pulse issue02
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CONTENTS
The District Governors Address 5 34
36
39
41
15
18
26
28 47
Chaos or clarity in newsletters?
You choose!
Report from the International
Convention at Kuala Lumpur
The woman behind Reverbs
2014
Exclusive Interview with the
World Champion of Public
Speaking 2014
The mantra to success from
DTM Aditya Maheswaran, Run-
ner-up, Semi Finals, Interna-tional Speech Contest
DTM Deepak Menon, Interna-
tional Director, Region 13, on
the power of preparation
How to speak from your life
and memorize speechesChange the world with Toast-
masters
Milestones of Toastmasters In-
ternational this year
In my interactions with the members
of different clubs so far this year, Ive
found that preparing a newsletter at any
level is looked upon as a dreaded activ-
ity. But I would like to differ from this
common thread of emotion because
newsletters, if used wisely, can serve as
a vibrant representation of everything
your club, area or division stands for. It
can bring out its strengths and illustrate
the many different activities that were/ will be conducted by that particular
unit, sealing itself in our memory for life.
Do read this issue to know more on how
best you can prepare a newsletter that
achieves this purpose.
After highlighting the importance
of Planning in the first issue of Pulse,
it was a no-brainer when I sat down to
think about the theme of our second
issue; for when we look at the process
of accomplishing anything in life, prep-
aration serves as the foundation to a
strong plan. And hence, heres your key
to the robust foundation of preparation
that will benefit you in Toastmasters,
and otherwise.
We hope you enjoy reading it as
much as weve enjoyed preparing it for
you. If you have any feedback to share,
do write to me at:
editor-in-chief@d82.org
Happy reading!
TM Noorain Mohammed NadimNewsletter EditorDistrict 82
THE EDITORS DESK
The patrons of District 82 (left to right): TM Sudash Liyanage, Lieutenant Governor - Marketing (LGM),DTM Sastharam Ravendran, Lieutenant Governor - Education and Training (LGET), DTM Balraj Aruna-
salam, Second Vice President, Toastmasters International, and DTM Yusuf Jeevunjee, District G overnor
The year 2014 has been phe-
nomenal for District 82. Weve
not only had the honour of
having one of our very own members
accomplishing the monumental vic-
tory of winning the World Champion-
ship of Public Speaking, but weve also
had an effective and efficient leader
from amidst us climbing the leadership
ladder in Toastmasters International. Ifeel immensely privileged to be a part
of this district the home of TM Danan-
jaya Hettiarachchi, the World Champion
of Public Speaking 2014, and DTM Balraj
Arunasalam, the Second Vice President
of Toastmasters International because
it is here that communication and lead-
ership have travelled hand in hand to-
wards the pinnacle of success.31 49The Founder of Toastmasters
International leaves a message
to ponder
The power of props
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150 plus Sri Lankans, were bask-
ing in the reflected glory of our historic
achievement. The only regret I have is
that the Tamil Nadu section of District
82 was very poorly represented at this
convention because it was a fantastic
learning opportunity that could have
been enjoyed at a relatively low cost.
However, there was a deeper mes-
sage in all the excitement...and thatcame in the acceptance speeches given
by both our champions. They both
spoke of their humble beginnings,
their early trials and tribulations, the
challenges they faced, and the need to
immerse oneself in the Toastmasters
movement to improve confidence, self-
esteem, knowledge and focus.
There is no alternative route to suc-
cess. As Robert Kiyosaki once said, The
size of your success is measured by the
strength of your desire, the size of your
dream, and how you handle disappoint-
ment along the way. Add to this de-
termination, hard work, and thorough
preparation, and we have the formula
for success. It is my fervent hope that
within the next three years, we have an-
other World Champion of Public Speak-
ing from District 82. I am confident we
can do it, if we work at it. The message is
clear - we are participants in what is per-
haps the greatest training programme
in the world, and if we all are prepared
to commit the time and effort, and to
put in the hard work, the path to glory is
open to all. Its up to us!
DTM Yusuf JeevunjeeGovernorDistrict 82
COMMIT TO SUCCEED
August 23, 2014 was a red letter
day in the history of District
82. It all happened that day at
the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The morning started with a resound-
ing victory for Dananjaya Hettiarachchi,
who was crowned the World Champion
of Public Speaking. What uproar there
was when the results were announced!
It was euphoria to the point of hysteria!
Hardly had the din died down when
the elections at the business meeting
resulted in our own Arunasalam Balraj
being elected as the Second Vice Presi-
dent of Toastmasters International.
Once again, the uproar erupted, and the
air was thick with emotion, with many
tears of joy being shed, and the sense
of euphoria continued unabated. The
members of District 82 who were pre-
sent at the convention, in particular, the
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with trivial work. He says this is the
type where we feel like we have done
a lot of work, but in reality we havent
actually done anything much. He adds,
this is where we are simply busy being
busy.
3. Priority Dilution: Rory then ex-
plains the third type, where we allow
our attention to shift to less important
tasks. In other words, we are distracted.
When Rory finished his session at the
International Convention, I was thor-
oughly convinced that at the end of the
day, every effort mattered and making
sure that we were able to do this to our-
selves every day also mattered.
May it be contests, educational ses-
sions, or milestone meetings that you
are planning for your club; may it be a
life changing project at your office, or
life taking project at home; planning
and preparation are most important in
order to get to your goal.
Take some time to think about the
two points I have mentioned in this ar-
ticle comparisons and procrastination.
I hope it may change your life for the
better, like it has helped improve mine.
All the best with the contests, and good
luck for this new quarter! Let us aim
higher, plan smarter, prepare harder, de-
liver better and celebrate grander! Letsdo it, District 82!
DTM Sastharam RavendranLGETDistrict 82
need to do is with how I dealt with
time may be two years back, or six
months back. That will not only be
a measuring tool for me to improve
myself, but also, it will motivate me to
help myself. Somehow, I only realized
this when I was at the convention.
One of the biggest pre-learning tips
Ive learnt is to understand the nature
of comparisons, before we start to plan
and execute some kind of a project.
The next lesson that I have learnt re-
cently is actually a deeper understand-
ing of procrastination. Now, most of us
are very good at this, I dont know how
we all turned out to be this way, but I
can say hands down that most of the
younger generation these days have
become victims to this. Thanks to Rory
Vaden, I was able to devote sometime
to think about this. Rory says there are
three kinds of procrastination:
1. Classic Procrastination: The most
common type where we consciously
delay what we know we shouldnt be
delaying. He even says that this is the
kind that we all know of; in fact, we be-
lieve that this is the only type. He also
adds that some of us are territorial clas-
sic procrastinators meaning, we are
probably doing office work, but we
delay household work, or something
like that in order to accomplish one task .
2. Creative Avoidance I liked the
way he had named it. The more danger-
ous of the procrastination types, where
we end up unconsciously filling the day
and clubs already getting Dis-
tinguished, and even Select Distin-
guished! Wow! That, indeed, was fast.
But I must admit these were probably
the best four months of my life in Toast-
masters as I have personally learnt a lot
of new things, stretched my goals a bit,
challenged myself a little more and defi-
nitely met new people and made quick
friends.
With the focus now shifting to con-
tests and conferences, I thought that
I could take some time to share some
of my learnings from the International
Convention that I believe are most valu-
able when it comes to preparation and
execution. Somehow, an average man
never spends too much time in intro-
spection, and this is something that I
have realized is integral for continuous
self-development. We fail to constantly
try and reinvent ourselves and eventu-
ally, we feel exhausted and demotivated
to do something. At such a juncture, we
probably will add oil to the burning fire
by comparing ourselves with friends,
family members and sometimes, even
mere acquaintances, beating ourselves
over it. Of course, this is a natural way
in which our minds react to the growing
tension brewing within our heads.
What I have realized, in the course
of all this learning in Toastmasters, is to
never compare ourselves with anyone
else. The only comparison that we ought
to do, or rather the only comparison
that is healthy, and will help us better
ourselves is a comparison of our pre-
sent selves with our past selves. If I ever
wanted to be better at time manage-
ment, the only comparison I probably
LETS AIM HIGHER
It just feels like we were discuss-
ing on action items to start a fresh
Toastmasters year. Now, its al-
ready November and we are done with
the first quarter. Whew! That went fast;
really fast.
