Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club DISTRICT-82
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Club Newsletter
AREA H3
ISSUE 3
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CLUB NO: 2549382
Year 2017/18
June 2018
BEYOND the Circle Turn the pages A new color to New year Challenging Kids Dawn of a fresh TM Year
Achievements & Recognitions Chat with a Champion
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Ovation 2018 - Memories
Photo Credit: Thewra
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Messages
Club to District
New Member Experience
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A new color to New year
Closing Remarks
Dawn of a fresh TM Year
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Chat with a Champion
Club Achievements
Editor TM Tharushi Jayawickrama, CC
10 Challenging Kids
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Member Achievement
Creative Editor TM Mohamed Rifnaz , CC
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE We have reached a brand new toastmaster year! What we have learned from the past year will decide who we are during the new year. Anuradhapura toastmasters club has reached to 4th place out of 237 clubs in district 82 while winning the mighty golden gavel award too. We sincerely extend our heartfelt gratitude to all toastmasters who helped us tremendously in various ways, interested parties who made our journey comfortable with their support, our employers and family members for tolerating our “madness” with toastmasters. A successful club has not only awards but happy and progressing members too. A member's contribution towards the club may vary from person to person! Hence it’s the leader's responsibility to enjoy the talents of the members not his/her weaknesses. Wishing all new exco and all members to face the new year with a better attitude and bring success to their clubs! Cheers and Good Luck!
TM Mohan Samaratunga , ACB, CL President – Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club
EDITOR'S NOTE Welcome you to the 3rd issue of Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club Newsletter of TM year 2017/18. Our 4th quarterly supplement designed specially to share most thrilling experiences we had throughout this quarter. I’m sure after reading this you would eagerly anticipate becoming a Toastmaster or visiting Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club. In this edition we have included our special theme meeting which added color to new year with the participation of 50+ members island wide and magnificent outdoor meeting which officially remarked the closure of TM year 2017/18. As usual, we have brought you an article of chat with a proficient champion who you would love to meet. We didn’t forget to comprise the happenings of one of the most mesmerizing event of the year “YLP Finals”. If you want to come across how lives motivated with Toastmaster, you would love to read our New Member Experience article. Along with above articles, the achievements and recognition the ATMC and club members had, were shared with you by conveying the message “Commitment is the foundation of Accomplishment”. Being the 4th quarter newsletter editor, a huge thank you to all people who contributed writing the wonderful and inspiring articles and our VP-PR for captivating designing. I hope you enjoy our 3rd issue and do let us know if there are any topics you would like to see covered in the future. Good luck!
TM Tharushi Jayawickrama , CC Newsletter Editor
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AREA DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Working together is success! As the new Toastmasters term is beginning, I would like to first and foremost thank our outgoing President TM Mohan Samaratunga, outgoing VP-Education TM Tharaka Amarasena and other ex-co members for guiding the members of the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club in ultimately achieving the President Distinguished Club status. The journey as a Toastmaster is a team effort; however it also requires the input and effort of the individual. We, Toastmasters, have the tools and we must encourage each other to use them. We need to think and act outside the box and keep each other committed. In the end, we all will benefit. I believe, what should make us proud are not so much the actual goals we attain, but rather the process that we go through in order to attain them. I would like to share this quote with you from Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
TM Mahesh Dissanayake , CC, CL Area Director- Area H3, District - 82, Toastmasters International
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A NEW COLOR TO NEW YEAR Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club is proud to have the special New Year themed meeting with 55 Toastmasters from 14 Clubs from 5 Divisions. The historic event was held on April 21st,2018 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Diya Mankada Nature Resort, Anuradhapura. We convey our sincere gratitude to all the Toastmasters who took part and for the role players. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to our own loving champion Kaishika Rodrigo for conducting a wonderful education session on "How loud are you?" Also we are thankful to DTM Harsha Subhashana,Division Director, Division A for the meaningfuol speech on "DTM,DTM,DTM" . The session followed with a lunch and few Awurudu games. Thanks for all the clubs who took part in "Awurudu නෑග " . Big Thank you for all for making a remarkable day !!!!!
