VIEWPOIONT My Journey withToastmasters

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Confucius

My journey with Toastmasters just started three (3) years back. Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t join Toastmasters club when I first came to Saudi Arabia in 1998, but again as a famous proverb says: “It is better late than never.” I will never regret that I joined Toastmasters late because everything has its own time and happened for a reason.

I still remember the first time I encountered Toastmasters was while I was attending the MBA Crash Course organized by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Ac-countants (PICPA) in Sitteen Palace Hotel, Riyadh in Dec. 2007. I met many Toast-masters who joined us for the course and was invited to attend their Toastmasters club meeting. I was a bit hesitant at that time to go because I didn’t know what Toastmas-ters was all about, in fact, when I heard the word ‘Toastmaster’ I was so sure that it had something to do with toasting bread and also I thought of a machine whith a brand name “Toastmaster.” I was wondering if I would get some kind of training about how to toast bread but I was totally wrong when they explained about Toastmasters, which is all about Public Speaking and Leadership training.

The first club I had visited was the Toast of Comsofil with my friend, Rashid Man-gadang, who was migrated to Canada a year back with his family but never joined a Toastmasters club. Up to now I can still recall the first day when I was caught by the Table Topics Master and was asked me to expound, “Action speaks louder than words”. I don’t dare to think of my first day in Toastmasters where I couldn’t utter any single word but I was brave enough to stand until I saw the green light. From that day on, I took it as a challenge and joined the club and my journey with Toastmasters has begun. Within six (6) months I was elected as the Vice President for Education of the club and continued for a year after which I was unanimously elected as the President of the club and achieved the Presidents Distinguished Club and other membership awards which few of them in the Club had achieved in the past 9 years. Later I was appointed as the Parliamentarian of the club. In my second year in Toastmasters I was able to accomplish four (4) educational goals, i.e. CC, CL, ACB and ALB that garned me a Triple Crown Award and it was part of the District’s Hall of Fame. I also joined another club known as Sand Dunes Toastmasters Club in 2008 as a dual member and benefited from both clubs in terms of delivering speeches.

Last year, I took a role in the Area as the Assistant Area 1 Governor for Marketing and this year I was unanimously elected as the Area 1 Governor under Division A in District 79. Being the Area 1 leader I made a plan based on the SMART goals and cre-ated a strong team to achieve a maximum for the Area. We had started with a bang by establishing five new clubs in a golden quarter and on the fourth month the 6th club was chartered. We have more new clubs in line to be established.

As of this moment Area 1 is the largest Area in District 79 and leading, NUMBER ONE, in the world with 214.4% overall performance and we are continuing our jour-ney with Toastmasters in the Area to bring more glories and successes.

Dear fellow Toastmasters, the real leaders don’t do different things they just do things differently – Shiv Khera

My journey still continues with Toastmasters….

Jayanta K. MOG, ACB/ALBArea 1 GovernorDivision A, District 79

AREA 1 TOASTMASTERS DIVISION A DISTRICT 79

Director Jayanta K. MOG, ACB, ALB

Publisher K. S. Nair, CC, CL

Chief Editor Nestor Galang, CC, CL

Associate Editors J. Nathaniel Amores, ACG, ALB

Johara Lou Pabalater, CC, CL

Editor Jovett Lopezr, CC, CL

Graphic Design Almir Batacr, CC, CL

AREA 1 TOASTMASTERS 2010-2011 OFFICERS

Area 1 Governor Jayanta K. MOG, ACB, ALB

Asst. Area 1 Gov. for E&T J. Nathaniel Amores, ACG, ALB

Asst. Area 1 Gov. for Mkt. Mohammed Mujahid Khan, CC

Secretary/Treasurer Modesto Gibas, CC, CL

APPOINTED AREA 1 TEAM MEMBERS

Area 1 Advisor Rafiuddin Aijaz, CC, CL

Area 1 Activity Coordinator Mohammed Mubin, ACB, ALB

Area 1 Public Rel. Officer Jovett Lopez, CC, CL

2010-2011 AREA 1 CLUB PRESIDENTS

Riyadh Toastmasters Club Mohammed Mohsin ACB, ALB

Toast of Comsofil Jovett Lopez, CC, CL

Budget Toastmasters Club Mohammed Abdulrahman, CC

Filcom-IT Toastmasters Club Rodolfo Ganzon, CC, CL

Al Elm Toastmasters Club Saeed Al Ansari

The Gold Toastmasters Club Othman Al Shatri

RICATs Club Syed Viquaruddin Hussain

1st Qassim Toastmasters Club Marwan Al Dakhil

SAGIA Toastmasters Club Abdulla Al Uzaib

Toastmasters International Mission, Vision and Values

Mission

Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making

effective oral communication a worldwide reality.

Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and

women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking – vital skills

that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster hu-

man understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually

expand its worldwide network of member clubs, thereby offering ever-

greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programs.

Vision

Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full po-

tential and realize their dreams. Through our member clubs, people

throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership

skills, and find the courage to change.

Values

Toastmasters International’s core values are integrity, dedication to ex-

cellence, service to the member, and respect for the individual. These

are values worthy of a great organization, and we believe we should

incorporate them as anchor points in every decision we make. Our core

values provide us with a means of not only guiding but also evaluating

our operations, our planning, and our vision for the future.

www.toastmasters.org

Copyright 2011 Area 1 Toastmasters. All rights reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

January 2011Volume 1

&ARTICLES

FEATURES

MESSAGES

12 A1 SUCCESS STORY By Jayanta Mog

30 4 Presentation Mistakes By Craig Valentine - 1999 World Champion

33 THE MESSAGE By David Henderson - 2010 World Champion

2 Viewpoint: My Journey with Toastmasters By Jayanta Mog

4 Message from: Toastmasters International President By Pat Johnson, DTM

5 Message from: District 79 Governor By Uma Radhakrishnan, DTM

6 Message from: District 79 Lt. Gov.-Education & Training By Khalid AlQuod, DTM

7 Message from: District 79 Lt. Gov.-Marketing By Alex Ginete, DTM

8 Message from: District 79 Lt. Gov.-Marketing, KSA By Saif Ali Sheikh, DTM

9 Message from: Division A Governor By Abraham Daniel

10 Message from: Area 1 Governor By Jayanta Mog

11 Message from: 2007 World Champion By Vikas Jhingran

24 Article: Building a New Toastmasters Club By Jayanta Mog

27 Article: Transformation By Nestor Galang

28 Article: How to Win Every Contest By David Brooks - 1990 World Champion

29 Article: Confidence Counts By David Nottage - 1996 World Champion

31 Article: If you want to be a speaker, you have to speak. By Lance Miller - 2005 World Champion

34 Article: Leadership Charisma By Syed Abu Zafar, DTM

32 Article: Toastmasters need to leave a legacy By Mark Hunter - 2009 World Champion

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District 79 Governor’s Message

Dear Area Governor Jayanta K. Mog and Members of Area 1,

Greetings to all of you!

This year we have been focusing on the three specific success standards - Quality, Leader-ship and Service with a mantra to take us there - “Refining Quality, Defining Leadership and Re-defining Service”. Education and Awareness to refine quality, nurturing and empowering to define leadership and inspirational and intellectual influence to transform and re-define our Service leadership!

With 8 new clubs and several training sessions to boast about, Area 1 has come out in flying colours in just 5 months into the Toastmasters’ year! Area 1 under Division A, is number one in the world with 214.4% overall performance! Stupendous achievement indeed!

My message to you is simple. ‘Empower and motivate each and every member to take on higher roles and goals! Encourage them to take on more active leadership roles and trans-form them’. According to Vince Lombardi, ‘Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work a company work, a society work, a civilization work’. Quality, Leadership and Service will fall into place.

I wish Area 1 a fantastic year ahead. Let “Area 1” be ‘No.1’ in all your initiatives!

Yours sincerely,

Uma Radhakrishnan, DTMDistrict 79 Governor

Uma Radhakrishnan, DTMDistrict 79 Governor

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Dear TM Jayanta,

I would like to congratulate you on your achievements for being the number 1 Area in the world with 214.4% overall performance with 9 clubs as of today.

We the district officers aim to help people overcome the challenges and conquer their fears, so look around and celebrate your great achievement along with your Area and Club mem-ber’s happiness that you created by your wonderful record. And ask your Area leaders to think about the day they joined the Toastmasters and consider the leader that they have become today, and you will note that it happen due to or as a result of participating in the Toastmasters movements program. And that makes me so proud of you all! The Toastmasters program helps us gain the courage to change, and to build a new genera-tion of leaders, confident and passionate Toastmaster leaders. Many of us began our Toast-masters journey to build something new in our personality and become efficient, capable leaders in our organization and our communities. And what we have to do when we gain what we desire from the great movement, is to act as good ambassadors and provide the knowledge that we gain to the new or next generation.

Our organization depends on members such as you to help more and more people develop the Courage to Change through the Toastmasters program. And we see you as the current challenge and the future success in building a great generation of leaders,

Thank you for your commitments, and congratulations on these important achievements.

Sincerely,

Khalid AlQoud, DTMLt. Governor Education & TrainingDistrict 79 - Toastmasters International

Khalid AlQoud, DTMLt. Governor Education & TrainingDistrict 79 - Toastmasters International

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Greetings

Often times, I deem believe that, if you’re on the right time and at the right place, chances are you will get hold of what you perceive you will get.

Right at the onset of this district year, I watched with awe the birth of new clubs, one club after the other. It always give me great shrill and thrill to see more and more clubs being posted as prospective clubs. Until one day Area 1--Division A emerged with its posting of four new clubs in one month.

Today, Area 1 ranks as the largest area in the district in terms of number of clubs and has the highest growth record with an overall accomplishment of 214.4% Overall Performance to date--an impeccable record of being the Number 1 Area in the world.

Was it luck? Or perhaps, just a coincidence, of the proponents being on the right time at the right place….

Six new clubs in five months is a hard record to beat. And we will never know what is in store in the next seven more months. Unquestionably, every district leader will be watching Area 1 and Division A, every leader beyond the district will have noticed this phenomenal episode and every person in TMI will be observant of what next steps Area 1 will take.

