2. Editorial
Why a newsletter? What is the purpose of a
newsletter? Is it to showcase the writing
abilities of Toastmasters? Or is it a part of PR
drive to increase membership? A newsletter
Table of Contents does serve both the purposes, but there is an-
other factor that makes a newsletter an impor-
tant aspect of a Toastmasters club; preserving
From the President’s our memories in a colorful way. It is a way to
desk -3 record our journey with Toastmasters, it is a
window to look back and cherish the beautiful
What is Toastmasters moments and lessons we gathered from this
International? -4 great movement.
Would you like to remember who you were
Fabric of Toastmasters-5 with when you were younger? (If you think you
are not young, you are not getting younger
Book of the Month –6 anyway.)Do you want to absorb the collected
wisdom of every Toastmaster session? Do you
Testimony Corner –7 want to celebrate the celebrations of the past?
If yes is an answer to any of the above
questions, you need to contribute to the club
Communication when news letter. Writing is not the only way to
―Leading without a contribute to the newsletter; you can contrib-
Title‖ -8 ute by reading it, by providing constructive
criticism to improve the quality, by appreciat-
Collected Wisdom - ing the contributors , and also by sending it to
your friends outside the realm of Toastmasters.
Table topics template–11
Special thanks to VP-PR , TM Jananee for
Editor's choice- providing me the opportunity to learn about
Speech of the Month – myself. A simple thanks is insufficient to
12 acknowledge the efforts of the core Newsletter
team, TM Abhilash, TM Rohit and TM Aarthi. It
has been a pleasure working with you guys.
Grammar Granny –13
Every month, the newsletter team puts in
The Chosen one –14 hours of effort to come up with something that
will take you only minutes to read. Do read it,
The Month that was –15 and do write back to us.
TM Nijil Chandran
Editor
2
3. From the President’s desk
Dear Readers,
A few weeks ago I was watching a Television Reality Show. It was a cooking con-
test for amateur chefs around the world. In that particular episode, there were 4
contestants competing. The episode was a team contest., so the four of them
were split into 2 different teams, each team having two cooks. Now this is how
the split was done – Two out of the four were comparatively more experienced.
They had undergone training, and had a knack over technique.
The other two had not undergone any training. The only cooking they had done
before was for their families – at home. They had not studied any Professional
techniques. Both professional cooks were put into one team (lets call it Team A)
and the non-Professionals were put into the other (Team B). The challenge was to
make a French dish (that I can’t spell) within 70 minutes.
The whistle blew, and their time had begun. The Anchors went to the teams and
asked them what their strategy was :
Team A – ―We’re going to use the advantage of our tech-
niques. Professional cooking will make us win.‖
Team B – ―We don’t really know what the right techniques
are. We’re just going to cook from our Heart.‖
70 minutes were up.
Team A’s dish looked like a still from a cooking-magazine.
Team B’s dish didn’t look that appealing . It was time for
the Judges to taste the dishes, and announce the result.
Here’s what they said –
―Team A’s dish had it all right – the ingredients,
presentation, everything was great. But Team B’s dish had
something unexplainable. The taste was just astounding.‖
Team B won.
When asked what the secret of their success was, Team B said – ―We cooked this
dish with a special ingredient – Love.‖
And how true is that, for every walk of Life - Toastmasters included! We take up
roles, deliver speeches, and participate in contests. We prepare our scripts; use
various techniques; and practice ardently. But if we just add that one special in-
gredient; our Speeches, our Role-Plays will be taken to a new level altogether.
That one special ingredient of Love.
So in this season of Love, let’s make it a point to fall in Love – with our Scripts,
with our Speeches, with our Role-Plays, with CSF, with Toastmasters!
Signing off with Loads of Love,
Arna Chugani
President
3
4. What is Toastmaster International?
Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership
development. Our membership is 270,000 strong. These members improve their
speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 13,000 clubs that make up
our global network of meeting locations. It is also one of the most cost-effective
skill-building tools available anywhere
How Does It Work?
A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone
their speaking and leadership skills in a no-pressure atmosphere.
For more details visit: http://www.toastmasters.org/
What can you expect at Chennai Speakers Forum (CSF)?
Did you know ?
