Our very own Joseph Amande won first place in the just concluded prestigious ICC One Communication Championship 2015 held at the Giwana Hall, Radisson Blue Ho-tel, Doha, last 27 November 2015. From the 27 aspirants in the elimination round, Jo-seph landed among the top 6 finalists. His winning speech about minimalism, entitled “Less Is More,” resonated with the judges and the audience. His message may be summed up in a sentence – True joy and happiness come from accumulating the wealth of moments rather than material wealth. Aside from a large trophy, Joseph also received the top cash prize of QAR5,000 plus other items.

Other Filcom members who participated in the contest included Grace Millan Moran, Dennis Mujana and Fuoad Al Faris Ismail. Filcomite Omar Fayyad prominently led the finals event as the master of ceremonies, while Gil P. Bangalan acted as the chief judge during the competition.

Joseph is currently engaged as a Training & Development Specialist with the Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co. (Automotive Division). He began his professional career as an edu-cator in the Philippines. He then transi-tioned into the corporate world as travel consultant, then as an executive assistant, and a short stint in sales in Saudi Arabia before he came to Qatar. He says he has found what he always dreamt of here in Qatar – that of being a trainer and a public speaker. Joseph holds a master’s degree in education with focus in English instruc-tions.

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Filcom’s Joseph

Amande Bags Champion Title

1

Filcom Holds Early

Contest 1

My Journey as Char-

ter Division Q Gov-ernor

4

Moment with a

Member 5

Big Star Montana 6

In Focus 9

Sharing and Learn-

ing 10

Tall Tale 11

...and more

O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E I I S S U E 2

EDITORIAL

BOARD

Kynah Genson

Editor-in-Chief

Dennis Mujana

Asst. Editor

Gil P. Bangalan

Adviser

Contributors:

Omar Fayyad

Nissar V P

Philip Cherian

Omar Fayyad

Arjay Diego

Grace Moran

Filcom International Toastmasters Club Newsletter

Club # 7847 Area 12 Division Q District 20

Welcome 2016..!!!

Filcom’s Joseph Amande Bags

Champion Title in Public Speaking

TM Joseph Amande receiving his champion trophy and awards from the Doha Bank CEO and ICC One repre-sentatives and dignitaries. Filcom Holds Early Club Contest

Filcom International kick-started the annual speech contest season of Toastmasters in Qatar. Under the masterful organizing of the education committee, led by VPE Omar Fayyad, the club held the Evaluation and Table Topic speech contests during its 274th regular meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Doha on 27 November 2015.

Evaluation Contest winners Shyam Sundar– 1st place, Arjay Diego– 2nd place and Grace Moran– 3rd place.

(Continued on page 8)

(To page 8)

Going over my file folder of speech projects that I delivered the past years. I came across the speech I delivered for The Touching Story from the Story Telling Manual. My speech was based on a quote from Sigmund Freud: When we share – that is the poetry of the prose of life.

In that speech I recalled the moment when my children opened my eyes to the reali-zation of what sharing really means. I had just fetched them from school when we found ourselves inside our air-conditioned car on a stand-still due to traffic gridlock in one of the streets of Metro Manila. It was common to see street children darting from one car to another, with hands out-stretched, begging for money or food. A heart-breaking scene, but I had made up my mind never to open my car window and give to beggars on the street. “No, I am not going to give money to any child beggar,…they are being used by crime syndicates,” I explained to my children.

While we were discussing the ethics of giving to beggars, one of the street children, a girl, who was barely 10 years old, about the age of my daughter, knocked gently on my car window. She wore an oversized T-shirt, dotted with holes, and a yellow colored shorts fastened around her frail body with a plastic rope. Against a dishev-eled hair her face was surprisingly clean and so were her exposed arms and legs. I tried not to look at her and just ignore her. Three pairs of incredulous eyes were focused on me.

I did not make any move to scoop up the coins that filled up the car’s coin contain-er. Breaking the silence was the voice of my daughter, telling me: “Dad, give her these,” and brought out the two sandwiches that I prepared for her that morning. “I had no time to eat them,” she said. Then my two sons who were seated at the back gave their cans of soda and French fries that they were about to eat. As I handed the food to the girl-child I saw an imperceptible trembling twinkle in her eyes.