July, August and September have
been real busy months at the District.
Starting from our officers and judgestraining programs, and then to Emer-
gence and a lot of international expe-
riences from Kuala Lumpur - these four
months have been simply busy. They
have also been great for us to plan for
the entire Toastmasters year, drafting
budgets, working on the District Suc-
cess Plan and seeing our selected/elect-
ed officers start their leadership journey.
What has been amazing is watching our
members already submitting applica-
tions for various educational awards,
and clubs
We fail to constantly reinvent our-selves and eventually, we feel ex-hausted and demotivated to dosomething.
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AN ACTION PLAN
Ifeel on top of the world as I reach
you through this second issue of
our newsletter. District 82 created
history in the world of Toastmasters. I
believe its the first time that Toastmas-
ters of the world witnessed a leader of
outstanding stature, DTM Balraj Aruna-
salam, getting elected as the Second
Vice President of Toastmasters Interna-
tional, and a World Champion of Public
Speaking, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi,emerging as grand winners all this
from a single district in a singular con-
ference.
I tend to believe that the said record
is hard to be repeated; and even if so, it
will only be possible for members of Dis-
trict 82, provided we plan and set a goal
to create another World Champion of
Public Speaking from our district within
the next three years. The hacked quote
- Failing to plan is planning to fail, is by
far the worthiest motto to be successful
in our journey. The three laws of success
begin with planning and establishing a
definite goal. Secondly, embarking on
the action plan with adequate prepara-
tion, a positive frame of mind and self-
confidence is critical. Thirdly, staying
focused in directing yourself and your
team until you reach your goal is the
deal-cincher.
Therefore, I urge our Club Executive
Committees to collate all Toastmasters
International and District 82 initiatives
to be achieved during this year into a
single document. This will help compre-
hend the ultimate target of the club at
a glance. For example, let us take the
membership development programs
introduced for a club in this year:
gizing, planning and unwavering
commitment to reach their set goal, or
vision. Therefore, as leaders, let us take
a note of the importance of planning
towards the success of our members,
club, area, division and district, thereby
making District 82 the bench mark for
the world of Toastmasters.
DTM Sudash LiyanageLGMDistrict 82
ship growth and retention, will be
yours. Hence, prepare action plans for
every aspect, form teams, delegate
tasks, improve enthusiasm and inspire
the membership to reach a particular
target.
If you ask the two of our own cham-
pions - DTM Balraj in leadership, and TM
Dananjaya in communication, they will
certainly vouch that their success stories
involve a tremendous amount of strate-
1. Under Distinguished Club Pro-
gram (DCP) - Need to add 8 new mem-
bers within the year 2014/15
2. Under the Golden Gavel Re-
quirements - Need to win at least 2
membership awards ( 10 new members)
out of the 3 (Smedley, Talk-up and Beat
the Clock) awards
3. Under the new Eight-80 for
Season 1 Need to add 8 new mem-
bers and have 80 per cent retention of
the July 01 member base
4. Under Eight-80 for Season 2-
Need to add 8 more members and have
80 per cent retention of the December
31, 2014 member base
If you look at these as the ultimate
membership development goals of
your club, success, in terms of member-
PUBLIC SPEAKING #101
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WELL BEGUN = HALF DONE
District 82 has been on the
Toastmasters map for close to
a decade now. It has been a
trendsetter every year with exceptional
achievements in membership and edu-
cational goals; and this is the ultimate
reason why District 82 split twice in the
span of four years.
With all these etched hard in our
minds, initially, we were all a bit reluc-tant to take up different roles in the
District Public Relations team as it was
very hard to match up to th e work of our
predecessors. May 2014 was the month
when we knew that we will be working
with a team of young men and women,
headed by the Public Relations Officer,
who was just 21 years old. It was the
first time our District had entrusted a
big responsibility to a very young Public
Relations (PR) team. We were under the
pressure to perform because we hadnt
proven our bit yet.
Our team was given the liberty to
start things from scratch, because of
which we were able to revamp the Dis-
trict 82 website, the District Facebook
Page, the Communication Processes,
and create Whatsapp groups. Two
months went by like a flash, what with
late night Skype calls, frequent mail ex-
changes and hangouts at DTM Sasthar-
ams office. When the clock struck 12 AM
on July 1, 2014, a brand new District 82
website was launched, and the first issue
of Pulse, our District Newsletter, was re-
leased during the same week. We also
saw the release of our official Facebook
fan page on Day 1 of the Toastmasters
year.
Four months into the Toastmas-
ters year and here we are:
Our Districts Public Relations strat-
egy was discussed as a case study in the
District PRO forum.
The PR team has successfully cov-
ered the International Convention 2014
on Facebook and on our website, with
a minute-by-minute update on all the
events.All the manual processes of submis-
sions have been replaced with automat-
ed processes, making the District web-
site inch a step closer on becoming the
central hub of District 82s activities.
Words cant explain the achieve-
ments of the District 82 PR team. So,
here are some numbers:
A snapshot of the District 82 PR teams
performance in the last four months.
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District Design Team TM Pranav
Vinod Kumar, TM Laxmi Priya, TM Nisal,
TM Saketh, TM Sundaresan Sekar, TM
Pradeep, TM Abhishek Mazumder, TM
Pratima Yadav
Well begun is just half done as we
know that sustaining this pace will be
the toughest task for us. With all the
hope, we wish all the Toastmasters of
District 82 a well connected year!
TM Vidiya Prasanth
Webmaster
(On behalf of the District 82 PR Team)
It is not just the effort of three or
four officers; it is the hard work of these
leaders who make our District 82 flag fly
high in terms of public relations:
District Webmaster Team TM
Vidiya Prasanth, TM Kush Tripathi, DTM
Sastharam Ravendran, TM Pranav Vinod
Kumar, TM Sandeep Kumar, TM Sunda-
resan Sekar, TM Sai Divijender, TM Feroz
Mohammed
District Social Media Team TM
Kush Tripathi, TM Pranav Vinod Kumar,
TM Vidiya Prasanth
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GOING INTERNATIONAL
What does the word interna-
tional mean to you? To me,
the word was redefined
in just four days, thanks to the Interna-
tional Convention at Kuala Lumpur in
August this year. Every time I would turn
my neck, I would see a person from a dif-
ferent nationality; when I turned again,
I saw another person from yet another
nationality.
An International Convention is an
annual conference hosted by Toastmas-ters International to celebrate the next
set of leaders and the World Champion
of Public Speaking. However, I felt that
this years Convention was an exception.
Heres why:
1. Out of 2,200 registrations, 1,450
were first timers.
2. The World Champion of Public
Speaking was our very own Dananjaya
Hettiarachchi from District 82. With his
victory, he is now the first Asian to
have won the title.
3. Our very own DTM Balraj Aruna-
salam was elected the Second Vice Pres-
ident of Toastmasters International.
4. This was the first ever Interna-
tional Convention to have been held
outside USA.
The Convention was also very spe-
cial because we had managed to win
many accolades:
1. District 82 was recognized yet
again for our outstanding performanc-
es, and for having achieved the Presi-
dents Distinguished District status.
2. The Lieutenant Governors of
Marketing received the Excellence in
Marketing award, while the Lieutenant
Governor of Education and Training re-
ceived the Excellence in Training award.
All this made us feel awesome!
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under one roof on topics ranging
from how to structure a speech, and how
to create a niche in an industry, helped
all feel intellectually empowered.
The Contests- There is no camera in
the world that can capture the atmos-
phere of 2,200 people sitting silently
in the grand auditorium, with nervous
energy and excitement, listening to one
speech after another. My favourite part
of the convention was the address by a
lady who has left a lasting impression in
my mind - Dato Rohana Rohzan, CEO of
the number one company in Malaysia -
Astro Entertainment. When she spoke,
we all felt the struggle, the pain and the
sacrifices she had to make over her 15-
year journey. She was the recipient of
this years Golden Gavel award.
From this convention, I also learnt
some interesting facts:
1. Region 13, which comprises of
Asian Countries, is the fastest growing
region for the last four years.
