.
TM Abhijit has been a toastmaster for nearly 4 years and he says
that toastmasters has helped him improve his public speaking
skills. TM Abhijit says that sincere efforts will help the Smedley
club achieve targets both at an individual and club level.
TM Vimal Raj - Club President
TM Vimal hails from the cultural capital of Kerala, a city called
Trichur (nicknamed the Land of Elephants) within India. He is an
MBA graduate with over 10 years of experience in finance and is
currently the chief accountant for Teyseer Group.
TM Vimal has been with Smedley Toastmasters for the last three
years, and been in the Smedley Excom for three years consecutively
now. His wife, TM Akshaya, is a member of the ICC Eves ladies
toastmaster club, and they have one son. TM Vimal’s pastime is
watching motivat ional speeches to become an
inspirational speaker!
TM Jose K - Immediate Past President
TM Jose is an Indian who has settled in Bangalore for the last 24
years. He has an engineering degree from Kerala and a Masters in
Software Systems from BITS Pilani. He lives in Doha with his wife,
Evelyn and his son, Andrew.
TM Jose is the Immediate Past President of our club and is a four
time area humorous champion. His advice to toastmasters:
1) Always speak on a topic which you are passionate about, If you
are not sincere about the topic/message you cannot
m o v e t h e a u d i e n c e h o w e v e r h a r d y o u t r y .
2) Follow the manual diligently. They are designed, with a lot of
background research, to take you to the next level of expertise.
3) However senior you are, discuss your speech with your mentor.
MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016
TM Benov Jacob - VP Education
13
TM Benov is an IT graduate with an MBA degree. He works as
Senior IT Client Support Manager with Al Futtaim Group. He lives
in Doha with his wife Mincy and has two sons and a daughter.
TM Benov has been with Smedley Excom for three years now. He
says, “I was extremely shy and toastmasters helped me break out of
my shell. It pushed me in a new, positive direction. As with
anything, if you want results, you need to invest your time. Do not
let fear stop you from attending meetings.” I believe that in
addition to public speaking skills, Toastmasters has made a
phenomenal positive impact on my life.
TM Lesiley Mathew - VP Membership
TM Lesiley is an American citizen born to Indian parents in Qatar.
She is a Lead Engineer at General Electric, and lives in Qatar with
her husband, Cecil and their two daughters, Leah and Lisa.
TM Lesiley joined toastmasters two years ago to conquer her fear of
public speaking. Since then, she has won third prize at the
humorous contest in the division, and is now part of the Club
Excom and Division Excom. Her advice is, “The only way to
conquer any fear is to face it again and again. You’ve to
develop a thick skin and never give up despite the obstacles and
failures that come your way.”
TM Shibu K Reghunath - VP Public Relations
TM Shibu is an MBA graduate. He is currently in-charge of heavy
equipment sales at Abdulla Abdulghani & Bros. TM Shibu lives in
Qatar with his wife, Sindhu and their two sons, Amit and Amal. His
hobby is to watch cricket.
TM Shibu has been with the Smedley Excom for the last three years
and has won first prize at the club evaluation contest in 2015. He
says that toastmasters has helped him build confidence
tremendously to speak in front of audiences and give presentations
at work.
MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016
TM Vijesh - Secretary
14
TM Vijesh is a seasoned toastmaster who is new to Qatar. He
works at ADP in Qatar, and has married recently. His wife joined
him in Qatar about two months ago.
TM Vijesh has been with Smedley Toastmasters for eight months
and won third prize at the Area 43 contest for International
speeches in March 2015. He has held several roles in Excom before
arriving in Qatar and has completed his competent communicator
manual.
TM Ammad - Treasurer
TM Ammad has a double bachelors degree in Education and
Business Administration and works as a Stock Controller with
Jaidah Motors. He has 3 children—2 boys and a girl.
TM Ammad has been with Smedley Toastmasters for the last 4
years, and he says that toastmasters has given him the confidence to
communicate within the organization as well as with external
clients. His advice: Attend meetings regularly with good
sportsmanship spirit and be ready to take on any roles with the
support of your mentors.
TM Musthafa A - Sergeant-At-Arms
TM Musthafa works as a Parts Technical Supervisor at Jaidah
Motors. Previously, he worked for 14 years as Senior Customer
Support Executive in Galadari Trucks in Dubai. His family
consists of his wife and three children.