With a membership base of more than forty five toast- CSF has already won
masters within four and half months, CSF is one of the five DCP points since
fastest growing community clubs in Chennai. inception.
Apart from general regular meetings under TMI guide- Who are our Club
lines, we have an hour of optional classroom session sponsors ?
before every meeting. S. Karthikeyan
Saro Velrajan
This is what our VP-PR Jananee had to say about what you
Club Mission
can expect at CSF:
The mission of a
Toastmasters Club is
Here...you can "Challenge Safely and Fabricate" yourself. to provide a mutually
Here...you can "Change, Succeed and feel Fabulous".
supportive and posi-
We gather every week to grow by standing up, tive learning environ-
We gather every week to grow by speaking up, ment in which every
individual member
A safe place to challenge yourself has the opportunity
A cushioned room to track your progress.
to develop oral com-
A place where stress is a trespasser! munication and lead-
A place where communication is THE HERO! ership skills, which In
turn foster personal
So that's why We all are here! growth and self confi-
dence.
4
5. The Fabric of Toastmasters
In everyone's heart there is a dream of excel-
ling in public speaking. This dream is best met
when he or she joins the movement called Toast-
masters like I did in march 2009.
Since then it’s been just learning, learning and
learning. Sounds interesting right?
For me it is wee beyond just learning. I have
begun to understand what makes me want to at-
tend meetings after meetings every weekend
without being bored or burnt out.
Now what is it that makes people like me turn
up weekly for such self development meetings
knowing very well the structure of the meetings
is the same every week, month and year.
I did some soul searching and came out with
my answers as to why it is so. What I realized is
that its not just about taking part in these meet-
ings that makes you a better public speaker and Did you know ?
leader but it is a sense of belonging with your
peers of different age groups that matters the Chennai Speakers Forum's
most. very first International
speech and Table topics con-
The camaraderie, the attitude of treating your test will be held on March
fellow Toastmasters as contemporaries and help- 4th 2012 And the contest
ing each other to excel is what I believe the fab- chair for the same is none
ric or foundation on which the movement of other than our beloved TM
Toastmasters is firmly embedded. Rajeev Nambiar.
That camaraderie and right attitude accelerates To quote him on the impor-
the growth of a novice speaker to become better tance of contest,
communicators and in turn better leaders. ―Judges determine who goes
home with the Trophy but
they can't determine who
Cheers!!! goes home as a winner. So
-TM Rajeev Nambiar discover the winner in you.”
Be part of the contest, as a
contestant or as a role
player or as audience. The
best of best is awaiting you!
5
6. Book of the Month — Life of Pie by Yann Martel
This book should be read not because it is a Man Booker prize winner, but
because this is a book which will make us realise that fiction does not necessarily
lie in other galaxies or timelines, nor does it lie in the past or the future or in
other species, but can be found right in our backyard in our day to day life.
Piscine Molitor Patel, abbreviated to Pi is just another teenage boy with no
special powers or upbringing. Born in a middle class South Indian family, which
owns a zoo in Pondicherry, Pi has a very normal life when one day everything
changed.
Being stranded on the Pacific Ocean on a flimsy boat is enough to make most
people drown in despair. Imagine what would be the state of a boy stranded on
the high seas in the company of eminent species of the animal kingdom- A Zebra,
an Orang-Utan, A Hyena and A Royal Bengal Tiger!!
Trivia
Life of Pie, a 3D fan-
tasy adventure film
based on a novel
with same name is
scheduled to be re-
leased in December,
2012.
The cast includes two
famous Indian actors
Irfan Khan and Tabu.
What follows is an unimaginable yet possible, unbelievable yet awe-inspiring,
distressing yet inspiring tale of a boy much like any one of us.
227 days, 356 pages of unadulterated fiction, touching moments of life everyone
of us has gone through at some point or other, written in simple language which
transports us right next to the boy sitting on the raft, with the tiger staring at him.
The author has bought to the front the bare minimum required for human sur-
vival and at the same time has explored philosophical implications and ideas without
going off the track. Gems of philosophy/spirituality are sprinkled across the book
which encourages reflection and contemplation, a welcome respite from the monoto-
nous existence on the seas.
