In the Next Edition...

• A word from our Leaders

• TMs in the workplace

• Div M Conference Report

“Communication for Generations”

YOUR TEAM...WORKING WITH

YOU...FOR YOU

When I first joined Dhahran Toastmasters Club two years

ago, I was not sure how a two-hour program could

effectively enhance communication and leadership skills

for individuals over the long run. I still remember the day

when my mentor, the Area Governor at that time,

approached me to nominate myself as the Executive

Committee‟s Club Secretary, just a few weeks after my

induction. It was honestly the trigger for my first step to

leadership. Unlike my vision - of attending club meetings

every now and then - his vision was to develop potential

leaders. I am really thankful for his vision, and for the

mentorship program available to us through Toastmasters

International, a non-profit organization.

In January 2010, and during the “term-plan”

brainstorming meeting, with the rest of the Executive

Committee, the fact that the club had developed many

champions over the past 32 years who represent the

club‟s beating heart, and enrich the club meetings with

their participation, became apparent. On the other

hand, we currently have numerous professionals and

prospective champions who are being mentored and

coached towards their goals. That is when we agreed

on “Club of Champions … Platform for Professionals” as

our theme for our term.

Members of Dhahran Toastmasters Club have been

among the stars competing against other competent

Toastmasters in the Gulf and District level. In terms of the

club‟s leadership record, it simply sparks. It has been an

attention grabber and a strength factor to see active

members eager to participate in leadership assignments,

and to volunteer in Area and Division activities.

It gave us all great pleasure to achieve the highest

ranking of the Distinguished Club Program, and to

succeed in several membership building programs which

clearly demonstrates the competency of the members.

All these achievements and more could not be

accomplished without the friendly and family-like

environment that we have within the club - an

environment that encourages members to attend

regularly and guests who submit membership

applications promptly.

It is now my opinion that, Toastmasters International

program can enhance your success in your workplace,

and in your daily activities.

Hassan Alaiwi

President, Dhahran Toastmasters Club

February, 2010 VOL 1, ISSUE 1

THE PODIUM

DHAHRAN TOASTMASTERS CLUB NEWSLETTER

..CLUB OF CHAMPIONS

…PLATFORM FOR PROFESSIONALS

Ask the Expert...

Am I allowed to do projects

within a manual in a different

order?

You should be doing manual

projects in sequence, because

the Toastmasters program was

designed to teach one skill at a

time, with each new skill

building on the preceding skills.

OUR EFFECTIVENESS DEPENDS ON OUR ABILITY TO REACH

OTHERS....EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT ENCOURAGES EMPLOYEES TO JOIN THE TOASTMASTERS PROGRAM

“As soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach

others through the spoken and written word.” Peter Drucker

The ability to communicate distinguishes man in the animal kingdom. As a social animal, man‟s ability to give

and receive important information and emotion plays an important role in career success. This is nowhere

more true than in the healthcare profession. What do patients want? A trusting partnership that can only be

built on reliable communication at the bedside far and away trumps all other factors in satisfaction ratings.

Further, as SAMSO re-engineers itself, managers and leaders will be identified based on the efficacy of their

communication skills.

I am encouraging staff to join the Toastmasters program, and congratulate Dhahran Toastmasters Club on all

its efforts and achievements so far.

Richard B Birrer, M.D.,

Executive Director, SAMSO

DISTINGUISHED CLUB

PROGRAM

President's Distinguished Club – the

highest level of recognition

available. The Club met the

membership prerequisite and

achieved nine or 10 of the 10 goals.

2008-2009

2007-2008

2004-2005

2003-2004

Select Distinguished Club - the Club

met the membership prerequisite

and achieved seven or eight of the

10 goals.

2006-2007

2005-2006

Smedley Award

The Club added five new,

dual or reinstated members

during the months of August

and September.

2006-2007

Talk up Toastmasters Award

The Club added five new,

dual or reinstated members

during the months of February

and March.

2003-2004

2007-2008

Beat the Clock Award

The Club added five new,

dual or reinstated members

during the months of May and

June.

2008-2009

2007-2008

2003-2004

MEMBERSHIP

PROGRAMS

CLUB OF CHAMPIONS…PLATFORM FOR PROFESSIONALS

Ali T. Al-Qahtani, Div M, Governor

Over 30 years of continuous service with no vacation, breaks or interruptions, serving hundreds if not thousands of

professionals – this is Dhahran Toastmasters Club.

This term‟s theme “Club of Champions... Platform for Professionals” compliments its mission of providing a Platform

for Professionals, to excel in communication and leadership through Toastmasters International Program in a

friendly environment.