2. Did you know that Zig Ziglar,
Antony Robbins, Robin Sharma, Carolyn
Kepcher and even Steven Covey were
Golden Gavel recipients?
3. The President - Elect position
cannot be contested; only the Second
Vice President and the First Vice Presi-
dent positions can be. This is to make
sure that the President who will beelected on to the Board would have
had at least a years experience as a Vice
President.
I really wish and urge you to save INR
2 lakh for next years convention in Las
Vegas. Its not much, if you plan prop-
erly. You have eight months to go!
DTM Sastharam RavendranLGETDistrict 82
Wow! On the one end, I was proud to
represent my country and on the other
end, I was a little disappointed. India
had close to 50 representatives at Kuala
Lumpur (KL) this year; that, out of a total
Toastmasters strength in India of 12,500.
I have consoled myself with the thought
that Indians like to think big and hence,
we are gunning for the conference in
Las Vegas next year.
For those of you who hadnt attend-
ed the conference, Ive prepared a quick
report. This can be divided into four sec-
tions:
The Grandeur - I have never in my
life seen an auditorium as grand as the
one at KL. The glittering lights on the
ceiling couldnt match the glitter of all
the diamonds in the world. The strong,
sternly and magnificent stage reminded
us of the beauty of a lion, who com-
mands respect from its people.
Silence when required, laughter ring-
ing through the air, energetic applause
- it was magical. The inauguration cere-
mony unfolded and saw the hoisting of
flags by different countries. The closing
ceremony saw all Toastmasters turn into
kids at a candy store when they saw the
wide spread of food that would satisfy
even Kumbakaran for a lifetime. They
danced like no one was watching; and
trust me - no one was watching.
The Elections - We have elections
too at the Convention for posts of the
International President and the Interna-
tional Directors. This year, our very own
Balraj won the election and will be the
International President in two years.
The Education- This often miscon-
strued word was like a breath of f resh air
at KL. Back to back educational sessions
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WINNING WITH WORDS
Dananjaya Hettiarachchi
World Champion of Public
Speaking (WCPS), 2014 is
a 30-year-old motivational speaker and
human resource development special-
ist from Sri Lanka, who holds the dis-
tinction of participating eight consecu-
tive times in the annual International
Speech Contest before winning the
much-coveted title in August this year.
Hettiarachchi, who represented Tamil
Nadu and Sri Lanka at the competition
organised by Toastmasters International(TI), was in Chennai recently to deliver
keynote addresses at multiple confer-
ences. With this victory, he is now the
first Asian to be crowned the champion
of this competition, beating over 33,000
contestants from around the world. Ex-
cerpts from an interview:
Tell us about your childhood, the
background ingredients that have
made you.
I was born in Nuwera Eliya, a beauti-
ful city located in the hills of central Sri
Lanka. My dad was a planter and my
mother was a hotelier. I was a medio-
cre student for most part of my life. In
my younger days, I spent time with the
wrong company and turned into bit of
a thug because I thought being aggres-
sive would help me gain respect. I was ar-
rested when I was 18 years old because I
had assaulted someone. My mom came
to see me when I was in remand and I
had never felt so ashamed in my life. Irealised how I had never achieved any-
thing substantial and how I had let my
parents down. I wanted to change that.
This was the turning point of my life. It
was at this time that my dad took me to
my first date with destiny a meeting
at a Toastmasters club in Colombo. This
changed my life.
What are you first experiences in
public speaking?
I first contested as a public speaker
in 2006 when South Asias Best Speaker
Contest was held for the first time in Sri
Lanka. I delivered a speech and thought
I would win. But the results declared that
I hadnt even made it to the fourth place.
After a couple of months, the President
of my Toastmasters club called and
asked me to participate in the World
Taped Speech Contest conducted by TI.
I thought he was mad to ask me as I had
just failed miserably. Then, my mentor at
the club, Balraj Arunasalam, asked me to
participate. As I could not say no to him,
I gave it a shot. Three months went by
and one fine morning, TI called, telling
me that I had won. I was invited to the
US to attend TIs International Conven-
tion and it was there that I first saw the
World Championship of Public Speak-
ing. One part of me said that it was im-
possible for me to get on that stage. An-
other part yearned to compete and win.
What was holding you back from
winning the first eight times youd
tried?
I think it was my fear of speaking
English before foreigners. In 2011, I
cleared the fourth level of the Interna-
tional Speech Contest (held in Mysore,
Karnataka) for the first time. I went to
Las Vegas for the semi-finals of the con-
test and five minutes before I got on
stage, I realised that I was going to talkto a room full of foreigners. I grew ex-
tremely conscious because English was
not my first language. I froze and I did a
horrible job on stage. In 2012 and 2013,
I made it to the semi-finals again; but I
still didnt make it to the finals. Last year,
I went to USA two weeks in advance
and practiced my speech several times
before an audience of native English
speakers. This helped me overcome my
nervousness.
Why was winning the World Cham-
pionship of Public Speaking so im-
portant to you?
Besides what my mentors and loved
ones wanted me to do, my mind was
also in two places when my son was
born. A part of me told me that my time
was up and now I had to focus on my
kid. Another part of me wondered what
my son would think if I would give up.
This year, I competed for my son.
What would you advice people
pursuing their dreams?
If you dont quit on your dreams,
then your dreams wont quit on you.
Life will first break you, drag you, and
then cut your spirit into a million pieces.
Then, when youve proven that youre
still willing to fight for your dreams, you
will achieve whatever it is that you want
in life.
This article was first published by TM
Noorain Mohammed Nadim in The
Hindu on October 26, 2014.
I had neverachieved any-thing substan-
tial. I had let myparents down.I wanted tochange that.Thats whenToastmastershappened.
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THE PRINCE OF PERSEVERANCE
Dananjaya Hettiarachchi
swears by perseverance.
Having contested eight con-
secutive times at the Toastmasters Inter-
nationals (TI) Speech Contest, he beat
over 33,000 contestants from around
the world to be crowned the World
Champion of Public Speaking (WCPS)
in 2014. He is the first Asian to win the
coveted title and has represented both
India (Tamil Nadu) and Sri Lanka at thecontest over the years.
In his contest cinching speech, I see
something, Dananjaya shared how, for a
very long time in his life, people around
him saw something in him; but they
could never figure out what it was. As
a result, he lived a desultory existence
during his early years. He reminisces, I
was a mediocre student for most part
of my life, and my school life was noth-
ing short of turbulent. I spent time with
the wrong company and I had turned
into a bit of a thug because I thought
I could claim respect from people that
way. I was arrested when I was 18 on
charges of assault. My mom came to
see me in remand and I had never felt
so ashamed in my life. I realised how I
had not achieved anything substantial
and I wanted to change that. This was
the turning point in my life. I came back
home and started studying to get into
university. However, I didnt make it. I
was lost and I didnt know what to do
with my life. It was at this time that my
dad took me on my first date with des-
tiny a meeting at a Toastmasters club
in Colombo.
Public speaking was never Danan-
jayas ambition. However, those around
him believed in his ability. He elab-
orates, When I walked into the Toast-
masters club that evening in 2004, my
life changed completely because it was
there that I met some amazing people,
including my mentor, Balraj Aruna-
salam. He saw me speak at the club
and he walked up to me and said, Kid,
I see something in you; but I dont know
what it is. Lets try to bring it out. This
was the first time that someone evertold me that they saw potential in me.
I was really happy, and soon after, Aru-
nasalam took me under his wing. For
the next few years, my life was all about
speaking.
It is not uncommon to wonder why
the title of the WCPS meant so much
to Dananjaya, who, by then, had al-
ready established himself as an accom-
plished speaker over the years. He elu-
cidates, In 2006, I won the World Taped
Speech Contest that was organised by
TI. I was invited to attend their Interna-
tional Convention in US and I was blown
away by what I saw. It was there that I
had first seen the International Speech
Contest. As I was witnessing it, one part
of me said it was impossible for me to
get on that stage. Another part of me
yearned to get there and become the
WCPS. I returned to Sri Lanka a changed
man because I had now seen what suc-
cess looked like. I went back to school,
finished my exams, got into a private
university, and started studying. I was
hungry to achieve something in life, and
in the next five years, I did my degree,
my MBA, and started my career in HR.