TM Musthafa has returned to Toastmasters after a long break and
is currently the most dedicated member of our club. As a sergeant
at arms, he works hard to fulfill his responsibilities and excels at his
role in introducing the President uniquely at each meeting. He
expects to become a good communicator and leader through his
continuous efforts in Toastmasters.
MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016
“Don’t wait to be proud until you reach your goal. Be proud of each step you take to achieve your goal.”
TM Jose has completed his Advanced Communicator Gold award ,
marking the end of his communication track for the path to
Distinguished Toastmaster status.
His last speech for the ACG title was conducted on June 16, 2015. The
speech was from an advanced manual on speaking about his
accomplishments after receiving an award.
TM Muneer Sheikh gave TM Jose a cheque for Rs. 100,000 for
bringing electricity to villages in Karnataka, and TM Jose then gave
his 5 minute speech about how he achieved the goal of bringing
electricity. TM Jose’s last speech for ACG was beautiful and inspires
all of us to work diligently towards our goals.
TM Bijith is a past President of
the Smedley Toastmasters Club
and completed his Advanced
Communicator Bronze Award in
September 2015, achieving our
first educational point for the club
this year!
Despite his busy schedule at
Wacker Neusen and continuous
travel to UAE as part of his job,
TM Bijith found the time to come
in and complete ten speeches
from two of the advanced
manuals, thus completing his
ACB award.
TM Bijith completed five
speeches from the Advanced
Module “Entertaining Speaker”
since he is a speaker with a
notable interest in the use of
humor to make speeches lively.
Also, he chose to complete five
speeches from the Advanced
Manua l fo r “Fac i l i ta t ing
Discussions” as he felt that this is
a required talent for every person
working in a customer facing
environment.
His speeches for the “Facilitating
Discussion” manual were ten to
fifteen minutes long, but everyone
enjoyed his humorous speeches
and participated well in each of
the speeches where he facilitated
discussions on a particular issue.
I wish that I could be as
dedicated as TM Bijith was, in his
determination to reach the next
level of communication! 15
Advanced Communicator Gold for TM Jose
Advanced Communicator Bronze for TM Bijith
Club Member Achievements
TM Shylesh
16
TM Shylesh K joined our club in June 2015. He works as a
Cardiothoracic surgeon at Al—Ahli Hospital. He lives in
Qatar with his beautiful wife, Anne and five year old daughter.
He has completed two projects so far from the CC manual and
has already completed over 4 roles from the CL manual.
MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS
TM Maimoona
TM Maimoona is a dual toastmaster and works at Maersk Oil
Qatar. She lives in Qatar with her husband and four children.
TM Maimoona is a vibrant toastmaster with a true passion to
learn and excel at public speaking! She is on a fast track to
complete her CC manual before the end of the year!
TM Navaz
Dhahasar Navaz is a new toastmaster who joined our club
along with his wife, TM Akhila, in August 2015. He started
his sales career in Qatar with Data Capture Systems in
Wireless & Networking division. TM Navaz has completed
his icebreaker speech in October, and has already taken a
couple of roles at the club.
TM Akhila Navaz
TM Akhila is married to TM Navaz, and is also a new
toastmaster with our club. She works for Middle East
Business Development Company as a sales coordinator. She
and TM Navaz have been married for 16 years, and is living in
Qatar with their two children. TM Akhila and TM Navaz are
motivated to improve their communication skills and impart
the same knowledge to their children also.
Language Usage
Oxymoron is a pair of words
that have opposite meaning
but are used together to make
the listener pause and think.
It is used in humorous
speeches. Some examples:
Clearly Confused
Great Depression
Act naturally
Beautifully painful
Deafening silence
Pretty ugly
Amazingly awful
Alone together
Virtual reality
Random order
Original copy
Run slowly
Awfully delicious
Open secret
Awfully pretty
Big baby
Growing smaller
Typically odd
Naturally strange
Weirdly normal
Worthless gold
Liquid food
Heavy diet
Smedley Speechcraft 2015
After being sworn in as VP
Membership for the Smedley
Toastmasters club, I became a
f requent v is i tor to the
Toastmasters International
website. I started reading
toastmaster articles during my
free time, and scoured through
loads of toastmaster resources
online including successful club
and leadership series manuals.
That’s when I stumbled on an
article that talked about the
Speechcraft program. The
article mentioned that every
year, a club loses 40% of its
members for various reasons like
busy schedule, or transfers or
migration or lack of interest.
