MARCH 2015
Club Meeting:
Every Sunday during 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Sunshine School
AGS Colony, 86/2, Inner Ring Rd,
Puzhuthivakkam, Chennai – 600091
www.facebook.com/Chennai Communicators Club
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication to SMEDLEY on his 137th Birthday ..................................................................................................4
Editor’s Desk ................................................................................................................................................................5
President’s Note ...........................................................................................................................................................6
Exciting Times .........................................................................................................................................................6
Area Governor’s Note .................................................................................................................................................7
Division Governor’s Note ..........................................................................................................................................8
Know Yourself and Your Potential ......................................................................................................................8
The Voice ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Who is seated next to you? ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Is living one’s potential a myth?.............................................................................................................................. 12
A TOAST TO A TOASTMASTER ...................................................................................................................... 13
Will you realize your dreams ................................................................................................................................... 14
Thought and Action To “Live Your Potential” ................................................................................................... 15
“Don’t Fear, Just Fly” - Live to your potential .................................................................................................. 16
Joga Bonito for a change.......................................................................................................................................... 17
Increase your potential ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Speech craft & Youth leadership program ............................................................................................................ 19
Overview ................................................................................................................................................................ 19
5PS for a successful Speech craft / YLP:..................................................................................................... 19
Our coordinators are our brand ambassadors............................................................................................. 20
District 82 supports you ! .................................................................................................................................... 20
Mentoring Mantra by TM Chandramouli.............................................................................................................. 21
why are you a Toastmaster ...................................................................................................................................... 22
Toastmasters Educational Program ....................................................................................................................... 27
DCP points and where CCC stand......................................................................................................................... 27
Afraid of Public Speaking? Join CCC! ................................................................................................................... 28
“Faith is the gateway through which one way draw upon infinite intelligence” ............................................. 29
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DEDICATION TO SMEDLEY ON HIS 137TH BIRTHDAY
tudies have shown that fear of public speaking ranks up with the fear of death. Yes, people
become nervous and worried about themselves in front of a crowd. This is because they are
worried that they will mess up, they are worried they might miss the train of thoughts, or they are
worried they might be mocked in front of a huge group of audience. To overcome this, in the
year 1924 RALPH SMEDLEY discovered the idea of developing public speaking skills through TOASTMASTERS CLUB. He began this club as he saw a need for men in the community to learn how to
speak or conduct meetings with confidence. Hence, he organized a club where anyone who has the
quest to learn and develop the skill of public speaking. The first official club meeting was held in 1924,
from then on Toastmaster International has been helping members to improve their communication,
public speaking, and leadership skills.
S
From then on at Toastmasters club all the training sessions have been well designed to help people to
learn the art of speaking, listening, and thinking. Today, Toastmaster International has served over 4
million people, it has over 313,000 members across 126 countries. Toastmaster members belong to
local clubs which generally have between 20 and 40 members. The local clubs meet on a regular basis
for the member to practice various skills in public speaking as per the objectives outlined. Members
take up various responsibilities within the club and also organize various contests to find all possible
avenues to come out of the shell of fear. Ralph Smedley’s Toastmaster clubs are a boon to all those
who wish to become good speakers.
We CCCians take immense pleasure in celebrating Smedley’s 137th birthday by dedicating this newsletter.
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EDITOR’S DESK
TM Rakesh Unnee
Chief Editor
VP – Public Relations [Elect]
Chennai Communicators Club
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PRESIDENT’S NOTE
Exciting Times
C
hennai Communicators Club (CCC) has always been known for its exuberance. Holding the
office of the President of Chennai Communicators is something that I do with a lot of pride and
honor. This club has transformed lives of many of its members, and enabled them to realize their
potential.
CCC has managed to groom young leaders of the highest pedigree, who have not only lived up to their potential, but also
pushed their limits to scale new peaks.
Communication and Leadership are the prime focus areas as
a Toastmasters Club, but CCC differentiates itself, in the manner in which we enjoy ourselves in this journey. These are exciting times for CCC, as we have several new members joining
our fold in the last few months. A member’s growth is the single
most defining aspect of the club’s growth in my humble opinion.
I appeal to each of you to make use of the wide array of opportunities on offer to realize your potentials and breach your
boundaries in this fraternity. In 3 years of existence, CCC has
established itself as a powerhouse of communication and leadership in Tamil Nadu Toastmasters. We
have a legacy to take forward. We have all the right elements to make it happen over and over again.