To Area 1 Governor Jayanta K. Mog and his team, I extend my warmest greetings, joyful wishes and congratulations on your awe-inspiring achievements. Our District 79 feel privileged by the exemplary and awe-inspiring services you have rendered to the community.

Sail on… Area 1—Division A!

”LET’S DO TODAY’S WORK TODAY!”

Cheers.

Alex Ginete, DTMLt. Governor MarketingDistrict 79 Toastmasters

LGM for BAHRAIN, U.A.E, QATAR, OMAN, KUWAIT, JORDAN and LEBANON

“Refining Quality, Defining Leadership and Re-defining Service”

Alex Ginete, DTMLt. Governor MarketingDistrict 79 Toastmasters

No matter how you stir the pot,The cream will always surface on top. - Anonymous

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Congrats! Area 1

Visionary leaderships and committed membership towering high by standing on the Triumph Stand as #1 Area of district 79.

Here are few glimpses of accomplishments:- a. New clubs as of November, 2010.

S # Club # Name Charter Date 1 1533981 FILCOM-IT Toastmasters Club Aug 20, 2010 2 1534741 Al Elm Toastmasters Club Aug 13, 2010 3 1536532 The Gold Toastmasters Club Aug 20, 2010 4 1538259 RICATs Aug 31, 2010 5 1551750 First Qassim Toastmasters Club Sep 28, 2010 6 1571387 SAGIA Toastmasters Club Nov 1, 2010

Area 1 becomes largest area in the entire district 79 (GCC, Jordan & Lebanon) with 9 clubs and 217 members in a short span of time. b. Achieved 4 Competent Communicator and one Accomplish Communicator Award within first 5 months of the toastmasters’ year.

c. Chartered 5 new clubs during Golden Quarter (1st July ~ 30th September).

I am proud to make an announcement that sponsors of FILCOM-IT, The Gold, RICATs, and First Qassim Toastmasters Clubs have already met 2 out of 3 goals to qualify for Golden Quarter Award.

Here is the criterion for Golden Quarter Award:- Sponsor(s) who chartered the clubs before 30th Sept. & made all three payments (one during charter, the next in Oct. 10 and the 3rd in Apr. 11) for 20+ members.

All these achievements are result of; dedication to accomplish, determination to perform, and devotion to guide. These qualities are all present in Area 1’s leadership headed by TM Jayanta K. Mog. I can say without doubts: Yes! You will set the bench mark of achievements in months to come.

On behalf of LGM – 79 team: I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to one and all who have contributed in their own capacity to make Area 1 a unique & largest area of District 79.

Saif Ali Sheikh, DTM Lieutenant Governor Marketing – District 79“Refining Quality, Defining Leadership & Re-Defining Service”

Saif Ali Sheikh, DTMLeutenant Governor Marketing - District 79

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Dear TM Jayanta,

Area 1 of Division A, District 79 is the dazzling example of how the right attitude triumphs all. A Big Hurray for Area 1, its current Governor TM Jayanta Mog and his team! Under his skilled and zealous leadership, the Area has definitely grown by leaps and bounds.

Within a few months, the Area grew from mere 3 clubs to 9 clubs! A true leader with passion and a great vision, Area 1 Governor TM Jayanta Mog is already underway in creating even more clubs, holding even more demo meetings and hosting even more trainings.

The effect of this on the clubs and the Toastmasters is astonishing. We have novice Toastmas-ters metamorphosing into rubies and sapphires; and we have our experienced Toastmasters re-polished into diamonds with breath-taking sparkle! Not a stone has been left unturned and not a single Toastmaster left behind.

Division A is proud of Area 1’s achievements and its rate of progress. Without a doubt, Area 1 is the leading area in the world, continuing to amaze the world of Toastmasters with talent, charm, fantastic growth in both quality and quantity, and a contagious enthusiasm.

The work is not over yet. A few goals are still left to be scored. However, with TM Jayanta Mog’s perseverance and zeal, his team’s experience and the potential of Area 1 members, we will soon be the richest Division in the world with an Area-full of precious jewels!

Happy New Year Area 1!

Regards,

Abraham Daniel ATM B, CLDivision ‘A’ Governor.

Abraham Daniel ATM B, CLDivision ‘A’ Governor.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goals” –Thomas Jefferson

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Area Governor’s Message

Message from Area 1 Governor 2010-2011 Jayanta K. Mog, ACB, ALBDivision A Riyadh

Dear Area 1 Leaders and Fellow Toastmasters,

The holiday seasons are approaching for the celebration, and Area 1 leaders and members are also ready to celebrate our achievements! The Area 1 has gone beyond its imagination by creating six (6) new clubs in just a matter of five (5) months. Area 1 had started with three (3) existing clubs namely: Riyadh Toastmasters Club, Toast of Comsofil and Budget Toastmasters Club. Currently, we have total of nine (9) clubs in the Area 1 which is the biggest Area in District 79. We wouldn’t stop on building more new clubs because our plan is to create a new Division from Area 1.

My team in the Area has been supporting one another and working towards the same objective that I had set for. Because I believed, “TEAMWORK can move mountains.” And we have proven that! Indeed I feel lucky being the Area 1 Governor under Division A for I know thru our combined efforts we were able to attain our goals and will be able to achieve more successes.

My perspective towards communication and leadership skills has totally changed when I joined Toastmasters three (3) years back and I found a new person in me and was able to identify and discover my hidden talent as a true leader. I was able to realize that a leader can do many wonders through his effective communication and leadership skills. I used to believe that Communication Skill is the only key for attaining a successful career, but eventually, I found out that it is incorrect. Communication Skill is EVERYTHING. It is a bridge to a successful career, relationship, and family life. If one cannot communicate in a positive, productive and powerful manner; he or she might not be successful. Since my association with Toastmasters, I have learned many things in addition to Public Speaking and Leadership Training. It also increased the number of my friends and enlarge my professional network.

Toastmasters Club provides a wonderful platform to sharpen and enhance ones’ communication skills and builds confidence within us through public speaking and leadership training. “Success is preparation meets opportunity.” If you have not prepared yourself, even when Mr. Opportunity comes and knocks on your door, you will not be qualified to welcome him to your world.

This term, the Area 1 has created many new leaders through new clubs and I am sure they will be the future leaders of their companies as well as in the Toastmasters. We, in the Area 1, not only creating leaders and public speakers; but we are creating an environment where members can lead to personal and professional growth.

Toastmasters is like a Step Up and Step Out, and it is very appropriate for us to join Toastmasters with the purpose-- to Step Up and Step Out of our comfort zone. When we step out from our comfort zone, we learn and expand. As we learn and expand, we are preparing ourselves for a better future. When we are prepared, and Mr. Opportunity comes and knocks at our door, guess what? Success!

I look forward for a great Area 1 Toastmasters year.

Jayanta K. Mog, ACB/ALBArea 1 GovernorDivision A, District 79

Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people. - Brian Tracy

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2007 World Champion

Hello Area 1, Division A, District 79 Members,

Congratulations on being the best in the world!!! I can sincerely say that I know how you feel.

We all know the tangible benefits of being part of an organization like toastmasters. Learning how to deliver presentations and practicing leadership skills are some of them. However, over the last few years I have emphasized the many intangible benefits of being part of Toastmasters. One such benefit is under-standing how to work in teams. Team play is often eclipsed by individual achievement in our society today. However, I truly believe that great things happen when people decide to work together and achieve a goal that none of them could have achieved on their own. I know that is the only way you were able to achieve the best overall performance by any toastmaster area in the world.

Interestingly, most people believe that winning the world championship was an individual achievement. They are wrong. A great speech, one that can win the world championships, is prepared with the help of several mentors, refined using feedback from hundreds of Toastmasters who take the time to listen and evaluate and finally delivered after many encouraging words from friends and well wishers. Though I was the face of the winning speech in 2007, I could not have done it alone.

Similarly, I am sure that though Mr. Mog will be the face of your achievement, we all know that he could not have done it alone. While he receives the honors from the Division A and District 79 leadership, you can be assured that you got an excellent deal as well - the pleasure of being part of a team that achieved something that no one individual could have accomplished alone. That my friends is a beautiful feeling.

My best wishes to all of you. May your team achieve much more in the coming years.

Till we meet again - ‘alvida dostoo’

Vikas Jhingran2007 World Champion of Public Speaking.

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Success Story

Area 1 had started this term 2010-2011 with only 3 clubs (Riyadh Toastmasters Club, Toast of Comsofil and Budget Toastmasters Club) and today we are the big-gest family in District 79 with 9 clubs in one Area, And po-sitioned number one in the world with 214.4% overall Area Performance.

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Al Elm Toastmasters Club

FilCom-IT Toastmasters Club

Al-Elm Information Security Company, famously known as “Al-Elm” is a national company owned by the Public Invest-ment Fund (PIF), the investment arm of the Saudi Ministry of Finance. Al-Elm strives to build the largest national system for secure e-business services. It has already produced more than ten unique services in the e-Government field. Though they are the native Arabic speakers, they wanted to improve their Arabic speaking skills in a proper and effective manner, Engr. Saeed Rahmat Al-Ansari who is the Business Developer in the Company came up with an idea of starting a new Toastmasters club in Arabic language. The team has been conducting a regular meeting since April 2010 which almost similar to a Toastmasters meeting at their office. Finally the Area 1 team allied with them and on August 13, 2010 the Al Elm Arabic Toastmasters Club was born and registered with Toastmasters International and joined the Area 1 Toastmasters family.

FILCOM-IT (Filipino Community – Information Technology) was established in January 2010 composed of 12 Board of Directors namely: Eng’r Muktar Julkipli, Eng’r. Jess Parnacio, Rodolfo Ganzon, Ronie Cario, Marilyn Costuna, Regina Almonte, Norajed Maguid, Ronel Pabico, Rodge Cao, Ramon Austria and William De Leon . The founders have realized the importance of serving Overseas Filipino Workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, thus to uplift their status in life as well as innovate them to the trends of the modern society.

It has been blessed with certified and highly qualified Filipino trained and experienced instructors who devoted their free time and engage them-selves voluntarily. These volunteer individuals are more than willing to impart their knowledge and skills to help our «kababayans» in terms of engaging and adopting to the rapid change in information technology.

