Newsletter • Manama Toastmasters Club • CLUB 2916, DISTRICT 20

Manama Toastmasters

July - August 2013

Usually July and August for me are the most boring months

of the year, the overbearing heat just makes everything

look tedious. But this year was an exception.

First we had the Holy month of Ramadan, followed by Eid

Al-Fitr, then there were the regular Manama Toastmasters

club meetings every Saturday. The initial plan was to attend

once every two weeks, but since yours truly took over as

VP-Public Relations then previous plans were scrapped.

In the beginning I was confused, mystified and kind of

scared. What in the world have I gotten myself into? But as

time went by and with the support of my fellow

toastmasters things started to become, I dare to say, better.

Nevertheless, no job is completely 100% perfect, and I hope

I am able to represent Horizon’s legacy for Manama

Toastmasters Club and the standards set by the previous

Editors of Horizon.

Editorial

1

The Horizon Team

Editor In Chief

TM Rashid

Maymoon

Proof Reader

TM Guraz

Wankadia

2

Contents

Presidents desk 3

Tips and tricks for team MTM! 5

My Summer Trip 9

Elevator contest 11

July Meetings 15

Make it Happen 20

Club Officer Training 23

What makes a speaker stand out when

they Stand up to speak 24

My guide to be a Comedian 26

August Meetings 29

What distinguishes great leaders from just good ones?

Is it their IQ number or their technical skills such as business planning or

their cognitive skills like analytical reasoning? or maybe their

determination, toughness and vision?

What Makes a Leader?

According to research by Daniel

Goleman, it's their emotional

intelligence (EI): this doesn't mean

that the previous skills are

irrelevant, but if the leader in

addition to the above qualities has

emotional intelligence then that

will enables him/her to maximize

their own and their co-workers and

colleagues performance. Goleman

introduced the term "emotional

intelligence" in his 1995 book with

that title. He identified five

components or skills for a person to

master in order to be

emotionally intelligent. These are

self awareness, self regulation,

motivation, empathy and social

skill. In what follows we will give

short definitions of each

component and some of the

characteristics the effective leader

should possess.

Self-awareness—is the ability to

recognize one's strengths,

weaknesses, drives, values, goals

and their impact on others. The

leader is self-confident, honest with

himself and others. He is realistic in

his self assessment and longing for

constructive criticism

TM Thuraya Juma

President’s desk

3

Self-regulation—is the ability to

control or redirect disruptive

emotions and mood in the right

way. The leader thinks before

acting. He is trustworthy and

comfortable with ambiguity and

change.

Motivation— is the enjoyment of

the achievement for its own sake,

not for money or status. The

leader is passionate about the

work itself and for new

challenges. He is always

determined to improve and learn

from the experience. He

doesn't blame external

circumstances and optimism in

the face of failure.

Empathy— is the ability to

understand other people's

feelings, especially when making

decisions. The leader has skills in

treating people according to their

emotional reaction.

He is an expert in attracting and

retaining talent and able to

develop others. In addition, he is

aware and sensitive to cross

cultural differences

Social skill—is the ability to build

connection and rapport with

others to move them in the

desired directions. The leader is

an expert in building and leading

teams. He is effective in leading

the change.

Dear fellow Toastmasters, each of

us had born with certain levels of

emotional intelligence skills. We

can strengthen these abilities

through persistence, practice, and

feedback from colleagues, friends

or personal coaches.

4

Isn’t it exciting to be part of history as Team Manama Toastmasters makes

its debut in the Bahrain marathon relay? It is also exciting to see a good mix

of veteran runners and newbies. For those who are training for the first

time, remember to take it easy. As for the seasoned runners, you can go

ahead and “run like you stole something”.

Below are some quick helpful tips:

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR TEAM MTM!

Shoes

Nothing beats a good pair of

running shoes. They will prevent

injuries and your feet will thank

you later. PS: Don’t forget to

double knot your laces. It’s

annoying when you have to stop

half way through the race just to tie

them.