The article went on to talk about
clubs that conducted yearly
speechcraft programs. Did you
know that a club that conducts
speechcraft programs every year
will never be low on members?
Speechcraft is the only way to
retain a steady flow of members.
And that’s how I began planning
for a speechcraft with the help of
an expert, DTM Raghavan. The
Smedley Speechcraft 2015 is in
progress right now. In a future
issue, I’ll share everything that
you need to know about
conducting a speechcraft. But
here’s a flyer from our program
for now!
17
UPCOMING EVENTS
Icebreaker Objectives:
To begin speaking before
an audience
To discover speaking skills
you already have and skills
that need some attention
Time: Four to Six Minutes
Icebreaker Points:
Talk about yourself, the
topic that you’re most fa-
miliar with
Opening, Body and Con-
clusion
Preparing Yourself
Presenting your talk
Your Evaluation
Speaker’s Checklist
How to write an Icebreaker Icebreaker is the first prepared speech that you deliver in a
toastmaster club. To help speakers identify the kind of
information to deliver in an icebreaker, I came up with a list of
questions. Answer these questions to find out what you want
to talk about in your icebreaker.
1. Where were you born?
2. What country and state do you hail from?
3. Where did you live as a child? What school did you go to?
4. What was your childhood like?
5. Who was the most influential person in your childhood?
6. What did you study in college?
7. What kind of a career are you pursuing now?
8. What is your greatest passion?
9. Describe your current family members.
10. How did you come to Qatar? How many years here?
11. What is the most important lesson you learned from life?
12. Any goals, dreams or aspirations?
Once you answer these questions, you’ll find that the answers
will become your icebreaker.
Some reminders about the Icebreaker speech assignment:
1.Write a striking opening – a question to capture the
audience’s interest or a quote
2.Write a fantastic conclusion/closing – either a quote or an
inspirational message asking the audience to do something or
a conclusion that summarizes what you learned in life.
3.Speech should be about a common theme throughout –
which also should be the title of the icebreaker.
4.Time for icebreaker is 4 to 6 minutes only – if you speak at
an average rate of 120 words per minute, then your total
number of words must be between 480 and 720 words. When
you practice, time yourself to make sure that you complete
your speech between 4 and 6 minutes.
5.Send your speech to your mentor. Call your mentor and ask
for suggestions after sending your speech.
By TM Lesiley Mathew
Please send your comments to [email protected] 18
EDUCATION
P1 Icebreaker Sample Speech My Inspired Life
Have you ever been inspired to do the impossible? It could be your
parents or your spouse or a friend or a teacher who INSPIRED you.
This is a story about the people who inspired me on my journey
through life.
I was born in Qatar at the Hamad Women’s Hospital as the fourth
child to my parents. My older siblings grew up in boarding schools
but I studied in MES Indian School. I never studied or paid
attention in school. But for every exam, I did quite well because my
mom kept a close watch on my report card and she really
INSPIRED me to work hard at home.
If my mom INSPIRED me to study, my dad INSPIRED me to be a
good person. When I was growing up, my dad taught me the most
important principles of life and INSPIRED me to be a good person
–to put others ahead of my needs, to always help everyone and to
never cheat anyone out of anything they deserve.
My parents found me a good alliance. My husband’s most
important quality is that he genuinely cares about people close to
him and is very open minded. My husband has INSPIRED me to
progress in my career and learn new things. I did a second Masters
when I couldn’t find a job because my husband supported my
decision. My husband taught me to be confident at job interviews.
Today, I have about 13 years of experience in the field of IT, and I
excel at my work as a Lead Software Engineer because my husband
inspired me ( more like forced me) to work when I just wanted to
stay at home!
And over the last 10 years, I have had two wonderful girls who are
my INSPIRATION to be a super mom, despite working crazy
hours. I want to INSPIRE my children to excel in their tasks.
You see, without INSPIRATION, we are like a matchbox that will
never be lit. Without the INSPIRATION from my family, I
wouldn’t have been so successful. TODAY, I want you to become
an inspiration to someone in your life.
