Toastmaster

It started nearly 2 decades back, I was studying in class 7th of Beersheba Senior Secondary School, Haldwani, India, when I decided to come out of shadow of my very gifted and admired sister Meeta. She was melody queen of the school, loved by all the teachers and students for her academic, drama and singing skills. 

On the contrary, I was an unknown or occasionally known as timid and sulking Meeta's brother with no identity of my own. 

But, then in my little mind I had decided I will sing a song in front of school assembly during the celebration of Independence Day, 15th August. I was discouraged and laughed at about the though of the idea itself. Only my mother encouraged me. She heard my repeated rehearsals while my sister was coached by school's music teacher.

I sang in front of 1500 students, with my leg shivering and my voice quivering, the complete song. Heads were moving around and no one focusing on me and my song. Musicians couldn't cope up with my rhythm so stopped playing along. At the end I got the customary applause. 

While boarding the bus back home, my class teacher Ms Vandana Pandey said - "Hemanshu, you sang very well". That made my day. Today I am glad I did something that which only few out of 1500 students could do. I decided to be different.

Thereafter nothing significant happened till, 31/07/2004. It was the farewell of Ms Samar D. Hatoum, our project manager. An outstanding person and manager, I had a chance to work with. Our CEO asked me to speak few words about her before all. I fumbled few words and that is it. It was embarrassing. I didn't like my performance.

Around that time, I met Mano Ramanathan. A wonderful person, full of knowledge and guidance. We used travel together on the bus to work, discussing history, world news and international politics.  In one of these journeys he told me about Toastmasters Club. Infact, later during the day he got me the URL of the Toastmasters Website. With in couple of weeks I joined Emirates Toastmasters Club and I am still associated with it.

As my toastmaster journey started, I was giving motivational speech to the Employees of GIT Sudan. Giving presentation to team of government officials at Dubai Land Department were never that complicated. I gave presentations for the group work in my college while doing MBA. Trained the treasurers of Division B. It was so simple.

I am still enthralled about are the two presentations I recently gave in Bangladesh. One was to the Secretary of Communication and other very senior government officials from various ministries, who applauded me for the delivery and content of my presentation.

Second presentation I gave to a Brigadier General of an Military run organization and his team of army officials who were highly impressed with the presentation.

We speak all the time but making presentations or speaking with confidence in front of large audience, that too in a manner in which your audience can relate themselves to what you are speaking is an art. You do not get it in one day but over a period of time when you speak and experiment with your speech. Toastmasters is a platform for people like me.

This is the incentive of being a Toastmaster, you learn and polish what you have with in you naturally.