Company

Once in a while, join other MTM

members or other training partners

for a jog/run. This way, you get a

chance to compare your aches and

pains while at the same time

encouraging each other. In MTM,

you are never alone!

TM Hannah Kranja

5

EAT!

Don’t listen to the prophets of

doom who will tell you to diet

while training. Your body needs

to repair the tired muscles and

skipping meals really takes the

fun out of running. Just

remember to eat healthy and say

good-bye to the fried foods.

Fried foods leave you feeling

lethargic and make it hard to

train. Also please don’t use the

excuse that you are training to

eat more. It doesn’t work!

Mind the traffic:

Some drivers don’t appreciate

seeing runners taking up their

space so keep off the roads and

stay on the pavement.

Remember to run against the

traffic so you can spot the crazy

drivers. If you spot a crazy driver,

smile and wave. They might just

be having a bad day.

No rush

Don’t be tempted to dash off

running and don’t be tempted to

stop running and collapse on the

sofa. Always take a few moments

to stretch before and after. Your

body will thank you…

6

Water, Water, Water

everywhere

Remember to hydrate

before, during and after

your run. Without getting

too technical, your body

needs to replace the fluids

that you loose through

sweating and most

importantly, your body

needs the water to help

carry blood to your vital

organs.

Make your Doctor your

best friend

If you suffer from diabetes,

hypertension or heart

disease, see your doctor

before you start the

training. She/he will hug

you for taking this step but

he/she might need to

monitor your medication.

7

Lastly - Remember to smell the roses:

In a nut shell…

"Enjoy your training, hydrate at every

opportunity and don't eat like a pig!"

8

Our TM Ed Mleya and family in their 7 European country trip

9

10

But not a full blown speech contest –but an in club event – 60 second prepared presentation selling ourselves to our club members. We always read that we should have an elevator pitch – Well, lets get one together and have a practice session and an in-house competition. Any takers??? Elevator pitch in your back pocket – Polished and ready! Lets hit the button! And soar to the top floor!

Let’s have an Elevator Speech Contest

ACB/ALB Claire Cosgrove

11

You're in the elevator when the

hiring manager of your “Dream-

Job” Corporation enters the very

same elevator.

As the door slides shut, adrenaline

begins to flow and while nausea in

your stomach reaches up to your

throat. Throttled silent! Stunned

like a deer in front of the

headlights. How do camels react to

headlights I wonder.

You have 60 seconds, no 45

seconds, now 30 seconds. Only 15

seconds remain.

Go on! Express your attributes and

skills and expertise. Let your

confidence exude. Stand tall. Speak

clearly, concisely, compellingly.

Limited time in a closed environ to

cram in a whole resume of work

and accomplishments extolling

your successes.

There's so much you want to say.

But your message must be crisp,

clear, concise - tailored and

polished as a true craftsman.

Handle this one opportunity right,

and you will be the newest

member of the Dream-Job team.

What are you supposed to say?

Why am I not prepared, practiced,

perfection not in disguise.

What does it take to sell yourself in 60 seconds?

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Five tips to make your elevator pitch

the best tailored, most polished

speech that you have ever

delivered:

Practice, practice, practice.

Very few of us can excel on demand

and under pressure. Therefore, the

only solution is to practice your

pitch - 100 times — literally. Know

it, breathe it, sleep it, eat it. Get

comfortable with it. Practice not just

the spoken words but tailor and

polish your body language.

Not all pitches occur in the elevator

(lift) but down the hall, climbing the

stairs – now there is a tough one! In

the grocery queue or movie theatre

popcorn line. How will you give

your pitch in different situations?

Focus on impact. Kapow! Impact!

Between the eyes! Wow factors

multiply.

All with total conviction. Here is one

attention grabber: "I can make any

boss shine." Who does not want to

shine? Describing the impact you've

had, your effectiveness, your

achievements. Create that envy and

desire in your listener.

Ditch the royal ‘we’. A lot of us have

been told not to toot our own

horns. But the reality is: I want the

job, I need the job, I am the one

with all these talents and expertise.

