Speaking Up

SPEAKING UP

NEWSLETTER OF ABU DHABI CHAPTER 1950NEWSLETTER OF ABU DHABI CHAPTER 1950

Area 2, Division H, District 20Area 2, Division H, District 20

What

Makes One

A Champion

Speaker

Issue 1, July to September 2013 Issue 1, July to September 2013

2

CONTENTS

FEATURE BY TM LOY MACHEDO

WHAT MAKES ONE A CHAMPION SPEAKER Everyone wants to be a World Champion of Public Speaking. The Eleven Characteristics that form the DNA of being a True World Champion Page no: 7

3 From the President

4 From Area Govern

5 Editor’s Desk

6 Executive Committee

11 Reflections from a Champion Speaker

12 New Member Speaks

13 Club Picnic - Photo Feature

15 Mess to Message

17 Bloom Where You are Planted

18 Vitamin B1

19 Networking Secrets

20 A Talk with DTM Sujatha Parthasarathy

21 Life Influences

23 The Devil's Double

25 Between the Cup & Sip

27 Club News

28 Member Progress Chart

29 Club Goals & Progress

29 Division H News

Speaking Up Issue : 1 Abu Dhabi Chapter 1950

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Toastmasters,

Welcome to the first issue of our newsletter. The untiring efforts of our Vice

President-Public Relations, Sasi Nair in bringing out this newsletter is evident as

you read through the pages and I would like to congratulate him and all those

who contributed towards this first issue.

In June you unanimously elected a new executive committee for the year 2013 -

2014. It is indeed a pleasure, privilege and honor for me to once again accept the

mantle of leadership of the Abu Dhabi Chapter, a club which is not only the first

club to be formed in U.A.E, but a club which is still highly regarded by all the

clubs in the UAE. Tell any outside Toastmaster that you are from the Abu Dhabi

Chapter and they will look up to you with respect.

This is because of the ocean of talent that we possess both in speaking and

leadership. Our club’s strength are our senior members who are our back bone

and I can confidently say that there is no club in the Middle East which has so

many senior members, all regularly attending and are so passionate about the

club. If I may borrow a slogan from the Onida TV’s advertisement in India –

Abu Dhabi Chapter is ‘Neighbor’s envy and owner’s pride’.

I am fortunate to have a great team of dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate

Toastmasters in the committee and together we will strive to meet the

educational/leadership aspirations and goals of each and every one of you. Our

VP Education TM Aby Hans has ensured that the three meeting agenda is cir-

culated well in advance and displayed at every meeting so that you have enough

time to prepare for your projects. We organized a joint meeting with Achievers

Toastmasters in the month of August. The ‘Meat of the Meet’ is now being

regularly circulated by TM Saima Imran after every meeting. For the first time we

have started an advance table topic session before every meeting to help

members overcome their fear of table topics. Our own past president Salim

Sayyid, who has a penchant for writing regularly posts pictures and write-ups of

our meetings on Facebook.

I would take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation to our Immediate

past President Althaf Ahmed and his team for a successful Toastmaster year 2012

-2013.

Toastmasters provides leadership opportunities outside the club and we are

proud to have the Division H Governor DTM Bharat Mehta and Area 2

Governor Bhojraj Mane as our members. We will look forward to their

guidance during the year.

Finally, I wish you all a richer, fruitful and satisfying Toastmaster year. May all

your dreams come true.

Enjoy the newsletter….Happy reading!

TM Loyola Pinto

PRESIDENT

LOYOLA PINTO


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FROM AREA GOVERNOR

Dear Toastmasters

I feel really privileged to be among Toastmasters for the past 6 years and

more so to get the opportunity to serve them. As Area Governor, I understand

my responsibilities, but I am also aware that it is an uphill task especially when

filling in the shoes of the legacy left behind by my predecessor TM Sujatha

Parthasarathy, a prolific leader.

Knowing the commitment of our club leaders, I know that all clubs in Area 2 will

meet the goals for recognizing them as Distinguished Clubs. However, in my

opinion, helping club members to meet their aspirations should be of higher pri-

ority. Retaining new members and keeping them motivated is also another

challenge club leaders need to confront.

What makes Area 2 different is the passion of its club leaders. Passion to excel

makes them stand out. Passion & dedication is the hallmark of great personalities

and we have seen the tribute given to Indian iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar by

media last week when he decided to hang his boots after successful sporting

career spanning 24 years. What made Sachin Tendulkar great were not his

records but rather his passion and dedication to the game which brought about

the records.

Having the passionate, dedicated and supportive team of club leaders and the

guidance of Division Governor DTM Bharat Mehta, I have no doubt in my mind

of achieving Presidents Distinguished Area for Area 2 this year.

When it comes to Abu Dhabi Chapter Club, it is leading not only in Area 2 but

also in Division H. I am proud to be a member of this club which is a melting

pot of new and senior members producing recipes that every club envies.

TM Loyola Pinto taking the mantle of club again as President after completing a

round of leadership roles is inspiring g the club to achieve greater glory. I feel

very assured with his wisdom while also seeking his advice on any matter.

Wishing Abu Dhabi Chapter a great year ahead !!!

TM Bhojraj Mane

AREA GOVERNOR

BHOJRAJ MANE


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EDITOR’S DESK

After many deliberations the much awaited first issue of the club magazine is out.

At the outset let me say a big thank to you members for the help and support.

To be honest with you, I am enjoying the task of editing a magazine which

I never attempted in my life before. All I had, if it can be related, was a limited

experience of editing and reviewing audit reports, a skill which I acquired simply

because of the virtue of my profession, that of an auditor.

When I took over the position of Vice President Public Relations I was skeptical

whether I would be able to do justice to it, but the confidence that toastmaster

movement installs on its members proved my apprehension wrong.

After being a Magazine Editor I realized the importance of responding to calls

and emails from VP PR for club magazine articles, and how it could make life of

the editor easier and comfortable.