The President of Filcom-IT, Engr. Muktar Julkipli, the Cofounders Rodolfo Ganzon and Marilyn Costuna have brought up the idea to build a new Toastmasters club under the umbrella of Filcom-IT which came into reality with the help of Area 1 team and finally Filcom-IT Toastmas-ters Club officially chartered on August 20, 2010.

The idea of Filcom-IT Toastmasters Club is to focus on greater communication skills and to cater the instructors as well as Filcom-IT students with speaking abilities and leadership skills. Similar to the mother organization Filcom-IT, the Toastmasters club also focuses on helping and serving Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in the Kingdom.

Filcom-IT Toastmasters Club Chartering Officers

Rodolfo N. Ganzon PresidentMarilyn E. Costuna VP-EducationRegina G. Almonte VP-MembershipMuktar B. Julkipli VP-Public RelationsRachel G. Pepito SecretaryLuicito P. Vergara TreasurerJulio D. Lalic Sergeant at Arms

Al Elm Toastmasters Club Chartering Officers

Saeed R. Al-Ansari PresidentEyad M. Halwani VP-EducationBadurudean Beshir Mohammad VP-MembershipAhmad Khalid Basahi VP-Public RelationsYasser A. Al-Humayqani SecretaryAbdulrahman AL-Kedairi TreasurerMusaed M. Al-Sherede Sergeant at Arms

PAGE 13Rodolfo N. Ganzon

RICATs Chartering Officers

Syed Viquaruddin Hussain PresidentAshish Kapoor VP-EducationAnkur Manchanda VP-MembershipRajesh Khandewal VP-Public RelationsRakesh Kumar Jha SecretaryKencharya Gupta TreasurerMozzam Vakil Sergeant at Arms

RICATs Toastmasters Club

The Gold Toastmasters Club

Working closely with the Riyadh Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, we found that there was a severe dearth of professional speakers, who in spite of possessing great subject knowledge did not have it in them to stand in front of an audience and share this knowledge. Being able to deliver a speech, handle a presentation and lead companies into unexplored horizons were roles that Chartered Accountants were hesitant to take up. We were happy to let others take credit for our efforts only for our lack of confidence and self-assurance to be in the forefront. The profound reason being our lack of good communication, management and leadership skills. A few members of the chapter were already toastmasters and they introduced us to the concept of Toast mastering. It hit us like a barricade of bricks and the chapter immediately lapped it up.

The RICATs was started with this very intention to provide Chartered Accountants in Riyadh a platform to develop and showcase their oratory and leadership skills. However we have not restricted the membership of the club only to chartered accountants in Riyadh. The club opened its arms to include anyone who would be interested to join the club and benefit from its synergies.

The Gold Toastmasters Club is an Arabic club and officially chartered on August 20, 2010 under Area 1, Division A, District 79. The Gold Toastmasters club made the century and fulfilled 100 clubs in Saudi Arabia on the day it was chartered.

The club’s name itself a precious gift “The Gold” is the pride of Area 1, Division A. According to Ralph Waldo Em-erson, the desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit, and the Toastmasters would make the members step out from their comfort zone and fly freely and confidently.

Behind selecting the name of Gold Toastmasters club was the Immediate Past Division A Governor Hassan Maghazel and the President of Gold Toastmasters Club Othman Al Shatri where they both have a precious memory in the past related to a gold and both have decided to go for a Gold Toastmasters Club.

Syed Viquaruddin Hussain

The Gold Toastmasters Club

Chartering Officers

Othman K. M. AL-Shatri PresidentMajed Omar A. Basham VP-EducationKhaled Ahmed Al-Qahtani VP-MembershipTurki Saeed D. Al-Dulim VP-Public RelationsAli Ahmed Sharaheli SecretaryTareq Saleem Bamoogadam TreasurerNasser Mohammad Al-Bargi Sergeant at Arms

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Othman K. M. AL-Shatri

SAGIA is a government agency founded in year 2000. SAGIA’s vision is to act as a gateway to investment in Saudi Arabia. We seek to attract sufficient investment to achieve sustainable rapid economic growth while capitalizing on the Kingdom’s competitive strengths as the global capital of energy, and as a major hub between East and West.

As SAGIA is considered a visionary and a leading organization among all other government bodies in the Kingdom, I wanted a development program that enhances and promotes better communication and leadership skills among SAGIA employees in both English and Arabic and I realized TM educational program is just the right tool to reach my target. My vision is to create (or at least support others to create) more TM clubs for SAGIA employees in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam hoping that one day one of our clubs members would win a regional speech competition.

Saudi Industries Development Company (Tatweer) was established in 1995, as a Saudi closed joint stock company. Tatweer headquarter is located in Buraydah city at Qassim region which is in the middle of Saudi Arabia. Tatweer declared capital is 200 Million Saudi Riayl. His Royal Highness, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (Qassim Region Prince) is the Emeritus President of Tatweer Company. Major shareholders of Tatweer include leaders in industry and trade in Saudi Arabia such as Zamil Group, National Indus-trialization Company (Tasnea) & Bin Laden Group. Government organizations also have shares in this company such as the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) and the Public Pension Agency. Tatweer is a diversified organization with main investment in Industrial Sector, Real Estate Sector, tourist sector, and Financial Investment.The Saudi Industries Development Company which is in Arabic ‘Tatweer’ showed the interest to have their own Toastmasters club to improve their public speaking and leadership skills. The main person behind the development of this club was the General Manager of Tatweer Company, Engr. Marwan Al Dakhil who extended his full support to Area 1. A team of senior Toastmasters visited the Tatweer company office located in Buraidah in Al Qassim which is about 300 kilometers away from Riyadh city and had a demonstration meeting. Later on Area 1 team worked on the chartering procedures between TMI and Tatweer Company and finally the First Qassim Toastmas-ters Club was born on September 28, 2010 and joined the Area 1 Toastmasters family.

First Qassim Toastmasters Club

SAGIA Toastmasters Club

First Qassim Toastmasters Club Chartering Officers

Marwan Al-Dakhil PresidentDr. Hamad Al-Gonaim VP-EducationAbdulrahman AlOtaiq VP-MembershipAbdulrahman Alkhamees VP-Public RelationsAbdulaziz AlMokhlef SecretaryMohammed Al-Mohimeed TreasurerEmad Al-Washmi Sergeant at Arms

www.tatweerco.com

SAGIA Toastmasters Club Chartering Officers

Abdulla Al Uzaib PresidentSamar A. Kadhi VP-EducationMaha Khalid Taibah VP-MembershipMai A. Bin Dayel VP-Public RelationsHanan A. Al Owain SecretaryHaifa Nassir Al Sharif TreasurerNora Mohammad Al Angari Sergeant at Arms

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Marwan Al-Dakhil

Abdulla Al Uzaib

Riyadh Toastmasters Club has always been on top of any toastmasters activities. Be it taking leader-ship roles, Enhancing communication skills, Spon-soring new clubs, participating in toastmasters activities etc. Our past leaders were so focused, so dedicated to make the benchmark that the current leaders are motivated and forced to do even better. This year four of our members have volunteered to serve as division and area officers. TM Abra-ham Daniel-Division Governor, TM Surya Kiran-Asst. Division Governor (E&T), TM Rafiuddin Aijaz-Division PRO & Area-1 Advisor, TM Mo-hammed Mubin-Club extension chair-District79 & Area-1 activity coordinator. I always say that they are on their way to make a difference…

We’ve sponsored and helped charter two new clubs under our area. Riyadh Indian Chartered Accoun-tants Toastmasters Club (RICAT) was sponsored by RTM. SAGIA Toastmasters Club was sponsored jointly by RTM & Toast of Comsofil. This makes us even happier that both the clubs are doing very well and soon will be handling the club activities on their own. They have great potential to produce proficient speakers and leaders.

No toastmasters club can escape DCP and RTM is no exception. Being 8th consecutive year President Distinguished Club awardee this year also RTM is on track in achieving President Distinguished Club status. Our current DCP point is 6 1/2 . We’ve claimed 5CCs, 1ACS, 1ALB, added 6 new members, 7 club officers got trained and submit-ted October dues & club officers list on time. We are also eligible for LGET announced educational award: “Club DCP Achiever Award” & “Club

Competent Communicator Award”.

RTM believes in bonding, togetherness. It has been a tradition in RTM to hold family get togeth-er once or twice a year. We’ve conducted our first family get together on 9th December 2010. RTM members, their families and Gaveliers had a won-derful time that evening.

When the whole Division-A is under the spell of contest fever, RTM is also infected by it. We’ve kick started our contest with Mock Table Topics and Evaluation contests on 23rd December 2010. This mock contest will definitely help contestants do better in the final contests.

Oops there are more!! We’ve also published our first issue of Sandscript (Club newsletter) on October 2010. Two more to come in due course. We’ve also bagged Dr. Smedley Award for adding five new members during August-September 2010.

Having been the club which started Area-1, Divi-sion-A and was instrumental in establishing Gulf Toastmasters Council and District-79 it continues to guard zealously its rich legacy of being one of the senior most and leading clubs in the gulf area. Riyadh Toastmasters Club truly fulfills the Toast-masters mission of offering opportunities to ben-efit from its educational programs and providing effective training in communication and leadership development skills to all members.

Mohammed Mohsin, CC,CLRTM President

It is said, excellence is a habit. If you are excellent once it is wonderful,

if you are excellent twice you are great, but if you are excellent again and

again you are on top of the crowd-you’ve made a difference. This year we’ve

started our journey with the theme “Let us make a difference”.

From the Desk of RTM President

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Every individual has an arena they are called to live out. In any chosen field, it is in satisfaction on how the actual performance and attitude harmonize. When one is called to speak, the tenden-cy is to make every neuron in the brain works and become agile to deliver the message across the audience in the best possible way. When one is summoned to lead, an individual unlocks the potential within him and thus helps him to effectively organize thoughts and vision to make a goal become a reality, exhibiting synergism and passion.

That is what I learned and continuously learn in Toastmaster-ing - to have the harmony and synergy in my system and in the club - like a favorite song, its beat, music and lyrics reverberate in mind, touches a being and quenches the spirit.