A lot of our members have taken up larger leadership roles in the Toastmasters fraternity. They have
made use of the opportunity to realize their potential. With the right setup, and the right set of leaders
at the helm of this club, these are indeed exciting times.
A lot of effort has gone into publishing this newsletter on the eve of our 150th meeting. I wish to appreciate the sincere efforts of the newsletter team in this regard.
There is no dearth of opportunities. There are no limits to live up to your potential and beyond. Let’s
march forward together towards greater good!
Ilangathir Venugopal
President - Chennai Communicators Club
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AREA GOVERNOR’S NOTE
Many a days when members like you and me are probably catching up
on a movie, going random shopping, there is an Executive Committee
that has a dad sacrificing his kid's birthday, a husband sparing his evening time with his family and a
student missing out on his friend's birthday.
Not that they don't catch up on a movie or go shopping but they spend a
considerable amount of time day after day in ensuring you and me have
a worthwhile day at Toastmasters!
As you sip your hot cup of tea and read this freshly printed newsletter, shouldn't we be taking cognizance of the efforts that have gone behind it?? 
To me to 'Live your potential' isn't something about quoting Adolf Hitler,
Walt Disney or George Clooney. It is about learning from somebody right
next to me. Sailesh, an engineering student and the editor of our vibrant
newsletter, had a lot of academic commitments to pursue but he extended himself beyond the usual to
churn out this edition of the newsletter.
Living your potential is going that extra mile and that is exactly what the CCC Excomm has been doing! 
Right on track for the Golden Gavel plus award, CCC had adopted a Turnaround strategy for this
term. Under the able leadership of TM Ilangathir, the Club has been steadily progressing and living
it's potential to the fullest. At Chennai Communicators Club, we deliver to each and every member
nothing short of excellence and that is because the Excomm is going that extra mile for you!
TM Akshaya Mahalingam
Area Governor – I3
District 82
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DIVISION GOVERNOR’S NOTE
Know Yourself and Your Potential
In Ramayana, Sri Hanuman volunteered to travel South in search
of Sita Devi. Well, he moved to the top of the hill and prepared to
take off towards Sri Lanka. Then, seeing the sea and the after
discussions with his fellows, Hanuman became silent and apprehensive all of a sudden. A wise bear by name Jambavan, approached Hanuman and counselled him, appraised him of all his
feats, motivated him on his strength and determination and made
Hanuman live his potential, cross the sea, meet Sita and……rest
is epic!
In our own lives too, many times, we get stuck. Inhibitions, inferiority, and intangibility make us shrink with grief and shy down
with slackness. We get baffled by the perceived size of the problems that we face and think we are incapable of facing them.
Why does this happen? It is because we fail to understand and believe potential. We fail to live our
potential. We consider ourselves close to a vegetable and a drastic failure.
Check your SWOT
We all have read a lot about SWOT analysis. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). We
do it for our clients, projects, team, etc., Have we ever tried doing it to ourselves? Take a paper and
pen. Jot down the points for all the four clauses. Hide the “W”s and “T”s. Keep reading all the points
under “S” and “O”. Relive your successes, achievements and recognitions. Look upwards and feel
proud of yourselves. Don’t expect others to praise you. First of all, learn to praise yourself for all the
real achievements of yours.
With the amount of confidence your Strength and Opportunity gives you, you can easily overcome the
remaining “W”s and “O”s. Many a times we do the reverse, keep worrying about threats and weakness
and slowly lose our strength and miss opportunities. Recognise a tele caller – majority of the times,
(s)he gets negative responses or even worse, get scolded by the prospects. But they don’t lose hope,
they keep trying and trying with their capabilities and believe me, most of them exceed their targets
and get rewarded. Patience is a virtue and recognising this is a blessing.
Measure yourself
You cannot opine what you cannot measure. It is your life.
It is not a general discussion on where the world is going and what the future holds for us. You may
give abstract comments on these topics since most of the times these discussions happen to fill time
and nobody is bothered about the outcome. You do not need great stats to prove your points and justify
your arguments.
To come up well in life, you must be sure of where do you want to reach and where do you stand at
present. You get a clear measure of your current position which becomes a good data for planning your
strategy for reaching your destination. Yes, it is good to think positive and visualise success. But what
is the point if you do not know the path towards your target? You may not even be able to identify if you
have reached there at all!
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Me and my journey
When I joined my first company, Chennai Petroleum, I got acquainted with a computer for the first
time.