As the cars began to move I could see, from the car’s side mirror, the little girl and two small boys, who I suspect were her brothers, sat themselves on the center is-land under the blazing sun. They were literally feasting on the sandwiches and French fries, sharing the can of Pepsi among them. I left the scene with guilt mixed with joy. I have never forgotten that moment when my kids gave me a taste of poet-ry in the prose of life.

We go through our daily life doing the same routine, ensconced in our own concerns, or content to be just a detached spectator. We live the prose of life. But when we share a smile, when we share a little of our time, when we share a little of our tal-ent, and create more rhythm, more attractive expression of our thoughts and heart, we are writing the poetry of life. In Toastmasters we have the opportunity to write our poetry. When we share a little of our time and effort by taking up roles, deliver-ing our speech, and spreading the good news about our club, that is poetry. Anyone can live an ordinary prosaic life, but not everyone can live a fulfilling, meaningful life, not everyone can write the poetry of life.

As we say goodbye to 2015 and usher in 2016 I thank all the club officers and mem-bers for giving and sharing your valuable time and talents in ensuring the success of Filcom International. I wish you and your families the joy of the Christmas season! Let us hope and pray for a new year of prosperity and peace as we journey to our common dream of becoming leaders. Let us write more poetry in the prose of our lives!

Club President View...

Gil P. Bangalan, DTM

Club President, 2015-2016

P A G E 2

T H E E D G E

Sharing– Poetry of the Prose of Life

“We go through our

daily life doing the

same routine, en-

sconced in our own

concerns, or content

to be just a detached

spectator. We live the

prose of life. But

when we share a

smile, when we share

a little of our time,

when we share a little

of our talent, and cre-

ate more rhythm,

more attractive ex-

pression of our

thoughts and heart,

we are writing the

poetry of life. “

Happy holidays and a joyful and hopeful 2016!

A gift is something that is enjoyed twice – first, by the giver who revels in the pleasure of giv-ing something special and second, by the person who receives the gift. We all have something to give to everyone. It doesn’t always have to be something material. It could be a compliment, a smile, even your time. This reminds me of a story I like very much: It is a story about a boy who wanted something from his dad. He wanted to know how much money his daddy makes an hour. The father was flabbergasted and somehow insulted by such a question from his son. Despite that, the son, continued to ask his dad. “If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour”, dad said. Looking up, the boy said, “Daddy, may I borrow $9.00 please?” The father was furious! “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed! Think about why you’re being so selfish. I work long, hard hours every day and don’t have time for such childish games!” The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy’s questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money. After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. He went to his son’s room and said, “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that $9.00 you asked for.” T he little boy sat straight up, beaming. “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man. “Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father grumbled. “ Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?” The little boy in the story didn’t want any toy or some material thing. He wanted his daddy’s time. In our attempt to invest in our family’s future, we work so hard not realizing that we are depriving our loved ones of that one important thing—our time. Time not just spent, but time enjoyed. In our guilt, we try to compensate by bribing them with gifts like clothes, toys and gadgets. We often forget that there are other kinds of gifts-- the ones that money cannot buy, but are more meaningful to both the recipient and the giver. You could be that father in the story—so busy, so clueless of what his child really needed. Or you could be that child- yearning for attention, time and affection from the people you love. They could be your family or your friends. Either way, whether you are the recipient or the giver, only one thing is certain: What makes a gift special is not its monetary value, but the positive impact it has to the recipient’s life. This season of sharing and giving, let us remember that a gift comes in many forms. But wouldn’t you want to give something that you will also feel good about? Like giving happi-ness, friendship, kindness and lots of love! Isn’t that such a happy though? Happy Season of giving to all Filcomites! May we be prosperous in our days spent with our beloved friends and family!

The best gift... P A G E 3

T H E E D G E

From the Editor’s Desk...

Kynah Genson, CC

Editor-in-Chief

“In our attempt to in-vest in our family’s future, we work so hard not realizing that we are depriving our loved ones of that one important thing—our time. Time not just spent, but time en-joyed. In our guilt, we try to compensate by bribing them with gifts like clothes, toys and gadgets.“

P A G E 4

T H E E D G E

My Journey as Charter Division Governor, Division Q (2014-15)

It was during the District 20 Toastmasters Annual Conference in Muscat Oman, when I

was elected as the charter Division Governor of newly formed Division Q. It has been an

exciting journey since then, with an incredible team, priceless learning experiences and

pride to lead the awesome Division Q clubs.

