Toastmasters Celebrate 85th Anniversary

Islamabad Toastmasters, a local pubic speaking training club, celebrated the 85th anniversary of Toastmasters International on November 3rd at NICS near Lok Virsa. The colorful event was attended by a large members from all over the country and guests.

Toastmasters International was founded in October 1924 when a group of men assembled by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, U.S.A., forming a club “to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members.” The group took the name “Toastmasters.”  Islamabad Toastmasters Club is a local chapter of Toastmasters International. Today, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 199,000 men and women in more than 9,300 clubs in more than 70 countries.

President, Islamabad Toastmasters Club, Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi, welcomed the members and guests and told them a brief history of Toastmasters. Toastmaster of the evening was Distinguished Toastmaster, Mazhar Jamil, who talked about the benefits of the Toastmasters program and how it can help members polish their speaking and leadership skills. Topicsmaster was Toastmaster Nauman Faridi who invited different members and guests to speak on a random topic related to Toastmasters. This was followed by an outstanding speech from the Advanced Competent Communicator Series by former club President, Maliha Elahi. General Evaluator was Toastmaster Arshad Hamid who called different role-players to present their evaluation and feedback.

The award for best table topics speaker went to Toastmaster Mumtaz Anwar, the award for best speaker went to Toastmaster Maliha Elahi, the award for best evaluator went to Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi, and the big 3 award went to Distinguished Toastmaster Mazhar Jamil. Before wrapping up the meeting, the president asked for feedback from guests which was very positive and a majority of the guests pledged that they would love joining the club. The meeting was followed by a sumptuous dinner and cake cutting.
Islamabad Toastmasters meets every Tuesday at NICS near Lok Virsa at 6.45 PM. Club website is at http://islamabad.toastmasters.pk.

Toastmasters Breathed Ozone in Bhurban

Dr Ralph Smedly, the founder of Toastmasters International said” We learn best in moments of enjoyment”. Taking this cue, the President of Islamabad Toastmasters Club (ITC), Mohsin Lodhi took the initiative and selected Chinar Golf Club at Bhurban as a place for fun and learning for its executive officer training.

The President-Mohsin Lodhi, VP Education-Nauman, Faridi, VP Membership-Asim Husain, VP Public Relations-Shahid Altaf Qureshi, Treasurer-Mian Ramzan, Sergeant at-Arms- Ehsan Abbasi and Shadow VP Membership- Bilal Javed took part in this training on 18 October 2009. Executive committee officers’ training is the part of Toastmaster International’s training program toward education and excellence of its clubs’ executive committee members. Distinguished Toastmaster Dr. Mazhar Jamil conducted the training in a professional way helping every member realize his role and responsibilities. His friendly engaging and easy to-understand training style was “what you ought to know and how to do it?” made the trainees understand the objectives clearly. The training lasted for six hours. At the end, every participant had clear goals about their roles and a road map to achieving these goals.

The captivating panoramic beauty of the Golf course complemented by beautiful weather amid sizzling bar-b-queue and majestic steamy tea set the mood and energy of the participants to be all-time high. Nature never cheats. Ozone too, played its everlasting role to restore the oxygen level of the participants to keep them alert and diligent.

The President thanked the trainer and the trainees for taking their valuable time-out to take part in the meeting. He commented “It was a wonderful event which supercharged its participants to face the future challenges”.  He hoped the time and money invested on the participants would bring positive change in their leadership and communication skills. He vowed to organize it again in December 2009.

Islamabad Toastmasters Club Steps Ahead For Excellence

Islamabad Toastmasters Club, a local public speaking club, held its 61st weekly meeting on October 21st at NICS (National Institute for Cultural Studies). Presiding Officer was Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi, Toastmaster of the evening was Toastmaster Mian Ramzan, Table topics master was Toastmaster Amir, and General evaluator was Toastmaster Ehsan. Four new guests attended the meeting.

The theme of the meeting revolved around the game of squash. After introduction of role players, the meeting was broken down into regular segments of table topics (short impromptu speeches), prepared speeches, and evaluations. There were three prepared speeches which were appreciated by the audience. 

The award for best table topics speaker went to Toastmaster Mumtaz Anwar, the award for best speaker went to Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi, the award for best evaluator went to Toastmaster Asim Shahryar, and the big 3 award went to Toastmaster Ehsan Abbasi. The club conducted its officer training at Bhurban Golf Club last weekend which was both educational and fun. The club meets every Tuesday at Lok Virsa at 6.45 PM.

