CGI_Chennai_TM_Club_Newsletter_Beacon Volume 3 issue II

Volume 3 - Issue 2 18-Jun-2013

Page 2 Beacon, Volume 3 –Issue 2, 18-Jun-2014

Editor’s Note 3

Area Governor Message 4

Division N Governor Message 5

Current Executive Committee 6

Incoming Executive Committee 7

DTM Corner 8

SPUR 11

Memorable Moments 13

Milestones of CCTC 15

What was in it for us - Fellow CCTC’s 16

members experience on being a

Toastmaster

I am a part of CGI Chennai TM right from the day i joined

this firm. It is a wonderful experience and i find it very diffi-

cult to put it in words.

Everybody knows that Toastmaster will enhance our inter-

personal and leadership skill's but for me its something dif-

ferent.

After joining CCTC i became a Celebrity.

People around me used to call me as TOASTMASTER.

TOASTMASTER became my identity.

Thanks to our President who is always encouraging me to

take new opportunities. I got a lot of chances to interact

and share knowledge with Toastmasters from various other

clubs. With this enriching experience we decided the

theme of this edition to be “SPUR”.

My special thanks to TM Saravanan Santhanam (Our Presi-

dent), TM Arun (Our VP-Education) and TM Manoj (Our VP-

PR) designer of this magazine, for their support in bringing

up this newsletter.

I, along with my co-editor TM Saijanni and the Toastmasters

mentioned above have thoroughly enjoyed the creation

of this news letter . I hope you will also get the same experi-

ence by reading this newsletter

"Once a Toastmaster; for ever a Toastmaster!”

Priyanka Soni

([email protected])

Editor-in-Chief

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Area Governor’s message

My home club CGI is the best in the world !!

A club that thrives on member satisfaction to one hundred percent.

CGI is where great speakers and amazing leaders have evolved. It brings

a fond memory to think of all those familiar faces we saw every week ...our

club became our favorite destination to greet meet n learn !!

Week on week the meeting quality improved to a greater extent & so did

our friendship. We mutually supported each other and celebrated our vic-

tories together..our club became our extended family.

200 consecutive meetings & Presidents Distinguished since inception

makes this year all the more special .

Kudos to the support and enthusiasm of all the members of CGI !! Keep

rocking !! Reach new heights !!

-Vijayalakshmi S

Area N3 Governor


Dear CGI Toastmasters

Welcome to another edition of Beacon !

It’s time to reap the benefits of our Persistence and Perseverance as we once again

achieved the status of Presidents distinguished club right from the Chartering Year

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members who have contributed

to our club's continuous growth, success and achievements despite being totally

new to the forum and overcoming all the challenges thrown at them.

I would also thank the Management for their wonderful initiative, continuous support and guidance with-

out which any of these things are totally impossible.

I also thank the entire Toastmaster fraternity in supporting nurturing and grooming the talent of CGI. Be it

providing the stage for performance or delivering an educational session The brethren were there at all

times. As an individual I have gained a lot in terms of knowledge, perspective and people. I personally

wish and hope that all of us gain as much as possible from this fantastic environment and movement

and spread its benefits to those outside who can also benefit out it ..

Thanks you my dear BEACON (members of CGI ) for your constant support and enthusiasm for making us

grow stronger day by day .

Remember, we are those who never say "Why ME" rather we are the one who would always like to say

"Try Me” , "why not me" because toastmasters is a place where leaders are made.

-Saravanan Santhanam

President, CCTC

President's message

Division N Governor’s message

Ever wondered what is the success behind the Group Study during College

Days?

First of all, every participant had a common goal, that is, to learn. You also

get to learn from each other by mutually sharing the knowledge on what

you are best at.

Second, you have people around to guide you in the course, especially if

you have got the concepts differently or you are simply stuck in the middle

of a chapter. And finally, Group Study was a lot of fun with friends.

You also didn’t have an instructor to penalize you for sharing a lighter moment. Now if you compare, those

are probably the same reasons for the success of Toastmasters. It’s just that it looks different when viewed

from outside, but when you get in, you know we are the same.

But Toastmasters is not just about Communication. You do don other roles too. The best part is every role

you do has a purpose and recognition associated with a leader award. Be it the simple roles of a time

manager or an ah-counter, which teach you the basics of leadership, or the advanced roles of a Speech

Craft Coordinator or Area Governor, where you practice leadership over a period of time, you do have a

place to record what you did and a person to tell you how well you did it. This continuous self-monitoring

helps you to be on track with what you do at Toastmasters.

