Annual Newsletter

FUJAIRAH TOASTMASTERS CLUB

Club No.687847, Area-47, Division-K, District-105

FTC Annual Newsletter | 2019-2020

YEAR OF EXCELLENCE

1

Achievements Journey to Excellence 2019-2020

FUJAIRAH Awards

TOASTMASTERS CLUB  Received Perfect 10 Club Award by achieving 10/10 points in

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE the Distinguished Club Program and became the President
2019-2020 Distinguished Club Status.

Pradeep Kumar Mantrala Kedar Supekar  Received “Smedley Award” for having 5 new members during

President Vice President August – September
Education
 Received “Lead and Win Award” for renewing 25 members for
Shuyeb Sheik Haripratap Singh
this year.
Vice President Vice President
Membership Public Relations  Received Online Ovation Award/Education Award – Gold by

Shafiq Rahman Suryanarayanan achieving 6 Educational goals based on DCP and started allow-
Krishnamoorthy ing online acceptance before 30th June 2020.
Secretary
Treasurer  DTM Pradeep Kumar High-Performance Leadership project

Praveen Kumar Haroon Ahmed successfully and received the “Leadership excellence (LDREXC)
award”.
Sergeant at Arms Immediate Past President
 DTM Abdul Hameed Rafi & DTM Pradeep Kumar received

“Triple Crown Award” for obtaining three or more educational
awards in the same year.

 DTM Pradeep Kumar received Advanced Leader Bronze

Award, Advanced Leader Silver Award, LDREXC Award, Ad-
vanced Communicator Gold Award and became Distinguished
Toastmaster (DTM).

 TM Arivazhagan, TM Firdose Fathima, TM Mahendran, TM

Manal, TM Praveen Kumar, TM Sudhakar Kunisetty completed
their respective paths in Level 1 of Pathways.

 TM Arivazhagan, TM Lola, TM Manal completed their respec-

tive paths in Level 2 of Pathways.

 TM Haripratap and TM Kedar Supekar completed their respec-

tive paths in Level 4 of Pathways.

Achievements

 All the club officers attended both the Club Officers training

and eligible for Super 7 COT Award.

 Received 100% Pathways Registration award by successfully

registered Pathways by all the members of the club before
31st Jan 2020.

 TM Haripratap and TM Manal completed the club coaches of

Royals Toastmasters Club.

 Participated in Area 47 contest and TM Haripratap Singh

stood at 1st position in the International Speech Contest, MTM
Mahar stood at 1st position in Table Topic Contest and Evalua-
tion Contest and MTM Sameirah stood at 2nd position in Table
Topics Contest & 3rd position in an International speech con-
test and Evaluation Speech Contest.

 Successfully conducted 1 Speakathon sessions during the first

half of the year.

Educational Sessions

 Educational session was done by DTM Suryanarayanan Krish-

namoorthy on “Toastmasters wears many hats”.

 Education session was done by DTM Abdul Hameed Rafi on

“Pathways”.

2

President’s Message

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE overwhelming response from the Guests, I take this oppor-

Dear All tunity to thank all the Club Members and Club Officers for
their dedication and fullest support. Also, it’s a proud mo-

Team Work makes the Dream Work ment that FTC club member TM Haripratap stood as Win-

First of all, I must thank each one of the members of the ner in International Speech contest at Area 47 and reached
Fujairah Toastmasters Club (FTC) for electing me as a Presi- to one of the Division K level participants.

dent of the Club for the year 2019-20. Fujairah Toastmasters Club started in the year 2004 and

The day I took charge of FTC, I had seen many challenges in successfully completed 15 years of journey and stood one
front of me. I was very much afraid the day when I took up of the oldest clubs in the UAE. All the club members have
the charge as the President of FTC but when I discussed shown their enthusiasm in FTC’s 15th Anniversary celebra-
with my team in the first Ex-com meeting, I decided that tions.

these challenges are very easy to achieve with my Ebullient "We learn best in moments of enjoyment", remarked Dr.

Team Members. Then we decided to move forward with Ralph C. Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters. We must

the theme of the Club for this year as “Year of Excel- thank and pay our tributes to him for providing such won-

lence”. All Executive Members unanimously agreed to derful platform to the World by conducting the first
take the club to new heights without compromising on the meeting officially on 22nd October 1924, which means

quality of the club and improving the members’ communi- Toastmasters International completed 95 years of Journey

cation and leadership skills by providing a positive learning of Excellence.

experience with a supportive environment. I am very happy to release the 1st online edition of News-

I can proudly say that all the club members successfully letter of FTC with the help of the News Letter Committee

enrolled Pathways and this shows that all members of the and it’s my pleasure to introduce the Newsletter Com-

club desire to evolve their skills under the tree of Path- mittee Members of DTM Suryanarayanan Krishna Moorthy,

ways. Now, FTC is 100% Pathways Enrolled Club. TM Firdose. I thank each one of them for their uncondi-

tional support.
I am very delighted to announce that the club has crossed

many milestones during the year. Once again, I am thankful Thank you all once again and wish you all the best.

to all the club members to keep the club at President’s Dis-

tinguished Status by reaching 10 out of 10 DCP points by

Jan 2020 itself, that shows the activeness of the club mem-

bers in club meetings. Also, FTC achieved Lead and Win Pradeep Kumar Mantrala
Award & Smedley Award. Also, first time in the history of President
FTC, we conducted an Open House Meeting and seen an
Fujairah Toastmasters Club

TOASTMASTERS CLUB MISSION

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.

3

Directors’ Message

DISTRICT DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ber develop a growth plan. To align with the Toastmaster
Leadership program, it may be a good idea to label it as a
Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality Member success plan. If every Club based its success plans
of what you have to offer. Rick Pitino on MSP, success is guaranteed.