Excelling in what one does is something that everyone aspires and wishes to ac-

complish. In Toastmasters this turned to be how can one be a good speaker and

ultimately a champion speaker at the International level. In this edition, the cover

story tells us what makes one a champion speaker, by a champion speaker TM

Loy Machedo.

Two club members who achieved and accomplished new heights in this journey

of communication also feature in this edition, who are indeed shining stars and

inspiration to all our members.

As we are in midst of a season change, summer slowly retreats and we are in for

the best season in the year. Hope everyone plans family outings and barbequing.

Let’s enjoy the warmth of the best period of the year.

Now with your magazine in your hand, the next important thing you can do is

reading it . Whilst you read it please don’t forget to shoot me an email with your

feedback as I welcome your bouquets and brickbats. Your response would be an

encouragement and could certainly make a difference to the next issue.

Lastly, its my pleasure and privilege to carry on the legacy of Abu Dhabi Chapter

Toastmaster Club, the Mother of all clubs in UAE, left behind by the great

leaders.

Enjoy reading…

TM Sasikumar Nair

VP PUBLIC RELATION

SASIKUMAR NAIR


6

The Executive Committee


Loyola Pinto President

Aby Hans VP Education

Narayana Pillai Treasurer

Rizvi Mohammed VP Membership

Sasikumar Nair VP Public Relation

Saima Imran Secretary

Abdul Sattar Khan Sergeant at Arms

Althaf Ahmed Immediate Past President

7

A FEATURE BY TM LOY MACHEDO

Everyone wants to be a World Champion of Public Speaking.

I mean who wouldn't want to?

To be able to flash the badge of excellence and the bragging rights of being the Best Speaker in the World is truly an attractive feather in the cap. One that cannot be purchased from e-bay or amazon.com but that can only be earned through a Contest - The World Championship of Public Speaking.

But now the question arises - is it possible for anyone and everyone to become a world champion?

Through my experience, my answer would be, an emphatic and resounding 'No'.

Positive Thinkers, Encouraging Hearts, Nurturing Leaders would disagree with me and say on a given day anyone and everyone can become a World Champion. They would extol the virtues of Praying, Visualizing,

Imagining, Believing in yourself and Encouraging others.

But my point of contention is simply this - No matter how much a donkey tries the above - he can never become a horse.

So allow me to give you my 2-cents on what I believe forms the Crux of being a World Champion and the you can decide for yourself.

In order to be the World Champion of Public Speaking, you need to have the following:


The 11 Characteristics that form the DNA of being a

“True World Champion”

Is it possible for anyone and

everyone to become a world

champion? ……. “No” !!!!!

Loy Machedo

Award Wining Speaker, Writer, Trainer &

Mentor to many world ranked champion.

Known as “ The Tattooed Trainer”

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1. Script Writing Mastery:

Winning the World Champion of Public Speaking is all about your Script. If you do not have a script or you do not know how to write a truly amazing one - My advice to you - don't even bother enrolling yourself. If you know how to write scripts, you can edit, re-edit, change, manipulate, form, transform, skew, slice, trim and juggle around with your script. And don't depend too much on Script Writers. A hired script writer may provide his or her services to you. But what is the drive to want to give you 100%? Trust me, unless you are his child, there is no reason for your hired Script writer to want to give you the same effort that you are willing to put into your chances of winning. Now here the point of difference is this - People have this belief that you can get lucky.

Lets analyze this bit. With a bad script You may get through one round, you may get lucky in the next, you may even have divine intervention in the third round but the chances are you will get knocked out in the fourth. Now you may say, wow, isn't that a good thing - being able to climb up the ranks? My answer - No. If you keep competing with a bad script, you will have etched a permanent image of yourself for the judges to prejudge you for the rest of your Toastmaster life.

2. Creativity

Almost all the World Champions of Public Speak-ing have had one thing working out well for them - The ability to get creative and to do something dif-ferent. Now creative doesn't mean bending over backwards and being able to play a xylophone. Ra-ther it is the presence of mind to be able to Create and Craft something Communicative that stays Charismatically Constant in the Minds and Hearts of the Audience. And that begins with your Script and then manifests itself through your delivery.

3. Time, Money, Effort and Security

What has this got to do with competing - Everything. The World Champion of Public Speaking is not a casual affair. If you do not have these four legs, your chair of competitiveness would not be able to sustain the pressures of imbalance that comes with competing. And what do I mean by Security? Imagine your presence of mind if you do not have job, financial, emotional, relationship or mental security. Think you can compete?

4. Public Relations & Likability

John Lennon sang the Song 'Imagine' whose lyrics have inspired a generation. Though we would like to imagine a perfect world or for that matter Toastmaster as a Perfect Organization, remember - we are dealing with human beings whose brains, hearts, value systems, thought processes, tolerance levels and emotional quotients are unpredictable. No matter how much we try, in the end if our hearts and our emotions take over the logical seat of control. Want evidence? You don't need to go far. Check out the drama that unfolds during elections. The one who less competent but is liked, always wins over the one who is more proficient but not liked. So keep this in mind - If people do not like you, those very factors can lead to hurting your chances of winning.

5. Command over the language

By command over the English language, I do not mean to imply that if you are not an native English speaker, you cannot win. Nope. You must have a penchant and effervescence towards the English language. Unless you naturally imbibe this into your DNA, half hearted and fragmented jerks while communicating will be visible, especially as you climb higher.

6. Voice

I know, I know. How can you change a voice that is a result of your chromosomes? Well become you get all shrill and raspy about it, imagine having Obama deliver a World Class Speech with a Squeaky Voice or Indira Gandhi with a Croaky Voice. Not a very good sound idea.

7. Personality

I wonder why do we always admire good looking men and women? For that matter, why do we have our leaders who try their level best to keep fit and look smart? In fact, when I say 'World Champion of Public Speaking' do you imagine someone perfect or someone with a 48 inch waist having trouble walking up the stairs? If you look like a Champion, you will be judged like one and treated like one.