If I want to hear “You are hired” I

need to speak “I”. Elevator pitches

are all about "I". You have to be sure

and comfortable with speaking

(bragging) about your own

individual contributions with grace

and dignity.

13

Be slow and steady. Take that

deep breathe and think that this

ride will go on forever. This is not

a F1 track where you are to race

at speeds beyond the speed of

hearing. Speak at a pace that

truly reveals your calmness and

confidence. Be thoughtful and

deliberate. Sure of yourself and

sure of the length of this

elevator ride.

See the whole world as an

elevator. Too many of us looking

for jobs, contracts, deals tend to

save their elevator speeches for

job fairs and interviews. But be

prepared, Give your elevator

pitch to everyone. You never

know where your next position

is coming from.

14

Perhaps you have other important pointers worth sharing with us all in preparation for our elevator speech contest!!!

Date 06

July 13

July

20

July

27 July

Meeting No. 2420 2421

Did you Know?

2422 Bright night

2423 Oxymorons

Master of Ceremonies

TM Waleed Noamaan

TM Chris Noronha

TM May Abdul Aziz

TM Kishore Babu

Best Speaker TM Syed Ali Al-Wadaei

TM Ammar Jaffar

TM Kishore Babu

TM Khalid Amin

Best Evaluator TM Khalid

Amin

TM Waleed Noman

TM Manal AlMatrook

TM Asrar Merchant

Best Commentator

DTM Khalid Al-Quod

TM Sheela Pai

TM Waleed Noman

Guest Siddiuq

July Meetings

15

Meeting No. 2420 - 6 July 2013

MC of the evening TM Waleed Noaman

TM Khalid AlQuod receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Khalid Amin receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Ali AlWadaei receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

16

Meeting No. 2421 - 13 July 2013

Did you Know?

MC of the evening TM Chris Noronha

TM Sheela Pai receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Asrar Merchant receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Ammar Jaffar receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

17

Meeting No. 2422 - 20 July 2013

Bright Night

MC of the evening TM May Abdul Aziz

TM Waleed Noman receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Manal Al-Matrook receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Kishore Babu receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

18

Meeting No. 2423 - 27 July 2013

Oxymorons

MC of the evening TM Kishore Babu

Guest TM Siddiq receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Asrar Merchant receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Khalid Amin receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

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Make it happen AC - Entertaining Speaker (Project II)

Resources for Entertainment

The elevator to success is out of order.

You will have to use the staircase.

One step at a time

All of us have a dream. A goal that we set in our minds and we then try to

do our best to achieve it. Unfortunately the initial enthusiasm vanishes

soon like a piece of butter placed on a hot pan. We have to change our way

of thinking, our way of reacting to different situations and believe in

ourselves instead of doubting our abilities.

Many times we fail in our objectives because we run away from something

and this could be because of our past. Instead of RUNNING AWAY from

something, we have to focus on RUNNING TOWARDS something. The

only time RUNNING AWAY FROM SOMETHING works is when you

are chased by a hungry dog. One of the richest and most powerful women

in television, Oprah Winfrey grew up dirt poor and was repeatedly

molested by her male relatives.

TM Chris Noronha

20

She however, did not let her past define who she was or

what she would become. She overcame all obstacles in

her path and is now an important figurehead for women

in America, a philanthropist donating millions of her

own fortune for various charities all over the world.

One of her most famous quotes is:

It does not matter how you came into the world, what matters is that you are here.

21

bad habits, we focus too much on the BAD than focusing on the GOOD. For

example, when delivering a speech, the more you focus on getting rid of

nervousness, the more nervous you become. Instead, you should focus on how

you would feel if you deliver the speech successfully. Winston Churchill, had a

stutter but he did not let that deter him from his mission. He consistently

worked to overcome it and finally stated:

“My impediment is no hindrance”

Being an optimist and believing that there are good things in store despite huge

boulders in your path is a daunting task. Ever since I was a little girl, my mother

would tell me how she left her home. You see she grew up in a small village but knew

that she was destined for greater things. Her family was poor but because of fields,

they always had food on their table and would share with the neighbors who had

none.

