FEBRUARY 2012

HEA RSAY
INSIDE THE ISSUE

FROM THE PRESIDENTS DESK THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Learn more about the art of storytelling

2 3

THE MAKING OF CMTC

The story behind the chartering of Cat Miners Toastmasters Club

CHAMPION STUFF
What made TM Arumugam the champion he is

7 8

MEET THE CHAMPION

A one on one interview with the winner of Eloquence 2011 Humorous SpeechTM Arumugam

DCP AT A GLANCE
How DCP matters to club development and its success

10 11

GLIMPSE OF 125TH MEETING

Highlights from the 125th meeting celebrations of Madras Toastmasters Club

FROM THE EDITORS DESK

It has been our endeavor to release newsletters periodically. But then, it requires discipline, hard work and commitment not by one, but by a team. The Madras Toastmasters Editorial team has successfully come out with this newsletter uncompromising on quality. This, despite the uphill task of having to pay attention to personal and professional commitments, and then devoting quality time, for publishing Hearsay. The team had taken into consideration to make this edition a wholesome one, keeping in mind the objectives of Toastmasters of being efficient communicators and leaders. It is in this perspective; there is sprinkling of a stream of experiences, viz. Arumugams success story, the chartering of Cat Miners Toastmasters Club, the art of Storytelling and information about DCP. In view of the contest that is coming up shortly, Arumugams success story will inspire budding toastmasters to be inspiring speakers. The chartering of Cat Miners will indicate as to how a leader should emerge despite hardships and finding solutions to complex situations which is exactly what Toastmasters movement propagates. Being in the hot seat and being a man of action, is what leadership is about and this article is an attempt to unfold the same. There is also a portion devoted to storytelling which is a matter of interest for a 2 year old baby to an 80 year old person. Storytelling, no doubt is a powerful tool of communicating good ideas and Hearsay address that in this edition. A good garland has many flowers of different kinds giving vibrance, variety and vitality. In this edition of Hearsay, we give you a garland of ideas addressing the entire spectrum of Toastmasters in all its facets. Hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed preparing it. Feel free to drop in your suggestions to or sriram.rsrajan@gmail.com ms.niranjana@gmail.com.

FROM THE PRESIDENTS DESK

Madras Toastmasters Club is the right place to improve ones public speaking and leadership skills, to find new friends and to meet new people. As the new President of this Distinguished Club, it is my pleasure to put forth some of the achievements of our club and the action plan proposed for the next few months. Some of the great achievements that we are proud of our club include: Madras Toastmasters is the only Community Club in District 82 to obtain Ever-smiling TM brought Presidents member Arumugam glory and Golden Gavel Award feel noble every time I remember that I am carrying the title of President of this amazing club. mittee members are working towards this. Apart from the above, there

The new 7-member Executive are more reasons that make me Rainbow team is committed to understand how much work we take our club to much greater all have to do to keep our stanheights. Towards achieving this, dards lowing few tasks on priority: high. Every meeting the team has taken up the fol- should be better than the previous one.

Enhancing frequency of The newly elected 7-member communication efforts of with office bearers can be compared spot- past presidents can be equated our members; Recent to new-born rainbow while the enrolment of members to planets like Sun, Moon etc. in our clubs face book We, the newly elected office and this Newsletter are bearers as rainbow, constantly only a few such initia- look forward to sublime raditives ance from great planets and Conducting more Edu- support from galaxy of stars cational Sessions from like our various other memSenior Toastmasters of bers, to maintain our club as our Club TM Jayakar the light-house club in District has scored an hat-trick 82. recently by taking three Let me conclude with the fahighly memorable ses- mous saying from Mark Twain: sions, with many more Talent wins games; but teamwork and intelligence wins to come Equipping our members Championships with frequent near contest-like sessions to provide greater confidence to face the upcoming International Prepared Speech and Table Topics Contests Our VP-Public Relations Sriram has recently shown the way for all of us to follow Adding further glory to our clubs website to TM Mani is working as DGM in make this a platform of HCL technologies and is the Presichoice among District dent of Madras Toastmasters Club. 82s community clubs Several Executive Com-

pride to our club recently by representing at District Level Humorous Speech Contest. Dont miss an exclusive interview of him in this issue for valuable tips Madras Toastmasters Club becoming the First Club in District 82 to achieve Presidents Distinguished Club status a few months back won this race comfortably Previous with Executive strong platform laid by Team members Madras Toastmasters Club achieving all the Goals, thereby becoming No 1 in District 82 The above accolades make me

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THE ART OF STORYTELLING - DTM Jayakar

Stories are interesting, They are a part of life. The old tell it to the young. Friends tell it to each others. Sometimes, we involuntarily create stories as excuses. But the undeniable fact is, stories are all around us. They ingrain in us a sense of pleasure, courage, spontaneity, presence of mind . Stories also help in cultivating the mind to react in an appropriate manner in the real life. And who better to educate us on this art of storytelling than the man who created Mulla Nasaruddhin one of most popular fictional characters in our club fraternity.

Story telling has been in vogue since ages. It has been the right weapon in the armor of every great communicator. Actually there are many classifications of stories: Narrative story, Springboard story, Anti story, Eventual story, Reports, Fables, Jokes, Tales, Account, Chronicles, History, News, Anecdotes, Rumors, Hearsays, Gossips, Parables, Myths and Legends. There is also the usual type of classification like Novella, Short story, Epics, Drama, Tragedy, Comedy, Farce, Parody and Satire. Therefore what story telling can be to a professional; an amateur or a novice can find it equally interesting yet challenging. But then the common myth that all cannot be story tellers needs to be buried and a firm belief should eventually dawn to us all that it is and can become everybodys cup of tea. Today, stories are the backbone of the entertainment as well the art cum drama industry. Stories are great motivators through their messages. Stories have changed the lives of people, have changed economies, influenced societies,have ended misunderstandings and conflicts, bridged cultures and even brought the world closer. Stories are the sugar coated pills that hold the messages within its core, thus forming the healing balm of consolation for those afflicted and starved of the much needed panacea. Toastmasters have that excellent platform. We have a specific manual that has five projects in the advanced communication track. A serious attempt to work on this manual with sincerity and dedication can see the great skill emerge from every person with the right honing. Humor can, as always, add flavor that will addict the audience making them sit tight onto their chairs throughout the story hungrier and asking for more from the speaker. The first step in story telling is for the speaker to build a story. Like every speech, it needs a beginning, body or plot and an ending. More than that, we need imagination believe me that is very easy. All you need is a mindset and belief that you can imagine. Let me build a story for you: Let us say that we have a message: Every person with ego is not able to understand the world. The person blames the world but the problem lies within him, which is his ego. Let us build a story around this message which we call it a theme. Building the story is also known as Weaving. Next we introduce say a Zen Master and a very Rich Man (Ram) of the village (who we will define as having Ego). They become the main characBut then HOW DO WE CREATE A STORY?

ters though we can add more which become sub characters. Now the imagination starts (in your own style) In the village Malkapuram, there lived Ram who was the chieftain of the Village for several years. Ram was known to be rich, arrogant and egoistic. He definitely was the richest in the entire region but perhaps the poorest as far as humility was concerned. He lived in a huge palace on the outskirts of Malkapuram. He had with him many servants working round the clock in the palace. Over the years Ram developed a headache which was getting chronic. Ram, no doubt started, self medication initially with Over the Counter drugs but cure was playing hide and seek with him. This later developed into a nagging pain which irritated him over the years. He started consulting doctors from different specialties Ophthalmologists, Neurologists, physicians, etc but of no avail. Later he was advised to try Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, and even Yoga. He even tried Shirasasana but the load on his head increased when he went upside down. Well he was angry, tired and worked out. He had sleepless nights and was slowly losing control of his mind.

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CONTD...

Toastmasters believe me I have (Now enters the Zen Master in the story) Ziang Zhow the famous Zen Master, known for his wisdom and discipline, was in the village during his stopover of his usual round the world trips which he made regularly. News about this visitor and his unique ways in curing diseases reached Rams ears. He sent his servants to fetch the Zen Master who readily came to his palace to treat the curious yet niggling complaint of Ram. Upon examination the Zen Master gave the simplest but sure shot remedy. He said this a rare condition within the eye where Green color is missing and this causes the ache in the head. This can be overcome if you see more of Green he said to Ram and left on his tour. Ram looked at one corner which had a green curtain, he could temporarily feel a sense of relief. Finding some truth in the point he ordered all the walls be painted Green. Ram said to his servants I should always see Green and this is my order. Immediately the walls were painted Green, the entire house was made Green. Why even the uniforms of the servants were changed to Green. The vessels, utensils, furniture, car, you name it everything had to be green color. Ram was feeling better. The headache was gone. Enormous sums of money were spent to make his world Green. Ram realized that it is easier to change oneself than to change the world. It is difficult to remove ego outside of you inside of you is the easiest. The Zen Master said O Ram I did say that Green was missing in your sight. I also see that you have spent enormous time, energy and money by adding green externally but all you could have done was to wear a pair of green tainted spectacles that would have made your world green.
J Jayakar is working as Director Technical and Special Projects for SSM Group of Institutions, Past President of Madras Toastmasters Club, Past Area Governor.

Ram was now a happy man. Meanwhile after several years the Zen Master Ziang Zhow was again in the village as a stopover. Remembering his last trip and the unique patient he had treated and advised he decided to see him and to inquire about the condition he had been as well as his present. As he entered the main hall of his palace the servants who had known him earlier rushed and poured buckets of Green colored water upon him until he looked Green. He was now looking as though he was part of Holi Celebrations. Ram came out to the hall on hearing the news of the arrival of his important Guest Doctor but apologized for the deliberate misdemeanor by the servants and at the same time grateful and thankful for the treatment.

penned this story with my imagination which I started ( say ) about an hour ago. This ( according to me ) is Story weaving. We can also add humor, anti climax etc and weave the story with fantasies, fiction, suspense etc. With Imagination we can build stories and use them to carry inner messages to the world and to convince that we can create the human bondage that brings happiness and eternal peace in the world.

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BEHIND THE SCENES: THE MAKING OF CAT MINERS TOASTMASTERS CLUB - TM Dhanaraj
For most of us, our commitment to Toastmasters ends with regularly going and participating in club meetings. But one Toastmaster had bigger ideas. He has a triple crown, has been a president of our club and has many terms to describe him (Obama, Pillar etc. etc.) But, the toastmaster in him was not satisfied. Which is why, he took the initiative to start the Cat Miners Toastmasters Club in Caterpillar Thiruvalllur facility with the help of Madras Toastmasters Club for which we received the Founders Award for the third time. However, it did not happen without a few roadblocks. Here is the real story behind the design of this club in his own words My journey started a year ago, to launch Cat Miners Toastmasters club. Believe me when I say this: Chartering a club is no walk in the park. But if you make the right moves at the right time, anything is possible!!I can now proudly say that I have come scaled the summit of chartering the Toastmasters club. Let us see how it all unfolded through a series of episodes. Episode 1: Eureka!! Being in the company of Toastmasters for quite a long time made the lava in the volcano of my mind erupt. It all happened in a flash. I had a dream; a vision PIONEER A TOASTMASTER CLUB IN MY OFFICE - CATERPILLAR THIRUVALLUR FACILITY!!! At first there was excitement all around the office. Everyone was thrilled. However, it did not last long, and the idea died inside without even moving out of the four walls, due to a number of reasons. It is then that I realized there will be many a stumbling block before I achieve this goal. I could not give up. I did not lose hope. I slowly dissected the reasons: 1. I didnt go to the right person who Episode 3: Tadaaaaaaaaa!!! It happened!! After toiling for over one year, inspiring people about communication and toastmasters, it all finally came together. The timing was perfect, and was aligned with the organizational objectives. 2. Analysis - How to overcome those challenges? 3. Objectives and benefits of Toastmas1. Cited reasons on the issues that surfaced due to communication skill (or the lack of it). Episode 2: Motivation sessions Months passed by and I saw my dream slowly slipping away. I realized the biggest force that can construct, conserve or destroy a Toastmasters club are its members. I became conscious that I had to do something to arouse enthusiasm among prospective members. So, I started emphasizing the weight of public speaking and better communication and leadership skills to others whenever I found a chance. My methods to motivate: The benefits one can reap out of Toastmasters were well appreciated by everyone. It helps employees to succeed, the morale of the employee for his own personal self-development and the organizational development. An acceptable mutual win-win situation for both employee and employer can be created through Toastmasters. All these things paved the way for setting up Toastmasters. Soon, I began talks with individual leaders of each manufacturing facility. I educated them on how Toastmasters is going to motivate employees and have a direct effect on their performance. So again, I started my work on chartering a club, this time with renewed enthusiasm and encouragement from fellow colleagues and higher authorities. Episode 4 Mostly the How to dos? Now that you have convinced the Management, it is Up to us to deliver the fruit of showcasing how the club can be installed and chartered. First and the most important in the checklist of things to do was finding a team of well-motivated people thriving to develop communication skills. I needed a person or rather; a leader who had the confidence and courage to influence people, having good interpersonal skills and most importantly, a person who

ters movement 4. Screening of an Inspirational speech from a Caterpillar employee in USA, also a DTM

can influence the decision. 2. 3. Timing was not ripe Lack of understanding the organiza-

tional needs and the issue that supports the initiative. 4. I had a goal, but not the self-discipline in myself to get the ball rolling .

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CONTD...
ate, the 50:50 sharing by employee and the employer to pay the dues of the club. Initially assigned mentors to the

can make things happen. And all this I found in TM Saravanan he fit the bill perfectly. Things were slowly falling into place. I knew the time has come to deliver. I cannot let this chance go for I may not get one like this again. I constantly worked towards it to not let go of the opportunity. But only now has the challenge really started. I laid down a project plan to do the desired: The communication to Toast-

club will not be coming, however, you need to do dual roles to support the growth momentum. The above all are foundational elements of challenges / to overcome the same
TM Dhanaraj is a working as a production manager in Caterpillar India. He is also the Immediate Past President of Madras Toastmasters Club

masters international on chartering. Securing your funds from Learnwith high will power and self-discipline. Most of all, the person initiating should be a resident of the facility to make it happen. The feeling of Greatness comes with an immense self-worth and self-esteem. Today I am delighted, and I stand proud in making this happen to leave a mark in the years to come The model, which we will oper-

ing and development plan Constant communication of arriving to Cat-

Toastmasters Thriuvallur -

Demo meetings

Write-up and presentation articles on Toastmasters / Demography within Caterpillar.

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CHAMPION STUFFWHAT MAKES A CHAMPION -TM Sriram

The contest season is here. It is widely acknowledged by Toastmasters that the learning curve during a contest season is very steep and the contest season has transformed many toastmasters as an effective public speaker. In this article we share the secrets of reigning Division G humourous speech champion TM Arumugam. A champion not only needs a great script, a powerful message but needs to devote long hours of practice. It is also about blood, sweat and lot more. Read On.

I have always been fascinated by the movie Rocky - the story of the underdog, the story of rags to riches, the story of the impossible. Whenever I tried to extend the concept of Rocky movie to Toastmaster contests, I had failed miserably, because when I listened to champion speakers, I believed they had been champions since birth. When I listened to the reigning division G Humor Champ speech last year, the feeling was no different. I told myself he must been a born champion. However, when I researched about Arumugam to write this article, I realized the immense hard work, practice and dedication that Arumugam puts in and learnt that there is a champion in each one of us. The story of Arumugam is no different from Rocky Balboa. I was shocked and surprised when I got to know he took eight months just to give his first speech project in Toastmasters. Few of the dedicated Toastmasters even complete a speaking manual within that period, but he took 8 months just to deliver his first speech. His initial days as a Toastmaster were filled with fear, lack of self-confidence and plenty of hope that he should not be called for table topics. One of the major turning points in his life was the book, called 'The Secret' written by Rhonda Byrne. The book helped him to shift his focus from 'how' to 'what'. His only focus now was on what he wanted. He believed in the law of attraction and the universe to help him get what he

wanted. The nervousness and lack of confidence to win contests disappeared. What he wanted badly was, winning a contest. Once he was clear of what he wanted, he took the help of his mentors to achieve his goals. Arumugam had practised his humorous speech atleast two hundred times till date. According to him, he had practiced fifty times each for club, area, division and district levels. I still remember, at the end of the club contest, he went to each toastmaster and asked for their feedback and took note of it, for corrective actions. Every morning he used to write on a white board what he wanted to achieve and every evening his daughter would wipe off the board. When he was preparing for the club contest, he had written - "Humorous Speech Club Winner - TM Arumugam". He would repeat the exercise each morning before he began the practice. As he progressed from club to area to division, he wrote what he wanted on the board every day. At Mangalore, for one and half days he wore a wig so that the surprise element in his speech is not revealed upfront. Sporting a wig is no easy task. I had seen how he was sweating profusely the day before the district contest in Mangalore. I dont think anyone would wear a wig for 1.5 days just to win a speech contest. Incidentally, last week we chose the 'word of the year' from the 'word of the day' used in club meetings in 2011. The chosen

word was 'Perseverance' and the winner was Arumugam who is a living testimonial to it. As the contest season is here, we can all learn immensely from Arumugam and nurture the champion in all of us. The best lines from Rocky holds good for every contest and the entire life " Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! " You, Arumugam, are a worthy winner !!!

Sriram Sundar Rajan is a SAP CRM consultant by profession and a Toastmaster by passion. He is the VP-PR for Madras Toastmasters Club.

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MEET THE CHAMPION Interview with the TM ArumugamWinner, Humorous Speech Eloquence 2011
This man has touched what we all aim for as Toastmasters. A few months back, he represented Division G in R11, Mangalore and competed with some of the top speakers of India and Sri Lanka. Everyone loves a winner. But what sets him apart from all others is probably his humility and down-to-earth nature. Maybe, that is what made him a winner. Whatever it is, TM Ramya has dug to find it from the man himself. Here is a one-on-one interview with the Division G ChampionTM Arumugam.

Ramya: How conducive and supportive is our club for contest preparation? Aru: First and foremost, I would like to thank all our club members for their support. From Day 1, they had confidence in me. As you know, I have been asked to practice my contest speech every week and I get feedback every week. So I get an opportunity to experiment many things. Ramya: How did you prepare the script for thecontest? Aru: I took the theme from my CC 3 speech and polished the CC 3 speech to fit for the contest. I set a target to myself that every three lines should have humor. Ramya: How did you prepare for every competition? Aru: I did 3 things. 1. Every day, I recorded my speech as a video in my mobile and reviewed it. 2. I used to deliver my speech to my mentors Karthik and Lalitha and incorporate their comments. 3. Every week Iused to deliver my speech in our club. Ramya: How did you feel when you kept winning at each stage? Aru: I was very happy at each success. Also, I had added responsibility to take our club name from one level to another. The happiest moment for me in Toastmasters is receiving the Division Contest award from the International Director, Arunasalam Balraj DTM.

Ramya: What was the experience in the District Contest? How was it different from Club, Area and Division Level? Aru: Representing the Division G at the District Level was a great experience. I learnt two things at the District contest. 1. I needed to change my delivery style from Narration to Dramatic. 2. My audience analysis was wrong (in fact, I had not done that at all). I should have changed my script for District contest audience. Ramya: How did you join Toastmasters? Aru: Few years back, when I was listening toan audio book on self-development, the author mentioned about Toastmasters and how he improved his communication. I immediately looked for a club in Chennai and joined Chennai Toastmaster club in 2009 and later moved to Madras Toastmaster club. Ramya: You have been a division champion, were you a speaker made for Podium? Aru: LOL! I took eight months to deliver my ice breaker speech. My fear of failure was holding me back. In thoseeight months, I used to attend all the meetings sitting in the last row, praying to God I do not get called for table topics. But to my surprise, I was the first one to be called for table topics. Now I understand that it is practice and perseverance that makes all the difference and it is the difference between Dream and Ambition.

Today what I am in Toastmasters it is because of my mentors. I would like to thank them from my heart. Ramya: What is your favorite pass time? Aru: My wife and I have an agreement that she will take care of the kids during the weekdays and I need to take care of them during the weekends. I have been given two hours permission to attend the TM meetingsJ. So my favorite pass time is, babysitting. Ramya: How much time did you dedicate, on weekly basis, for Toastmasters? Aru: During contest time, I will dedicate 10 to 15 hours per week and at normal time 4 to 5 hours. Ramya: What would you like to share with our fellow toastmasters ? Aru: Make use of each opportunity you get in our Toastmasters. The speech from Dhanajaya (District 82 champion) was a great speech about the contests. I would like to share those pointers with you all and whenever you have time I would request you to listen to that video .

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7 lies about the contest Lie Practice makes you perfect Competition you need to win the first time Eliminate the competition Manual can make good speakers Success means options World champions & mentors You can do it on your own Solution Perfect practice makes you perfect With time you will become a good speaker Dont look competitors as enemy, look at them as contemporary Be adventurous. Participate in competition Success means full option to no option Make yourselves world champion You need mentors and coaches

Smiling assassin TM Arumugam receiving this trophy from DTM Balraj Arunchalam

Division Champion Arumugam with the Division G family

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Distinguished Club Program (DCP) How it matters to Clubs success and development?
- TM Trinadha Rao

Sachin Tendulkar is the fourth highest run-getter in a single calendar year in Test History. Brian Lara and Chris Gayle of the West Indies, Donald Bradman of Australia and Virender Sehavag of India are the only batsmen to reach 300 more than once in Test Cricket. Australia are the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament three times in a row 1999, 2003, 2007 and became number one team in Cricketing world. If we compare the above great feats to our Madras Toastmasters Club (MTC): MTC is the most successful club in District 82 (India & Srilanka), having won the first golden gavel award in division G (Tamilnadu) and obtained President Distinguished Club (DCP 10/10) status three times in a row 2009, 2010 and 2011. Three of our esteemed club members (Trinadha Rao, Jayakar and Dhanaraj) became Triple Crown winners in 2010 and 2011. TM Arumugam has represented our club in District 82- Re-

verberations and won Club, Area and Division trophies in a single calendar year of 2011. Our club leadership team is focusing more on DCP year on year to achieve best out of the members and make Madras Toastmasters Club as the number one club in Division G and set quality standards to other clubs. Toastmasters International follows the below norms to adjudge the club performances across the globe: Clubs with at least 20 members OR with net growth of at least five new members at June 30 Which also do the following are eligible for TI recognition at year end

Focus areas of DCP

Goal

Recognition

Achieve any 5 of 10 goals

Distinguished Club

Achieve any 7 of 10 goals

Select Distinguished Club

Achieve any 9 of 10 goals

Presidents Distinguished Club

Dr.Trinadha Rao is an Associate Director, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Ph.d in Engineering from IIT, Madras and Past President & Founder member of Madras Toastmasters Club.

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T H E G R A N D G A L A A F F A I R 1 2 5 TH M E E T I N G CELEBRATIONS!! - TM Niranjana
8th January 2012, will linger in the minds of many members of Madras Toastmasters Club for quite a long period of time. The first meeting of 2012, set a benchmark not just to the meetings that followed it but for all celebration meetings ever held or to be held. Right from the start of the meeting, till its end the meeting kept everyone on their toes, the way a Rajnikanth Blockbuster does!! In case you missed, here are some interesting scenes from the show Presidential address: It wouldnt really do justice to TM Dhanaraj to term this as a presidential address. It was more a mini-educational session. TM Dhanaraj gave what was possibly one his most inspirational speeches. Starting from the challenges he faced as a President, to leadership, management, and goal setting. It might have been his last presidential speech, but he sure made it a point that he left with a bang. The funny side: Every masala movie has humor attached with it so did the 125th meeting. For those of you who thought Senthil and Goundamani were the greatest pair in the history of humor, let me present to you - Senthil and Arumugam!!! A skit-cum-variety-cum-comedy track by the two had the entire audience in splits even for several minutes even after their performance got over! Double Trouble: The main feature of the meeting had to be Double Trouble a.k.a Table Topics. TM Ramya and TM Manikandan The trouble makers (Table Topics Masters) conducted the session with double the excitement, double the entertainment and double the fun. Enacting out a scene in the form of discussion and calling unsuspecting toastmasters to participate in between made this session distinctive and electrifying. This session had humor, fun, excitement, thrills, all in a package. Other Highlights: Fun quiz, with nearly 50 questions on all topics conducted by TM Mahendra Varman, stirred up a lot of excitement amongst all present, and in the end everyone had a takeaway (apart from the goodies that were given away). There was also a rewind session by TM Trinadha Rao, tracking the journey of Madras Toastmasters Club right from its inception, and an installation ceremony of New Office Bearers by TM Akila. But the show stealer on the day was the Toastmaster of the Day TM Sriram, who kept the energy going throughout the meeting with his usual wit and charm. Of course, credit for the success of this meeting should go to the team that worked behind the scenes Jayaraman, Vivek, Manikandan and Mahendra Varman who bought souvenirs and mementos for all members. One really wonders, looking at all this. Is this a beginning or a transition or an end again giving birth to another era to come in the success aspect? Is success a journey or a habit? We feel its a culture. Time will exactly tell what it is? May be, we shall wait till we celebrate 150th MeetingI.

Niranjana is pursuing her B.Com from M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women and is the VP Membership of Madras Toastmasters Club.

Installation of new office bearers

Office Bearers of Madras Toastmasters Club TM Mani, ACB, CL President tmani2000@gmail.com

9840702457
MEETING DETAILS:

Madras Toastmasters Club meets every Sunday between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm. For more details, contact TM Sriram : 9840687579

TM Sridhar, CC Vice PresidentEducation mksmsn@yahoo.com 9710251433

TM Niranjana Vice PresidentMembership ADDRESS: ms.niranjana@gmail.com 9789006794

23, Andhra Chamber of Commerce 3rd Cross Street, West Road Near Alpha School West C.I.T Nagar Chennai - 600035 ( 5 mins from Saidapet Bus stop)
TM Sriram, CL

Vice PresidentPublic Relations sriram.rsrajan@gmail.com 9840687579

TM Mahendra Varman, CC Secretary varmannpl@gmail.com 9841090879

TM Natarajan, CC Treasurer seenatarajan@yahoo.com 9841021736

TM Arumugam, CC Sergeant At Arms arumugamsrinivasan@gmail.com 9884045750