DTC has been a mother for other clubs in Aramco, and Saudi Arabia by sponsoring, mentoring, and through the

efforts of its very active veteran members.

DTC weekly meetings are a platform where professionals sharpen their skills by participating in beginner speech

projects, more advanced speeches, evaluation of others speeches, or by taking leading duties, such as

Toastmaster of the Day, General Evaluator or Grammarian. In all cases, members have the opportunity to stand

and speak, to lead part of the program, to evaluate or to be evaluated. This type of activity is repeated weekly

giving the members continuous streams of opportunities to grow and improve.

In addition, the club provides a platform where you can nurture friendships with colleagues of all ages, countries

and genders. DTC is really a Platform for Professionals.

The event will cover:

Speeches from predominant National and

International public figures:

o Abdallah Jum'ah, Past President and CEO of

Saudi Aramco

o Dr. Randy Harvey, 2004 Toastmasters World

Champion of Public Speaking

o Khalid Al-Zamil, Managing Director, Zamil

Group Holding Company

o Noura Al-Turki, Businesswoman and Consultant

at Monitoring Group

Toastmasters Speech Contests for International,

Humorous, Evaluation and Impromptu Speaking.

Educational workshops on Communication and

Leadership

Entertainment sessions and more surprises

Please register today with DTC‟s club representative,

Mohammed Al Otaibi, for the early bird registration.

For more information visit the conference website at

http://toastmasters.essoog.com

Majid AlShehry

Conference Chairman

You are cordially invited...

2010 Division M Conference,

April 1st & 2nd,

Khobar Corniche, Crystal

Island Hall

Our TM of the month for January went to a very well

deserved TM – Waheed Kahtani. Waheed managed to out

strip his TM colleagues by gaining valuable points on

speech projects.

Waheed works with Internal Auditing and has more than 20

years of experience in the IT business. Waheed is a

Computer Engineer with a Bachelor and Masters Degree in

Computer Engineering. He holds several certifications in

Wireless Networking, ATM Engineering, and Microsoft. From

the IT side, his present focus is Social Engineering and

Online Fraud. Waheed is a founder and the Secretary of

the Dhahran chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud

Examiners (ACFE) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). As a

middle child, he was raised in Egypt, but had Saudi Arabia

in mind. His desire is to do a stand-up comedy show, and

start clubs specializing in humor. He has tried everything to

achieve that goal and has cost him a lot.. money, time,

and friends. We can already tell that he is close to reaching

his comedic goal! This month, he achieved the Advanced

Communicator Silver ACS Award. Waheed is the current

Area Governor of Area 20. He joined TMI in 2001, and

served Dhahran Toastmasters Club as Sergeant at Arms

and was the Club‟s President in 2007.

On receiving the TM of the Month Award, Waheed said “As

far as I‟m concerned, being part of Dhahran TM Club gives

me all kinds of rewards. The club members and the

leadership program offered by TMI makes me thrilled every

time I attend our weekly meeting and I enjoy every piece

of our program. I feel so “unique”.

Thank you, the EX committee, and all the members for

giving me the chance to speak, which I rarely find at

home, and for taking my communication skills to a higher

level.”

TM‟s Mohammad Amoudi, Nazeer Qasim and Abdallah

Abandi were also at the top of the list for points achieved.

Better luck next time TM‟s!

Next month it could be you…see how many points you can

gain from the table (see next page), to be in the running

for this coveted award.

TOASTMASTER OF THE MONTH

JANUARY

newsletter text here.

Tips on the Art of Networking

Talk to everyone: Don‟t sell or probe,

because people buy people first.

When a stranger asks “How are you?”

Don‟t say “Fine”. Give a real answer

that is memorable - “Great!..I just got

back from my vacation in the

Maldives”, “Very well, thank you. I just

presented some project improvements

to my Management Team and they

were very well received.”

Discover the CPI or Common Point of

Interest with everyone you meet.

Sit at the back so that you can scan

the room for specific people you

would like to connect with.

Every time you meet someone, write

HICH on their business card - How I

Can Help. Then think of five ways to

do so.

Be unique. Do not be friendly - be

approachable. Be unforgettable.

If you think you are not good at

networking – do not worry! You are

not alone. Anyone can develop their

networking skills. That‟s right – skills.

Because it is not something that you

are born with or just plain „good at‟.

You simply need to practice and

develop an attitude of

approachability.

