Newsletter Final

DECEMBER,2021 VOLUME 1 SPEAKER'S DIGEST DFCC TOASTMASTERS CLUB IN THIS ISSUE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 2 MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC RELATIONS TOASTMASTER INTERNATIONAL VISION,MISSION & VALUES GLIMPSE OF CLUB INSTALLATION OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THEMED AND JOINT MEETINGS VIRTUAL JOURNEY SO FAR EDUCATIONAL AWARDS CLUB CONTESTS MY DTM STORY THE VALUE OF HUMOUR AND HOW TO DEVELOP IT WHO WE ARE

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH It gives me great pride and pleasure of being a part of this dynamic club. The club has created esteemed TM Lakshanya leaders and fantastic speakers whom I admire. This Muthulingam club has taught me that if you have the right talent President - 2021/2022 and commitment you can go all the way long. Being in Toastmasters I’ve learnt the utmost value of communication and leadership. Even the small detail which is taught in toastmasters has helped me a great deal whether it is in career or personally. And by being the president of this club I’ve been able to inculcate the attributes required for a leader and as how to work as a team in unison to achieve our goal. It’s very inspiring to see that we have many new entrants who have the immense potential of a speaker and a leader and I’m sure the club will help to bring that out. We intend to bring promising speakers who can shine up to District or even the International level. MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR It gives me an immense pleasure to pen a note for the TM Sachinie Rajapaksha 'Speaker's Digest' newsletter of the DFCC Toastmasters Vice President Public Relations - 2021/2022 Club. Speaker's Digest is a collaborative initiative to showcase the talents and skills of our club members and to share their achievements in the fraternity. I hope this newsletter will encourage and motivate all the readers to achieve higher and higher in Toastmasters and all the other work engaged in. Finally, I would like to extend my earnest and heartfelt appreciation towards our club members specially the article contributors, our executive committee and all the other individuals who actively supported to make this newsletter a success.. Happy Reading Everyone...!!!

Toastmasters International Vision : '' To be the first choice provider of dynamic ,high - value,experimental communication and leadership skills development '' Toastmasters International Mission : '' We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.'' Toastmaster International Core Values Integrity Service Respect Excellence

14TH CLUB OFFICER INSTALLATION The 14th Club Officer Installation Ceremony of DFCC Toastmasters Club was held on 10th September 2021 via Google Meet virtual platform. CEO Mr.Lakshman Silva , DCEO Mr.Thimal Perera, members from the senior management of DFCC Bank, District Officials, Division Director, Area Director and many renowned toastmasters graced the occasion. The new executive committee was officially installed by the Area Director - DTM Safra Anver and committee comprised of following members President - TM Lakshanya Muthulingam Vice President Education - TM Thileepan Thavakumaran Vice President Membership - TM Thilanka Jayaweera Vice President Public Relations - TM Sachinie Rajapaksha Secretary - TM Ruchiran Bandara Treasurer - TM Sasini Weerasekera Sergeant At Arms - TM Thankavel Sivamynthanan Also, the outstanding Toastmasters were recognized for their achievements and tremendous contribution towards the club.

President Vice President Education GET TO KNOW OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - 2021 / 2022 TM Lakshanya Muthulingam TM Thileepan Thavakumaran Vice President Membership Vice President Public Relations TM Thilanka Jayaweera TM Sachinie Rajapaksha Treasurer Secretary TM Sasini Weerasekara TM Ruchiran Bandara Sergeant At Arms Immediate Past President TM Thankavel Sivamynthanan TM Pramod Wimalatunge

THEMED MEETINGS AND JOINT MEETINGS DFCC Toastmasters meet twice a month. Following Themed meetings were held during the year, New Beginning - 07th July 2021 Olympics - 18th August 2021 Courtroom - 01st September 2021 Christmas - 15th December 2021 Joint Meeting with Dialog Toastmasters - 15th September

VIRTUAL JOURNEY SO FAR

CLUB CONTESTS HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST DFCC Humorous & Evaluation Speech Contests were held on 03rd October 2021 via Zoom online platform. Following Toastmasters were emerged as the Winners of Humorous Speech Contest. 1) Winner - TM Marie Perera 2) 1st Runners Up - TM Lakshanya Muthulingam 3) 2nd Runners Up - TM Sasini Weerasekera EVALUATION SPEECH CONTEST The Winners of Humorous Speech Contest are as follows; 1) Winner - TM Gayan Fernando 2) 1st Runners Up - TM Lakshanya Muthulingam 3) 2nd Runners Up - TM Thileepan Thavakumaran

