Arabian Stallions Annual Speech Contest | 14th January 2015.

Arabian Stallions TMC - Annual Speech Contest

18:00 - 21:00 - 14th January, 2015 

Coco Palm Restaurant, Hayyal Wazarat, Riyadh

Responsibility | January 7, 2015

RESPONSIBILITY

 

The first meeting of the year 2015 began on a spectacular note with informal hugs and greetings. The cordial salutation's session was interrupted by the acting Sargent at Arms TM Omar Khan who called the meeting to order and proactively took responsibility for this role. He also blended this role with his part as the presiding officer and congratulated the winners of last week. He then gave a heart-warming introduction of the Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD) TM Rayees and invited him to the stage with vigor.

 

TM Rayees in his usual charismatic and unique style began the meeting on a happy note and extended his felicitations of the New Year to all the attendees. He introduced the theme of the meeting "responsibility" and mentioned that responsibility is a duty that must be exercised at the right time. The idea of responsibility is applicable in every sphere of life as one has to assume responsibility at every level and failure to act responsibly can lead to devastating consequences. The notion of responsibility stretches beyond individuality and is relevant in teams and groups too. People often have to assume responsibility for an entire group and are accountable for every member's actions.

 

In the interest of time, the TMOD quickly allowed the meeting leaders to introduce themselves with TM Faisal Syed as the grammarian, TM Omar as the timer, TM Meraj as the ah counter, and TM Ahmad Yahya as the vote counter. TM Rayees very comfortably transitioned to the first segment called prepared speech session and introduced the first evaluator TM Omar who highlighted the objectives of TM Mohammad Alwen's third speech from the Competent Communication (CC) manual.

 

TM Alwen gave an enlightening speech about the practice of whale hunting and talked about various facets that are related to this topic such as the breeding of these mammals, their extinction, and what we as individuals can do to revive the whale community. He subtly talked about the political dimension of this issue and stressed that whales are an endangered species that should be protected and their use for food and entertainment should be eliminated. Research in this field should be promoted and we as individuals should donate to such noble causes.

 

The second speaker in the lineup was the ever humorous speaker TM Taqir who's speech title "a pleasant accident" created interest among the audience. He took to the podium and narrated a story of luck and adventure. He began by talking about an academy that he and his friends wanted to establish and how they collected the money for this cause. He jovially brought in the female students every now and then and lightened up the mood of his narrative. He then talked about an incident in which he was secretly being trapped by a gang of thugs in an unknown city. However, while on his way to the gang for the second time without knowing their real intent, he was hit by a motorist on his motorbike and broke a finger as a result. His persistence to visit his treacherous new friends forced TM Taqir's friends to accompany him, and this he says, saved his life as he would have been killed by the thugs had he been alone. Therefore, the motorbike accident was a pleasant encounter that allowed him to stand in front of the audience to deliver a message of hope and faith.

 

The prepared speech session was followed by the table topics segment that was brilliantly chaired by TM Dr. Fayez who asked the audience thought-provoking questions related to the theme. Each of the 6 speakers did a fantastic job in his own right and addressed the following questions:

1.       99% of failures are caused by people who make excuses –answered by guest Ali Adnan

2.       Greatness means a lot of responsibility-answered by TM Faisal

3.       Dreams translate to benign responsibility-answered by TM Naqi

4.       More liberty means more responsibility-answered by TM Sajid

5.       Assuming responsibility means that some people will be dissatisfied-answered by DTM Waqas

6.       Which between quality and quantity is more important-answered by TM Ahmad Yahya

 

TM Dr. Fayez with his witty personality and intriguing questions entertained the audience and his choice of particular speakers to address the chosen question added to the fun. He called for votes and handed the control to the TMOD.