Winning the World Champion of

Public Speaking is all about your

9


8. Personal Brand

Have you noticed this strange dichotomy - No one takes a Humorous Speaker Seriously. In fact, if you are known to be rude, no one would believe a heart wrenching story from your end. And if you are a bashful extrovert flaunting his family jewels at all occasions, no one would subscribe to your lessons of charity. Remember this - Ask yourself what kind of a brand are you and stick to it. Violate this - and you would not get the results you expect.

9. Obsession

Without Obsession you will not win. And by Obsession, I do not mean just wanting to win badly. For some people it transcends wanting to win more than wanting to breathe. There should be nothing more important to you than wanting to win - and though I would be hesitant to state this - you should want to win at all costs. In the end, if you won the 1st place, no one would bother how you won it. (provided you didn't do anything explicitly illegal)

10. Education, Educational Material & Educative Research

Humor: 25 years ago, I cracked my 1st joke in front of a family crowd. No one laughed.

CV Writing Skills: 20 years ago, I drafted my 1st CV. It was a 5 paged disaster.

Public Speaking Contest: 15 years ago, I took part in my 1st Public Speaking Contest. It was for 3 minutes and I forgot my lines.

Blogging: 10 years ago, I wrote my 1st article. Took me a week to compose 100 words.

As a Trainer: 5 years ago, I attempted my 1st Seminar. Only 2 turned up for the session.

As a Networker: 1 year ago, I had 150 people on my Social Media Platform

Fast-forward to today.

Humor: A few days ago I delivered a 60 minute presentation to a National Insurance Company. They laughed so hard for the entire 60 minutes that I got 3 letters of recommendation sent to me via LinkedIn.

CV Writing Skills: Today I teach and train hardcore professionals on how to Create, Craft and Compose their Re-sume's. CFO's, Directors, Senior Manager - I charge them per page and I get paid for it.

Public Speaking Contests: After winning over 600 trophies and awards, I retired from Public Speaking Contests. In fact, if you are looking for time based speeches, The longest speech I have ever given is 14 hours for a Educational Seminar I was conducting. (with 4 breaks in between) And to date - I've never forgotten a single speech.

Blogging: Google my name, and you will access to over 919 articles I have personally written which attract roughly around 3,500 + views every single day on my website.

As a Trainer: Today, I get an average of 15 minimum people per seminar. The highest I have attracted to my seminar has been 106.

As a Networker: Today I have 48,000 people on my Social Media Circles.

In fact, right now at this moment, I am teaching and training myself on the following skills:

Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator

Cartoon Animation

Cognitive Science

Social Media Strategies

Personality Analysis & Character Profiling

So why am I bragging about this?

Because I have put in the time (4 hours per day) money ( $2,000 per month) and effort ( I head a Mastermind Group) to Educate myself. And I am very passionate about it. (And no, I am not humble or reserved about it. My brand is Controversy, Charisma and Communicative - and that is exactly what I am).

If I look back at myself and I see myself today, I know I am growing. And that will help you become a Better Communicator, Networker and Leader.


Without Obsession you will not win. And by Obsession, I do not mean just wanting to win badly.

10


The point I am trying to make here is simply this - How much time, effort and money do you put into educating yourself? The answer you give will directly or indirectly contribute to your ability to rise through the ranks to become a true World Champion.

11. Character:

This is the last if not the most important point of them all. If you do not have the Heart and Substance of a True Leader, a Sincere Person and an Authentic Human Being, you will never succeed at being a World Class Champion. This is the one point I find hard to explain or elaborate on. But this is what I have noticed.

All the World Champions - All, have the Head, the Heart and the Human Spirit of being a World Champion. And this is something that cannot be taught or inculcated. It is either you have it or you don't.

So this my friends are the 11 Characteristics that form the DNA of being a True World Champion of Public Speaking.

1. Script Writing Mastery:

2. Creativity

3. Time, Money, Effort and Security

4. Public Relations & Likability

5. Command over the language

6. Voice

7. Personality

8. Personal Brand

9. Obsession

10. Education, Educational Material & Ed-ucative Research

11. Character


The point I am trying to make here

is simply this

‘ How much time, effort and money’

do you put into educating yourself?

The answer you give will directly or

indirectly contribute to your ability

to rise through the ranks to become a

true World Champion.

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RELECTIONS BY TM OUDI ABUCHCRA

Have you ever wondered if the compliments people give you are really true….?

Well…….I was told that I had a really good chance of being the world champion of public speaking, by seasoned toastmasters who have seen previous winners. Although this was flattering, I was scared about competing.

It's one thing to speak to a group of people at a seminar, it's another to compete with other speakers.

I nevertheless worked up the courage to enter into the 2013 Toastmasters International Speech Contest.

Did I win? No….. But I was one step away from being in the world's top 90……!!!!!!!

Do I feel like a winner? Yes…..

The experience of creating, refining, and polishing a speech taught me so much about speech content, structure and delivery. But this experience also taught me a ton about pursuing excellence in general.

See right after the competition I felt defeated….. Competition does that to you when you are competing with OTHERS.

But a great friend once said just go for your PB. PB in sports stands for Personal Best. If you consistently beat your previous personal best record whether it is a speech contest or any area of your life, win or lose you will be on the path of excellence.

So I encourage you to step up your speaking game by visiting a Toastmasters club and stay in hot pursuit of your personal best.


Reflections from a Champion Speaker

TM Oudi represented Division H

at DTAC International Speech

Contest in Dubai.

It was indeed a proud moment for

Abu Dhabi Chapter as it was yet

another entry of our club member

into DTAC International Speech

Contest.

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NEW MEMBER SPEAKS BY MTM SAIMA IMRAN

“The ability to conquer nervousness and speak with self-confidence is not difficult to acquire. It is not a gift bestowed by Providence on only a few rarely endowed individuals. Everyone can develop his own latent capacity, if he has sufficient desire to do so”.

I realized the importance of the above quote by Dale Carnegie after I joined one of the best Toastmasters club “Abu Dhabi Chapter 1950”.

I had been giving presentations in my professional life and heading teams during my School life, but what I am gaining today after joining toastmasters is what I never experienced before.