An interesting feature of a Leader in Toastmaster is the blend with Service. Every officer serves their term,

rather than simply hold it. When that realization happens, it becomes easy to accept a person as a leader

and work together, irrespective of the background and differences. And just as in a relay race, the leader

hands the baton to the successor, with a firm transition in place.

The programmers at Toastmasters have evolved over the years to ensure you keep winning whatever you

are at. In many ways, they enrich your life experience. Remember, whether you are at Toastmasters to

communicate, lead or simply network, you are always a winner.

-P D Parthasarathy

v Governor, Division N, District 82


CGI Chennai Toastmasters Club

“In the beginning you will fall into the gaps in between thoughts – after practicing

for years, you become the gap.”

– J.Kleykamp

Current Executive committee


Incoming Executive committee


DTM Corner Toastmasters is where Leaders are Made

DTM Nina John

Toastmasters is where leaders are made’ –is this the tagline that attracted you to

attend a Toastmasters’ meeting in your organization?

Have you ever wondered how this is done? Well, here you are:

The standard Toastmaster meeting consists of three parts- t

The Prepared Speeches,

the Table Topics and t

he Evaluations.

The Prepared Speeches are based on the Competent Communicator Manual which covers the basics

of public speaking –how a speech is constructed, what is the objective of that speech, how do you use

your voice and gestures to add emphasis to your arguments, and so on. Meetings are an integral part of

organizational life- when you are prepared with the data and details required by your team lead or

manager, the meeting becomes much more productive for all those attending.

The Table Topics segment consists of speaking on subjects you may have no idea about –and partici-

pating in these teach you how to deal with unexpected situations in the workplace. After all, who has

not faced unexpected questions from a manager, or even more crucial, from a client? Stammering and

stuttering a reply suggest you do not know what you are supposed to be doing; a clear, calm and confi-

dent answer, on the other hand, will raise your stock and credibility sky-high.

The third part of a meeting-Evaluation - is often referred to as ‘the lifeblood of Toastmasters.’ This is be-

cause the instant feedback, delivered in an atmosphere of support and co-operation, spurs individuals

to perform better voluntarily, not under threat and coercion.

All these activities in a meeting mesh together to provide a seamless experience where lessons and

learning's are absorbed rather than disseminated, thereby lasting longer. The actual organization and

conduct of the meeting-playing different roles, undertaking different responsibilities, all these together

build up the individuals’ leadership skills. Leading the meeting as the Toastmasters of the Day involves

much more than just standing there and inviting the next speaker to come on stage, as does the Gen-

eral Evaluator’s role. Participating in all these engenders a spirit of co-operation and collaboration that

carries over to the workplace. The Executive Committee roles, too, offer a variety of experiences that

spill over –meeting deadlines, identifying and negotiating with role-players, all of these are invaluable

skills. Even the Secretary’s role, regarded as a chore, helps you to record the Minutes of Meetings, to un-

derstand meeting rules and decorum, meet deadlines, turn in reports and improve your writing skills!

Use Toastmasters to leverage your personal skills to become a consummate professional and a domain

expert. Become the leader in your field.

Email: [email protected]



SPUR TO GROWTH

DTM Jayan Naraynan

Having been in the IT industry for over two decades, I very well knew the impor-

tance of communication and leadership in shaping up my career. I have always

believed in the fact that beyond a certain level, it’s the communication and the

leadership skill that will help me climb the corporate ladder. In the absence of

both these traits, one will lay stagnant!

World over, public speaking and communication skills resonate with the term

"Toastmasters". People from all walks of life have spoken a lot about the benefits

of Toastmasters. While many have succeeded in developing their communica-

tion skills, many others have learnt the art of leadership skills. I had this unique op-

portunity to learn communication and leadership skills by being a dedicated

member of CSC Chennai Toastmasters for over six years.

It was a tough task - juggling work, personal life and Toastmasters. Yet, it was one huge fulfilling and re-

warding experience!

By the end of the six years as I attained the DTM title, I felt I had been through a total overhaul. Not only

did my communication skill improve manifold, I was surprisingly more energetic, fearless and enthusiastic.

These perhaps were the traits of a leader.

So, when you join toastmasters, you are very much answering the fundamental question in your mind –

“What’s in it for me?” Believe me, there’s so much in it for you and just you ! Don’t miss the train!!

