The Link between Better THINKING Better LISTENING & Better SPEAKING is the JOY OF GIVING

1. TOASTMASTERS CLUB
BANGALORE
Newsletter Volume 16 - Issue 1, July – December 2020
THE LINK between
Better THINKING
Better LISTENING &
Better SPEAKING is the
JOY OF GIVING
CLUB 9206 Div B District 92

2. Life is difficult, complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control and the humility to
know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.
- JK Rowling
Nobody expected that a micro-organism so small, that which is visible only under an
electron microscope could wreak havoc bring the world to a standstill. Despite that one thing
remainedveryclearthatanythingis possibleintoday's world andthatis ahardreality.
It is in these times that we are tested to our core and we are to bear these misfortunes with great
fortitude; many even lost their near and dear ones. Some lost their jobs but others experienced pay
cut and had to struggle for their livelihood; Despite all this turmoil, life did not stop and we started
accepting the new normal and began to move ahead with whatever we are left with to an extent that the
adversity was turned to opportunity by many; to become mentally and physically strong. It also gave us an
opportunity to care for loved ones even more. Despite all the chaos, we started to spend more time with
them. It also made us realize that we can survive in this materialistic world with bare minimum and
yetbehappy.
In all this turmoil, Toastmasters' meeting too was greatly affected. Suddenly everyone had to embrace the online plaform that
earlier members rarely acknowledged. All that earlier reluctance and resistence became the matter of the past and an entire term
went into conducting sessions online and even conducted contests online. Every meeting had an average attendance of 50 to 60 and
not a single meeting was missed. As a matter of fact our 1250th meeting is conducted online that we are hosting in our very own
term.All this has made us realize one bitter truth that life is unpredictable. If we want to be strong and successful, we have to accept
thesituationsandfacethechallengesno matterwhatthesituationis.
If we could conduct such a smooth online term, it wouldn't have been possible without my executive committee. They have been
mystrength;mysupport.
From Sergeant-At-Arms to Vice President-Education, Everyone performed their tasks exceptionally well. The team effort was
evident in every activity we conducted in this term. Successful delivery of the responsibilities, was possible only due to sheer
commitmentbyeverycommitteemember.
If Isitbackandreflect,I canconfidentlysay thatwe didamarvellousjobandwillcontinuedoingthegoodwork.
Friends, World is complicated and only in this complication lies the much needed opportunities. Rain or shine, whatever the
situationbe,letus openup ourselvestothisworld of opportunities.
#let'smakea difference
2Newsletter
From the President's Pen
Aiyappa A Ponnachanda, CC, ALB

3. 3Newsletter
Winston Churchill said it so beautifully, “We make a living by what we get, but
wemakealifeby what we give.”
We at Toastmasters in general and Bangalore Toastmasters Club, in particular, have
been fortunate to experience the perennial flow of JOY OF GIVING in our
Toastmasters journey. JOYOF GIVING begins when our mentors help us in shaping
our public speaking and leadership journey. JOY OF GIVING helps us evolve and
mature when we get constructive feedback from evaluators in a meeting. JOY OF
GIVING permeates when few select individuals take up the leadership path selflessly
inserviceof theToastmastersmovement.
JOY OF GIVING has been the edifice on which the entire Toastmasters movement
has been built. It is this strong foundation that has helped Toastmasters International
to survive and thrive irrespective of turbulence caused by World Wars, economic
crisis,ortherecentpandemic.
This issue of our newsletter is a continuum of JOY OF GIVING we have been
experiencing and witnessing at Bangalore Toastmasters Club where our members
have come together to joyfully share their expressions for the benefit of all our
readers. We want to place on record our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the
contributorstothisnewsletter.
The newsletter of Bangalore Toastmaster Club has always been a shining example of
thought leadership. This issue promises to be no different. With this, I invite you to
explore every page of this newsletter. We are confident this newsletter will leave you
spellbound with the richness of its content, depth of experiences, and fragrance
emanatingfromtheJOYOF GIVING ofourcontributors.
It’s timetoexperiencetheJOYOF GIVING…
Ganesh Pai
Chief Guiding Officer
Hannah Victoria
VP – Public Relations, Editor
Alok Simha
Associate Editor
Rajesh H Nookhul
Associate Editor
From the Editorial Team

4. Contents
4Newsletter
Page Number
• Toastmasters International ................................................................ 5
• Meet the Executive Committee - The Lucky 7 ................................. 6-8
o Message from VP Education
o Message from VP Membership
o Message from the Treasurer
o Secretarial Report
o Message from our SAA
• Club DCP Report................................................................................ 8
• The First Online Club Election........................................................... 9
• From the Founders of BTMC ............................................................. 10-11
• Chicken Soup for the Soul – BTMC Series ....................................... 12-13
• Member Spotlight................................................................................ 14-17
• A Toastmasters Quiz............................................................................ 17
• Winners of the BTMC Article Competition ..................................... 18
• Joys of a Toastmaster........................................................................... 19 20
• Guest Review........................................................................................ 20
• .......................................................................................... 21-22
• Accolades.............................................................................................. 22
• New Members..................................................................................... 23-24
• A Toastmasters Crossword................................................................. 24
• About us ............................................................................................... 25
-
Speechcraft

5. 5
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a
worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 364,000 in more than
16,200 clubs in 145 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more
confidentspeakers,communicators,andleaders.
364,000 145 16,200+
Members Countries Clubs
Improve your public
speaking skills
Build leadership
skills
Maximize your
potential
Enjoy unlimited
personal growth
Work on networking in a
small and supportive
environment
Practice writing speeches and
presenting in a group setting
Build self-confidence
and self-awareness
Gain a competitive
advantage in the
workplace
CORE VALUES:
Newsletter
Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International Mission
Club Mission
We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.
We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and
leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
Toastmasters International Core Values
INTEGRITY
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
RESPECT

6. 6
We term ourselves as the Lucky 7 for we faced the term of many firsts, including our online elections, the oath-taking, online training, to figuring
out how the time cards are shown effectively. If you recall the timers experimented from clanging of glasses, mobile rings, sharing screens and
finallytoTimerZoomBackgrounds……Aquickglanceof our ExecutiveCommittee’s experience.
BlessinginDisguise
This year we have experienced an unrivalled global pandemic which has significantly impacted our perceptions
about life. Being programmed for adaptation, we were able to quickly accept and adjust to the virtual medium of
the meetings. This term for the first time in the history of toastmasters all our meetings were conducted through
the electronic platform. This pandemic has increased everyone’s screen time exponentially. It was a great
challenge for this committee to bring more members to attend the meetings week after week. We tried our best to
make it more engaging and mind blowing by conducting different types of contests throughout the term like the
Story telling contest, the Table Topic contest, the Humorous speech contest and the Evaluation contest. We also
tried our best to bring some of the world famous, laudatory speakers on to the virtual spotlight of our club. I do
hope that all the members derived profound life lessons from these digital exposures. Each one of these eloquent
speakersimpartedtheirwisdomandtoucheddifferentaspectsof life.
Dr. Gururaj Karajagispoke aboutThe Joy of Giving | DhanajayaHitterachi- world championof publicspeaking–
spoke about his journey to the top | Sarah Khan – a Peace-monger – spoke about spreading loving kindness though
theARTof attitude.
We could bring these internationallycelebrated speakers to our club primarily because of the new way of conducting the meetings.The pandemic
enabledus toaccomplishthismajesticlinguisticfeat.And thiswas completelyspearheadedbyour dynamicpresidentTMAiyappa.
At BTMC 85 prepared speeches were delivered and 50 speeches were launched outside our club in this term. This record stands unmatched until
now. Most members utilized this period very effectively and efficiently to accomplish their speech targets. And the COVID pandemic enabled
them to do so.We also tried to get at least one distinguished toastmaster from different clubs as the General evaluator every month.This helped us
togatherdifferentinsightsandperspectivesregardingtheevolutionandtheimprovementof ourmeetingprocedures.
When the whole world was in pain because of the COVID 19 pandemic, it was a blessing in disguise for all of us as we kept on flourishing and
advancingthroughthisdigitaltoastmaster’s journey.
I joined Bangalore Toastmasters Club in November 2017 and I am currently serving as the Vice President-Membership. They say that you can’t
teach an old dog new tricks and I wanted to prove this age old adage wrong and so this June, when our club elections date was announced, I
decidedtothrowmyhatintotheringforthisroleandbeforeIknew it,yours trulywas beinginstalledasthenewVP-M of theprestigiousBTMC.
One might wonder what exactly a VP membership does – in short, it is a very important responsibility that
supports not only the club's sustainability but also the club's growth by ensuring that members and potential
members enjoy the benefits of being a part of a Toastmaster's club. I have to recruit new members and also
retain existing members, a task that was quite an uphill battle this term because of the shift to online meetings.
Many aspiring toastmasters were deferring their joining as they all wanted to wait for physical meetings to
begin again. However, no matter how insurmountable this task seemed, I was determined not to give up and
broughtinover10 newmemberstotheBTMCfamily–afeatthatevenwon us theSmedleysAward thisterm.
From my personal experience I can say it has been very rewarding to serve such a great club since I have
learned a lot about interacting with people and steering them into the right direction. The biggest thing that I
have learned during this time is that one is never too old to embrace technology and learn how to use Zoom,
CanvaandPhotoshop!
Being part of the executive committee has allowed me to gain a deeper insight on how a club works, how
everyone interacts and how much work and dedication it takes to make a club successful. I also learnt that many
a time, you might not see eye to eye with some other members but that sticking to your principles and standing up for what is correct will never go
out of fashion.At the end of the day, we always have each other’s back so there might be times when you step up and take on more responsibilities
than your role actually entails but as soon as you switch on your laptop, log in to Zoom on a Friday evening at 6:30 pm and look at all the smiling
facesyou know thatitwas wellworth it.
MessagefromVP-Education
MessagefromVP-Membership
Rita Saldanha Das, ACS, CL
Sreejith Kizhakkilot
Meet the Executive Committee - The Lucky 7
Newsletter