One tree can start a forest,
One smile begins a friendship,
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to each of you! 19
Overcoming Nervousness
Know the room—Go early
to the meeting
Know the audience—Greet
people in the room
Know your material—
Practice, practice and
practice
Relax using exercises
Visualize yourself giving
your speech
Realize that people want
you to succeed
Don’t apologize
Concentrate on the
message, not the medium
Turn nervousness into
positive energy
Ga in ex per ience —
Confidence comes only
through speaking again and
again
EDUCATION
Organize Your Speech Objectives
Select an appropriate out-
line which allows listeners
to easily follow and under-
stand your speech.
Make your message clear
with supporting material
directly contributing to that
message.
Use appropriate transiti-
tions when moving from
one idea to another.
Create a strong opening and
conclusion.
Time: Five to seven minutes
20
Tips to Organize Your Speech
Organization of Speeches: Speeches can be organized in different
ways:
1. Chronological order— You can describe what happened in
the past, then continue to the present, followed by a
prediction of what you anticipate for the future.
2. Problem—Solution approach—If you are passionate about a
particular problem that you experienced , and you feel that it
is relevant to the audience, then you can describe the
problem, and then continue on to the solutions for that
problem.
3. Causal—Effect—Another approach is to describe the causes
and effects of a topic.
4. Comparisons—For example, if you want to buy a car, then
you can compare the different options available to you by
describing the pros and cons of each option, and finally
conclude by telling the audience which option is better for
you and why!
5. Spatial or geographical—Any speech related to a geographical
location is usually considered a spatial organization.
Use of Transitions: Transition is any phrase or sentence that
connects two different points.
Transition Words/Phrases/Techniques
Adding a point: also, moreover, in addition
Supporting material: for example, to illustrate
Usage of Time: soon, then, later, afterward, meanwhile
Compare: however, but, yet, nevertheless, instead, instead of,
meanwhile, although
Conclusions: in summary, therefore, finally, as a result
Signposts —Signpost tell audience where you are headed.
"There are three things you should do to make your vehicle
last. First, you should ....... Second, you should ........ Third,
you should....... "
Spotlights for conclusion—Use spotlights to tell the audience
that the next part of your speech is important.
Examples of spotlights for conclusion are:
"If you take only one idea from my presentation it is....."
“You might want to take notes here, this point is important."
Source: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~rbrokaw/organizing.html
EDUCATION
Sample Project 2 Speech : My Dream Chariot
Why don’t they make a perfume with the smell of a new car?”
remarked Dr. Rimas, one of our visiting surgeons. All of us agreed.
“Is there anybody in this room who does not love the smell of a new
car?”
Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests. Good evening.
Buying a car is like adding a member to your family. To get the best
value out of this new member you have to go through a careful
process.
[ S I G NPO S T ] T hi s p ro ces s ha s t h re e s ta g es .
[TRANSITION TO FIRST POINT] The first stage is the dream,
which technically stands for performance of the car. Then you filter
by your needs and finally you decide based on your paying
capacity. Everyone dreams big. Your dream car is always a few
notches above what you need. It can be an ad that you saw in an
auto magazine or a car next to a glamorous model at the Motor Show in Qatar.
[TRANSITION TO SECOND POINT]In the second stage, you start the research. There is lot
of material available online – Kelley blue book, Yahoo Auto and specifically for the gulf region,
you have the DriveArabia.com. Before you actually visit a dealer, you should know a fair deal
about the car that you want to buy.
One day we were discussing Japanese cars and asked our Japanese colleague about his choice.
Without any hesitation, in his typical accent, he said ‘BMW’. Most of us feel that larger cars are
safer to drive and protects us better in the event of a crash. But smaller cars are agile and easy to
maneuver out of potential crash sites. Many people like the view from a larger SUV. But
increased ground clearance increases weight and decreases the stability and fuel efficiency.
Comfort while driving is also an important factor. No amount of research is complete without a
test drive. According to statistics, 90% of potential buyers test drive their vehicle. Don’t fall into
the other 10%. Remember to take your family along for the test drive. You don’t want to hear
about the narrow back seat from your family for the rest of your car ownership!
[TRANSITION TO THIRD POINT] In the third and final phase, the decision is based on the
finances. Do not overspend on the car and compromise on your family’s needs. The EMI
payment should be an amount that you’re comfortable with. After getting my first job, I decided
to buy a Wagon R instead of a Maruti 800. It helped when I had to convert my 3 year loan to a 5
year loan. Also, in a place like Doha, resale value is important in case you have to return to your
home country quickly. Toyota Corolla and Honda CRV have very good resale value here.