Although, practice made me more confident, but to do it more proficiently I required skill enhancement for which I joined the Club.

I came to know about Toastmasters from a friend of mine when I was searching for some educational center for my son.

I attended some meetings initially as a guest and found myself comfortable with the club environment. Eventually I decided to join the club myself first and see for Gavelliers Club for my son next year when he will turn 12.

Although I have not completed one year with the club still I feel tremendous changes in myself in terms of confidence, improvement in speaking capabilities, acquiring knowledge by listening to other Toastmasters, improving my memory day by day and good interaction with people from different professions.

This is a very beneficial platform to improve personal and professional skills and proceed more confidently in life.

Today I feel that I joined this marvelous club late and should have joined earlier.

I suggest all professionals should join Toastmasters club for their own benefit and move one step up on their success ladder.


New Member Speaks...

Although I have not completed one

year with the club still I feel

tremendous changes in myself in

terms of confidence, improvement in

speaking capabilities, acquiring

knowledge by listening to other

Toastmasters, improving my

memory day by day and good

interaction with people from

different professions

MTM Saima Imran

13

PHOTO FEATURE


Club Annual Picnic in Pictures

Members with their family enjoyed the club annual picnic with a fun filled evening trying

their skill at Bowling followed by stupendous dinner

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PHOTO FEATURE


Club Annual Picnic in Pictures……….. ……………………...Contd.

15

MESS TO MESSAGE BY TM SANJAY VISSA

“Abu Dhabi Toastmasters had its 474th Meeting on September 27 and it was a wonderful Meeting with a thought provoking theme “MESS to MESSAGE”.

As I sat through the Meeting listening and enjoying the speakers of my Club perform, my thoughts went to the catchy theme of the Meeting “MESS to MESS-AGE”. It had a subtle yet powerful meaning, with AGE you get to see the MESSAGE in every MESS that you have experienced.

It was July 2009, just over 4 years ago when my elder son Pranay was ready to step into college after finishing his schooling. Pranay is known to many of our Club Members (he was a member of Abu Dhabi Gavel Club) including our two charming Madam Toastmasters who were his school batch mates at the Abu Dhabi Indian

School. After completing his 12 years of schooling in Abu Dhabi, Pranay was to leave for Allahabad, a traditionally rich educational city in north India to pursue a professional degree course in electronics and communication engineering. He would be stepping out of the comforts of a cozy house to move to a hostel.

Having experienced life in a hostel myself when I was a student of engineering, I was apprehensive on how he would cope with the change especially since he had to move and reside in a new place and country which is so different from living in Abu Dhabi.

The other big worry was his food. One of the challenges facing me was how to explain the importance of proper nutrition to a lad who has grown well over six feet tall on a diet of junk food.

Eating proper meals in a timely manner on a daily basis is so important for any growing youngster. It provides the necessary energy and peps up their appetite to learn and excel in their academics and development.

The choices for eating available to him at his hostel in Allahabad were limited and practically none. Like every other student he would have to depend on the hostel MESS. This as a thought was messy for him and making him very uncomfortable.

I was determined to do whatever it takes to get this phobia of eating in the MESS out of his mind. I knew that in a hostel at a remote location way out of the city, the MESS was his life line.


Mess to Message

Sanjay Vissa

with AGE you get to see the

MESSAGE in every MESS that

you have experienced.

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MESS TO MESSAGE BY TM SANJAY VISSA

To get him started, I spent the initial 4 days of his college life with him, staying at the college guest house and taking all my meals with him in the MESS. It was imperative that the message on eating proper and timely food so necessary for his health gets understood and practiced by him

I wanted to pass the MESSAGE to him that I had learned with AGE by example of action rather than as a mere verbal advice. After all for any desirable outcome, we must practice what we preach.

Pranay survived his 4 years at Allahabad and did well. He is now in the US pursuing his MS at the University of Illionis, Urbana Champaign close to Chicago.

He has taken up accommodation within the campus and has to fend for his food himself which includes procuring the required materials, cooking, cleanup and storage. Above all, he has to pay for all his bills out of the fellowship grant the University is giving him.

Ironically, today he does not even have the luxury of a MESS. The few comments he has put up on the Facebook about his living suggests he is out to prove the age old adage “Man does not live by bread alone” wrong.

He eats bread four times a week. I expect soon he should be posting some mouthwatering recipes that he has created with bread. Hopefully with AGE and maturity a decade from now, he would get to see the MESSAGE from all the MESS of eating that he would have experienced in his journey through college.


Mess to Message ………………………………………...……….Contd.

The few comments he has put up on the

Facebook about his living suggests he is

out to prove the age old adage “Man

does not live by bread alone” wrong.

How can I forget the mess which happened due to which I had to walk out of an interview.

I was so happy when I received the call letter for an Interview by the Manager of a Company. I was quite confident about my abilities to clear the interview. Who knew what will happen next…………

I was waiting outside the Manager’s office in a queue of 5 persons. After waiting for approx. 30 minutes, when I was called for the interview, my heart started beating fast. Anyway with good confidence I entered the room, I stepped in the manager’s room and saw the manager sitting relaxed on his beautiful black chair.

I took a few steps more and greeted him, he revolved the chair in same comfortable posture and all of a sudden fell down as he couldn’t

maintain balance.

My first response was I started smiling and eventually couldn't stop laughing.

Anyways, I was told to go out and come back after 5 minutes. I went outside and controlled myself, then again I went for interview but mess continued, as soon as I saw him again recalled the scene and started laughing again.

Same thing happened 3 times, so fourth time I was told to go back home and no need to come again.

MESS TO MESSAGE: ‘Laughing at’

is dangerous during job interviews

MESS TO MESSAGE BY MTM SAIMA IMRAN

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BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED BY TM SALIM SAYYID

Toastmasters and garden lovers, does the name Colleen Plimpton ring a bell? Who is Colleen Plimpton? Why am I mentioning her name? What is so special about her? Well, friends, this is the magic of Toastmasters. In Toastmasters, you get so much of knowledge, so much of inspiration and so many ideas which can be life changing.