Also, start young! Here’s a true story that I had shared on Face book recently:

I have been in a corporate club all through and hence community clubs always amused me. There are

college kids, moms, dads, lawyers, doctors, teachers, techies and even grandfathers. This weird concoc-

tion of people get together to learn from each other. Sex, religion, caste, creed, age, color, qualification,

profession no bar! It has always been an absolute camaraderie, learning, mentoring and networking!!

During one of the maiden visits to the Chennai Toastmasters Club, several years ago, I was introduced to

two kids. They were all over the place, full of energy, enthusiasm and daring to do pretty much any job

entrusted on them. Those days, the average age of members was perhaps 35 or 40 and it was surprising to

see two outstanding kids amongst them

I have seen these kids grow over the years, clearly mastering two skills that TM had got to offer them -

Communication and Leadership! Along the line they strategically implemented these in their careers. They

went on to pursue MBA from leading institutions and settle down in their flourishing career paths.

Years later, today one kid (DTM Aditya) is heading to Kuala Lampur in August to bring home the trophy

and another kid (DTM Sastaram) has just been crowned the LGET of District 82.These two youngest DTMs

are such strong sources of inspiration and motivation for all Toastmasters across ages! Wishing them all the

very best and I hope Tamilnadu produces many such stalwarts. I already see that happening!

Here's the message from this story - Have fun but be very clear of the objective behind joining Toastmas-

ters. While rushing through the projects, do a self-evaluation every six months - Where am I today? Am I a

better speaker? Am I a better leader? Have I learnt the art of communication? Am I a leader material

yet? How am I implementing this learning in my life? What should I do more? Finally, am I making best use

of my time in Toastmasters? Toastmasters - The vitamin C and L for your career and life!!!


My experience with CCTC TM Rajesh Natarajan

CGI toastmasters is today a mighty Lion that has conquered all spheres of communication be it communi-

cating, leading, mentoring (or) guiding new members & clubs.

The fact that many members of CGI have gone on to mentor clubs, contestants, District officers, confer-

ence chair speaks volumes about the CGI members quality.

I take this opportunity to congratulate all the club officers, leaders, members and management for all that

you guys have achieved over the past 4 years.

While Milestones are an opportunity to look back and celebrate all you have achieved over these years, it

also indicates what lies ahead of us to achieve.

Fellow CGI members, I have no doubt that CGI toastmasters club will host many more milestone meetings

going forward and be among the best corporate clubs of District 82.

Many congratulations to all of you on this momentous occasion.



I am very thrilled to write this piece for CGI toastmasters club

Every corporate club is started with a purpose of providing an opportunity

to its members to improve their Public speaking & leadership skills. However

only very few clubs stand through the test of times and achieve its pur-

pose.

I am very glad to note that CGITM club has surpassed all the challenges &

stand today's a club that has too many feathers to its already colorful cap.

They say the might of Lion is not in being a King of its own den but con-

quering the unchartered landscape across the terrain.

David Ferrer @CCTC

“There’s no next time. It’s now or never.” – Celestine Chua

SPUR

TOASTMASTERS – THE ‘NEW’ IN ME

TM Madhangi Srinivasan

“I remembered the spur of the moment; I decided to join in Toastmasters. It

was the moment I heard our immediate past President TM Srinivasan’s evalua-

tion on my table topic speech as a guest participant. He was telling I have a

sense of humor and everyone enjoyed my speech am i?? really?? Then why

my spouse is calling me ‘MathaKali’ instead of ‘Madhangi’??!! And why my

speaking is labeled as ‘screaming’ by him??

Out of all the sessions, I like the evaluation session only, why because, the

evaluation of the speeches always put a smile on the speakers.. as the evalua-

tors begin with the statement.. it was a brilliant speech, fantastic delivery,

captivating speech, kudos to the speaker for the mesmerizing speech, Sweet

words are really a mellifluous music to the ears and also to the heart.It is a mo-

tivating tonic especially to the speakers It puts everlasting smiles on our face.

If someone is having ‘sweet memories in lip expression’.. What do you think they are doing?.. hello hello

please don’t squeeze your head too much…it means they are smiling…yes SMILE is nothing but Sweet

Memories In Lip Expression.. oh now. I could see all of you are wearing this expression on your face while

reading this.. NO…don’t think I’m a magician saying so .. Then you all must be wondering how do I know

you are all smiling without seeing you?. Simple.. Smile is contagious…hahahaha….