[CONCLUSION SPOTLIGHT] As soon as I get my driving license, I will be in line for buying
my new car in Doha. You may find me driving a Toyota Corolla or a Honda CRV. But in my
mind’s eye, I will be zipping across town in my red Ferrari.
By TM Shylesh K
For comments, contact TM Shylesh at [email protected] 21
EDUCATION
“You’ll learn to speak from your mind and heart by joining toastmasters.”
TM Rimzan was first informed about a fraternity called
toastmasters by his dear friend while visiting his home
country, Sri Lanka.
TM Rimzan mockingly asked, “Why do you need to join a
club to learn how to speak?” The friend told him, “You’ll
learn to speak from your mind and heart by joining
t o a s t m a s t e r s ” . T M R i m z a n j o k i n g l y
retorted, “I thought that all of us speak from our mouth.”
His friend explained, “When you speak from your mind, you share knowledge. But when you
speak from your heart, you share your emotions.”
That intrigued TM Rimzan and he looked up toastmasters when he was back in
Qatar. In June 2014, TM Rimzan boarded an express train to begin his journey towards the Land of
Distinguished Toastmasters.
22
Since then, TM Rimzan has not missed a single opportunity to speak at our club or any other
club that he has visited, and every speech is different, unique and sensational to capture the
audience’s interest. In the last 15 months, TM Rimzan has already
completed his CC, ACB, ACS and CL manuals and is very close to completing his last
communicator award, ACG before the end of this year.
Also, in July 2014, he became the Smedley Sergeant At Arms and took on the
added responsibility of becoming our official photographer.
In June 2015, he became the President of the Stafford Toastmasters Club, a club run at
Stafford School. In addition, TM Rimzan was appointed as Club Growth Manager for
Division Q by DTM Raghavan. Presently, TM Rimzan is actively pursuing opportunities to
form not one, but two new toastmasters clubs within Division Q. TM Rimzan will also be
conducting a Speechcraft program for the Stafford Toastmasters club and a Youth
Leadership Program for children. At the end of the youth leadership program, he hopes to
start a gavels club for children enrolled at the Stafford School. TM Rimzan has proved
his talent at leadership with these efforts both at the Division and Club level. He has
certainly dazzled all of us with his hard work and unrelenting efforts!
The Smedley Toastmasters Club wishes TM Rimzan every success in his express journey
and relentless quest to attain the title of Distinguished Toastmaster in such a short span.
Go Get That Distinguished Toastmaster Title, TM Rimzan!
Express Journey to DTM
Member Highlights
23
Dr. Shylesh a member of the Smedley Toastmasters club is a cardio-thoracic surgeon who
works at Al Ahli Hospital. He gave a presentation on October 2nd, 2015 at the Al Ahli Hospital
for the Free Open Health Day. Dr. Shylesh’s talk was on “Chest Pain” and here are some of the
main highlights of his presentation.
Chest pain can be caused by a range of conditions, from not
serious to life-threatening. It may be caused by a heart attack or
a blood clot in your lungs. Sometimes chest pain or pressure is
caused by poor blood flow to your heart (angina). Infection, in-
flammation, or a fracture in the bones or cartilage in your chest
can cause pain or discomfort. Chest pain can also be a symp-
tom of a digestive problem, such as acid reflux or a stomach
ulcer.
Seek care immediately or call 999 in Qatar if you have any of the
following signs of a heart attack:
◦Squeezing, pressure, or pain in your chest that lasts longer than 5 minutes or returns
◦Discomfort or pain in your back, neck, jaw, stomach, or arm
◦Trouble breathing
◦Nausea or vomiting— You cannot stop vomiting or you cannot swallow.
◦Lightheadedness or a sudden cold sweat, especially with trouble breathing.
•You have chest discomfort that gets worse, even with medicine.
•Your bowel movements are black or bloody.
Health Tips for Chest Pain
Is saving human lives the responsibility of doctors and fire fighters only??
Don’t you think you can also save peoples’ lives? A motivational speaker
called Antony Robbins said “In life, lots of people know what to do, but
only a few do it. Knowing is not enough! You must take action”.
Dear Toastmasters, Have you ever saved someone’s life? Some of you
may be th ink ing tha t you have never had an
opportunity to save a life! My dear friends, you also have an opportunity
to save someone else’s life!” It is not as risky as getting into a burning building or fighting with
dangerous criminals. You can save lives by doing a simple deed, by doing a single deed, by donat-
ing your organs.