7. 7
MessagefromtheSecretary
Toastmasters give lot of opportunities not only as a speaker during prepared speeches, table topics or
evaluation but also taking up leadership roles in committee. One of the main challenges I faced was
procrastination and commitment to pro bono roles. Nothing would have come closer to secretarial role.Today
when I look back, this role not only connects with members during the weekly club meeting, but it goes
beyond to connect with rest of the committee members to stay focused on the commitments. One of the skills I
learnedwas criticalthinking- comingup withnewideasontheweeklyminutes’circulation.
Highlightingthekeytakeawaysfromthemeeting:
• Problem solving: Leveraged the online platform to analyse members’participation and helping the
committeetotakenecessaryactionsfor improvement.
• Recordmaintenance:Maintainingtherecordsinsoft copywillhelpthedatastorageandretention.
• Committee meeting: Circulating the agenda and discussing some of the key decisions benefitting
the members. The role also gave me an opportunity to represent my club to vote in Toastmasters
International which was held inAugust 2020. Connecting with other club committee members allow
us tobringimprovementsfor thefunctioningofour regularclubmeetings.
The period from July 2020 to December 2020 due to pandemic was held online. We had a different challenge, yet we overcame it and we saw the
same zeal not only among the members but also the committee members especially myself. It’s always as a team that we are successful, and the
best part of the committee was that each one came with unique traits which not only helped to solve a problem but also to learn from other’s
experience. As a secretary it also gave me an opportunity to connect with other committee members. I personally feel it opens a door for more
learningandtakingup leadershiprole.
I took this online meeting as an opportunity to come up with more data for members to understand how we were performing week after week.
To sitefew examples;
1. Theperformanceoftheweeklymeetingintermsofthevotingpercentagesandfeedback.
2. Analysing the pattern of the members not participating in the meeting and connecting to understand how we can help and support
the member.
3. Incorporatingas partoftheminutesapartfromthevideorecordingalsoaudioclipswhichhelpsmemberstolisten.
My personal view to all members when you are ready to take the committee role, do start with Secretary as you are the connector to
notonlythecommitteebutalsotothemembersandotherclubmembers…!
Newsletter
Mahesh Shankar
Kamlesh Kumar
RISE
Two years ago, I was in dire need of improving my communication. After researching long, I zeroed in on
BTMC to take up the platform to improve my communication skills. I thought that Toastmasters provides me
with just a platform to hone my communication skills, but after spending some meaningful time, I realized
that I can cultivate leadership skills by taking up roles in club committee. The club gave me an opportunity to
embarkthispathwhen itelectedmeas itsTreasurer.
As a treasurer, I had to connect with members and convince them for renewal and then keeping a track of all
financial transactions. This helped me empathise, systematize my daily activities and allow myself to
effectivelyupgrademypersonalandprofessionallifewithintegrity.
Today when I look back at the roles in the committee, I see these seven roles as seven luminous stars in the sky
that look like a spoon (Ursa Major). Just like a spoon allows uplifting things, these roles allow us to uplift the
leaderinus.
These positions enable us to embark on the worthwhile journey of not just developing and grooming our
leadership skills but also strengthening our competence for giving back to the worthy Toastmaster's movement from which we have had
pricelessgain.
This institution is definitely the laboratory, which enables us not only to progress along the pathways of more resplendent Communication and
Leadership but also to give our life skills a substantial boost. Today I can proudly say that in this institution, I learnt or rather realized the
exemplaryvaluesofrespect,integrity,serviceandexcellence(RISE)
Message from our Treasurer

8. Newsletter
Message from Sergeant at Arms
BeingImperfect–ALiberating Experience!
One thing I have realized is that nothing stops us from being who we want to be or getting where we want to be. It is we, ourselves,
drawing a question mark in our mind, creating self-doubts within us. I always had this thought in me, that whatever I do need to be
perfect.That thought overpowered me so much, that I refrained from doing anything. I became shy and conscious about every little
thingthatIdid.
Thankfully, at the right time I was introduced to Bangalore Toastmasters Club.Aplace surrounded
with amazing people, who always help and encourages each other. I still remember, even though I
had served in the subcommittee of sergeant at arms for two consecutive terms I was reluctant to
nominate my name for the role. It was the encouragement and support from many in the club and
mymentorthatconvincedmetotakeitup.
The journey of sergeant at arms has helped me unwind and lose my fears to a great extent. Each
time I came on to the stage, unknowingly I was shelling out layers of fear that I had covered myself
with.The anxiety that would rise in me when I stood on the stage in front on many, making me lose
the connection between my mind and mouth, slowly started fading. I became mindful of my words
and actions. I realized it is fine to be imperfect. It is ok to do mistakes. It helped me understand my
fearsthatI was ignorantof.
Toastmasters’ is one of the best platforms to experiment on oneself and break that shell that we
have created and surrounded ourselves with. It provides a platform for you to experiment going out
of your comfortzoneandredefiningyour comfortzone.
Priyanka Rannorey
Club DCP Report
8