The clubs who took part in "Awurudu නෑග ", new year theme meeting Commercial Bank Toastmasters Club CSE Toastmasters Galle Toastmasters Club Jaffna Toastmasters Club Kekirawa Toastmasters Club Lyceum Toastmasters Club, Nugegoda
RR Donelleys TMC Serendib Toastmasters Club Virtusa CMB Toastmasters Club Vadamaradchi Toastmasters Club Wattala Toastmasters Club Wayamba Toastmasters Club
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Chat
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a h t wi
Champion
This time in our chat corner, we are happy to bring one of the champion speakers who can heal the hearts with the speeches which are full of emotions. Hemamalini Rao, the first runner runner up of District 82 International speech contest 2018. Many congratulations to her for being the first runner up at Ovation 2018 stage and we thank her for her time for the interview.
HEMAMALINI RAO How do you introduce yourself? A dreamer – A fighter – A daughter
Tell us what motivates you to be a speaker. Have you had a dream to be a speaker from your childhood? I have always had an inexplicable love towards speaking, which never let me let go of this desire to be a speaker. My dreams have changed from primary school to university. However, if there was one thing that never changed in all these years, it was my aspiration to become a public speaker.
Interview By: TM Tharushi Jayawickrama, CC
Can you tell us how your path has being constructed to become the first runner up of international speech contest 2 times?
What’s the frame of your winning speech this time? Could you explain us what secret drives it to become one of winning speech?
I joined Toastmasters in May 2016 and my journey here these past two years has been extremely intense and educational. All those hours spent in evaluating speeches, understanding scripting, observing the body language, and debating with good mentors is what helped me reach the district finals thrice in these two years.
My speech in the district finals this year was about the importance of being there for someone who has always been there for us – about giving the giver. I used an incident from my kindergarten and packed it with some humor to deliver the message home. I told a personal story that was written as well as delivered from the heart – maybe that is the notso-secret, secret.
361° - BEYOND THE CIRCLE What techniques you use to grab the attention of audience and remain in the hearts of your fans? Humor, a proper mix of dialogs and narration, and an engaging vocal variety are elements I use in my speeches to retain the attention of the audience. To ensure a space in their heart, let them into your heart first! Vulnerability wins.
Have you experienced any harsh evaluations from your evaluators or mentors? Could you tell us one of them and how you behave on them? Yes, way too many. One of the comments I received last year, was how my voice was flat, monotonous, and dead and how it did not depict any of the struggle I was referring to in my speech. I respect every feedback my mentors give me. I might not implement them all, but I make it a point to work extra hard on it, if it is congruent with my beliefs and sometimes even if it is not. I worked on the voice, last year; and what was the topic of criticism after the division contest had turned into a strength people appreciated me for, in the district contest.
I guess you have so many feedbacks after your speeches. Is there any incident which shakes your heart and you felt true satisfaction about your speech? This year after the conference, a Toastmaster walked up to me and was chocking for words when he told me how moved he was by my speech. His tears made me tear up a little bit. It was all I ever wanted – my message to reach at least one. And it did �
What is your next plan in toastmasters? I mean how you hope to serve for people as a toastmaster?
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“Scripting speech is an art”. I feel you are an excellent artist in that perspective. Can you tell us how you script a memorable speech? 1. Good scripts don’t happen overnight. They only happen after hundreds of horrible and mediocre scripts. So the key is to keep writing more and speaking more. 2. Write it all out like nobody is ever going to hear you speak but edit it like everybody is going to hear you speak. 3. Be honest. Embellish only to add humor. You’d be surprised how much a simple incident can touch a person
I don’t have a roadmap. I never had one. But I would take up any opportunity that comes my way to ensure that I make a difference.
" One of the comments I received last year, was how my voice was flat, monotonous.... " Not only Thamilnadu, but people from Sri Lanka also love you. What message you wish to give for new toastmasters and other toastmasters as a champion? Those are lavish words! Thank you, I am flattered. To all my friends out there, do not try to fit into someone else’s agenda in Toastmasters. Create your own agenda and work on it, in your own pace. Happy Toastmastering!
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CHALLENGING KIDS YLP GRAND FINAL - 2018 Grand Final of YLP 2018 was successfully concluded at NADA on 9th June 2018. We are happy to say 20 students from our YLP program participated to the event and it's our honor to announce one of our students contested in the Best Speaker contest 2018 final. Which means, she was selected as one of six final speakers among 1020 YLP students. Also the drama performed by our students was really appreciated by the audience.