In a heartbreaking final letter, the Iranian Lady who was hanged said “I don’t want to rot under the
soil. I don’t want my eye or my young heart to turn into dust. As soon as I am hanged, my heart,
kidney, eye, bones and anything that could be, should be transplanted to the needy.”
Organ donation is gifting an organ to someone who needs a transplant. Hundreds of peoples’ lives
are saved each year by the generosity of organ donors and their families.
Organs can be donated in 2 ways – we can donate organs like kidney, liver, lungs while we are
alive. This is usually donated to family. Some people donate organs to complete strangers. When
you become a living donor, you become a hero.
And the second one -Deceased donors, whose organs are transplanted mainly after an accident or
brain death. Up to sixty organs can be transplanted from a deceased person—heart, lungs, kidneys,
liver, pancreas, tissue such as skin, bone, heart valves and corneas. Jemima Layzell, a thirteen year
old girl died in UK after brain damage. She saved the lives of eight people through organ donation.
Her parents have found comfort in believing that their daughter is still alive through many.
One common myth is that age is a barrier but there really is no age limit in donating. Some believe
that organ donation is against one’s religion, but this is not true. Most religions approve of it.
In India, 90% of people in the waiting list die without getting an organ. Almost 175,000 people in
India need a kidney but less than 5000 receive it. My dear friends, how will you reply when asked to
be an organ donor? Will your answer be “Yes I will simply give my healthy organs to save a life,” or
“No, I will take my organs with me to rot in my grave”. It is up to you to decide and act!
In Qatar you can register with Hamad Medical Corporation and get your ‘donor card’. I already
have it. What about you???? If you would like to be a donor, go the Donor website for Hamad at
https://www.hamad.qa/EN/your%20health/Organ-Donation/Donation-In-Qatar/Pages/
Becoming-a-Registrant-for-Organ-Donation-after-Death.aspx
I urge everyone to be an organ donor. Encourage your family and friends to participate too. This is
a powerful gift that you can give freely. Our end can be someone else’s beginning.
TM Benov Jacob
TM Benov Jacob is the VP Education for Smedley Toastmasters and can be contacted at
[email protected] for comments.
24
Live Life, Pass It On
Inspirational
25
Smedley Meeting # 69 at Sharq Capital on Wed, August 19, 2015
We had a joint meeting with Excel Toastmasters for the Smedley Toastmasters Meeting # 69.
It was nice to see many of our members today! The Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD) was
TM Maimoona and she did a phenomenal job of introducing everyone. Our General Evaluator
today was Division Director for Division Q, DTM N V Raghavan who not only ran the evalua-
tion session well but also motivated two guests to join the club.
TM Rimzan gave an educational module despite being tired and really busy at work.
All the speakers, TM Shinoz, TM Jothi and TM Bijith gave excellent speeches.
Our role player today from Smedley was the timer TM Shylesh.
TM Mohammed Ali and TM Kamruddin joined at the last minute and took part in table topics.
The best table topics speaker was our guest TM Navaz Dhahrasa. A special thanks to our exec-
utive committee members, especially TM Vimal, our club president who spent his birthday
with us and TM Benov, our VPE for managing the changing agenda with so much patience
and ease and for being the Table Topic Master today and taking great photographs at the new
location, the sergeant at arms TM Mustafa for his fantastic work in managing the meeting
room, intro and snacks. It is a privilege to be part of such a great team and it feels good to be
part of such a dynamic club. We look forward to seeing all our members and guests attend the
next meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos
26
Smedley Meeting # 70 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Sept 2, 2015
We had a fantastic Smedley Toastmasters Meeting # 70 on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at
Sharq Capital. TM Ammad was the sergeant at arms, treasurer and table topics master.
The President TM Vimal Raj announced that we've signed a one year contract with Sharq capital
starting today!
TM Benov Jacob provided an inspirational TMOD session. TM Bijith was a great General
Evaluator(GE) and also participated as a table topic speaker! Our role players for the meeting
were excellent—TM Mohammad Ali was the Ah counter , TM Maimoona was our dear smiling
grammarian and TM Kamruddin was our ever enthusiastic timer!
Thanks to our speakers for beautiful speeches - TM Vimal gave a humorous P8 speech on the
truth about lies and TM Jothi gave an advanced speech on Animal Motivation.