Having been elected to lead a club, I had to first condition my mind and make a self-assessment. Knowing oneself develops a quality of being a leader which is necessary when faced with challenges or ethical choices, communicating with those who have different ideas, making decisions, and identifying sources of satisfaction. “What are my goals? How about my prefer-ences, my values and priorities?” These are the core of a person and knowing oneself will help a leader to concentrate, develop benchmarks and make better decisions with the collaborative inputs of the executive body and valued members. It is the same as preparing for a speech engagement, where a speaker condi-tions his mind and body before his recital.

When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. Commitment may vary in individuals but it is the essence of putting time and effort to achieve an end result that makes it more special. I have commit-ted myself to serve because our members committed themselves to share their valuable time in the club – mentor who prompt others to do their best, novices who wanted to build self-esteem and communication skills, and leaders who further wants to excel and share learning experiences. Toast of COMSOFIL may not be as sophisticated as other toastmasters clubs. But maintaining the passion and enthusiasm for learning of every member radiates. And that keeps the leadership and learning in the club glowing. The fun exists as we polish our public speaking skills. It is indeed the commitment to serve and share not only for personal gain but for a cause.

Believing that an effective leader is one who knows it all is one of the most dangerous misconceptions about leadership. I should recognize that I do not know everything and that calls for collective viewpoints of members to develop a plan of ac-tion. The challenge lies on bringing together people in order to move forward but once it is accomplished, it is definitely reward-ing. I always keep in mind, “my way is not the only way.”

While addressing the flow in the club, we need to acknowledge the presence of “change” and being receptive to it. Change is one of life’s most obvious factors, yet remains one of the most strongly resisted. Changes need to be anticipated and responded to if growth is going to continue. Changes may be good or bad, but it is our response to change that makes sense. Being flexible to any constraints is a factor to integrate a club. Thus, the role of the president is to glue the members together, fostering har-mony in the club while abiding with the mission and vision of toastmasters international.

Going extra mile should be our aim as we continue to master our pieces, our craft. That includes doing small acts of lead-ership. Setting the scene with small leadership deeds gives a positive atmosphere, credence, and respect when big things happen. A toastmaster’s role can vary and be effective in small, yet extremely powerful ways. A compelling feedback and evalua-tion of members’ progress and meeting as a whole are powerful tools. That is leaving a legacy to fellow toastmasters while equip-ping oneself to become an effective leader and communicator. Extra miles of strong-willed, driven individuals lead a club to success. In Toast of COMSOFIL, we are proud having been inspired by our very own, TM Jay Mog, recognizing that one can do much, thus making it possible for Area 1 to reach the pin-nacle of success.

However, even having reached the destination, the challenges do not stop. Maintaining the club and motivating people to suc-ceed progressively are continuous endeavors. The whole can be greater than the sum of its parts because of creativity, effective listening and communication, openness and harmonious rela-tions. This is a challenge to all -- that toastmasters be effective and reflective on the true value of harmony and synergy to make every club successful. A Toast for Harmony and Synergy! Kudos to Toast of COMSOFIL and to Area 1! Cheers!

Jovett M. LopezPresident, Toast of COMSOFIL

From the Desk of TOC PresidentA Toast for Harmony and Synergy

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From the Desk of BTC President

Unitrans Budget Saudi ArabiaUnited International Transportation Company

Our Slogan “Your Reliable Partner” Our BusinessUnitrans Budget is the sole franchisee of Budget International, one of the largest car rental companies in the world with more than 3200 rental offices and a well established brand operating in all the major parts of world. Unitrans Budget has been operating since 1978 in KSA and is the largest car rental company in Middle East, South East Asia & Africa offering complete transportation solutions with a fleet of more than 14,500 vehicles and 80 rental offices in KSA.

Unitrans Budget operates with the largest and the most modern fleet comprising of Luxury, 4x4, Full Size, Intermediate, Compact and Economy cars to suit every travel need. Unitrans Budget current fleet comprises vehicles of different makes such as Mercedes, BMW, Ford, GM, Mercury, Volvo, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Mazda etc. is the most diverse fleet in the Kingdom.

Our VisionTo be the largest diversified group offering transportation solutions in Middle East, Africa & South East Asia.

Our MissionTo follow the highest ethical business standards through corporate governance and a commitment to always deliver and keep promises to our shareholders, customers and employees by consistent quality improve-ments, reliable customer services and by fostering a culture of teamwork.

Our PurposeTo contribute to the growing economy of Saudi Arabia by wealth and job creation for the betterment & welfare of the society.

Our Journey - Founded in 1978 by Mr. Abdulillah. A. Zahid with 1 rental office, 20 cars & staff of 15 people - In 2008 now there are 80 rental offices with a fleet of more than 14, 500 cars & 1000 employees - Head Office in Jeddah with Regional Offices in Riyadh& Dammam and branch offices in Jubail, Qassim, Buraidah, Yanbu, Makkah, Medinah Munawarah, Abha, Taif, Rabigh & Tabuk - Only ISO certified car rental company in KSA - 11 workshops in KSA - 7 Airport rental offices – Riyadh, Dammam. Jeddah Intl, Jeddah domestic, Yanbu, Medinah Munawarah & Taif - 35 Mobile workshops

The Budget Toastmasters Club was chartered with the Toastmasters International back in January 12, 2006 as a corporate club with the purpose of improving communication and leadership skills among the em-ployees and the management as a whole in order to give better and effective services to the people in the Kingdom. The employees of Budget rent a car company are enjoying and benefitting from the Toastmasters since last four years.

The Budget Toastmasters Club is continuously striving towards excellence in terms of communication and leadership.

Enjoy Toastmastering!

Mohammad AbdulrahmanPresident, BTC

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Area 1 Trainings

Area 1 & Area 5 Chief Judge and Contest Judges Training and a Speaker To Trainer

Workshop Convened

Inspired by the recent successful trainings on “Mentoring” and “Parliamentary Procedures”, Area 1 & Area 5 Toastmasters Council under Division A convened again with another suc-cessful event: Chief Judge and Contest Judges Training on December 17, 2010 at Riyadh Pal-ace Hotel.

It is very important for the members in the club to know how to select a best speaker and/or best evaluator in every Club level contests, Area level contents, Division level contests or in the District level contests. Every Toastmas-ters member must know and learn the tech-nique how to judge a contestant. This is not only applicable to the world of Toastmasters but can apply the very same knowledge in any kind of competition judging.

The two trainings were held simultaneously with twenty six (26) participants. In addition, and as a bonus training, a combined training for all participants about Speaker to Trainer workshop followed the two Judges training. They say, if you need to train people, don’t sweat it.

The event was mainly organized by Area 5 Gov-ernor Toastmaster James Edward Taruc, Area 1 governor Toastmaster Jayanta K. Mog, and with the support of Division A governor Toastmas-ter Abraham Daniel. Toastmaster Ramed Borja, ACS/ALB and past Area 5 Governor was the trainer for Chief Judge while Toastmaster Mo-hammed Mubin, ALB/CL, District 79- CEC Chair and past RTM President inspired those who want to be Contest Judges. Toastmaster TM S.R. Sridhar, Master Trainer and past Di-vision A Governor followed the two Judges

training with his Speaker To Train-er Workshop.

Serving as a con-test judge is a very important role! The job of a judge is to PICK A WINNER - the best speaker, evaluator, or table topics participant. Judges objectively evaluate contest participants using three basic judging categories: content, language, and de-livery. A good judge is an astute listener who avoids bias - a tall order to fill!

To ensure a fair, objective contest, we want to have different judges at each level of competi-tion. In other words, we do not want to have the same judges judging the same contestants at multiple levels of competition.

Each year, the District conducts training ses-sions for Contest Judges and Chief Judges. Included in this training is information on the Judges’ Code of Ethics, the specific judging criteria for each contest, and how to handle protests. Although attendance at this training is not required prior to serving as a judge, you will get the most and best information by at-tending training, including lots of tips and sug-gestions on how to be the best judge possible.

By: TM Modesto Gibas, CC/CLArea 1 Secretary / Treasurer

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My Speechcraft Experience

By TM Laureano R. Ortega, CC/ALBVP-Education, Toast of Comsofil

When I first heard about the Toastmasters Club, I became in-terested about it because I’ve al-ways been fascinated with good speeches and admired the people who are great speakers and really wished to become one at first I was hesitant to join because the word Toastmasters itself sounds very intimidating to me. I thought at first that it is an organization composed of elite people who are

really good in English probably Mass Com graduates or Call Center Agents. There was also some kind of fear that dwelt within me which makes me nervous every time I am asked to speak in front of many people. I’ve always thought that the audience are hostile and fault finders because many had commented that I am suffering from a regional defect, a description attributed to people who could not pronounce properly the English vowels.

One day, at the middle of our PC assembly class in COM-SOFIL, our instructor introduced to us a group of Toast-masters who came to invite us to participate in a special seminar called Speechcraft. Although they were so convinc-ing, my usual hesitation was still there. I thought I will have nothing to gain in this undertaking but because I had the burning desire to learn the art of public speaking and I also thought that there’s nothing to lose if I try and find out what Speechcraft is all about, I showed up early on the first day and the rest is now history.

I am now a Competent Communicator and an Advance Leader Bronze, a volunteer instructor of COMSOFIL, and currently the Vise-President-Elect for Education of Toast of COMSOFIL (TOC). When I was VP for Membership, it was my job to promote membership and there was no better way to do it but to site my own personal experience and how it positively affected my professional life as an ex-ample. That was also my inspiration to do my best in my task as the Coordinator of TOC Speechcraft Batch 6 and FilCom-IT Speechcraft Batch 1 & 2. TOC Speechcraft batch-6 was held from June 24, 2010 to August 6, 2010. In the same tradition as the previous speechcrafts, batch-6 was also offered free including ma-terials to all participants. That’s why there was a huge turn-out of participants who were mostly COMSOFIL mem-bers and students who were so eager to learn the art of public speaking. Out of which 37 participants successfully completed the Speechcraft program and were awarded certificates of completion and special awards were given to participants who had shown exemplary performances during the duration of the program in a special graduation ceremony hosted by TM Danilo Tenerife and TM Nestor Galang. Those who excelled were: Sheryl Ann Maximo – Valedictorian, Alexis Tenerife and Jason Natividad – 1st Honorable Mention, Rizalina Marcial – 2nd Honorable Mention, Russel Orofino – 3rd Honorable Mention, Mi-

chael De Paz and Milbert Camilo– 4th Honorable Mention, Luzviminpa Trajeco – 5th Honorable Mention. Certificates were conferred to the graduates by no less than the TOC president herself, TM Jovett Lopez assisted by some senior Toastmasters from TOC including yours truly who was the Speechcraft Coordinator. COMSOFIL officials were also invited as guest. The graduates were not only challenged by the keynote speaker, TM Ramon Austria to become one of the Toastmasters and benefit from it but also become a “virus” and help spread it by infecting as much people as they can. The virus he’s referring to is the proven Toastmas-ters programs which had already benefited and improved the lives of more than 5 million members throughout the world through personality development by improving com-munication on and leadership skills. COMSOFIL President, TM Salvador Villalino and Area-1 Governor, TM Jayanta K. Mog delivered congratulatory message to the graduates. COMSOFIL BOT members Mr. Edwin Fontiveros and Mr. Adolfo Muga, Jr. were invited as Awarding Officers. Some of the graduates eventually became active Toastmasters and one had received job promotion.