Read this book for what it has to offer, have no expectations from it, start it with
an open mind and I am sure you will truly know "Life of Pi". - TM Rohit J
6
7. Testimony Page - Kiran
It all started on a fine day when one of my
close friends came home and started working on
his laptop. I thought he was going to connect
his to my PC and set-up the connection for
some game. But after a while I was astonished
to see him do something really useful. He was
preparing an agenda for a "TOASTMASTERS
CLUB‖ meeting. Yes, the Toastmasters Club was
Chennai Speakers Forum!
I joined the club as soon as my friend ex-
plained what exactly it does or rather what ex-
actly the members do. As a person open to
speak with close friends and people whom I felt
comfortable with, I thought this would be an op-
portunity.
When it came to speaking in front of an un- Did you know ?
known audience I used to tremble, shiver and
please do add all the words having similar
Kiran gave his long pending
meanings! I was badly in search for a platform
like this wherein a person's skills can be vastly
Icebreaker in February, and boy
improved. was it not worth the wait.
Yes, the Toastmasters Club is a Non-Profit Filled with humor, subtle varia-
Organization that helps every member to im- tion of voice, and quality con-
prove his/her public speaking and leadership tent ,an Icebreaker from sea-
skills. soned Toastmaster.
Though it has been just a few months, my ex- It is a tradition at CSF to give
perience with Toastmasters has been fantastic.
standing ovation to every
I’m sure there will be so much more learning in
every meeting and we ourselves could sense the
speaker embarking on their CC
difference. I feel that this is something that we journey.
all should experience to understand the impor-
tance that it holds in our lives. Congratulations Kiran!
Cheers!
- TM Kiran
What did they say about January Newsletter?
I went through the Newsletter. A product of sustained hard work.
Kudos to the Editorial Team.
- TM T.R.Thiagarajan
7
8. Communication when “Leading without a Title”
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Father of our nation, Mohandoss
Karamchand Gandhi, Social activist Anna Hazare. How do these individuals in-
spire people to work for a common cause? How do these individuals mobilize
support of a large number of people?
They are not the Presidents or Prime Ministers of the nation. They are not CEOs of
a large corporation or associated with any political organizations. They were not
born into a family of leaders. They neither had large sums of money nor a formal
authority over people
So, what are the tricks that these leaders used to attract people and influence
them for their cause? How were they able to LEAD WITHOUT A TITLE? They know
how to effectively CONNECT, COLLOBORATE AND CONGRATULATE.
Connect
I read a quote recently ―Whenever people get together, problems get smaller and
communities get better‖. What an interesting quote. It highlights the importance
of team work in serving people. Our leadership skill is put to the best use, when
we ―Connect‖ with people and work together as a team.
So, how do you connect with your team, when you are a leader? When you are in
a gathering, take the first step to introduce yourself to others.
Always, greet people with a warm and pleasant SMILE. CONNECT,
Make them feel SPECIAL COLLOBORATE
Make them feel IMPORTANT CONGRATULATE...
Make them feel you CARE
Say, you are in a club meeting and you see a fellow toastmaster entering the hall.
You can just say, ―Good morning Sir!‖ (or)
―Hello Thiagarajan Sir! How are you? It is a pleasure to see you today. Welcome
to the meeting. We were missing you so much‖
Staying connected with people is like farming. In farming you plough the land,
sow seeds, water the field, remove weeds, and add fertilizer at the right time.
Similarly, you’ve to invest your time in maintaining the relationship and staying
connected with people –
by appreciating their accomplishments,
by listening to their needs, and
by re-enforcing their belief that they are important
8
9. Collaborate
―Leadership is not about the Leader‖ said Wing-Kun Tam, International President
of Lions International. It is very true.
Verbal – “I/You” ratio.
When we collaborate with a team, we tend to create an impression that we are
dominating, self-centered and egoistic. How do we avoid that impression?
There is a simple technique called I/You ratio in communication.
The most powerful communication combines both intellectual and emotional con-
nections. Intellectual means appealing to educated self-interest with data and
reasoned arguments. We are good at that.
Emotion comes from engaging the listener and answering their unspoken ques-
tion – ―What is in it for me‖? … by frequently using words such as "you" and ―we‖.
