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th June’17 – In a brightly lit auditorium, one of the most professional groups of individuals introduced themselves to the whole new bunch of first years brimming with curiosity. Thus, the Toastmasters IIM Ranchi made their first public appearance during the induction program. A brief presentation by them and two open to the floor table topics later, I made up my mind to join this club. Chartered on 30
th October’13, this independent body has made its mark in the hall of fame of District 41 – the
Distinguished Club Award in 2014-15 and the
Fantastic Five Award in 2016.
A month later, I became the official member of Toastmasters IIM Ranchi. It was the 78
th meet – with the theme
Cinematic Joy Ride when the orientation of the fresh Toastmasters was taken up by the President Toastmaster. Post fortnight, we, the new blood, got the opportunity of visiting XLRI Jamshedpur for the
COTP – an experience where we learnt a lot from the officers of the other TM clubs of District 41 – an episode in our lives, not to be forgotten.
Almost two months into Toastmasters, I already feel myself to be a part of a closely knit family, although it is a professionally managed one. Currently, standing with the strength of 40, we can proudly boast of the
Rising Star Award bagged in August’17. Besides completing our speech and leadership projects, we are allowed to be a part of various club teams as per our own choice and help in contributing to the growth of this club. Being a part of the administration team, I have become familiar to the club running activities in a short time.
With a focus primarily on management specific and entertaining topics, we also put up special themes to celebrate occasions or festivities like Halloween, Diwali, Independence Day and so on. I personally can vouch for the club as a place where personality and self-development is sure to occur. From a person who is afraid of public speaking to a person who can be confident in front of an audience – this has been my transformation in about two months. Each week has a meet and every meeting has been a source of learning and knowledge sharing for me – from inviting guest speakers to being the best speaker and the best table topic winner. For me, the tag of ‘TM Your Name’ serves as a brownie point (self-motivation) as well during the weekly meets.
As the seniors’ days are numbered, we, the junior team, prepare ourselves to carry forward their legacy of continuing and contributing to the progress of Toastmasters IIM Ranchi. As they prepare themselves to pass the baton, it becomes crucial that we, the new faces of Toastmasters, shoulder our responsibilities and grasp as much as we can from each meet’s experience, since each meet has a different story to tell. From organising and managing to creating and sharing, Toastmasters IIM Ranchi is the right forum for a holistic personality development.
With this, let me sign off for now by saying – “
All hail, Toastmasters IIM Ranchi!”