IT’S NOT FINAL

The slightly low spirits of regular members on seeing only a few committed toastmasters in the meeting did not last very long as the room filled up slowly but surely with several guests. The ambiance of the room was very casual and friendly with the guests also feeling at home. It was one of the finest meetings from many aspects including novelty, creativity, collaboration, inclusion, and intellectual growth. 

The ever-ready and charming TM Rayees Syed opened the meeting as the Sergeant at Arms and made everyone in the room feel welcome. His jovial demeanor never fails to lift people’s spirits. He called the Area 38 champion and presiding officer TM Omar Khan to carry the meeting forward. The proud Stallions were congratulated for bagging the first place winner awards in all 4 categories at the area level with TM Omar for International Speech, TM Viquar Hussain for Humorous Speech, TM Naqi Rizvi for Table Topics, and TM Jibran Mohiuddin for Evaluation Speech Contest. 

The Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD) was none other than the indefatigable (word of the day) TM Syed Faisal who beautifully articulated that nothing in life is final until and unless we declare it to be so. Even death is not final as there is a life after that too. The last words of an individual on his or her death bed are also not final as the spoken words may not be the last. Success, without exception, is also not the destination and is actually very relative.

The timer was TM Taqir Hussain with TM Omar Khan as the ah counter. The grammarian was TM Viquar and the vote counter was the diligent DTM Syed Waqas. The meeting was a complete event as there was a prepared speech session, table topics, and general evaluation. Furthermore, the conduct of the meeting was very innovative particularly with regards to the table topics. 

The first speaker of the evening was TM Mohammad Alwan who talked about “your body speaks on your behalf”. Like always, TM Alwan educated the audience with a very informative and relevant topic and talked about the importance of harmonizing our words with our body so that there is no disconnect in what we say and how we act. He also spoke about how different body gestures mean different things in various parts of the world. 

The second speaker was the naturally funny TM Taqir Hussain who’s speech titled “what goes around comes around” talked about a story in which he helped a young aspiring gentleman in his job and had the favor returned to him a few years later. His speech was filled with great humor that left the audience in roars of laughter. 

The most awaited session of the evening was the table topics segment that was conducted by the indefatigable TM Viquar who’s innovative ideas always leave the audience stunned. He called a guest (Firoze Khan) and asked him to talk about what he would do if Albaik were to come to Riyadh. Each subsequent speaker had to pick a line from the speech of his predecessor and use that as his table topics speech title. The line-up of the speakers included TM Sajid Abdul Rezak, guest Amjad, guest Abdulaziz Zamil, TM Dr. Fayez, and TM Kaleem. Each of the speakers spoke well and tried his best. The session started with the discussion of free food and ended at the same point!

Following the novel table topics session was the heart of any toastmaster’s meeting (evaluation) that was headed by TM Naqi Rizvi who had assumed the role of a General Evaluator (GE). He spoke about the difference between success and fulfillment and the relationship between happiness and success. He emphasized that one should aspire for fulfillment as the feeling of contentment is arguably the most satisfying feeling. In addition, he mentioned that it is not success that leads to happiness but happiness that acts as a precursor to success. After his short prelude, he invited the first evaluator TM Omar who gave a constructive evaluation to his target speaker TM Alwan. He was followed by DTM Waqas who also commended TM Taqir’s speech and suggested some improvements that could make his speech better. The last in the line of evaluators was TM Rayees who evaluated the table topics speakers and encouraged the speakers by praising them for their courage and suggesting minor areas for improvement.

The meeting reports were not taken because of the shortage in time and the general evaluation of TM Naqi started with praise for a club he calls home. He commended the members and guests for making the meeting so special. He also suggested that the club should focus on punctuality more than it does presently and should fill vacant positions of meeting leaders right before the start of the meeting to avoid changes in the agenda. 

The TMOD, who likes to stand behind the lectern for reasons unknown, concluded his session and handed the control to the presiding officer. The president took guest comments all of which were very pleasant and ensured a busy week for the Vice President Membership TM Fayez as some guests showed interest in becoming members. 

The awards were distributed with TM Omar and the guest of honor guest Feroze Khan giving away the rolling trophy to the winners of the evening. TM Tauqeer was declared the prepared speech winner, TM Kaleem as the table topics champion, TM Omar as the best evaluator, and TM Naqi as the Big 3 winner. The final award was shared between the 3 most important role players of the evening as TM Faisal, TM Viquar, and TM Naqi did their best to make the show the success that it was.

AREA 38 CONTEST-2015 | 06.02.2015

AREA 38 CONTEST-2015

The contest season usually brings in the competitive spirit among toastmasters in which they not only work to further their personal goals but assist other comrades in developing their speeches too! The friendly yet determined spirit manifests itself during contests and increases as the competition toughens.