TOC Speechraft batch-7 was postponed for next year to give way to YLP which is still on-going as of this time.

In contrast, FilCom-IT Speechcraft batch-1 was lean with its 10 participants who were mostly FilCom-IT Students although it was also offered free of charge to participants. Only 3 participants successfully completed the program who received their certificates during the FilCom-IT Graduation Rites. They were: Christopher Candelario, Julio Lalic, and Lucito Vergara, who all eventually became founding and ac-tive members of FilCom-IT Toastmasters Club which was chartered immediately after the Speechcraft.

FilCom-IT Speechcraft batch-2 was also lean with its 12 enthusiastic participants who responded to only one day campaign. The campaign was conducted within FilCom-IT classes by TM Rod – FilCom-IT TMC president, TM Marilyn - VP-Education, TM Jenny, me as Speechcraft Co-ordinator, and no less than the Area 1 Governor himself, TM Jayanta K. MOG. The Speechcraft lasted only for 3 ses-sions as it was halted unexpectedly due to venue problem. Instead, participants were all invited to continue learning the art of public speaking through the regular Toastmasters meetings.

From my experiences in Speechcrafts, as a participant and as a coordinator and as a VP for membership, I really agree with the proponents of this program although I also believe that Speechcraft program is designed mainly to arouse people’s consciousness about the importance of confident public speakin g while learning the art of public speaking is actually done in the Toastmasters program, it is indeed an effective way to promote membership

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Data-Phil Speechcraft AREA 1 Conducted Data-Phil Speech-craft – 6 Successfully Graduated

The Speechcraft program allows experienced Toastmasters to present the fundamentals of public speaking to non-members in an atmo-sphere of a Toastmasters club meeting. It’s a great way to promote membership in a com-munity or company club, as Speechcraft brings prospective new members to a meeting to see, first-hand, what Toastmasters is all about.

Area 1 through the Toast of Comsofil (TOC) toastmaster club has popularized the Speech-craft program among Filipino communities. Area 1 closed tie-ups with Filipino organizations brought somehow an effective means to conduct Speechcraft program among Filipinos who held meetings in several Filipino international schools. I myself was a product of Speechcraft batch no. 3 way back year 2008 when I first enrolled in the Computer Society of Filipinos (Comsofil) con-ducting crash courses on computer and IT lit-eracy in Riyadh International School (RIS).

Who will not be convinced to join the Speech-craft program? Just like the TOC tradition and similarly with other clubs, Speechcraft has been a free program sponsored by no other than its own club members. It is being offered to stu-dents at zero cost and it comes with free snacks and reading materials. Believe me, those mem-bers are really sacrificing a lot, sacrificing their time, effort, and money to keep the tradition go-ing in order to help their fellow overseas con-tract workers develop their speaking ability and become a good leader.

Funny thing is when I first heard the Speechcraft program, it didn’t registered correctly to my ears. During those days, my listening ability is a little bit poor. When they campaigned to students about this free program, what I heard was Spacecraft and not Speechcraft. Being a science enthusiast, interested in knowing how to build a spacecraft, I enrolled immediately to the program. Guess what, after 2 years, I was really able to build my spacecraft. I found myself co-piloting a virtual spacecraft with other club officers mentoring others. I am now one of those trainers of the Speechcraft.

Last October 2010, Data-Phil – a 2 years old Flipino computer orga-nization had its 6 members graduat-ed from this train-ing program with the full support of Data-Phil found-er and president, Engr. Jimmy Lasa-ca. AREA 1 sponsored this program to help the organization equip its own leaders with a strong foundation backed up by a good speaking abil-ity which is a must for any organization on its infanthood.

Data-Phil Speechcraft began its training pro-gram from Sunrise International School and has moved to RIS. The Speechcraft program con-ducted between August 6, 2010 to September 17, 2010 was spearheaded by Area 1 Governor, Toastmaster Jayanta K. Mog, ACB/ALB, Toast-master Laureano Ortega, CC/CL and Toastmas-ter Modesto Gibas, CC/CL. Enrollees of Data-Phil was immersed to Six (6) Speechcraft training sessions every Friday from 1-3 PM. Out of the15 enrollees, 6 were able to graduate and completed their speech projects.

Graduation was held in Riyadh International School during the Data-Phil graduation rite. The names of the successful graduates are Maria Rosario Bernad, Elton Hipolito, Rowell Tapit, Nenita Bacabac, Warlito Manuel, and Francis Teodoro. Speechcrafter Elton Hipolito received the best speechrafter award while speechcrafter Rowell Tapit received the 2nd speechcraft award. TM Rodolfo Ganzon, TM Marilyn Costuna, TM Ernesto Loresco, TM Ruel Ontiveros, TM Joseph Valenzuela, and TM Jorge Nathaniel Amores graced the closing session. Data-Phil now is considering chartering its own Data-Phil Toastmaster club according to their president.

PAGE 21

By: TM Modesto Gibas, CC/CLArea 1 Secretary / Treasurer

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Building a new Toastmasters Club is always a team effort. No matter how experienced or dedicated you may be, you can’t do the job alone.

Let me share with you how Area 1 achieved and added 6 new Toast-masters clubs to the Area and be-came the largest Area with 9 Clubs in District 79 and positioned number one in the world in terms of over-all performance with 214.4% as of January 2011. The secret method or the mixed techniques that we have used for building new Toastmasters clubs are also incorporated in this article from other source which was published in the Toastmasters Magazine a decade ago by Patricia Fry entitled “Building Clubs, One Toastmaster at a time”.

The following article explains clear-ly the techniques and procedures that Area 1 adopted during the en-tire process and created clubs one after another within a short span of time and we are continue persuad-ing for more new clubs with a plan to create one complete new Divi-sion with Area 1 clubs.

Building ClubsOne Toastmaster at a TimePublished by Patricia FryToastmasters’ Magazine year 2000

New Toastmasters Clubs are started at a rate of approximately two per day worldwide. What does it take to successfully charter a new club or to breathe life into an old one? Five top Toastmasters shared their secrets for successful club building.

The Company Club Charter

More and more large corporations are sponsoring clubs for their em-ployees. In Santa Ana, California, for example, Cindy Ragland led the effort to start a Toastmasters Club at Ingram Micro, where she is employed in the public relations department. Having already earned her CTM as a member of a com-

munity club, she was anxious to bring toastmasters to her cowork-ers because, “This is where people can learn to be effective communi-cators, get leadership opportunities and Toastmasters is a good net-working arena,” says Ragland.

As a first step in starting a company club, Ragland suggests, “Gain the support of top level executives in the company to kind of champion the drive to become a Toastmaster.” At Ingram Micro, for example, they had the blessings of their CEO. According to Ragland, “It turns out that our chief executive officer is a world renowned speaker. He places a very high value on public speak-ing and communicating effectively. He was extremely supportive of our chartering attempts and even gave the keynote speech at our charter-ing ceremony.”

Ragland believes that having full weekly meetings even before obtain-ing the charter also helped in their recruiting efforts. She says, “People weren’t quite sure what Toastmas-ters was and they could come and see how it works. We were able to demystify it for them.”

Ingram Micro ultimately chartered with 63 members. To give everyone scheduling choices, they formed three clubs, the Breakfast Club, In-gram Microphones (which meets at noon) and MicroMasters (an eve-ning club).

Sherri Wood, DTM is the former governor for District 64 in Winni-peg, Manitoba, Canada. Wood re-members a time when the district averaged only one or two new clubs a year. But things have changed. She says, “Our district chartered seven new clubs last year and it looks like we’re headed for six this year.”

Wood talks about the second vital step to forming a new club: getting the word out. “Have posters made

up and put them in prominent loca-tions throughout the building. Use in-house email with little ‘ticklers.’” She gives an example, “Do you want to be able to think on your feet? Then join us for a Toastmas-ter demonstration meeting.” She suggests sending these “ticklers” every few days prior to the meeting. And she adds, “Have a ‘spark’ on the inside who will go around and promote Toastmasters.”

Ragland agrees that enthusiastic spokespersons are effective recruit-ers. “Most of the Toastmasters at Ingram Micro are really evangelist in the departments where they work and through their business interac-tions. For example, someone may give a presentation and a coworker comes up to them and comments, ‘Gosh you’re really a great speaker.’ And they might say, ‘why don’t you come with me to Toastmasters?’”

Members also go out and give pre-sentations to attract new prospects. According to Ragland, “A member of one of our clubs went to a man-agers’ meeting recently and sug-gested that they encourage their as-sociates to look at Toastmasters.”

Another excellent promotional tool is the company newsletter.The last piece to the Toastmaster chartering puzzle is well-operated, lively meetings in an environment where guests feel welcome and members can excel.

The Community Club Charter

While company clubs are usually for employees only, community clubs are open to the public. To start a community club, solicit the help of your district representative. They will guide you in setting up a demonstration meeting and give you some publicity ideas.

Building a Toastmasters Club,is it too Hard?

BUILDING A NEW CLUBS

PAGE 24

Basically, you will plan the meet-ings about six weeks in advance. Publicize it through press releases to local newspapers, radio and TV spots, and postings on community bulletin boards at libraries and col-leges and at community events.

Tie the founding of your club into something newsworthy for local media—the fact that you stopped stuttering after joining Toastmas-ters, for example, or point up a community figure who credits Toastmasters with his or her per-sonal or business success.