While perseverance is a delectable
ingredient in the recipe for success, it
does come with a lot of peer pres-
sure. Fortunately for Dananjaya, the
support of his loved ones kept his appe -
tite for victory going. Contesting con-
secutively every year put me under a lot
of mental pressure. I started off as the
underdog. People loved me and my per-
severance. But when I failed to win year
after year, my critics started questioning
my ability as a speaker. A lot of people
wanted me to stop trying. Fortunately
for me, I have always had a inner circle
of strong people in my life who kept my
confidence going.
In order to master the art of public
speaking, the champion has made innu-
merable sacrifices. He shares, In 2010,
after losing the WCPS four consecutive
times, I decided that if I had to win, I had
to go all out. I quit my job and decided
to become a full-time soft skills trainer
because I wanted to spend time
practising my skills before an audience.
Things werent smooth then, as I had
just got married and I was struggling to
support my family financially. I decid-
ed to give up; but my mentor and wife
pushed me to finish what I had started.
In my 10 years as a public speaker, Ive
spoken for over 9,000 hours on stage
and spent over `4 million on coach-
ing myself, but most importantly, Ive
sacrificed my time with my family and
friends.
Those who know Dananjaya vouch
for the intense practice and preparation
he undergoes. He says, I start preparing
for my speech by first thinking of a mes-
sage I want to deliver to my audience. I
write it innumerable times until I think
it is easy to remember and recall. Then, I
start building the content of my speech,
and practise, prepare and rehearse
my delivery on stage. Then, I close my
eyes and visualise how I will deliver my
speech. I do this multiple times until
I know what exactly I will be doing on
stage. A day before the contest, I lock
out everything my family, friends,
and phone, and get into a private zone
before I finally deliver my speech on
stage.
Today, as he basks in the glory of
his hard work, Dananjaya reveals how
being the champion can be challeng-ing too. He divulges, When youre the
WCPS, people expect pearls to fall out
of your mouth every time you speak.
Thats the responsibility of your title. Im
willing to work hard to deliver my best
to my audience because I know where
I want to go now. I want to become the
worlds best motivational speaker.
This article was first published by TM
Noorain Mohammed Nadimin The New
Indian Express on November 09, 2014.
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Public Speaking 2014. What is
your goal now in Toastmasters?
My goal is to give back as much
as I can to the organisation that has
helped me graduate from the worlds
best public speaking university as its
top student in 2014. Now, I am at the
base of another mountain that is much
bigger than Toastmasters. I am going to
stop to catch my breath and then, it is
time to climb to the summit again. At
the top of this mountain, lies the title of
the worlds best motivational speaker. I
want to achieve that now.
While competitions help us un-
cover the hidden potential in us, on
the flip side, it also unleashes a lotof
stress in our lives. How do you de-
stress before a contest and keep your-
self motivated?
You dont de-stress; instead, you let
the stress break you. You fall to the floor,
cry, kick, scream, shout, and when you
are done, you pick yourself up again, or
ask someone to give you a hand.
Behind every successful man,
there is a woman. Does this quote
hold well in your life? How?
Every word of the quote is true.
My wife, Himasha, is the goddess that
keeps the devil at bay.
What has been the biggest learn-
ing that Toastmasters has given you?
Public speaking can also save a per-
sons life. TOAD TALK
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NO SHORTCUT TO PREPARATION
In Toastmasters, what do you
prefer - a prepared speech, or a
Table Topic? Why?
Presently, I challenge myself to treat
prepared speeches as table topics! I usu-
ally ask the Toastmaster of the meeting,
or my designated speech evaluator, to
provide a speech title just before I go
to the podium to speak. The challenge
lies in ensuring that I meet the time and
speech objectives, as well as do justice
to the topic. It trains and prepares me
for what I end up doing on a number of
occasions speaking impromptu when
I attend meetings, functions and events.
A word of caution: Do not try this
method of delivering prepared speech-
es unless you have achieved at least one
Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG)
award the tried and tested way pre-
paring and rehearsing your speech well
ahead of your speech slot.
A famous quote by Benjamin
Franklin says, By failing to prepare,
you are preparing to fail. Do you
believe in this quote? Please explain
your stance.
I believe this implicitly. There is no
shortcut to preparation. As I stated
earlier, even when I present prepared
speeches impromptu, I am preparing for
the occasions when I shall need this skill
the most. Whether its Toastmasters or
outside Toastmasters, meticulous plan-
ning must precede implementation
and that is a sure fire way of achieving
success. This cannot be left to mere
chance or luck.
For instance, when you join Toast-
masters, rather than ramble aimlesslythrough the program, you can make
the most of it by planning your goals
and charting a course for yourself with
the help of your mentor for achieving it.
Plan for success and you will not fail!
As the International Director of
Toastmasters International, you
have to constantly travel and deliver
speeches for different purposes in
different countries. Do you prepare
for every speech you deliver? If yes,
how do you find the time?
This is precisely where my prepara-
tion, as I mentioned above in response
to your first question, comes in handy.
Speeches that I deliver are usually im-
promptu and crafted to fit the occasion
that I am called upon to speak. However,
presenting a workshop or delivering a
keynote address requires a significant
amount of prior preparation. I make the
time for this preparation irrespective of
however busy I might be, as I owe this
to my audience. As regards availabil-
ity of time, I firmly believe that there is
enough time and more for things that
we want to do and never time for things
we dont!
When it comes to preparation in
contests, it is said that too much of
preparation can hamper your speech.
Is this true? If yes, how much is too
much?
This a fallacy spread by lazy people!
Ask the World Champions of Public
Speaking and they will confess to
you that they practiced their winning
speeches over five hundred times, some
over a thousand times. By practicing
and rehearsing a number of times, you
inculcate a speech to such an extent
that it becomes a part of you. There is no
number that can be defined. When you
find that the speech speaks itself with
spontaneous body language and emo-
tions flowing from it, you can say youare ready for the contest.
Many a times, we fail to prepare
well for the roles we take up at the
club level as we underestimate their
importance. Can roles at the club level
be treated with such nonchalance?
We join Toastmasters to enhance our
skills. We learn and hone most of these
skills by attending meetings and partici-
pating in them by performing roles that
are on offer. If we treat these roles
casually or with nonchalance, we are
doing injustice to ourselves. Whether
the role we perform is that of the Toast-
master, General Evaluator, Timer or Ah
Counter, each role provides us a learn-
ing opportunity. A core value that we
learn and follow in Toastmasters is dedi-
cation to excellence. Prior preparation
and aiming for excellence ensures that
we achieve the purpose for which we
joined Toastmasters and at the same
time, provides every member a high
quality experience.
Can you please share an example
from your life (professional / Toast-
masters) when being prepared had
saved your day?
There have been innumerable occa-
sions when we have had members drop
out from roles at the eleventh hour. As
a practice, I have as back up, a handy
supply of table topic questions, a word
of the day, as well as other materials
that can be used by anyone who takes
up that role at the last moment. The
result is that the meeting is presented
flawlessly without the audience realiz-
ing the last minute changes that have
taken place. Planning obviates embar-
rassment and leads you to the glorious
path of success!
The International Director of Region 13 for 2013 - 2015, DTM Deepak Menon, talks to the team ofPulse on why preparation is essential for success, and how all roles at the club are integral for a mem-
bers growth.
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SPEAK FROM YOUR LIFE
If you want to write or speak about
life, you need to not only study life,
but to live it! Obviously, not eve-
ryone has the opportunity to take up
every job and every position that they
would like. But do what you can. Move!
Move from one position to another,from one career to another. Expand
your experiences, at least for the first
half of your adult life. The famous author,
Ernest Hemingway, went on various ad-
ventures so that he could experience
things he thought were worth writing
about. Consequently, he could write
about everything - from war, to big
game hunting, and fishing, to bull fights
in Spain. He could put himself into the
picture not as a theorist, but as one who
had lived the life.