Schools took part in YLP 2018 from Anuradhapura A/Central College A/Swarnapali Balika National School A/St. Joseph's College A/Walisinghe Harischandra College.
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CLUB TO DISTRICT Two in a Row We all know it's not an easy task to be in the District final stage. Then how about being in the district final stage for two consecutive years? Yes. He made this impossible to a reality. TM Tharaka Amarasena representing our club, could become one of the six finalists of District 82. We value his contribution towards the club and once again he made us proud at Ovation 2018. The word "Mhmm" will be remembered by the participants of Ovation 2018. Meantime Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club would like to wish him all the very best for his next assignment as the Area Director, Area H3 of District 82.
is s t r ka, f hea a r a Th and o asy. us ch e ! o h t u t! i g m n d t i nn t tha ust di i W no ou j Y
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CLOSING REMARKS TO TM YEAR 2017/18
Outdoor Meeting The end of TM year 2017/18 was marked with this meeting, literally it was our 145th educational meeting. Our special thanks to members of Wayamba Toastmasters and few guests for joining with us in this great occasion. Certificates were awarded for the Speechcrafters from Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.
Topic : " Victory ” Date : 2018 June 20 Venue: Kenimadala Resort, Anuradhapura
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Club achievements during TM year 2017/18
PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED CLUB First time in our club history, we were able to achieve all 10 DCP points within 8 months. It's a great achievement by our Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club family with dedication, team work and commitment. We were able to become 7th club among 244 active TM clubs in District 82. Our previous years' achievements are as follows 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017
- Distinguished Club - Select Distinguished Club - Distinguished Club - Distinguished Club - President's Distinguished Club (Achieved 9 points)
TALK UP TOASTMASTERS AWARD The club added five new, dual or reinstated members during February and March.
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Awards received @ Ovation 2018
BRONZE CLUB AWARD - DISTRICT 82
GOLDEN GAVEL AWARD
We were able to win the Bronze Club award (fourth best club) among 238 clubs in District 82. It was really a proud moment for us because being a community club bit far away from Colombo managed to place within top 5 clubs of D82.
We are proud that we were able to achieve the Golden Gavel award for the first time in our six years club history. We achieved 96 points in Club Quality Avenue (CQA) & 89 points in Club Engagement Avenue (CEA)
QUALITY CLUB AWARD
EARLY BIRD AWARD
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Member achievements during TM year 2017/18 TRIPLE CROWN
TM Lalitha Thenuwara
TM Jaliya Ratnayake
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION BRONZE (ACB)
TM Lalitha Thenuwara
ADVANCED LEADER BRONZE (ALB)
TM Lalitha Thenuwara
TM Jaliya Ratnayake
COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR (CC)
TM Mohamed TM Jaliya Ratnayake Rifnaz
TM Aruna TM Tharushi Rajapakse Jatyawikrama
COMPETENT LEADER (CL)
TM Lalitha Thenuwara
TM Jaliya Ratnayake
TM Aruna Rajapakse
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NEW MEMBER EXPERIENCE My Experience As a young and novice toastmaster It gives me a great pleasure in writing this message. I feel humbly proud to be a part of this great entity which has shaped and polished the lives of thousands of leaders worldwide and inspired millions. When I heard about this organization, I never imagined this would be a turning point in my life. But gradually when I Enrolled to fraternity I could be astonished by the scope of it. The potential in it. Gradually toast mastering became a passion. This organization is like a magical wand which could transform people. The major reason behind its success is giving opportunities. Each and every toastmaster is given opportunities to develop their lives. Its not just about English. It’s about Learning the life and developing competencies among ourselves to help us reach the pinnacle. It always encourages newcomers and willing to give chances to those fresh recruits. It always provides a good and supportive learning environment which makes the learning a fun and entertaining activity. Its out of box strategy is very effective and that could be the very reason it has spread all around the globe. Being a part of Anuradhapura toastmaster club is also a blessing because of the heartfelt hospitality of the members as they always encourage others to find their hidden potential . So finally, I would like to mention that I hope to continue my toastmaster journey further with our loving members of the Anuradhapura toastmasters club.