It is my privilege to address Fujairah Toastmaster club It’s all about enhancing the Member experience, so if each

members. A club which has sustained for 15 years and is club makes all their decisions on the premise of how it

still going strong. This year seems to be special year for the helps their members, we will surely be helping Toastmas-

club. Let me congratulate each of you on achieving 6 Distin- ters clubs in our District become places ‘Where leaders are

guished club goals in a short time span of 4 months. It illus- made’.

trates the Proactive leadership and the strong will of the I wish each member in Fujairah achieves his/ her goal and
members to grow. makes the club a place you all love coming back to, again

To me, Fujairah clubs always has been a club known for its and again.

leaders and their passion to make a difference. Leaders Area, Division, District leadership is committed to support
who have stayed with the club, mentored the new mem- you in your quest for growth and success. Just feel free to
bers and believe in adding value in every session. No club reach out to us whenever you need support.
can sustain and thrive for 15 years without committed
leadership and quality sessions. I wish Fujairah club all the success in the future and wish
that you achieve all 10 distinguished club goals, 100% Path-
Distinguished club stands for a healthy club where mem- way adoption and many more such goals which will help
bers pursue their goals and club leaders facilitate them by your club stand out as one of the best clubs.
providing them a supportive environment to succeed. That
is exactly what seems to be happening in your club. “Leadership is about being of service to others, not being
served by others.
New initiatives, new members and a very active group of
Club officers who are always thinking of how to create an Be a mentor not a boss”. Patrik-the-Edutainer

environment in which members can excel is how I see Fu- Good luck and best wishes to each one of you….
jairah club today.

Adding new members is always something which brings Robin Anand - DTM
positive energy and new ideas and Fujairah club leaders District Director 105
firmly believe in this. An open session with 70 plus attend-
ance and 11 new members in first 4 months shows the
clubs is moving in the right direction.

I am happy and honoured to be part of the first e-
newsletter of the year for the club another positive change.
Showcasing and sharing club & member success is the best
way to capture each step of your success.

My advice to the clubs has always been to help each mem-

4

Directors’ Message

DIVISION K DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE This year our Division was focusing on achieving Sustaina-
ble Excellence by conducting quality meetings and creating
“Great things never came from comfort zones” wow moments for every Toastmaster of our clubs. I am
Getting out of your comfort zone can lead to so much satis- happy to note that Fujairah Toastmasters club is in the
faction and increased self-confidence. It can also teach you right track with quality meeting and will always remain as
new skills and improve your resilience as you prove to the premium club in Fujairah. I congratulate the President
yourself that you CAN take on challenges. and Newsletter committee for bringing out the annual
Fujairah Toastmasters is one of the pillars in our division newsletter with memorable moments
and the leading club in area 47. Under the able leadership for all of to cherish. My best wishes to
of DTM Pradeep Kumar Mantrala, the club achieved Presi- incoming President TM Mahendran
dent Distinguished Status with Perfect 10 Distinguished Tamilmani and his exuberant team for
Club Program (DCP) points. Lead and Win Award and continuing this journey of excellence.
Smedley Award in membership building programs are “Working together for sustainable
some to mention. I take this opportunity to congratulate excellence”
the entire EXCOM for overcoming the membership chal-
lenges by conducting Open house and introducing the Sujith Varghese, DTM
Mentoring program for improving the quality and member Division K Director,
experience. My hearty congratulations to DTM Adv.Abdul
Hameed Rafi (Asst Division Director PQD) and DTM Pra- District 105
deep Kumar Mantrala for achieving Distinguished Toast-
master award during this year. are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do
it later – These words from Richard Branson a British busi-
AREA DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ness magnate, investor, author and former philanthropist
changed my perception about the opportunity. As a Supply
Dear Toastmasters, Chain professional, I have missed many opportunities in the
Fujairah Toastmasters Club has presented lots of ‘WOW’ past due to a lack of confidence and fear of failure. The as-
moments in my life and FTC has always been very close to sociation with Toastmasters fraternity helped me to boost
my heart. I am very happy to see that FTC is flourishing day my self-confidence, critical thinking and decision-making
by day as a catalyst in the emirates of Fujairah. Strength of power to a great extent which has helped me to climb the
a Toastmasters club is primarily measured from the accom- career ladder. Confidence unlocks every opportunity in life.
plishments and achievements. This Toastmasters year
2019-20, FTC has conquered multiple milestones in the I wish to congratulate the President of Fujairah Toastmas-
first quarter under the dynamic leadership of DTM Pra-
deep Kumar Mantrala. Fujairah Toastmasters Club has ters Club DTM Pradeep Kumar Mantrala and entire EXCOM
conducted an open house for the first time in history and
motivated many residents of Fujairah to be a part of this for the great teamwork and excellent leadership. Since its
life-changing movement. President DTM Pradeep Kumar
Mantrala and entire EXCOM team have been very keen in inception, Fujairah Toastmasters Club has produced 6 Dis-
using time tested tools of Toastmasters International very
effectively with excellent planning and timely execution. tinguished Toastmasters - the highest educational award in
Fujairah Toastmasters Club has achieved Lead and Win an
award for the great teamwork, Smedley award in showing Toastmasters. I am happy to know that DTM Abdul Hameed
excellence in membership building and scored 10 DCP
points within 8 months. Fujairah Gavel Club was another Rafi and DTM Pradeep Kumar Mantrala have achieved their
noble initiative sponsored by FTC as a gift to the teenagers
in Fujairah. highest educational accomplishment during this year. Best
In Toastmasters we strive to transform our limitations into
opportunities. A mutually supportive and positive learning wishes to all the members of the Fujairah Toastmasters
experience in Toastmasters helps to boost our confidence
and vanquish our fear of failure. The time you spend in Club in this self-paced communication and leadership pro-
Toastmasters Club is an investment in your life which will
pay you back every day on multiple occasions. Toastmas- gram.
ters Club has been the driving force in my life encouraging
me to step out of my comfort zone. We have come to an end of this Toastmasters Year and I am

If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you sure that the 15-year long legacy of Fu-

jairah Toastmasters Club will continue

under the captaincy of TM Mahendran

and his magnificent, young and energetic

ExCom team. I wish all the very best to

the incoming officers to continue the

journey of excellence, initiated by our

great founder of Toastmasters Interna-

tional Ralf C Smedley. Bose Vadakkel Thomas

Area 47 Director,
Division K, District 105

5

Members’ Articles

DEAR STRESS, LET'S BREAK UP!