I was reading the August 2013 issue of Toastmasters and came across the article “Lessons from a GARDEN SPEAKER” by Toastmaster (TM) Colleen Plimpton. TM Colleen says, “As both Toastmasters and gardening have taught me, it’s important to sow the seeds of a talk by securing ideas as they occur.” She further adds, “Your speech conclusion where you leave the audience with a lasting impression is similar to the overall impact of a garden.”

She concludes this superb article by mentioning that gardening and public speaking are soul-satisfying and productive endeavors that improve us as individuals and the end result of each is a fine and fruitful harvest.

So friends, do read this article in the Toastmaster magazine and reflect that here is a passionate Toastmaster Colleen Plimpton who is also a passionate gardener who overcame her trepidation of speaking before an audience and became a success. Today, she has a thriving garden communication business and she speaks to thousands each year at garden clubs, libraries, nurseries, resorts, museums and historical

societies. She is frequent guest on television and radio segments and she speaks with confidence and enthusiasm.

What are the lessons that I take from this brilliant article:

“Bloom where you are planted.” – Speak about what you are familiar and be aware of your strengths, interests and aspirations. This applies both for gardening and for Toastmasters

Let the captured kernel of an idea be expanded gradually and develop into a speech based on a topic that excites you.

Design the speech as you would a garden. The introduction and the attention that you want to grab would be akin to a garden edge having small interesting plants that immediately holds the attention of the observer.

The body of the speech where you support the introduction with facts, figures and ideas should be similar to beautiful robust plants in the center of the flower border that delights the viewer

The conclusion should leave a lasting impression comparable to the overall impact of a garden

The article created a colorful lasting impression in my mind and made me realize that there are so many opportunities within our reach to seize.

We need to look out for things within our reach that we are passionate about and endeavor to give it our all to ultimately come out with a most beautiful, colorful and enchanting ‘garden’ that could take the breath away of the beholder while touching the cores of your heart. This opportunity can help make a successful career as in the case TM Colleen.


BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED

SO BLOOM WHERE YOUR ARE

PLANTED

18

VITAMIN B1 BY NARAYANA PILLAI

“When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key of life. When I went to School, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. I wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life”.

Those were the words of John Lennon.

During my last vacation I reached a guesthouse in a Hill Station and checked in. I hired a bicycle and started to cycle through the forest roads. The scenery around was so beautiful, full of natural lush, flowers of many colors and fragrance, which any nature-lover would enjoy.

When I passed some distance, the road ahead was blocked and a detour was to follow. As I took the detour road, fear started to strike my mind. My mind filled with anxiety. I was pedaling faster, and I remembered a saying:

“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour”

Was I happy? , really not.

I passed the detour, moved forward and reached the bank of a large lake. It was a beautiful and serene place.

There was a small tea stall and a sign board pointing to the other side of the lake, a Bird Sanctuary. I saw a Boatman with a small wooden

boat waiting to row people to the other side. When I stopped nearby the tea stall the boatman approached me and asked whether I would like to travel across. I nodded negatively and ordered two teas and offered one to the boatman.

We walked together to the bank. It was close to sunset. The Boatman was in his sixties, reasonably healthy, calm and had a smiling face.

I asked him, “Have you got many passengers?”.

He said, “Yes”.

“When are you closing and go home?”

“I had no passengers for the last two hours and I could have gone home. I don’t think anyone more would be going there today. My wife also asked me to return home early as today is her birthday. But I cannot go now, there are four people gone to the Sanctuary. They would be returning. At any time I expect a shout from the other side to row them back. Once they return, I will go home. It is my duty. If I leave, they will be stranded on the other side” .

“For whom do you work?”.

“I work for myself, my father was the previous Boatman. After him, I took over”.

I asked him, “are you happy?”.

“Yes”, he replied.

I noticed the firmness and his commitment to his “Duty” ,though there was no pressure on him.

I thought is he doing his moral duty?

Is that what makes him Happy?

I remembered what George Washington had said “Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected”.


Vitamin B1

“A truly happy person is one who can

enjoy the scenery while on a detour”

19

VITAMIN BI BY NARAYANA PILLAI

May be he believed “Duty is ours, results are God’s” as John Adams said.

I returned to the guesthouse. I was calm and peaceful at mind.

Next Morning, I woke up early, and walked inside the forest. I could hear the singing of birds. The leaves and flowers were still wet with drops of water from the previous night’s rain. The air around was cool. The fragrance of flowers mixed with fresh smell of earth soaked in the first rain after the summer was really mesmerizing.

I walked to the dining hall and started my breakfast.

A small girl was curiously looking at a picture of a butterfly. The butterfly has wings of multiple colors, green, blue, yellow, and red. Her mother was watching her closely. The father was busy with his laptop apparently worrying on something.

As the child looked at the picture, a real butterfly flew closer. It started to sit on the picture exactly on top of the picture butterfly. Now, she could see only the live butterfly not the picture. The smile on her face developed to loud laughter with happy claps. Her mother smiled at her. I could see happiness in both of them.

It was innocent happiness coming from little things.

The butterfly flew away. The girl started to look outside through the window glass. The father was still glued to his laptop screen.

There was a small garden outside. It was full of green plants, flowers of many colors, white, yellow, red, blue, purple, rose and violet. There were many butterflies flying over the flowers. The drops on the leaves and flowers were shining in the morning sun reflecting the rays emerging from the sides between the trees.

A smile was again returning to her face. It radiated to her mother. I moved close to the window, looked calmly outside. I could feel I was smiling too.

I remembered “Happiness comes from appreciation of little things”.

I turned to my breakfast, searched my pocket for my vitamin tablet. I decided not to take it.

The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1.

I returned home thinking that we are no longer happy when we wish to be happier.


The first step to network is to become a club member.

The higher I go up the more I extend my horizon and the circle of potential relationship.

I learnt how to work with people whose methods and characteristics are different. It is a life time experience.

I thank our club for giving me this opportunity to grow and to get to know many different people.

Each contact is so precious. One should preserve it.