Criteria Points

Take TMOD role 15

Conduct an educational

session

(Leadership manual)

15

Do a speech project 10

Take a functionary role in a

meeting 5

Win best speaker award 5

Win best table topic award 5

Win best evaluator 5

Bring home made food/

beverages 15

Help in the SAA committee 5 points/ meeting

Contribute to the Podium 10

Complete a manual 20

Attend the meeting 2 points/ meeting

Have you noticed the„s‟ in our „Toastmasters of the Month‟

title? Yes, we had a photo finish this month!

Congratulations to TMs Amer Al Ramadhan and Martine

O‟Brien who were neck on neck on points.

TM Amer grew up in Al-hassa and now lives in Dammam

with his family. He holds a Bachelor‟s Degree in Computer

Science and Engineering Technology from the University of

Toledo in the United States. Amer joined Saudi Aramco right

after graduation in November 2008 and works as a Business

Systems Analyst in the Aviation Department‟s Computer

Support Group. Amer enjoys Web Development, travelling,

reading, playing tennis, photographing, watching comedy

shows and cooking. Amer strives to be an excellent speaker

and leader, and joined Dhahran Toastmasters Club in

March 2009 with this purpose in mind. Amer is the current

acting Sergeant at Arms for Dhahran Toastmasters Club.

Amer said “Joining DTC has been one of the best things I

have done in my life, I am proud to accept this award,

which makes my contribution so much more enjoyable and

challenging. I would like to thank everyone at DTC for their

encouragement and feedback. Special thanks to DTC‟s

President, Hassan Alaiwi and my mentor, Mohd Al Issa for

their support. Special thanks also to my wife who promised

to make homemade food for the club whenever I have a

speech”

TM Martine, is from Ireland and studied Business Studies and

Medical Administration before joining Saudi Aramco in May

2001. Martine is senior secretary to SAMSO‟s Executive

Director, and joined Toastmasters in November 2009 with

the intention of learning new communication and

presentation skills. Martine enjoys travel, cooking, playing

squash, reading and enjoying the company of friends.

Martine is the current VP, Public Relations for Dhahran

Toastmasters Club.

Martine said “DTC makes it easy to gain points by providing

a great range of ways to achieve them. I am delighted to

join with Amer in celebrating the achievement of this

award. I have learnt so much by participating in the various

roles. Thank you to everyone for their support and

encouragement, especially our President Hassan Alaiwi and

our veterans.”

TOASTMASTERS OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY

newsletter text here.

Learn… Listen… Laugh!

The new Toastmasters Podcast Series: Tune in to enjoy a

new informative, entertaining and educational interview

each week with hosts, Bo Bennett and Ryan Levesque.

Listen as Bo and Ryan explore Toastmasters topics and

provide you with valuable tips that are sure to help you

become the best speaker and leader you can be.

http://www.toastmasters.org/podcast

Listen to a Podcast:

Overcoming Objections - New!

Successful leaders know how to overcome objections.

Sam Silverstein, past president of the National Speakers

Association, talks about how to overcome objections

and how to hurdle the protests in your path.

February, 2010 VOL 1 ISSUE 1

TM…..TOTALLY MULTIMEDIA

Toastmaster Timer

A preprogrammable countdown timer with large color display used especially for practicing speeches

License / Price: Freeware / FREE

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Scheduling/Toastmaster-Timer.shtml

Says Developer Cheong Koo “As a keen toastmaster, I find it difficult to practice speeches by myself with one hand

holding a stopwatch and the need to constantly keep an eye on the time. How does one practice gestures,

movements etc. with this restriction?

Well, now we have Toastmaster Timer. This application offers you a big color display with large digits to alert the

serious toastmaster of the time counting down.

The screen display can be programmed to change color from green, yellow to red depending on the time setting.

There are even notification beeps so that one does not need to keep an eye on the screen. The program can also

store constantly used settings to be recalled at a click of a button. Happy rehearsing!”

Ask the Expert...

Can I give speeches outside of my

club?

Yes. You are allowed to do up to two

speeches per manual outside of your

club, as long as you have received

prior permission of your Vice President,

Education. You also need to get a

written and verbal evaluation from a

Toastmaster (although the Toastmaster

does not need to be in the same club

as you).

February, 2010 VOL 1 ISSUE 1

FOR YOUR REFERENCE

newsletter text here.

We are all familiar with our TMs on stage

practicing skills, but what makes them

tick once they walk out the door each

Tuesday night after one of our lively

sessions. What are their passions and

pursuits....?

Let‟s meet one of our TMs, Dyala N

Ghamdi to see what she is Totally Mad

about...

“Cars are my biggest interests EVER. My

friends used to ask me why would you

be interested in something you can‟t

drive? Simply it‟s because I love them.

