Toastmasters Division ‘F' of the Eastern Province demonstrated how their activities enrich the lives, both of Toastmasters and the community. During their annual conference here recently, 450 people were in attendance comprising of Toastmasters from 20 Clubs, dignitaries from corporations and other VIPs. The conference started with a colorful banner parade, followed by a keynote address by Division ‘F' Governor, Syed Faizullah, who said: “Your attitude, not aptitude will determine your altitude”. Toastmasters in essence help individuals to bring about a positive change in their attitude, he said. This fundamental change in the paradigm brings about improvement and eventually it “enriches lives”. Faizullah pointed out that Division ‘F' had achieved remarkable success during this term as it has already chartered five new clubs and is on its way to chartering four more. Father of Toastmasters in the Kingdom and present chairman Abdul Razaq Ali Al-Turki promised that the Kingdom would become a separate Toastmasters district. He said that starting from July 1 this year, Saudi Arabia will be a parallel district with a separate Lt. Governor (Education and Training) and Lt. Governor (Marketing) and from July 1, 2011, it will become a full-fledged district. He thanked all members of his team for their hard work. Keynote speaker, Jean Nicolai, founder and managing director of Stepping Stones and a well-known trainer, inspired the audience by conducting stimulating workshops. “Ineffective communication is the main cause of conflicts in the world,” he said, adding that it is important to educate people to improve their communication skills so that they can lead better and richer lives. Saif Ali Shaikh, co-chairman, said that the conference preparation and organization were excellent and that overall it was an outstanding performance. The conference was chaired by the dynamic and dedicated conference chair, Muhammed Azhar Farooq. It was the culmination of four months of hard work with sleepless nights, he said. He thanked all of those who worked hard to set up the conference which included 14 committees and over 90 members. There were four contests – International Speech, Humorous Speech, Evaluation and Table Topics. The winners, Mukta Nadkar, Abdul Subhan, Ashok Nair and Shyamala Soman Nair, will represent Division F in the District – 79 Contests in Kuwait from 20-22 May.