Filcom International Club, being my home club in Division Q, was a pillar of support in

propelling me to take up this responsibility and its support throughout this journey. I be-

lieve success and failure are often separated by determination. The difference between

people who dream of doing great things and those who don’t is “persistence”. It’s the per-

sistence which takes someone to places that talent alone cannot. The Division Q team of

2014-15 lacked neither persistence nor talent, which helped taking Division Q to higher

places. On its maiden year, if Division Q has achieved the “President Distinguished Club”

status, then it is attributed to the sustainable and organic growth of clubs, its members

and member experiences. These are possible with the convergent effort from every mem-

ber lead by able leaders. This status is only a yardstick to reflect the journey to an ulti-

mate goal.

The Excom team, Area Governors and club leaders vision to leave a mark for their suc-

cessor paved way for a stronger future to the club, area, division, district and Toastmas-

ters International as a whole. As a leader, the experience of serving as Division Governor

was priceless, because this taught me numerous invaluable lessons which otherwise

would had been difficult. I learnt decision making skills and building the teams that

brought us to heights we could not imagine. The choice is made by the leader and opin-

ions from team members are considered to arrive at the best decision. Many a times, ei-

ther we give the choice to the team to choose not owning the responsibility and end up

without a decision, or take a decision on our own and enforce it upon for acceptance.

These are two extremes which may not be constructive. At Division Q, these extremes

were shown the door. In summary, an experience is something to be experienced and not

to shy away from when it knocks at our door. Accept it, challenge yourself and give your

fullest, the rest will be best.

First Person...

TM Shyam Sundar Rajaram

Charter Division Governor

Division Q (2014-2015)

“The difference between people who dream of do-ing great things and those who don’t is “persistence”. It’s the persistence which takes any-one to places that talent alone can-not.”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR...

Dear editor, I work for the printer company publishing this magazine so I took the liberty of inserting this letter in your magazine. After peeping through your Toast magazine I am left amazed! It is an amazing club. I realize I have the possibility to join a Toastmasters club soon. Especially given the fact that my house is near to the club. I like very much to be able to speak. One of my friends told me about Toastmaster, but he had a different kind of experience. He attended one club meeting, not Filcom International, that left everyone open mouthed. Yes -everyone were having big yaws.. But after reading your articles I beg to differ. I think everyone in your club is happy and awake. I am convinced that your club is some-thing else. I feel thatt if I join I can speak much better than before. I am sure I will be able to speak to a group despite my fear to speak before crowds. I look forward to be invited to your club meetings. Who knows I might insert more letters in your future issues. Yours, A FilcomiteWannabe,

Editor’s Note: The letter to the editor you find below was unsolicited. It was inserted by someone in the printing room while this newsletter was being produced. Everything written in the letter is the anonymous person’s opinion and the editorial staff disclaims any knowledge and/or conformity with the content. We believe in the freedom of expression. Typo errors and grammatical errors are the writer’s own. Of course we welcome letters to the editor, but let your letter be submitted to the editorial board first. We will reserve a space for letters from readers in our future issues. Thank you.

P A G E 5

T H E E D G E

Mohammad Farooq, ACB, ALB, has been living in the Arabian Gulf for the last 33 years, dur-ing which period he became a respected leader in the hospitality and tourism industry. He

started his professional career with the Taj Coromandal Hotel in Madras, India; thereafter, he spent considerable time with the Intercontinental Hotel chain of hotel in various roles world-wide. He is currently a Director of AMWAJ Catering Services. He says he did not have the

faintest idea what Toastmasters was until 2011 when he joined Filcom International Club. He has stayed and become an inspiration to the cub members. He further explains that if one

wants to have a successful career in the hospitality and tourism sector, or any profession for that matter, he or she must have acquire excellent communication and leadership skills. Mo-hammad has serve d various roles as Club President, VP-Membership, VP-Public Relations,

and is currently the Club Treasurer.