For example, don't say, ―I met the District Governor last week. I was asked to or-
ganize a conference. I have to form a team. I’m looking for people. If any of you
are interested to join the organizing team, let me know‖.
Instead, you can say ―We have a tremendous opportunity
to serve our toastmasters and perform a number of lead-
ership roles. Our District Governor has given us the task
of organizing a conference. We need a large number of
volunteers. Each one of you is qualified to be a role
player. Will you be able to join me in this mission to
serve, learn and grow?‖
Look at the impact that it creates.
Leading by example TM Saro
How do you inspire people to follow your cause, without verbal communication
– ―leading by example‖. Let me give you an example. Joe Girhard is a Guinness
record holder. Joe worked for General Motors and he holds a Guinness record for
selling the most number of cars, not just one year, not just two years but con-
tinuously for 15 years in a row. In one of the interviews, he was asked ―Joe! How
were you able to sell more cars, when your colleagues in the dealership had ex-
actly the same opportunity as you?‖ Well! It was simple. He said, people watch
what you do … much more than listening to what you say. Many of my colleagues
were selling Chevrolet, but there were driving a Honda, Toyota or a Volkswagen
car themselves. But, I was selling a Chevvy and also owned a Chevvy. When my
prospects see that I believe in the product that I sell, they tend to buy it from
me. I just walk my talk and that made the difference.‖
What an excellent example of leadership? Leaders just don’t preach the world to
act; they ―lead by example‖. When you do it, others will get inspired and auto-
matically follow you.
9
10. Congratulate
Genuinely appreciating the performance of your members!!
I read a book called ―How to teach so that kids can listen‖. The book talks about
―How to motivate kids to get repeatable behaviors?‖. The author says ―Don’t just
compliment your kid, but compliment them for a specific reason‖.
For example, instead of just saying ―Son! You did a fantastic job‖, you should say
―Son! I like the way you are keeping your room neat and clean. You are saving a
lot of time for dad and mom. Great job‖. When you communicate the specific rea-
son for which you are appreciating them, they remember it better. They feel ―I’m
getting this appreciation because I kept the room neat and clean‖. You can use
the same technique for adults also. After all, we were also kids once upon a time.
For example, instead of saying ―Ramesh! You did a great job of conducting an eye
camp‖, you can say ―Ramesh! You displayed extraordinary commitment, team
work and service mentality by organizing the eye camp. You were able to make it
happen despite the challenges you had in mobilizing funds. You are trustworthy
and I can rely on you every time. Great job‖.
At times, folks will come to you and ask for feedback on
their performance. ―How did I perform Sir? What can I Saro Velrajan is the
improve?‖ Our, natural tendency is to either say ―You governor of Divi-
did a great job‖ or to you would start listing a long list of sionv G. He is also
mistakes they did. But remember, volunteers are spend- one of the two CSF
ing their spare time to help others. Each one of them is club sponsor ? Who
trying to do their best. is the other one?
When giving feedback to your team or team members,
highlight the areas they did well
highlight the areas they could’ve done better
end it with appreciation of their good work
The LAST impression is the LASTING impression. When giving feedback, always
END WITH A HIGH NOTE.
Leaders can be MADE
I strongly believe that leadership is something that can be learned. Leaders don’t
have to be BORN. Leaders can be made – all we need to have is the determina-
tion to be leader. If there is one magic pill that we can swallow before going to
the bed and wake up the next morning as a GREAT LEADER, everybody will be
leaders today. But Leadership requires constant practice with persistence, pa-
tience and passion, you can be a great leader too. When you follow these simple
techniques to effectively CONNECT, COLLABORATE AND CONGRATULATE PEOPLE,
you are going to be a Leader everyone would love to work with.
- TM Saro Velrajan
10
11. Collected Wisdom—Table topics Template
Nervous and breathless in a table topics session ? Check out the all new mind-
map to get your ideas flowing.
So how do I read a mind map ?
The word in the middle is the central point, and the green clouds represent the
sub topics, and the red clouds are the actual idea triggers.
Try to elaborate your Table topic based on any one of the below. Mix and match
and practice a lot until you become an expert!
Source : The classroom sessions from CSF. No rights reserved, you can use it as
you like.