Remember each smile, extended hands and words of wisdom from a mentor.

NETWORKING SECRETS BY MTM ELINZABETH VAZ

20

A TALK WITH DTM SUJATHA PARTHASARATHY

You achieved the highest order, The DTM, how do you feel about it? Feels like I have only just stepped into the world of communication and there is still so much more to learn. It has taken me a while to get here (15 years since I joined TM) but i feel the journey has been much more educational than it would have been if I had achieved it in lesser time.

How was your journey towards DTM milestone? I never realized that I was very close to DTM, till one of my long time TM friends' pointed out that the project I was working on with my organization in establishing a Toastmasters chapter, was really my HPL project! That was when I got excited and moved at a quicker pace with my final manual. To add to my anxiety, my 40th project was really the most difficult in my whole journey. I felt that I had done justice to attaining my DTM by picking up, by far the toughest advanced manual - Interpretive Reading, for my final 5 projects.

What kept you going? It is my complete faith in the Toastmasters structure of "development based on a personal agenda" that fuels my passion. Toastmasters is a journey, one that need not have a final destination.

Its like getting into a train and not having to get off.

And while you are in it, you can be just the passenger enjoying the scenery rolling by, or take control of the direction of the train by being the driver.

How was the preparation? Preparation for the final stages of DTM has to be well planned surely. In my case, I took on the role of Area Governor without realizing that this would be a step towards DTM. But that exposure nudged me to complete my final manual and HPL. So the last 6 months has been fast track and the chapter accommodated my speaking slots at a quick pace. My mentor Salim Sayyid always picked the advanced manuals for me, and guided me on what is needed. TM Salim always gave me a fresh perspective on commonly tread projects and this allowed me to bring in unique presentations to the table. I have loved working with him and will continue to do so.

Which are the manual you choose to complete your DTM? Speeches by Management - very useful for the corporate life. Special Occasion Speeches - most enjoyable. Story telling - intriguing and allowed you to explore the world of voice and gestures. Communicating on Television - came naturally to me, that some TMs recommended that I change my career!. Speaking to Inform - Allowed me to tap into my varied project experiences from work. Interpretive reading (Oh My God!, take a deep breath before you dive into this one!)

How do you look at the changes TM brought in your professional, social and personal life? TM has taught be to give back to the community what I have gained out of it. Professionally, it has given me the ability to emotionally disassociate myself from any situation and analyze for action.

After being a DTM what difference you feel now? Really? Nothing, another milestone yes, but a Toastmaster is a Toastmaster be it at project 1 or at project 40, live it.

What’s your advice to TMs aspiring to be DTMs? Its a journey to be relished and savored. Don't rush it. Its not the title but the learning through the process that makes you a better communicator and leader.


A Talk with DTM Sujatha Parathasarathy

Sujatha Parathasarathy recently achieved

the highest milestone in Toastmasters’

journey of communication & leadership

“The Distinguished Toastmaster “ DTM

21

LIFE INFLUENCES BY MTM DEVI NARAYAN

‘Life is partly what we make of it and partly what it is made by the friends we choose’. Who has influenced you the most in your life? Each one of us here can easily remember the people who have influenced us the most.

As per Jiddu Krishnamurthy’s theory, we are influenced from the day we are born. Our parents, siblings, family, neighborhood, community, culture, environment and each little piece of information that we are exposed to.

It has been rightly said : What a mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin.

As we grew up, all those fairy tales and the characters in them influenced us. As we grew older, our teachers started influencing us.

Many a times, children become more interested in studying the subject taught by their favorite teacher; which can eventually influence his or her career options.

At the age of 5 or 6, a child gets its first chance to choose the influence on them : through their friends, peer group, kind of games they start playing, heroes and the books they read.

As we grow older, our authority over the choice of our influences becomes stronger : apart from our

friends, through our role model, hobbies, career options and many more. Our favorite sport or hobby is generally a result of the influence of the people you are close to. For example, if you spend a lot of time with a friend who plays soccer, you too will get interested and start practicing the game.

In today’s scenario, with the vast amount of information, ideas, people that each one of us is exposed to everyday, choosing that the right influence becomes even more important and difficult.

It has rightly been said ‘ Show me your friends and I will show you your future’

Research indicates that the people with whom we spend most of our time influence us in 3 ways :

They determine our ambitions as in what we want to do in our life, the direction that we take and most importantly, our values and character. The information that one is exposed to influences our thoughts. Our thoughts influence our daily actions which lead to our values, habits and own future!

As said by the English Philosopher John Locke : We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character from those who are around us.

If you tend to spend a lot of time with people who appreciate each other, who admire the beauty around them, discuss helpful and constructive ideas : we know how positive and charged you will feel.

But if one spends time with someone who finds faults in others, complains about everything, indulges in inappropriate habits : it will be a tough time for you. We can easily identify such people in our life. People who criticize in an unconstructive manner lower your self-esteem.


LIFE INFLUENCES

What a mother sings to the cradle goes all

the way down to the coffin.

22

LIFE INFLUENCES BY MTM DEVI NARAYAN

The legendary Zig-Ziglar said it best: ‘If you want to fly with eagles you cant continue to scratch with the turkeys’.

But how much can we control our influences? Eve-ry new person we meet, every image we see, every sound we hear, each and every influence however small it may be influences us.

This literally can result in a battle in our mind. A battle of the various ideas and thoughts we have gained through our experiences; A battle for which theory or idea to be adapted into our life.

Yet, your right influence should be yourself.

Another quote by Zig-Ziglar states that ‘ The most influential person who will talk to you all day, is you. So you should be very careful what you say to you.’

How we look at us influences our self-esteem

and personality. We are the ones who decide who or what should influence us.

We cannot choose perfect humans as our friends, since no one in this world is perfect.

Similarly, we cannot guarantee that we will come across only positive experiences and events in our life.

It is our responsibility to filter the right thoughts and adapt them in our lives.

If we feel one of our friends have negative thoughts, we need to use our influence to improve their thoughts if possible.