Target membership clusters or groups of people through large corporations churches, the military and so forth. Request a list of orga-nizations from your local chamber of commerce and send club of-ficers an invitation to attend your demonstration meeting.

Choose an appropriate location for your meetings. This might be a corporate conference room, school cafeteria, chapel or restaurant. Some clubs even meet in bookstores.

John Latin is Past International President of Toastmasters and currently the Division Marketing Specialist for Founder’s District in San Dimas, California. He tells this story about his first Toastmasters meeting held in very a public place, “A young lady came to me and said, ‘I want to put a Toastmasters club in Borders Books and Music Store.’ I said, ‘Borders? Do they have room for us off to the side?’ She said, ‘No. We’ll be right smack in the middle of Borders.’ I said, ‘How’s that going to work with all of the noise and people buying books and drinking coffee?’ She assured me that it would work and I said, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’”

Latin continues, “They set up twenty chairs and a microphone system and all the people in the coffee shop were listening to our speeches. We had people standing around the outer parameter of the coffee shop and they were listening to our speakers. We could hear the

speakers clearly. It worked, but I didn’t believe it until I saw it.”

Latin finds it relatively easy to pro-mote a club that meets in a public place—a restaurant, for example. He says, “We have a little plaque that goes at the entrance of the restaurant that says, ‘Toastmasters meets here Wednesday nights at 5:30.’”

Latin appreciates technology, too. He says, “We’re on the Internet. You can pull up Toastmasters In-ternational and find every club in the world. We get a lot of people coming in and saying, ‘I saw you on the Internet.’”

The best way to promote a club, ac-cording to Latin, is through show and tell. “Have members bring guests and show them a good Toastmasters program,” he says.

Wood couldn’t agree more. She suggests to club leaders in her dis-trict, “If a guest has come on their own, assign a member to sit with them and explain the program as it goes along. Our club makes up a sheet outlining each of the vari-ous roles on the program and their purpose.”

She also recommends that every member know how to fill out an ap-plication for membership and that they know how much dues are. She says, “There’s nothing worse than having a good prospect turned off by, ‘I don’t know how much it is. You’ll need to wait until our trea-surer comes back and he/she can let you know.’”

A Formula for Building New Clubs

Mary McKee was the 1998-99 pres-ident of the Goodbye Jitters Club in Winnipeg. When she started her term in September, there were four members. By the end of June they had 21 on the roster. As a success-ful recruiter, McKee recommends:

- Keep your meetings profession-al. Whether there are five or fifty people, always maintain the high

standards of the Toastmasters pro-gram. - Choose a slogan that implies building or rebuilding. For Mc-Kee’s club it was “The Little Club That Can.” - Use the slogan on agendas, flyers, brochures and everything else that you produce. - Stay positive and stay motivated. - Ask the district to assign you a club specialist to help you revitalize your meetings. - Display posters in your meeting place and advertise wherever and whenever you can afford to. - Drop informational brochures in mailboxes and deliver them to busi-nesses in the area. - Build a break into your meetings so members have an opportunity to get to know one another. Plan social events outside the meetings. - Follow up on potential members with a phone call, newsletter or personal note. - Always ask a guest to join. Help him fill out the membership appli-cation. - Assign the new member a men-tor. - Go for variety in your meetings to keep them fresh. If it’s a small club, bring in a guest speaker from time to time. - Support and encourage all mem-bers in their educational and lead-ership goals.

Wood adds another component that she feels is vitally important, Recognition. “This is one of the world’s greatest motivators,” she says. Wood is quick to admit, “I didn’t think it applied to me until I received a District Governor’s Cita-tion.

“Recognizing members’ accom-plishments is a critical tool in Toastmasters. Make a big deal out of each educational/leadership accomplishment. Not only does it make the recipient feel good, it motivates other member to work toward receiving recognition as well.”

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Reviving a Struggling Club

It happens in the best of clubs—at-tendance dwindles, meetings become dull and enthusiasm wanes. If this describes your club, don’t throw in the towel. Where there’s life, there’s hope.Ernie Limkakeng took over the falter-ing Sinulog Toastmaster Club #2395-75 in the Philippines in 1997. Atten-dance in that once flourishing club was down to just five or ten partici-pants when Limkakeng was elected president.

“Soon after the election,” says Lim-kakeng, “the officers held a meeting to look into the situation. We received the membership roster, discussed at-tendance problems and examined our programming and the financial situa-tion. In the process, we learned our strengths and our weaknesses. For instance, we found that we were left with past presidents and past officers of the club—seasoned Toastmasters who are very capable but, perhaps, slowly losing interest. We got them involved in our membership drive, mentoring new members and deliver-ing instructional speeches.”

According Limkakeng, the poor at-tendance problem was solved tempo-rarily by inviting members from other clubs to handle parts of our program. “This enabled us to come up with a good crowd while we were still build-ing up our membership,” he says. “We also discovered that the meeting days were not convenient for most of our members and we immediately cor-rected that.”

The officers met often, even when there was little business to discuss. Says Limkakeng, “I figured this could serve as a bonding process for offi-cers to work as a team.”

According to Limkakeng, “Sinulog Toastmaster Club was once a great club. We used to have lively crowded meetings. We were producing na-tional champions in speech contests. Our members were called upon to hold district positions. Reminiscing on past glories and a call for revival may have rekindled the fire to excel in all of us.”

Another tactic that helped reconnect the membership was the diligence of

the officers in making personal calls to members to remind them of meet-ings. Once they started that courtesy, “members were not likely to be ab-sent,” says Limkakeng.

And there were additional strategies. Limkakeng explains, “We stayed fo-cused on our targets and considered disappointing moments only tempo-rary setbacks. We gave importance to recognition for individual achieve-ments by holding special recognition awards nights. We tried our best to lead by example, conscious of the fact that any lack of enthusiasm would considerably dampen the interest of members.”

Limkakeng reflects on his achieve-ment by saying, “I believe that what moved most of us was the sense of pride in our club. An organization is as strong as the number of people who take pride in what it’s doing.”

In Latins district, they use Speech-craft programs to revive struggling clubs. He says, “When we see a club that’s kind of going down in member-ship, we immediately recommend to them that they do a Speechcraft,” he explains. “This is an eight-week mini class where participants pay anywhere from $10 to $25 for the class and materials and they have Toastmas-ter members as their teachers. They

practice giving speeches—they give at least four speeches in that period, they can practice introducing their fellow Speechcrafters, they get to evaluate their Speechcrafters and they also get to experience impromptu speeches.”

Whether you’re starting a new com-munity or company club or working to save one that is faltering, Toastmaster International has the resource mate-rial to help you do it. From member-ship flyers to a club troubleshooting guide to membership-building con-test ideas to Speechcraft promotional kits and even a Meeting Excellence Video Tape. Contact Toastmasters International at 949-835-1300. Web site www.toastmasters.org.

Remember it’s to your benefit to maintain a successful club environ-ment where you, along with other members, can excel. To build a new club or to revive a struggling club, it is not so hard but need a proper plan-ning and a team work.

Enjoy Toastmastering, share in club building.

By Jayanta K. Mog, ACB/ALBArea 1 Governor

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“Stretch the circle wider.”

TRANSFORMATION

“Stretch the circle wider.” This is the philosophy around which we orient our lives. We want to in-clude people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, we actively avoid those groups that exclude others. We want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support. We hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. We want to draw them in so that they can feel the warmth of the group. We are instinctively accepting person. Regardless of sex, race, nationality or personality or faith, we never indulge in discrimination. Discrimination can hurt a person’s feelings. Why do that if we don’t have to…. This for me Toastmaster is all about.

My personal perception before entering the Toast-masters Arena was entirely opposite of the above. I was an introvert person ever since I was a kid, the reason it had been hard for me to mingle with others. I had so many reservations before I finally get involved into any groups. Although I became an active leader in my youthful age I am amenable to say that I had lapses on actions in a sense that I did the task of my fellow officers instead of wait-ing them to do it to avoid delays. I had almost missed to implement the meaning of coordination, cohesiveness and inclusiveness within our Organi-zation. In short, I had to learn more concerning the theory and principles of leadership…

The first position I held at TOC was Sergeant at Arms, then: Secretary, VP Membership and finally in 2009, I was elected as TOC 9th President. By involving and dedicating myself in a volume of responsibilities through these different positions, by indulging myself into various Toastmasters’ contests and by including myself to the circle of professional people; I gradually transformed my-self to a more inclusive and intricate individual. Personal involvement and attendance to numerous seminars and meetings became more challenging to me! I begun to feel my self esteem escalating

within me along with finding the right doors for socialization. As a leader, I was able to overcome the hesitance of mandating, of course at this time, in a more diplomatic and professional approach. I was able to manage coordinately and discover my ability on how to designate duties and responsi-bilities to my subordinates. Equally, I was able to speak out, express my ideas, convey my message thru speeches, and to persuade others with my ra-tional suggestions.

This transformation in my life is something I gained from Toastmasters in just five years. Per-haps it would have been longer if I had joined other organizations. I am now able to say that I finally stretched the circle wider. I was able to wid-en my horizon as an individual, able to rectify my lapses in the past, enhance my leadership skills, and able to extend my parameter as a more confident speaker! I can now feel and experience the warmth of the group (TOASMASTERS ARENA, TOC in particular) and do really enjoying the atmosphere of what I used to say, indiscriminate world!!

NESTOR DE LEON GALANG, ACB,CLParliamentarian - TOC

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1990 World Champion

Having spoken to nearly 100,000 Toastmasters over the past 18 years, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say: “I’m going to win the World Championship of Public Speaking.” I say, “Congratulations, you’ve taken an important first step. You have es-tablished a challenging goal.”

If you ask anyone who has achieved something significant, they will all tell you, success is grounded in belief. In fact, the phrase “If you can believe it, you can achieve it,” is standard in just about every motivational speaker’s message. You hear it over and over and over again. Yet, the fact is that phrase, “If you be-lieve it, you can achieve it,” is simply not true.

You see, I don’t care how fervently I believe that someday I will play in the NBA…it’s just not going to happen. My belief, no matter how steadfastly I hold it, will not supersede my com-plete lack of basketball talent.