11
12. Speech of the month—Break the shackles
It was a fine Friday morning. I woke up at 7 AM to prepare a presentation
for my project. By 8 AM, I started driving to my office. Gentle morning breeze,
lovely music in my ears, beautiful sun shining amidst those clouds, a climate bal-
anced between summer and winter and the lovely OMR!
While I was feeling like a prince on his horse, there was a sudden change in
the scene. The car in front of me stopped and skidded. I was cornered between
an auto and a gutter. My right hand hit the backlight in the car as it crashed into
pieces. In fraction of a second, I was on the road and blood was gushing out of
my hand. All these 4 fingers were cut and I fainted.
Toastmaster of the day, fellow Toastmasters and dear Guests, when I woke
up, I was inside the operation theatre. I was able to see everything around me as
only local anesthesia was given. The doctor who treated me deserves a mention.
She was stitching my hand and suddenly her phone rang. She answered the call,
it was from her daughter. I heard the doctor scolding her daughter for bad scores
in the exams. While I wondered on the uniformity of the ―Mom‖ factor, my hand
was shivering in panic. What if those scores result in
scars in my hand! Somehow the operation got over and Editor‟s note:
the nurse showed me my fingers. It was like lumps of
meat stitched together. The doctor asked me my pro- The new feature –
fession and I told I am a software engineer. Speech of the month
will bring out the
She said, ―Thankfully, your hand will get cured in editor‟s choice best
2 months and it will be fit enough to type‖.―What! Typ- speech of the
ing! What about my regular life, playing, writing, driv- month.
ing etc. ― ―Why are you worrying, I told you will be able
to type, what more does a software engineer need! TM Abhilash‟s CC#9
Anyway, do physiotherapy and try your luck. Good „Break the shackles‟
luck!‖ is the speech of the
With those encouraging words from her, I re- month.
turned to home. My hand was immobilized with Plaster
of Paris for 2 months. Where ever I went, I had to go
like this (Snake-like posture of palm). You can imagine the fun my friends and
colleagues would have had with this.
They branded me unfit for driving. When they opened the covering on my
hand after 2 months, I saw my hand shrunk and weak like corpse shrimp! Pa-
thetic, I was not even able to lift it properly. I went for physiotherapy; they told
me if I followed their instructions, I can gradually get well. But it was not easy to
see the slow progress and my dreams to be back on the bike shriveled.
A few days later, I went to a temple. There I saw an elephant tied to a pillar
with a chain. I went near its Mahout- its care-taker, and asked ―What assures you
that such a massive elephant can be held tied to this small piece of Iron chain? It
can break that easily anytime!‖
12
13. Speech of the month—Break the shackles
He answered calmly: ―When this elephant was young and
much smaller, I used the same chain to tie it. At that age, this
chain was enough to hold it. As it grew up, it is conditioned to
believe that this chain can hold it and it never tries to break
away!‖
Bingo! That meant much more than an answer, much be-
yond a single elephant; it was a statement to mankind! This so-
ciety attaches to every human, a chain of limitation. It puts you
in shackles just because you failed once and says that: you are
not fit to study; you are not fit to work; you are not fit for mar-
riage, and the list goes on… In this competitive world, where, there are family and
friends all around you constantly putting you down, de-motivation is ubiquitous!
But is there any real chain that can hold you? Your teacher is not God to call you a
stupid student. Your manager is not God to call you a bad performer. Your doctor is
not God to decide what your hands are meant for! You are the God! You hold the
Ultimatum to your destiny!
The very next day, I began to break the shackles that held my right hand.
For the next 1 month I did strenuous exercise. I believed I can play. I believed I
can drive my bike again. I put my beliefs to action and today, my friends, my right
hand is no different from any of yours. I drive myself to wherever I want to go. My
right hand is the rightest-hand!
Now, how many of you have these shackles around you? Is this society in-
stilling fear in you to reach out to your interest? Give them a damn right now! Do
the thing you fear the most! Break the shackles and live your Life!
- TM Abhilash
Grammar Granny
Tip of the month from Grammar Granny.
Fewer:
Use fewer when you're referring to people or things in the plural
fewer things, fewer people, fewer women, fewer cars
Example:
People are buying fewer books. When to
Fewer people are smokers these days. use less and
when to
Less: use fewer.
Use less when you're referring to things that can't be counted Here's how
less time, less air, less money to get it
Example: right.
It's a better job but they pay you less money.
People want to spend less time in traffic jams.
13
14. The Chosen one - Suresh Babu , We miss you!
We remember you enrolling as a member soon after your first visit. What made
you to take that instant decision to join Toastmasters?
Right from my childhood, I felt that stage fear acted as an obsta-
cle in putting across my thoughts. Last year, I felt that the same started affecting
my professional growth; hence, I decided to find some way or the other to get rid
of it. I heard about Toastmasters and then came as a guest.
What made you come forward and grab every opportunity to perform in
Toastmasters meeting?
I strongly believe that Practice makes a man perfect. Just to get
rid of my stage fear and to communicate effectively
What do you feel Chartered Accountants-Toastmasters combo can do?
Great combination to do wonders especially in career front.
Suresh Babu ,
What is the most fun stuff about your work and how do you see
a Chartered
yourself performing in that situation?
Accountant ,
Being in the client facing industry, I need to interact
is an enthusi-
with clients to provide optimal solutions. Despite having the astic Toast-
mindset, to expect the unexpected, there might be some situa- master who
tion were clients arise some queries for which I don’t know the during
solution at that moment. Initially, it was little embarrassing to Chennai
say, ―I will get back to you‖ but later I felt it is fun to handle Toastmasters
such type of question in a convincing manner. Still, a long way days was very
active. This is
to go.
what he had
If you were to create to a totally different world, what kind of to say about
place would that be? when TM
I am really confident that God would never dare to Aarthi caught
outsource his work and stay unemployed. up with him.
If you were to talk about Toastmasters to your Chartered Accountants
family what will you tell them about Toastmasters?
I will give a brief introduction about Toastmaster in terms of public
speaking and leadership skill development, but, definitely invite them to attend
the meeting as a guest to feel the difference.
We understand that you are caught up in your work / personal circumstances .
What can the club do to advance you in the projects?
Let me sort out few pending stuffs and join our Toastmasters family
at the earliest. Anyways, thanks a lot for offering me the helping hand.
- Interviewed by TM Aarthi
14
15. The month that was...
The editorial team of CSF congratulates the following members for their
outstanding achievements in the month of February.
DTM Aditya Maheshwaran — For winning the Rotary young achiever of the year
award
TM Arna Chugani and — For Becoming Competent Communicators officially.
TM Abhilash Annadurai
Other notable winners of February:
Date Best Speaker Best Evaluator Best TT
Speaker
TM Arna Chugani TM Saro V TM Krishnan
5th February Chidambaram
12th February TM Karthik S TM Saro V TM Sandeep
19th February TM Abhilash DTM Aditya M DTM Aditya M
Events of February:
CSF’s first International speech and Table topics contest dates were announced.
The contest is chaired by TM Rajeev Nambiar.
Best Role player award introduced in the third meeting of the month; the first
ever Best Role player award was bagged by TM Aarthi for her General Evaluator
role.
Online edition of
January Newslet-
ter release.
15
16. Office Members:
Chennai Speakers Forum President :
meets every Sunday @ 10 AM
TM Arna Chugani.
At Ruby Hall, Presidency Club.
(bubbly_arna@yahoo.co.in)
Class room session happens
between 9 AM -9.45 AM before VP - Education :
every meeting. TM Pravin Mani.
If you have any suggestion, an (pravin1314@gmail.com)
opinion or a perspective to VP - Membership :
share with the Newsletter team,
write to us, we are listening. TM M Mustafa Azeez.
(mohammedmusthafa@gmail.c
Feel free to contact us at om)
Editor: VP - PR :
TM Nijil Chandran TM Jananee R
Nijil.mail@gmail.com
(jaramakrishnan@gmail.com)
VP-PR:
Secretary :
TM Jananee R
jaramakrishnan@gmail.com TM Gurumurugan.
(gurumuruganindia@yahoo.co.i
n)
Treasurer :
TM Vivekanandan.
(vivek.acs@gmail.com)
Sergeant At Arms :
TM Nijil Chandran
16