When proposals used to come for her, she would not settle for just anyone. She knew

that there was something better out there for her. She used to cry

thinking better out there for her. She used to cry

thinking that she would be all alone in the world but

she had trust and faith in God. The minute she saw

my dad when he came to see her, she knew that he was the one. She

came to Bahrain and worked during the day and took classes at night.

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Giving up is so easy. Focus on what you want to become rather than focusing on what

you do not want to become. It is important to turn your wounds into wisdom.

Remember that what God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.

As each day begins, dare to smile gratefully. When life seems to beat you down, dare to

fight back. When times are tough, dare to be tougher. When you feel great, dare to

help someone feel great too. When your life is through, dare to feel that you have done

your best. I dare you to make it happen!

It cannot have been at all easy to come to Bahrain more than 50 years ago,

leaving behind her country, family and friends, a stranger in a foreign land and

being exposed to a totally different culture, but she worked hard, persevered and

rose up to the challenge like a phoenix from the ashes and because of her, I am

here today.

The newly elected Excom of Manama Toastmasters Club

attended the Club Officer Training (COT) which was held last

June 2013 at Bahrain Society of Engineers in Juffair.

It was a very intensive and informative training which will

help the new officers in their roles.

TM Thuraya Juma

Club Officer Training

23

24

25

It is harder to make people laugh, then it is to make them cry. That is,

unless you have some special characteristics, or as Austin powers calls

it, you have to have some “MOJO”.

No1 on the list is your Family:

Here I am not talking about the picture perfect, “Brady bunch” family,

but talking about a family who when you are feeling sad or had a

tough day are always ready and do anything they can to poke fun at

you, a family that have given you an official name, but have

hundreds of other nicknames for you (Rasheeeed, rash). In my case,

my complex multi-cultural, multi-language family adds to all of this

with the additional emotional drama, melodrama, with some bits of

actions, all of this makes you so traumatized that you are bound to

become a comedian.

No 2 on my list is your own personal features:

For being able to endure the rash criticisms that anyone faces, you

have to have a thick skin, as you see, we the fat people have plenty of

that, we can take lots of hits, and we are warm during winter.

My guide to be a Comedian

TM Rashid Maymoon

26

One other personal attribute that I think helps is being tall, especially

if you are a man. It doesn’t matter for men if they are fat or not. If

you’re short, then your life gets worse, because (let us admit it ladies

and gentlemen) being tall can be a very helpful tool, you can always

look down on people, because literally you can, hence you can use it

for jokes.

Also, it makes sense that you have a good memory, which comes in

handy in reminding people of their past embarrassing or funny

moments. Use it as backup ammunition; you never know when you

might use it in the future.

No3 on my list is the “School”:

A person is never a great comedian until he has been really

traumatized during school years. The taunting you receive in school

is something that remains with you the whole of your life. Whenever

some old teacher or classmate sees you and says I remember when

you were playing football and fell down, hahaha, it was so funny, or

I remember when you had a fight with Jassim, he really gave you a

beating, and don’t me get started on the nicknames, truly children

say anything, and I mean anything.

27

No4 is friends:

Bahrain is such a small island, that has people from all over the world,

hence you have people from different places. It is really interesting when

you have Indian and Pakistani friends, you get to eat great food at

their house, but avoid them whenever India is playing Pakistan in

cricket.

Having different types of friends also means friends who have different

likes and dislikes, one is a football fanatic, and one hates football but

loves taunting the other when his team loses. One is liberal then one is

conservative, these personalities and the contradiction that exists

between them are very good material to use as a comic relief.

In conclusion, I just want to say that this is my opinion of what I think

shapes your comedic edges. This list however is incomplete because I have

just gotten married for six months, so it is still an early stage for it to

have any serious impact, but I certainly promise in future more can be

added on that.

Just remember all the things in life can make you something different

(grumpy, isolated..etc), in order to be a comedian you have to see

comedy in everything you do or go through.