9. Newsletter
Toastmasters is just not about improving your public speaking skills, it’s a lot about developing leadership skills. Every member has an
opportunity to be the office bearer of the club, where you can experiment with your talent and nurture it. Club elections are held once in 6 months
tochoosethecommitteefromSargentatarmstothePresident.
Year 2020 was different, because of the pandemic and elections had to be done online. I was honoured to be part of the election committee headed
by DTM PrakashTamhankarandDTM SumitraManamohan.
Although Toastmasters International has a well thought of framework to conduct the elections, there was no process defined for an ‘Online
Election’. There were several hurdles ahead of us. Our first challenge was to identify a
“SoftwareTool” for members to cast their vote.The tool and the voting procedure had
to be simple and easy to use because ours is a community
club and all the members were not tech savvy; we also had
toconsiderseniorcitizenToastmasters!
Although there were lot of sophisticated - Secure online
voting software, we discarded them because we had to
conduct trainings to members on how to use it and also we
had to pay for it. We then decided to explore the features
of existing online meeting platform ‘ZOOM’ which by
then was familiar to every member of our club. We did
succeed in enabling and customizing the “Poll” feature in
Zoom, selecting ‘Anonymous’ mode ensured that the identity of voter was not
revealed.
In a Toastmaster’s club election a member can nominate himself /herself on the floor, which means we had to edit the polling questions on the go.
Once the poll was launched the calculation of results was instantaneous. However, the election committee had to ensure that we don’t share the
result screen which revealed the percentage of vote secured by the contestant. The election committee members kept another communication line
to discuss the result, validate and approve it, after which the election
chairmanannouncedtheresult.
Second challenge was that we had to admit only “Standing members “of the
club, meaning the members who had cleared their dues for that term and
eligible to cast their vote. The online tool had a feature which gave control to
admit a person into the meeting. One of the election officers was made in-
charge of admitting the members that day by validating their name against
the eligible member rooster worksheet during the election process when the
candidates had to give their two minute speech. To ensure members were
aware about the position they were contesting, we displayed colour cards
thatclearlyindicatedthepost.
We strongly believed the words of Thomas Fuller -“Knowledge is a treasure
but practice is the key to it”. The committee set up mock elections with our
family members and experimented the process and we tweaked the process
tobringittonearperfection!
The first online election of Bangalore Toastmasters club one of the
largest club in India held on June 12th 2020, worked like a breeze,
completely flawless! In fact post COVID-19 it might be great idea
toconsiderelectionsonlineas itis efficient
The First Online Club Election
- Somashekar T H CTM, CL
9
President
VP-Education
VP-Membership
VP-PR
Secretary
Treasurer
SAA

10. Newsletter
From the Founders of BTMC
10
Claudius Pereira
“Do you have itinYOU?”
Letmesharefew happenstances of mylife:
Entrepreneur I Business Mentor I Author I Motivational Speaker
What is your “WORTH” - If someone were to ask you what is your ‘worth’, what comes to mind?
Won’t most of us measure worth in terms of ‘things’we own, such as an apartment, a fancy car, money etc?
Our ‘worth’ includes more than just your money; it includes your time, talents, abilities, skills, health,
familybackgroundandaboveall,yourattitudesshapedby yourroots.
My worth is inclusive of the joy my birth spelt out loud to my family when I showed up – all 7 robust
pounds ofme.
I studied in a Government school, I was an average student. I lost my mother when I was barely three years,
and this could have left scars as eternal but my father Clarence, doubled up to perform the role without
leavinganygapsandspaces.
When I was 12, a relative said something which made me feel worthless - he asked ,what was my ambition –
I said “I want to be an Entrepreneur “ , he looked at me and said - your chances of making it, is one in a million. I felt like I was hit by a rock, I left the
roomandwentoutandmutteredtomyself,ifmychancesareoneinamillion“I willbethatone!”
When I was 10 years old and used to play with the kids in the neighborhood, one of them would accompany her Dad to the local club every
Saturdayforbingo.Oneweekendshe askedifIwouldliketocomealong,Ireadilyagreed.As I was gettingreadyshe returnedandsaidtome
– myDad saidthatthisclubis onlyforofficer’s childrenand “notforpeoplelikeyou”
WhenI wenttoUK for thefirsttimein1992–Mycousinsaskedme ifwehadelectricityinour house.
I first visited Bangalore when I was 8 years old. My father & I came to see my brother, my father said – Son let’s spend a night in Bangalore at our
uncle place’ s I was thrilled, they were well off, after we arrived there and after exchanging pleasantries my father expressed them of our
Intentions, they refused, humiliated, my father & I slowly walked back to the railway station hurt & beaten, as we reached the railway station I told
tomyself,BangaloreI’m comingback.
The point being made is that everything lies in your attitude. You can look at your past and beat at your chest with regret and complaint … or you
cancapturethememoryofsomesureroses thatwould havebeenthereamidthethorns.
Fast forward 10 years later I set foot in Bangalore with Rs 10 in my pocket, I had many odds stacked against me, I had no mentor, I had no friends,I
was an introvert, I was in a new place, I had very little contacts, Banks refused to give me a loan, but I had one thing - “A lot of confidence &
passion.”
I completed my studies and after 33 interviews I got a job in an InformationTechnology company, ITwas at a nascent stage. I was drawing a salary
of Rs. 300amonth.
I was hired as a Marketing executive but I was asked to do many menial jobs, I would do every job so well that few months later my boss would say –
Claudiusletsomeone elsedothat. I was desperateandhungry, Iwantedtomakeittothetopandnothingwas goingtostopme.
I progressed well in my job and in 4 years I was promoted as the CEO of the company, the confidence and trust which my M.D. had in me was
enormous. Then one day in 1987, I heard my MD and another Director talking about me – they doubted my integrity. My heart contracted, my
brain exploded.Icouldnotbelievemyears.I wantedtorush inandconfrontthem.
I was broughtupinafamilywherevalueswerenevercompromised;howcouldsomeone thinkIwouldsellmysoulfor money? Idecidedtoquit.
I gavemycompany2months’notice,trainedmysuccessor anddecidedtoplungeintobusiness.
I cofounded my first company in 1987 – at first it was Hard & arduous, many times I thought of giving up, I worked like a maniac 16 hours a day.
In 11monthswe madeenoughmoneytobuy acar, thatwas myfirsttasteofsuccess.
I cofounded 4 more companies in rapid succession – success was intoxicating; we thought we were unstoppable, we grew too fast, we were too
ambitious,onebyonethecompaniesbegantofail.
As I was gathering the bits & pieces of my shattered life, I got the ultimate blow, when my co-founder called me over and said “lets winde up”. I was
notpreparedofthis- Imuttered“let’s giveourselves30 days”!
ThatnightI couldnotsleep- I was inbedstaringattheceiling,contemplatingtotakeadrasticdecision–I didn’twanttoliveanymore.
One thingbegantodawn on me.IstilllovedwhatI did.
Ashrillvoicewithinmeechoed“Claudius,Don’tgiveup!”
NextmorningIwoke upwithmyfistclinched,Ichosetoriseandnotfall,Ichosetoliveandnotdie.
Thegreatestlesson I learntis –“Lifeisnotaboutfindingyourself,it`saboutcreatingyourself”

11. 11
Joy ofGiving-Toastmasters
- Robinson D'Souza,ATMS
Two years ago, few former members of our Toastmasters Club had requested me to conduct a public
speakingcourse,similartoSpeechcraft,fortheirchildrenstudyinginhighschools, duringsummerholidays.
Alady by name Usha had heard the benefits ofToastmasters and having come to know of the above program,
she desired her only son Prahlad to avail its benefits. While Prahlad was in primary school, as had happened
to ThomasAlva Edison, his teacher did not have the patience to cope with the active and inquisitive mind of
little Prahlad and sent a note to his mother expressing her concern about Prahlad’s learning! One can imagine
the shock to his parents. It almost shattered their dream about Prahlad. He had a health problem from his
birth, called “Asperger’s syndrome”, which required him a few extra seconds to understand what was told to
him.Unfortunately,histeacherdidnotrealizethisandlabeledhimwrongly.
Prahlad joined Speechcraft. Usha had informed me in advance of Prahlad’s medical problem. With my
experience in Toastmasters I was prepared to handle the syndrome. Prahlad truly enjoyed the course. On the
“Graduation Day”, Prahlad did a splendid job by presenting his speech in the presence of all, including his
family elders. When the function was about to conclude, Prahlad came running to the dais shouting - “I want
to speak”, “I want to speak”. This stunned the audience. He then gave an impromptu speech and concluded
saying“Ifound myGod inToastmasters”andexplainedhow thecoursehadhelpedhim.
Prahlad has now graduated in Yoga and plans to become a Yoga Teacher. “Where there is WILL, there is a method to succeed” This Joy of Giving
fromToastmasterswillremainpermanentlyinmymind.
Newsletter
ThePowerofChange
- Dr.SirajUrRahman
Hal Elrod, The author of the bestselling book ‘The Miracle Morning’ once said “The moment you accept
responsibilityofeverythinginyourlifeis themomentyou gainthepower tochangeanythinginyour life”.
Every individual is gifted with the miraculous power to change self and others. Realizing and harnessing this
power goes a long way in converting our dreams into reality. Successful people do not look for solutions for their
challenges outside their self. They look inside themselves, understand their self and discover the power to
change.Thisisagreatmomentofrealizationwhichmarksthegenesisof atransformationalprocess.
Dr. Ralph C Smedley discovered and realized this moment when he was working forYMCAas the Director. He
felt in himself the power to change self and others. He visualized the revolution which could help people
transform and succeed. Without wasting any time he started helping people in realizing this deeply embedded
power to change self and other. His dedication to help people led him to the formation of Toastmaster
International on October 22, 1924. Toastmaster’s movement today has 16200 clubs, operating in 145 countries of the world and boasts of 364000
members. In my view Toastmasters, today has become one the largest leadership development organizations in the world even surpassingYMCA
andRotaryInternationalincommunicationandleadershipdevelopment.
In India a similar realization was felt by Robinson D’Souza, who had a deep passion for public speaking and helping people to become effective
communicators. Helping people become better communicators was not just a passion but a mission of his life. At that critical point in his life he
was unjustly thrown out of a communications clubs for which he had immensely contributed. Instead of feeling dejected and disheartened, he
founded Bangalore Toastmaster Club, which not only revived the fortunes of Toastmasters movement in the country, but gave a flip to the
expansion Toastmasters. Today our club ‘Bangalore Toastmasters Club’is one of the largest Toastmasters clubs in India with over 90 members
andis thesecondoldestclubinthecountry.
What Dr. Ralph Smedley and Robinson D’Souza experienced in themselves was the realization that there is a power within self to change. If we
can courageously discover this power to change, leverage this power, we can build our life and career to richly contribute for the development and
growthof our societyandthecountry.

