Change in the Club Officers' Roles

Congrats!!

New President - Rohan Kelshikar

Secretary - Praveen Babu

Treasurer - Vishek Khanna

My Experience of Anweshana 2010…

          We are nine months old now! Yes! Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters Club at SPI has completed nine months. In this time we have had wonderful experiences, fun meetings and enthusiastic gatherings. Along with all that we learn in our club we also had chances to participate in the semi annual Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest.

          Anweshana 2010 was held in the costal city of Karnataka, Mangalore, on the 14th Nov 2010. This division level contest was a great exposure to a new Toastmaster like me. My debut visit to Mangalore will stay in my memories forever. Anweshana 2010 introduced me to some of the best toastmasters in India. The day long event had dignitaries like Toastmaster Nagaraja Rao, DTM – the District 82 Governor; Toastmaster M N Pai, Division B Governor; Toastmaster Kumaran Pethi Division L Governor and many others.

         The day started with the Educational session on “10 leadership lessons learnt from Toastmasters” by Toastmaster Nagaraja Rao. A wonderful session that gave practical examples as to how a leader should be, what all problems a leader faces and he very well related them with all the experiences he has had so far. His presentation involved the audience very well, with questions and interactions.

        Next after the tea break came the Evaluation Contest, which increased my heart rate with every passing minute. A speech was delivered by a fellow toastmaster and we all contestants got busy evaluating her. I was on a bigger platform now, having evaluated only twice before I was here evaluating the third time and that too in a division level contest. I did my job pretty well. Having finished my evaluation successfully I went back to my seat to enjoy and learn from the sessions that came next.

           “Stand up - Speak out - Shut up" by Toastmaster Chendil Kumar was a session on using humor in speeches. “Awesome” would be the right word to describe the man and his session. For a passionate Toastmaster like me who craves to excel in speaking publicly CK is an inspiration. The ease and the finesse he shows in his presentation are excellent.
           Humor is a very difficult genre and to make people laugh is indeed a tough task. CK made it simple for us; he gave us tips and techniques to use humor in the right and effective manner. He also put the audience to work by dividing them into different groups and assigning them a task - to come up with something meaningful yet humorous. I enjoyed the session thoroughly.

           After this fulfilling session came the humorous speech contest, an exceptional show by some of the Toastmasters. “LOL” was all the audience was doing. Watching Toastmasters from elite clubs like Bangalore Toastmasters Club, Mangalore Toastmasters Club and also Toastmaster Praveen John Thottan from our very own Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters Club was a feat.

    It was a perfect end to the event when the prizes were announced and I had bagged one prize too. 

Being a Toastmaster and the journey so far has been excellent for me, I have always wanted to be a Toastmaster and SPI gave me this opportunity. I am thankful to every single person responsible for the success of our club. It would be unfair if I didn’t mention our mentors, who have supported us and helped us grow. Toastmaster Mohammed Suhail from Oratorium Myinfy was a very encouraging Area Governor, his motivation and help has been an integral part of our success. Last but definitely not the least, I want to thank our Club President Toastmaster Rohan for all the support and encouragement he gave us as a president.

Together we learn, together we grow. My passion for public speaking is on an all time high, thanks to Toastmasters.

Project 2: Organize Your Speech

When you speak, does your audience get it?

If your audience doesn’t grasp your message (even though your topic is one you know they are interested in), you need to rethink the way you present it. You need to organize your ideas to promote understanding.

The second Toastmasters speech project addresses organizing your speech. This article of the Toastmasters Speech Series examines the primary goals of this project, provides tips and techniques, and links to numerous sample speeches.

Use an outline which aids understanding.

Transition smoothly from one point to the next.

Craft an effective speech opening.

Craft an effective speech conclusion.

These are fundamental skills that you apply to every speech you’ll ever deliver, whether it is a 2 minute off-the-cuff speech, a 15 minute business proposal, or a 60 minute keynote.

Transitions are the Key

Of the four elements, appropriate transitions are most lacking in the majority of presentations that I have seen. Most speakers have an introduction and conclusion, with supporting material arranged in some form of outline. But, there is often little in the way of transition phrases that link the speech together in a cohesive unit.

In a written piece (like this article), headings, bullets, and punctuation provide cues to the reader that help them understand the macro-organization.

In a verbal speech, use pauses and transition phrases to achieve this effect so that the audience knows when one point ends, and the next begins.