The month of February is the month of area contests with Area 38 no exception. The contest was held on February 6 in the SABIC Academy, Riyadh under the auspices of the Area Governor TM Sultan Patel who represents SABIC Stars Toastmasters Club. The other clubs in the area include Desert Diamond and Arabian Stallions.

The area has seen some mighty speakers take to the stage and this year’s contest was no different. Some of the finest toastmasters from all 3 clubs showed the power of articulate communication and personal commitment by delivering excellent speeches in all 4 categories. Each category had a maximum of 6 speakers as each club had sent a maximum of 2 representatives to the area.

The event began during late afternoon and was cordially and enthusiastically opened by the master of ceremony TM Syed Faisal who proudly talked about the prestige of Area 38. He invited the Area Governor to say a few words and then handed the lectern to the chief judge DTM James Edward Tarook who reiterated the general rules that audience and contestants must adhere to in order for the contest to proceed smoothly. The contestants and judges had been briefed before the commencement of the contest and were aware of their speaking slots.

The event kicked off on a positive note with the evaluation Contest Master DTM Tahir Nalg taking to the stage and mentioning the contest specific rules. He invited the target speaker TM Rock who spoke about being a play maker; not one who waits for opportunities or steals them, but rather, someone who creates opportunities for him or herself. He also related that to his personal life’s journey of doing well in computer science. He shared his moment of joy after graduating in the field of his choice.

The speakers prepared their notes and vacated the room to wait for their turn in the isolation room. Each speaker evaluated one and the same target speaker and demonstrated his ability in analytics and constructive feedback. All the speakers gave their best and employed various techniques and points to relay their point to the audience.

The second session was the table topics segment that was presided over by TM Ibrahim from SABIC. He explained the specific criteria and chose the secret question from the chief judge. All speakers (except the first presenter) were escorted to the isolation room and the topic for all speakers went along the lines of “people hear your words but they feel your attitude. Please comment”.

The funniest and most light hearted part of the event was the humorous speech session that was conducted by TM Rayees from Arabian Stallions. As usual, TM Rayees got life to the session and invited the 3 speakers to amuse the audience. TM Ibrahim Mahmoud talked about the pros and cons of being obese and left the audience laughing! TM Naqi talked about the incidences with his mother and the peculiarities in her that were typical of many other mothers. TM Viquar got the audience giggling throughout his entire speech with his pain on being perceived as an “uncle” because of the gray strands in his beard.

The most anticipated session of the event was the international speech session that was carried forward by the president of Desert Diamond Club TM Mustafa Hamdan. The draws had already been drawn and the first one to take the stage was TM Waqas who spoke about the power of words and their use as a tool to hurt or heal. TM Abdullah Al Jurf articulated his point about the constant need to question oneself and to seek answers from within in order to lead a better and more balanced life. TM Feras Alzahrani jovially yet immaculately talked about the importance of work/life balance that many of us tend to ignore. He talked about the retirement delusion and told the audience to live a balanced and enjoyable life from now as time lost is never regained.

TM Husam Alqasar used the toastmaster’s motto of “we learn by doing” to make his point about the value of putting theoretical knowledge to practice. The process of executing learned concepts is not only valuable but also essential. TM Mohammad Al-Hajri derived inspiration from his oral braces and relayed to the audience the three lessons that he had learned from them. They taught him that it is important to be slow but sure, flexibility is strength, and success is progress only when the achievement is retained. The last in the line of speakers was TM Omar Khan who focused on the small mishaps of his life and how he had taken his blessings for granted until a little destitute small boy and girl changed his outlook of life and made him realize about the countless blessings that he had. His use of a very powerful and transformative story impacted the audience and made them thankful for the countless blessings that they have.

The functionaries and speakers were awarded for contributing towards the show and a picture session accompanied the awards distribution ceremony. After that, the most anticipated part of the evening began with the announcement of the winners. The first and second place winners in each category will represent Area 38 at the Division ‘B’ level in March 2015.

The third place winner in evaluation was TM Husam Alqasar, with TM Omar Khan in second place and TM Jibran Mohiuddin taking the first place award. The table topics session saw TM Fares Alzahrani in third place, TM Omar Khan in second place, and TM Naqi in first place. The humorous speech contest only had 1 declared winner as there were only 3 speakers. The funniest man of the evening was TM uncle Viquar who had impressed the judges with his “hairy tales”. In International Speech, the third place was bagged by TM Syed Waqas, second place by TM Abdullah Al Jurf and first place by TM Omar Khan.

The highlight of the evening was that all first place awards in all 4 categories went to Arabian Stallions Toastmasters Club (ASTC). The other 2 clubs also gave a tough time to the speakers and performed very well. The functionaries played a vital role in the meeting and helped execute a great event!

The next step of the ladder is the Division ‘B’ conference in March 2015 and the torch bearers of the area will carry forward the lantern to win prizes in the division conference too!