 

TM Rayees then called the ever ready general evaluator (GE) DTM Waqas who called TM Omar to present his report for the speech of TM Alwen. The evaluator in his usual encouraging demeanor praised the speaker for talking about such a difficult topic and for outlining his speech in an understandable format for the audience. He also advised him not to show the audience if he forgets something on stage as that might negatively impact the speech. TM Omar gave valuable recommendations to TM Alwen and returned the control to the GE who invited TM Naqi to the lectern. TM Naqi also began by praising TM Taqir for his ingenious choice of the speech title and captivating story throughout the speech. He appreciated TM Taqir for keeping the suspense till the very end and for injecting humor every now and then. He advised the speaker to use appropriate pauses, more rhetorical devices to meet the speech objectives, and constantly link his story to the underlying point of his message about the pleasant accident.

 

DTM Waqas then called the functionary reports and presented his concluding remarks. He praised TM Dr. Fayez for his choice of questions and speakers but advised him to call senior toastmasters before the newer ones in order for the more recent members to learn from the more experienced ones. DTM Waqas also stressed that inactive members of the audience should be given preference over role players to allow everyone to get a chance to speak. He emphasized that meeting times should be respected and the agenda should contain time slots for each segment to adhere to the allotted time for every session.

 

Thus, another fun filled and informative meeting ended with the announcement of the winners with TM Taqir as the only qualified prepared speaker, TM Faisal and TM Ahmad as the shared table topics winners, DTM Waqas as the best evaluator, TM Faisal as the best meeting leader, and another shared award between DTM Waqas and TM Dr. Fayez as the big 3. The president announced the date for the annual club contest as January 14 and encouraged all attendees to be a part of the second club officers training the coming Friday afternoon. With another literal bang, the meeting was adjourned. 

RAISE THE BAR | December 31, 2014

The last day of the year 2014 ended with a bang and a pledge. The bang was a manifestation of the enthusiasm and charisma of the attendees of Arabian Stallions' weekly meeting and the pledge was taken to ensure that both individual as well as team standards are slowly but surely raised. The appetite for improvement is never saturated, which was the word of the day.

An Excomm meeting preceded the regular weekly meeting and led to some delays in the commencement of the regular meeting. The meeting began at about 6.36 with the ad hoc Sargent-at-arms TM Naqi who opened the meeting with a bang and welcomed the members and guests. He jovially introduced the presiding officer DTM Waqas and dispelled rumors about him being in his late twenties!

DTM Waqas was the presiding officer as the president was still in the excom meeting 1 floor above. DTM Waqas welcomed guests and returned the favor to TM Naqi by a heart-warming introduction of the Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD). In his usual affectionate and flattering voice, DTM Waqas recounted the target speech of TM Naqi during the district conference of 2013.

TM Naqi started the official meeting on a high note and asked the audience about their perception of the phrase "raise the bar". The 2 answers talked about raising standards and staying away from complacency or stagnation. TM Naqi played a short video by a motivational speaker about how to aim high and hit the target. It talked about perseverance, being the first to attack and last to counter, first to awake and the last to sleep, and first to accept challenges and the last to hide from them. It beautifully articulated that our thoughts shape who we are. If you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. Water can flow or it can crash. Be like water my friend!

After hearing those words of wisdom, the functionaries were introduced with TM Omar as the grammarian, TM Fayez as the timer, TM Ahmad Yahya as the ah counter, and TM Rayees as the honest vote counter. The session smoothly transitioned into the prepared speech section in which 3 speakers were eagerly waiting to inspire the audience with their personal stories of overcoming challenges and raising their bar.

The first speaker was guest Sajid who broke the ice by talking about how his experiences shaped his personality. He beautifully linked his struggles with the theme of the meeting and mentioned that we all have to give our best but leave the rest to the Creator. He ended his speech with a beautiful message of hope and reinforced the idea that we need to trust the Almighty as things happen for the best and fall into place.

The second confident speaker drove from Al-Qasim and talked about winning the trust of his company's CEO for an assignment that he was entrusted with just before he had planned to submit his resignation. TM Taqir comfortably blended his message with humor, receiving bursts of laughter from the audience. He spoke about how he got the job done because of his personal contacts and determination. He happily concluded by demonstrating how he successfully raised his bar.