Remote preparation is the stuff we
draw on as we sit down to compile a
speech. It involves not only the actual
remembered experience, but the re-
membered words and phraseology; the
language of that time. When one speaks
of the sea and talks of just abaft thebridge, decks awash, she was beam-
ing under, wind shriek ing through the
mast and funnel stays, the words well
up spontaneously. They are not an af-
fected thing. They are not artificial. The
ex-sailor can speak this language. Or,
Control, this is Speed bird 702, our po-
sition is Juliet 30 at one five, flight level
three three zero, If youve worked in
Airways Operations, this was once your
language. This entire vernacular is grist
to the mill as one stands before an
audience and uses dialogue to enhance
a speech or story. It wells up naturally.
So, what are you to do if you want
to steadily become better and better
at being able to come up with riveting
ideas for you speeches as the years pro-gress? It has already been said: gain
wide experience, keep gaining knowl-
edge. Youll pick up new areas of ex-
pertise; and new words will be added
to your Spoken Vocabulary. As you day
dream and visualize experiences from
your past, your ability to visualize will
strengthen. With that will come greater
creativity. All of this is Remote Prepara-
tion. Be aware of it. Use it and youll
continue to enjoy your experiences,
never running out of ideas as to what
to talk about, and what to bring to the
hearts and minds of your audience.
Here are a few steps that you can
follow while preparing for a speech:
Step 1: Remote Preparation
All your acquired knowledge,
wisdom, wide experience, and lots of
reading will help you in this step. The
older you get, the more Remote Prepa-
ration youll have to draw on. Your life
story comes into this. Unlike so many
life pursuits, the beauty about speaking
is that generally, the older you get the
better you get.
Step 2: Intermediate Preparation
Here you become aware that you
will likely need to present a speech on
a given subject matter some months
ahead. So you begin your research and
background reading. You fill you mind
with the subject matter but do not nec-
essarily make any notes or records. This
might be simply what your employer or
client expects of you - work knowledge.
Step 3: Immediate Preparation
You now have a date on which you
have to present. Start immediately. De-
termine and then define your subject in
one short sentence. Write it out, read
it out loud, memorize it. This sentence
is your most important key. Make sure
this definition is clear and memorable.
Next, think yourself empty on the
subject and write down every ideawhich immediately comes to mind on
pieces of paper and not in a note book.
Keep each idea or key phrase sepa-
rate. When done, place them in a file or
manila folder (not a computer file) and
sleep on it. Let your subconscious mind
provide you with more ideas and sub-
ject matter. Be sure to record whatever
your mind presents to you. Keep a pad
of paper and a pen handy at all times.
Even if the idea pops up in the middle of
the night, or when youre taking
a shower or eating a meal, be sure to
record it. After a while you will have lots
and lots of ideas pertaining to the sub-
ject. Probably too much!
Step 4: More Immediate Prep Work
A few days later, lay all your notes
and pieces of scrap paper out on a
table. Place the specific and defined
subject sentence at the top. It is your
reference. It is your key. Look at all of
the notes taken and toss out any which
do not match up with what is written in
that definition. You might toss out 50%
- even 80% of those notes. But what is
left will form the bones of your speech.
You now have the potential structure.
Now sort those notes into order.
Sort them in the way you think it would
be best to present them. Pick out no
more than three main points. You may
feel you need to supplement those
points. Place the relevant supplementa-
ry points beneath each of the three main
points. Bear in mind smooth transitions
from one point to another. When this
is done, write a number on each piece
of paper.
Using those scraps of paper in the
order youve now placed them in, write
or type out the speech in full. When
done, read it through as you would de-
liver it; time it as you do so with a stopwatch. Record it, if you can. Play it back
so you can hear it. Do this two or three
times.
Next day, read it through and time it
again. Play it back again. Now highlight
the key sentences or the first few words
of every paragraph. These are the words
which will allow you to recall the con-
tent of those paragraphs. Print these
words on a piece of cardboard in letters,
DTM Tom Wareof District 70 wrote to Pulse to share his tools, tricks, tips and techniques to preparinga successful speech.
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big enough to be easily seen at a
glance. Now go through the speech
again, using only the key words or sen-
tences to jog your memory. Time this
as you do it. Record and play back. The
words you come up with will not be
identical to the written version. That
does not matter. It is the essence of themessage which counts. The next day,
just use the cardboard and its keywords
and go through the speech a couple of
time.
To make sure you remember for the
long-term, repeat your practice but in a
particular way. Do your rehearsals in the
following manner to make sure you re-
member what you speak for long, with-
out memorizing it word-for-word:
Day 1 (3 times)- Day 2 (twice) - Day
4 (once) - Day 8 (once) - Day 15 (once)
- Day 25 (once)
You will find you can remember
something for months, even years if you
use this method. I go over a lot of my
old speeches every two to four monthsto keep them fresh. Sometimes, I dont
look at them for years, but theyre still
there.
When youre nearing the big day,
go through your speech without any
prompts at all. Time it. When youre
confident you got it all pretty right, you
are ready to go. After all that work, that
speech is yours. You will perform well.
Good luck!
LEGACY FROM THE FOUNDER
When our Executive Director
asked me for a special mes-
sage for the 40thanniversa-
ry issue of The Toastmaster, it reminded
me of the minister who was asked if it
wasnt about time to for him to prepare
a new sermon, instead of harping on the
same old subject every week. The minis-
ter replied, I have several new sermons,
but I dont think I will give them until the
congregation uses the old one first. Iwould like to remind you of some of the
principles that have helped reach our
40th anniversary, and to suggest that if
we continue to practice them, they will
help us to reach our 60th, at least.
Lets keep it simple. Our basic train-
ing program presents the fundamental
principles of public speaking. These are
the eternal verities of effective oral com-
munication. Quintilian and Aristotle rec-
ognized them. Many men have writ-
ten about public speaking in the inter-
vening centuries, but they have not
changed the simple basic principles, nor
have they added very much to them.
Toastmasters is a do-it-yourself
activity. We dont have an instructionmanual for everything you do or say
in your club; nor should we have such
manuals. Dont be afraid to use your
imagination and initiative. Our motto
encourages better listening and better
thinking because these habits result in
better speaking. Listen to others and
evaluate their thinking - then form your
own conclusions and speak for yourself.
Toastmasters is based on belief in
the individual - and his ability to im-
prove himself. Many organizations ask
the individual to sub-ordinate himself
to the group. Ours is the only organi-
zation I know that is dedicated to the
individual. We work together to bring
out the best in each of us, and then we
apply our skills to help others.
Let us never forget that we learn
in moments of enjoyment. Fellowship
is important in Toastmasters. Our mem-
bers stay in their clubs because they
like each other and they are learning to-
gether.
If you observe these principles, I
wont need to prepare a new message.
Toastmasters will serve men for years to
come.
Dr. Smedleys last general message to Toastmasters appeared in the 40 th anniversary issue of The
Toastmaster in October 1964. Read on to know the principles he encouraged Toastmasters to practice
in order to excel as speakers and leaders.
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CHAOS OR CLARITY? YOU CHOOSE!
In Toastmasters, Ive found that
there is one role that always strikes
fear in the hearts of many. There
are no brownie points for guessing the
correct answer because Im certain you
all have got it right - Newsletter Editor.
Be it at the Club level, Area level, Divi-
sion level, or even at the District level
(Guilty as charged!), Newsletter Edi-
tors transform miraculously from being
happy and tranquil Toastmasters into
an exasperated version of themselves,thanks to all the associated pressure
that comes with the job. From convinc-
ing members to contribute articles, to
getting the indentation in your newslet-
ter layout to behave, everything in the
beginning seems to not work in your
favour.
But you dont have to worry so much
because pretty much like all things in
life, with the right attitude and strate-
gies in place, your role as the Newsletter
Editor can be an immensely rewarding
experience. Heres what Ive learnt in my
experience as the Newsletter Editor at
the Club and the District level:
Select a theme Instead of keeping
a generic theme for the content of your
newsletter, it always helps if you can
pick a theme and bind all your content
around it. When content is theme-driv-
en, Ive found that members are inter-
ested to contribute articles, and hence,
they are also eager to read the newslet-
ter when it is published. For instance,
for our District 82 newsletter, Pulse, we
had decided to weave the theme of our
four issues around William Wards quote
Four steps to achievement: Planpur-
posefully. Prepareprayerfully.Proceed
positively. Pursue persistently.