Project 1: The Icebreaker

            

Ice breaker (or Icebreaker) is a term which describes an activity which reduces tension and anxiety in a group. Thus, it is fitting that the first Toastmaster speech project is titled The Ice Breaker.

This article of the Toastmasters Speech Series examines the primary goals of this project, provides tips and techniques, and links to numerous sample speeches.

Why is This Speech Important?

The Ice Breaker speech has three aims:


1. Introduce yourself.
Your ice breaker speech topic is you – something about your life, your job, your hobbies, your unique interests, your family, or any combination of these. You are an absolute authority on this topic, and everyone in the audience will learn something about you.

2. Begin to conquer the fear of speaking in front of a group.
It is nervewracking when speaking in front of a new group. If you feel this nervousness, remember that a Toastmaster audience is always supportive and understanding. Nobody is grading you, and nobody will mind if you stumble through 99 “Um”s and “Ah”s. If you get up, say something, and sit down, you have succeeded in this project.

3. Provide a “base line” of your current strengths and weaknesses.
Some new members have no public speaking experience, while others have years of presentations behind them. No matter where you fit into this spectrum, your goal is to improve from your starting point. This first speech helps club members gauge your current strengths so that they can make specific recommendations to help you improve.

Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters Club – Charter Ceremony

Finally!! It’s Official! We are a certified Toastmasters Club.

Yes! Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters Club had its Charter Ceremony on the 10th of June 2010, a red letter day for us; a great ceremony and a much awaited event for the club members.

Distinguished guests from Sunshine Toastmasters Club Bangalore, who helped us all the way in successfully establishing a Club at SPI, were present. It was a pleasure to have Toastmaster Kumaran Pethi, Toastmaster Ramgopal P and Toastmaster Satyanarayana Raju with us. The Chief Guest for the day was Senior VP Mr. Madhukar V.

The session was like a regular toastmaster meeting with the prominent sessions being the Prepared Speech session, the Table Topic session and the Evaluation session. This was followed by the Charter Ceremony; wherein the guests handed over the Charter Certificate to the club president TM Sucharitha P.

The evaluation session was an eye opener; the kind of constructive and positive feedback given was a great moral booster for all the speakers. One thing that really made me feel good about the evaluation session was the novel thought of giving a standing ovation to every person who gives his first speech. Truly that is what a first time speaker needs, encouragement and appreciation which act as the strongest stepping stone in becoming a great speaker and leader.

The evaluators were overwhelmed by the performances of our club members; they assured us that we can make it to be one of the best Corporate Clubs. TM Kumaran also said that the he feels the Club is in the best hands.

We also had the installation of Club Officers. Some members of our Club have been appointed as the Club Officers.

• President – Sucharitha P

• Vice President Education – Sujata Rajpal

• Vice President Membership – Naveed Ahmed

• Vice President Public Relations – Tahera Haq

• Secretary – Sunil Kumar Y

• Treasurer – Kavya Shankre Gowda

• Sergeant at Arms – Praveen Thottan

Every member was presented with his/her Charter Certificate. The best speaker, best role taker and the best table topic speakers for the day too got their share of appreciation.

Leaders Garden has started blooming; come, be a part of our club and see yourself grow, to heights you always dreamt of.

Tahera Haq

Vice President Public Relations

Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters Club

Things to Know - When you are the Toastmaster

                The main duty of the Toastmaster is to act as a genial host and conduct the entire program, including introducing participants. If the Toastmaster does not perform the duties well, an entire meeting can end in failure. For obvious reasons this task is not usually assigned to a member until he or she is quite familiar with the Club and its procedures. Program participants should be introduced in a way that excites the audience and motivates them to listen. The Toastmaster creates an atmosphere of interest, expectation, and receptivity.

 

PRIOR TO THE MEETING

- Check with the Vice President Education to find out if a special theme has been set for the meeting and if there are any program changes.

- Call the table topics master to discuss his or her duties. Also provide the table topics master with a list of program participants to insure these people will not be called on for responses.

- Call all speakers in advance to remind them they are speaking. Interview them to find out their speech title, manual project number, purpose to be achieved, time requested, and something interesting which you can use when introducing them (job, family, hobbies, education, why this topic for this audience, etc.).

- Call the general evaluator to confirm the assignment. Ask the general evaluator to call the other members of the evaluation team (speech evaluators, topics master, timer, grammarian, ah counter, etc.) and remind them of their responsibilities.

- Prepare introductions for each speaker. A proper introduction is important to the success of the speaker’s presentation.