12. 12
Chicken Soup fortheSoul –BTMCSeries
Have a few words of wisdom ever changed everything for you, has a piece of advice from a friend or even a stranger opened your eyes?We present
an amazing new collection of stories with the power to change your life too. Sometimes the best advise comes in the form of a few words that help
you be a better person. It’s amazing how a few well-chosen words can completely change the direction of your life.As a way of celebrating the little
thingsinlife.
Newsletter
BeingaFollower
- Dr.Rajdeep Manwani (DTM)
Afew years ago when addressing a Lion’s club, on ‘Public Speaking’I found one person in the audience giving
me encouraging sounds in agreement with all I said. I was pleased and a little later in the day when calling the
members to come and speak turned to this enthusiastic member and asked him to come to the podium and give
atalk.Heshook hishead.
“Whynot?”I asked. “Sir,”hesaidwithasmile,“I’magoodlistenernotagood speaker”
I was about to encourage him to come forward, when I suddenly realized that it was indeed so, that man had
spurred me on through my speech, had encouraged me with his smile and got the best out of me with his
attentiveness.He was indeedagoodlistenerandmaybepublicspeakingwas nothis cupoftea.
AlthoughIdidmakehimspeakfor alittlewhilejusttogetridof hisfear, itgotmethinking.
A young woman was filling out an application for college when she came across the question: Are you a
leader? She thought she had better be brutally honest, so she answered, “No.” She was convinced when she
senttheapplicationinthatshe’d neverhearfromthembecauseofthatanswer.
But she received a letter back from the school that read: “We have reviewed numerous applications and, to date, there will be some 1,452 new
leaders attending school next year. We have decided to accept your application because we felt it was imperative that they have at least one
follower..!”
A man bought a sign and put it on his office door. It read: “I’m the boss.” The next day he came to work he noticed that someone had written
underneath,“Your wifecalled.Shewants hersign back.”
We can’t all be the boss.And what good are leaders without followers? In actuality, we need to be both. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow.
Weleadby example,butwestillfollowrolemodels.Weleadbysharingourexpertise,butwe remainopentothewisdom of others.
There are numerous courses and lessons on leadership.Yet the best leaders are also excellent followers. They know how to listen, they respect and
followgreatideasfromthosearoundthem,andtheyarehumbleenoughtoseekhelpwhenit’s needed.
Youmaybetheboss, butdo youknow how tofollow?Thisworldcoulduse afew good followers.
I end with the same story I used in that particular Lions meeting; the story of Jamie. Jamie was a little six year old boy and one day he told his
motherthathewas goingtoauditionforaclassplay.His motherwas quitetensethroughthenextday,hopingherson would getagoodrole.
She went in the evening to pick Jamie up from school and waited outside the gates for Jamie to come out.The bell rang, the doors opened and Jamie
was thefirstonetorush outstraightintohismother’s arms,“Mother,”heshouted,“I’vebeenchosentoclapandcheer..!”
Inacrowdedworldofleaderswedesperatelyneedfollowers..!

13. 13
GivetoReceive–AWinWin!
- DTMSumitra Manamohan
Last week a fellow member of my spiritual group reached out to me for help with a speech she was to present in the Sunday anniversary special
meeting. It was thrice the length for the given time and she was confused how to shorten it. Cutting down after a word count hardly helped. Finally,
we just dropped some unimportant points. This also increased clarity. The next day, after she spoke, everyone complimented her. She was thrilled.
For methatwas asublimemomentasIhadsharedmy“Speechcrafting”skillstohelpoutafriend.
Happiness comes when something is done from the heart, especially with no expectation of reciprocation. A
Chineseproverbsays:“Ifyoualwaysgive,you willalwayshave.”
As Toastmasters we have great opportunities as evaluators, mentors, why - even as role takers to share our skills
and gain knowledge. It is apt that the mission of Toastmasters “to provide a supportive and positive learning
environment”.
The act of sharing or giving is something magical…..both to the receiver and the giver. The receiver has got help
and so feels happy. When givers open their heart/hand to give, that’s when new things can be received. How? The
more you share the more you sharpen those skills and gain clarity. Sometimes you also learn something new from
the receiver. When they ask for clarifications you get clarity of what you share. So you gain. It’s a double benefit.
That’s whatbringsyou thesublimejoy. Happiness/knowledgeincreaseswhenshared.
I encourage you to look for opportunities where you can give and help others.That’s what life is all about. Xmas, the festival of giving, is round the
corner.Let’s practiceandcommitour livestogivingjoy.Try it!Itworks!
Newsletter
Richbeyond measure
- LokeshTalele
Travelandchangeof placeimpartnewvigourtothemind–Seneca
When I started my career in a Fortune 500 MNC, I realized that my high Tech world is different from my Father’s Textile Manufacturing world.
His ‘formula’forMYsuccess inlife:
1. Getagood job| 2. Getmarried| 3. Buy ahouse | 4.Settledown inlife| 5. Followyour passion
My ‘formula’forlifewas:
1.WhileI amyoung -seetheworld andlearn
2. Grow by applyingwhatIlearn 3. Earntorepeat1&2
Over theyears,we grew apart.My weeklytelephoniccalltohomeendedinaltercationswithhim.
After joining Toastmasters, I learnt about right listening, right thinking and right speaking. I decided to “listen” to
myfather.
He was scared I might blow all my money in pursuit of experiential learning without saving. His idea of learning
was to complete family and job responsibilities, retire early and then learn whatever I want to learn. When I told
him I understand his perspective which had its merits, he was open to listen to my perspective. I told him that I
want to learn when I am young so I can use that to make the right choices for the rest of my life. Something clicked
and he started sharing his wisdom acquired from decades of tough experiences. For me, it was like finding
Aladdin’s Treasure Cave. I benefitted a lot and our telephonic conversations ended with both of us feeling
enriched.
Afew months later he passed away due to old age.After his funeral, my mother told me that he was just waiting to mend his relationship with me. I
still do not have a house and I am not married however, I have a wealth of experience and my father’s priceless wisdom to make the right choices
for therestofmylife.