Mohammad, as a young man wanted to become a doctor of medicine, but circumstances di-

verted his path. Because he had the passion for travelling and interacting with people, he chose the path of hospitality and tourism. He holds a doctorate degree in management stud-

ies, in addition to a master’s degree in Tourism. He is a recipient of the Golden Medal in hos-pitality management. Mohammad, further, is a member of various professional organizations, among which are Royal Society for Public Health (UK), Hospitality Professional Association

(UK), the Hotel Marketing Association (UK), Institute of Hospitality MIH (UK), life member of Birla Public School, and a consultant on Occupational Standards and NVQ/SVQ for the Ca-

tering & Hospitalit Industry and Licensed Industry Sector (UK).

Why did you join Toastmasters? Filcom International?I

did not have the faintest idea about Toastmasters until a friend introduced me to it. With a

craving interest to know further about this organization I joined Toastmasters, in particular, I

joined Filcom International Club. Its diversified membership in terms of nationalities and cul-

ture, plus its ambience of a family, were factors that made me decide to be with Filcom.

What motivates you to stay with Toastmasters? with Filcom International, in particular?

There are a number of motivators - it provides me a platform to communicate myself to the

public. It is a forum that connects me to new people expanding my horizon of associates.

Toastmasters positively helps me to communicate dispassionately, improves my listening

skills, and assists me provide constructive feedback. It is an institution that aids me in disci-

plining myself in terms of competition, respecting and recognizing other club members, set-

ting and attaining short term objectives and most important the element of time manage-

ment. Most significantly, the club offers the opportunity to constantly practice and exercise my

public speaking and leadership skills.

How did you get into your profession in the hospitality and tourism industry?

In reality I wanted to be medical Doctor but I was not successful to get the admission. Since I

had a passion for travel this passion motivated me to join undergraduate course in Hospitality

and Tourism Management. The long journey in this field has been a blessing in disguise as I

am enjoying and cherishing every bit of it.

Why is it important for people in your industry to improve their communication and leadership

skills?

In this contemporary world of competition "fittest survives. Communication and leadership

skills are paramount for survival and progression especially in the field of tourism. Communi-

cation skills are essential in tourism as one needs to communicate with different nationalities

of diversified culture, language and traditions. A successful Tour Guide requires leadership

qualities to lead a group of tourists successfully.

Moment with a Member...

Dr. Mohammad Farooq,

ACB, ALB

A Successful Tour Guide Needs Leader-ship Quali-ties..!

Vis

ual

Rec

ord

s o

f M

emo

ries

PH

OT

O G

AL

LE

RY

T H E E D G E

P A G E 6

Filcom marks the 81st anniversary of Toastmasters International during its 274th meeting on 24 October 2015. Photo shows members cutting the traditional cake.

VP-Public Relations Kynah Genson with VP Education Omar Fayyad and Club President Gil Bangalan launching the club newsletter “The Edge”

Guess what the club president is praying for…? This is a typical scene in our club meeting, where members are engaged , and where every one is encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas with confidence...

New member Anna Maria Caeusu at her induction and pinning of the Toastmasters pin. We make it a point to make sure new members are duly inducted and formally welcome into the club.

Left Photos: Our club welcomes guests as members of one big family that learns together in an ambience of fun and camaraderie. We consider every guest and members as individuals with common objectives yet diverse in background, culture, lifestyle, outlook in life, beliefs and profession. It is precisely this diversity that allows us to empower each other toward our dreams to become effec-tive communicators and leaders.

T H E E D G E

P A G E 7

There is no substitute for the wisdom of experience. On a regular basis we invite experienced Toastmasters from other clubs to evaluate the speeches of our members. Among recent guests were TM Joseph Stanley, TM Singa Raju and TM Thayalan shown in the upper photos.

The winners in our club Table Topic Speech Contest 2015: 1st Place—Arjay P. Diego, 2nd place—Grace Moran and 3rd Place—Anna Maria Caeusu. Flanking therm are Contest chair—Kynah Genson, TMOE—Noor muwalla, VPE Omarr Fayyad, Chief Judge Philip Cherian and Club President Gil P. Bangalan.

Photo shows the seven contestants in the Table Topic contest posing after receiving their Certificate of Participation from Contest Chair Kynah Genson and club President Gil P. Bangalan DTM.