I was fascinated and mesmerised with my understanding of what it could do to our work. While others
were using it as a modernised typewriter – to type documents, print them and file them in the conventional cabinets – I looked at it as a knowledge repository. I was able to see some success with my little
efforts in programming. I realised somehow that I was able to interact with the computer better than
even my IT department guys. I realised my strength. I was able to correlate business needs and software components! Soon somebody told me this activity is called Business Analysis.
My efforts started paying dividend and my bosses started taking note of my special skills. I was given
an opportunity to implement a major software for the department that made me even stronger. I was
called by an IT company to join them as an “Oil & Gas Business Analyst” and I started growing up in
my ladder. From a core industry background, now I am able to discuss with technology leaders in IT as
well as business leaders in Industry, get appraised for my skills and also get business for my company.
I was able to identify and build my areas of strength and nurture it well. I could find out the kind of
opportunities in the industry and join an IT organisation at last. I am satisfied that I lived my potential.
You are ready?
Now that you know your SWOT results and you are clear about your destination, it is very easy and
simple to achieve it. Gather all your strengths that match the opportunity. Gear up with additional learnings to manage the threats and overcome your weakness. This is what is called as your potential.
Look up to your destination, march forward, never look back except to bid Goodbye. Go on what stops
you!
DTM Guruprasad P
Division I Governor
V R "I"
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THE VOICE
Somewhere in between the passage of time,
I wish to stay stuck to one single point.
Today you would call it the past,
When the direction reverses you'd - the future.
But what matters to me the most is being still.
You think I'll miss out on the fun of travelling?
Well, we got to this maze for a reason,
What's the point in running around following the season?
So allow me - the least - to stick to the voice,
For I wish not, to follow the world's "best" choice.
Divya S
Charter President
Chennai Communicators Club
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WHO IS SEATED NEXT TO YOU?
We were traveling in our cab at 120 kms per hour on the high way when suddenly, the cab driver
slowed down and moved the vehicle to the side of the road.
He asked my friend who was seated in the front and dozing off and on to be seated behind. He also
said, 'I fear I may fall asleep looking at you, please don't mind!!'
All through the remaining journey, I was wondering what would have happened if the driver hesitated
to tell this apparent truth, thinking he may be misunderstood?
Choosing on who is next to you in your travel is often not a choice. But in your life journey, who is
with you is your choice.
How correct it was that, we tend to pick not just mannerism or behaviour but also the thoughts of our
relatives, friends and colleagues and form our opinions and judgments?
It is of utmost importance here that these are people who we choose to be. If positivity surrounds us,
we become more positive. For example, in the recent past, there are many new marathon runners in
our city. It is a good wave of health consciousness that has got picked through the known circles. Left
alone, we may not find so many of them coming out volunteering for such runs. The group wave has
really helped.
Another example to quote is the stock market. There are many small
time investors who go by the tide. This also creates unexplained trends
in the market for no reason.
In whatever way, choose who is next to you. They should be someone
from whom you draw energy or someone who is motivated by you. In no
circumstance should that person be someone who will drain out positivity and inject negative thoughts.
TM Devanand
VP – Education
Chennai Communicators Club
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IS LIVING ONE’S POTENTIAL A MYTH?
This question haunts me all the time, I still search for the answer. Yes,
it is like the phrase ‘your potential’. Do you have a grasp of your potential? When do you say you have attained your potential?
Is Dhananjay’s winning the World Championship realization of his potential? Or has it unleashed new potentials that he starts living with?
Defining the word ‘Potential’, Oxford Dictionary states ‘Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future’.
We seem to understand the word better when we listen to usages of the
word in constructs in the form of complete sentences. Some examples:
‘The under-19 teenage batting prodigy, Prithvi Shaw has the potential to
represent India and succeed at the international level’.
‘India has a huge potential to bring out new and numerous inventions that would not only lead but also
shape the future of the world in Science and Technology’.
The two examples above amplifies ‘capacity to develop into something in the future’. The word capacity
is used to signify the ‘ability or capability’ to develop into something in the future. It is obvious that
Potential is more than capability or ability and involves something known or unknown at a future day /
time It therefore, follows that realization of one potential is the starting point of a new ‘potential’, and
the realization of this new potential gives raise to one or more new potentials and the cycle continues.
Please note that reaching a goal or a milestone or a benchmark does not mean the ‘potential’ ends.
E.g., scoring 100 upon 100 in mathematics does not mean the end of the road In mathematics. It only
means you embark on the search for new or extended potentials.
I do not agree with the phrase ‘live your potential’, I subscribe to ‘live y our potentials’.
DTM Venkatesh SN
District 82
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A TOAST TO A TOASTMASTER
The exciting journey of a TM beginning from "Ice breaker" to the dream destination of DTM involves
capitalizing on his full potential. His potential is the very tool sans which he can't even inch his way
towards that coveted destination.
TM clubs are the nurseries churning out leaders in this magnificent art of Effective Communication. One
impressive feature is it is the members who are calling the shots in these clubs.
Then question arises "who is a TM?"
A Toast Master is one who is too lazy to hurt. He ducks debates, dissensions, and club controversies as it is liable to cause his fellow TM a jar or a jolt with whom he is cast. Even in the event of
expressing dissent he does it deftly and discreetly with extreme delicacy, decorum and decency. He is
always level headed and his bearing will be as though he is duty bound to keep everyone at
home. Hardly has he any adversaries. Even in the event of having one such he conducts towards his
adversary as if one day or other he can be won over as a friend. He bears malice towards
none and charity towards all. He never bluffs or blabbers in order to gain publicity and prominence in
the club meetings. Humility and humbleness are the hallmarks of his personality and never thumps his
chest even when he scales Mount Everest.
He is an elegant example for Time Management and reports for meeting as precise as sun set and
sunrise. He extends unstinted co-operation in enforcing stony silence by restricting his mobility during
the meeting. He never errs by mumbling or meddling with his fellow TMs lest it should upset the proceedings.
While covering his project speeches he keeps in view the aphorism "To work you have every right: but
not to the fruits thereof’’. Hence he never craves or cringes for sky high praising even if his speech dazzles like a diamond. In the event of adverse remarks by the evaluator he swallows it with a sweet smile
as though it has been a kind of blissful blessing. In the role of an Evaluator he strictly adheres to “Sandwich Technique”. He prefaces his performance by extolling the target speaker with iconic phrases,
nudges him with flower soft criticisms and concludes with a word of super-praise. Throughout he exhibits a speaker-friendly attitude.
While being a Mentor he is cool, composed and compassionate towards his Mentee keeping in view
Mentee is a fresher and a fledgling. He never exhibits impatience and motivation towards the
Mentee will be his by-word.
During contests, his accent will be with what spirit he contests rather than to
win or lose. In the wake of defeat he will be defiant taking a diamond hard
determination to do better next time while in victory he will display magnanimity towards his fellow contestants. Prizes and awards never intoxicate his mind.
A true TM views ‘complacency’ as his chief antagonist. He never rests despite innumerable laurels and titles. He always reflects on the adage “So
much to do: So little done”.
TM T.R.THIAGARAJAN ACG, ALB
MEDLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB
The author is a TM since 1974. He has contributed over 350 write-ups in leading dailies and magazines. Other interests are Carnatic music
and cricket.
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WILL YOU REALIZE YOUR DREAMS
We see two types of dreams - one when we sleep and one when we are wide awake. The dreams
that we see ironically with closed eyes are mysterious. Some call them projections of what’s going on
in our minds, while some argue these are visions from our lives in alternate universes. All we can
hope is that we understand them someday whether they are to be taken as predictions associated
with upcoming events or whether they are mere fillers in the movie called sleep. However, there are
other types of dreams that we see when we are awake, and they are more than just dreams. So,
what are they?
They are whatever you wish them to call – day dreaming, making castles in the air, creating hypothesis,
etc... But, some of these second categories of dreams are called ambitions. These dreams are aspirations. These dreams are the 5 years from now or some years
from now position where we wish to see ourselves.
Some wish they could be the best speaker ever.
Some wish they could crack into a fellowship.
Some wish they could get into a desirable position in the job.
Some wish to lose inches on the sides.
Some wish to travel the world. Some wish to meet their better halves.
Some wish for their favorite shining wheels.
Some wish for a big home with loads of amenities.
Some wish to be famous.
Some wish to die famous.
But apparently, there are no fairies to grant all these wishes.
There are no genies waiting for a lamp to be rubbed. There
are no lotteries that give you lots and lots of whatever lots you desire. And there is no Bruce Almighty
sequel planned with you playing the role of Bruce. So, most of these wishes are just going to be wishes.
Eventually, we would succumb to circumstances, we would negotiate with conditions, and we would go
into the phase of acceptance. Post this phase of acceptance; we would enter into a phase of ignorance.
We would create excuses that the objects which we once wished for are not worth possessing anymore.
And most of these excuses would be centered on what we did not have to live these dreams. In the
end, we would just end up adjusting with the smaller forms of all our wishes. And not at all surprisingly
this has been the fate of most of the people for centuries now.
But, what if there was a way to break this jinx? What if there is someone who could help us living all
these dreams? This someone is everywhere in the universe. It is an entity that knows you, that understands you. It is an entity that looks after all your actions. It is the only entity that would come to your
rescue when you’re in trouble. It is the only entity that could help you achieve your dreams and not let
your dreams just be wishes. It is that fairy that can work wonders; it is the genie that could change your
fate. This entity can be found in many places across the nations and the city. If you wish to find this
entity, all you have to do is look at something that creates reflections just as mirrors do. And trust me;
the day this entity in the mirror lives up to its potentials, you would live your dreams.
TM Saurav Pathak
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THOUGHT AND ACTION TO “LIVE YOUR POTENTIAL”
Thoughts are the instigation of one’s determination to achieve his/her desire. It is
hard work that assists one’s thoughts to succeed in life and to live up to his/her
potential.
How exactly do you live your potential?
There is a great path to live your potential. The most important of them which each
one of us need are determination, dedication, and awareness.
A king once put his court to a test for an important post. Powerful and wise men stood around him in
great numbers.
“You wise men,” said the king, “I have a problem, and I want to see who out of you is in a position to
solve it.”
He led the men to a huge door, bigger than anyone had ever seen. The king explained, “Here you see
the biggest and the heaviest door in my kingdom. Who among you can open it?”
Some of the courtiers just shook their heads. Others, who were counted among the wise men, looked
at the door closely, and admitted they cannot do it.
When the wise men had said this, the rest of the court agreed that this problem was too hard to solve.
Only one vizier went up to the door. He checked it with his eyes and fingers, tried many ways to move
it, and finally pulled on it with a hefty tug. And the door opened.
How do you think this man had been able to open the door when the others couldn’t?
He realized that the door was not completely shut. It had been left ajar. Nothing more was needed to
open the door but the willingness to analyze and realize how to act was the essential quality required.
In this story the man who was able to open the door had fully understood himself and knows how he
can solve issues by properly analyzing any situation first before acting on it or coming to any conclusion.
Another quality one essentially needs is quick and effective decision making. Whether or not right,
move ahead with the decision that you have made, without procrastinating in acting on it, to move
yourself from a fence-sitter to a bridge-maker.
To me the first step to ‘live your potential’ is to first realize who you are and act according to it.
TM Kumararaja
Chennai Communicators Club
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“DON’T FEAR, JUST FLY” - LIVE TO YOUR POTENTIAL
Once there was a king who was gifted two wonderful falcons by someone. These were peregrine falcons, the most amazing birds he had ever seen before. He provided the treasured birds to his head
falconer to learn.
Months passed, and one day the top falconer informed the king that one of the two falcons was initially
flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the time
it had arrived.
The king summoned healers from all the land to attend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird
fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace
windows that the bird still was not able to move from its position.
Having tried everything else, the king said to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the
countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a
farmer.”
In the morning, the king has been thrilled to see the falcon soaring higher above the palace gardens.
He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.”
The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How
do you make the falcon fly?”
With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king,
“It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
We are all made to fly – to realize our incredible prospective as humans. But sometimes, we take a
seat on our branches clinging to things that are common to us. The options are endless, but also for
many people, they continue to be undiscovered. We comply with the familiar, the relaxed, and the
mundane. Consequently, our lifestyles are mediocre rather than stimulating, thrilling, and fulfilling.
Why don’t we learn to ruin the branch of fear we cling to and absolutely free ourselves to the glory of
the trip and to live our life with full potential?
TM Dinesh Angappan
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JOGA BONITO FOR A CHANGE
Sport has been the cornerstone of my life.
Over the years it has led me to take roles ranging from that of a captain and spokesperson to that of a
soccer coach. Against all my expectations it also led me into the social sector. In October 2013, I joined
SlumSoccer, a sport for development organization, to help at-risk children. The core of building a stable
community is acceptance and respect. At SlumSoccer, football acts as the messenger. Specific game
themes include, but are not limited to; respect, team work, saving, nutrition, hygiene and child rights.
The power of sport lies in its ability to transcend cultural and language boundaries. As someone whose
Tamil vocabulary ended at ‘Vanakkam’ I got to experience this aspect first hand. Despite not speaking
the language, I not only taught soccer specific skills, but also encouraged the kids to aim higher and
aspire beyond what their parents did.
One often hears about life at the bottom of the pyramid. It’s one thing to hear about it, and another to
experience it. It makes you conscious of the everyday comforts you had taken for granted. It also shows
that one does not have to live in a mansion to find happiness. One of my most memorable experiences
was when we held an impromptu tournament for the kids. We divided the kids into five teams. It came
down to a ‘face-off’ between the volunteers and the kids in the ‘finals’ of the tournament. We encouraged the other participants to root for the ‘home team’. Little did we know that the noise they generated
would bring out the entire slum community to cheer the team and inspire the kids to beat us on penalties? The experience was evidence of the impact of our work. We managed to bring a conflict-ridden
community together using Joga Bonito!
I am thankful to Slumsoccer for helping me overcome my reluctance to take up new projects. It’s this
attribute that led me to try out Toastmasters, where I continue my journey of self-reflection and discovery. I now look up to my fellow Toastmasters for my next leadership lesson.
TM Nithin Sebastian
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INCREASE YOUR POTENTIAL
Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed. It transforms from one form of energy to another. This
was the definition of energy we read during school days. The above definition tells us there is a lot of
energy in everything that is created in this universe. As a newly evolved species we, the homo sapiens,
are possessing great and fresh energy that can change the course of the earth. In fact, we have already
started it by changing the atmosphere and melting the ice caps in the north pole. When our energy is
making so much change to the mighty earth, which is totally bad for it, why don't we use the same
amount of energy to do good things in our lives and to be good in others lives.
How can we do good things in our lives? Use the energy or the potential we are
possessing. The very interesting fact about this potential is the moment you start
to use your potential towards anything, the potential or energy you possessed
increases to a higher level. We have heard people saying “I don't have an interest in doing that work”. The real meaning of this sentence is they don't want to
invest their energy in that work. When you stop investing your energy in anything
you are stopping yourself from exploring an uncharted path that you have never
been. When we think we don't have the energy to do any particular work, remember it's the illusion that we create in our mind to believe. Energy once invested will have very high returns and thus increases your energy to a higher
level.
Losers wait for energy to do the work, winners do the work to get the energy. When we think we are
the winners the energy will flow through our body and mind. It is we who never realise how our little
amount of work we do will increase the amount of energy we possess. When I was pushed by my friend
to go for a run every morning, I thought it would be very difficult for me to run for even 300 mts. But
when I went for the first run I got exhausted at 500 mts. It gave me energy to get up next morning and
go for the run. The moment I finished 1 km of run I was completely exhausted but few seconds later I
felt I wanted to run for another kilometer. It was difficult for me to finish 1 km but the moment I finished
I got the energy to go ahead with one more kilometre. Energy will come to those who do the work not
for the one who wait to get the energy.
When we are given a task for the first time like speaking in front of a group of people or writing an
article, we think we can't make because we don't want to use our potential for those uncharted path.
But once we complete one speech or one article we get to know, we can do this. The amount of energy
used up will be much lesser than what we would have presumed and the amount of energy we receive
will be double the amount we invest by finishing the work. We were never deprived of energy, it’s our
illusion that makes us to think that we are deprived of energy and we don't have the energy to cross
the boundary that we made for ourselves.
By sowing our potential into something meaningful we harvest multitude of energy that can be sowed
in other things. When you do good to yourself it will eventually inspire others to follow your path. In this
way one can go on exploring her potential and influence people around him. For e.g., when someone
gives an exemplary speech on stage it influences others who are watching, to desire to give a spectacular speech like the other. But how many would try? Always we have to remember “if you will you
can, if you can you must”.
TM Sivakumar KC
Chennai Communicators Club
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SPEECH CRAFT & YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Overview
Communication development program,
mostly for adults
Communication & Leadership development
program for youth
To train non-toastmasters
& grow membership
To serve community by training youngsters
(future toastmasters!)
Schools, Colleges and
Corporate & Community
Schools, Colleges & Community
Any Toastmasters club can organize.
Conducted by trained TM coordinators
Any Toastmasters club can organize.
Conducted by trained TM coordinators
4-8 sessions
8 sessions
Funds can be raised through participation
fees
Find sponsors to run the program. Participants
cannot be charged.
HOW
WHEN
WHO
WHERE
WHAT
YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
WHY
SPEECH CRAFT
5PS for a successful Speech craft / YLP:
 Plan for the program
 People (Coordinators & Participants)
 Place
 Props (Manuals, Certificates etc.,)
 Publicity (pre-event & post-event)
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Our coordinators are our brand ambassadors
Be
 Respectable
 Organized
 Committed

Knowledgeable
DOs
 Involve trained Coordinators
 Purchase original manuals from TI
 Purchase original certificates from TI
 Raise sponsorship for
YLP – provide receipt
 Get participation fee for
Speech Crafts – provide
receipt
 Maintain accounts
DON’Ts
 Area/Division/District
cannot organize Speech
Crafts
 Excess funds from
Speech Craft/YLP cannot
be used by Area/Division/District. It goes to
the club.
