Building Bonds and Bridges between student and teacher is extremely vital to keep the students motivated and interested in the subject. This depends on a range of factors like :  

• Creative Teaching Methods
• Communication Techniques- Verbal & Non-Verbal
• Crucial Tips
• Critical Motivation Techniques
• Computer Technology

Even though all the above parameters are desirable, we will be focusing on the most crucial aspects- Communication Techniques – Verbal & Non-Verbal and Crucial Tips. These teaching techniques will assist the teachers in maintaining classroom control and a good level of discipline.

» Communication Techniques – Verbal

Positive, encouraging, honest teacher - student communication in the classroom is important to build, nurture the relationship and trust.  

    1.   Vary the tone of your voice 

If you do not vary the tone of your voice, you may be referred to as an Unlicensed Hypnotist. This usually happens to teachers who don’t have a passion to teach, can’t adapt to the students well or may not be interested in that particular subject. Sometimes it could be the way the person speaks.  

Talking in a monotone voice is boring and students may not concentrate on what you're saying or the lesson and it may even put them to sleep. (Keep in mind the auditory learners in your class) A teacher must learn to vary his or her voice to be  effective and interesting.  

    2.   Learn to use - the Teacher’s voice 

Most teachers should understand that a teacher’s voice means - not screaming or shouting. Raise your voice 1-2 octaves higher (stern and firm) to make a point and then lower your voice back to normal and continue teaching. It should be an assertive tone rather than an aggressive or threatening tone.  

» Communication Techniques – Non-Verbal

Communication experts say the impact of Body language in the way the message reaches the audience is about 56%. Be aware that your students also communicate their feelings as well as other messages through non-verbal cues. Listen( observe) to your student’s body language. Some important Non-verbal signals are :  

• Eye contact is the most powerful method of non-verbal communication. Be sure to establish eye contact with your students to gain their trust and make positive impressions.
• Hold up your hand to ‘STOP’ students from talking or doing something they shouldn't be doing.
• Put your index finger to your mouth ( Shhh..) to make students quiet.
• Nod your head to indicate ‘NO’ , to stop them from doing something wrong and then smile and nod ‘YES’ after they stop.
• Shrug your shoulders and hand gesture to ask - What are you doing ?
• Point in the direction you want a student to go to or look at.
• Circulate around the room as you teach (when applicable) – don’t get glued to the front of the class - too hypnotizing and boring.
• When circulating around the room, touch or put your hand gently on the shoulder of the student who is not focused and then continue walking. A little pat on the head works wonders.
• Frowning if you disapprove, also works well
• Lower your hand to let them know to lower their hand to ask questions later.

» Crucial Tips :

• Focus - If students go off on a tangent, bring them back on the topic being discussed or the task at hand.
• Do not respond to students who call out. Let them know they must raise their hand and wait for permission to speak.
• Inform students to keep their hands down until you’re finished or the flow of your lesson or discussions would be interrupted by having to answer every question. You can non-verbally acknowledge that you have seen their hands.
• Don't repeat every answer or response of the student. The other students in the class will not pay attention, because they know the teacher will repeat it. Eg. Repeat only for emphasis or if students couldn't hear the response or if it was a great comment.
• Pause is a very powerful element in communication. After asking a question, pause to let the students think and then say the student's name. If you say the student's name first, only he/she will listen.
• Don’t just accept yes or no answers. Have students solve problems, figure out and use critical thinking.  
  

As you read and try these techniques and suggestions, you will see that students will also benefit. The students are encouraged to think for themselves, contribute to classrooms discussions, thus building their self confidence and self esteem. Thus a strong bond and relationship of mutual respect and trust is built.  

Article prepared and presented by: 

Kathiravan M Pethi (Kadri) BE, AMIE, DTM, DCS., 

• Guinness World Record Holder
• International Speech Contest Winner

 

Let me ask you this question: How many of us have failed in life? Oh come on-I am sure you have. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You know how many times I have failed? Yes, it’s a fact-even public speakers can fail. I still encounter failure. But do you think that I give up? I will never give up until I reach my goal. My mentor always says “No matter how many times you fail, get up and try again. Only when you keep trying will you achieve success.”  

Do you think that my mentor or any other speaker achieved the Distinguish Toastmaster award (the highest Toastmaster award) without failing? How many times do you think that I will encounter failure before becoming the World Champion of Public speaking? Do you think that Randy Harvey became the World champion of public speaking without encountering failure? 