In the photo are the five contestants in the Evaluation Speech Contest to-gether with Contest Chair Dennis Mujana, Target Speaker Rasha Rafiq and Club President Gil P. Bangalan DTM.

An inspiring group photo of members and guests after one of our most recent meetings. Filcom International truly makes us proud and happy.

Some incredible and memorable places we see in our lives define for us the distance between the extraordinary and the ordinary. I have traveled extensively and Montana is the only place that touches my soul to the core. So refreshingly serene and calm. I was mesmerized by the murmur of cascading waterfalls, babbling creek and beautiful trail snaking through the landscape. Red and golden leaves tossed by the wind, as if they can hear my heart sing. They danced through varied rhythm, rustling winds of change blowing and coming to carry me to heights unknown.

Should I dare to ride the winds of change or should I defy my calling? Gazing steadfast to the sky’s unclouded shine, waiting to be transformed as the empowering forest soothe my drifting soul and bring it to bathe in ecstasy. We rode up the hills and stopped right in front of the Meadow Lake. It is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen and it can only be accessed by horseback. We spread out our picnic blanket and enjoyed our lunch as we savored the views of the surrounding pristine wilder-ness, beautiful immaculate shine in the sky and grazing horses in the back ground— my definition of a perfect lunch! Just as good as our picnic at the Central Park, New York City, but not as picturesque. After lunch, we laid down and enjoyed the moment of serenity and tranquili-ty. I closed my eyes and feel the scorching heat of the sun, nonetheless barely feel it with the breeze brushing my skin and hair all over my face as I giggled. Our rides took us throughout Yellowstone National Park and we managed to catch a glimpse of the elusive bear and elk. Everything in Montana will blow your mind away. An awe-inspiring journey and breath taking moments tattooed in my mind and as I drifted amidst Montana rejoicing wilds, solemn dullness of this tedious world packed into oblivion! Ah, I finally found our sanctuary. Welcome to the beautiful Big Sky, Montana! — TM Grace Moran

Big Sky Montana..

Toastmaster on Travel….

T H E E D G E

P A G E 8

TM Joseph Amande Bags… (Continued from page 1)

Joseph joined Filcom International Toastmasters Club on 01 July 2014. He earned his Competent Communi-cator recognition early this year. He joined the Toastmasters International Speech Contest for the year 2014-2015 and was adjudged the third placer of the Division Q Speech Contest. He is also the incumbent Club Secretary of our club.—Nissar V P

Filcom Holds …. (Continued from page 1) The Evaluation Speech Contest was participated in by Arjay P. Diego, Cipriano T. Collado, Grace Millan Moran, Fuoad Al Faris Ismail and Shyam Sundar Rajaram. In the Table Topic Speech contest 7 members competed: Anna Maria Caeusu, Arjay P. Diego, Buddhika W. Pathirana, Cipriano T. Collado, Dennis Mujana, Fuoad Al Faris Ismail, and Grace Millan Moran. TM Dennis Mujana and TM Kynah Genson served as contest chairs for the Evaluation and Table Topic contests, respectively. The roster of judges included prominent Toastmasters from both Division E and Q in Qatar. The TMOE and emcee for the entire evening was TM Noor Muwalla. Winners in the Evaluation Speech Contest are: 1st Place – Shyam Sundar Rajaram, 2nd Place – Arjay P. Die-go, and 3rd Place – Grace Millan Moran. In the Table Topic Speech Contest declared winners are: 1st Place – Arjay P. Diego, 2nd Place – Grace Millan Moran and 3rd Place – Anna Maria Caeusu. The 1st and 2nd Place winners in both categories will represent our club in the Area 12 Contest, scheduled on 12 February 2016. All other winners and participants must be ready to represent the club in the event the top winners might not be available for the Area level due to unforeseen or force majeure circumstances. The Humorous and International Speech contests are scheduled to be held on 09 January 2016 during our 276th regular meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Doha. We look forward to members joining and delivering memorable messages with powerful speeches.— Arjay P. Diego

Caption describing

picture or graphic.

P A G E 9

T H E E D G E

Young and already an achiever, that’s Joseph Amande. Joseph has been published in Gulf Times recently for winning the 2015 ICC-One Public Speaking Championship in Qatar. Last year, he competed in the Toastmas-ter’s Division Q Contest in all 3 categories: International Speech, Table Topics & Evaluation where victory already rubbed up on him as he placed 3rd. It’s not easy to talk about his achievements in one article, but we have managed to condense it for you as he shares his journey in Public Speaking.