There simply are a lot of things you can believe that you will not achieve. Motivational speakers and other well-intentioned optimists have it back-wards. What they should be telling you is “If you don’t believe it, you won’t achieve it.”

There’s a big difference. “If you be-lieve it you can achieve it,” is overly optimistic. But, “If you don’t believe it, you won’t achieve it,” is realistic. It simply means “success starts with be-lief.”

So how does this relate to winning speech contests?

First, define “winning.” And then, de-fine “success.”

Toastmasters International “contest season” usually begins each Febru-ary. A few weeks or months before, the strongest contenders are usually already preparing, with “winning the contest” as their goal.

But before you become too fixated on winning, go back a step and define the term. In the strictest interpretation of the word, one person wins…while the rest lose. But that’s a narrow and un-necessarily restrictive definition. So once again, I challenge you to define “winning.”

When I entered my first speech con-test in February of 1987, winning was simply not on my mind. I merely wanted to represent myself well in my first-ever club contest.

As you may have experienced, the fear of embarrassment can be a huge mo-tivator and that’s what got me going back then. I didn’t say “I’m going to win.” Instead, I approached it with an eye toward maintaining my dignity. I said, “I’m going to do my best.” My goal was not to be club champion. My goal was to represent myself respect-ably in front of my peers.

And I’m pleased to say that in that first club contest, I won…twice. Yes, I won the contest by finishing first. But I won even more…by performing bet-ter than I had before.

So which of these two wins was more valuable? Unquestionably, it was the second. I earned a title: club champi-on, but in the process of preparation I learned to be a better speaker. And in anybody’s book, that’s a win.

So my advice for true competitors is this: forget about titles and trophies. Instead, focus on what’s important.

To illustrate, consider this story of a true winner:

More than a decade ago, I saw on a talk show a man named Dr. Thomas Amberry. He was, as I recall, a retired podiatrist. He said as a young man he had dreamed of playing in the NBA, but that dream didn’t come true. So he redirected his energy into a successful medical career.

When he retired from medicine, he still held a dream of making his mark in basketball. But at age 72, he knew that no matter how much he believed he would not achieve his earlier goal. So he redefined his measure of suc-cess.

He decided to become the best with a particular basketball skill. He decided to become the most accurate free-throw shooter in history. And on Nov. 15, 1993, Dr. Amberry stepped up to the line and sank 2,750 free throws in a row.

Did he achieve his original goal of starring in the NBA? No. But was he successful in the sport he loved? Ab-solutely.

So how does this relate to speech con-tests? There are several answers. First, be a realist. Not everyone who wants to win…will win.

Second, even if you don’t achieve your original goal, you can always redefine or refocus your goal. And, third, titles and trophies are not as important as growth, improvement, and the attainment of personal excel-lence.

Because if you achieve these, you will be a winner every time.

David Brooks 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking Austin, Texas

How to Win Every Contest

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1996 World Champion

You’re sitting at your desk early one morning and the phone rings. It’s the boss and he asks you if you could do him a favour. He’s meant to address a small group of business people at the Town Hall at 4:00 o’clock that afternoon but something has come up and he can’t be there. So the favour is, will you go in his stead and ad-dress them for about twenty minutes on the company and how they might benefit from using your company’s services. You say (with as much gusto and confidence as you can muster), “Sure, leave it with me”. The instant you place the phone down all sorts of things start to happen to your body. None of them could be deemed as ‘nice’.

The fear of standing and presenting to an audience is well documented as one of the greatest fears known to the human race. In a survey conducted in the USA in the 1980’s, public speaking ranked as the second greatest fear, only beaten by ‘Death by Fire’. In other words, if you were to witness someone in the United States giving a eulogy at a funeral then there was a high probability that the speaker would have preferred to have been in the casket then behind the pulpit. So what’s going on, why the fear?

The fear is sensed because there is a perceived threat to your ego. That doesn’t make us fragile or egotistical, it’s just a fact. We are super sensitive when it comes to pro-tecting how others see us. Needless to say, the possibility of falling flat on your face mid way through a presenta-tion sets the alarm bells ringing.

Once the threat has been perceived then over 200 physi-ological changes start taking place (at close to 600 k.p.h which is the speed of the human nervous system) to get your body ready to do one of two things. Either (a) get the heck out of there, or (b) stay at tough it out to the bitter end.

This entire sequence of events might be best known to you as ‘The Flight and Fight Response’. It’s the body’s self defence mechanism and it’s nice to know that it works so well, but you really wish you could turn it off prior to making a presentation. The bad news is that you can’t switch it off, but the good news is you can lessen the response thereby gaining better control of your bodily functions. In particular, the part that controls the access to the memory. Did I mention that one of the over two hundred physiological changes inhibits your access to your memory and imagination? My apologies, I must’ve forgotten.

The easiest way to reduce the Flight and Fight Response is by diaphragmatic breathing. You need to stand up, have good posture, place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Then inhale and exhale, forcing the air to the ‘bottom’ of your lungs. You might find it easier to deliberately push your stomach out which will draw

the breath in. If you’re do-ing it right then the hand on your stom-ach should be moving in and out while the hand on your chest remains still. Other points to con-sider: Your s h o u l d e r s should not be rising and falling with each breath. Use only your nasal passages and not an open mouth to breathe. Make sure no one is watching you!

Here’s a further tip that a lot of actors use to ‘calm them-selves’; whilst breathing diaphragmatically they follow a counting pattern. Breathe in for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of eight and then exhale for a count of sixteen. Do it about four times and you should notice a considerable difference.

The only other physical action you can take to reduce the effect of Flight and Fight is to rid yourself of ex-cess energy. You’ve seen athletes awaiting the start of a race… they try to stay limber whilst shaking out (through their hands usually) excess energy. Not even they want the ‘bad’ (excess) energy. This build up of energy is the main cause of shaking and fidgiting whilst presenting and gives off a look of lack of confidence. Walk up a flight of stairs, go for a walk round the block, if you find yourself in the washroom (and I’m guessing you will) then close the door and shake it out as the athletes do.

When you walk into the room to present, it is impera-tive that you look (not necessarily ‘feel’) confident. Do the breathing and rid yourself of the excess energy and you’ll be better placed to give a more confident appear-ance. An audience will trust a confident speaker and will distrust a nervous one, so do everything possible to get it right the first time. So if you are at work one morning and the boss does give you a call… answer it with confi-dence, it counts.

David Nottage is the Director of TORQUE limited, a public speaking consultancy that specialises in dynamic business presentations. In 1996 David won the World Cham-pionship of Public Speaking (Toastmasters International). More details are available by emailing david@torquebusiness.co.nz or www.torquebusiness.co.nz

Confidence Counts

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Here are the 4 costly mistakes:

If you want to drastically improve your very next presentation, it is important to understand 4 of the pitfalls that keep most speakers in a ditch out of which they can never seem to climb. If you see where these traps are, you can easily avoid them. As a result, you will clear your pathway to a powerful and persuasive speech.

1. They close their speech with the ques-tion and answer session

3. They lip-synch

2. They open their speech with a whimper

4. They don’t master the essence of public speaking

Never close your speech with the Q&A session, because people remember best what they hear first and what they hear last. If you end with the Q&A, you lose control over the last message your audience receives and much of your hard work is undone. It is still a good idea to have a Q&A session, but it is not a good idea to end your presentation with it. Instead, hold the session about 80-90% into your speech and then close the speech in your own powerful way.

I once had a CFO of a biotech company say, «Craig, we need you to coach us with our presentation. We already have the presentation, but we just need to know what to say.» That might seem confusing but I knew exactly what he meant. He meant that the company already had a slide presentation but they needed to know what to say between those slides. Once I worked with them, they came to realize that they had to look at their major points first and then determine if slides were even needed to reinforce them.

Most presenters who use slides simply verbalize the same points that are made on the slide. The key to understand is this; if you say the same thing as your slides, then one of you is not needed! You are doing the equivalent of lip-synching your presentation. The best time to use slides is for real visu-als such as charts, graphs, and diagrams that help clarify what you say verbally.

Most speakers open with statements like, I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me to speak at this presti-gious occasion. First I’d like to thank Bob… What is wrong with that kind of opening? Frankly, it’s boring. It’s boring because it’s expected. Instead, come out in an unexpected way by jumping right into your message. Take the «sitcom» approach and start the show first and then transition to the opening theme song.

One good way to do this is to immediately dive into a story. That will catch your audience off guard and you will have their attention. Another effective way is to ask a question. For example, I start some speeches with the following ques-tion: «What do you think is the number one thing that stands in the way of most people living their dreams?»

This immediately gets my audience’s attention and prompts them to think and to get involved with the speech. Questions work extremely well because they take your audience mem-bers from passive spectators to active participants and that definitely raises the energy. Once you finish your planned opening, it is then fine to go back and thank the people who brought you there.

Bill Gove, the first President of the National Speakers Asso-ciation, once said that public speaking is being able to «Tell a story and make a point.» That indeed is the essence of public speaking. If you want to become the kind of speaker others line up and sign up to see, then make an effort to master sto-rytelling. People make decisions with their emotions backed up by logic. Stories reach those emotions and get people in a frame of mind to take action. When you become a master storyteller, you help other people see new stories unfold for their own lives. Like the old saying goes, «Facts tell and stories sell.» You must travel through the heart to change the mind.

If you avoid the 4 pitfalls that trap most speakers and you work on the suggestions above, you will find yourself far ahead of most of the people who ever stood up to say anything.

By Craig Valentine, MBA1999 Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking Author of The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking and World Class Speaking Founder of the free website www.52SpeakingTips.com

1999 World Champion Four Public Speaking Pitfalls that Trap Most Presenters

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If you want to be a speaker you have to speak. Sitting in a Toastmasters meeting won’t make you into a speaker any more than sitting in a hen house will make you into a chicken! You have to speak!

When I was a young boy, I wanted to learn to ride a bicycle. I would go out on a Sat-urday and get my bike out of the garage and try to ride it in the driveway. I would make it a few feet and fall off. I would do this for a half an hour, get tired of falling off and put the bike back in the garage. I did this for weeks and I never learned to ride my bike.

One Saturday, my two older sisters took turns holding the back of the bicycle and running around our block while I pedaled away. They must have run around the block 50 times that day. But at the end of the day, I got on the bicycle and rode it! I just needed enough time riding the bike to figure out how to ride it!