EDUCATIONAL AWARDS

MY DTM STORY DTM Sitha Kathirgamanathan District Assistant Chief Judge District 82 “First Place, Humorous Speech Contest, Sharjah Toastmasters Club” The bold lettering on an attractive trophy made me wonder! Dada, “This trophy of yours was given by a Toastmasters Club? What is Toastmasters? This was the first time I heard the word ‘Toastmasters”. My father who was a member of the Sharjah Toastmasters club went on to tell me about the Toastmasters movement. Little did I realize at that time, that it was the beginning of something wonderful. Something which would keep me captured for years and years to come. The curiosity within me got the better of me when I heard that the CIMA Toastmasters club was holding its Christmas meeting and all CIMA members were invited to join. That was my very first Toastmasters meeting. Thereafter I realized that the Corporate I work in has its own club, the DFCC Toastmasters Club. There began my journey of a thousand miles. Even though I first visited a Toastmasters meeting in 2012 I became a member of the DFCC Toastmasters club only on the 1st of January 2014. It took me almost 2 years to finish my Competent Communicator manual. My father used to joke with me saying ‘still you are doing your CC!’ He was my inspiration. He could speak on any topic, with anyone, at any occasion. Even though I could talk, I couldn't speak in front of an audience. Toastmasters helped me to overcome this. 14th May 2015, was a momentous day. As the golden sun dipped into the mighty ocean, I got a call from our Charter President DTM Thejaka Perera. After exchanging pleasantries DTM Thejaka got down to business. He asked me if I was willing to accept the VP Education role for the tenure 2015/16. I asked him what was expected of me. He said it is quite easy, only to send the meeting invite and do the agenda. That sounded relatively easy and I readily accepted. Little did I know what I was getting in to back then. The President elect was TM Dilani Ratnarajah, my mentor and my friend. I gained a gamut of experience from TM Dilani, which enabled me to accept the Presidency the next year.

My presidency was indeed an amazing year. I had a vibrant EXCO to work with. Michelle, Pradeepan, Anitra, Thileepan, Amila Pramod and Dilani as the IPP were a fantastic team. Together with the rest of the club members we were the proud recipients of the prestigious Golden Gavel award and the Quality Club award, which DFCC Toastmasters received for the very 1st time. We also clinched the President's Distinguished Club status. It was a great honour and prestige for me to be the president of the DFCC Toastmasters Club. From that year onwards I’ve held various positions in the Division/ District such as Assistant Division Director, District Finance Manager, District Audit Committee Chair and currently the District Assistant Chief Judge for the tenure 2021/22. Looking back I see many life lessons, fun, happiness, friendships, challenges and much more. I’ve learnt that abiding by the Toastmasters values of Respect Integrity Service and Excellence will get you the right people and set your path clear. More than anything I value the friendships I’ve made with many Toastmasters, not only in Sri Lanka but across borders. I stand for what is right and will always be in the framework of Integrity and not budge an inch. I consider myself very fortunate to learn from some of the best toastmasters on communication and leadership. Now, it is my duty to give back my knowledge to this wonderful society and inspire others to be good leaders and communicators. Achieving the DTM title is not the end of the journey, but a stepping stone to acquire more knowledge in a tech savvy world. Now I am treading happily and immersed in the new virtual syllabus, Pathways. I have completed Level 2 of the Dynamic Leadership path and enjoying to the fullest.

The Value of Humor and How to Develop it By TM Amila Suraweera Finalist in Humorous Speech Contest - Division A - 2019 Can you be part of medicine that heals people? Well laughter is medicine, if you got it right you certainly could. Being funny has its own benefits and here are some of them. A wealth of evidence has found that funny people tend to be smarter, healthier, and less stressed about their lives. Being funny may also help people appear more attractive to romantic partners. It's not just personal: Funny bosses lead better teams, and funny teachers create stronger students. Albert Einstein attributed his brilliant mind to having a childlike sense of humor. Indeed, a number of studies have found an association between humor and intelligence. Researchers in Austria recently discovered that funny people, particularly those who enjoy dark humor, have higher IQs than their less funny peers. They argue that it takes both cognitive and emotional ability to process and produce humor. Their analysis shows that funny people have higher verbal and nonverbal intelligence, and they score lower in mood disturbance and aggressiveness. There are other tested merits such as improving retention when learning, team building, stress relieving improve cheerfulness at work and productivity and power of attraction when you add a little sense of lightness to a particular setting. A good sense of Humor can help wake up a boring topic, and make a common bond with your audience and make them comfortable and it can even help audience members to bond with each other. Humor can play an important role in most of the speeches may it be proposing a toast at a wedding, addressing a set of executives at your company or even presenting your eulogy. The most demanding situation we face is sharing a right comical moment with an audience. But it’s not always easy to learn how to bring humor appropriately into a speech. Here is my gift to you; 3 tips that I learned and suggested by toastmasters to make best use of humor in your speeches.

