INFOSYS TOASTMASTERS
MANGALORE SEZ
I Speak.
Therefore I am.
Where Leaders are Made
FROM A TOASTMASTER'S PEN
M - THE MENTORSHIP JOURNEY
‘M’. No I am not going the James Bond way.
The word “mentor” brings to life many images, which some see as the helping hand, some see it as a person who relentlessly looks to put people on the right track. In Toastmasters as well, the mentoring program really helps people outgrow themselves as human beings and in effect, as both leaders and speakers.
I was fortunate to have had a mentor who would always let things flow, and he had given me the freedom to experiment with all things Toastmasters! Jayakrishna (or JK, as he is fondly called) ensured that he notices every move that I made while doing my roles and speeches, and also as a member. His keen observation helped me notice things that I had missed out in the flow of the moment, but he has always been my reality check and has shared the best practices which he has accumulated in more than 6 years of being an active Toastmaster. What I learnt from JK was that:
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There will always be something that we can do better the next time.
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Observe people keenly in all of their roles; whether it’s in a meeting or in a leadership position.
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Feedback given immediately is the best feedback.
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It always pays to look beyond your club and glean knowledge from others.
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Keep learning. Never stop!
It was soon after that I began my journey as a mentor. I turned to JK for advice and his only advice to me was “Observe, correct and guide them for some time, until they are ready to handle things on their own.” I adopted a routine for my mentees. If they are appearing for a speech, the discussion begins on the speech idea and how best can the speech idea fit into the scheme of that particular speech project. This was followed by ideation on both sides, and demoing until the final speech was ready. For roles, a brief introduction and examples were shared with my mentees, and post the role was taken, feedback was provided immediately.
In all this, I stood to gain as a person. I received ideas that each of the mentees had and I also learnt from them on how to make even the most mundane task seem interesting. As they employed creativity to every thing that they did, I could latch on to a new idea, and use it for another day. Since they came from diverse backgrounds with varying interests like music, dance and cinema, I also picked up interesting tidbits which I could use to deliver messages in the way the audience would like to hear!
As I wind up, I would only say, that: You need to stay invested in yourself and the folks you mentor, and always have a plan for your mentees! As a mentor to Ripan, Jyothsna, Sanjana, Suraj, Meghana and Vineeth, I learnt a lot while trying to be their guide. Each of them brought forward their share of genius, and the learning became a two-way street, and that helps us become better in every field. There is no fixed role in life, and the same applies to the mentor-mentee relationship. You learn, you teach, you grow.
DTM SAGNIK BISWAS
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’
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I wanted to join Toastmasters since my training period in Mysore but the frenetic pace with which the training curriculum shifted always kept me in dilemma. Things changed drastically when I moved to Mangalore. Disconsolate by the turn of events, I was looking for someone to rescue and what could have been better than Infosys
Toastmasters Mangalore SEZ!
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Public speaking was not a newly found interest for me. I have always been intrigued by the idea of getting up on the stage and interacting with the audience. Stage has always been my love and feels like my second home. I knew joining Toastmasters would be a great rehabilitation therapy for the crestfallen Deepika, and yes, I was right. I joined the club on June 18th, 2018 with two consecutive Best Table Topic Speaker Award already in my name when I had attended the meetings as a guest. The milieu of the club meetings is something that makes you so comfortable and arouses a desire to speak, especially for a voluble individual like me. Being well aware of the
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Toastmasters club meeting structure, I probably used to be the only guest who wasn't intimidated by the repetitive handshakes and applause. I rejoiced the company of this bunch of enthusiastic people who have now become my family in this foreign land.
I took the role of Toastmaster of the Day in the very first meeting as a member and received such warmth, love and appreciation from that there was no looking back. I delivered my Pathways level 1 Ice Breaker Speech in the very next meeting and was delighted to receive the constructive feedback from all the members. Since then I have been delivering back to back speeches and implementing the feedback received.
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Someone quoted, if you are not open to constructive criticism, you're not open to truly growing as a person. With this mantra in mind, I received the Award for the Best Speaker five times out of eight. I love that feeling, not just because I am making a collection but also because this keeps me going and motivates me to challenge myself further.