14. 14
Member Spotlight
This series puts in the spotlight, members’ experiences, challenges and opportunities they may face, and how they would like to see change
inthefuture.
- Surekha NeelakantaRao Jagdale
What beckoned me to Toastmasters during this second Innings of my life? Friends, it was my eternal love affair with the English language that was
backedbyaneedforconnectionthatfuelledmydesiredandenergisedmyfootstepsinthedirectionof our belovedBTMC!!!
And in September 2019,as l was about to leave for my very first BTMC visit, my 9 year old grand daughter
Siya, my tiny saviour came up to me and sat quietly by my side.And then, with a worried expression on her face
and genuine concern for my wellbeing, she asked me,"Amma, don’t you think, you are not young enough to join
aspeakingclub?"
What a blow that was to a well defended personality!!!After recovering from the blow, l sat her down and said to
her, "My dear, life is not about being old fashioned or new fashioned. It's about being right fashioned, and if in
life, you are doing the right thing then age is just a matter of mind over matter. If you don't mind it just doesn't
matter. So bless me and let me have a good time ". I eagerly awaited the metamorphosis within my
granddaughter where she would move from being diffident to being confident about the grandma she so
desperatelylovedandwished toprotect?
And that miracle unfolded one day as she uninstalled the "DesperationApp" and installed the, “InspirationApp"
in her mind computer. Today, she is the torch bearer for the toastmasters’ movement, respecting not only it's
tradition but it's future as well!!! She is the one to spearhead the Speechcraft endeavour in the family by
delivering speeches at her cousin's birthday parties and confidently affirms that she is the disciple of her beloved
ToastmasterAmma!!!
- MelvynVSmith
TheTaglineofToastmastersis“Whereleadersaremade”.
The 2 main streams in Toastmasters are Communication and Leadership. Often the Leadership Track is not explored enough. This is my
experience.
I have taken up all roles (except that of the Secretary) at Our Club Executive Committee. The free hand to experiment, trust and cooperation from
themembershelpedmeexcelintheseroles. My learningswere- Creativity,Teamwork,Patience,Respectandmuchmore.
I then becameArea L3 director (2019-2020). I had moved out of the comfort zone of my home club. The different meeting styles in corporate clubs
andothercommunityclubsarenoteasytoadapt.
I then opted for Division Director (2020-21).As DAD (DivisionADirector) I have 4Areas with a total of 19 Clubs.
It is a mix of community, corporate and college clubs. Here you have to get work done without having any power. I
can say I am fortunate or maybe I learnt to accept the system.The learnings are immense. Everyone has something
tooffer.TechnologyandOrganizingaremybigtakehome.
Presently all meetings are online. I got the opportunity to visit all 19 club meetings. I was at officers’installations,
Joint or Linkers and Rendezvous meetings,Area Contests and the Division Meet which we calledAristos (Greek-
Best). Now thiswouldnotbepossibleotherwise.
Members from our club have donned District officer’s roles in District 92. I can recall DTM John BoscoAbraham,
Richard Dsouza, DTM Sumitra Manamohan, Vijayanand, DTM Prakash Tamhankar, Godfrey Soans, Umakanth
Vichur, SrinubabuandPawas Chandra.
It is my endeavor to see that more members from our club take up opportunities in leadership. Being a club of such
highcaliber, I believewe cando better.WEMUSTDO BETTER.
Second Innings
MyExperienceas aDistrictOfficer
Newsletter

15. 15
Areyou turning yourback on you?
AWonderSplashAdventure!
- Srinubabu Gonapa,AreaDirector-B1(2020-21), District92Toastmasters International
Recently when I interacted with a couple of Toastmaster members, they said they didn’t see the value in the
toastmaster's meetings any longer as there is no physical interaction, There is hardly any scope for voice
modulations or and more so for stage utilization, etc. and a common phrase at last “I will come back after the
pandemic”.
I then started to think if due to pandemic, we stopped communicating? If leaders locked themselves in their
rooms andhitapausebutton? Irealisedit’s abigNO.
We joined toastmasters with a big dream and even bigger aspirations. Just because of some situation, how can
we run away from our own aspirations. Even in this pandemic, we see managers expecting 100% results and
top-notch quality in the deliverables and presentations. Most of the ITand ITeS world has gone virtual where no
one even turns their cameras on in the meetings. It becomes a much bigger need to power every utterance and
convey our thoughts with more clarity. This means our communication skill needs much needed sharpening.
InsteadI amlookingatpeopletemporarilygetintohibernation.
Had MukeshAmbani stopped dreaming about his goal and stopped working towards achieving it, Jio’s shares wouldn’t have doubled. Had Edison
stopped inventing due to initial hurdles, we would still have been in front of candles instead cameras. Be it the trainer,Tony Robbins orToastmaster
international,theyneverstopped.
We may go away from our aspirations but the world will neither stop us nor will it stop for us. What is stopping us from honing our own skills;
embellishingour own progress.Thechoiceisyours toeitherturnon yourcamerasandcommunicate,or turnitoffandletyour goalsgotohibernate.
- PreethiKurianVarghese
As I celebrate my first birthday, I pause and reflect on my journey so far in Toastmasters. It reminds me of the
Wonder Splash experience atWonderla where you get to sit in a wooden bogie that resembles a raft.This bogie is
hauled uphill and then hurled down a steep decline at a dizzying speed and splashes into a shallow pool. I was
spellbound but when they hurled us down, we realized the breakneck speed and everyone screamed at the top of
theirvoice.Thelandingwas anachievementinitself!!
When members speak in this Club it seems a cake walk (Don’t fall for it, they put in lot of efforts to make it seem
like one!). In my first speech, I froze…but as soon as the ice breaker was over, the Club’s standing ovation made
me feel on top of the world. (It’s the culture of encouragement!). I always look forward to the constructive
feedback.
With online meetings now, speaking from the comfort of your home seemed a no brainer……NOT for me!! In
my last speech, I just scraped through. It left me dejected until my
mentor and the members of the club motivated me. Next
meeting, I gave my name forTableTopics. Speaking inTT
is no less than being hurled down at breakneck speed. If I was not pushed I would not have
takenpartandwon myfirstcertificateintheclub(BestTTSpeaker).
At BTMC, mentors, veterans, office bearers show the path and every member contributes to
your success. They teach you to believe in yourself and weave a safety net for your safe
landing.They not only groom you to be a good speaker but also guide you to be a great leader.
One yearintothisride,Icanvouchfor myWonderSplashAdventure!
Newsletter

16. 16
TableTopics-The HallmarkofToastmasters
ThePowerofChanging yourHabits
- ZarineSusan George
Life is not about prepared speeches alone, but the ability to think on your feet and to say the
rightthingsattherighttime.Thetabletopicssession atToastmastersdoesthisandmore.
Ashy and diffident girl, I was not into public speaking. My first foray into public speaking
came at Infosys Toastmasters club in Bangalore. The table topics master called me out. I
went nervously to the stage and delivered my first two lines of any public speech in front of
an audience! That first time gave me a lot of confidence and I gave my name for more table
topics speeches. I further honed my skills of impromptu speaking at BTMC. One of the
members, Puneet started an initiative where he would give a topic everyday on WhatsApp
and we could record our responses of exactly one minute. The different topics given every
day simulated my analytical and reasoning skills. We could listen to other people’s
viewpoints on exactly the same topic broadening our horizons. I applied what I learnt at
BTMCclubmeetingsandovertimeI was abletowinprizesfor BestTableTopicsSpeaker.
My skills did not help me win prizes at the club alone, but also helped me bag a coveted job! I had an interview with a reputed MNC. The interview
had many scenario based questions. The answers called for emotional intelligence and critical thinking. And wonder of wonders, one of the
questions was the exact same topic given for table topics! My skill at table topics helped me navigate the question effectively and I cracked the
interviewandbaggedthejob!I was ecstatic!
As Moliereputit,“Theimpromptureplyis preciselythetouchstoneofthemanofwit”.
-Thomas Ramapuram
Allofus havesomeaspectofour lifewewouldliketochange.Weareconstantlyeithertryingtogetridofabadhabitor cultivateagood one.
AccordingtoCharlesDuhigghabitsfollowacycle,anditgoes somethinglikethis:
Cue-----> Routine-----> Reward
^ |
|
__________________________
The first few times you encounter a novel situation your brain thinks the process through, but your brain is pretty good at getting a job done without
much effort. Your brain then associates a process to a cue, leading to the process happening on autopilot every time the cue is encountered, and
voila,ahabitisformed.
This feature is not only seen in humans - most animals respond this way too, as demonstrated by Pavlov with his
experiments on dogs and Skinner, with his experiments with rats. Pavlov conditioned the dogs to salivate at the
sound ofabell(Cue)andSkinnertrainedratstopullleversforrewards.
The next time you find yourself in the middle of something that you like to give up, think about the cue that set it
off. Were you bored? Did some imagery trigger the response? Try to
removethecuesso thattheprocess isnotstarted.
If you like to start a new routine, try to associate it with something
you do regularly. Say you want to start exercising. Associate it with
your morning routine so that you do it without thinking about it. Most
of all reward yourself for habits that you would like to cultivate and
denythoserewards for habitsthatyouwould liketogiveup.
Herearetwo books thatcanteachyou alotmoreabouthabitforming:
AtomicHabitsby JamesClearand|ThePower of HabitbyCharlesDuhigg
Thereisnothingmorepowerfulthanhavingcontrolofhow youchangeyourself.
Newsletter
Routine
Cue Reword