Failure is one of those life experiences most of us would rather not encounter. Generally we tend to connect failure with intense self-judgment and inner criticism. The fear of failure is so strong; we often become hesitant to focus on inner dreams because of past failures. We would rather not fail again. It’s easier to say, “Oh well, I tried” then to view failure as what it really is: an expected component in the process of change. Failures are so difficult because they trigger and initially reinforce limiting beliefs that we already hold about ourselves. Beliefs which may include: 

I’m not good enough to have what I want (unlovable, undeserving, unworthy). Related life issue of love. 

I can’t have what I want (different, an outsider, alone, nothing, should not be on earth at all). Related life issue of belonging and acceptance. 

I’m not good enough. I am basically a bad person, and this is the reason for my failure (defective, flawed, imperfect, bad, guilty, failure). Related life issue of esteem. 

I’m powerless to effect change (hopeless, useless, and defeated). Related life issue of survival, self, empowerment, and perseverance. 

My needs and desires will not ever be met (vulnerable, helpless, and afraid).  

Related life issue of security. 

Dear friends, Failure in itself isn’t so bad; it’s the belief that gets triggered along with the associated uncomfortable emotions that we wish to avoid. It’s often painful to face a belief rising to the surface that suggests we are unworthy or unacceptable. Somewhere in our lifetimes, the word failure became synonymous with the word “loser.” There’s often great embarrassment and even shame for grownups to have this experience of failure. Yet as children we repeatedly allowed ourselves to fail. Without failure none of us would have learned how to walk, talk, write, or even ride a bicycle. As adults, we shy away from new experiences to avoid risking failure. 

What is the truth about failure? 

“Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.” – Carl Jung,

1875-1961, Swiss Psychiatrist 

Failure is not bad. Actually, it’s probably the only way to become successful. The obstacles, setbacks and stumbling blocks are an anticipated aspect of any journey. Failure is really just feedback telling us to adjust the plan or to try a new approach. It is essential to success. While it’s certainly a giant leap to welcome failure with open arms, perhaps we can begin with acceptance that failure is a natural aspect of every ultimately successful journey. 

The only true failure is when we concede defeat and absolutely give up.

Failure is when we beat ourselves up and learn nothing from our setbacks.

Confucius is quoted as saying, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” If we embrace our failures along with our successes, learning from each, we will grow and achieve. The only people who do not fail are those who fail to try. 

A little known formula for success is that success happens because of failure. Legend has it that Thomas Edison attempted 10,000 different filaments before successfully creating the electric light bulb. When asked if he ever felt discouraged with so many failures, he answered none of his attempts were failures. They were each successful experiments in finding what didn't work! 

Henry Ford went bankrupt 3 times before he created a car that worked.

Colonel Sanders was 65 years old when he tried to sell his chicken recipe.

He took this recipe to over 1,000 restaurants before he found a buyer.

Walt Disney spoke with over 297 banks before he was able to attain a loan for his successful dream. 

What’s the lesson that you leant in this?  

Successful people fail more often than unsuccessful people. In fact, they fail over and over and over again. It’s the failures themselves that provide learning experiences. Wisdom and enlightenment to succeed come from failure. Successful people don’t give up because they’ve failed. Instead they sit back and view these experiences as learning opportunities. 

As we go about the process of achieving a goal or dream, we will run into

all sorts of obstacles, limitations and setbacks. Why? Because we don’t know how to do whatever it is we are trying to do. On top of that, we don’t believe we can actually have what is wanted. Encountering obstacles, even a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, doesn’t prove we can’t have what is wanted. We’ve simply reached the edge of a boundary.  

Dr. Annette Colby, who is a leader in the field of personal growth, says “Not knowing how to do something can threaten self-esteem and confidence. This is where expansion of the spirit is possible. What do we tell ourselves when we find ourselves facing a failure? This is the point where we teach ourselves new leadership skills of converting threats into opportunities. We can learn how to allow support from above and below. Admitting we don’t know the next step (but we’ll know soon) demonstrates faith in ourselves and faith in being supported. To be successful, we need to design an alternative paradigm for failure. In other words, redefine failure in a manner allowing ourselves to see whatever happens not as failure, but as “information.” From there, it becomes possible to gather and access this new information and include it in a revised plan. During the momentary failure, we must be able to recall the excitement of the long-term big picture vision while intentionally choosing to listen to the supportive inner voices. Then we can stand strong once again in our original desire and dream, while determining how to best adjust the plan and the next action step.” 

Failure can be used as another tool on the continuous journey to a deeper appreciation of self and love for self. We have choices: Failure can be utilized either as a way to close our heart down even more to ourselves and others, or the experience can be a stepping stone to opening our heart even further. We can view failure as evidence of our inherent internal flaws as a human being. Or we can look to find the emotional and spiritual lessons embedded within the failure. To be human is to experience failure. Nothing is, or ever was, wrong with who we are. 