Kynah: Congratulations on your recent success! Can you tell us a bit of your background? Joseph: Thanks to you & to my Filcom family! About my background, I was born and raised in the Philippines. I am the 6th child in the brood of nine. I had to work to support my studies and finally graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, Major in English and earned some units in Master of Arts in Education, Major in Linguistics. With the economic situation in the Philippines and with my desperate desire to be of greater help to my family, I went to Riyadh, KSA in 2010 to work as an airline ticketing agent. However, ticketing is not my passion so I moved here to Qatar in 2012 where I landed a job as a Training Development Specialist and I’m happy doing what I love –training. Kynah: I can see that you are very passionate in Public Speaking. Is this something that you have always wanted to do for your career? When did you become aware of your passion in Pub-lic Joseph: I am a teacher by profession; speaker by heart. I remember when I was in high school, my English teacher told me after delivering my report that if there was one student in her class who could very well be a teacher, it would be me. Her words reverberate in my ears up to now. While I cannot be with my students right now for practical reasons, it is my wish to go back to the academe to teach when I’m already stable financially. For now, I am busy col-lecting experiences and developing my passion in Public Speaking so that I can be the best teacher my students can ever have. Kynah: How do you describe yourself as a Public Speaker? Joseph: Much as I want to be an entertaining or humorous speaker, the joke always ends up on me every time I try to be so I stick to what I feel I am at my best, that is talking about inspiring stories which are mostly on a personal level. For me, happiness is achieved through living a meaningful life, a life that is filled with passion and mission. Public Speaking is my pas-sion and to inspire people is my mission. In public speaking, I can both grow and contribute. I grow because it develops my creativity, it's a mental exercise & it allows me to connect with people. I contribute when I inspire people, when I speak for charity & community events & when I do coaching or mentoring aspiring public speakers. Kynah: Please share with us your experience in joining & winning speech contests? Joseph: To me, the trophies, medals, certificates and certificates don’t really matter. What matters most is the experience. The process in preparing for a speech contest, from speech writing, practicing delivery to the day of the contest is truly unforgettable and full of learning opportunities. Indeed, my competition experience has given me the needed confidence. Confi-dence allows me to be me. And being me is when I’m truly happy. Kynah: Let’s talk about your winning speech, Less is More. What’s the story behind it and why did you Joseph: To read the entire speech, Less is More, and my other speeches, please visit my website at www.josephlovespeech.blogspot.com. Less is More talks about minimalism. Minimal-ism is a thing that gets us past things so we can focus on life’s important values which actually are not things at all. I was so materialistic then. Only when I was packing my things to exit from Riyadh to Doha did I realized none of those things really mattered. So, I promised myself that this time I’d focus on experiences than material things. Last September, I went backpack-ing in Europe alone for 1 month through which I learned many life lessons. Another example how I used minimalism in my life was when really focused my time only with the people I love and on organization that greatly contributes to my growth such as the Filcom International Toastmasters Club. And finally, through the concept of minimalism, I was able to discover who I really am. I am a public speaker and my purpose is to inspire. I chose this piece because I feel that many people can relate to it, plus the fact that I want to veer away from very dramatic and very personal topics. Kynah: Lastly, what can you advise our aspiring public speakers? Public Speaking is a passion. If you are serious about becoming a successful public speaker, don’t stop developing your skills. Join Toastmasters. Join Filcom. Be active in the meeting by delivering your speech projects or taking up a role. Compete not for the award or with others, but with yourself. Public speaking is not to serve you, but to serve others. When you speak, somebody listens to it. Make it worth listening by using your heart, more than your mouth.”

CC Joseph Amande deliver-ing his winning speech at the ICCE-One Championships held at Radisson Blu last November 27, 2015.

“And lastly, pub-

lic speaking not to

serve you, but to

serve others.

When you speak,

somebody listens

to it. Make it

worth listening to

by using your

heart, more than

your mouth.”

P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E I I S S U E 2

T H E E D G E

Sharing and learning...

“Sharing and learning to share are great acts I think all should practice...”