The third in the line of speakers was TM Sultan, the Area 38 governor. He transcended the audiences' emotions by his brilliant diction and carefully worded motivational speech. His imaginative words conjured images in the minds of the audience who stood transfixed as he talked about the idea of grappling with loneliness and went on to talk about how to manage it and use it positively. TM Sultan talked about his dreams of transforming the lives of impoverished children with his vast and enriching life experiences.

The prepared speech session ended on a very positive note not only because all 3 speakers uplifted the audience with their messages of hope but also because the theme of the meeting was reinforced with every speaker who took to the podium. The upward trend did not end here and was carried forward by the high spirited TM Naveed Hussain, who had prepared a set of questions and presented 3 of those.

His first victim was TM Rayees who was asked to relate the phrase "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" to the theme of the meeting. As always, TM Rayees in his commanding voice and casual tone pledged to change his lifestyle for the better and then encouraged the audience to do the same in order to benefit themselves in all aspects including monetary as well as health.

TM Naveed then called TM Ali Adnan who beautifully and succinctly conveyed his message of overcoming his fears and anxiety. He talked about his apprehensions of public speaking and how his resilience paid off and instilled a feeling of confidence and positivity in him.

The last in line was the volunteer speaker TM Sultan who was asked about what his dream is. He talked about taking concrete action instead of day-dreaming. He cascaded his dream of being a good human being and encouraged the audience to do the same. Being honest to oneself was the biggest accomplishment and should be incorporated in our day-to-lives.

The final session was presided over by the current Area 6 governor TM M.I.M. Zubair who called TM Omar, TM Rayees, and DTM Waqas to evaluate their speakers and the table topics. All the evaluators encouraged and motivated their speakers and suggested areas of improvements to help them take their well-crafted speeches to the next level. Each of the evaluators was subtle in his recommendations and commended the speakers for their phenomenal performance.

TM Zubair took the functionary reports and evaluated the meeting in general. He mostly sounded a positive note and praised the club for its welcoming and homely ambience. However, he mentioned some areas for improvement and emphasized on adherence to protocols for all roles, printed word of the day, and a chance for inactive members of the audience to participate in table topics.

TM Naqi utilized the last few minutes of his role to briefly reflect on 2014 and requested the audience to rise and stand in silence for a minute to introspect on the past year and to pray for the year ahead. He wished success and fulfillment for the audience and handed the control to the president TM Omar. The president thanked everyone for their participation and encouraged the attendees with his encouraging words. TM Omar then handed awards to guest Sajid as the best prepared speaker, TM Ali as the best table topics speaker, DTM Waqas as the finest evaluator, and TM Naqi as the chosen Big-3.

The final meeting on 2014 ended on a very positive note and struck a chord with all the attendees. The theme of the meeting was executed from the beginning to the end and inspired the members to strive to achieve individual as well as collective goals.

Self Confidence | 24 December 2014

Another exciting Wednesday evening began at 6:35 PM when the de facto Sargent-at-arms TM Omar Khan took to the stage and banged the gavel to officially commence the meeting. As usual, his exuberant voice and novel ideas made the start to the meeting enthralling both for members and guests. TM Omar told the audience to recite the toastmaster’s motto. Instead of taking the lead, as is usually the case with the Sargent-at-arms, TM Omar repeated after cognizant and ever-ready toastmasters who recited the motto with vigor and enthusiasm.

With a subtle transition, TM Omar wore the hat of the presiding officer and welcomed the guests who were happy to be in the meeting. He also honored the guest of honor TM Zia and extoled him in front of the gathering. He then changed into the hat of the Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD) and engaged the audience with the theme of the day-self-confidence.