While the first issue focused on the
importance of planning your goals as
communicators and leaders at the be-
ginning of the Toastmasters year, the
second issue will constitute content
that highlights the importance of prep-
aration, what with the contest season in
full swing at the District. This has helped
us generate a lot of buzz around the
newsletter, and we hope that with every
issue, were able to convert our mem-bers into regular Toastmasters newslet-
ters readers.
Team Talkies As the Newsletter
Editor, avoid being in the following ex-
treme zones:
Doing all the work all by yourself
Delegating work to many people
Both these scenarios can add more
challenges to your already challenging
role. So, its best to delegate work to a
small team of able members. You can
brainstorm with them on different ideas
and allocate work according to individu-
al skills and capacities.
How much is too much Some
clubs release newsletters on a monthly
basis simply because it means more
points on the awards score board. While
the people behind monthly newslet-
ters have to be commended for the ef-
forts they put towards making them,
sometimes, in the run for quantity, qual-
ity may lose out. If this happens, then
chances are members may lose interest
in reading your newsletter altogether.
Now thats a huge gamble! Pick a time
frame of publication according to your
capacity and make sure quality
always gets precedence in your news-
letter.
Market it right As a member of my
club (Chennai Toastmasters Club), Ive
always been amazed by the quality of
newsletters churned out by members.
But thanks to a dear friend in Toastmas-
ters, it was only recently that I had real-
ized how our marketing efforts to pro-
mote the newsletter were nothing short
of dismal! While we did circulate our
newsletters among members, we failed
to see how our newsletter could also be
used to convert guests into members by
showing them what they were missing
out on, and to help non-Toastmasters
understand the power of this platform.Ever since this realization dawned on us,
weve been trying to set things right by
sending our newsletters across to all our
guests, and by promoting it on social
media platforms.
Expect the unexpected Some-
times, as the Newsletter Editor, you will
find that nobody adheres to the dead-
lines youve set for them. As a result,
your schedule for the publication of the
newsletter may get hampered. Thats
why always make way for unexpected
deterrents by effectively allocating your
time for the collection of articles. If you
want someone to submit an article on
X date, then make sure you commu-
nicate this clearly to them, send them
a reminder at least 4 days before X,
and hope for the best. This trick almost
always seems to work, and if the odds
still dont work out in your favour, then
get in touch with a senior member from
your team and ask them to intervene.
This would help you get the job done.
The job of a Newsletter Editor re-
quires an immense amount of skill, not
just in terms of editing, designing and
grammatical skills, but also in terms oftime management, delegation and ef-
fective communication. Remember, its
the lack of clarity that creates chaos and
frustration. So chart out your plan and
watch your newsletter create positive
waves of news across divisions and dis-
tricts.
TM Noorain Mohammed Nadim
Newsletter Editor
District 82
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THE WOMAN BEHIND REVERBS 2014
How and when did you start
preparing for the confer-
ence?
We had started planning for the con-
ference about 3-4 weeks before Ovation
2014. The first job I did was to find my
Co-conference Chair. After a massive
search operation that involved scanning
the length and breadth of the District, I
found TM Ilangathir. We thought on the
same lines of what we wanted to offer
people through the conference, which
was value for money, and so, our focus
was in place. Then, we went about form-
ing different core teams. We would have
action items for every team and regu-
larly, we would check if these tasks were
being done.
What inspired you to take up the
role of Conference Chair in a confer-
ence of such large magnitude?
I was looking for a leadership oppor-
tunity like this so that I could hone my
skills. Ive always felt that in Toastmas-
ters, we have many forums to test our
communication skills; but it is by play-
ing roles in conferences like this that we
can actually put out leadership skills to
test.
What were the biggest challenges
you faced during the conference?
Firstly, Ovation 2014 was a huge hit
and so, the expectations for Reverbera-
tion 2014 were really high. The biggest
challenge was to therefore meet those
expectations. Secondly, I felt it was quite
challenging to bring Toastmasters from
two countries, i.e., Tamil Nadu and
Sri Lanka together, and make them feel
at home in the conference. To overcome
these scenarios and the geographical
barriers, my team and I would meet often
and when this would not be possible,
we would Skype, and stay connected
over the phone as much as possible. The
third challenge was arranging sponsor-
ships for the conference. This was really
difficult as most organizations are will-
ing to offer funds for mainstream ac tivi-
ties like cricket; but its very hard to find
the same enthusiasm for communica-
tion and leadership programs. We spent
a lot of time in identifying the right tar-
gets, and then, in convincing them to
sponsor us. Instead of just promising
them visibility in our event, we went a
step ahead and offered to conduct soft
skills training for their employees.
According to you, how was Rever-
beration 2014 different from other
district conferences, and previous
editions of this conference?
This was the first t ime that a confer-
ence of this size was priced so low for
members. Also, it was the first timethat a World Champion of Public Speak-
ing had conducted an educational ses-
sion at a semi-annual conference in our
district.
Personally, what were the high-
light moments of organizing Rever-
beration 2014?
If you look at us a team, none of
us had ever worked with each other
before. In spite of that, against all odds,
we bonded well and accomplished our
goals for the conference. I also loved
how people from the different regions
of our District were so warm and helpful,
volunteering and helping us immensely
in any task for the conference.
In a tte--tte with the team of Pulse, TM Vijayalakshmi Soundararajan, the Conference Chair of Re-
verberation 2014, the semi-annual conference of District 82, that was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu,
on November 15 and 16, 2014, shares how the bond between her team added the Midas touch to the
conference.
Left to right: TM Ilangathir, Co-conference
Chair, DTM Sastharam, LGET, TM Vijay-
alakshmi, Conference Chair
http://www.d82.org/reverbs2014/ -
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WINNERS - REVERBERATION 2014
All smiles (Left to right): TM Ilangathi r Venugopal, Co-conference Chair, TM Vijayalakshmi S., Con-
ference Chair, Winner - Humorous Speech Contest 2014, TM Keishara Perera, Second Runner-up, TM
Arfath Saleem, First Runner-up, TM Susheela Saravanan, Representative from Radio One, DTM Yusuf
Jeevunjee, Governor - District 82, DTM Sudash Liyanage - LGM, and DTM Sastharam Ravendran - LGET
The gladiators (Left to ri ght): TM Rahul Shankar, Contest Chair, DTM Sastharam Ravendran, LGET, DTM
Sudash Liyanage, LGM, DTM Yusuf Jeevunjee, Governor - District 82, Winner - Evaluation Contest 2014 -
TM Sridhar Ranganathan, TM Sandun Fernando, First Runner-up, TM Jehan Perinpanayagam, Second
Runner-up, and Chief Judge, DTM Niroshan Nadarajah
MEET THE WORDSMITH
He came, he spoke and he con-
quered this line best de-
scribes Aditya Maheswarans
impact as an orator, if his performance
at Toastmasters International Speech
Contest (ISC) this year is anything to
go by. The 27-year-old emerged victo-
rious as the Second Runner Up in the
Semi Finals after battling it out against
several first-rate speakers across suc-
cessive levels of the contest, building
a spot for himself at the Oscars of Ora-tory the prestigious World Champi-
onship of Public Speaking (WCPS) 2014.
A Toastmaster for over nine years now,
he went on to achieve the title of Dis-
tinguished Toastmaster (the highest
award conferred by Toastmasters Inter-
national on completing all communica-
tion and leadership projects) at the age
of 23, making him one of the youngest
members to have accomplished the
feat. He has also been a TEDx speaker
and a recipient of the Young Achiever
Award from the Rotary Club of Chen-
nai Galaxy in 2011, inspiring many with
his thought-provoking speeches and ef-
fortless performance on stage.
Success in contests didnt come easy
to him for he lost at the club level when
he first participated in the ISC in 2008.
In 2011, he participated again and got
placed second at the division level.
Aditya brought truth to the adage third
time lucky, by hitting the home run and
making it to the WCPS this time. He cur-
rently works as a Leadership Consultant
for Hay Group, Mumbai.