Ronny is fed up constantly fighting with his spouse. During work, lyzed, but inside we are boiling with anger. These are the com-

he is unable to concentrate properly. He spreads negative energy mon responses described by psychologists.

around in his work place and his colleagues have started to avoid c) How to quickly relieve stress:- This is the key to resilience. It
him. He started to think his co-workers dislike him.
is a very important step that needs to be discovered. You need

Deepa has a new boss who is making her life hell. She often feels to do some homework to find out about what can reduce your

very anxious and moody. When she gets back home, she is so stress quickly and make a small list on a paper. Keep this paper

stressed out that she just wants to take rest and has no energy to handy in your wallet to run through it when faced with stressful

spend time with her spouse. Her spouse feels hurt. situations. As you learn it and master it, you can discard it.

Considering these situations, they are very much related to our life What works for me may not work for you. For ex: Classical mu-
or to the lives of people around us. Stress is so common today as we sic and rock music are stress for me! But I know one aunt who
juggle with different roles in our lives. It can be so daunting, it can can listen to classical music for days together and a friend who
gets pepped up after listening to rock music. You have to find
feel as if we have forgotten how it feels to be relaxed and calm!
what works for you. Use your five senses. To help you under-
Hans Selye, an Endocrinologist of Hungarian origin was first to coin stand below are some examples.
the word 'stress'. He defined it as a non-specific response of the
body to any demand for a change. He also said that adopting a right - See a space in your house like a backyard filled with favorite
attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. plants or even close your eyes to imagine a beautiful place that
Now you may wonder, What! Can stress be positive? Yes. The posi- feel peaceful; Hear the soundtrack of nature sounds or uplifting
tive stress is known as eustress. It means stress in moderation that recitation of holy books; - Smell your favorite perfume or some
helps us to face challenges and accomplish tasks. This is important fresh flowers.; Taste that delicious dark chocolate that melts
for feelings of accomplishment, wellbeing and whole-
the tension as it melts in the mouth.

ness. As we learn through practice, this skill will helps us

Hans Selye described the three stages of stress to overcome challenges in life and display qualities
known as Selye's syndrome or General Adoption of trust, confidence and empathy. Nutritious food,
Syndrome in short GAS syndrome. avoiding a sedentary life and negative people is
also beneficial in the long run. If you feel nothing
1. Alarm stage:- This is the stage when stressed the
is working, you need to see a specialist for a thera-
body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline
py.
for that sudden burst of energy in order to prepare to
confront or flee the stressor. The heart rate goes up and the blood Now read the changed situations I described in the beginning.

glucose increases. Ronny starts his day at work by listening to some soothing

2. Stage of Resistance:- The body continues to be in a state of alert- sounds of nature. He feels relaxed to take on the day and focus-
ness if the stressor is still present. Body continues to direct the en- es on his work. He is pleasant to his colleagues.

ergy towards the stress and we can easily be prone to flu and colds Deepa, when she reaches home she goes to her backyard and
at this stage. If the stressor is removed, body starts to heal and re- spends time watering and tending to her little garden. By the
time her spouse comes home, she is much more balanced per-
turn slowly to its default state known as the homeostasis.
3. Exhaustion stage:- If the stress is prolonged the body uses up all son.

the deep energy reserves and gets into exhaustion mode, failing to
recover. If we don't do something quick at this stage then stress Stress is an inevitable part of life. Being emotionally intelligent
related diseases manifest such as depression, ulcers, viral infections, to manage stress is vital for good health. I wish you a positive
and healthy life!
heart disease etc.

So, now we will learn how to quickly manage stress. Read carefully

a) Realization of stress:- Answer these simple questions below:

Do you feel drained of energy? Do you have inability to concen- Dr Firdose Fathima
trate? Are you feeling nervous lately? Do you have stomach up- Member of
sets? Are you able to have a good night sleep? Do you feel you are
unable to relax and feel the muscles tense? Fujairah Toastmasters Club

If the answer is yes to most of them, then it is time to act quickly
before the stress can start to seriously affect your health.

b) Response to stress:- How do we respond in a stressful condition?
We can get very angry and yell at the other person or shut down
and withdraw from the situation. And lastly, we can also feel para-

