ORATOR October - December 2014 1
ORATOR October - December 2014 2
3From the Editors Desk Time TM Vinay Satheesh
5Message of the Division Governor TM V P Menon
6Message of the President Andrew’s Attitude TM Deepak Gulati
8Message of Vice President (Education) What is stopping you? TM Abdul Khaliq
11Message of Vice President (Membership) Spices of life TM Qaisar Amin
13Walking tall TM Aadil Kadri
15Micro managers versus Toastmasters TM Jose William
17What motivates us? TM Anindya Kar
20Meetings during October to December 2014
21Major events / Member achievements
22Toastmasters Album
CONTENTS
Copyright Notice: Toastmasters International, the Toastmasters International
logo, and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are
the sole property of Toastmasters International. Any logos, banners and
material used in preparation of this newsletter are provided at Toastmasters’
website for members’ use. Any extract used from Toastmasters manuals is
credited to Toastmasters with a reference to the original manual/guide.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization
that aims to improve one’s communication, public speaking and
leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Dr.
Ralph Smedley (February 22, 1878 – September 11, 1965) was the
founder of Toastmasters International.
Toastmasters will help you to:
Speak and present compellingly
Think quickly and clearly
Become a strong leader
Listen effectively
You will learn these skills and more in a supportive, self-paced,
fun atmosphere.
ORATOR October - December 2014 3
Hello Readers,
Welcome you all to the 2nd Volume of Orator. At times, our personal and professional commitments stretch us to an extent that we are
unable to focus on our goals.
It’s a matter of time. We dream to reach various goals and we keep on accumulating it. Sometimes, some of us set unrealistic goals and later we realize it and makes it more realistic.
For a balanced life realistic goals is a major factor.
I am a person who keep unrealistic goals and when I try to do it, sometimes get a feeling that
its an unattainable thing. But don’t get disheartened. Don’t get the feeling
that you are not capable of attaining it and stop doing it altogether. Don’t stop it altogether. Just keep maintaining it at least on a smaller scale. I met a person at a meeting one year before. He is a person with lot of experience and during the course of the discussion, someone asked him how he handled the commitments at work, personal and social life. He answered that, while he was young, he used to be very concerned about the problems and used to get very upset and also stretch very hard when things go wrong. Later on with experience he understood that many problems will get corrected by itself, some other problems will get corrected through somebody else. You just need to work on those remaining ones which need your attention. Work on it in a calm and peaceful manner and after a definite period of time, you will see it corrected.
When you are pursuing long term goals, systematic working for a very long period of time is the main factor which determine whether we will succeed at the end. So make systematic working a habit. But many of us including myself usually thinks while pursuing a long term goal, that “what if I don’t succeed after this long preparation.” The solution is remove “what if”
from your life. Never think about “what if”. Things might go wrong, but don’t think about it now. You need to think about only if it occurs. Why waste your energy now? Problems/failures might occur. Analyse and
identify the solution to those problems/failures only when it occur and then proceed further. You will find that life will be peaceful and you
will become a person who keeps on working towards improvement and you will find a lot of
medals and successes in your basket.
Concentrated effort is the key. And time is a factor. Put systematic concentrated effort on a regular basis for the time period required, and avoid thinking about the what ifs, then when you look back after a long period of time you will find that you have attained Quite a Lot! Keep cracking your goals. Now back to business. This Orator is dedicated to the history and purpose of Toastmasters
Time
Vinay Satheesh (Member of TMI since June 2013, a real estate professional, also interested in movies, motivational books, exercise, chatting with friends/relatives, entrepreneurship and networking with good people)
FROM THE EDITORS DESK
ORATOR October - December 2014 4
International in the eve of its 90th anniversary. My sincere gratitude to all the members who contributed articles to this volume of Orator and I hope that you will enjoy reading it. Wish you all the very best!
The first unofficial Toastmasters meeting
was held on March 24, 1905. Much like
Toastmasters meetings today, the
participants took turns leading and
speaking at each meeting. Smedley and
the older, more experienced men
evaluated short speeches, while the
younger men were invited to join in the
evaluations.
Smedley began working at the newly organized YMCA
in Santa Ana, California, in 1922, and for the first
two years, his time was spent building a home for the
organization.
Once the new YMCA building was christened in April
of 1924, he was able to introduce the idea of
Toastmasters to his colleagues, and organize the
Toastmasters club that eventually became Club No. 1
of Toastmasters International. The first meeting was
held at the YMCA building on October 22, 1924.
Toastmasters began as a series of
speaking clubs organized by Ralph C.
Smedley during his time working for
the YMCA (Young Men's Christian
Association) in Bloomington, Illinois,
United States. As director of education
at the YMCA, Smedley saw a need for
the men in the community to learn
how to speak, conduct meetings, plan
programs and work on committees,
and he wanted to help them.
Smedley decided to organize a club
where they could learn these skills in a
social environment, and the men
responded well to the concept. He
named the group the Toastmasters
Club; "toastmaster" was a popular
term that referred to a person who
gave toasts at banquets and other
occasions.
ORATOR October - December 2014 5
Dear DTC Members,
What have you done today to move you closer to
your dreams? Are you expecting to wake up one
morning and suddenly do everything to achieve
your dream in just that one day? Aristotle said,
"We are what we repeatedly do." Success is a
daily habit. It's the little things you do every day
that will get you to your destination. We all
aspire to be good communicators and
leaders. But what are we doing to make this
happen. Those small but important steps like
attending club meetings regularly, participating
actively in club meeting and other activities,
attending Club, Area, Division & District events,
grabbing any available speaking or leadership
role…These are those small steps which help us
to achieve our dreams and make those dreams a
reality. Are we doing it? It’s never too late. If
you are not already taking those small steps,
start doing it
now.
In a club like Dubai Toastmasters Club, there is
no dearth of opportunities to learn and
grow. Grab any and every opportunity that you
come across in Toastmasters or in your personal
& professional life. Be hungry to grab these
opportunities and you will find that your dreams
are slowly and steadily becoming real. All the
best.
MESSAGE OF THE DIVISION GOVERNOR
FACTS ABOUT
TOASTMASTERS
Founded
October 22, 1924
Updated Brand
August 17, 2011
Benefits
• Clearer communication
• Improved leadership skills
• Enhanced teamwork
• Effective meetings
• Increased productivity
• Positive mentoring
• Complements existing training programs
• Cost effective
Dubai Toastmasters club is the mother Toastmasters club of
Dubai and northern Emirates. A club that has gathered wealth
of experience since its inception in 1996. Our Club stands proud
as members try their best to practice what Toastmasters has to
offer. Our club is representative of something more than a typical
Toastmasters club where members gather together to create an
exceptional experience for days to remember and allow one to
utilize his/her potential in a supportive environment. We are
nothing but a family of people with a shared drive for self-
improvement and to help others. Each meeting gives everyone
an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving
impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and
offering constructive evaluation or in a nutshell, an opportunity
to improve, to lead, to learn and to set examples. We are Dubai
Toastmasters Club.
Message of the Division Governor [Division B, District 20] V P Menon (A member of TMI since 2002, a trainer by profession, also interested in toastmasters,
photography, travelling, reading, music, movies etc.)
ORATOR October - December 2014 6
It is a routine for me. I do it at least twice a day, without fail. Sometimes, even four or six times. I am talking about passing by the car entrance of
my building. Halting, taking the card out, wait
for the barrier to open, either while leaving or
coming back to the building.
Yes the activity is very mechanical and
monotonous, but off lately some flavor has been
added in this part of my daily routine. I call this
flavor, the AA effect (you will know later what is
that).
Most of the times when I pass that gate, I
witness greatness. That happens when one of the
security guards, Andrew is around.
I have been watching Andrew for months now.
Rather, I started to watch him and that shifted
to “observe him” later on. Each time I pass by
that gate, Andrew waves at me, or at anyone for
that matter, with some contagious energy, smile
and character. I use the word character because
he is nothing less than being genuine there.
Probably one of the most selfless greeting or
acknowledgement that I have seen in ages. I can
actually see his full set of teeth that one can, in
a great smile.
It took me about a month or so to realize that it
is happening without fail. Then it took about
another few weeks to realize that it is leaving
me amazed to the core, that he is a guy who is
probably not having time of his life, sitting on
that chair all day long, sometimes walking
around or may be simply standing. He might not
be having anything else to do; he can’t listen to
music, can’t read a book or take a nap. A BIG
NO…that will be a disaster for him.
So how it works? How each time he manages to
make me smile or helps me to start my day with
some insane positivity. What keeps him going
and what helps him do that?
About a week back, around 6-7 in the evening, as
I entered once again through that barrier, I
witnessed it again. Andrew showcased his
signature smile and the wave. I returned the
same with a smile too.
But that didn’t seem enough. I went a little
ahead, parked my car on hazards and
approached Andrew.
I introduced myself to him and asked his name
too. As you know by now, he said “My name is
Andrew”.
Andrew’s Attitude Deepak Gulati (A member of TMI since 1st July 2010, a Quality Assurance Officer in Finance Dept. with Emirates Airlines, also interested in photography, playing music & creative writing. He says that Toastmasters is no longer an interest …… it’s in his system now.)
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT
ORATOR October - December 2014 7
“Andrew, I have a question for you? How you
manage to smile all day long, wave at each and
every one passing by without any kind of decline
in your enthusiasm?
“Sir, it’s my attitude”.
He only said this much but it was enough to
make me think deep as I was not expecting that
answer, I asked him back.
“Tell me more, what you mean by that? What
kind of attitude?”
Sir, I think if my attitude is positive, everything
is fine. If it is negative, it will be difficult for me
to pass hours sitting over here and doing almost
nothing apart from being vigilant. Since so many
people pass by, I try to take that as an
opportunity to greet others. That keeps me going
you know”.
This answer of Andrew’s did shake me deep
inside and I had some sudden respect for him
and his deeds.
Then I asked.
“I have seen you doing this for each passerby.
Does it also happen that they don’t greet you
back?”
“Yes Sir, that happens for sure. Sometimes people
don’t wave back, or give a cold shoulder too. They
don’t even care to smile many a times, but then, I
accept it because I know that they all are working
and having a long day of work and challenges.
May be they are in a bad mood too. I have no
issues with that. I do what I think is right, they
too can, do the same. But many of them come back
apologizing for not waving or smiling back”.
The conversation did last for another 3-4
minutes. About where is he from, what he
intends to do in near future etc etc. I greeted him
back and did head to home.
The greatest discovery of my generation is that
human beings can alter their lives by altering
their attitude in mind – William James
Sharing this story has no other intention but to
reinforce the belief that keeping a positive
attitude is never on the mercy of encouraging
situations or most favorable surroundings. It is
mere a choice, state in which one would want to
find himself or herself in.
It is a matter of saying NO I CAN’T or YES I CAN.
It is a matter of dwelling on problems or
focusing on solutions.
I am thankful that I chose to ask Andrew that
question. Am thankful that I managed to find
some inspiration through his thought process.
And I am thankful that I have some AA (Andrew’s
Attitude) effect on me.
Positive attitude is a choice. Let’s keep it with us at all times.
ORATOR October - December 2014 8
“I will do it” “I think I am going to do it in a next
meeting” “Maybe after my leave” or “Maybe when I have more experience”. We all have one excuse or another running
through our head when we intend to do something. Sometimes it takes ages to do that something. Well, for today’s discussion that “Something” is your project speeches. The question I am going to ask you is “What is stopping you?” or better if you ask yourself this question “What is stopping me?”. When you ask yourself this question, be honest to yourself! We can deceive others but we know
deep inside when we try to deceive ourselves. So take few seconds and ask yourself “What is stopping me?” I will help you trigger the thought process. Take a pen and a paper and just………think! What it could be, let’s see:
1. I can’t find time 2. I am going to do it, what’s the hurry 3. I am busy with work 4. I am not able to plan
5. It’s hard to find good topics 6. I don’t know what to write
7. How will I prepare? 8. Will I be able to deliver a good
speech?
Ok, now that’s what I can think of at this moment. Please don’t restrict yourself to these excuses, search your heart and make your own list. Now let’s see how I can help you to or even motivate you to deliver your projects on regular basis. You still have the paper and pencil with
What is stopping you? Abdul Khaliq (A member of TMI since April 2012, Finance Manager [Development & Assets] at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Certified sustainability practitioner with a certification in GRI financial reporting, loves nature and has a passion towards sustainability and adventure)
MESSAGE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT (EDUCATION)
ORATOR October - December 2014 9
you, right? I want you to keep it handy as you read the following tips: MAKE A PLAN There is no better way of reminding yourself of the things you need to do than writing them down. This is not only true for the project speeches but for anything you would like to accomplish in life. You have to set a goal for yourself otherwise you will either not do it or do it when forced by VP Education. So make a plan! No one is suggesting you to finish your CC Manual in six months. All I am suggesting you is to make a plan. Sit and
think, how long would you like to take to finish your CC Manual - one year, two years. I wouldn’t suggest more than that. Ideally, it should be done between one year and one year and half. Again, these are my suggestions, make your own
plan. But please………… I would like to remind you that for God sake don’t make a Five Year Strategic Plan of a multinational company.
Planning will help you get rid of all the first four excuses I have listed above.
Suggestion: Think like this “I will do one project every month” or “I will do a project every two
months”. Build all your work commitments, vacations and other activities into your plan. IT’S HARD TO FIND GOOD TOPICS Easiest way to ward off such excuse is to read the objectives of at least two to three projects you plan to do. Read them again and keep them in mind. Then keep your eyes and mind open, OBSERVE! Observe everything happening around you. I am confident you will find a topic that fits your next project’s objective. Bear in
mind if it interests you it will interest others as well. Suggestion: Keep your eyes open and observe news, work, friend’s stories, your siblings, your parents, your boss, your child’s birthday party, an event at work, an incident on road, things you like to do, things you hate to do…………………….and the list goes on. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE Once you have thought of the topic start writing. Turn your topic idea into bullet points. Then start to build your story around those points. Trust me, once you start to write the words will
begin to flow. Keep visualizing what you want to say and keep writing. Suggestion: Again, keep the project objectives in front of you when you write your speech. I can’t emphasis enough concentrate on the
objectives of the project. HOW WILL I PREPARE? Practice, practice, practice. Keep at least half an
hour aside each day to go through your speech. Now this is part of your planning. Once you have
your plan ready (as discussed above) you would know when exactly you have to deliver your next speech. You must begin to write at least two
weeks before the day you intend to deliver your speech. Take a week to write and another week to practice daily. That way you have well written speech and a week to practice.
Suggestion: Send your script at least a week earlier to your mentor for review. Your mentor will come back to you with suggestions within couple of days and you will still have around five
ORATOR October - December 2014 10
days to incorporate changes to the script and to prepare for delivery. WILL I BE ABLE TO DELIVER A GOOD SPEECH? Of course yes, you will deliver even a great speech if you follow the steps outlined above. All you have to do is plan. And plan ahead. You will definitely be in good position if you know what you intend to do and when and that can come with planning yourself. One important ingredient to the great speech “Speak from your heart and you will succeed in delivering inspiring speeches”. So what are you waiting for? Take out a paper
and a pencil and start planning. Ask yourself “What’s stopping me?” the answer should be a big “NOTHING”.
DUBAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB No.7492
AREA 7, DIV B, DISTRICT 20
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT
Deepak Gulati
055 668 1921
VICE PRESIDENT-EDUCATION
Abdul Khaliq
050 450 0 802
VICE PRESIDENT-MEMBERSHIP
Qaisar Amin
056 916 1874
VICE PRESIDENT-PUBLIC RELATIONS
Vinay Satheesh
055 107 6736
SECRETARY
Deepa Khemani
050 293 1625
TREASURER
Anindya Kar
050 657 1218
SERGEANT AT ARMS
Jose William
050 832 2964
Visit our website: www.dubaitoastmasters.com
To save time replying to the many letters and
inquiries he was receiving, Smedley wrote the
"Manual of Instructions" and "Ten Lessons in
Public Speaking," which he had printed and
bound in paper covers. On October 25, 1928,
he secured copyrights on the publications and
trademarked the name "Toastmasters Club."
By 1930, nearly 30 Toastmasters clubs had
formed including a club in British Columbia,
Canada. To reflect expansion outside of the
United States, the newly formed association
was re-named Toastmasters International.
In 1932, Toastmasters International was
incorporated as a California non-profit
organization and Smedley took on the
positions of Secretary and Editor of the new
association.
ORATOR October - December 2014 11
Hello Toastmasters,
The year has almost passed and we have 61
active members in our club it would not be possible to reach this number if all the members of our club especially our president had not
helped me to reach this miles stone. I am happy to announce that with the grace of
God we have achieved the “Talk up” award after a very long time and. On our 507th meeting I was TMOD and the theme
of the day was “Spices of Life” I believe that every new thing that we learn adds one more spice to our life no matter how small or big. I still think that I have to experience life gradually by adding more new spices in my life to make it delicious. So later on I can share the great secret recipes with my children when I am old. We interpret different things in different ways; I have tried to explain few of the things as I think they are;
Spices and their Interpretation Red Chilly: Teased, Angry and Hurt, helpless sometimes. Green Chilly: Thrill, Action and Challenges of life. Salt n Pepper: Relationship (Husband & Wife, Brothers & sisters, Friends, daughter in law and mother in law. Turmeric: Care, Concern and mothers love.
Sugar: Love, care, joy and happiness. Vanilla: Passion, Romance and love. Cinnamon: Sweet memories (I was reading an article “the aroma that comes from cinnamon it takes me back in time when me and my mom
used to make pies” It’s a mood changer for some people. You will feel cared because it helps in better function of your heart, brain, blood sugar and amazingly your memory.
Clove: Pain reliever, you feel cared. It has a warm, sweet and Aromatic taste that evokes
feelings of sultry tropical Climate.
Dear fellow toastmasters these are just few of the spices that I have mentioned that we all
know about. I want all of you to find that spice in your life and relate it to your feelings, memories, occasions. Everyone in this world has a castle of imagination, I want you to go in the castle enter into all of the rooms find the spices
in your life. We experience different situations in life sometimes its hot like red chilly. Sometimes its sweet like a sugar. Sometimes it leaves a bad taste like mustard seed but when all the spices come together they make a perfect meal. Similarly, life is not same always but then, ups
and down are experiences that we all learn from. Life is full of surprises I say it’s full of Spices They say it’s not straight but hilly. I say it’s full of challenges like green chilly. You have to go an extra mile. You can if you get a sugary smile.
Spices of life Qaisar Amin (A member of TMI since April 2004, an investment banker by profession, also interested in toastmasters, movies, music, dancing and a lot more.)
MESSAGE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT (MEMBERSHIP)
ORATOR October - December 2014 12
There is lot of pain in love. Don’t worry your mother will give you a clove. In your love I have become a gorilla. My darling it’s all because of vanilla. I had a fall because the road was margaric. Oh my dear take some hot milk with turmeric. I love my wife she is a great helper. It’s because our relationship is like salt n pepper. Come on everyone lets cook some fresh veal.
Put all the spices and lets us make a tasty meal. Last but not least every dish in this world has a secret spice, and so does our club. That secret spice is bringing the new members continuously
which will not only make it tastier and yummier it will also help all the members to experience new ideas.
I urge all the members to bring a new spice
(member) to club and make it a part of our club. I wish you all the best. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be” - William Shakespeare.
A series of rented office spaces in
Southern California served as
Toastmasters International's
headquarters until 1962, when the
staff moved into the first World
Headquarters building in Santa Ana,
not far from the YMCA where the first
Toastmasters club met.
In 1970, Toastmasters International
admitted its first female member,
Helen Blanchard, under the name
Homer Blanchard. In 1973,
Toastmasters began officially admitting
women, and in 1985, Helen became
Toastmasters' first female international
president.
ORATOR October - December 2014 13
Your savings, believe it or not,
affect the way you stand, the
way you walk, the tone of your
voice. In short, your physical
well-being and self-
confidence.
An individual without savings
is always running. He / She
must. He / She must take the
first job offered, or nearly so.
He / She sits nervously on
life’s chairs because any small
emergency throws him into
the hands of others.
Without savings, an individual
must be too grateful.
Gratitude is a fine thing in its
place. But a constant state of
gratitude is a horrible place in
which to live. An individual
with savings can walk tall. He
/ She may appraise
opportunities in a relaxed
way, have time for judicious
estimates and not be rushed
by economic necessity.
An individual with savings can
afford to resign from his / her
job, if his / her principles so
dictate. And for this reason
he’ll / she'll never need to do
so.
An individual who can afford
to quit is much more useful to
his / her company, and
therefore more promotable.
He / She can afford to give his
/ her company the benefit of
his / her most candid
judgments.
An individual always
concerned about necessities,
such as food and rent, can’t
afford to think in long-range
career terms. He / She must
dart to the most immediate
opportunity for ready cash.
Without savings, he / she will
spend a lifetime of darting,
dodging.
An individual with savings can
afford the wonderful privilege
of being generous in family or
neighborhood emergencies.
He / She can take a level stare
into the eyes of any man . . .
friend, stranger or enemy. It
shapes his / her personality
and character.
The ability to save has nothing
to do with the size of income.
Many high-income people,
who spend it all, are on a
tread-mill darting through life
like minnows.
The dean of American
Bankers, J. P. Morgan, once
advised a young broker: “Take
waste out of your spending;
you’ll drive the haste out of
your life.”
Will Rogers put it this way:
“I’d rather have the company
of a janitor, living on what he
/ she earned last year, than an
actor spending what he’ll /
she'll earn next year.”
We are all going to leave this
Earth. We are on this Earth
approximately 960 months.
Once you are 65 there are only
240 months to go until you are
85! Your children are at home
200 to 240 months—that’s it!
Money creates freedom of
choice. We counsel our clients
to become their own banker.
Walking Tall Aadil Kadri (A member of TMI since April 2010, a Certified Financial Planner by profession, also interested in calligraphy & graphology)
WALKING TALL
ORATOR October - December 2014 14
Bernard Baruch said, “The
failure or success of a long-
range savings plan is not
predicated on its rate of
return, but the consistency of
putting money away regularly
and leaving it there.”
Money gives you confidence.
Pay yourself first. Put money
away for the old man or old
woman that you will be one
day.
Will you be the grandparent
who comes to visit, or the one
who comes to stay?
There are two kinds of people
in the world. One earns
interest and the other pays
interest. The one who pays
interest works for the one who
earns interest!
An inspirational message from
one of the MDRT's in USA.
Terrence McCann, an Olympic wrestler, was chosen in 1975
to serve as the Executive Director of Toastmasters
International, a position he held until 2001. He was replaced
by Donna Groh (2001–2008) and then Daniel Rex (2008 to
present).
ORATOR October - December 2014 15
Management traits make
employees quit.
I recently had gone through an
unfortunate situation with my
company’s change
management. A kind of
destruction had been taking
place all over the
departments! I couldn’t
realize for few months what’s
going on. A few people got
terminated and a few
resigned.
It’s being visible that the top
management began to get
involved in every minute
process or things of others
without consulting them and
blame the staff who had been
loyal and committed to the
company for a very long
period of time. They ignore
the experience and knowledge
of the employees, focusing on
wrong priorities and come up
with issues to divert or alter
the current objectives and
leading a highly demotivated
team.
I meant to say how
micromanagement spoils
productivity and creativity in
work places. They
disempower the staff and
make them unable to breath
properly and give rise to poor
performance.
The reasons for
micromanaging are a
supervisor’s concern of
increased performance
pressure, he or her own
insecurity, or using as a tool to
terminate an employee.
The effects of
micromanagement are,
employees are no longer
willing to make sacrifices, the
employee stop making
suggestions, loses his interest
and does not become
proficient at his job and
consequently he quits his job
and look for another one.
This is where I admire
Toastmasters!
Motivations, Leadership,
Communication Skills through
“learn-by-doing” philosophy!
Toastmasters see themselves
as leaders.
“Leaders are in place to create
leaders”, and they do not take
credit for positive results and
also do not shift the blame for
the negative results to their
subordinates. Micro managers
create processes to make
themselves valuable in the
organization and a stressful
workplace to the creative and
productive employees.
Toastmasters empower the
people to gain self-esteem,
self-confidence, and
assertiveness, which make us
better salespeople, better
managers, and better leaders.
Motivation improves
performance, commitment,
productivity and creativity
that employees can apply to
their job and companies get
benefits.
Micromanagers versus Toastmasters Jose William (A member of TMI since August 2013, a logistics professional, also interested in movies and loves to learn whatever improves his career and quality of life)
MICROMANAGERS VERSUS TOASTMASTERSDITORS
ORATOR October - December 2014 16
Then why micromanagement
despite of wise management
who never underestimate
employee’s pride and dignity
at work!
PROMISE OF EVERY TOASTMASTER CLUB MEMBER
As a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise:
To attend club meetings regularly
To prepare all of my speech and leadership projects to the best
of my ability, basing them on projects in the Competent
Communication, Advanced Communication or Competent
Leadership manuals
To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments
To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive
evaluations
To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment
necessary for all members to learn and grow
To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so
To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect
and courtesy
To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits
Toastmasters membership offers
To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters
educational and recognition programs
To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during the
conduct of all Toastmasters activities
The Ralph C. Smedley
Memorial Fund was
established to support the
creation and development of
new materials and to help
advance Toastmasters
International's mission of
empowering individuals to
become more effective
communicators and leaders.
ORATOR October - December 2014 17
In a few months, it will have
been 10 years since I
graduated from the Indian
Institute of Management,
Calcutta. Some of my batch
mates have already gone on to
achieve great heights –
partners at top consulting
firms, managing directors at
top investment banks,
successful fund managers and
traders. While others may not
have reached such pinnacles
as yet, what is for sure is that,
almost all of us are far more
prosperous and materially
well off, than we had ever
imagined we would be, while
we were studying.
Yet, when I meet my
classmates, I invariably spot
an undercurrent of
dissatisfaction with our work
and our careers. I, for one,
have struggled with
motivation at work, even
though I have had no room to
complain about pay and perks.
And, I am not alone. In 2013 a
survey by Gallup revealed that
almost 70% of American
employees are dissatisfied
with their work.
Why do we have this epidemic
of dissatisfaction with our
jobs? What can be done to
motivate employees?
Intuitively, most people would
think that direct incentives
such as money or other perks
should act as the best
motivators. If an employer
wants his employees to do a
particular task well, he just
needs to announce an
appropriate bonus, and voila,
it should get done! This is the
classic carrot and stick
approach.
In reality, it is not as simple.
In a research done by
Professors at University of
Berkeley and Columbia
University with graduate
students, it was found that, as
long as a task involves pure
mechanical skill such as
tossing a coin or digging a
hole, a higher monetary
reward does lead to a superior
performance - as expected.
However, the moment the task
involved even the basic
cognitive skills, a higher
monetary incentive actually
led to an inferior
performance.
Digest that for a second as it
goes against all our intuitions
– more money leads to a worse
performance.
The study has since then been
repeated all over the world –
including in places like rural
India where the reward
offered was a significant sum
of money relative to the
income of the participants. It
has produced identical results
– more the money, poorer the
performance.
If not money, then what?
Daniel Pink, a well-known
journalist and author, has
distilled years of scientific
research on this topic to come
up with three main motivators
at the modern workplace. In
What motivates us? Anindya Kar (A member of TMI since October 2013, an entrepreneur, also interested in travelling, investing etc.)
What motivates us?
ORATOR October - December 2014 18
his book ‘Drive: The
Surprising Truth About What
Motivates Us’, he calls these
motivators: Autonomy,
Mastery and Purpose.
Autonomy: Autonomy is our
innate urge to be the master of
our own destiny. The desire to
be self-directed is deeply
ingrained on our psyche and
we crave for it. As that wise
philosopher Calvin, of Calvin
& Hobbes fame, once said, “It’s
only work, if someone else
makes us do it”.
Unfortunately, the modern
workplace has not progressed
significantly beyond the
‘command and control’ style of
military organisations on
which the early management
theories were based. We have
bosses, who have their bosses
and in the middle of all that
autonomy goes for a toss.
Some companies are waking
up to the new reality,
however. A software company
called Atlassian gives its
employees 1 day of autonomy
once every 3 months. For 24
hours, employees are free to
work on whatever they want
and with whoever they want –
all the company wants is that
the employees show them the
results. It turns out that 1 day
of pure, unbridled autonomy
often produces more new
product ideas, bug fixes and
other developments than the
entire quarter combined!
Mastery: We want to get
better and better at what we
do. There is an innate urge to
improve. This is why we can
spend hours playing the guitar
or trying to run a marathon
even though there is no
monetary benefit for us.