17. 17
HowGivingbuilds Societies
TheFundamental Question
-Jainam Khakhra
Happiness is a key emotion people always seek. Every endeavour that a person engages is motivated by the
desiretobehappy. One oftheeasiestways toexperiencehappinessistoengageingiving.
The joy of giving and helping others in need is unparalleled by any other emotion. In many ways, this joy of
giving already permeates through society although we may fail to recognise it.When a teacher helps her students
overcome hurdles in high school science, the students are happy because they can now move ahead and apply
what they learnt to change the world. However, the teacher is happier that she is able to leave a lasting positive
impacton herstudents.
There are several ways in which society engages in helping each other to be able to grow and live happily. The
year has been very problematic as people have been fired from their jobs, pushed further into poverty and there is
a deep level of mistrust amongst people. It is in these testing times that we all need to come together and help each
otherout.
An interesting case of helping and giving is the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, which cooks and provides food to over hundred thousand
people every day regardless of their religion, gender and socio-economic status. Not only does that reduce hunger among the poor but also builds a
positivesolidaritythatpushes oursocietyforward.
The best way to gain is by giving.The more we give, the more we gain. It is thus important that we strive towards RabindranathTagore’s vision of a
societythathasnotbeenfragmentedbynarrow domesticwalls.Itis onlythenthatwe canleadacollectivelifewithoutfearandsadness.
- Dhruv Goyal
If we want to talk about the joy and the sense of purpose which the act of giving provides, who better to ask than the India’s most generous
individual and founding chairman of Wipro Mr. Azim Premji. Mr. Premji once quoted ‘I strongly believe that those of us, who are privileged to
have wealth, should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged’. He donated a whopping
?7,904 crore in financial year 2019-20. If someone is a billionaire, he can find countless ways to help the society. But what about the people who are
not privileged with huge wealth? The people who earn just enough to run their household or the people who don’t
earn (particularly students) but still want to help the society? The fundamental question ‘How to start?’is always
on theirminds.
If you ask someone from the middle-income group how much she spends on charity, she may reply, ‘I pay taxes! I
am doing the biggest charitable work’, and honestly she is not wrong. According to Stastica.com, the Indian
Government spends around 2000 billion rupees of taxes on rural development. But consider this: the current
pandemic confined millions of people to their homes. People became jobless, businesses shut down and the
country witnessed the largest labour migration. A person might want to help people worst hit by the pandemic.
Butthequestionremains:“How orWheretostarthelping?”.
Answering this fundamental question is not easy. However, as long as the individual is willing and
committed, he can find ways to use resources and skills at his disposal to bring a change and help the society.
Thesepeopleepitomise“TheJoy of Giving”
Newsletter
A Toastmasters Quiz
When was Toastmasters founded?
a. 1941 b. 1973 c. 1924
2. Who founded Toastmasters?
a. Henry Ford b. Ralph Smedley c. Dale Camegle
3 When did women first join Toastmasters?
a. 1941 b. 1973 c. 1924
4. When did Toastmasters open its own office
and hire a full time director?
a. 1941 b. 1973 c. 1924
5. How many language is Toastmasters’ materials
published in?
a. 1 b. 4 c.9
6. Which continents have Toastmasters clubs?
a. North America only
b.North and South America and Asia
c.North and South America and Asia,Europe,Africa
and Australia
Answers.1.c)2.b)3.d)4.e)5.c)6.c)

18. 5
Winners oftheBTMCArticleCompetition
Have you ever experienced the menace of a housefly? Unlike mosquitoes, it never bites, but it will irritate you and frustrate you to an extent that
you run behind it to end the menace. Its size seems to be insignificant, but they won't allow you to neglect them even if you wish to. When they
come at us, despite our greatest plans, we can't escape their harassment. You may plan to kill it to get rid of it, but until we strike the root of this
infestation,we can'tlivecomfortably.Thisispossibleonlywhenwekeepourenvironmentclean.
Similarly my life has been tortured with the questions of self-worth. Just like houseflies, these queries questioned my
very existence. I tried ignoring them, even suppressing them, but they never stopped harassing me. Sometimes by
emerging victorious I felt I had overcome it, But no! There was a rise of one more. The root of all these self-doubts
was my fear. Fear of failure, fear of communicating, and fear of death and so on. Despite this elephant in the room, I
hadbrusheditasidefor long.ThisenormousbeastneededtamingandI decidedtotameit;onestepatatime.
I found inToastmasters, a platform that was doing exactly the same.Aplace for me to fall without the fear of falling.
Speak without the fear of stuttering, live this moment without the fear of the next. Despite all this, I lacked courage
tostand-upformyself.Withthefriendlysupport extendedI stood-up, overcomingallodds.
I have cleaned it up this time, but I don't want the beast to be back. Cleaning is a constant task, so I am ever ready
withmybroom,Ihopeyou arereadytoo.
My mother may not be a Toastmaster; however, her communication skills are top notch. She may not have given keynote speeches. Nevertheless,
she is prolific when it comes to one-on-one communication. I used to wonder what makes her such sought after person in her circle. My close
observationrevealedthreekeyqualitieswhichstood apart:
Empathy: In a world which is increasingly becoming self-centred, having someone who can feel for their pain and happiness is a rarity. I always
found my mother sensitive to situation of people around her. If she got to know someone is in trouble, she would reach on her own to see how best
she canhelpthem.Atthesametime,shealwaysfoundimmensejoyandhappinessincelebratingvictoriesofothers.
Non-judgemental: I notice my mother never made any judgement about anybody. Her favourite phrase has always
been, “There is always two sides to any story”. This quality ensures she was open minded to understand their
position without any bias and hence her approach to solution was always constructive. When you are certain, you
are not being judged in a moment there is a unique transparency in whole communication which helps to get the best
outof anyconversation.
Attentiveness: Not without a reason people say communication is a whole body experience. It is a trinity of
gestures, facial expressions, and an attentive mind. I think while we train ourselves in first two aspects in our
Toastmasters journey, third element i.e. being present in the moment is something equally important. Ensuring we
are present not only physically but listening with undivided attention is an important yet often neglected aspect of
communication.
Theabovequalitiestrulymakemymotheroneofthemostadmiredpersons withinhercircleandachampionatone-on-onecommunication.
18Newsletter
Second Place
My Role Model
- Ganesh Pai
First Place
Swacch Maanas Abhiyaan: A cleaning initiative
- Rajesh Nookhul