TM Darshana Ekanayake
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NEW MEMBER EXPERIENCE
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Home away from Home It was in 2014, I saw one of my friends in FB, was posting some photos. It was about a meeting. In that post, it was mentioned that, “Let’s share our knowledge and improve our selves”. I was curious to know what was happening there. I asked from my friend Thresha, what was going on there. She introduced me to BEPZ toastmasters club & I was lucky to participate for the BEPZ installation ceremony in 2014, which was held within few days after my first visit. At the installation ceremony, I was lucky to meet one of guests there TM Trishma, who was one of my change agents in toastmasters journey. She was a mentor / coach for me when I was an amateur for toastmasters. When I moved to Anuradhapura with my new job, Trishma was the person who guided me to the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club (ATMC). ATMC is a friendly place with a bunch of nice people I’ve met. I still remember the way club president TM Mohan greeted me in my first visit to there. One of reasons behind for me to join with toastmasters is to improve my public speaking skills. I’ve already completed five prepared speeches so far & I’ve been experiencing an improvement from speech to speech. The main reason behind this is the audience and the evaluators with positive feedbacks. Another advantage that I’ve got with toastmasters is meeting new friends around the country. Sometimes it may not only in Sri Lanka but also you can meet people from other countries as well. The specialty of ATMC is there are many senior, experienced toastmasters with them. When you’ve got to deliver a speech, have you ever experienced that you feel like butterflies are flying in your stomach? Yes, it happens for most of speakers in front of an unknown audience. But when you are in front of a known audience, you feel like you are comfortable. That’s the best place you can gain confidence as a speaker at the beginning. When I’m speaking infront of my club members, I feel the same. That’s why I considered ATMC as my home away from home, because when I’m there I feel like I’m comfortable, Calm and relax ; just like my home!!
TM Thinusha Bamunuarachchi
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NEW MEMBER EXPERIENCE A first-class public speaker is constantly astonishing people by effectively utilizing the supremacy of words and other attached features to make the finest use of the communication activity. Out of very limited things that I desire to build up since early days, effective communication is prominent. With this intrinsic fondness, I dealt with plentiful of activities that would assist me to scale this public speaking ladder. Among many of such activities I dealt, the Speechcrafters program recently conducted by the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club confesses a novel corridor to realize my expectation. This program was especially conducted for the academic staff of the Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and it enabled me to make out opportunities beyond the scope that we are normally encountered in life. The blend of items namely table topic session, round robin session, ice breaker speeches and prepared speeches convinced me about the scope of public speaking and persistently being a part of my motivation as well. The guidance that I received unswerving through evaluations and ultimately through the professional and welcoming Toastmasters body embedded inquisitiveness within me to persist the improvement that I received at the flourishing completion of the Speechcrafters program. Without any hesitation, I decided to join the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club and consider that it was one of the greatest investment decisions in my life. Within the Toastmasters family, everything complies with my prospects and progressively I could able to familiarize with the happenings attached to the club. Parallel to the felt progress in speaking, I was privileged to serve as the elected Secretary of the club for the year 2018/19. Being an executive committee member, adding to the communication part I could advance my leadership qualities too and that is perhaps, how Toastmasters set the stage to bring competent citizens for the entire nation. Altogether, I believe this is a remarkable episode in my life and expecting to polish-up multiple aspects of effective communication adhering to the directives of the newly introduced pathways concept, while serving for the betterment of the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club.
TM Amila Lankapura
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DAWN OF A FRESH TM YEAR
President Mohamed Rifnaz
Sgt. at Arms Darshana Ekanayake
Elected Executive Committee for TM Year 2018/19
VP-Education Sanjeewanie Ginigaddara
Treasurer Gamini Wijerathna
VP-Membership Jaliya Rathnayake
Secretary Amila Lankapura
VP-Public Relations Tharushi Jayawickrama
AGM 2018 was successfully held on 23rd May 2018 at CSE Auditorium and the above office bearers were selected to serve the next TM year. All the very best !!!!!!
If you are around Anuradhapura……. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development which consists of 16,400 clubs around 141 countries. Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club would like to give you an open invitation to those who are around Anuradhapura, please visit us for a club meeting to get an idea about the club proceedings. We assure that, if anyone comes to the club meeting, he/she will get the maximum output to uplift his/her leadership and communication skills. “Today a visitor to the club, tomorrow a member”
Club Meetings Every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays From 5.15 PM onwards CSE Auditorium, 257/11, Main Street, Anuradhapura (Second Floor, Sarath Motors Building)
n o s u d n i F /AnuradhapuraTMC