- Prepare remarks which can be used to bridge the gaps between program segments. You may never use them, but you should be prepared to avoid possibly awkward periods of silence.

- Remember that performing as Toastmaster is one of the most valuable experiences in your Club work. The assignment requires careful preparation in order to have a smoothly run meeting.

 

AT THE MEETING

 

- Arrive early in order to finish any last-minute details.

 

- Check with the speakers for any last-minute changes.

 

- Sit near the front of the room and have your speakers do likewise for quick and easy access to the lectern.

 

DURING THE MEETING

 

- Preside with sincerity, energy, and decisiveness. Take your audience on a pleasant journey and make them feel that all is going well.

 

- Always lead the applause before and after the topics session, each prepared speaker, and the general evaluator.

 

- Remain standing near the lectern after your introduction until the speaker has acknowledged you and assumed control of the meeting; then be seated.

 

- Introduce the general evaluator as you would any speaker; the general evaluator then will introduce the other members of the evaluation team.

 

- Introduce the table topics master as you would any speaker. If the table topics master forgets to call for the timer’s report and vote for “Best Table Topics Speaker,” you do it.

 

- Introduce each speaker in turn.

 

- At the conclusion of the speaking program, request the timer’s report and vote for “Best Speaker.”

 

- Briefly reintroduce the general evaluator. If the general evaluatorforgets to call for the timer’s report and vote for “Best Evaluator,” you do it.

 

- While votes are being tallied, invite comments from guests and announcements (such as verification of next week’s program).

 

- Award trophies if your Club does so.

 

- Request the “Thought for the Day” if your Club has one.

 

- Adjourn the meeting, or if appropriate, return control to the chairman.

Leaders' Garden Club's First Meeting

bullient!! That’s the right word to describe the ambience of the first meeting of Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters. Our first milestone! What a day it was! Full of enthusiasm, excitement and radiance! All of us had butterflies in our stomach as to how it will shape up, but am glad and overwhelmed by the way the meeting was conducted.

Am sure all of you have read and heard quite a lot about Toastmasters in the past few months but it was totally a different experience to be a part of it.

Where do I start? What do I say? Humor, fun, excitement, tension, pride, learning, knowing and enjoying, yes! A Toastmaster meeting is all about this and much more. Knowing our fellow Toastmasters from a different but pleasant perspective, we are colleagues for years but it was surprising to know all those facts about the five different ice breakers of the meeting who broke the ice and introduced themselves to all of us.

Everyone has the urge to be a great speaker and in our meeting everyone is a learner. We learn from each others’ mistakes. As one of our speakers aptly said “I am glad to be a Toastmaster, because I am not expected to be a fluent speaker or give a good public appearance, I do, I learn, like everyone else in the club; with no inhibition of being embarrassed”. A Toastmasters club adopts a "learn-by-doing" philosophy, wherein each member learns at a pace suitable to his or her developmental needs. The Toastmasters program is divided into two separate tracks, Communication and Leadership, with members progressing along each track by presenting speeches and taking on roles within their club, district, and Toastmasters International itself.

We are not alone; we have able mentors from Oratorium MyInfy Toastmasters who will be mentoring and evaluating us. Their honest and positive feedback is a boon to us. As a grammarian, it was my duty to be a keen observer and a patient listener. Moreover, we can keep changing our roles in every meeting. Like this all of us will learn to be good leaders too.

All said and done, it doesn’t end there, you are generously lauded for taking the courage to be one of the speaker or role taker for the meeting, which definitely boosts our self confidence.

If you are like most people, then public speaking is not your favorite pastime. Yet survey after survey shows that presentation skills are crucial to success in the work place. The person with strong communication skills has a clear advantage over tongue-tied colleagues – especially in a competitive job market.

Many people pay thousands of dollars for seminars to gain the skill and confidence necessary to face an audience. But another option is less expensive and held in high regard in business circles – Toastmasters International!!

This organization has been around for more than 80 years and offers a proven – and enjoyable – way to practice and hone the communication and leadership skills of its members. The nonprofit organization now has approximately 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries.

Don’t delay!

Become the speaker and leader you want to be. Confident, charismatic leaders weren’t born that way. As you progress in Toastmasters, you’ll get to practice your skills by organizing and conducting meetings and motivating others to help you. Become a better negotiator. Gain trust. Sharpen your management skills. Inspire your team. Be decisive!

Be a Toastmaster!

Tahera Haq

Vice President – Public Relations

Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters