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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

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THE VOICE OF CTC

WHERE LEADERS

ARE MADE

Inaugural Edition

Special

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QU

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T h e v o i c e o f t h e E d i t o r i a l t e a m 3

T h e j o y o f c r e a t i o n — T h e v o i c e o f t h e P r e s i d e n t 4

E d u c a t i o n a l s e s s i o n s a t C T C 5

T h e G e n e s i s — T h e v o i c e o f V P - E d u c a t i o n 6

M i l e s t o n e s i n t h e h i s t o r y o f C T C 7

T h e v o i c e o f W C P S 9

T h e v o i c e o f D i s t r i c t G o v e r n o r 1 0

T h e v o i c e o f I P D G 1 1

T h e o f v o i c e o f D i v i s i o n G o v e r n o r 12

W h a t i t m e a n s t o b e a T o a s t m a s t e r 13

T h e v o i c e o f A r e a G o v e r n o r 14

D i s c o v e r t h e l e a d e r i n y o u ! 15

C h i l l a x 17

T h e v o i c e o f D T M — K a r t i k S r i n i v a s a n 18

A r e y o u a n a n a l o g o u s D T M 19

T o a s t m a s t e r s 2 0 5 0 A . D . 20

B e i n g a T o a s t m a s t e r 21

E f f e c t i v e C o m m u n i c a t i o n 22

T o a s t m a s t e r s t o T r a n s f o r m 23

T o u c h o f d e a t h 24

M y i n i t i a l t r y s t w i t h t o a s t m a s t e r s 25

G a l l e r y 26

T e a m C T C 27

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 2

THE VOICE OF EDITORIAL TEAM

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 3

D ear readers,

It gives us immense pleasure to present to you the Inaugu-

ral Special Edition of Coromandel Toastmasters Club’s (CTC)

newsletter—The Voice of CTC.

If you have a glimpse at the world history, you can find a lot of

powerful and influential voices that changed the world - Adolf

Hitler, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,

Barack Obama and much more! We at CTC believe that our

voice is the most powerful tool to make a difference. And hence

the name, “The Voice of CTC” for our newsletter.

This edition of our newsletter is very special because the articles

are of diverse nature. From the best wishes of WCPS Darren

LaCroix, the keynote speaker at Ovation 2013 to the wisdom and

thoughts of the DTMs, from the voices of budding Toastmasters

to the mind bending puzzles, there is a plethora of interesting

reads on your reading platter.

We express our heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed en-

thusiastically for this special edition of our newsletter by taking

some time out of their busy schedules.

CTC is a bunch of young, dynamic, enthusiastic and passionate

set of Toastmasters who are ready to go the extra mile to deliver

our best in whatever we do and our first newsletter is no excep-

tion.

Happy reading!

Chief Editor

TM Monisha M

Sub Editor

TM Anirudh N

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

Advisor cum Proof

reader

TM Madhavan N

THE JOY OF CREATION

THE VOICE OF PRESIDENT

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 4

E very Saturday when I leave home for an

hour one-way journey to Coromandel

Toastmasters Club, I ask myself – Did I join

Toastmasters 8 months back just to travel such

a long distance to attend the meetings of club

which has barely started? A club where the am-

bience is not at par with some of the other com-

munity clubs? Where the attendance is thin

compared to clubs like CTM that overflow with

audience?

The answer is, I joined Toastmasters only to

improve my public speaking skills. But then, I

got attracted to Coromandel Toastmasters Club

for the same reason many of the other seasoned

Toastmasters got attached to it – “The Joy of

Creation”. It is always a joy to watch a plant

grow and flowers starting to bloom. Parents will

say the same about “The Joy of seeing their

kids grow up”. An entrepreneur is also driven

by “The Joy of Creating something on

her/his own”. The entire team behind CTC is

going through “Joy of Creating something

from scratch”. The bonus is that everyone

gets credits from TMI towards each accom-

plishment

But “Creation” is not easy. As Robin Sharma,

the renowned leadership guru puts it, “Change

is HARD at first, MESSY in the middle and

GORGEOUS at the end”.

Replace the word “Change” with “Creation”,

and the result is the same. How has it been true

for CTC?

It has been extremely hard for us to get the

first 20 members required for chartering. It

took about 5 months for us to reach the

“20”mark. But we overcame this challenge by

focusing on 1 new member at a time.

The meetings were messy during the initial

days. There were not enough speakers, role

players, and last minute drop-outs were ram-

pant. The first meeting that I attended at CTC

had only 6 people, and each one of them had to

play multiple roles (I was the speaker and

grammarian for that meeting). We are working

on overcoming the “messy” situation by coach-

ing members about the roles and helping them

realize their fullest potential at Toastmasters.

We have just started and it is not time to talk

about “The End”, but the end of the first year of

CTC is going to be “Gorgeous”. We are confi-

dent that this team’s work will translate into

tangible results like DCP/Golden Gavel awards

and more importantly, intangible and long last-

ing positive benefits for each of the active mem

TM Madhavan Nampoothiri

Madhavan is the President of Coromandel Toastmasters Club. He is an

entrepreneur in the renewable energy sector and has more than a decade’s

experience in the energy sector. He has a Bachelor degree in Mechanical

Engineering from M.S. University, Tamil Nadu and MBA from Kelley

School of Business, Indiana University, USA.

Your past is just a story. And once you realize this, it has no power over you.

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 5

You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.

-ber of the club.

All through this “creation” process, we have

been fortunate have the backing and guidance

of veterans like DTM Saro Velrajan, DTM Nina

John and DTM Kartik Srinivasan, to name a

few.

After creating a fully functional website and an

active PR machinery, we are glad to present to

you our inaugural Newsletter. The editors

walked the extra mile to get contributions from

the District 82 leadership team(DG, IPDG), Di-

vision Governor, Area Governor and several

CTC members. The icing on the cake is the mes-

sage from the World Champion of Public

Speaking Darren LaCroix.

Happy Reading!

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AT CTC

As the club mission of Toastmasters International goes, “We provide a supportive and positive learn-

ing experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills,

resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth”, we at CTC have been creating a lot of learn-

ing opportunities for new members to reap the benefits of Toastmasters. In order to provide an insight

into the Toastmasters movement and to get the knowledge of seasoned Toastmasters, a series of edu-

cational sessions on a wide range of topics have been held at CTC for the last two months. From script-

ing a speech to how to make a good speech a great speech, from handling table topics to evaluating an

speech, several DTMs and seasoned Toastmasters handled sessions at CTC. You can check the blog

posts of those sessions at http://coromandeltc.in/blog/

THE GENESIS

THE VOICE OF VP-EDUCATION

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 6

In November 2012, during my visit to a club as

the Area Governor, one of the club members

said that he was unable to concentrate in Toast-

masters because of official commitments and

suggested that it would be good if there is a club

in Tambaram. This conversation with him was

the spark for starting Coromandel Toastmasters

Club. After a discussion with my Division Gov-

ernor and IPDG, we decided to start the club if

we have the required number of members and

thus started the journey.

After initiating the plan, we started to scout for

like-minded people who are interested in this

noble cause. The first set of people who came

on board for this initiative was TM Arun of Infy,

TM Karthik and TM Monisha. Slowly we started

identifying potential members and venue for

the club. Here we learned a big lesson “Starting

a corporate club is easier than a community

club”. We managed to identify the venue by

Feb 2013 and finalized the venue. The best part

of the venue is that it is free of charge but we

decided to contribute an amount for students’

education. We also ran a contest to name this

new club and the Toastmasters fraternity gave

us the name Coromandel Toastmasters Club.

In Feb 2013 CTC started the journey by con-

ducting the very first meeting with 25 members

but after a couple of meetings we were back to

square one, hunting for people to run the show.

When the going gets tough, the tougher sur-

vives. That is when TM Madhavan came on-

board along with TM Anirudh and several edu-

cational sessions were conducted by DTMs for

the new Toastmasters. Thus CTC came up with

a bang. Today we are proud of the club since we

are the 1st club to have a website and to have

established strong presence on social media like

Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest even before

chartering.

Fellow CTCians, I assure that we will have a

great time ahead this year and the club will

scale greater heights.

TM Satish Vachaspathi

Satish is the Vice President – Education at Coromandel Toastmasters

Club. He completed his Post Graduate in Business Administration from

Symbiosis and is the working as a Project Manager in Ford.

When you know your WORTH, no one can make you feel WORTHLESS.

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 7

Keep your eyes open and your feet moving forward. You will find what you need.

MILESTONES IN THE HISTORY OF CTC

Initiation of the club

CTC wins the “Spirit of Ovation” Award at

Ovation 2013

CTC goes digital with the trackers on Google docs

CTC goes live on Twitter and Pinterest

CTC gets featured in the New Indian Express

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Free-session-on-public-speaking-

skills/2013/06/27/article1654249.ece

Launch of the official website for CTC

http://coromandeltc.in

MILESTONES IN THE HISTORY OF CTC (cont…)

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 8

CTC’s website records 100 plus hits on the 5th day as

TM Rajesh Natarajan’s blog goes viral

Release of the tagline for CTC - Communicate to conquer

Release of Guest Orientation PPT

www.slideshare.net/coromandeltc/ctc-guest-slide

CTC’s YouTube channel goes live with TM Raghavan

Sridhar’s video

CTC is officially chartered (Club No. 03075300)

Do not give up. The beginning is always the hardest.

THE VOICE OF WCPS

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 9

W hat a pleasure to visit your coun-

try! What a wonderful experience to

meet the people of Chennai! The hospitality

that I received was second to none in the world.

I wish Coromandel Toastmasters Club well.

Please always encourage each other and recog-

nize each other's growth. We often do not see

our own. Always be there for the audience,

serve them before your own ego. Let go of being

perfect and be present. AND as always…

Stage time, Stage time, Stage time!

Darren LaCroix

Darren LaCroix is a keynote speaker, author, comedian and founder of The

Humor Institute, Inc. He is the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

(WCPS). Darren was a keynote speaker at Ovation 2013 in Chennai this May.

To read more posts by Darren, check his websites DarrenLaCroix.com and

www.top10speakingtips.com

Success is not the position you stand, but the direction in which you look.

Coromandel Toastmasters Club bags “Spirit of Ovation” award at Ovation 2013.

THE VOICE OF DISTRICT GOVERNOR

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 10

I t was a normal day, when I was requested by

a college which consists of 8 clubs to visit

them and evaluate their speeches. I agreed to

do 5 evaluations, but turned up to see 8 speak-

ers. All of them were doing their project 9 or 10.

Unhappy about evaluating 8 speeches, I agreed

reluctantly.

I was in for a major surprise. Speaker after

speaker came up on stage and delivered their

speeches. It was obvious that none of them had

prepared well. Some of them read out speeches

while others forgot their lines and giggled on

stage. As they finished, they exchanged greeting

and congratulated each other on completing

their respective mile stones. They had taken it

for granted that the speeches would be passed.

I went to the stage and patiently explained

them the salient features of their speeches and

the areas of improvement. I added that while

Toastmasters International gives me no right to

fail any speaker, I would be happy if they re-

peated their speeches. I then asked them to re-

peat their speeches at their own interest and

said if they still wanted my signature in the

manual, they could obtain the same. I also

promised to make time and mentor their

speeches, if they so wished.

Nobody came forward. As I left the class,

nobody clapped. It was obvious that they hated

me. A few days later, one of the students ap-

proached me to be his mentor. Soon all of them

turned up.

A week later all of them gave their speeches in

various clubs and emerged as best speakers.

The clubs which collectively had produced only

around 10 CCs went on to produce 60 CCS.

The flood gates had opened. My office was

flooded with mentees almost every evening.

The joy when they completed their speeches

was also mine. I was nervous when they spoke.

Their words of gratitude filled my heart.

Mentoring is a priceless way of giving back. The

fulfillment I got is second to none. If you want

to become a better speaker, take up mentoring.

If you want to become a better human being,

lend your wisdom, your learning and experi-

ence the joy like I did.

It’s only when we give, that we receive.

It’s then the universe becomes one big family of

learners, enablers and receivers.

DTM Kumaran Pethi

Kumaran is the District 82 Governor for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka

and Sri Lanka for 2013—2014. He is the Proprietor of Sankalp Builders,

Bangalore. He has been a Toastmaster for the last 22 years, mentored

hundreds of Toastmasters and has held several positions in the District.

Spending today complaining about yesterday won’t make tomorrow any better.

THE VOICE OF IPDG

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 11

T he Coromandel Toastmasters club is a

fledgling community club that is still try-

ing to establish itself. Many newcomers will ask

“Why should I join a new club when there are

so many established clubs? Won’t I

get better value for my money by going to a

club where everybody knows what they are

doing?”

The initial answer to this may seem to be that

older clubs provide more established customs,

but it is new clubs that give you far more ex-

perience and a shorter learning curve! Older

clubs need to fill up slots and chase members

for particular events, and each member of the

Executive Committee has their role cut out. But

in a new club, everybody pitches in to do all the

roles, and you will find both the camaraderie

and the expertise higher.

Every event in the community club, starting

with locating a venue, logistics, agenda, getting

new members, marketing is an exercise in itself.

You will find yourself practicing every project in

the Competent Leadership manual, on a regular

and daily basis. It is a golden opportunity to

learn team management, negotiation, persua-

sion, decision-making and leadership skills, all

of which are invaluable take-aways to your

personal and professional workplace.

Coromandel is especially fortunate in that it has

been established by some of the most commit-

ted members of the Toastmasters fraternity—

Satish Vachaspati, Monisha Monikantan, Mad-

havan Namboodri, Arun Kumar, Anirudh and

Jayan Narayanan. The ownership and commit-

ment displayed by each of these, plus the others

is amazing, and will have its own impact. Set-

ting up a club in such a different area has its

own challenges, but these are part of the game.

The best part about every club is its unique

culture - Coromandel has set a precedent by

inviting the best of the TM fraternity to deliver

educational sessions regularly. This insures

current club members get excellent input, and

word of mouth spreads about the benefits of

joining Toastmasters. The excellent promotion

about the speakers gives them good mileage,

and ensures more visibility for the club!

Coromandel is also the most ‘tech-savvy’ club in

D82, if not the world, with its presence on

Facebook, Twitter, blogspace and YouTube - I

wish Coromandel all the best in its journey, and

commend each member of the club for their

commitment to the Toastmasters’ movement.

DTM Nina John

Nina is the Immediate Past District Governor for District 82. With a

passion for training, coaching, mentoring and motivating, Nina is a life

skills coach, corporate trainer and academician with extensive experi-

ence in diverse segments. She was among those responsible for starting

the Toastmasters movement in Chennai and the first DTM in Chennai.

Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it.

THE VOICE OF DIVISION GOVERNOR

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 12

D ear Members of Coromandel

Toastmasters Club,

Intelligence and capabilities are not enough;

there must be a joy of doing something beauti-

ful.

Let me first congratulate all dedicated mem-

bers of Coromandel Toastmasters Club (CTC)

and current club leadership team for conduct-

ing beautiful meetings and inviting senior

Toastmasters to conduct educational sessions

in order to inspire new members at CTC.

For the past one decade, Toastmasters move-

ment is going at a faster rate in Tamil Nadu

state; at present we have about 50 clubs which

includes Community and Corporate clubs. Very

soon we will expect to reach 100 (Century)

clubs in Tamil Nadu.

As a Division M Governor, I am very happy to

see the progress of CTC and very soon it’s going

to charter in Area M1, Division M of District 82.

CTC is strategically located in southern part of

Chennai and having its own location advantage

to attract major population of student commu-

nity in the vicinity of Tambaram and Chengal-

pattu region. Also we have a good number of

corporate clubs in the same region viz. CSC,

Infosys, CTS and Congruent clubs. CTC can lev-

erage the best practices from these established

clubs.

In Chennai, at present we are in the need of de-

veloping more “Community Clubs” in order to

spread the benefits of toastmaster movement

across various zones of Chennai Metropolitan

Area. I am sure that CTC will emerge as one of

the best community clubs in Division M in the

year 2013-2014. I wish this club will achieve

“President’s Distinguished” status from TMI

(highest recognition of meeting 9/10 DCP) in

its first year of inception and create an inspira-

tion to start some more new clubs with in the

vicinity.

The Chairman of Starbucks Corporation

(Successful American Global Coffee Company)

once said “To succeed you need to care more

than others think wise, you need to risk more

than the others think safe, you need to dream

more than others think practical and you

need to expect more than others think possible.

Based on my experience as a charter member &

Past President of one of the established

community clubs in Chennai – Success of a

Dr. Trinadha Rao DTM

Dr. Rao is the Division M Governor. By qualification a Ph.D (Systems

Engineering & Management) from IIT, Madras. By profession he is an

Associate Director (Projects) in India’s Leading MNC. By passion he is a

Toastmaster who has received the DTM award (The highest Leadership

Award from TMI)

Every day may not be good. But there is something good in every day.

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 |Page 13

club is as much about choosing the right loca-

tion and right leadership team for doing club

business right, aligning your passion with your

unique talents.

Coromandel Toastmasters Club has all the in-

gredients to establish as a successful club in

Chennai.

Wishing you all the best!

The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.

B eing a Toastmaster means many things to

many individuals. For some it may be

spending valuable time on a week day or week-

end enhancing their oratory or leadership skills

and for some it may be a way to unwind from

the madding rush and stress of today's corpo-

rate work life. For me, well, Toastmasters has

been both; but with a difference. The differ-

ence, meaning, that I for once realized that

Toastmasters has become a way of life and a

place where we meet ordinary people who go

on to become effective and effi-

cient individuals. This is one platform where I

learnt that the more you observe others, the

more you can enhance yourself considerably.

Another reason is that this forum gives you the

feel that the learning curve never ends even af-

ter you have become a DTM. The reason being

you get to learn so much from a speaker who is

giving an Ice breaker than from a speaker who

is doing the advanced projects. The fact

that every meeting you attend does facilitate

you to enhance yourself as an individual on the

professional and social fronts is actually the

truth most of us fail to realize. So my dear

Toastmasters, now that you have joined this

movement use its resources to its fullest capac-

ity because your rise to the top depends on how

hard you dedicate yourself in mind and body to

this beautiful movement called TOASTMAS-

TERS"

DTM Rajeev Nambiar

Rajeev is currently a Gazetted Officer with the Comptroller and Auditor

General (CAG) of India. He is a passionate soft skills trainer with excellent

communication & leadership skills and is totally committed to the learning

and development of participants.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TOASTMASTER!

THE VOICE OF DTM

THE VOICE OF AREA GOVERNOR

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 14

W hile one was a master entertainer, the

other was a ferocious dictator. Two

enormously distinctive men in history shared

one peculiarly similar moustache! While Adolf

Hitler is iniquitously held as a coldblooded,

autocratic leader, Charlie Chaplin is regarded as

the Godfather of comedy who proposed that

you smile, even though your heart is aching.

From these two iconic figures in history we can

learn two entirely varied lessons.

Hitler was undeniably a good communicator

with respect to how he led his army and in-

spired people with his beliefs and ideas. He was

able to change people’s mindsets and effec-

tively motivated them to do what he thought

was good for the country. What a Leader needs

to learn from this is the fact that he/she needs

to be skilled enough to motivate his/her team

members to achieve targets and reach goals and

most importantly, to be a tough implementer to

ensure great results.

On the other hand, we have the master of en-

tertainment, Chaplin who can be regarded as a

great example for a leader to understand the

importance of laughter, optimism and cheerful-

ness at work. While getting the work done is

important, it is also important to know how the

work should be completed. Passing orders al-

ways doesn’t work.

In Toastmasters, Where Leaders are made, it is

best to imbibe the right balance of traits pos-

sessed by Hitler and Chaplin.

Coromandel Toastmasters Club is one special

club that had the leaders who possessed the

above qualities, supporting the club right from

day one. Commitment and Passion of each

Toastmaster in this club is exuberant! The way

the executive committee worked in building the

club from scratch to what it is now (near the

charter strength) is one other inspiring stories

that I would love to share with you in the forth-

coming editions.

I would like to recognize the effort spent by first

ever Editorial team of “The Voice of CTC” (TM

Monisha & Team), in putting together such a

wonderful newsletter. I wish the first edition of

the club newsletter reaches out to the general

public and helps them discover the benefits of

Toastmasters. Kudos!

TM Arun Kumar

Arun is the Area Governor for Area ‘M1’ and CTC falls under his area.

He works for Infosys as a Senior Associate Consultant. He has been a

Toastmaster for the last 2 years. Apart from being a Toastmaster, a pas-

sion that he would love to pursue is Photography! He is waiting to get

back behind his DSLRs view finder and capture nature!

You can’t change the tides, but you can learn to swim.

DISCOVER THE LEADER IN YOU!

THE VOICE OF DTM

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 15

W hat is your tag in Toastmasters?

It takes a million years for a charcoal to trans-

form into diamond. Are you a charcoal tagged

as diamond? Or are you a diamond tagged as

charcoal? Are you a charcoal tagged as char-

coal? Or are you a diamond tagged as diamond?

There are members who join the movement and

do not undergo any change and continue to re-

main as a charcoal. At the same time, there are

members who join as a charcoal and go through

a tremendous transformation into a diamond.

Toastmasters is a place where “Leaders are

made”. It is indeed true for me. Toastmasters

helped to me discover the leader in me and I

learned that “Leadership is harvested and

not hunted”. I’m sharing a few of my experi-

ences in Toastmasters leadership roles.

I see a number of Toastmasters who join the

movement with a goal to complete their DTM in

just 2 years. I call them as hunters. A hunter

wakes up one fine day and goes out looking for

a prey. If he is lucky, he can get something and

eat that for a few days. However, being a

farmer requires a lot of discipline. You’ll have

to plough the land, sow the seeds, water the

plants, remove the weeds and apply fertilizers.

The result that you’ll see is humongous. You

can generate food for a large community which

can eat for even months together. Developing

leadership is like harvesting.

I joined Toastmasters in the year 2006. I served

as a Sergeant at Arms (SAA) for 3 times, VP

Education 2 times, VP Membership once and

President once – before I stepped out of the

club and started taking roles at the Division/

District. One of the clubs that I was part of,

called TGIF Toastmasters, met on Fridays in

the mornings at 7 am. I served as the SAA for

about a year, there. I used to get up at 5 am in

the morning, get ready, have my breakfast and

drive to the meeting venue to reach there by

6.30 am sharp. I used to be the first person to

reach there – to setup the props for the meet-

ing. There are times when I used to wonder

“Saro! You are a Sr Development Engineer

working in a multi national company, earning

a handsome salary. Look at the kind of role

which you are doing in a Toastmasters Club.

You are doing the dirty work of putting up the

banner, ribbons and setting up the props etc.,

DTM Saro Velrajan

Saro is presently the Director—Technology at Aricent group, Chennai

and has a passion for public speaking, blogging and travelling. Recently

he was a speaker at TedX GCT, Coimbatore where he spoke about Self

Transformation through Public Speaking. To read more posts by the

author, visit www.saroscorner.com

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 16

Is it really worth it? What are you getting by

doing this?!” In the one year that I performed

the role of SAA, I learned that “Every role in

Toastmasters has a purpose. If you are not

learning anything by doing a role, you are

not doing your role right”.

By playing the role of a SAA, I learned two

skills.

1. How to connect effectively with peo-

ple?

During my early days of Toastmastering, I was

finding it very difficult to talk in English. I had

the difficulty of thinking in Tamil (my native

language), translating that into English and

expressing my thoughts. Playing the role of SAA

helped me to communicate confidently with

people. One of the roles of the SAA was to meet

and greet members and guests. I was standing

at the door greeting members and guests. “Hey!

John… How are you? It has been a long time

since we met… I missed you in our club meet-

ings”… “Hey Matt… Welcome to Toastmasters.

So nice to meet you. How did you hear about

Toastmasters? The fact that you are here at 7

am in the morning shows that you are super

committed to improve your communication

skills”. I was not confident enough doing all of

this during the initial days – especially when

my brain was actively translating from Tamil to

English :-). However, true to Craig Valentine’s

words, “Fake it until you make it”, I kept prac-

ticing it. Eventually, I learnt the art of greeting

people and making them feel good/important.

It helped me immensely to connect with a cross

section of people – both new and old in when I

played the role of the Division Governor in the

year 2011.

2. How to make someone feel very im-

portant?

Most of the SAAs that I’ve seen describe the ta-

boo topics during the meeting and just abruptly

handover the control to the President by giving

a one line introduction such as “Ever charming

President”… “Our Enthusiastic President” etc.,

When I took up the role of a SAA, I learnt the

art of introducing the same boring President,

differently week after week. I learnt to intro-

duce someone based on the theme of the meet-

ing. During the later stages of my Toastmasters’

career, I was able to use that skill to appreciate

members based on their best attributes – look-

ing at the glass half-full, instead of half-empty.

There are times when I have done the running

around to organize speech contests – going all

the way to Parrys Corner to buy trophies, wait-

ing at the printing shop to print certificates,

buying mementos for role players, ordering

snacks etc., I never felt that I’m doing things

that wouldn’t “fit my title”. In fact, I was work-

ing as a “Sr. Product Manager” in a MNC at

that time. A firefighter runs into a burning

house when the entire population runs out in

fear. Similarly, when people run away from op-

portunities I ran towards them. Edison says

“Opportunity is missed by most people because

it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”. It

is very true.

Every opportunity that I used, every role that I

performed in Toastmasters – irrespective of

whether they are BIG or SMALL helped me to

transform from “What I was” to “What I am”.

Today, I can proudly say that I’ve harvested

leadership and the learnings are going to stay

with me forever. A charcoal goes through ex-

Keep going. Each step may be harder, but don’t stop. The view at the top is beautiful.

CHILLAX!

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPELLATHON

How many words of four or more letters can you make

from the letters shown in the puzzle? In making each word,

each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain

the central letter. There should be at least one seven letter

word. Plurals, foreign words and proper names are not al-

lowed. British English Dictionary is used as reference.

Rating: 9 - Average; 10 - Good; 12 - Outstanding

WHATZIT?

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this

arrangement of letter

(Answers on page 21)

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 17

-treme tension, extreme temperature and ex-

tended time period to transform into a dia-

mond. You can become a diamond too! There

are acres of leadership traits buried in you.

Wear your farmer’s hat and start to plough the

field … to DISCOVER the REAL LEADER IN

YOU!

The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.

THE VOICE OF DTM

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 18

F REEDOM! FREEDOM!! FREEDOM!!

This seems to be the theme anywhere and

everywhere!

“Man is born free and everywhere he is chains”

said Rousseau, the Great philosopher.

“Freedom is my birth right” said the renowned

freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

But let us pause a moment and think about

what exactly is ‘Freedom’. It is the state of

being free or at liberty rather than in confine-

ment or under physical/mental restraint; in

other words, exemption from external control.

If you look at Indian Constitution, it talks of

‘Right to Freedom’ which includes “speech and

expression”.

For me, ‘FREEDOM’ means that I am OPEN

and not restricted by “FEARS”. FEAR is the

dominant factor that stops me from expressing

myself in an OPEN manner – fear of ‘am I good

enough’, ‘fear of being ridiculed and laughed

at’, ‘fear of being judged’ and above all, ‘fear of

failure’. The only way to cure me of this

disease called fear is “CONFIDENCE”; and

the only way to build the confidence is through

“COMMUNICATION”.

COMMUNICATION essentially happens

through a Coach, and to me this Coach is not

an individual, but the forum called TOAST-

MASTERS where great Communicators

Leaders are made, and where the main focus is

on building “CONFIDENCE”.

When I joined Toastmasters’ a few years back, I

had the arrogance to think of myself as a very

confident communicator. However, over the

past few years, I have learnt not just otherwise,

but also the way to improve myself as a more

confident (not arrogant) person. This is the

place where I learnt that Communication is the

bridge that connects us to others. When I am

confident and clear in my communication, my

relationships become more authentic, and this

is the forum that has taught me over and over

again that my responsibility towards communi-

cation results in my happiness as, at the end of

the day, I am a product of my behavior; my

behavior a resultant of my thoughts and words;

& above all, I AM THE CAUSE, CREATOR

& BENEFACTOR of MY HAPPINESS!

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose once said, “Give

me your blood I will give you freedom”. I, as a

Toastmaster, am telling you, “Give me your

word, I will give you freedom!”

DTM Kartik Srinivasan

With a passion for people, places and pleasure, Kartik started his career

in International Inbound Tourism (in other words, conducting and es-

corting overseas visitors to India), moved on to Sales and finally found

his true forte in Soft skills training.

How others see you is not important. How you see yourself means everything.

ARE YOU AN ANALOGOUS DTM?

THE VOICE OF DTM

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 19

W orld over public speaking and

communication skills resonate with the

term "Toastmasters". People from different

walks of life have spoken a lot about the bene-

fits of Toastmasters. While many have suc-

ceeded in developing their communication

skills, many others have learnt the art of leader-

ship skills. Here, I wish to do some plain talk

and preach a little.

I had this unique opportunity to learn commu-

nication and leadership skills by being a dedi-

cated member of CSC Chennai Toastmasters for

over six years. It was a tough task - juggling

work, personal life and Toastmasters. Yet, it

was one huge fulfilling and rewarding experi-

ence!

One of my findings during this journey was

about attaining the most coveted title – DTM! I

found a daring truth staring at me as I, like

scores of other Toastmasters, was doing a 100

meter sprint towards the DTM finish line. Are

you really improving your public speaking skills

Toastmaster Jayan? The answer was a blatant

NO!

Hence, I felt it is important to continuously

keep improving even if it calls for slowing

down, repeating the projects as many times as

possible, and when my heart says go, I move to

the next project! Like in any profession, a title

is a curse as much as it is a pride! The day I be-

came a DTM, the pressure on me to deliver the

best started mounting! In any Toastmasters fo-

rum, a DTM is always looked up and the expec-

tations from the audience is certainly high. At

that time, if you don’t meet or exceed the expec-

tations, then it’s an insult to the title.

So keep asking…. Am I an analogous DTM yet?

In short, each of us must strive hard to perfect

ourselves as a powerful communicator and the

best recognition one can get is when someone

sees us communicate and exclaims "You must

be a Toastmaster?!"

Yes, the moment of truth! You have achieved

your analogous DTM title! Work towards it

first! I am glad to be a part of Coromandel

Toastmasters Club and look forward to unlearn

and learn from the new breed of enthusiastic

Toastmasters! Cheers to good times ahead!

DTM Jayan Narayanan

Jayan is presently the founder and CEO of “TOSS THE COIN”, a new age

marketing advisory and outsourcing company based in Chennai. He is a

motivational speaker and spends his free time at colleges, industry fo-

rums and organizations conducting communication workshops, deliver-

ing lectures on varied topics around marketing.

Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart.

TOASTMASTERS 2050 A.D.

THE VOICE OF NEWBIE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 20

I t is proven that success follows the one with

repository of knowledge and information.

People flock to such people who personify them

for guidance and advice. On this very word

“repository”, the modern concept of education

system and libraries were established and

evolved. Nations that spend efforts and money

on education and required infrastructure are

considered more advanced. But does mere re-

pository of information makes one knowledge-

able? Can a big library of books make a librarian

more knowledgeable than anyone in the town?

The ability of transforming a well read to an in-

tellectual is when there is a channel to transform

his knowledge into thoughts and when these

thoughts inspire and lead to actions.

India, the cradle of civilization, had several

thousands of Gurus and Gurukuls prior to the

concept of modern education system and associ-

ated infrastructure came in. This moderniza-

tion came only in late 1800s. Prior to it, not

having dedicated libraries and abundant uni-

versities was not because of difficulty in main-

taining it, but due to lack of very need of it.

The unique knowledge management system that

India widely created and successfully

maintained it was via developing high standards

in retention and transfer of it by “making self an

embodiment of knowledge” and developing the

skills required to transfer. The old adage sums

up this concept as – “Mukhe Mukhe Saras-

watihi”.

When knowledge is transferred in only way,

from face to face, and there is no “external”

physical storage involved, it enforces one to un-

derstand completely to easily retain it, establish

live feedback via questioning and discussions,

mandate the need of being present always, im-

prove the crypticality of the content to make

each letter or word a powerful component thus

reducing useless verbose.

Thank the God and the latest trends in the edu-

cation system. We are further deteriorating on

the concept of teacher-student bonding. Even

the concept of “so called” modern education via

universities and books is no longer mod-

ern. Videos started teaching us. TVs already

buzzing to teach us. Robots very soon will be

teaching us. When such advanced ways of teach-

ing will be bombarding you with core concept of

knowledge and information, and never focus on

the basic necessities of life like - Discipline, At-

tentiveness, Power of speech, Imagination etc,

where do you see the way for “Toastmasters” to

get failed?

TM Ravi Khandavilly

Ravi who is currently working at Accenture, is an avid fan of literature,

music and arts. He dabbles himself in short story writing and poetry as a

hobby. Ravi enjoys all forms of music, but has a third ear for Carnatic.

At home, he has been surviving with his wife (Madhavi) and 2 chip-

munks (Sarayu and Chanakya)

Life is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs. But it’s your choice to scream or enjoy the ride.

BEING A TOASTMASTER

THE VOICE OF NEWBIE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 21

L ast week, after finishing my CC3 speech, I

was thinking about the good things that

happened after joining toastmasters. There are

many benefits of being a Toastmaster. One of

the first thought that came to my mind was

having a mentor -mentee program. I wonder

how many people in the world have a mentor in

life, job, business or anything that matter. If I

have to start investing in stock market, I have to

read ‘n’ number of finance books, listen to a

dozen financial advisors in leading business

channels, browse through all Google hit pages

and have to monitor every rise and fall of share

prices of a company. At the end, all these piles

of information leave me haphazard. Then I

stick to the information and start trying my

own ways by trial and error methods. Consider

a situation, where you want to start your own

business in your home town, which is already

being managed by your dad’s friend. Will you

think he will share the business tactics and se-

crets, if he is not your well wisher? Definitely

No!!

But being a Toastmaster, gives you the privilege

and opportunity to draw the experience from

senior Toastmasters. You need not have to start

from the scratch. You can eliminate most of the

mistakes which your mentor has done or seen

during his journey. I always face difficulties in

selecting the idea or topic for CC projects. So

what do I do? I call up my mentor and ask him

some suggestions for topics. My mentor always

suggests with the topic, which will fulfill the

project’s objectives.

Mentor is not someone who does the ‘boss job’.

He is there to guide you, to become a better

communicator or leader in all possible ways. So

make the best use of the mentor -mentee pro-

gram offered to you with no cost. :-) Some-

times your mentor can become a life time friend

or mentor for your life time. Those are the in-

tangible benefits of being a Toastmaster.

TM Karthikeyan Kuppusamy

Karthikeyan is an engineering graduate with close to 4 years of experi-

ence in IT field and is currently working as a Senior Associate Consultant

in Infosys Limited, Chennai. He is the Secretary at Coromandel Toast-

masters Club.

Control you ANGER, because it is just one letter away from DANGER.

SOLUTIONS TO PUZZLES

SPELLATHON:

Award, aware, awed, draw, drew, sawed, swear,

seaward, wade, ware, ward, wear

WHATZIT?

Dr. Doolittle

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

THE VOICE OF NEWBIE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 22

O nce I remember visiting a friend who lost

her 90 year old grandfather. I said, “Cheer

up, he had a peaceful death at 90” and I said it

with a smile on my face. My complete intension

was to make her comfortable. But I never

thought that the smile on my face and an opti-

mistic tone was the worst thing she wanted at

that point of time. I could see her getting more

depressed. (Maybe she thought I was making

fun). After a few days, I took her for a cup of

coffee to explain her my intensions and to

make sure she understood what exactly I was

thinking and wanted to communicate at that

time.

Effective Communication plays a key role in the

corporate world. Many companies, even the

Fortune 500, fail to deliver the right message

at the right time in the company’s hierarchical

structure. It is very important that we follow the

rules for effective communication depending

on the industry we belong. For example espe-

cially during meetings, the aim of the meeting

would be to set sales target, but the meeting

would revolve around a recent labor problem

that happened and the policy demands may be

discussed for that. In today’s corporate world, if

you can come to a conclusion during meetings,

communicate effectively and write mails which

are crisp and clear, you are a star. The techni-

cal proficiency is secondary.

Not everyone is blessed with a beautiful tone to

sing his message as a song by playing a guitar

and nail the message to the target audience.

Nor do we use presentations to communicate

on a daily basis. Most of the time, we just talk to

each other to convey our point across. So, be-

fore you talk, think twice and be very cautious

on what you talk and be aware of the environ-

ment too. There are very few basic rules one can

learn from Google / books. But at Toastmasters,

you can experiment and implement your learn-

ing.

Remember, in personal life, you might get a

chance to explain and correct yourself but in

corporate world it can be devastating and

sometimes it can cost your job!

TM Naresh Kumar B

Naresh is currently working in Renault Nissan. He hails from the city of Coimbatore and has a passion for cars. Public speaking is his new inter-est.

Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.

TOASTMASTERS TO TRANSFORM

THE VOICE OF NEWBIE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 23

H aving joined the Toastmasters movement

a couple of months back and played only

two roles and delivered 2 CC speeches, I was

wondering what could I write for the inaugural

edition of Coromandel Toastmasters Club’s

newsletter.

I don’t think I will be sharing anything new

here if I have to write on communication / lead-

ership since the Lord Google gives infinite in-

formation. So I would like to share what I have

observed and learnt from my Toastmastering

period.

If a person joins Toastmasters in order to de-

velop his communication skills, the leadership

skills come as a bonus. And there are many

other hidden rewards that you will be able to

harvest only when you join and actively partici-

pate. For example, when a Toastmaster plans

for the prepared speech, a lot of self-

improvement and personality development ac-

tivities happen by default. He doesn’t realize

that it happens but the others will easily be able

recognize that they are gradually acquiring

these skills. Also while preparing a script, one

will improve the writing skill, improve vocabu-

lary, develop creativity by thinking on how to

shape the script, manage time and a lot more.

Also, when one rehearses or delivers a speech,

he practices & helps himself to overcome the

stage fright and master his style of delivery. Im-

promptu speech session helps to think on one’s

feet, packaging the thoughts instantly and de-

liver it in a short time. Also by taking in the in-

formative capsules in the form of educational

sessions by DTMs and contests, morph an indi-

vidual and transform him to a better human

being and a complete man.

I have heard people with addiction for drugs,

alcohol, books, TV, etc. But I got amazed when I

saw people addicted to Toastmasters. I have

seen many people who travel very far to attend

meetings and other club meetings as well.

This is one such forum which helps all who

joins and actively participates irrespective of

one’s age and sex. I have seen people holding

high positions in Toastmasters just to hone

their skills and similarly many people due to

their good amount of Toastmasters experience

have been promoted to higher positions in their

career/life.

Learning is a road without an end; you need to

travel with hope and interest. Toastmasters is

one such road which will lead you and trans-

form you for better life.

TM Harikumar A

Harikumar is the Treasurer at Coromandel Toastmasters Club. He is an

M.Sc IT and has around 15 years of work experience in the IT/ITeS in-

dustry

Adversity causes some people to break; others to break records.

TOUCH OF DEATH

THE VOICE OF “ITC”IAN

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 24

H e knew he can’t break – since his child-

hood he had dreamt of being in the army,

and he always knew exactly what and how he

wanted to serve his country. Just a year in the

service – it’s too early.

The sun was brutal and the forest ants had al-

ready found a way through the crevices of his

uniform. The pain and the irritation of lying on

the forest floor for two hours without being able

to move a muscle was excruciating. Every mus-

cle, every vein, every nerve in his body was tell-

ing him, ‘It’s time, give up’, and yet there was

the voice that told him, ‘No way, it’s too early’.

As he looked through the small aperture of the

metallic ring near his eyes, he saw two kids

playing in the courtyard of the house at the end

of the forest, he could clearly see their faces…

he could even hear their laughter… or so he

thought.

The metal around his finger had heated up vi-

ciously in the last few minutes, yet he did not

twitch a bit, he dare not twitch. Again the de-

bate, ‘Give UP’ … ‘No way’… but he heard none,

the only thing his mind has registered in the

last 15 minutes was two words – neither the

merciless biting of the forest ants, nor the bru-

tality of the sun, that gave the forest a smell of

burning leaves and flesh, but just two words,

that materialized a few inches from his left

ears… “Fifteen knots, south-south-west”.

His thumbs felt the burn from a tiny grove near

the tip. He gave a slight push and the gear made

3 clicking sounds which didn’t even pass to his

other ear.

And then he saw the black figure, through the

first window on the staircase. 1...2...3…second

window… 1...2...3…third window… 1...he softly

inhaled...2...he started emptying his lungs…he

felt the heat of the metal lever pressed hard on

his fingers…3…there was a sound… but before

his brain had fully registered the sound, his

partner saw the 7 feet tall man collapse like a

lifeless object. But he had seen the bullet press-

ing on skin on the side of his head, till it gave

away and the skull broke to reveal the red color

of death.

He blinked for the first time in two hours…

slowly lifted his head, shouldered his Dragunov

SVD, and said “where’s the next target?”

TM Subhadip Banik

Subhadip is a member of Infosys Toastmasters, Chennai who hails from

Kolkata. Two persons who inspired him in life are his dad and Abraham

Lincoln. He believes in setting and achieving smaller victories in order to

reach a greater goal. He’s a conversationalist and likes to meet new peo-

ple. During his leisure, he is engaged in reading books and photography.

An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.

MY INITIAL TRYST WITH TOASTMASTERS

THE VOICE OF NEWBIE

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 25

T his April my project was in a lean period.

When one’s mind is idle (nearly idle in my

case), you know what one goes through. My mind

was running through various thoughts to do

something that will enhance my career and life.

As usual on the specific day of the week, there

was a mail from my corporate admin team on

weekly counseling session for employees con-

ducted by an external entity. I made my mind to

attend this session and get some benefit.

I went to the venue at the scheduled time. Un-

fortunately I could not find anyone in the venue

and there was no sign of anything happening

soon. I peeped into the adjoining room and found

someone speaking and a few others listening. I

was greeted enthusiastically. When I looked at

the board, it said some number of HCL Speech

weavers meeting. I had been looking forward to

attend Toastmasters for a while and so I jumped

in.

Few minutes after a fantastic speech, followed

the table topic session anchored by a fine lady. It

was interesting with topics revolving around per-

sonal experience. Motivated by the milieu, I ven-

tured out and spoke few lines on the topic after a

stumbling start. To my surprise, I was declared

the best TT speaker and got a chocolate. I was

excited about the overall experience.

Leveraging my lean period, I began to attend

Toastmasters meetings week after week regu-

larly and eventually became a member in May. I

continued to learn in all the meetings though I

did not get any award / chocolate after my first

meeting.

Time was ticking for my ice breaker speech. But I

could not progress because of various reasons.

Meanwhile, I got transferred to a new location in

Chennai and was worried that I will not be able

to attend my club regularly.

To my luck, CTC was in my vicinity. I started be-

coming a regular member and transferred my

membership here. Being a young club, there has

been a greater opportunity to learn, adding to it

the continuous education sessions from seasoned

DTM/TMs.

So when is my ice breaker speech? I am re-

minded by myself often and few fellow TMs. I

have gone through web of ideas. Coming up

with a script has been challenging especially

when you have perfectionist tendencies. I try

and recall this quote – “Be gentle and compas-

sionate with you”. As such I have informed my

mentor that I have planned it for 24th Aug. Dur-

TM Madhanlal

TM Madhanlal works as an Associate Business Manager in HCL Tech-

nologies. While trying to meet the demands to daily life, he is also trying

to discover himself and the ingredients of a happy and successful life.

Climb mountains. Not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 26

-ing a casual conversation with a fellow TM, on

general note he says “Don’t commit unless you

are sure. Deliver if you have committed”. It is

already past due date for this article. It’s time to

send this and shift my control to prepare my ice

breaker script.

Keep your eyes open and your feet moving forward. You will find what you need.

GALLERY

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 27

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 27

TEAM CTC

President

TM Madhavan Nampoothiri

Vice President—Education

TM Satish Vachaspathi

Vice President—Membership

TM Anirudh Narasimhan

Vice President—Public Relations

TM Monisha Monikantan

Secretary

TM Karthikeyan Kuppusamy

Sergeant at Arms

TM Rajesh Kapuganti

Treasurer

TM Harikumar Apparao

For more information about the team members, check their profiles at http://goo.gl/gBT4mA

If you wish to join the brand new and the coolest club in town, contact Anirudh—Vice President

Membership at +91- 9940382976 or drop a mail to coromandeltoastmastersclub@gmail.com

H O W T O J O I N U S

Coromandel Toastmasters Club

Sitadevi Garodia Hindu Vidhyalaya,

Kalamegam Street Extension, Tambaram,

Chennai - 600059.

For directions to reach the venue, check http://goo.gl/PRwYrO

We meet every Saturday between 5 – 7 PM.

M E E T I N G D E T A I L S

THE VOICE OF CTC

SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 28

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J U M P O N T O O U R S O C I A L M E D I A B A N D W A G O N !