Speaking is no different. It is like any other skill you want to attain. You have to do it, and do it a lot, if you want to be proficient. In 18 years, I have completed the 350 Toastmaster manual speeches. That averages one speech every 3 weeks. Add the number of speech evaluations, Table Topics, being General Evaluator and Toastmaster and the number is over 1,000.

Like learning to ride the bike, or to play tennis or to type, it takes practice and rep-etition to become proficient. When we see Roger Federer on the tennis court, or Majed Abdullah on the football field, we can marvel at how talented they are. But how much of what we saw was tal-ent and how much was actually practice that developed their talent? How many times did they have to fail before they succeeded? How many missed serves or how many errors, misses and falls did they endure to gain the experience neces-sary to be a champion?

Toastmasters offers a unique opportunity in the speaking arena. Not only does it give us the opportunity to speak, it gives us the opportunity fail with no conse-quence. It give us the opportunity to develop specific speaking skills with each manual assignment and to get vital feed-back for improvement.

It is important to remember that Toast-masters is a process. A process is defined as – A series of actions, changes or func-

tions that bring about an end or result. The process of becoming a speaker in-cludes the actions, changes and func-tions listed out in the Toastmaster Speech Manuals. If you do the Speech Manual exercises and complete the manuals you will become a better and better speaker.

When you complete your CTM, immedi-ately move on to your ATMB. When you complete your ATMB immediately move onto your ATMS. Just keep complet-ing the manual assignments and you will watch yourself improve.

Each of the speech manuals compliments the other. When you complete The Hu-morous Speaking Manual, it teaches you how to use humor in all of your speeches, when you do the Technical Speaking Man-ual, it teaches you how to handle techni-cal information in any speech. Andre Agassi does not stop practicing his serve after gets one right. He does it over and over again, every possible way, until he is confident he can do it right each time and under any conditions.

In the 13 years I have been in Toastmas-ters I have done 16 CTMs and 2 ATMGs completing 31 manuals. The minimum goal I set for myself each year is to com-plete one CTM or ATM per year. That is 10 speeches in 52 weeks, less than one speech per month. I know how impor-tant it is to complete the manuals.

If every Toastmaster set a goal to com-plete one CTM or ATM level each year, we would see a BOOM in Toastmasters. By completing the manuals you continue to improve as a speaker, you also become more confident as an individual which improves your attitude and life outside of Toastmasters. When members are com-pleting manuals, clubs become stronger because the members are winning. Win-ning members keep moral and enthusi-asm high which creates a great environ-ment for new members.

For every member of a club to complete a CTM or ATM each year, there is the lo-gistical question of getting scheduled to speak enough. There are only so many speaking slots at each meeting.

Here are suggestions to maximize your speaking opportunities.

- Let your Vice-President of Education know that you wanted to complete your manuals by June 30th so they can sched-

ule you as much as possible.

- Have 2-3 speeches prepared in advanced and be ready to speak at each meeting if the scheduled speaker does not make it.

- Participate in each speech contest and do each contest as a manual speech and have it evaluated by someone. You can complete 2-8 speeches per year just doing contests.

- Check with other clubs in your area to see if they can accommodate additional speakers.

- Put together an extra Toastmasters Meeting during the week. Get 2-3 other speakers and 3-4 functionaries and evalu-ators and meet at someone’s house for a dinner and speaking evening. These are great fun, give an entirely different speaking environment and help your club achieve its goals.

- Each speaking level you are working on allows for speeches to be done outside the club. If you are doing a presentation at work, mosque, or with a civic club or similar, have someone from your club come and evaluate you per your manual.

- Seek out speaking opportunities outside your club. There are numerous clubs and organizations looking for speakers. Pick a topic that you like or go out and talk about Toastmasters and how it can ben-efit them.

I have never found a problem finding a place to speak - if I really wanted to speak.

Remember – If you want to be a speaker, you have to speak!

2005 World ChampionIf you want to be a speaker, you have to speak!

Lance Miller 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking

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Stephen Covey says, amongst others, that the essence of human fulfilment is to leave a legacy. This we can do in many ways. Obviously, if we have children, then the legacy we leave will be in the hearts and minds of those children. However there are other places where we can leave our legacy; within our workplace, our extended family and of course in the hearts and minds of those who are our fel-low Toastmasters.

To be conscious of this role in our lives is to maximize the outcomes in both ourselves and others. To be aware that this is our responsibility and consciously act on this responsibility, is to develop our potential as a communica-tor and a leader.

As part of our membership of Toastmasters, we have multiple opportunities to leave a legacy.

Some of us, as Toastmasters, will have opportunities to leave this legacy in different groups. I have the privilege of working for many groups both within and outside Toast-masters, and I take this responsibility very seriously. We all should, when we are approaching the opportunity to speak at either a club meeting or an event outside Toastmasters. Generally I believe it could be said that we prepare very thoroughly when we have an ‘outside’ speaking engage-ment. But this may not be the case when we have an as-signment at a Toastmaster’s meeting. If we are to leave a legacy within our clubs, then we need to prepare for our manual speech assignments with as much commitment as if we were speaking to an outside audience. By preparing in such a manner, we are respecting the time gifted to us by our club members, and we are maximising our potential, and therefore our capacity to leave a legacy. This legacy will be the impact we leave with our listeners after we have delivered a well prepared speech.

There is another aspect of being toastmaster that has the potential to leave a legacy. This is in the art and science of evaluation.

Evaluations are at the core of our growth as a leader or as a speaker. I would never have been able to become World Champion of Public Speaking had I not been able to ac-cess clear, analytical and incisive evaluations.

When giving an evaluation, your task is to make the other Toastmaster the best they can be. Your task is not to make them another you, or to change their essence so they look like or become a clone or someone else.

Perhaps this is best explained in this short story. In Austra-lia we have a tradition that means whenever we meet for-mally, particularly when it involves government, that time is taken to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet. This means acknowledging the Indigenous who were here before us. On one particular occasion, the Aboriginal speaker showed the audience a rock. Within the rock a small amount of water had been trapped. The owner of the rock had rubbed and rubbed the rock so one side was flat and smooth. A small amount of water was visible through the quartz. This rock could have been used for many purposes, including perhaps de-termining the level of an object. The speaker then said that if the owner of the rock had rubbed the rock so much that the water was exposed and evaporated, the rock would have been just like any other rock.

So it is with our evaluations. Our task is to help the other Toastmaster become the best they can be, without taking from them their originality, their person, their essence. When we do this we leave a legacy that is most appropri-ate for the other Toastmaster. We ‘rub’ them until they become what they can be. That is our task. That is our ob-ligation. That is our gift when we give an effective evalu-ation.

In summary, we have multiple opportunities in which we can leave a legacy. We can do this by preparing the best we can for our speaking assignments, and we can also do this by giving evaluations which enables the other to become the best they can be.

May I wish you all the very best for your Toastmaster jour-ney. It is an amazing organisation, and you make it so.

2009 World Champion

Toastmasters Need to Leave a Legacy

Mark HunterWorld Champion of Public Speaking 2009.www.markhunter.com.au

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David Henderson2010 World Champion Public Speaking

These days, nobody wants to hear a speech. That is the advice I gave a friend of mine who asked me to evaluate the speech he prepared for our district’s humorous speech contest last fall. After listening to him, I said, “It’s funny, but I can’t tell what your message is.” “I didn’t realize I needed a message,” he replied. “Technically, you don’t,” I told him, “But why else would someone want to listen?” “I wasn’t really focused on the audience,” he said, “I was focused on myself.” This is the mistake speech contestants (and speakers in general) make most often—they focus on themselves, not the audience. It is a natural mistake to make when you consider what it takes to compete successfully: hours of writing, hours of rehearsing, and hours of rewriting, not to mention the stress of getting on stage and, sometimes, losing when you truly believed you had it in the bag. After all of that work it is only natural for a contestant to want to be the audience’s hero. Contest champi-ons recognize, however, that to truly succeed they must make the audience their hero.

A popular story can help put this in perspective. The original Star Wars saga tells the story of a seemingly ordinary farm boy named Luke Skywalker who ultimately saves the galaxy from an evil empire. Luke succeeds by becoming a Jedi Knight: a warrior trained to perform supernatural feats by manipu-lating a mystical power called the Force. Luke learns to use the Force under the guidance of the greatest Jedi trainer in history: Master Yoda. Most speakers think of themselves as Luke Skywalker seeking to save the galaxy. Champion speak-ers think of themselves as Master Yoda and seek to make each member of the audience think of themselves as heroes in their own adventures. A more down-to-earth (pun intended) example helps put this in better perspective. In my semi-finals speech I told the story of my witnessing my mother forgive her mother, on her deathbed, for abandoning her as a child; the message was “hope is the best medicine.” Most people think the ultimate goal of such a speech is to make the audi-ence focus on my experience. Wrong. The goal is to make

each person in the audience focus on their own experience: they should be thinking about the losses they are coping with in their own lives. More importantly, they should derive hope from superimposing my mother’s actions onto their own lives. Again, these days nobody wants to hear a speech; they want to feel an experience.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “I get it—I need to make each audience member feel like a hero in their own ad-venture. That sounds great, but how do I actually do it?” Start by thinking critically about your audiences and what mat-ters to them. Be specific. What do they believe in? What challenges do they face and how can your words help them overcome? How might they resist your advice? What type of message would resonate with them? Once you answer these questions, construct your speech around a personal, and emo-tional story through which you can communicate a universal message. You should be able to summarize your message in ten words or less, i.e. hope is the best medicine. Within the first thirty seconds of your speech the audience should know what your message is and you should repeat it often enough throughout your speech for them to remember it after the contest is over. Also, keep in mind that although Toastmas-ters is an international organization, it is strongly influenced by Westerners. There is a huge gap between appealing to an audience in Saudi Arabia (where your contest journey begins) and one in Las Vegas, Nevada (where, hopefully, your contest journey ends). So, you may have to write at least two very different types of speeches as you progress through the com-petition. Regardless of what message you select, your speech must be humorous and it must end on a positive note for you to have a chance at winning. If you can also make the audi-ences cry without sinking their spirits, you have it in the bag.

2010 World ChampionThe Message

these days nobody wants to hear a speech; they want to feel an experience....

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