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Toastmasters clubs
– the best example of “ Friends helping friends towards excellence in
eloquence”! If any one Toastmasters Club reflects this philosophy in toto,
it is the Manama Toastmasters club.
The
development track of this club is long and rich. The seeds were sown when
in 1964 Bahrain Toastmasters was formed in Awali. The public speaking
enthusiasts, who couldn’t join that club due to membership restriction,
didn’t stay put. And so another club came into being in Manama the same
year. Interestingly the Club’s charter was presented by the Bahrain’s then
Minister for Education Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa, at the airport
restaurant! Mr. John Nainan had the honour of being the club’s first
President.
Since then the Manama Toastmasters club has traveled far and wide not only
in terms of progress in quality, but literally too. We hopped at least
seven locations in search of the most friendly and finally landed at the
Crowne Plaza, formerly known as Holiday Inn. It’s here for the past many
years that we have been growing from strength to strength through our
regular Saturday meetings.
Activities
A typical
Saturday session is like a weekly Olympic, where we exhibit and learn our
tactics in handling business matters, humour, prepared speeches, extempore
comments and evaluation. This 70 member strong club enriches its members
not only through quality weekly meetings, but also through a wide range of
contests interspersed through the year, annual debates and other
multifarious leadership opportunities. A valuable combination of veteran
members and constant new entrants – the club can boast of substantial
experience and fresh enthusiasm. We have been visited and applauded by the
international President John F. Noonan in 1989.
Service to the
community
However, a
greater matter to be proud of is the niche Manama Toastmasters Club has
carved for itself in the society of Bahrain. In countless acts, sometimes
dramatic like the annual school speech contests, sometimes small but
regular, we use our toastmasters’ programme for the benefit of all.
Thousands of youth have benefited from our youth leadership programmes,
and an equally sizable number of professionals have grown through our
speech craft programmes.
Achievements
The club is 8 ATMs and 23 CTMs rich. The remaining toastmasters are
marching ahead steadily, religiously, diligently to achieve their
competent status. However, the best part about the Manama Toastmasters’
highly motivated members is that they are forever charged to help out each
other progress.
Manama Toastmasters is a club of winners. Whether they are GTAC,
international taped speeches or inter club contests – the club has never
returned without laurels.
Manama Toastmaster’s 40-year strong journey from 1964 to 2004 is only the
beginning – its deep roots and exuberant aspirations predict immortality.
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