60th meeting of Islamabad Toastmasters held

Islamabad Toastmasters, a local public speaking club, held its weekly meeting on October 13th at NICS (National Institute for Cultural Studies). Presiding Officer was Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi, Toastmaster of the evening was Toastmaster Asim Shahryar, Table topics master was Toastmaster Adeel Faisal, and General evaluator was Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi. Four new guests attended the meeting.

Because the theme of the meeting was hockey, whistle and colored cards were used to recreate the setting of a hockey match. After introduction of role players, the meeting was conducted according to the regular segments of table topics (short impromptu speeches), prepared speeches, and evaluations. There were two motivational speeches on positive thinking and courtesy which were appreciated by the audience. 

The award for best table topics speaker went to Toastmaster Mumtaz Anwar, the award for best speaker went to Toastmaster Umer Javed, the award for best evaluator went to Toastmaster Nauman Faridi, and the big 3 award went to Toastmaster Mohsin. The club will be conducting its officer training in Bhurban this weekend. The club meets every Tuesday at Lok Virsa at 6.30 PM.

59th Regular Meeting Held

The 59th weekly meeting of Islamabad Toastmasters Club was held at the National Institute for Cultural Studies (NICS), presided over by Toastmaster Maliha Elahi, says a press release issued here Thursday.

The Toastmaster of the Evening was Toastmaster Asim Shahryar, while the Table Topics Master was Nauman Faridi, and the General Evaluator was Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi.

A new segment was introduced in this meeting for the first time, titled ‘Variety Session’ that would cover a new topic every week.

During the meeting, DTM Dr Mazhar Jamil presented an educational session on ‘How to Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Present a Speech’, which was found valuable by all toastmasters.

Table topics are short impromptu speeches where the speaker is given a random topic by the table topics master to speak for 1-2 minutes. The award for the best table topics speaker went to Zaheeruddin Khawaja, the one for the best evaluator went to Toastmaster Maliha Elahi and the Big Three award went to Toastmaster Nauman Faridi.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=202385

58th Toastmasters club meeting held

The 58th meeting of Islamabad Toastmasters was held at National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), Lok Virsa.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, membership kits were distributed to existing members including club guides on communication and leadership and back issues of the monthly Toastmasters magazine.

Toastmaster of the evening was the club president, Mohsin Lodhi, Table topics master was Toastmaster Ehsan Abbasi, and General evaluator was Toastmaster Adeel Faisal. Table topics are short impromptu speeches and the winner was Toastmaster Maliha Elahi. There was one prepared speech and the award for best prepared speaker went to Toastmaster Asim Husain. The award for best evaluator went to distinguished Toastmaster Mazhar Jamil and the big 3 award went to Toastmaster Mohsin Lodhi.

The session was attended by three guests also who expressed their interest in joining the club from October.

Islamabad Toastmasters Club is a public speaking club where members get to polish their communication and leadership skills. The club meets every Tuesday at Lok Virsa at 6:30 p.m.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=201483

Toastmasters choose their new VP Memberships

The 57th meeting of Islamabad Toastmasters Club was held at National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), Lok Virsa.

According to a press release issued here Wednesday, the members of the club elected their new Vice President Memberships, Asim Husain. Asim Husain, a telecom executive, thanked all club members and explained his strategy for attracting both quantity and quality to the club’s membership. He said that he will create awareness about the club at different companies and universities as well as on different portals and blogs relevant to Islamabad. He also mentioned a referral program where a special award will be given to the club member who sponsors the highest number of new members. The founder President, Maliha Elahi, and the current President, Mohsin Lodhi, backed the strategy set out by Asim and assured him of their full support and cooperation.
 
The election was followed by table topics, which are short impromptu speeches, and prepared speeches. The winner for table topics was Toastmaster Muhammad Amir and the winner for speeches was Toastmaster Mohsin. This was followed by a lavish iftar party which was enjoyed by all club members.

The objective of Islamabad Toastmasters Club is to develop competent communicators and leaders. The next meeting of the club will take place after eid on September 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue. To learn more about the club, please email vpmemberships@islamabad.toastmasters.pk.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=199241

Toastmasters choose their new VP Memberships

The 57th meeting of Islamabad Toastmasters Club was held at National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), Lok Virsa.