In childhood, we learn the act of sharing but we never really understand its benefit until we grow older and prac-tice it further. We start to realize the beauty of it. We learn along the way moments of compromise and compas-sion for one another. Moments of kindness and gratefulness. This only happens when we start truly practicing LIFE. L Learning about life I In positive attitude & F Fairness E Everyday Life has a lot to offer, and people come with different backgrounds and cultures. This is how everyone has some-thing unique to offer and share with the great public. When we start sharing, we teach others different views on life. We help them discover areas of improvement. We let them decide on their path. This helps everyone appreci-ate every feedback and comment they get along their life-journey. “When we model good sharing in life, we give others a great example to follow.” Sharing has absolutely no restriction on age, color, gender, religion, or where you come from. It has all to do with your background, experiences, knowledge in life, and your values and principles you stand by. Hence, we all can. In my last sharing experience, I had the pleasure of offering some advice to some stranger I met in a conference. It was about succeeding in Toastmasters and life in general. I had shared with her my personal view based on my experiences and knowledge. I had summarized it in what I call the KEY to succeeding. K Keep independent in every step along your journey and don’t wait for someone to do it for you E Educate yourself on your values and principles and stick to them no matter what happens Y You’re the most important person in your life so make sure to fight for what you want Sharing is caring so start the first step and try to make a difference in someone else’s life. Your experiences and knowledge will only value the moment you start sharing it with others. When we model good sharing in life, we give others a great example to follow. — Omar Fayyad, CL

Meet our new members ...

TM Melody Castaneda Melody comes from the Philippines. She is currently working as Customer Service Executive for Direct Retail Brokers Inter-national in Doha. She graduated with a degree in HRM (Hotel & Restaurant Management)

TM Rasha Abualhasan Rasha hails from Jordan. She works as a field-business performance management professional. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science , an MBA and is a PMP (Project Management Pro-fessional).

TM Caenaella Bingongo Caenaella is a Quantity Surveyor with the Bougues Batiment International Qatar. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Xavier Uni-versity (formerly Ateneo De Cagayan de Oro), Philippines.

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E I I S S U E 2

T H E E D G E

I grew up in an enchanting place called Coorg in south India. My grand-father purchased 1,000 acres of coffee plantation from the British when they left India in 1947. My parents invested in 2 police trained dogs to ensure that I never got lost in the huge colonial bungalow or in the 1,000 acres.

Let me take you back to the mid 70’s when this beautiful place was still not exposed to the modernities of today.

It was a common sight to see a herd of elephants roaming freely in the forest. Sometimes they invaded our backyard feasting on our ripe jack-fruits. Nagerholla, the game sanctuary was next to our estate. It was the habitat of tigers, dears, bison, and many other animals that roamed around under the protection of game sanctuary. My city-bred cousins would visit us during the holidays and this was my opportunity to learn about the life that existed beyond mysterious village. They would go hunting which my parents would allow but under the strict and watchful eyes of our rangers Mariappan and Chinnaswamy.

Mariappan and Chinnaswamy were brothers, and as teenagers they fought along with the British Army in the World War 2. They carried double barrel guns, AK47’s, revolvers, Bazookas and long knives. They knew the forest and coffee estate like the back of their hand. They could shoot a running deer or a flying bird with their eyes closed. Marriapan would lead the team with Chinnaswamy following behind. I would be flanked by my trusted friends, Tricky the Doberman and Cas-per, the German Shepard. They never left my side. On one such hunting trip, Marriappan signalled to all of us to keep quite as he spotted a prey. He crouched behind a bush and took aim. I noticed both Tricky and

Casper looking intensely in the direction of the deer that Marriappan was aiming at. Suddenly Mariappan instead of shooting, signalled us to quickly leave. I noticed that both the hunters held the gun ready for a battle. The tone of Marriappans voice and the look on his face told me that there was something wrong. He yelled at the top of his voice ‘RUN, Run for your life. Don’t look back, Run’.

Casper and Tricky sensed the danger. Suddenly, they turned back and ran in the direction of the deer. As soon as we reached home, Marriappan and Chinnaswamy told my parents of the situation. After a long while, Tricky and Casper arrived and were all over me. My mother, who is petrified of dogs, hugged both of them, for the first time with tears of joy. We later got to know, the deer ran away because of a ferocious tiger. The dogs saved us by run-ning into the forest, distracting the tiger. This gave as ample time to run to safety.