Enough., please don’t compliment me too much as you know I’m shying away now with your praising for

an excellent article like this… (is this called self-patting??!!) OR my dear fellow toastmasters, are you all

searching for me to put a punch on my nose??!!…don’t worry. It is already flat and so please drop the

idea of doing so!! ..…I know you are all lovable toastmasters and the reincarnation of Gandhi ji , Great

Buddha and Mother Teresa and you don’t indulge into any heinous activity of beating a poor soul. Like

me. don’t you pity me?? you are smiling again now??!you agree with me, most of the times, we forget to

smile … we are busy in our day-today activities as routine is holding us tight … we could see lots of smiley

pictures but not smiling faces….God has given us beautiful teeth and we are also maintaining it with lots of

monkey brand…. Oh… me and my typing…lots of multinational brand toothpaste…then why we are hesi-

tating to smile? Please don’t CLOSE UP your PROMISING smiles by putting a COLGATE. Sorry …tollgate to

it…

Smiles attract people. It connects people.. As a toastmaster, we know the importance of eye contact with

the audience… in case when you are telling something interesting and if the audiences are sitting with a

grim, rigid face challenging you to make them smile, how do you feel? Don’t You feel disconnected and

aloof? The mile long smiles on my face is due to the confidence I gained in Toastmasters in capturing my

thoughts and frame into words without any ifs and buts….

I also want to tell you that I learnt the difference between criticism and evaluation at Toastmasters only.. I

followed the evaluation techniques in my personal and official life also and it really does wonders for me…

Toastmasters helped me in finding out the ‘new ‘ in me to be successful in both personal as well profes-

sional front… I also learnt the art of facing the problems face to face with a smiling face….

Thanks to you Toastmasters.

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Journey in Toastmasters

TM Pranav Vinod Kumar

Toastmasters is a platform that has helped me in many ways. I joined Toast-

masters when I was a college student. Toastmasters gave me a platform to

practice public speaking and over a period of time and my stage fear came

down tremendously. I then started taking up leadership positions like VPM,

VPE and president and each of these roles made me a better person and a

better professional.

At a time when all my classmates were struggling to clear interviews I glided

through interviews and got a job offer very easily. Toastmasters had also

given me good friends and also access to speaking to professionals from

various industries and domains.

Toastmasters has made me a more complete and

competent person. Today, looking back at the two years I have been in

Toastmasters, it is nothing less than a life changing experience.


FAMILIAR ACRONYMS

DTM = Distinguished Toastmaster

TMOD = Toastmaster of the Day

CC = Competent Communicator

CL = Competent Leader

AC[B,S, or G] = Advanced Communicator [Bronze, Silver, or Gold]

AL[B,S, or G] = Advanced Leader [Bronze, Silver or Gold]

YLP = Youth Leadership Program

HPL – High Performance Leadership

SPEECH CRAFT at Aon Hewitt

Memorable Moments


Building Blocks of CCTC


Distinguished Club Program Points of our club

http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/OfficerResources/ClubOfficerResources/DCP.aspx


SPUR MOMENT IN TOASTMASTER’S MEETING My journey in Toastmasters is an amazing experience. It started with 143rd meeting and now I am going to touch the 200th meeting. My journey will never end in Toastmasters. I am an introvert by nature, but I at the same time carry a lot of hidden enthusiasm to participate in events. This trend got reflected even in my Toastmaster journey! I always wished to take up roles but the shyness always pulled me back. On one such toastmaster meeting, towards the end of that day’s one of the members from the TM took the initiative and introduced me to the other members in the club. That person asked me to take up roles, without any delay I enrolled my name in one for the role for the next meeting. That was the spur moment in my toastmaster’s journey. After that I started to take up roles without any hesitation and gave my best to those roles. Members were really kind to me and appreciated my efforts and also helped with suggestions in the area for improvement. I feel that I have scaled up my level of communication in this journey. Today I don’t wait for anyone to initiate my participation; from an introvert I have transformed myself into an extrovert! I volunteer and take up any type of role without a second thought. Without appreciation, encouragement and the support from the members, I could not have reached this far. I owe my success to each and every member from the Toastmaster club. I feel proud to be a member with the CGI Chennai Toastmasters club. -Sai Janani

