The Smedlian

Smedley Speakers Society - Newsletter July - Dec 2011 VOL 1, ISSUE 8, Club No.848580

Smedley Speakers Society

NIPM Hall, 2nd Floor, Blue Cross Chambers, (above Anand Diagnostic Labs & Eloor Lending Library) Infantry Road Cross, Near Safina Plaza. Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Contests, respectively. While we learned and won contests, we also had tons of fun starting with a standup comic act performed by Entertainment Engineers. Our first outdoor meeting in over three years, at Cubbon Park, was fun from the word go. Francis Gama, aka rockstar, showed off his guitar skills with everyone else accompanying him on the vocals. But the icing on the cake was surely September 4, 2011; History in the making a triple celebration for Smedleys: 6th Birthday, 300th Meeting, and the 2011 USD Challenge. The USD Challenge this year was a TallTales contest, which ensured laughter. A montage of photos collected of Smedz over the years had us reminiscing of the good-old times. Mrs. Maya Dev, with proud tears in her eyes, as she witnessed her two sons, Shankar & Madhav, host the event touched all our hearts. And of course, the scrumptious lunch; whats not to like! It was a great term with lots of events and achievements accomplished but all this would not have been possible without the TEAM. I can sincerely say that this term has seen the best set of club officer teamwork in the history of Smedleys thus far. Each and every officer successfully stood up to any challenge that the club or I threw at them; be it posters, snacks, invites, surveys, or meeting arrangements. They always had only one question to ask, What can I do to help? It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit. Laugh & Learn was the theme and goal for this term; we did all of that and more. As I sign off as the President, I just want to say that its been an honor to serve the club, and always remember that if it isnt fun, it isnt Toastmasters. With Best Regards, Gauri Seshadri President July December 2011 Term

Message from President Gauri Seshadri

It has truly been a Rollercoaster ride. Like any rollercoaster, Smedleys has seen its share of ups and downs this past term. But then again, like any rollercoaster Whoa, what a fun ride!!! We bid farewell to some of our longtime members as they moved away for bigger & better things. But as we bid au revoir to them, we also welcomed a lot of new members into our family; 15 so far and counting Round-robin evaluations, speech marathons, contest trainings we have had them all so far this term. Education sessions were abundant with Toastmaster stalwarts such as Deepak Justin, Aaron Watson, Ramlal, TK Ramesh to name a few conducting sessions. If thats not all, we even had a Chabi Me session. Chai, Biscuit, & Mentoring is an open-door mentoring session that is the brainchild of our creative genius, Pramod Shankar. In case you were wondering as to how we fared at the contests this term I would say FABULOUSLY. Club veteran, Aseem Purohit, walked away with the top honors at the Area-level Evaluation contest. And we had first-time contestants, Siddharth Jena and Archana Shetty, winning prizes and accolades at the Area & Division-level Humorous Speech

Cubbon Park Outdoor Meeting...

Aseem Purohit
Change is the only constant in life, goes the famous saying. At our club, we had been trying to bring change to our weekly ritual of meeting at the NIPM Hall every Sunday for long, by having an outdoor meeting. For some reason, we couldnt make this dream a reality earlier but the present committee led by our President Gauri, once again took the lead and showed that where there is a will there is a way. Soon enough the theme, date, agenda etc. were finalized and Cubbon Park was chosen as the venue for our long-cherished outdoor meeting. The day the club members were waiting for with bated breath finally arrived August 14, 2011. It was a breathtaking sight as I stepped in the park with trees full of lush green leaves, the park covered with grass till wherever eyes could see and cool breeze blowing across my face. It was a refreshing change from the predictable, office-like aura of NIPM hall and I could feel the calming effect of the serene environment of Cubbon Park. Just when I was trying to locate the exact place of our meeting, I could see some of the committee members alighting from a car with bag full of snacks, cold drinks and water. Soon we were at the meeting venue and in no time seating arrangements were made with a few bed-sheets members had carried. After all was done and dusted, I realized there was no lectern, no tables or chairs; and the green-amber-red cards too were conspicuous by their absence. I thought its going to be more like a picnic with nothing much to do except fun and not like a usual Toastmaster meeting. My joy was short-lived, just then Bhavna, our VPE walked up to me and broke the news that I am the MC for the day. I could suddenly feel butterflies in my stomach and I could sense that they were not even flying in formation! Even before I could gather my thoughts on what I would speak as MC, like true Smedz, members started trickling in before time and we had a full house shortly thereafter. The meeting started on time and Akhil took charge as SAA not behind a lectern, on a dias or using a mike but standing under a giant tree. It was Gauris turn then to deliver the Presidents speech and soon I heard her introducing me as MC. There I was then as an impromptu MC without a script and lectern to hide behind but with trees all around and smiling faces to support me! I mustered enough courage and started speaking. Butterflies in my stomach stopped shortly thereafter, perhaps due to Cubbon Parks calming influence on the outside! It was time for prepared speeches then Ashitha, Selva and Sushil delivered well-prepared speeches. Selvas family came to support him and hear him deliver his speech. Individual evaluators Manaranan, Bhavana and Francis thereafter gave their feedback on the speeches but as planned there was no GE session. After the break Mahaveer did a scintillating session as table topic master asking members to speak impromptu on book titles with a twist, modeled on famous books. Alam, Kanchana, Vebhav, Suraj, Nithin, Archana, Deepak and Sridhar as authors gave a quick talk on these funny book titles that had the audience in splits. It was then time for President Gauri to honour one of the newest Competent Communicator (CC) of our club, Nagaraj Nellithaya with his CC certificate. His parents were there to bless him on the occasion. It was a proud moment for them, Nagaraj and the entire club. Suchiths effort was recognized as VP-Membership for the last term. Thereafter, Prasidh, a new member, was inducted into the club by the VPM team. The president then thanked everyone for making it to the meeting, and it was curtains time to an innovative, funfilled and well attended meeting. The surprise of the day was the group and solo singing by Smedz Band of some melodious songs on the beats of the guitarist Francis Gama, with Bhavna, Archana, Gauri, Burhan, Suraj, Suchith and Aseem charming the audience with their singing talent. To round it off, a few members played an impromptu game of Frisbee. It was sure a meeting with a difference, an outing that allowed members to mingle around amidst the chirping of birds, abundant greenery and in an informal, natural setting. Three cheers to the SAA team and the committee for planning, conceptualizing and executing a great outdoor meeting. In conclusion, I couldnt help but ask the allimportant question when are we having the next outdoor meeting?