A planter in the neighbourhood came over on hearing about the bravery of my canine friends. He told us how he had recently escaped from the claws of a tiger. It was late in the evening and dark. He was driving through the forest in an open jeep when he was chased by a tiger. He stepped on the accelerator but the tiger was catching up. He turned to the left, the tiger also turned to left. He turned to right, the tiger also turned to right. The road was really bad and visibility was poor. He put the indicator to the left and turned to the right. Behold the tiger turned to the left and he escaped to the right.

The end of the story – and we all were silent.

Delivered by TM hilip Cherian in the Tall Tale Speech Contest sponsored by the Doha Advanced Toastmasters Club at the ICC last 16 December 2015. Read and believe.

A TALL TALE….

When I was still a high school student, Doha was a quiet town with not many events. At the time, only Gulf Times, QTV and QBS radio were the leading media platform which covered more on the official happenings, not much on the expat life. I dreamed of being a TV presenter or a radio host. Fast forward 12 years later, Doha-- now at its buzzing plethora of diverse cultures and numerous exciting events, a budding but incredibly viral media platform was founded. SnapTV is Doha’s leading online Web-TV magazine and the first of its kind in the Middle East. It combines TV and the advantages of technology via the internet and it focuses on the expats’ lifestyle and events in Qatar. SnapTV launched a talent search and I auditioned. A month later I got a call from them inviting me to be one of their TV presenters-- I was ecstatic! SnapTV serves as my stage where I can use my passion for public speaking. And where did I get all my training in preparation for this exciting venture, you ask?—it is none other than Filcom Toastmasters! My home club has been a supportive pillar and a great resource. I have not officially taken Media courses, but with the different projects and advanced manual on “Communicating on TV” and the mentoring of seasoned speakers, I have more than I need to be a good TV presenter!

Lights, Camera Action!

VP-PR TM Kynah Genson (right) interviewing a guest during an episode in SnapTV’s talkshows.

01 Start of Talk-up Toast-

masters membership

building award

13 Club meeting no. 279

15 Start collection of mem-

bership renewal fees

19 Area 12 Speech Contest

26 Area 68 Speech Contest

27 Club meeting no. 280

01 New Year!.

08 Div Q Family Day Bar-

zan Park, Umm Salal

09 Our Club meeting No. 277

and Club Speech Contest

for Humorous and Inter-

national categories

23 Club meeting no. 278

24 “Farewell to Fear”

workshop with Mhd Al

Qahtani, Intercontinen-

tal City Doha

04 Area 52 Speech Contest

12 Club meeting no. 281

18 Area 53 Speech Contest

25 Area 51 Speech Contest

26 Club meeting no. 282

31 End of Talk-up Toast-

masters membership

building award

Dateline for remitting

membership renewal

fees.

UPCOMING EVENTS and REMINDERS...

www.filcominternational.org

All members are requested to take note of the events coming up for the next 3 months and to in-clude these in their individual calendars. The Club VPE shall advise all on changes to these scheduled events, if any.

JANUARY 2016 FEBRUARY 2016 MARCH 2016

T H E E D G E

P A G E 1 2

The Toastmasters Mission A statement of shared values Every Toastmasters club shares the same mission, clearly defined in the following mission statement: “We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”

When do we meet? 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month at

18:30

Where do we meet? Crown Plaza Doha-The Business Park

Al Matar Street

A TOASTMASTERS PROMISE As a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise… 1. To attend club meetings regularly.

2. To prepare all of my speech and leadership projects to

the best of my ability basing them on projects in the

Competent Communication manual, Advanced Commu-

nication manuals or Competent Leadership manual.

3. To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments.

4. To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive

evaluations.

5. To help the club maintain the positive, friendly envi-

ronment necessary for all members to learn and grow.

6. To serve my clubs as an officer when called upon to do

so.

7. To treat my fellow club members and our guests with

respect and courtesy.

8. To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the

benefits Toastmasters membership offers.

9. To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmas-

ters educational and recognition programs.

10. To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during

the conduct of all Toastmasters activities.

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