 Don’t organize YLP for
fund raising. Instead, organize Speech Craft programs for fund raising.
 Don’t organize
YLP/Speech crafts on
weekdays – very hard to
find volunteers
District 82 supports you !
 There will be a Chief Speech Craft / YLP coordinator for the district
 2 – 3 sets of Speech Craft/YLP kits stocked by the district
 District PRO & Webmaster can publicize the Speech Craft / YLP programs
 District will organize periodic training programs for coordinators
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MENTORING MANTRA BY TM CHANDRAMOULI
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Make mentee acquainted with TMI.
Probe the mentee and understand the specific reason why he/she has joined TMI.
Explain what TMI can offer to help the mentee.
Explain the purpose of each ‘Competent Communicator – CC’ projects.
 CC2 to CC6 are the hygiene of communication
 CC7 [Research you topic] is to develop speaking skills on unfamiliar topics
 CC8 [Visual Aids] – Visual aid can create great impact.
 CC9 [Persuade with Power] – To sell idea / product to a neutral person, persuasion is
required.
 CC10 [Inspire your audience]
 CC9 & CC10 helps to move audience emotionally.
Explain the purpose of each ‘Competent Leadership – CL’ projects.
 CL is a very useful manual. Leader is only there if followers are there.
 10 Leadership skills in CL manual are the essential skills.
Encourage mentee to read the manuals carefully.
 Note: Communication is substantial whereas Leadership is abstract.


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Set easily achievable goals to mentee.
Understand where the mentee stand. At least once in a quarter review the progress of the
mentee with respect to the specific reason of joining TMI.
Give activities as exercise for improvement.
Make the mentee to write speeches at least during initial stage. Later it is ok to review the audio
or video recording.
 Writing makes it easy for mentor and it helps mentee to organize the speech.
 Mentor should never make changes to the script. Just give suggestions to improve.
 Usage of properties should be questioned and ask about the specific purpose of using
a prop.
Don’t just do grammatical corrections. But, discuss on the speech and suggest improvements.
Work on mentee’s evaluation skills also. Never let them do template evaluations.
Try to be present in all the prepared speeches or see the video.
If the mentor is not comfortable to give suggestions on some advanced manuals, it’s always good to
suggest somebody else to give feedback.
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WHY ARE YOU A TOASTMASTER
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I joined toastmasters accidently, but later I realized that I am here to improve myself as a better person.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be
and why?
Alex Jacob – my mentor. He had a bigger role in my journey as a toastmaster. He helped me to shape myself.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Toastmasters redefined the meaning of leadership. Toastmasters helped me to become a better person and gave me wonderful network of people. I learned how to be more organized.
TM Karthikeyan Arumugan (SERVION)
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster,
what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Taking the first step matters most. Once the initial step is taken the
world is your oyster.
TM Nithin Sebastian
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
To improve my communication skills, particularly to overcome my stage fear.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
Mr. Satish VPE, Chennai Communicators club, who introduced me to toast masters and encouraging
me by closely monitoring my project progress.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
I got an opportunity to interact with the toastmaster’s community to enhance my learning through their
experience and guidance.
TM Venkatachari Madhavan
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Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I am here to improve my leadership and public speaking skills. During this process, I will improve my
network.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
There are many in CCC. If I have to mention one toastmaster, then it will be Dinesh (SAA). One fine
evening, we went to one coffee shop after the meeting. The conversation I had with Dinesh gave me
lot of insights about the areas I need to focus on.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it?
(Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
It is quite difficult to answer after removing these two options. I used to stumble & fumble for words in
a pressurized situations. I am confident now that I can improve myself.
TM Somprasad T
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I came to know about toastmaster through our managing director. He motivated me to join TM where I
can develop my public speaking skills and reduce stage fear so that I can see a change in my life. I feel
proud to be a member of CCC.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
Sure, when it comes to thanking TM’s, I would thank many of the TM’s, but in first, I thank TM Seenivasan from whom I reached out first, even before I knew anything about TM’s. He is the one who
guided me to join CCC. Thank you Seeni sir.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
I did not have confidence in “public speaking” before joining TM. Now I am in a comfort
zone due to TM.