1. Be Audience Friendly Whether you like it or not you have to be mindful of the audience and be cautious. If you feel there is someone in the audience who could be offended by subjects such as obscene, racism, sex, religious, political or other sensitive topics, it’s always better to avoid material that could offend them. It’s always good thing to connect your audience rather than alienate them. Good sense of humor not only amuses the majority of the audience but also do not offend or hurt a few. Things can be little flexible if you are performing at a stand-up comedy club where things can be stretched a bit. But if you are speaking almost anyplace else you are better off taking the high road. This is especially true if you are speaking at a formal gathering. Find a joke or a story that supports your speech topic, for instance if you are addressing a set of bankers your wit could probably set on money, taxes or interest or those thing that affect majority of the people. You might have heard a funniest joke before your speech, But if it does not fit into to the audience or topic better leave it out. Another way to be audience friendly and avoid upsetting people is self-deprecating. Audience might get offended if you poke jokes at their problems but the same audience will laugh if it’s about you and that’s just human nature. It’s ok to share a light hearted story about a funny moment in a person’s life. It helps paint a true picture of who that person is. Amila sharing a light moment at a formal gathering

2. Pacing, Rhythm and Practice The most common reason for a joke to be ruined is taking too long or rushes. For your punch line make it with very few words as possible. If you listen to a professional comedian you will realize that he or she speed up at times and slow down or even stop completely. That’s called right pacing and to give each part of the joke its greatest impact. Listen and watch more humorous speeches of well-known comedians and speakers such as ted talks and you can learn a lot from them. A humorous or any other speech is like a song it should have different tones, speed. It can even be like a play with different gestures and facial expressions to better mimic your point so that audience will better understand the funny side of your point. A neutral face will work at one point but not in another where a slight sarcastic face will work. Try not to laugh when you interpret funny things. Let the audience decide what’s funny and what’s not. At times you will be surprised with the response which is funny for you as a presenter. Another reason for a joke to go flat is due to poor word selection. Rephrase and try the difference. Simpler it is it will be easy to picked up by the audience. 3.Test Drive Even if you learn thousand tips nothing will help you until you put them into practice. I learned that practice will make better and helps you to adjust to the audience and learn how to react to the reaction of the audience. Practice in front of a mirror and in front of a friend and see if that joke sparks laughter or you can even try a test audience with few people to get different opinions since people’s perceptions are different. Make sure you keep your main punch line or joke towards the end of each main part of your story (Assuming you are using power of three) Another way to practice humor is trying to find funny side of each occasion. Even this can be challenging at times especially for busy people you can even try that in your mind without showing others. It’s the training of you mind to be funny and make jokes out of each situation that’s important the rest such as presenting it can come later. Of course if you are privileged member of Toastmasters family there will be lot of members who will come forward to help you and give feedback on your endeavors. Good Luck with your next humorous adventure!

WHO WE ARE.... \"DFCC Toastmasters\" is a chartered corporate club registered with Toastmasters International USA. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to help people develop their communication skills. This is accomplished through Toastmasters clubs like \"DFCC Toastmasters\". DFCC Toastmasters was chartered in June 2008. In its charter year \"DFCC Toastmasters\" was awarded the \"Distinguished Club\" recognition by the Toastmasters International for its performance. Joining \"DFCC Toastmasters\" will give you the opportunity, to interact and expose yourselves to the national and international corporate leaders, as well as to go through a great learning experience with the training modules being provided, thereby adding priceless value to you and DFCC Group. DFCC Toastmasters will meet on 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Auditorium of DFCC Head Office premises. We conduct hybrid meetings after Corona pandemic and we have given the opportunity to our outstation employees to connect virtually via Google Meet. We welcome you to a new learning experience and we offer a chance to build your leadership skills as we lead each other NEXT IN LINE...... 7th Educational Meeting - 5th January 2022 8th Educational Meeting - 19th January 2022 9th Educational Meeting - 2nd February 2022 10th Educational Meeting - 16th February 2022 Moments of Truth - 9th March 2022 New Year Themed Meeting - 6th April 2022 For more Information ,contact TM Lakshanya Muthulingam - 071 2159179 TM Thilanka Jayaweera - 0777409126