Failure can guide us toward a leap of faith. We are capable, ultimately, of overcoming any obstacle, any problem or any situation connected with our dream. Why else would we have a particular dream unless it was ours to manifest? From within we can find the courage to walk toward what we really want in life. We can learn to encourage and support ourselves through the good times and especially the bad times. 

Love that you are overcoming fear and attempting something new -- no matter what the outcome. Of course there will be failures along the way. An entire new set of skills is being learned. When an occasional failure is experienced -- get up, dust yourself off, access the new information, believe in yourself and begin again. 

Gulzar--CL--STM (Sunshine Toastmasters), VTM (Vocalizes Toastmasters. VP Membership. www.vocalizers.com AL, USA)

My mentor has always told me, “Don’t let the situation control you. You should control the situation.” 

In today’s fast paced society, more than just professionals and those of us with management jobs fall victim to the pain and suffering of life’s stresses. Today’s never-ending rat race can cause us to develop such fast-moving, impulsive, stress-filled lives that we often fail to achieve the success that would normally be ours under different circumstances. 

It’s really hard to focus on reaching your greatest potential in life when you’re constantly stressed from putting out little fires. Over the past years we’ve all become hyper-focused on success at any cost, which greatly increases our stress levels. Fortunately, learning to reduce your stress can make you much more likely to reach satisfaction and success in life. 

1. Get control of your future. Most of us avoid planning for the future, whether it’s just a week ahead or 20 years in advance. For some reason, admitting that we need to plan ahead can be stressful and anxiety provoking--it’s almost as if we think that if we have to plan, we’re not in control of our lives. When we fail to plan, we essentially plan to fail. Then, when things start to fall apart in our lives, we feel overwhelmed, threatened, get anxious, and struggle to do things to decrease our mounting anxiety and stress. Unfortunately, we’re often not mentally and emotionally prepared to handle both the everyday aspects of living and all the unexpected, unprepared, unplanned things that fall apart. When we panic, our adrenaline systems go into full throttle and cause even more stress and anxiety. If you don’t know where you’re headed, then it really doesn’t matter how you get there! Just having a road map by which to graph your course will decrease your daily stress tremendously. 

2. Learn to say “no” gracefully. This is really a toughie as saying “no” tends to make you feel guilty (it’s almost as if you’ll cause disappointment or even personal harm if you don’t say “yes”), but if you learn to say “no” gracefully, then you won’t feel guilty, and less guilt means less stress. Next time, try this: “Sorry, but I had better decline your offer.” “I really won’t have the time to dedicate the effort you need to make your (event) a success.” 

3. Set aside time every day to think about and solve your problems. It may only be 30 minutes at the end of the day, but quiet thinking is essential to problem solving and to your ability to cope with stress. Quiet surroundings allow you to get in touch with your higher executive brain functions, consider your life, and analyze problems. Find a sanctuary to ponder and explore your “self.” Each of us needs a place where we feel safe and secure enough to be by ourselves and think through all the things in life that are really important to us. You’ll be surprised how easily solutions pop into your head when you’re able to dedicate all your mental abilities to the task. 

4. Are technological demands dictating your time schedule? Do you feel compelled to answer e-mail as soon as possible? You’re not alone--most of us get anxious or feel guilty if we don’t answer those e-mails right away. You must be the master of any technology, or you become its slave. Would you visit the post office ten times a day to get your mail? No? So, what is the worst that could happen if you don’t check your e-mail five times tomorrow? 

5. Learn to accept mistakes. Some of us live in fear of making a mistake, whether big or little. It’s not just the fear of failure that ties up our brainpower and concentration abilities; it’s also knowing that we will mentally punish ourselves if we do make a mistake. Once you learn that it’s okay to make little mistakes, you’ll learn to deal with big mistakes without beating yourself to death. After all, if you never fall down while learning to walk, you’ll never learn how to pick yourself up. We all learn from our mistakes and would fail to mature as adults if we were never allowed to make them. A mistake is an opportunity to do better. 

6. Be positive with yourself. Accept praise gracefully and honestly, and deal with criticism the same way. Most of us tend to downplay our strengths and over exaggerate our weaknesses. Doing so causes a mental conflict with our self-esteem and decreases our ability to concentrate on what is really important in life. How often do you reject or downplay a genuine compliment given to you by a friend, only to later beat yourself to death over a small, insignificant failure? You, too, can be a success in life, no matter who you are, but if you think you’re not worthy of success, then you’re probably right. 