My Experience with the YLP When I started learning from toast masters, I had one thought in my mind that how am I going to pay back? As I was pondering, I came to know about the YLP ( Youth Leadership Program ). It’s a 8 days training program for School and college students through which they get an idea about com-munication skills and leadership. They also learn how to handle Interview and group discussions I had a memorable opportunity to attend a YLP held at Thiyagarajar college of Engineering Madurai. Even though I could attend only three weekends , those were the best ever weekend. Morning we volunteer the YLP Session, Evening an outing with fellow toastmasters were all the more enjoyable, entertaining and educative. During one of the YLP session, as I was listening to the participants delivering speeches I came to know that most of them did their basic education through Tamil Medium. Once the session got over , I striked a conversation with few students and got to know about them. I chanced upon sharing my school and college days. The problems I have faced due to lack of com-munication skills and how I have transformed now. The Next day one of the student , who could not speak a single word in the previous session, came and delivered a Prepared speech for 5 min duration. While he concluded his speech, he referred me as a source of inspiration for his confident speech. I never thought that my story too can inspire others and I felt very proud at that moment. The subsequent weeks I met more students and shared my knowledge with them. The last day of the YLP, at the valedictory function many of the students volunteered to deliver their speech in front of a huge crowd and we had tough time in picking the students. I was amazed to see the students how they were on the first day and how they have transformed themselves after 8 week-ends. At that moment I got an answer to my question of how I am going to payback? -Arun M. G.


Toastmasters club provided me an opportunity to bring out my skills in terms of enhancing my presentation skills and ability to organize events. I never miss any toastmasters meeting. Toastmaster club provided a strong Platform for me to improve my time management and handle the audience with a good and positive body language. I feel proud to be part of this fantabulous club. There was a famous saying by Tony Robbins “Give more to your audience than they have any right to expect”. Toastmaster has given me the courage, confidence and determination to plan any activity and with the help of my team I could complete the tasks without any hassles. The memoirs of the experience I had with the club been quite difficult to Elucidate. I got opportunity to visit other clubs and take part in their activities. Guest speakers visited the club also helped me to understand the power of this Club. “Speakers are not born -----------They are made “. Toastmasters club helped me to identify my dark areas and in turn guided me to confidently manage the audience. I am really happy to be part of 200th Meeting along with my team. To conclude According to Jerry Seinfeld “ According to most studies “ Peoples number one fear is Public speaking and number two is death .Toastmaster provides an opportunity for you to vanish fear one. .

-Bharath Subramanian

I am driving on a never ending ROAD : 90s kids are the best as they are gifted to travel in the time machine for two centuries (20th and 21st). Same with my journey in CCTC as well. I have travelled in this (CCTC) club’s time machine in both the phases – Legacy Logica Chennai Toastmaster’s club and New CGI Chennai Toastmaster’s Club. Across the globe, there is only one relationship which gives you a “Pat On The Back” when you make mistakes. The relationship is named as TOASTMASTERS. It was this forum which encouraged me even when I made mistakes. The first meeting I attended is still so fresh in my heart coz of the sole reason they didn’t send me empty handed. They gave me a title best TT speaker of the week in spite the Ah counter rating my ah’s to be 5+. When you sit back and query as to how it happens, I finally came up with an answer which CCTC has taught me. Failure does not imply that you stand last. It says you still have to continue trying. For the latter all that is required is Encouragement. And motherly club has never hesitated to hold your hands and pull you up whenever you fall down. She smiled at me, walked with me and now taking the pride in seeing me on stage standing confident. Encouragement is the only tool with which CCTC hit me strong to shape me to what I am today. It was the same club which gave me the lesson “Better late than never” .Every time I faced the podium, my fellow toastmas-ters never hesitated to point out the mistakes I made. But the delivery is what makes people stick on to the club. One thing I still remember what a fellow toaster told me – “Keep failing. Sometimes it is the measure of how much you are trying“. A golden statement. I have also seen many of my colleagues who have really come out of their shells performing various roles in every meeting. Leadership is not a talent. It is just a skill. CCTC again is a living example for this statement. I am sure that there are lots more leaders budding from CCTC. CCTC is a producer. Keep producing speakers, leaders and more than all good humans. Happy 200th birthday CCTC ,

Long live and service more!!!

-Susheela


Be prepared for the next BIG BANG @ CHENNAI,

Nov 2014 for the semi annual conference


Please visit “CGI Chennai Toastmasters Club”

Meeting Venue : CynerGI Meeting Room Address : 3rd Floor, CGI, Block 5, DLF IT Park, Ramapuram, Chennai Meeting Time : Every Wednesday 4.00 PM to 5.00 PM Contact Details : Saravanan Santhanam ( [email protected] / [email protected] ) Arun M G ( [email protected] / [email protected] ) Manoj Alagumalai ( [email protected] / [email protected] )

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