Thanks to TM Rimzan who motivated so many table topics speakers to speak today with his ed-
ucational module on impromptu speaking.
Our new members TM Nawaz and his better half TM Akhila are rising stars- TM Akhila won the
best table topics speaker with some excellent points about why it's better to try and fail rather
than not try at all. TM Lesiley’s daughter, Leah also tied for best table topics speaker by saying
that maths is her hobby.
We had a great meeting and we’re looking forward to more members participating for our next
meeting on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos
Smedley Meeting #71 on Wed, Sept 16, 2015 at Sharq Capital
We had a great meeting # 71 yesterday with excellent speeches.
Our Sergeant at arms TM Mustafa is back in action and did a great job of setting up the meeting
and started the meeting on time. TM Vimal opened the meeting and switched to the role of
TMOD. To support his theme of “Super Hero”, he brought his son's super hero toys - the hulk
and superman and delivered a humorous angle to the theme. Our role players did really well -TM
Pavithra took on the role of timer. TM Rimzan became the Ah counter. TM Shibu the VP PR
was our grammarian.
TM Midhun gave his P9 on the importance of organic food since he is newly married and trying
to follow a healthy diet with his wife. TM Kamruddin gave an emotional P9 speech on why we
should balance our work and personal life to avoid health issues. He told us about his friend
who turned blind due to health issues and excessive focus on work. It was a heart wrenching
story that really happened to his dear friend. TM Shylesh gave an informative P2 speech like an
expert speaker. His speech told us how to buy a car using three ideas - dream first, test drive
with family and finally choose based on budget and resale value. His conclusion is that we
should buy a Toyota Corolla or Honda CR-V in Doha. TM Benov delivered his advanced speech
on global warming by telling us the effects of global warming through a great presentation. The
best speaker award went to TM Kamruddin.
Table topics session included questions about super heroes at work, college, school and home.
Mr Mayooran won the table topics by saying that he was a super hero at home by knowing how
to keep both his mother and his newly married wife happy!
Our evaluators were TM Rimzan, TM Lesiley, TM Ammad and TM Philip and did a honest but
positive evaluation for all speeches. The best evaluator award went to TM Lesiley. Our general
evaluator TM Philip Cherian was the heart and soul of the meeting by running the evaluation
session well. We had a great meeting and we look forward to great participation at our next
meeting, which is on Wednesday Sept 30 at Sharq Capital.
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos
27
28
Smedley Meeting # 72 at Sharq Capital on Wed, October 7, 2015
Our sergeant at arms was fantastic with his perfect meeting setup and powerful introduc-
tion of our President TM Vimal. Our TMOE for the evening was our very own immediate
past VPE TM Jothi - yes, he's back in action with A PENCIL (the theme of today's
meeting)! He talked about human behavior by comparing the pencil to our daily life.
We had three excellent speakers. TM Navaz delivered his ice-breaker, a love story about
him and his dear wife, TM Akhila, our timer. TM Navaz won the best speaker award for his
icebreaker and also received a standing ovation. Then TM Ammad gave his informational
P8 presentation on Diabetes. TM Rimzan gave an advanced module on the art of negotia-
tions. His final quote "A Negotiator is made not born" was chosen by the grammarian TM
Shylesh as a good usage of the English language. Speaking of grammarian, TM Shylesh
chose the word "Swimmingly" which means without difficulty. TM Akhila was a great
timer. TM Maimoona was the silent but striking Ah counter.
Our table topics master, TM Benov, came with an innovative idea of story-telling and gave
each table topic speaker a story. Our new member, TM Aijaz, won the best table topic
award after saying a story about the golden egg and concluding that we also try and achieve
success quickly like the impatient farmer who killed the hen to get all the eggs in one
scoop.
Our general evaluator TM Thayalan was also fantastic. His team of evaluators were TM
Vimal and TM Kamruddin. TM Vimal received the best evaluator award. Overall, we had
a beautiful meeting and our next meeting is on Wednesday, October 21, 2015.
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos
Club Meeting Photos
29
30
Have you ever heard of the word “GLASSOPHOBIA”? As per Wikipedia,
GLASSOPHOBIA or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in
general. The word glossophobia comes from the Greek word glōssa, meaning tongue,
and the word phobos means fear or dread. Check out what we found out on Google
about the fear of public speaking!
Tickling Toastmasters
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.
