Life of an MBA student can be really arduous and challenging. This was the first line I read in an article about ‘How is the daily life of an MBA student’. At that moment I wondered, how difficult can it be? Little did I know that these words would come back to haunt me during the first week of college. My first week was filled with all-nighters for committee selections. This series of all-nighters, however, did not yield any fruits, as I did not make it to the core committees of any of the academic clubs. Upon requesting feedback, everyone pointed out that I lacked good communication and leadership skills.
The thing about feedback is that it can be demotivating and as I was sulking in the library not knowing how to better myself, a friend approached me and introduced me to Toastmasters and how Toastmasters could help me become a competent communicator and a dynamic leader. We soon decided to start our very own Toastmasters club at SDA Bocconi Asia Center and in the month of August, TYHO Bocconi Toastmasters club was chartered.
Just like any other club, even a Toastmasters club has a core committee team called the Ex-Com. Despite gut-wrenching experiences of continuous failures, I did not give up and contested for the role of President for TYHO Toastmasters club and by the majority of votes, I was elected as the first President of the club. I’d like to state a famous quote by Voltaire and he said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. As the President of the club, my goal was to not only encourage fellow Toastmasters to take up the opportunity to polish their communication skills but also focus on club goals set by Toastmasters International.
In a matter of two weeks, we held our very first competition ‘Euphony’ which is the semi-annual Humorous Speech and Evaluation contest. The competition was a success and it wouldn’t have been if not for the amazing participation from club members and valuable guidance from our Area Director. This competition taught me the importance of time management, helped me polish my networking skills with fellow Toastmasters from various clubs and started my journey towards improving my communication skills.
One of the best aspects of being in Toastmasters is that you are not judged by the person you are. Neither was I judged for my body language nor was I laughed upon when I couldn’t speak in front of a large audience. Unfortunately, not many people believed that Toastmasters could help them like I did. With that in mind, I decided that as my first project, I wanted to persuade my fellow club members that Toastmasters is the ideal platform to develop oneself. As a marketing enthusiast, I learned the art of selling when I was able to convince a batch of 25 Toastmasters that if taken seriously, one could become a confident speaker. We at TYHO, developed a culture of helping each other and that help will always be given at Toastmasters to those who ask for it.
Lead, Motivate, Train, Inspire and Encourage, these five skills are needed for any leader to manage people and I am grateful to Toastmasters for engraving these skills in me. Speaking to club members personally about their personal growth plans and focus areas helped me understand how sessions ought to be conducted. This led me to a solution which was to create a space solely for our members to work on their improvement areas and the entire process was an enriching experience.
As for my personal growth, I acquired qualities such as patience, being considerate and the ability to inspire confidence among people. Not only did I improve my communication and leadership skills by holding various roles but also grew as an individual. To top my journey during the first year of my MBA as a toastmaster, I was judged as the winner of the International Speech contest held by Toastmasters International Club level. It was at that moment I realized how the seeds that were sown at the beginning of the year had bourn fruits towards the end.
Which Aditya Birla company I would like to work for?
As an aspiring marketer looking to hold a leadership role where I can best utilize the skills I’ve acquired as a Toastmaster, I would pounce upon any opportunity that would lead me on the path to becoming a Brand Manager at Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited, a consolidation of the branded apparel businesses of Aditya Birla Group and Madura Fashion & Lifestyle (MF&L). This platform would provide me the opportunity to give to the community at ABFRL everything that I’ve learned and at the same time take invaluable inputs that could further enhance my career and climb the corporate ladder.