19. 19
Joys of a Toastmaster
Joy ofSharing
-Sujatha Sanam
If you want tobelarge,largerthan life,then learntogive.
Being a workaholic banker, only my work, my hard dedicated work seemed prominent to me. Later in my life I saw how my lack of presentation
skills overruled my entire hard work and relegated it to a corner which made me realise how overlooking one aspect of life over the other could
wreckone’s life.
My eyes were eagerly exploring every pamphlet on the wall, my legs running every corner and my ears auto tuned to hear on how to improve
communication skills. After searching hundreds of posts, ads, opinions and blogs, I finally caught sight of a post
aboutBangaloreToastmastersClubandI soon was on thepedestalofAshirwad thatveryFriday.
The year was 2017 and I felt Bangalore Toastmasters Club was like a temple to me. Every courtesy greeting by
members was making me feel at home. I was amazed at how these people were able to interact so effortlessly, the
meeting role takers, with like-minded people! I was impressed with their behaviour and the comradery instilled in
me the faith that this is the place I was looking for, for all these days. In the meeting, that same day there was an
announcementof commencementof theupcomingSpeechcraft.
Without a second thought, I joined. However, my family laughed at me and said asked why I need such
programmes. If I was planning to join politics or if I was to become another Indira Gandhi?” and so on. Ignoring
all their ridicule, I moved on and today after completing my speechcraft programme and after joining
Toastmasters two years ago, I can confidently say that I have balanced my life. I am still a hard worker and at the
sametimeaconfidentspeaker.
Even though it is Toastmasters that gave me this platform, I have to mention that it was my mentor Mr. Robinson
who shaped me to what I am. Not only did he help me in overcoming my public speaking fear, but he also helped me with improving
communicationskills.Hehandheldmelikeafive-year-oldkid.
I realized from him and fromToastmaster how one can really change someone’s behaviour and instil confidence into them. I have also realised the
privilegeof helpingothersandIplantofollowthesamefootsteps.
My journey may have just begun and I know I have a long way to go. I have decided that I will not be alone but shall walk in the company of others
where I not only plan to share my thoughts but plan to give back to the world out there what my mentor gave me. I want to light another candle
and onemoresuccessful and happy story likemeinthis journey of sharing and caring.
Newsletter
Joy ofFishing
-Manoj MM
“Giveamanafish, youhavefedhimfor aday;Teachamantofish, youhavefedhimforalifetime”
Althoughthisisaclichénow, itis trueandletmesharewithyoutheincidentinmylifetoexplainit.
I had recently completed attending the Speechcraft session by BTMC when a new colleague
joined our company. He was very shy and hesitant to address even a small audience. That’s when I
told him “Praveen. I suggest you attend the speechcraft session. I have attended it recently and it is
reallyeffectiveforovercomingpublicspeakingfear”.
Being shy and nervous, he was reluctant to visit ‘Ashirwad”. Then I started bringing him to
Toastmastersmeetingsalongwithmeandthenaccompaniedhimtothespeechcraftas well.
After the first introductory Speechcraft session, his inhibitions and fear had reduced a bit and he
was more confident to attend. Soon he too completed his speechcraft sessions. Later one day he mentioned to me that my humble gesture of
introducing him to Speechcraft was one of the best gifts he ever received, because he said Speechcraft helped him to be confident and he is no
longershy tospeak.
Effective communication is an art which every individual needs to make himself effective. Towards this effort, I need to thank BTMC, which
conducts the Speechcraft course helping reskill ourselves with the art of communication. I saw a miracle myself and I am sure many more miracles
havehappenedtomanysuch individualsearlierandwillhappeninfuturetoo.

20. 20Newsletter
The Joy ofReceiving
The Joy ofGiving
-Abhirama KS
Right from my young age, I always loved to go on stage and speak.While I was in school, my father used to write
speeches for me, and I enjoyedpresentingthem.Throughout my days in school, collegeand university, I clung on
to public speaking in one way or the other.As I entered my professional career, though I found ways to speak and
influence people within my organization, I always felt the need to be part of a larger group of people who are
passionateaboutPublicspeaking.
Having been a Toastmaster for the past 3 months, I have realized that Toastmasters has more to offer than just
Public speaking skills. It is an excellent platform to experiment with - speaking, evaluating, listening, writing,
andso muchmore!
So far, atToastmasters, I have not experienced the 'Joy of Giving' as such. However, I am extremely fortunate to
have experienced the 'Joy of Receiving'. I am forever grateful to the words of wisdom that I receive from my
mentor Vaidyanathan before every speech. I am indebted to the genuine feedback and the words of
encouragement from TM Robinson D'Souza, TM Surekha Jagadale, and the other members of BTMC. I am
humbled by all the support and encouragement that I collect from the President andVPEducation. I find it hard to
believethatpeoplewho weretotalstrangerstomeafew monthsearlierarenow theverypeopleI lookup towithimmenserespectandregard.
"The more you give, the more you receive.The more you receive, the more obliged you are to give!" is what I always believe in. Having received so
muchfromToastmastersinsuchashorttime,I eagerlylookforward todoingmybitandexperiencethe'Joy ofGiving'!
-VinayVenkataramana
Giving can be in various forms, be it giving someone your time, giving someone monetary help, giving someone
moral support, giving someone gifts for an occasion, giving someone a piece of advice, giving someone a
helping hand, giving someone a piece of your mind and even giving someone a headache, There are numerous
forms of giving. Hence giving can be an act of giving things that are on both the ends of the spectrum i.e., good to
bad.
In my opinion, there is no greater joy than the joy of giving something that helps them and makes them feel better
and inspires them. I understand that this should be the aim for a toastmaster when he or she goes on stage. The
toastmasters’organisation is decades old, and a pattern I find regularly emerging at least in BTMC is that 80% of
the time we find the speeches tilting towards inspiration, self-help and moralistic subjects. As far as I am
concerned the self-help industry is already saturated and there is already an overdose of inspiration in the market
and all around us. Hence in my honest opinion speeches should be concentrated around lesser covered subjects
and topics and something other than morals and inspiration. This is how one can break away from the monotony
of attending a meeting at toastmasters. Mohammed Qahtani championship winning speech “The power of
words”, was not inspirational. In fact, it was a warning about using the right words and being careful when you
speak. In fact, I am proud to say that I myself have covered topics as wide as supersonic jet planes to bathroom singing apps.And stayed away from
telling others what to do with their lives when I myself was trying to stay afloat.There is no greater joy than the joy of giving provided what you are
givinggivesyouakickinreturn(inagoodway) hencegooutthereandgivesomethingdifferentandstayjoyful.
Guest Review
It was an amazing experience to be a part of BTMC. I felt it is the right platform for anyone who really wants to improve communication
skills and enhance their knowledge. I like the way toastmasters coordinate with each other, hopefully I would also be a part of it in
future-Chaithra RJ
Bangalore Toastmasters Club has been an exciting platform for learning, improving and discussions. During the lockdown, I attended their zoom
meetings as a guest and saw how the team kept the spirit of Toastmasters alive even, in these difficult times. Be it the topics, speakers or the
functionaries,BTMCtookthecakeeverytime -Umaymah Sigbathulla
I got to know about Toastmasters Club through my wife's colleague. I was also lucky to be in attendance in one online club meet wherein I got
introduced to the art of public speaking, it's analysis and suggested corrective measures to enhance the public speaking skill sets of the
participants.Itwas trulyamindblowingexperience.Keepup thegoodjoballToastmasters,you guys rock.God bless -Lt ColArun Jaggi
BTC is an amazing set of people who treat guests with love and encourage everyone to grow and become the best version of
themselves -Darshan Sk