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Being the first member to complete Pathways Level 1 in the club makes me feel delighted. Having joined just three months back yet acting as an oxygen to Infosys Toastmasters Mangalore and being appointed as the Vice President Public Relations of the club ignited a sense of responsibility in me. I started taking Toastmasters not just as a club but as an organization that I must contribute to. I am extremely thankful to this family for giving me the confidence to flourish not just in the club but also outside with gigs like the Master of Ceremonies for our club Investiture Ceremony and Infosys SAP 20 years celebration, the host for the business talk conducted during RCL FEST 2018 and the exciting Rain dance event conducted by minfy.
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Infosys Toastmasters Mangalore has given me the confidence to learn more and act more. Each member has so much to offer but the most important thing that I have received is love and acceptance from all as if I were a member for years. I look forward to living Toastmasters as a lifestyle and tweaking at every step I take.
"I speak therefore I am!"
TM DEEPIKA PRAKASH
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
DTM DIVYASHREE GATTI
One's success as a leader is based on opportunities he has accepted or declined. Expecting a sail to be smooth is like expecting to surf on still water. When you face challenges, hostility or rejection it tests ones true potential. That’s when you emerge as a leader.
The Toastmasters tagline is “Where leaders are made” however Communication and Leadership are given equal weightage. For many of us one over powers the others or at times we are not given enough opportunities to test our Leadership skills. In an organization of more than 6000 members, if leadership is not in able hands, it will result in huge hindrance in its growth. That's the reason why Leadership
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Development Program was launched 5 years ago at Bangalore.
Over the years, the LDPians have been preferred for a lot of District leadership, thus proving the model to be effective to churn new leaders.
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This year the LDP Program has received a facelift and is launched as LDP Plus. It will spread out across the district and thus Mangalore is soon to have its first batch of LDPians. So what is the plus element, is it just the geographical expansion? Definitely not. The plus element is facilitating Leadership beyond Toastmasters. We did not join Toastmasters to be the best Toastmaster, we joined the movement to be the best we can be.
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The self-funded program is more a workshop with a pilot batch of around 15members. These members will work on various projects where their leadership styles will be tested and enhanced. There will be interactive sessions from current and past leaders from the fraternity and beyond. The program will have 3-4 face to face sessions, tasks to be completed and huge amount of knowledge transfer. The initiative will be spread across 6 months.
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Understanding the talent and experience in the Mangalore belt, many may ponder on the thought, does Mangalore need such a program? We need this program to evolve ourselves as leaders. Being in the costal belt, deep down we all agree, major opportunities sporadically come our way.
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Be it at Toastmasters or our professional life. When such opportunities arise we should be in the position to lead in a proficient manner.
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"Success comes when preparation meets opportunity" and that is the motto of LDP Plus program too.
BEING A DISTRICT PR MANAGER
DTM SAGNIK BISWAS
Home. It is just one word that sets everything apart.
Infosys Toastmasters, Mangalore SEZ has always been more than just a "club" for me. My association with the club began as a guest in the year 2012, when I saw a theme that invigorated me to go and see what Toastmasters was all about. When I joined the club in October 2015, I was beginning to step into a journey of whose speed, I did not comprehend. And when I left Infosys, the thing that I miss the most is still the club. What set this journey apart from all the journeys that I have undertaken? There are 3 aspects to it.
One, the team. The club is bound together in a manner that is inexplicable. The club members have always been ready for work & fun at a moment's notice and the camaraderie has been unparalleled, whether it has been to help out a fellow member or work together till odd hours in the night.
Two, the surprises. Each member of the club has always been active in the club, and has brought in their own unique flavours to the club, and they never resisted to help the other club members on the nuances of their art & craft. Not only that, each member strived to bring in new learnings and innovations to the club at all times, whether it was their speeches, or their evaluations, or their interactions.
The third and the most important bit, the continuous improvements. The club has always had members who have pushed others to deliver that "little extra”, that one step more, so that they shine. Every role and every instance where the member has head out representing the club or otherwise, there has always been a watchful fellow member helping them out before the assignment, and giving them feedback and ideas all through the process. Because to make sure that "I speak, therefore I am" happens, we needed to bring in that bonding, that extra effort and the little things that mattered.
The club has been doing well this year, and I have always been proud of the club. All the very best for the year, keep shining!