Cubbon Park Outdoor Meeting...

Uma Shankar Dev (USD) Challenge 2011

MAKING A FOOL OF MYSELF IS PART OF THE GAME

Sushil Balan
Im sure I will make a fool of myself. The thought that has prevented many people from achieving their ambitions!!! Its natural for every human to feel this way. Nobody wants to be laughed at. Many people fail to take that first step because they feel theyd rather live a life free of embarrassment. Yet there are people who have been brave enough to take that first step, but at the end considered it to be a disaster! I have experienced all of these feelings. But I decided to, if I may say give it a third chance. But before I did so I changed my mantra a bit. I decided not to bother about what other people think. I was doing this for myself. Maybe you dont want to try your hand at public speaking because you may be intimidated by those awesome speakers you have seen. But guess what, from my observations when you congratulate someone after a great speech, even they admit that they missed out some lines or said something which they did not intend to say. I believe it is their attitude which got them through successfully at the end of the day. Reflecting back on what you missed saying or said wrongly will not help. Reflecting back on when your audience clapped for something you said or laughed at some of your humour will definitely boost your confidence. Optimism is the key. You would have come across different kinds of expressions on the faces of your audience while you speak. Is he smiling because I said something stupid? Trust me if someones smiling its because he or she is enjoying your speech. Is that sympathy I see on her face because of how terrible my speech is? No thats not what her expression means. The sympathy is for herself. She really wishes she can come up and speak like you one day. Coming back to Making a fool of yourself. It is sometimes an art which one has to master. Imagine you are an MC at an informal cultural event. Everyones come out there to have some fun. Everyone is eager to watch those dances, songs, plays, rock bands, fashion shows, etc lined up for them. And then there is this guy who comes in between to do some filler and keep teasing the audience on whats coming up next. Tough job!!! The audience develops a minor hatred for you. But this is only temporary. They request you to get off stage soon. But its part of your job. You got to develop thick skin and keep it going. Trust me at the end of the day no matter how much you were forced to make a fool of yourself no one is going to come and actually say it to you. At the most your closest friends or acquaintances would say, You were funny. Remember the optimism mantra take it as a compliment. Take a minute to think of the athletes who over a period of time consistently finish among the last 3 in a 100 metre dash. I know we normally think of the first three. No one is going to actually comment on the last three saying, they made a fool of themselves. In fact no one has the right to. When it comes to the right to comment we are looking at two groups of people. Those who havent taken part in a 100 metre dash ever they dont know how it feels. Those who finish ahead of the last three - they have been in those positions before, hence commenting on the last three is not a thought which crosses their mind. Remember my friends if you want to dance, sing or be a public speaker, just go out there and do it for yourself. What you think of yourself matters more than what Tom, Dick or Harry thinks about you.