His mantra for success? A simple
yet powerful message in your speech
is critical to touch the hearts of the au-
dience and thereby win contests. He
elaborates,
elaborates, My speech at the con-
tests this year, The scratch, is based on
a real life incident. I had bought a new
car which got scratched on the very first
day. I felt really bad about it. That got me
thinking that if a scratch on a car could
cause so much anxiety, then what about
the invisible scratches we create, con-
sciously and unconsciously, in our rela-
tionships with people? Thats how my
speech came to life.
To choose a good topic for your
speech, he suggests to notice the events
happening around you. Observe the in-
cidents in your life and find a message
that will help impact the audience. We
all have great stories to share. In just
the last couple of hours, there may be
a handful of incidents that you can turn
into a beautiful speech. We simply dont
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notice this and fail to connect the
dots. For example, someone picking
up a piece of paper from the street and
throwing it into the bin can make a
wonderful story on accountability and
responsibility.
One of the biggest challenges most
speakers face on stage is being unable to
connect with the audience. This, in turn,
hinders their confidence and makes
them question their effectiveness. The
answer, says Aditya, lies in shifting the
focus from yourself to your audience.
When I had first started participat-
ing in speech contests, I would see the
whole exercise from my point of view.
I would ask myself if my speech had a
message, if I had included gestures and
vocal variety to my speech, and so on.
But now, Ive learnt that in order to de-
liver a speech that makes an impact, I
need to see it from the audiences per-
spective. Two factors play a critical role:
impact and connect. Every minute of
your speech must create some impact
on the audience. When you successfully
connect with them, theyll feel like they
are a part of your life through your stor y.
Aditya believes enlightenment
dawns from the journey rather than vic-
tory itself and adds, My biggest learn-
ing from contests can be summed up in
these words Conclusion is what you
arrive at when youre tired of thinking.Ive learnt that a speech can always be
improved at every level. Even if I deliver
the same speech 10 more times, there
will be 10 more elements that can make
the speech better. My second lesson has
been that it is relatively easy to achieve
95 per cent of excellence in your speech.
But when youre competing against top-
notch participants, it is critical that you
achieve that five per cent of excellence
too. This can be quite stressful, as every
hand gesture and every bit of your voice
modulation matters. So it is impera-
tive that you strive to achieve excellence
and not just focus on delivering a good
speech. Thirdly, Ive learnt that humil-
ity plays a large role in your success. By
competing with many speakers of great
calibre, you realise that you have a long
way to go.
His groundwork for success stems
from hard work and preparation. With
respect to the content of my speech,
firstly, I spend a lot of time contemplat-
ing on the message I want to leave the
audience with. Only when I can articu-
late that briefly, in about 20-25 words,
do I start scripting my speech. I spill all
my thoughts out on a paper without
worrying about the word limit. Then, I
cull out what needs to stay in my story.
When it comes to rehearsing my speech,
I spend a lot of time with myself and
mull over the speech in my mind.
Adityas definition of contests is
simple. Contests, irrespective of the
level, are always hard. But if you think
you have a good message to convey and
create an impact on the audiences lives,
youll feel happy with your speech and
you wont be able to wait to deliver it. To
make sure I leave a mark, Im not going
to focus on any other question but this
if the speech I deliver will be the last
speech of my life, what message would I
like to leave for the audience? Once I amable to answer this question, half of my
preparation will be done.
For more insights on the art of ef-
fective public speaking and leader-
ship, you can follow DTM Aditya Ma-
heswarans Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/adityaspeaks
This article was first published by TM
Noorain Mohammed Nadimin The New
Indian Express on July 21, 2014.
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DO YOU ACT ON STAGE?
It was 2 AM in the morning. I was
awakened from my deep sleep by
a high pitched noise. Angry, I woke
up and began looking for the culprit;
it was my one year old baby daughter
who was crying in her shrill voice. I held
her in my arms, and gently rocked her.
Her innocent gaze turned into sparkling
eyes. She became a chuckling chime in
no time! It was the most blissful moment
for any father at that time of the morn-
ing. No strings, no hidden motives - Hergenuine and sincere smile melted my
heart.
Sincere smiles and sincere words can
leave a pleasant etch in any soul. Day in
and day out, how many fake smiles do
we encounter? We do recognise them,
dont we? Sometimes, we might forget
the same fact while preparing our
speeches. We want to insert a little bit of
this and a little bit of that to dramatise
our speech. Sometimes, we force points
into our story and connect them some-
how to complete our act on stage. Do
we really need to act? Depends on the
type of the speech, one might say!
What are the lessons we could learn
from the best speakers in the world?
The World Champion of Public Speaking
2014, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi stressed
that, A speech should be conversation-
al, rather than being dramatic. He was
certainly sincere on stage. His speech
was centered on the facts near and dear
to his heart.
How about the style of Mahatma
Gandhi? Sincerity and honesty were the
jewels of his great charisma, as a result
of which, a whole nation followed
his path.
Barak Obama, a largely unknown
figure about a decade ago, delivered an
electrifying speech at the Democrats
convention in Boston. Towards the end
of his address, an emotionally height-
ened crowed could not stop applauding
for him.
Personally, I always had the dilem-ma of remembering the words of my
speech, remembering the sequence
of the flow and remembering when to
trigger my gestures. I learnt some im-
portant lessons through my journey as
a Toastmaster, thanks to my mentors.
Here are th three rules I follow to deliver
a successful speech:
1. Select a topic which is near and
dear to your heart. You have a personal
interest in it and so, it is very easy to re-
member.
2. Know what you are going to talk
about very well. If you know your story
in and out, you will have the best of con-
fidence on stage.
3. Be sincere to yourself. Itll project
genuine gestures and expressions auto-
matically.
Is there any better choreography
one can have other than this?
TM Chamara Peiris
DFCC Toastmasters
Colombo, Sri Lanka
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CHANGE AS YOU SEE
- A girl;
- A 20 year old girl;
- A 20 year old girl with an ALB;
- A 20 year old girl with ALB and ACB;
- A 20 year old girl with an ALB and
an ACB, who was a runner up at the Divi-
sion Level for two consecutive years;
- A 20 year old girl who is a final year
law lecturer at her campus!
Alright, now you may bring your lips
together, breath and take a sip of water.And please, kindly note that Im not kid-
ding. How old are you, may I ask? Well,
does it matter?! should be your answer
now!
Im born in a part of the world where
people get shocked when the amount
of achievements do not match conven-
tional age standards. I wouldnt say any-
thing I achieved at Toastmasters was a
piece of cake. I accept that I was a born
talker. A parrot, indeed. But I was never
a speaker until I joined Toastmasters at
the IPM Toastmasters Club. Ever since I
joined this Speakers Community, I real-
ized that everyone is a great talker, but
not everyone is a great speaker. To be a
speaker, is hard; and that is the simple
truth.
To be able to grab the attention of
the people you are addressing, and to
make them stare at you, like there is no
Miss Universe like you for those 5 to 7
minutes, without letting their hands
reach their phone, has never been an
easy task either! I would say it is Mission
Impossible!
Have you ever heard yourself when
you speak? Do you know how you even
sound when you speak? Do you listen
to yourself when you speak? Because if
you havent, then you sure would have
missed that head or two of t he audience
staring at their smart screens but nod-
ding like they are listening.
When you listen to yourself while
you are speaking, it opens up an-
other avenue for you to change your
speech accordingly - may be to pause,
slow down, hurry up, and throw a bitof drama, mix a bit of vocal twists and
turns to grab the attention of the audi-
ence. This is because you will be very
alive and attentive as you speak and so,
nothing will go unnoticed. Therefore,
you can change your speech with some
variations. For example, as soon as you
see a yawning member of the audience,
give them a significant amount of eye
contact; or, you could ask a rhetorical
question or two to someone who is star-
ing at the smart screen.
Please note that this theory of -
Listen as you speak, change as you see
requires a lot of preparation. So first,
get a good speech written down. Time
it and practice it, and get comfortable
with your speech so much so that, you
yourself can pull the breaks without slid-
ing on the road of confidence. Prepare
now for this challenge. Consider this the
next big challenge at your Toastmasters
club. Soon, you will have any audience
in your pocket, be it at work, school or
home.