He asked the wise audience about its perception of the term and received answers that included a belief in one’s capabilities, the ability to recognize one’s strengths as well as weaknesses, and the confidence of one’s actions after careful listening and thinking. After acknowledging and appreciating all answers, TM Omar asked the audience how self-confidence was different from boastfulness, arrogance, and superiority complex. He shed some more light on the topic with his intellectual gift and convinced the audience that the first step to achieving self-confidence is a firm belief in oneself and the drive to achieve those goals. It often happens that we set goals but lose track and steer of-course. That is because of a lack in constant evaluation and introspection of one’s ambitions. He also gave an example of sports teams that employ psychologists who use a technique called Neuron Linguistic Programming (NLP) to instill a belief in players that they are invincible. Once the morale of people is raised, it is easier to be self-confident and closer to victory as a result.

The impromptu role players were TM Faisal J as the grammarian, DTM Waqas as the timer, TM Meraj as the ah counter and guest Sajid as the vote counter. Each of the 4 players articulated their responsibilities and the grammarian stressed on the word of the day which was “ambiance”.

The prepared speech segment of the program was replaced by an educational session conducted by TM Omar about leadership in its most crude form. The talk was titled “Leadership is Mandatory" and started by asking the audience about what leadership means and how he used to perceive it. Leadership always meant popularity to him and was a cult.

He moved to the main theme of his speech which was to inspire the audience about leadership at all levels which could be at a country level or at a small and micro level to constitute a family. He stressed that leadership is not popularity, a fancy title, or power but a quality that manifests itself in the form of responsible actions that transform the lives of people and change the course of history. He articulated how each one of us wants to be a visionary and a leader but most of us end up as ordinary people in contrast to others who stay put on their goals and remain steadfast. They achieve victory and leave a legacy. We all have this power, articulated TM Omar in his resounding voice. We all can make a difference in our families as fathers and guardians. None of us needs to live a regular life and our future is in our hands.

The session was cleverly timed by the timer DTM Waqas who arbitrarily turned on the green light when he started to feel bored and brought in some humor with his spontaneous gesture.

The second session of table topics was conducted by a very promising and dedicated member TM Dr. Faiz who explained the purpose of table topics and flabbergasted the audience with very interesting and pertinent questions. Each of the 7 questions was linked to the theme of self-confidence and included the following:

·         How can one become self-confident?

·         What are the tools to achieving self-confidence

·         Would you rather be handsome or smart

·         Should we care what people think about us?

·         The biggest hurdle to creativity is self-doubt. Do you agree?

·         When we take a decision, we do not need to make a right decision but make our decision right. Do you agree?

·         Would you prefer a Samsung or and iPhone?

The table topics session infused energy into the audience and the session quickly proceeded to the general evaluation that was conducted by the guest of honor TM Zia. He was succinct and articulate. He asked for the evaluation reports from DTM Waqas for the educational session and TM Shamsuri for the table topics. They both delivered crisp evaluations and the session proceeded to the reports of the role players or meeting leaders. Each of them (except for the vote counter) presented their reports and TM Omar was declared the winner for being the only one to use the word of the day.

TM Zia gave constructive feedback about the meeting and highlighted the following:

·      He was glad and felt honored to be back.

·      The meeting began late and Arabian Stallions should respect punctuality.

·      The role players and speakers mentioned in the agenda should be present as it is difficult to assign roles at the last minute.

·      There should be at least 1 prepared speech in the meeting.

The lectern was returned to the TMOD/presiding officer who requested the vote counter to declare the results. The table topics winner was guest Omar Faiz (it was his first time to be in toastmasters) and the “Big 3” award went to TM Dr. Faiz, the father of the table topics winner! The winners were photographed and the meeting ended on a happy note with all members feeling self-confident about themselves.

A guest (Dr. Faiz Alotaibi) delighted the attendees by generously inviting them to his wedding on Friday and a photo session of all attendees concluded the proceedings of the evening.

By Naqi Rizvi,

Secretary,

Arabian Stallions