28

Date 03

August 17

August

24

August

31 August

Meeting No. 2424

Sports Night

2425

2426 Famous

Historical Speeches

2427 Tribute To

Mohd Iqbal Butt -

RIP

Master of Ceremonies

TM Rashid Maymoon

TM Guraz Wankadia

TM Chris Noronha

TM Sheela Pai

Best Speaker TM Chris Noronha

TM Hannah Karanja

TM Amal Al Safar

TM Kishore

Babu

Best Evaluator TM Claire Cosgrove

TM Sheela Pai TM

Waleed Noman

TM Manal Al

Matrook

Best Commentator

TM Guraz Wankadia

TM Abdulrahman

Awadhi

TM Thuraya

Juma

TM Zakaria Sulaiman

August Meetings

29

Meeting No. 2424 - 3 August 2013

Sports Night

MC of the evening TM Rashid Maymoon

TM Guraz Wankadia receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Claire Cosgrove receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Chris Noronha receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

30

Meeting No. 2425 - 6 July 2013

MC of the evening TM Guraz Wankadia

TM Abdulrahman Awadhi receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Sheela Pai receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Hannah Karanja receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

31

Meeting No. 2426 - 24 August 2013

Famous Historical Speeches

MC of the evening TM Chris Noronha

President TM Thuraya Juma receives best commentator award from MC Chris Noronha

TM Waleed Noman receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Amal Al-Saffar receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

32

Meeting No. 2427 – 31 August 2013

MC of the evening TM Sheela Pai

TM Zakariya Suliman receives best commentator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Manal Al-Matrook receives best evaluator award from President TM Thuraya Juma

TM Kishore Babu receives best speaker award from President TM Thuraya Juma

33

TM May Abdul Aziz receiving her

ribbon for Successfully completing

Competent Leader's manual

Congrats TM May

TM Kishore Babu receiving the

Advanced Communicator Silver

Certificate Congrats TM Kishore

Quiz master TM Sheela Pai and

President TM Thuraya Juma

resenting TM Manal AlMatrook her prize for winning the quiz session

34

Manama Toastmasters

35

Manama Toastmasters

Birthdays

4 July 2013: TM Sheela Pai

19 August 2013: DTM Joel Indrupati

31 August 2013: TM Rashid Maymoon

Wedding Anniversaries

14 July 2013: TM Ratinder Nath

2 August 2013: TM Zakariya Sulaiman

8 August 2013: TM May Abdul Aziz

10 August 2013: TM Monther Numan

24 August 2013: TM Abdul Rahman Al Awadhi

36

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit

organization governed by a Board of Directors

elected by the members.

The first Toastmasters club was established in 1924

in Santa Ana, California by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley who

conceived and developed the idea of helping others

to speak more effectively

Through its member clubs Toastmasters International with over

292,000 members attending one of 14,350 clubs in 122

countries helping men and women improve their

communication and leadership skills.

Toastmasters International Headquarters are located in Rancho

Santa Margarita, California.

Visit www.toastmasters.org for more information.

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Meetings: When? Every Saturday

What time? 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Where? At the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Manama,

Kingdom of Bahrain Visit www.manamatoastmasters.org

for more information.

Manama Toastmasters

Manama Toastmasters Club established in 1964, is the oldest

in the Middle East. Our club is registered under the Ministry of

Social Development (reg. no.74/C/C) and is affiliated to

Toastmasters International.

Our mission is to provide a mutually supportive and positive

environment in which every member has the opportunity to

develop communication and leadership skills which, in turn,

foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Contact: Vice President Public Relations: Rashed Ahmed Maymoon +973-39612914/ +973-32228575 therk3@gmail.com

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TM Thuraya Juma

President

TM Rashid Maymoon

VP Public Relations

The EXCOM JULY- DECEMBER 2013

TM Laxman Rathore

VP Education

TM Amina Al-Hajri

Secretary

TM May Abdul Aziz

VP Membership

TM Asrar Merchant

Treasurer

TM Prashanth Gudibande

Sergeant at Arms

Manama Toastmasters