Cars are more than just a piece of

metal - it is a body that has an engine, a

gearbox, wheels and a steering wheel.

It is a complex machine and the roaring

engine is like one of Mozart‟s hidden

symphonies. My personal favorite car is

the 1960 American muscle dodge

challenger. Cars are one of man‟s best

creations. The engine, body, wheel and

gear is all that you need to get a car

running.”

Dyala N Ghamdi

January 5, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Waheed Kahtani

Theme: "Installation Ceremony"

Best Prepared Speech: Nashid Abdulkhaliq

Best Table Topics: No TT session in this meeting

Best Evaluator: Ali Asseri; Video: “link”

January 12, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Natheer Qassem

Theme: "Live Better, Laugh More"

Best Prepared Speech: Mohammed Zawad

Best Table Topics: Omar Al-Amodi

Best Evaluator: Majid Shehry; Video “link”

January 19, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Abdallah Abandi

Theme: "Brand you"

Best Prepared Speech: Waheed Kahtani

Best Table Topics: Hussam Dashash

Best Evaluator: Batool Khalaf; Video “link”

January 26, 2010

Contest Chairman: Majid Shehry - Int‟l & Table Topics

International Speech Contest:

1. Mohammad Issa, 2. Mohammed Zawad

Table Topics:

1. Alkane AbdulKhaliq, 2. Mohammad Issa

2. Dyala AlGhamdi (Alternative)

February 02, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Eyad Buhulaiga

Word of the Day: Forgiveness

Theme: The Great Debaters

Best Prepared Speech: Akanke Abdulkhaliq

Best Table Topics: Jamal Al-Saeed

Best Evaluator: Mahir Mumen; Video “link”

February 09, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Hassan Alaiwi

Word of the Day: Ecstatic

Theme: Celebrating members

Best Prepared Speech: Waheed Kahtani

Best Table Topics: Mohammed Khalfan

Best Evaluator: Martine Obrien; Video “link”

February 16, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Mushtaq Rehman

Word of the Day: Sagacity

Theme: A life of Service

Best Prepared Speech: Dyala Ghamdi

Best Table Topics: Amal AlShamary

Best Evaluator: Hassan Alaiwi; Video “link”

February 23, 2010

Toastmaster of the Day: Abdul-Raouf T. Moukhtar

Word of the Day: integrity

Theme: Speak From the Heart

Best Prepared Speech: Amer Ramadhan

Best Table Topics: Saleh Al-Buraik

Best Evaluator: Majid Shehry; Video “link”

TMS ... TOTALLY MAD ABOUT

“The meeting was very nice - I liked it. It encourages me to

become a TM.” Reema Al Ghamdi, College Student

“I thought the meeting was interesting and what I expected. I am

interested to join.” Ghadah Hamidi, Domestic Joint Ventures

“I really like Dhahran Toastmasters Club. This is my sixth time to

attend as a guest. I learn from the content, the subject matters,

the projects and the styles.” Hamad Al Hoty

“I have had a good experience at Dhahran Toastmasters. I have

gained a lot and grown in confidence.” Ali Al Mashhad

February, 2010 VOL 1 ISSUE 1

AND FINALLY ... A WORD FROM YOUR EDITOR IN CHIEF

What fun it has been putting this Newsletter together for you! And in the process, I have learnt so much more about

Toastmasters and YOU. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to fruition. A big thank

you to my fellow team mates in the Podium Press Room, and to our contributors, who made this edition possible.

The Podium Team:

Sarah Shabib, Chief Designer

Hassan Alaiwi , Designer

Dyala Ghamdi, Designer

Ali Asseri, Editor

Salah Buraiky, Editor

Nazeer Gazaq, Proof Reader

Mona Al Babtain, Proof Reader

Martine O’Brien

Editor in Chief, The Podium

LET’S HEAR IT FROM OUR GUESTS

“I have been a member in two other Clubs, and I like Dhahran Toastmasters because other

Clubs do not have the same atmosphere and are not as organized.” Fawaz Al Blaies, Saudi

Basic Industries Corp.

Would you like to be part of our next Edition?

Have you got an interesting talent or hobby, a success story

that you would like to share, or a well tried out tip that makes

your speech a success every time ? What a perfect

opportunity to practice your TM writing skills, let your creative

juices flow AND share your story with your TM colleagues.

Contact martine.obrien@aramco.com

Ask the Expert...

What are the limitations on speech

topics?

There aren‟t any, but please make sure

to keep your audience in mind. Avoid

topics that could be offensive and

choose topics that are in good taste.