Pursuit of mastery has given
the world such amazing things
as Wikipedia, Linux, Quora -
built by experts who
have voluntarily given their
time for free!
Purpose: We want to feel that
our work has some meaning
beyond the obvious goal of
making money for
our organisation or ourselves.
Purpose is what makes us
excited to go to work and help
us endure the tough times. We
want to feel that we are
contributing something -
either to our personal growth
or to the betterment of
society.
Autonomy, Mastery and
Purpose form the trifecta of
essential human motivators at
work. They also explain what
drives us at Toastmasters:
Autonomy: Toastmasters is
completely self-directed. It is
completely up to the
individual. There is no boss.
All projects and roles are
taken up voluntarily.
Mastery: We want to be better
communicators and leaders.
That is why we join
Toastmasters. Irrespective of
how good one is, Toastmasters
still try to improve.
Purpose: Toastmasters is a
non-profit organisation. There
is no monetary incentive. It’s
purpose is clear – to help
create better leaders and
communicators.
The presence of the trifecta is
probably what has helped
Toastmasters thrive for over
90 years. It is probably what
motivates us to challenge
ourselves to complete various
communication projects or
take up leadership roles even
ORATOR October - December 2014 19
though there is no conceivable
monetary benefit.
So, if you feel demotivated at
work, ask yourself which of
the three factors discussed
above is missing from your
work. It could simply be that
you need a little bit of
independence- to work on a
small project of your own on
the side which allows you to
improve your skills and gives
you greater meaning and
purpose in your work. That
could make all the difference!
For half a century Toastmasters International has helped more than one
million individuals throughout the world to build self-confidence and
develop leadership potential through effective communication.
In the coming years communication will be more basic than ever to
international understanding and peace. We will need skilled listeners,
provocative thinkers and able speakers to provide the direction necessary to
achieve an atmosphere of harmony conducive to the prosperity and well-
being of all men.
On this historic occasion in the life of your organization, you have a proud
record to reflect upon. But those who know your work will also agree on
the vital role you will continue to have in our increasingly complex world. I
wish you sustained accomplishment and success.
- US President Richard Nixon [November 14, 1973]
Whatever your grade or position,
if you know how and when to
speak, and when to remain
silent, your chances of real
success are proportionately
increased. – Dr Ralph C. Smedley
ORATOR October - December 2014 20
Meetings during October to December 2014
ORATOR October - December 2014 21
Meeting No. 498: We bade farewell to one of our ever charming member, TM Richa Khera, who was
leaving Dubai to get settled at another part of the globe.
Meeting No. 499: We celebrated the success of Toastmasters International which has inspired and
improved many of us since 1924. We revisited the history of Toastmasters International at this
meeting through the seasoned Toastmaster, TM Shahjahan Beyabani.
Tall Tale Contest at Dubai Toastmasters Club: The club conducted the Tall Tale Contest on 24th
November 2014. It was a real fun. Further the meeting became more exceptional through the
educational session “Moments of Truth” by DTM Uma Radhakrishnan.
Tall Tale Contest organized by Division B: Division B organized Tall Tale Contest on 28th November
2014. Our own TM Aadil Kadri participated in the event and it was a wonderful performance by
him.
500th Meeting of Dubai Toastmasters Club: Dubai Toastmasters Club celebrated its 500th meeting on
8th December 2014. It was a special meeting in all respects. It was a joint meeting with Business
Excellence Club.
Announcement of the date for Dubai Toastmasters Club Contest: On 5th December 2014, Our
President announced that the club contest will be held on 23rd January 2015.
Awards attained by members:
Richa Competent Leader October 2014
Abdul Khaliq Competent Leader October 2014
Aadil Kadri Advanced Leader Bronze October 2014
Raham Sithara Competent Leader November 2014
Abdul Khaliq Advanced Communicator
Bronze
December 2014
MAJOR EVENTS / MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS
The ability to approach an audience in a friendly style is partly a gift of nature, and partly a
cultivated art.
A speech without a specific purpose is like a journey without a destination.
-Dr Ralph C. Smedley
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TOASTMASTERS ALBUM
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CLUB MEETINGS FROM JULY - SEPTEMBER 2014