Resurrection
Bhavana Hiremath
Lights, Camera, Action! Meet us on Sundays for 2 hours of entertainment and fun We are called the Smedleys, And yes, you are right we are in a way of speakers, humans our own group of Medley CK comes a long way from being Calvin Klein to Comedy King Aseem is back in the Club with an even greater zing FG now sings sometimes and at other times honks, and PS in his own words has become A Wise Old Monk Founding fathers add to their lineage tiny tots who have now grown on to draw bigger shots Bigger and richer in thoughts is what we seek, so no new member is left feeling tweaked For all we seek here is an outlet to our creative juices Sometimes it happens smoothly and sometimes with some bruises Ouch! Is one word no one says, for all that we wish to do is to learn and move on... 4 years have just gone by and I realize New dreams added to old ones, I feel all the more capsized I transport to my first speech I wanted to wish Bangalore A gooood morning like Vasanthi Hariprakash And today I stand as the Education Master so called VP-Ed And watch new fellow toastmasters as they play with words like squash Speeches, tables and topics, I have a long way to go here The new singing queen they say in me they discover Who knows where and how this journey ends As long as I have found a lifetime treasure here My friends!

An ode to Smedz Members...

P . L. Jose
Members of Smedleys', have no anxiety; Achieving goals is their priority. At speech contests, they are known for their ubiquity; No on can question, their fidelity. They give their speeches, in sobriety; And take up meeting roles, with alacrity. They mentor, with generosity; And hate Mediocrity. None are known for their notoriety; And "everyone" wants to be, a celebrity!

Product For Sale!!!

Sold by M/s.Smedley Speakers Society Devices Pvt Ltd.

When VP-PR requested members of Smedley Speaker's Society to write in a few words "an introduction" about themselves, to be featured on the website, no member came forward. Members withheld their thoughts, like a tortoise withdraws its head into it's shell. After many unsuccessful requests, our VP-PR came up with a smart data collection device. She had to place the device around a person's mouth and press a button. The device then captured information like the person's hobbies, present job profile, marital status etc., without the person having to speak a single word! This device has an accuracy of 99.99% and is manufactured by a company named M/s.Smedley Speakers Society Devices Pvt Ltd. It is available at a 10% discount for other Toastmaster clubs. Idea, Cartoon & Text: Bhavana Hiremath & P . L. Jose

New Member Section... Sweta Chandramouli

I am a rambler in search of continuous personal growth. I am an avid reader of autobiographies and self help books on the lines of the recent Shiv Kheras to the erstwhile Dale Carnegies. I am a mentor to 11 fourth standard children. On a lighter note, I enjoy fine arts like Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music. Watching movies and documentaries, particularly ones that are inspired by real life incidents is also one of my hobbies. I love coffee shops, travelling, sampling different cuisines and going out on long drives.

Ruchita Misra
One Nine Eight Eight ! It was the year when I was born in the city of Nawabs,Lucknow. A city that has a magical charm, a charm that is forever and a charm that is apart. Growing and learning had been great fun for me. School was a place where I learnt to care and share. And college was all about staying up all night gossiping with friends, sleeping all day in lectures. Above all it was an incredibly amazing experience when syllabi and other random papers are being thrown at you rapid-fire. But still those were the best days when I was in the best of company that was of my friends and books. Back then, I used to wonder why people who are graduates, keen on being a student again. But now I have the best of memories to answer those questions in a prettiest way.. Well....Now I have grown up to be a software engineer by profession. But still I feel that this is not what I wanted to be. After pondering for long and searching for alternatives, I found some getaway in the midst of my storm tossed life when I landed up here at 'Smedleys Speaker's Society', I am sure of this being the right place for me where I would be as free as a bird to share and express my realm of thoughts in the way I want. This is a place where people pamper each other and applaud every performance of yours. Its a platform for improving personal effectiveness and to bring about an overwhelmingly positive reaction in oneself. To sum up my experience at 'Smedleys' I would love to add few lines that have been beautifully written by the author, Goethe. "Things which matter most Must never be at the mercy of things which matter least". With this I give a start to a new chapter of my life.. A Journey with 'Smedleys' from Roots to Wings!!!

Deepak Srinivasan
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know which one youre going to get said Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. This is one of my favorite quotes. I like meeting new people and exploring new places, food and hobbies. When Im not busy pretending to look busy at work, you can find me playing with tech toys or fiddling with a SLR camera. At Smedleys Ive met a bunch of truly awesome folks. Lots to learn from them but more than anything else its all about having fun!

Awards won during this term

Toastmaster of the Month Awards
July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 Akhil Sukumaran Sushil Balan Rejoy Thomas Ishtiyaque Alam Dhivya U Ishtiyaque Alam

Other Awards
Toastmaster of the Jul-Dec 2011 term Ishtiyaque Alam Best Debutant toastmaster Jul-Dec 2011 term Deepak Srinivasan Best Speaker Jul-Dec 2011 term Aseem Purohit Most Improved Speaker Jul-Dec 2011 term Selvakumar Sakthivel Best Evaluator Jul-Dec 2011 term Sushil Balan Best Topic Speaker Jul-Dec 2011 term Mahaveer Jain

Happy 2012...