TM Naushalya Rajapaksha
IPM Toastmasters Club
Colombo, Sri Lanka
MESSENGERS OF ALPHA
It is contest season again! Its that
period of the year when Toast-
masters is bustling with life and
energy. Contestants, role players - eve-
ryones preparing! At our club, contests
are conducted with a lot of pomp and
splendour and we always strive to pull
in a huge crowd. This year, we managed
to gather a crowd of 200+ people for our
clubs (TCS Maitree Alpha Toastmasters
Club) Humorous speech and Evaluation
contest, a feat achieved thanks to thededication and support of the PR cam-
paigns undertaken by our PR Team. So
how did we do it? How did we prepare
for the contest? Read on to find out.
One of the benefits of being a corpo-
rate club is the fact that your club acts
as a community within a community.
Our club was a part of an even greater
club, the corporate club. TCS Siruseri is a
huge campus cluttered with as many as
35,000 corporate employees. With a me-
re three clubs within its premises it
was safe to say a huge portion of the
campus was still fraught with non-Toast-
masters. They were the audience we tar-
geted. The PR campaign was aimed at
creating awareness and roping in new
members. So how do we spread the
word? How do we create awareness?
The Executive committee held a
meeting and decided on three pivotal
campaigns:- The Posters
- The PR announcements
- The Bookmarks
Alphas annual humorous speech
and evaluation contest was looming just
around the corner. Amongst the vari-
ous responsibilities of the PR team, the
preparation of the poster to promote
the event was one. After a few failed at-
tempts, an idea hit us! What could be
catchier than the great stalwarts of com-
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edy inviting you to a have a hearty
laugh! Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy,
Mr. Bean - yes... the pioneers of comedy
occupied our posters, inviting all to wit-
ness the humour battle! We made sure
that our poster would promise an even-
ing of endless laughter! Next came up
the question of where these posters
had to be put up. We asked ourselves,
Which are the most frequented places
in Siruseri? And all of us had the same
answer - the cafeterias!
We stuck copies of the posters at all
the cafeteria entrances! And when the
D day finally arrived, it was evident that
our judgementhadnt gone wrong... the
house full auditorium spoke for itself!
As a part of the campaign, the PR
announcement played a crucial role in
roping in the audience in huge num-
bers. The Siruseri campus is huge with
six different blocks distributed across 75
acres of land. So how does the manage-
ment pass on information? Simple! They
make announcements through inter-
coms. And we decided to use it to our
advantage. We sought permission from
the upper level management at TCS,
Siruseri and prepared a script. The an-
nouncements were done on two differ-
ent days, on the day of the contest and
on the day before.
Here was what we said, People saylaughter is the best medicine; but if
you laugh for no reason, you will need
a medicine. Tomorrow you will have
plenty of reasons to laugh out loud.
Keep waiting till you hear more from us.
The interesting opening line tickled the
humour of everyone listening. With the
first days announcement, we evoked
the curiosity of the crowd by not reveal-
ing the nature of the event. The guests
had a great time exercising their imagin
-nation, trying to guess the occasion.
On day two we pulled the elephant
out of the magicians hat with the an-
nouncement: - The wait is finally over!
We use ROFL and LOL in texts but today
you will experience these in real. The ul-
timate laughter riot is here. TCS Maitree
Alpha Toastmasters presents the annual
club Humorous speech and Evaluation
contest at GS9 HR auditorium. See you
all there. Statutory warning: Beware of
side effects such as stomach ache.
The announcements were a huge
success. On the day of the contest, the
entire auditorium was filled with claps,
giggling sounds, bursting rounds of
laughter and occasional whistles with
Alpha speakers delivering their speech-
es. We wanted to give something to the
guests who visit us once a week and
keep them engaged with our club in
some way. The PR team gave it some
thought and decided on a simple ye
powerful solution. We came up with a
dozen interesting bookmarks designed
with catchy humorous quotes and de-
tails of the Annual Humorous and Evalu-
ation competition on the overleaf. The
book marks were given out to all the
guests. We also requested the TCS li-
brary to give away the bookmarks along
with the books being borrowed. This
had a huge impact on reaching a great-
er pool of audience.
On the day of the contest, we were
surprised to realize that not a seat was
vacant. We had a full house! Needless to
say, the Club Contest was a huge suc-
cess!
TM Sharath and TM Sampradha
TCS Maitree Alpha Toastmasters Club
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
LETS CHANGE THE WORLD
Afresh Toastmaster and guest
may not realize the limitless
potential that a Toastmasters
Cub has to offer an individual. It is usu-
ally seen by many as a chance to attain
the title of Competent Communicator
or Competent Leader in order to adorn
ones resum under the Accomplish-
ments section; a low-cost method for
self-improvement and enhancing em-
ployability. A passionate and prepared
Toastmaster with a purpose, however,can simply change the world.
Experiencing life by the sidelines
is fairly safe and comfortable; it is the
comfort zone from which an individual
watches the risk-takers become admi-
rable leaders and have soulful relation-
ships. If most of your life is spent watch-
ing soap operatic TV shows, and you
wishing to live vicariously through the
characters, you know that you are not
fully experiencing life or meaningfully
impacting anyone. Toastmasters tends
to pull you out of this rut and prepares
you for a life-changing journey ahead.
All forms of life except us, the most
sentient beings, are already aware of the
callous carnage we have inflicted upon
our so-called home. Weve disrupted the
climatic balance causing droughts and
floods; weve exhausted coal, oil and gas
for fuel and to build fancy buildings and
roads; weve poisoned most of our crops
and animals to supply them profitably
in bulk; weve used up every plot of land
and natural shade to build malls, taste-
less apartments and factories, and the
list goes on. We have all noticed these
apparent changes to the planet unless
we have been living under the metaph-
orical rock, which by now would
surely have eroded as well. This is the
bigger picture, which we need to prom-
ulgate and instill in all the minds of the
planet.
Creating this awareness should be
a fairly simple task to be accomplished
with the advancement of social media,
which has enabled us to live in an intri-
cate social web of instant information
but ironically, has left most of us emo-tionally disconnected and extremely
closed when it comes to opening up our
real selves to our fellow beings. We have
absolved all responsibility, played the
blame game and do not treat mother
earth as our only home. The fear, anxi-
ety, Im not good enough attitude, ego,
and caustic competition are the feelings
shared by the leaders of today. It is the
feeling of being separate, not truly con-
nected, resulting in feeling hurt and
alone as resounded by the advocates
of Spirit Science. A Toastmaster has the
power to bridge the gap, bring people
into the same space, the space from
where we all feel connected and from
this space, heal the world.
When we join the club and have al-
ready realized the causes and effects of
the concerns of our world, we are already
on the halfway mark to changing it. Ac-
tively participating in the Toastmasters
club is a start and then comes the prep-
aration. Preparation for projects, evalu-
ations and roles all immensely assist in
creating your new world. You can never
be too prepared. En route to changing
the world, hopefully your words of in-
spiration and persuasion have become
your mantra. You have internalized the
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structure, words, vocal variation and
body language of your speeches; all a
part of preparation as you may not get a
second chance to positively entice and
inspire your audience. When changing
the world, there is always a fine line be-
tween the Toastmasters activist who is
seen as a cuckoo gone over the edge,
and an inspirational leader who man-
ages to rip the veil of deceit that we are
all comfortable with to present the grim
reality underneath.
He who is best prepared can best
serve his moment of inspiration. - Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
The Toastmasters program opens
your heart and soul to the people around
you, causing the fear of expressiveness
to dwindle the more a Toastmaster pre-
pares for speeches, participates in the
club and engages in activities. Chang-
ing the world may seem at first to be an
overzealous, highly ambitious task, but
all you need is a strong passion and the
right amount of preparation in order to
persuasively articulate your thoughts. If
you manage to move enough people
and form a movement, the healing
process should spread like a virus and
turn into an epidemic. Malcolm Glad-
wells book - The Tipping Point, explores
a theory on how little things can make
a big difference. The good news is that
we are currently experiencing a shift in
consciousness where dictators are over-
thrown, organic food is being grown, and
spirituality is being proven gradually by
science. We all have ideas and notions
on how the world should be changed
for the better, but when delivering an
inspirational speech of eloquence, strik-
ing the right ethical chord to resonate
and cause attunement within the group
is key. Let us start generating electricity
for free, reduce our carbon footprint by
reducing the
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