As Kimberly Jones said ‘Don't let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your peace.’ In simple words : The choice is ours program ourselves or be programmed by others.


Distinguished Toastmaster DTM Ravindra Rai

with club members

A proud moment for Abu Dhabi Chapter

23

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE BY MTM KRITIKA

A colleague of mine was recently telling me to watch a scary movie that involved humans being possessed by the Supernatural. And that’s when it hit me...We are so afraid of the unknown ghosts and monsters that we fail to see the real demons around us! Do you not feel a presence within you that makes your arms inch towards those little boxes of wonders?

The Devil’s double here is synonymous with Smart phones, tablets and laptops!

Yes, I am talking about technology!

These are the demons that pull us away from our real lives and have already possessed the greater part of the world. These revolutionary gadgets were created to bridge the gaps of communication and simplify life. And while some bridges of communications were opened, many others were shut.

Not to be a hypocrite here, but my BlackBerry is precious to me. It has saved me on countless

occasions. I’m sure some of you will relate. Ever had an awkward run in with someone? Or maybe just a really long queue or ride in the elevator. What do you do when you have no idea what to do? You flip your phone open purposefully and pretend you’re having the most important discussion with the imaginary people on your phone. It’s a great way to avoid the creepy eyes of people staring at you. And long journeys and waits would be a lot different without one of my smart gadgets accompanying me.

In short, you’re never bored, you’re always connected and you have an application for things you didn’t even know you needed! But there is a limit! And that limit knows no bounds presently.

We are so heavily reliant on these little devices that we have entirely changed the definition of living! By overusing these ‘Smart’ phones,

WE are the ones growing dumb! Sure, my phone has access to every news channel on the World Wide Web and countless electronic book readers, but just how well am I making use of these applications? Despite having it all in a smart phone or tablet, I still prefer picking up an old fashioned illustrated book and reading it! : we know how positive and charged you will feel.

But it was only at a recent Iftaar held by my office that I was smacked in the face by the reality of today. These demons are unbiased and age is only a number to them! So at this Iftaar, we had a bunch of little kids weaving their way in and around tables at the restaurant. After a point, they had begun to get quite unruly and cranky.


The Devil’s Double

We are so heavily reliant on these

little devices that we have entirely

changed the definition of living, by

overusing these ‘Smart’ phones.

24

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE BY MTM KRITIKA

How did their parents pacify them? By handing them their phones to play with, off course!

This was not how it worked in my days. We were given a beating for bad behavior…not a game. But that was not the astounding bit.

How effortlessly the kids used these gadgets was what worried me. A line of 6 tiny tots, all immersed in virtual reality! As a kid, the only “Angry Birds” I encountered were the ones that flew over my head dropping waste on me. And the only “candies” I crushed were the ones I stole from the kitchen!

So while I danced around them trying to distract them from their games, I realized they were not the ones to blame.

We as adults are teaching these kids to use phones as an escape route! Forget the kids; we are all sub-merged till our eyeballs in technology. We are sinking with every year that passes us by.

And then comes social media! Social media is doing nothing to help us out of this marsh. Instead, we are weaving our own pitfalls. Our social media selves have become an extended part of ourselves. This extension is starting to outgrow our real selves!

We judge ourselves with not the number of good deeds we have enacted, but with the number of likes our profile pictures get! We judge ourselves not with the number of faithful and loyal friends around, but the number of superficial and alien “Facebook” friends we have! We love publicizing our possessions and ourselves. We open our doors wide open to stalkers and are all possible victims of

cyber crimes and yet we cry out for privacy! Hypocrisy rules our world and we are oblivious to everything but our selves.

The workaholics are the other set of people our demons love! All work and no play makes Jill a very dull girl. Half our lives are consumed by work. No matter how passionate we are about our careers, we all need to unwind and take a little time off. Replying to e-mails is not a form of relaxation. Our fingers get enough exercise thanks to most of our desk jobs. A little disconnection from the virtual world will help us reconnect with our own selves and reality around us!

They say being connected is the biggest factor a Smartphone can offer. Connected to whom? People across continents? Sure! But what about the people sitting in the adjacent room of your house? While we all believe that becoming tech savvy means walking with the hands of time, I believe it is because of technology that we are losing out on time in so many ways!

The answer here isn’t to forsake our social media selves and gadgets. Trouble arises when virtual reality takes over real life.

Take a moment and look out of that window. Watch the sun rise and see the birds flutter their wings. Say hello to the neighbors you’ve ignored.

Learn to fill life’s awkward silences with funny conversation. Move out of your comfort zone. Don’t hide behind that 4 inch screen! The Earth will not fail to rotate if you miss a mail out. You’re the one running out of time here. So stop for a moment and breathe your surroundings in.

I believe that we can have the best of both worlds. Let us try and not give in to the demons that surround us! Let’s balance it out!


The Devil’s Double ………… Contd.

They say being connected is the biggest

factor a Smartphone can offer.

Connected to whom?

People across continents?

Sure! But what about the people sitting

in the adjacent room of your house?

25

LAUGHTER CORNER BY TM SASIKUMAR NAIR

The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Lately, I realized best way to woman’s heart is also through her stomach as my wife has got a big fat belly.

Her big pot belly was creating a lot of distress, not to me but to herself and her mother

I was very much comfortable with it because it was something that helped to equate my physical outlook with her otherwise beautiful physical outlook, and made us look like matching couples.

Not only that occasional questions like ‘Are you carrying? When is the delivery date? excites me and makes me feel young as we had our last baby 15 years back.

My wife did everything possible under the sun to control this with only one result draining my wallet.

One time she joined for a famous fitness program.

Exactly one month after joining I received a distress call from the fitness guys. They found out that my wife has the potential to harm their long built business reputation and goodwill . You can guess the rest.

At that point in time my wife received a good news from her mother back home about a wonder drug. It’s a cream, all you have to do is to apply it on to the obese area and the obese area contracts within four weeks. The best part of it is my mother-in-law is sending four bottles with a person coming to Abu Dhabi the next day.