21. 21Newsletter
Speechcraft is a short intensive public speaking program based on the guidelines of Toastmasters International Speechcraft Program. It is run by
experienced Toastmasters by offering a safe and supportive environment for the attendees to learn and improve their innate speaking abilities.
Our Speechcraftboosts theconfidenceleveloftheparticipantsbyeffectivementoringandrigorous assignmentsweekafterweek.
ThelatestSpeechcraftsession was ajointeffortby BangaloreToastmastersClubandRisingSpeakersToastmastersClub.
Few weeks ago, I received a phone call requesting me to be the co-ordinator of Speechcraft. An excited "Yes"
blurted out to grab the opportunity.After I hung up, I started sweating as I was a little tensed that I had never been
part of speechcraft and didn't have an iota of information on how to conduct it. I desperately needed help. That's
when I picked up the phone to call someone who would become my source of support, my guiding light for this
entire Speechcraft program. It was none other than DTM Prakash Tamhankar. Right from getting in touch with
participants, contacting the speakers, to organize the agenda of the program he was there supporting and guiding
myeverymove.
Somewhere in the corner of my mind, scepticism was lingering to question me of how this program would
improve the speaking capabilities of an individual in just 8 weeks. I moved ahead with a dose of optimism to
boost myconfidence;littledidI know thatI willwitnessthebloomingofabeautifulspeakerinjust8 weeks.
There was this very hesitant participant who used to forget the speech midway and silence befell the rest of the
stage time. Despite low confidence, this person didn't give up, instead attended every session. Slowly
recollectingtheforgottenwords, thespeechusedtobeconcludedsmoothly.
With this continued effort, I saw the magic happen from 4th week. With the newly received streak of confidence,
this person just owned the stage. I realized that with right guidance and continuous practice, it is possible to light up the stage. With scepticism
buried,Icanvouchthatspeechcraftprogramis steroidsforconfidence
The whole world has mostly isolated itself in activities due to the ongoing pandemic. Most of our toastmasters sessions that generally happen in
person could no longer be continued. Everyone needed a chance to connect, and everyone needed a platform to resurrect and that's when we
decided the Toastmasters meeting must continue to have sessions, but online. We had cancelled the speechcraft session planned last term,
thinkingthatspeechcraftdesperatelyrequiredin-personstage.
Ideated by DTM Prakash Tamhankar and TM Vijayanand and supported by TMAiyappa, we decided this term
that we shall conduct it online. In the first of firsts, BTMC collaborated with Rising Speakers Toastmasters club
toconductspeechcraftandIwas providedwiththeresponsibilityof beingacoordinatortothisprogram.
We had the highest ever of 24 participants from across the length and breadth of India like Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu,WestBengal,Bihar, Rajasthan,etc.
Hailing from different backgrounds such as fashion industry, IT Industry, digital marketing to HR and college
teenstoteachers,itwas ameltingpotofdifferentwalksoflifeanddifferentagegroups.
The entire programme was conducted in different rooms coordinated parallelly by myself, TM Rahil and TM
Sumedha Kashyap. Splendid education sessions by our stalwarts and wonderful evaluations by our seasoned
toastmasters made this program a huge success so much so that it had 80% participation even in concluding
weeks.
These 8 Sundays, I witnessed this journey was filled with lots of fun, entertainment and immense learning and development; not only to the
participantsbutcoordinatorsalike.
Every toastmaster needs to experience this joy of giving; this joy of witnessing the becoming of capable speakers in just few weeks and hence I
urgeyou tograbthisopportunityifitcomesyour way.
PractiseBringethMagic
DigitalCollaboration-RealworldSuccess
-RahilAhmed Sawar
- Guruprasad
Speechcraft

22. 22Newsletter
WordPower
-GeorgeD’sa
I was required to make an online presentation to the technical management team of my company, which included
the staff from various offices from different countries. Mr. Timothy Flook, Head of the Assembly Technology,
who isstationedintheUK alsoattendedthesession.
My presentation related to my contribution on the creation of key technical documents and sharing them with the
new budding engineers for enhancing their knowledge and I concluded that presentation with a quote
“Knowledge shared is Knowledge Multiplied" instead of the normal quote “Knowledge shared is Knowledge
Squared". That conclusion got me admirable feedback, including excellent appreciation from Mr. Flook, who
remarked that the punch line was very impactful. I then realized the enormous difference the one word - from
“Squared” to “Multiplied" - that had made in the conclusion of my presentation. I am certain that that
presentationwillhelpmeinmyprospectsinthecompany.
This was possible because I understood the nuances of this art form called communication in the recently
concluded Speechcraft program.All my weekly presentations in speechcraft helped me with my presentation out there in the real world. Not only
did I get a platform to perform but received a mentor in TM Robinson who helped me with my speeches. It was he who suggested me to consider
substituting the word “Squared” with “Multiplied". I loved his suggestion and closed my presentation accordingly. With all grace I must say that I
benefited immensely from the speechcraft program and hence I have decided to be a part of Bangalore Toastmasters Club that helped me groom
myself.IimmenselythankthisClubforacceptingmeasitsmemberandforthegiftithas alreadypresentedme.
DTM Prakash Ashokrao
Tamhankar completed Level 3
Toastmasters who completed a path this term:
DTM Dr. Rajdeep won the Best Evaluator in the Evaluation
Contest Division B to represent Division B in the District
Deepika Das Pereira Rita Saldanha Das, ACS, CL Rahil Ahmed Sawar
Accolades

23. About Us
Club’s Mission
Bangalore Toastmasters Club (BTMC) was officially chartered in April, 1997. Standing tall today with 92 members from various walks of life -
students, engineers, entrepreneurs, bank officers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, we are not just the second oldest club in India
butalsooneof thelargest!
Here,youwon't justovercomeyourfearof publicspeakingbutyouwillalsolearntobecomeachampionspeakerandaninspiringleader!
We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills,
resultingingreaterself-confidenceandpersonalgrowth.
Glimpsesofouronlinemeetings:
Physically distant, yet socially together:
When we meet physically, we meet:
25Newsletter
Meeting Details
Date & Time- Every Friday between 6.30 and 8.30pm
Venue - Loyola Hall, Ashirvad, St Marks Road, Bangalore 560001

24. 19
Mahendra Javaraiah
Mohammed Samdani
Abhirama K S
Dhruv Goyal
George D’sa
Nazneen Begum
An engineer by qualification and a businessman by choice, he is
currently pursuing his law out of passion. He is blessed with a
lovely family and has a beautiful daughter named Shreya.
Mahendra is back for his second innings in BTMC.
has moved to our club from Banjara Toastmasters. He has been the
past SAA, VPPR, VPM and President at Banjara. He has completed his
CC, CL, ACB and DL1. TM Samdani works as a software engineer at
Tata Elxsi and enjoys reading and travelling.
works as an application consultant at Keysight Technologies.
At BTMC, he is looking forward to honing his speaking and
leadership skills, network, learn and become a better person.
He is a B.Tech graduate and is currently a trainee at TCS. He is
an author and has published two fiction novels on Amazon and
is working on his third book.
He has done his M. Tech in Materials Engineering and currently
works as a materials specialist at Airbus. He enjoys reading
autobiographies and technical books and plays badminton
and tennis.
She is a SAP FICO consultant who is also a voracious reader,
loves travelling and always strives to perceive postivity in
negativity.
New Members:
Re-inducted Members
23Newsletter
Amit Sudhir Kumar Mahadevappa
Amit was a member of BTMC in 2010 and is now back to
restart his journey to hone his leadership and public speaking skills.
We are happy to announce the following new members to our club. New members bring new ideas and new interests and it is always
exciting to get to know them. Please help us welcome them to Bangalore Toastmasters Club and congratulate them on taking that
first step in their Toastmasters journey. Every member is willing to help you at any time and we will all support you with your
progress towards your goals.Wealllookforward towatchingyou becomethespeakerandleaderyou wanttobe.
New Toastmasters

25. 24
Paramjyothi Akula
Punithraj
Raghavendra Mysore Sampath Kumar
Rajanna K
She is a Mechanical Engineer from NIT Warangal, an MBA
graduate from IIM Lucknow and is currently working with
Amazon as a Program Manager. She is a mother of two lovely
children and has joined Toastmasters to improve her speaking
skills and to learn how to connect with different types of
audience.
CEO and Founder of an edtech start-up called EIPOC. He enjoys
reading books, doing yoga and working with several social
organisations. He joined BTMC to become a great public
speaker!
He is a delivery manager in Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
He enjoys travelling, long drives, reading, watching movies
and listening to music.
Works as an Audit Executive at Sparsh Hospital. He has joined
Toastmasters to enhance his communication skills, become a
better leader and meet new people to learn from their stories,
experiences, etc.
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A Toastmasters Crossword
Across
2. A movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head
5. A tall stand with a sloping top to hold note
7. Variation in the strength, tone or pitch of one’s voice
9. A person who studies and writes about grammar
10. The action leading a group of people
12. The formation of clear and distinct sounds in speech
14. Convincing
15. A thing that serves to relieve inhibitions or tension between people
16. The skill of clear and expressive speech
17. Small ceremonial mallet
18. The body of words used in a particular language
DOWN
1. The written text of a speech
3. Spoken or done without preparation
4. Prohibited or restricted by social custom
6. The imparting or exchanging of information
8. Special words or expressions used by a profession
11. Making of a judgement or assessment
13. Ralph Chester—