6

Members’ Articles

KNOW WHO AM I

This is the story of my personal experience of how mentor- those college days while preparing any speech. During
ship changed my career and for you to know who am I. those days, there was nobody to listen and give feedback
I hope many of you know the power of pairs in mentor and on my communication skills. Now, the format of the Toast-
protégé. When an experienced and trusted person be- masters club allows me to receive feedback and mentor-
comes your advisor, he/she is called a mentor. Protégé is a ship.
person who is guided and supported by an older, experi- I can remember one beautiful question asked by TM Philip
enced or influential person. (one of the founding members of S P Jain Toastmaster
It was 2004, 3rd year of my engineering when campus re- Club, Dubai) when I shared my draft Ice Breaker speech –
cruitment started. I had cracked in most of the written test Why do you want us to remember you? He advised to find
for big software industries like; WIPRO, IBM, HP. Unfortu- out three distinguished things that are connected to my
nately, I was rejected in all my personal interviews. I be- birth and present.
come famous among my friends to help them pass the I got the opportunity to be protégé of TM Deepak Gulati
written exam. (another founding member of S P Jain Toastmaster Club,
After a few months, one of my friend Chakra asked me to Dubai). I played the role of TMOD (Toastmaster of the Day)
stay late after class. In our college canteen, we went to in the very 1st meeting arranged by S P Jain TM Club. He
have a cup of tea and do some chitchat. He was trying to was our general evaluator and also a mentor. I received his
understand the reason for my failure in a personal inter- candid feedback during a cup of tea after the meeting. He
view. I replied, “I don’t know”. I explained to him that I advised not to allow your audience to distract from you
used to answer all the questions they asked. Then he because of your improper pronunciation.
asked me “You are the best person to know the weakness Dear readers, please remember that feedback is the
within you. Did you ever ask yourself what is the reason breakfast for the champion. Only the Toastmaster club
for the failure?” The way he put up the question nailed can offer you a unique experience to build you as a better
down the conversation. There was a moment of silence. communicator.
He kept on questioning to make me realize what my weak-
nesses were. Susanto Bairagi
Being 3 years together, it wasn’t much difficult for Chakra Member of
to figure out that I was poor in communication. He advised
me to arrange a portable media player. We used to call it Fujairah Toastmasters Club
Walkman. He gave me a cassette that is required to pre-
pare for TOEFL. He suggested me to listen for 2-3 minutes
and then speak on your own. After a month, he observed
a few changes in my communication. Finally, I cracked GD,
PI and got the offer letter from TATA STEEL. Even today, I
admire Chakra as my mentor who established himself as a
CEO at a Real Estate Company in Germany.
Being a member of Toastmaster, I remember

Can you Answer ?

Our club has five cultural groups. They are Literary, Dramatic, Musical, Dancing and Painting groups.

The Literary group meets every other day, the Dramatic every third day, the Musical every fourth day, the Dancing every fifth
day and the Painting every sixth day.

The five groups met, for the first time, on New Year's Day of 2015 and starting from that day they met regularly accordingly to
schedule.
1. How many times did all the five groups meet on one and the same day in the first quarter? Of course, New Year's Day is

excluded.
2. Were there any days when none of the groups met in the first quarter and if so how many were there?

(Answers on page no.19)

7

Members’ Articles

BREATHING AND PUBLIC In this type of breathing, we breathe deeply to/from the
SPEAKING abdomen rather than from the chest. When we inhale, the
stomach goes out instead of in. Practicing this belly

breathing will not only calm you down (if you feel nerv-
Everyone breathes, but how we breathe really helps us to ous), but it will yield power to your voice.
perform well or speak well in a public forum. Slow and Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing
steady breathing, (instead of shallow breathing) combined • Slows our heart rate and calms us physically
with Diaphragmatic (also called as Belly Breathing) breath- • Provides oxygen to our brain
ing helps us to regain the confidence, calm down and per- • Aids our stance and appearance, avoiding to cave in
form well while speaking in front of an audience. While
anxiety
speaking to an audience, we need more oxygen to project
our sound outward. We also need to lengthen your exhala- • Creates the sound of authority
tion, since speech actually depends upon the controlled • Supports sound to the end of the sentence, where
outward breath. Equally important, we have to unlearn the
habit of breathing shallowly and practice deep breathing or the important words come
belly breathing. • Helps us to appear confident and in control (rather

than gasping for breath)

It also reduces our nervousness to

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that flattens out keep us sharp and mentally present. It

when the lungs expand above it. That flattening of the dia- helps us appear prepared and pro-

phragm pushes out our abdominal muscles which is why fessional. It makes our arguments

our belly moves outward when we inhale. credible and persuasive to "punch" the

Diaphragmatic breathing like this is a bellows-like action important words and phrases that

that allows our lungs to expand fully and helps us to effort- drive the speech. And lastly Arivazhagan Arasamani
lessly produce a full reservoir of air. That's the level of oxy- gives us the appearance of a Member of
Fujairah Toastmasters Club
gen (stable supply) we need in order to produce strong and practised speaker who is

resonant speech, to have control over our speech also completely in control of one-

called as Authoritative Speech. self.

Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing

MY FIRST CENTURY AT TOASTMASTERS

I am Praveen Kumar son of a Soldier, father of two naughty kids 5. I paced up my reading hobby. Read Quran, Shrimad
and husband to a super woman. An analyst, an author, a learn- Bhagavat Geeta and about 18 more books, out of that
er. I joined in Fujairah Toastmasters Club about 100 days ago in many are autobiographies.

my very first meeting as a guest. In the very next meeting, I be- Toastmasters helped me to rediscover a better version of my-
came the member and fortunately the Executive Committee of self and held me to feel the unity in diversity. A platform where
the Club offered me a position of Sergeant-at-arms; I accepted all are from different platforms, still together. These 100 days
the role whole heartedly & at the same time I got the opportuni- helped me to strengthen my belief “Where Leaders Are Made”.

ty to attend the Club Officers Training (COT) was cherry on the

cake. Toastmasters has impacted my life in a great manner.

In very initial meetings I learnt “we should add at least a skill Praveen Kumar
Sergeant-at-arms
every year”. Fujairah Toastmasters

1. I started learning swimming. Club
2. As an analyst, I enrolled for 2 technical programmes as

well.
3. I started writing on Quora. This helped me to enhance

my writing skills.
4. started developing my own website

www.letusrediscover.com (under development).

8

Member’s Articles

BAKING “COOKIES” TOASTMASTERS STYLE

Let me tell you a secret about me. I am a foodie. It may not A word of caution, however, respecting the audience is a
huge part of speaking and hence we must avoid 3 topics
show on my face, but I am. known as taboos in respect of the multicultural and diverse
audience.
How can you tell if I really care about someone? Easy!! You will Please excuse me, when I start talking about toastmasters I
find me enjoying cooking for them. forget the time and go on talking non-stop.
And you want to know if I am enjoying something? Now let's get back to the kitchen and our beautiful cookies.
Hmmm super easy ! I just compare it to food. 'Wow !! Look at To enhance the flavours, we add a pinch of salt. As done in
that yellow dress it is delicious like a spongy saffron cake!’ toastmasters, in order to enhance your speeches, you can
'Ooh! your baby’s cheeks are so soft and tasty like marshmal- use technology ( powerpoints, videos )etc.
lows!’ We then add the baking powder to the mixture followed by
It is, hence, my pleasure to invite you to my humble kitchen the flour. For perfectly raised cookies, never forget the
where I have chosen to bake the tastiest most delicious choco- baking powder while the flour helps bring all the previously
late chip cookies. What is special about these cookies is that used ingredients together. As in toastmasters, to constant-
these will be baked in the Toastmasters style. So, I guarantee ly raise ourselves to become better speakers we need to
you will all love it. practice, practice and practice. It's also important to come
together with all the members and exchange knowledge
First with the Ingredients: and experience through regular attendance of meetings.
60g butter. Now it’s the time for the secret ingredient that will take
50g white sugar. your cookies to the next level. Peanut, dark or white choco-
100g light brown sugar. late chips!! They are tiny little surprises hidden in the heart
1 teaspoon vanilla essence. of your cookies that will give them an unforgettable taste.
2 eggs. Our mentors are these hidden gems in our toastmasters
225g dark chocolate. journey. They work behind the scenes to help us discover
¼ teaspoon salt. ourselves as speakers in ways that will surprise us.
¼ teaspoon baking powder. A small secret to getting smooth and symmetrically shaped
40g flour. cookies are the dough rest/cooling period in the refrigera-
So let’s start our exciting session by melting the butter to keep tor before baking. Similarly, in toastmasters, we need to be
it ready to be mixed with the other ingredients. As we do in a cool and comfortable before and after delivering our
Toastmasters club, we start our journey by melting our fear of speeches.
speaking in public by introducing ourselves to audience mem- After refrigeration, it's now time to bake our cookies in a
bers and letting go of stage fear. preheated oven under 180° C for 10-15 minutes.
My favourite part has as now arrived. Enjoying these beau-
Now the butter is melted and ready for the sugar. As you may tifully made cookies.
have noticed from the ingredients, we will be using 2 types of
sugar. I promise this is not to increase the risk of diabetes but Please enjoy them with me or as we say,
it’s essential to have that soft, chewy inside and crunchy, crispy KEEP CALM AND BECOME A TOASTMASTER!
outside. In toastmasters, our evaluators also mix both types of
sugar when providing feedback. Manal Kamal Al Hammadi

We receive soft and crisp feedback from them to help us im- Member of
prove our speaking skills. Fujairah Toastmasters Club

Alright, now that we have a beautiful, creamy and heavenly
smelling mixture, we add our carefully chosen eggs one by one
and continue mixing followed by drops of the vanilla essence to
enhance the lovely flavour. Similarly, to enrich your toastmas-
ters journey with a special flavour, you need to select a specific
path from 11 different flavours that are called Pathways which
you will find on the Toastmasters International web-
site www.toastmasters.org.
To continue, we now add the melted chocolate. Let me inform
you that you have the freedom to choose any type either dark,
milk or white chocolate as we do in toastmasters where we
enjoy the absolute liberty of choosing our speech topics wheth-
er educational, humorous, heath oriented etc.

9

Picture drawn by Miss Mariam Firdose, Studying KG-2 in Our Own English School, Fujairah

Kids Corner

Picture drawn by Master Ajay Arthiv, Picture drawn by Miss Anjana Arthiv,
Studying 8th Class, Our Own English School, Fujairah Studying 7th Class, Our Own English School, Fujairah

10

Guest’s Article One was good at academics and one was an excep-
tional dancer. And no matter what, they were do-
He is talented!!! ing their best in the subject they were talented in.
So, it does not matter at all in what profession you
I always wonder why we never forget some people, and are dealing with, what matters is how you are deal-
whenever we remember them, a charming smile makes its ing with your profession
own place in our face and our eyes start showing us the One should always do their best, what they like the
beautiful moments. most. And the result will be more than awesome.
People are going to enjoy your talent and if some-
I remember the taste of samosa of a small hotel near my one enjoys someone's talent that means, they have
home. I remember the boy who came first in my class. I re- somehow justified their life. Because we all have
member the teacher who used to tell us a story every day one of the common purposes of life, and that is to
before starting with the lessons. I remember the girl in my do something for the world before leaving it. And
class who used to dance like a super dancer in our annual you justify it by making somebody enjoy your tal-
function. ent.

But why do I remember these people? Kabita Choudary
Software Developer
I don't even know where they are now, what they are doing?
Did they really become successful or are they still trying to
find the goal of their life? But the thing is it does not matter
to me if they are successful or not. It does not matter to any-
one if these people are successful in their life or not. The
only thing that matters is why do I still remember them?
There must be something in common in between all of them
that always makes me remember them. And that one com-
mon thing is their TALENT in respective field. The girl who
danced like a star never came first in my class and I don't
even remember the topper boy dancing in my complete
school life. But still, they have something common, and that
is their talent.

QUIZZINGLY YOURS!

Q01: When was Dr. Ralph C. Smedley born? Q13: When was the Basic Training manual available to
members?
Q02: What is Dr. Ralph Smedley’s middle name? Q14: Who was the 1969 Golden Gavel recipient?
Q15: In which year was membership opened to women?
Q03: What date marks the official anniversary of Toast- Q16: Who was the first female International President?
masters International? Q17: In which year was the DTM award introduced?
Q18: Who was the first Executive Director of Toastmasters
Q04: Where was the first meeting of a still-existing Toast- International?
masters club held? Q19: In which year did Toastmasters International first
offer the Accredited Speaker program?
Q05: Where did the second official club charter? Q20: In which year was the Toastmasters International
website launched?
Q06: What was the name of the first two-page newsletter
started in 1930? Compiled by
TM Rose San Pedro
Q07: In which year did Toastmasters International begin Member of Royals Toastmasters Club
publishing the Toastmaster magazine?
Courtesy https://www.toastmasters.org/
Q08: In which year was the first high school speech con-
test sponsored by Toastmasters? (Answers on page no.19)

Q09: When did Toastmasters International incorporate?

Q10: Who was the first President of Toastmasters Interna-
tional?Q11: Until the 1936 Convention in Santa Barbara,
what was the annual member dues in U.S. dollars?

Q12: In which year did the 100th club charter?

11

DTMs’ Articles

TOASTMASTERS! ARE WE PASSIONATE?

Meaning of Passion: The word PASSION indicates igniting a tently, put your mind, body and soul-deep into the
fire within oneself. It is a powerful force and a strong emo- activity. Importunately look for gains and untiringly
tion of desire. Many of us are passionate about many don’t you ever feel the pains. Yet, never forgetting the
things like writing, reading, singing, dancing, watching TV, gratitude to fellow toastmasters who are supporting
being on social media, indulging in small businesses, out- you and the mentors who are coaching you, chase the
door-play with family, so on and so forth. It is very hard to goals with enormous joy and immense gratification.
pin down what our real passion is. It would differ from Effect of Toastmaster’s passion: Returning to the
person to person, age to age and depends on so many fac- community by helping others to improve and making a
tors. Passion is directly associated with drive, enthusiasm, difference in someone’s life is the effect of one’s pas-
ebullience, exuberance, excitement, motivation and the sion. ‘Doing good to another to uplift the other’ is in
push. Interest plus Actions equals Success. So, curiously itself a passion of a stupendous toastmaster. Steve
act before you feel it! The wonder-scientist Albert Einstein Jobs remarked, “People with passion can change the
said “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curi- world”. Very true. We have perceived the envisaged
ous.” changes brought out by not only Steve Jobs but also of
Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Richard Branson, Tiger woods,
Passionate Toastmaster? A person who is a member of a Nelson Mandela, Lady Gaga, Robin Sharma, Bharathi
Toastmasters Club that’s chartered with Toastmasters In- Baskar and many more in their own arena. This insti-
ternational, Colorado, USA and who basically desires to gates the desire within each one of us, toastmasters, to
constantly self-improve is a passionate toastmaster. This make this world a better place to progress and live in.
unstoppable desire to perform leadership roles, deliver
prepared and impromptu speeches and present education- Surya Narayanan Krishna Moorthy, DTM
al sessions symbolizes the beginning of a toastmaster’s
journey. Loving to do at a moderate level is a hobby and Treasurer, Fujairah Toastmasters Club
keep thinking of it is a dream but never to stop doing with Mentor, Fujairah Gavel club
lots of man-hours gone into it and engrained, with a high President, Royals Toastmasters Club, Fujairah
level of obsession, in the mind, body and soul is the toast-
master’s passion. A toastmaster looks out to do better
every time and perfectly, keeping the aims in the back of
the mind and always in the heart. Such passion is the de-
votion, second only to a dog’s love for its master.

How to be passionate? Everyone doesn’t have it. Agreed?
As a toastmaster you should have passion, right? Firstly,
be devoted, dedicated and determined to pursue your
hobby and dream. Then, elevate your hobby and dream
to the next level-Passion. Constantly, be obsessed. Persis-

DEVELOP A PASSION FOR LEARNING AND YOU WILL KEEP ON GROWING!
CHALLENGE status quo, PUSH boundaries, GET OUT of your comfort zone,

WRECK tradition and be passionate to RESHAPE this World!

12

Members’ Article

THE MAP TO A BETTER YOU

It’s 3 A.M. After a breakdown or epiphany, you have Therefore, Implementation Intentions foster suc-
cessful goal attainment by predetermining a spe-
finally decided that you need to make some form of cific response to a particular future event or cue
change in your life. You know what you need to do, (Cue: finish dinner; Response: read at least 5 pag-
and most importantly, you have the motivation to do es). This automation of our behaviour is pivotal
it. Maybe you decide to become a more avid reader, and is the primary reason that Implementation
but since it’s late and you have to go to bed, you tell Intentions work. Picture this: you’re having a hec-
yourself that you’re going to start tomorrow. But tic week, and there simply never is any time where
come next morning, you wake up as the same old you you feel like reading. However, if you stick to the
instead of the new, motivated you from the night be- aforementioned Implementation Intention, then
fore. the automation removes the deliberation and hes-
Guilty as charged? Most, if not all, of us, have experi- itation when it comes to deciding when to read.
enced this phenomenon at least a few times in the This also has the added benefit of not relying on
course of our lives. Whether it’s our overly ambitious your willpower to make a decision, which is espe-
New Year’s Resolutions, or the decision to learn a new cially crucial when our willpower reserve is deplet-
skill, our plans of reformation are almost always cata- ed, such as after a tiring day.
lyzed by motivation. So, it’s no wonder that they don’t Additionally, I’d like to offer a complementary
work. Think of motivation as your car keys; very im- strategy that, coupled with Implementation Inten-
portant to help you switch on your car’s engine, but tions, has a synergistic effect: I like to call it Coping
they don’t drive you to your destination. You do. Simi- Plans. These involve considering the potential lo-
larly, motivation kick-starts our brain, but we have to gistic obstacles that could occur and then develop-
put in the work to reach our destination, i.e. the goal. ing specific tactics to navigate around them. For
Despite having sufficient inspiration and motivation to instance, there could be a day where your boss
achieve a certain goal, we often fail to act on them. asks you to work over-time; this subsequently
So, the question is how to ensure that our set goal distorts your routine and leaves you with no time
intentions will reliably lead to the desired goal- to read in the evening as planned. So a Coping
directed behaviours and subsequent attainment of Plan for such an obstacle could be as follows: “If
those goals. After numerous studies and experiments, my evening is going to be unexpectedly occupied,
psychologists have devised a method that offers a then I am going to listen to an audiobook during
practical solution for such a problem: Implementation my lunch break (or insert any other suitable time
Intentions. to multitask)“.
An Implementation Intention is defined as a self- Just like how motivation is like car keys, effective
regulatory strategy in the form of an "if-then plan" to planning is the map that guides you to success. So
facilitate goal attainment. Simply put, an Implementa- utilize Implementation Intentions and Coping
tion Intention is a well-detailed plan which specifies Plans together to accelerate your journey to suc-
when, where and how do you plan to act on your in- cessful goal attainment.
tentions. To achieve one's goals, certain goal-directed
behaviours need to be executed, but people are often Qausain Khan
unsuccessful in either initiating or maintaining these
behaviours; this is where Implementation Intentions Member of
help. As opposed to a goal-oriented mindset, this “if-
then plan” relies on a habit-oriented and system- Fujairah Toastmasters Club
based approach. This involves replacing the goal inten-
tion “I want to read 50 books this year” with the more
specific Implementation Intention “I’m going to read
at least 5 pages after dinner every evening”. Notice
how the latter is more elaborate and procedural, as
opposed to the former general and abstract goal in-
tention.

13

DTMs’ Articles

TOASTMASTERS - WHERE YOU LEARN & GROW

“The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to The club personalizes the learning experience of
help somebody else get it first.” Lyanla Vanzant each member. The quality of pastoral care provided en-
sures that each member is supported. The success of
This brings me to talk about the Fujairah Toastmasters Club, each individual member of the club leads to the success
which means ‘Opportunities.’ of the club.
The Senior Leadership Team at District, Division & Area
Opportunities to develop your personal skills, be it your level operates on an open-door policy and openly wel-
communication skills, leadership qualities, or growing 21st- comes members to come in and talk about their difficul-
century skills. All take place under one roof. And participants ties & challenges. This effective mentoring is provided in
are provided with ample opportunities, not just to shape a three-way dynamic - with the young toastmaster, the
and create themselves, but also to help each other. club and the President working together to contribute to
learning success. The club emphasizes on success not
As Ralph C Smedley has aptly said “Ours is the only organi- only in terms of 10/10 DCP points but in terms of reach-
zation I know dedicated to the individual, we work togeth- ing greater heights – from ice breaker sessions to ad-
er to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply vanced level projects, from toastmasters to the Distin-
these skills to help others.” guished Toastmaster and so on.

Fujairah Toastmasters Club believes in helping people polish And this brings us to say that at Toastmasters ’United
their talent and reach their full potential, in both, their per- we stand, together we celebrate success.’
sonal as well as professional lives. The club offers the very For, ‘We rise by lifting others,’ Robert Ingersol.
best of environments to learn & develop in accordance with
each individual’s pace and potential. It also cherishes diver- My personal experience suggests, that one of the wisest
sity and inclusion, focusing on people from different strata decisions a person can make is that of joining a Toast-
of society, different professions and even different age masters club. It will bring you benefits in terms of
groups. friends, mentors, coaches and of course the polished
The club meetings that are highly enriching and engaging ‘You.’
rest on four cornerstones of success:
My Message:
Time & Punctuality ; Respect for all ; Appreciation ; Use your full potential at Toastmasters. Apply the skills
Progressive environment you have learnt in your professional & personal life and I
am certain that success and progress will be yours.
Members are not judgmental of anyone’s performance, ra-
ther they are supportive and encouraging. The learnings are
carried to all spheres of life – home, workplace or leisure.

The range of cultural, sporting and performance activities Haroon Ahmed, DTM
provided, allow every toastmaster access to a setting where
they can participate and excel. The President & Vice- Immediate Past President
President (Education) challenge helps channelize members Fujairah Toastmasters Club
to set high expectations for themselves and then sup-
port each other to achieve their highest level in the toast-
master’s journey.

Do you Know the Answer ?

In a party, there was a very intelligent, witty and young lady toastmaster who was suddenly asked by another guest, "How old are
you?" Though the young lady toastmaster was a little embarrassed, flashing a charming smile, she answered, "My age 3 years
hence multiplied by 3 and from that subtracted 3 times my age 3 years ago will give you my exact age."
The guest who asked the question simply walked away puzzled! The young lady toastmaster leaned over to me and whispered,
"If he can calculate that one, he deserves to know my age." HOW OLD WAS THE YOUNG LADY TOASTMASTER?

(Answer on page no.19)

14

Members’ Article

SECURING HAPPINESS 2nd step to discover happiness is self-awareness. It is

We all want to live a happy life and want all the peo- about being aware of your own emotion and its con-
sequences. On average we touch our mobile phone at
ple around us to be happy too. But, despite the dec- approx. 2000 times in a day, which is almost 4.5 hours
ades of economic growth & having access to all the of distraction daily. Every 11 minutes we are getting
needs on fingertip with technology advancement, we interrupted or diverted. For every distraction, it takes
are not as happier now as we were sixty or fifty years 20 minutes to attain back the same level of concentra-
ago. We need to re-think to re-connect with the tion. We forget how to be still a minute in a day.
source of happiness i.e. our choices & action. What Let me explain the solution -one medicine available
makes us happy has less to do with our money or pos- which improve your self-awareness skills, its all-
sessions and more to do with our attitude and rela- natural & cost nothing i.e. your attention to mind -
tionship with other people. Meditation & it improves your thoughtfulness and
In 1971, Bhutan, a small country in the Himalayan triggers a positive feeling in body & overall sense of
belt, introduced GNH (Gross National Happiness) as wellness.
one of the criteria to measure the country’s progress.
Since then, many countries have adopted this princi- 3rd step to happiness is Gratitude - practice, Think &
ple (UAE being one of them). The most recent UN
world happiness report encloses a list of 158 coun- Thank concept. There is always something
tries. Now, we know how important it is to be happy, to thank if you think. As it said that Nothing is misera-
both by ourselves and as a country. ble unless you think & nothings bring contentment
Now, let’s rediscover WHY, HOW & WHAT about hap-
piness. unless you content with it.
WHY - Start writing daily three
Take any one of your goals and try things you are grateful for in
doing the root cause analysis through your journal. Slowly but
why-why technique, (ie. ask yourself surely, it will bring back
five times) and at last you will Find your positive focus on your
Happiness as the only answer for why point of interest.
you have chosen that goal.
It means, happiness matters the most WHAT –
in our life & is the real cause of our Life is more about Giving
every action. But as a society, we are than Taking. Don’t think
not giving happiness enough priority & attention to what others are doing for you, instead think what you
understand how happiness can be attained & sus- are doing for others and connect with people with
tained and what it means. Good Intention. Don’t hold on Grudges, Smile more
HOW - often.
I believe HOW is more important than WHY its three- As Mirza Galib (famous Hindi poet) explains – This is
step process. how I made my life a bit simpler, I asked forgiveness
from someone and I forgave someone.
1st step to happiness lies in finding your FLOW. One The best gift you can give to yourself is presence. Be
present at the moment to secure your happiness.
of the psychologist researchers In case a plant have problems what we do? We pro-
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has given the concept of flow vide Water, Sun, Sand, Air ventilation to fix the issue.
where you enjoy the task so much that you don’t want Means develop the right conditions. The same way we
anything in life, It is for your interest to experience, need to develop a positive attitude & right people
it’s not for making money or status. I believe Clear
Goals; Clear Principles & Bigger purpose brings flow in Haripratap Singh
life.
Keep it simple, find out what you love to do in life and Vice-President
pursue it. If it is not possible to find out what you love, (Public Relations)
then love what are you doing because complaint, Fujairah Toastmasters Club
comparison & criticism leads towards negativity & it
drains your energy.

15

Photo Gallery

With District 105 CGD, Div K Yoga Day 2019 Area 47 1st Meeting
Director & Area 47 Director

Club 15th Anniversary Celebrations
Club Officers Training
Open House Session

16

Photo Gallery
17

Guest Article

TO BEEP OR NOT TO BEEP

Kids (Saket and Sukrut) (Running): Mom, Grandpa is con- Kids: Their lifestyle, culture is totally different. Safety

tinuously playing with us without a break. plays significant role in their life.

Saket: we got tired and sleepy mom but grandpa is flood- Mom: Did you remember your grandpa or not?

ed with energy and charmed till this minute. Kids: Yes. We missed him a lot.

Mom: Oh! Is it? Ok. No problem. Now you take rest and Mom: Now he will play with you both as before.

give some rest to grandpa also. Kids (Smiling): We know our Grandpa is a Robot.

Saket and Sukrut (Muttering): Grandpa never needs Mom (Surprising and Anxiety): How would you come to

rest. know?

Dad: Sneha, there is a good news for our kids. There is a Kids: When we went to Mr. Joseph’s home, we saw

cultural exchange. grandpa. He is 76 years old. As he is aged, he gets tired

Mom: What is it? How is it good news for our kids? within short time. He has to take medicines regularly to

Dad: Sneha, cultural exchange means kids from abroad maintain his health. He does few works in his home. But,

will come here and live with us together in order to ex- our grandpa is totally opposite in all manners.

change students’ exposure to the culture and heritage of Mom: You both are very intelligent and I am very happy

the country. that you could realize the difference between Robot and

Mom: Oh! Ok. It looks like captivating. But, our kids will Human being.

also go to the outside. All family members (Dad, Mom, Kids and... GRANDPA)

Dad: Yes. They will go for only three months. So, we have a GRANDPA like

Mom (Anxiety): Three months? How can I live without TO BEEP OR NOT TO BEEP

them for three months?

Dad: Don’t worry dear. Other two kids will come to our Prajakta Supekar
house also. You can show them “Mother India”. Teacher
Mom and Dad both laughing.

At Dining table, Mom, Dad, Kids and Grandpa

Dad: How are you kids?

Both Kids: We are doing good dad.

Dad: I have good news for you both. I am very happy to

tell you that you both got a golden ticket to join a cultural

exchange programme.

Kids: What is it dad?

Dad: It is not a trip or vacation. It is a second life for you.

Saket: Excellent! We are very happy and curious about

this second life.

Sukrut: We are glad to have the parents like you.

Both: It is time for shopping..... yuuuuup.

Grandpa: Congratulations... Saket and Sukrut.

After three months, kids came back to home.

Kids: It was really Plump, Fabulous experience for us. Ralph C. Smedley
Dad: Superb. What have you learnt?
Founder of Toastmasters International

18

Quiz Answers: FUJAIRAH

Question: How many times did all the five groups TOASTMASTERS CLUB
meet on one and the same day in the first quarter? Of
course, New Year's Day is excluded. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Answer: only once in 60 days 2020-2021

Question: Were there any days when none of the Mahendran Tamilmani Haripratap Singh
groups met in the first quarter and if so how many
were there? President Vice President
Answer: 24 such days Education

Question: How old was the Young lady toastmaster? Pattabiraman Arivazhagan
Answer: She was 18 years old
Vice President Vice President
QUIZZINGLY YOURS! Answers: Membership Public Relations
A01: February 22, 1878
A02: Chestnut Qausain Khan Sudhakar Kunisetty
A03: October 22, 1924
A04: The first meeting was held in a YMCA building in Secretary Treasurer

Santa Ana, California, in October 1924
A05: Anaheim, California
A06: The Gavel
A07: The Toastmaster magazine was first published

in 1933.
A08: 1931
A09: In 1932
A10: J. Clark Chamberlain
A11: $1
A12: 1937
A13: In 1942
A14: Legendary newsman Walter Cronkite
A15: 1973
A16: Helen Blanchard
A17: 1970
A18: Ted Blanding (from 1943–1958)
A19: 1980
A20: 1995

Toastmasters International Core Values Suneer Pradeep Kumar Mantrala

• Integrity Sergeant at Arms Immediate Past President
• Respect
• Service
• Excellence

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