The following day when I returned home, as I opened the door…I was shocked…my wife was standing with cup of tea and a colgate smile. As far as I could remember the last time this happened was around 20 years back during our honeymoon time. She asked ‘honey did u call the cream guy?’

I said he is still in the air

That night at 10 I reached the destination. I saw a guy standing and besides him were 3 big boxes

As I walked to him he greeted me ‘hey Sasikumar ’. He then told me that his wife went upstairs and the cream bottles were in her handbag.

‘Can we go up ?’ I asked ‘ yes , as soon as I find someone to help me to carry these to upstairs’.

I have always had this belief that one should help whoever’s doing you a favor.

I said ‘there isn’t much let’s try together’.

I looked at the boxes, I felt my old gymnasium-self arising in me like phoenix from the ashes.


Between the Cup and Sip

26

LAUGHTER CORNER BY SASIKUMAR NAIR

Lifting it at first, it was heavy. I remembered my school karate master’s advice of not to show the heaviness of lift on the face.

I lift with a grin. The other side the guy is strug-gling to lift. I asked him any problem?.

Setting my heart on fire he said

‘ You see I had gone to India for a medical treat-ment for my back, so it difficult for me to lift it’.

Sensing myself in danger zone, I realized what I got myself into. As I looked at the boxes helplessly a passing muscular guy made a teasing comment ‘need a hand?’

Suddenly my pride took over me. Can’t lift a box?’

I immediately lifted the first box I asked him ‘where’s the lift?’

‘Oh! ...It’s out of order!’

I asked ‘which floor? ’ ‘5th floor’ he replied.

That instant, I felt a shot of adrenaline or was it something else form my foot to head.

For a moment I was completely frozen.

After the first box my sweater came off.

20 minutes later, the 2nd box too was at the top at which my shirt came off.

At the end, I was surprised that I even had my clothes on.

When he gave the bottle he invited me for a cup of tea.

I kindly declined that very generous offer.

Although I had an urge to ask him which doctor he had consulted for his back problem as I was pretty certain that I would need his able assistance soon to repair my back.

Whilst driving back home I consoled myself and imagined my wife without her pot belly.


Between the Cup and Sip…… Contd.

http://www.google.ae/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&docid=8Lo_qircHpn6VM&tbnid=BroUqtKdeXm49M:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.protech-ie.com%2Fn-lift.htm&ei=FKh2UuvzPIKH0AWNtYGADQ&psig=AFQjCNFWt_rPRaQmUilcR9jK7eCQWfuBsQ&ust=1383594389044193

http://www.google.ae/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&docid=TULH5hebSyzXEM&tbnid=LVBIspEmwyo27M:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clipartguide.com%2F_pages%2F0511-1007-2501-2952.html&ei=PKh2UvLlEu6V0QWN4IGwAQ&psig=AFQjCNEk7ryiiFbwkE4d05cPiOxYgz_ihA&ust=138

27

CLUB NEWS


Club Activity During July to September

Special Event -

Joint Meeting with

Achievers Toastmasters’ Club

Meeting Number Best Speaker Best Evaluator Best Table Topic Speaker

468

469

470

471

472

473

474

Salim Sayyid

Abdul Sattar Khan

Bhojraj Mane

Kritika Kadekodi

Devi Narayan

Salim Sayyid

Kritika Kadekodi

Reghunath Nair

———

Kritika Kadekodi

Gil Javier

Saima Imran

Bharat Mehta

Abraham Thomas

Sujatha Parthasarathy

Ravindra Rai

Sanjay Vissa

Philomena Barodawala

Bharat Mehta


Bharat Mehta

Education Session on Mastering

The Table Topic Speech

By Champion Table Topic Speaker

TM Abraham Thomas

28

CLUB MEMBERS’ PROGRESS CHART


10

13

10

11

10

40

14

0

2

10

5

2

10

3

8

10

6

33

3

13

1

2

5

0

10

10

43

33

2

0

18

10

11

1

10

1

63

40

2

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Abdul Sattar Khan

Abraham Thomas

Aby Hans

Althaf Ahmed

Anuj Tyagi

Bharat Mehta

Bhojraj N. Mane

Binsal Abdulkader

Chitra Gopi Nair

Devkusum Datta

Devi Narayan

Elizabeth Vaz

Faiz Mohamed Hashim

Gupta Mayank

Jayakrishnan T.K.

Joseph Roy

Kritika Kadekodi

Loyola Pinto

Masood Balkhair

Mohammed Rizvi

Makhbul Ahmed Khazi

Mohammed Akram

Narayana Pilai

Pradeep Chandranivas

Rajgopalan Ramesh

Rao D. A.

Raveendra Rai

Salim Sayyid

Saima Imran

Saravana Kumar

Sanjay Vissa

Santhana Anandraman

Shashi Kumar Nair

Shailesh Sawant

Srinivasan Ramasamy

Subramanyam Palabathuni

Sudha Datta


Umakanth Devarajan

Projects Completed

MEMBERS' PROGRESS STATUS

29

CLUB GOALS & PROGRESS


Club Goals & Progress

VP EDUCATION TM ABY HANS on Club

Goals and Progress

The prime goal for the club for the year 2014 it to achieve the President’s Distinguished Club status and keep the rich tradition of the Abu Dhabi Chapter Club. I am very proud to state that within the first 3 months itself we have achieved 50% progress on set goals. I am sure with the support of our member, we will be able to achieve it very comfortably. We had an excellent education session on Table Topic Speech Skills by our champion table topic speaker TM Abraham Thomas. Going forward, we are planning to conduct an education session on evaluation speech, international speech and humorous speech. I request all member to spread the news of Toastmasters among your friends and colleagues and encourage the to visit our club as guests.

DIVISION H NEWS

Division conducted officers’ training for all club office bears

Division H conducted a

Youth Leadership

Program, YLP

30

TOASTMATERS WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

SPEAKING UP

NEWSLETTER OF ABU DHABI CHAPTER 1950NEWSLETTER OF ABU DHABI CHAPTER 1950

Speaking Up

Documents

Transcript of Speaking Up