According to a press release issued here Wednesday, the members of the club elected their new Vice President Memberships, Asim Husain. Asim Husain, a telecom executive, thanked all club members and explained his strategy for attracting both quantity and quality to the club’s membership. He said that he will create awareness about the club at different companies and universities as well as on different portals and blogs relevant to Islamabad. He also mentioned a referral program where a special award will be given to the club member who sponsors the highest number of new members. The founder President, Maliha Elahi, and the current President, Mohsin Lodhi, backed the strategy set out by Asim and assured him of their full support and cooperation.
 
The election was followed by table topics, which are short impromptu speeches, and prepared speeches. The winner for table topics was Toastmaster Muhammad Amir and the winner for speeches was Toastmaster Mohsin. This was followed by a lavish iftar party which was enjoyed by all club members.

The objective of Islamabad Toastmasters Club is to develop competent communicators and leaders. The next meeting of the club will take place after eid on September 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue. To learn more about the club, please email vpmemberships@islamabad.toastmasters.pk.

Islamabad Toastmasters choose their new President

Islamabad Toastmasters Club held its 56th meeting at National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), Gate #5, Lok Virsa, Islamabad. They elected their new President Mohsin Lodhi who nabbed the title unopposed. Mohsin Lodhi, a businessperson, thanked all the members present and explained his strategy to move forward the club to new heights. He told his objectives to meet timeliness, orderliness, qualitative-ness and branding of the club. He talked about empowering the club members and executive committee members. He also talked about the enhancement of learning curve by knowing the standards and then becoming skillful by following these standards.
 
The founder President, Maliha Elahi, backed the objectives set out by Mohsin Lodhi and she assured of her support and cooperation in the carriage of these objectives.

The objective of Islamabad Toastmasters Club is to develop competent communicators and leaders. Their motto is “For better listening, For better thinking, For better speaking, We learn by doing”. The monthly theme was “MIX AND MATCH” and the Theme of the Day was “LIFE GOES ON”. The Word of the Day suggested by the Word Master Toastmaster Adeel Faisal was “BLESSING”.

Table Topics Master Sara Zahidi invited ten participants to make impromptu speeches. The purpose of impromptu speech is to enable the speakers to Think on their Feet and deliver the Unprepared Speech.

Umer Chughtai won the prize for the Best Table Topics Speaker. The topic given to him was “What if the opportunity is lost?”

Evaluation, the essential part of the Toastmasters’ activity, to give feedback on the performance of participants and ambience which includes vocal variety, ah counting, correct grammar use On the evaluation side, Table Topics Evaluator, Mina Ramzan won the Best Evaluator Award.

Among the BIG 3, The Toastmaster of the Day, The Table Topics Master and the General Evaluator, Toastmaster Arshad Hamid, who performed as the Toastmaster of the Evening won the Big 3 Award.

The next meeting will take place on 15 September 2009 at 4:30pm at the same place.

For updates: http://islamabad.toastmasters.pk

Islamabad Toastmasters Club Launches New Web Portal

Islamabad Toastmasters Club announces the launch of its new web portal with a nice looking design and several useful tools and features to promote and manage the club activities. The URL is http://islamabad.toastmasters.pk.

The new portal has been designed to integrate all the sections at one place which were previously at separate locations like Blog, Forums, News, Photos, Archives and Members Area. Now the club members can participate in discussions more easily and effectively as well as manage their career plans.  The new portal is also connected with several Social Networking portals like FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter.com which makes the promotion of the club much more effective.

The new Islamabad Toastmasters Club portal has been designed and developed by Toastmaster Shahid Altaf Qureshi, VP Public Relations. He has the vision to promote Toastmasters in Pakistan, encourage Pakistani people to join Toastmasters,  form more and more new Toastmasters Clubs in Pakistan, bring all the Pakistani Toastmasters Clubs together on one platform for better representation of Pakistan on the World Map and also make a Toastmasters’ District in Pakistan.

In this vision, he has developed http://toastmasters.pk as the hub of Pakistani Toastmasters Clubs. After completion of http://islamabad.toastmasters.pk, he will be offering the website and other club management tools to the other Toastmasters clubs in Pakistan. The other clubs may have sub-domains like lahore.toastmasters.pk, karachi.toastmasters.pk etc. Islamabad Toastmasters Club Executive Committee provides full support to this vision and has given a freehand to make every effort to promote Toastmasters in Pakistan.

The Islamabad Toastmasters Club portal administration is big task. This task will be divided among 3-4 club members very soon so that they contribute some time and effort to keep the portal live and running.

Members and visitors are requested to give their feedback and comments on the portal as well as give their valuable suggestions to improve it.