TM Bharathi
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I joined toastmasters to improve my communication skills & to reduce my stage fear.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
TM Ilangathir – Very cheerful person. Then I want to include one more person. TM Rakesh – Wonderful person in encouraging others
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Learning could be fun.
TM Arun C
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Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
Networking, Friends, Self-analysis and improvement, Helping people, Travel
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
Every TM who listens to me and has appreciated me and has given an opportunity to improve my
skills and being friendly to me and many other things
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it?
(Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Perfection is a journey. You are keeping perfection all the time.
TM Mohammed Faheem Sait
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I am a member of Toastmasters International. They call their members as toastmaster. That’s why I
am a toastmaster. I joined toastmasters as it appeared to me interesting.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
I would like to thank late DTM Kartik Srinivasan. He helped me in finding my strength and weakness.
He strengthened me as an individual. It was fun to be with him.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it?
(Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
It takes courage & specific skill to entertains others and make them laugh. Toastmasters helped me
in enhancing & empowering my abilities to bring out humor in everything.
TM Kush Tripathi
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I am here to become a better person.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
Sateesh Kumar. I am indebted to him for my toastmaster journey.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it?
(Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Organizing & Planning.
TM Sivakumar KC
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Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I am here to be a better person – with better interpersonal skills and to improve my confidence level.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
I thank my husband for introducing toastmasters to me and also my mentor Ilangathir for his encouragement, guidance and support.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
I have learnt to be extremely supportive and positive. Toastmasters club reinforces that the fact that
you can help being about a change by being positive and encouraging.
TM Shantha Kumari TS
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I joined Toastmasters to improve my communication skills.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
TM Prasanna, he is my running buddy who said about TM and helped me to take
my first step in speaking journey as TM.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what
would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
It helped me to come out of my comfort zone.
TM Dinesh Angappan
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I joined toastmasters to improve my communication & Leadership skills by practicing and studying the
pattern & presentation of good speakers.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
TM Ashok Kumar. He is simple and easily approachable.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Confidence & courage in front of the public, Connecting thoughts for speech.
TM Prasanna Jayakumar J
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Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I am a toastmaster to recharge my batteries over the weekend so it keeps me going for yet another
week.
If you can use this space to thank one Toastmaster, who would it be and why?
TM SN Venkatesh for mentoring our corporate club. His enthusiasm is simply contagious and it was
because of him I resumed toast mastering after a brief sabbatical.
If you were to pick a specific learning that got out of toastmaster, what would
be it? (Communication & Leadership will not be accepted as an answer)
Time management & Motivational skills
TM Ashok Kumar K
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
I always wanted to live by the seven habits reckoned by Steven Covey in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. The habit # 7 - SHARPEN THE SAW speaks about continuous
learning which is a quadrant-II activity. This habit plays a major part in increasing ones efficiency to
live up to your potential. The single most powerful investment we can ever make in life is to invest in
ourselves, hence I joined Toastmasters to sharpen my saw.
TM Pagalavan
Why are you a Toastmaster/why did you join Toastmaster?
Many times due to fear in communication and stage fear, I never stood to take up any responsibilities
before joining toastmaster. Now, I have taken up roles and responsibility in Toastmaster club, and I
have no stage fear. I have developed the confidence in me to talk in front of big group of audience
due to my journey with toastmasters.
TM Dinesh SAA
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TOASTMASTERS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
DCP POINTS AND WHERE CCC STAND
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AFRAID OF PUBLIC SPEAKING? JOIN CCC!
Venue :
Sunshine Chennai Senior Secondary
School
Time :
Every Sunday 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
How to reach? :
Please refer the map.
Contacts:
TM Seenivasan
TM Rakesh Unnee
VP – Membership [Elect]
VP – Public Relations [Elect]
Chennai Communicators Club
Chennai Communicators Club
+91-9600056271
+91-8056090708
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“FAITH IS THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH ONE WAY
DRAW UPON INFINITE INTELLIGENCE”
Faith is the state of mind through which one’s aims, desires and plans may be translated into their
physical equivalents. It is to know that what you believe in will happen certainly. But things can happen
only if it is combined with action. “Faith without work is dead”. It acts as a catalyst in one’s life and helps
to start of the wheel of success. Faith is the guidance from within which will not bring you that which
you seek, but it will surely show you the path to attain your desire.
Faith should be combined with action to yield the gold of your burning desire, not hope or your wish.
All your desire, belief, emotions are all the state of mind as like the faith, one who realizes it will know
how to discipline the mind to “Live his potential”.
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