7. Ask for help when you need it. Frank Barnhill, MD says, “You are not admitting defeat or inadequate if you ask others for help. Asking for help is truly just as human and natural as any other basic survival trait. How often have you offered to help someone you know who needs help? How good did it make you feel when you were able to help? Does that mean you don’t want someone else to feel good when they help you? When you wait until you’re overwhelmed and struggling to keep your head above water, asking for help can be very damaging to your ego and self-esteem. It’s far better to ask for help earlier rather than later.” 

8. Learn to have fun. Most of us are under the inaccurate belief that we are obligated to make sure others have fun before we’re allowed to enjoy ourselves. That’s emotional garbage! If you want to be successful in life, you have to experience emotional, mental, and physical recreation on a regular basis. You can’t do a good job for yourself or for others if you can’t learn to have fun without all the guilt of not including everybody else. Frank Barnhill, MD says, “Recreation is a condensed “Old World” word meaning to “re-create”--go out and “re-create” yourself.” Watch your stress levels drop, and your focus toward success become clearer.

 

1. Remove all physical barriers between you and your audience. 
Get out from behind the lectern and move. The lectern is the portable reading desk with a little light on it. It’s designed for you to place your notes on it and stand behind it. It is sometimes called a podium. However, it is a barrier. It makes it easy for you to hide and prevents the majority of your body language from being seen. Step away from the lectern, and walk and talk like you do naturally. Your entire body is an instrument of communication. Use it. As a matter of fact, your audience will be disappointed if you stand behind the lectern because it shows that you are a lecturer and not a speaker. They don’t want another boring lecture, like back in high school. They want you to entertain them while you teach. So take a deep breath and reveal yourself. Get out from behind the lectern and move.  

2. Know your audience.  
Don’t talk at them with a canned speech that you prepared for another audience. Customize your content to their issues. Do your homework and find out who they are. Prepare a pre-program questionnaire and ask three or four people to fill it out. Keep it simple enough for them to want to complete it, but include probing questions such as, “What is the most recent change affecting your organization?” The more points of view you get the better. Decide what stories and content elements you want to use based on your research. Connect the point of your stories to their current problem or challenge. Use the names of a few people in the audience. To do this, you’ll need to interview a few people on the phone or ask around. Be kind. Know who you can have fun with in the audience and who to steer clear of. 

3. Make it personal.  
Speak about what you know from personal experience. Bridge the gap between your research and your opinions. If you don’t bring your point of view to the speech, why bother? Tell personal stories that show people that you’ve been there. Your credibility lies in your life experience, not in what you’ve read from books and articles. Talk about challenges that you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome. Go deep. Reveal your struggles and hardships and what you’ve learned along the way. Then, reveal the lessons in your stories as points. Remember, they didn’t hire a reporter or a book reviewer, they hired a content expert. That’s you. Be the expert. Take a stand.  

4. Create a 40/60 balance of facts and interpretation.  
Report on the facts, and then interpret them. If you report too many facts, you run the risk of having a very dense program that loses people. There is nothing wrong with facts and data. A good percentage of your audience wants to know where you get your information and if you can back it up with statistics. Too many facts and statistics, without your interpretation of the data, however, are boring. Weave back and forth between facts and interpretation. Use metaphors as a way to interpret information. What is your information or data like? Is it like a Chihuahua trying to pull a milk wagon, when a draft horse is what’s needed? 

5. When you make eye contact with someone, hold it for a few sentences. Really talk to that person and connect. See if you can get them to nod their head or smile. Then move on and connect with someone else. Don’t make the mistake of focusing above people’s heads or at a spot on the back wall. It’s phony and will get in your way. Looking into people’s eyes

will ground you and help you to slow down.

6. Be aware of your tendency to focus on one side of the room, while neglecting the other.
Most of us do it unconsciously. Practice working right, center and left or left, center and right. Once again, make eye contact and then move on. If it’s a large audience, pick a face that is ten or twenty rows back and focus on it for a few seconds. Talk to all sections of the room. Even though you may not be able to see someone twenty rows back, they feel included. 

7. Slow down. Give your audience a moment to feel and interpret what you’re saying. Most speakers seem to think that they have to talk nonstop, not realizing that they’re not giving their audience time to breathe. Feel free to walk from one side of the room to the other in silence at the end of a section or after making a point. Silence acts as punctuation in a speech. During the silence your audience is working. They’re processing what you just said and deciding whether it applies to their life. If it does, they’re probably deciding what they need to do next. Your speaking prevents them from having their moment of reflection. It’s okay to slows down. As a matter fact, your audience will appreciate it.
 
8. Use your audience as a test group if you have a point to make about human behavior. Take a simple poll of the people in the room and use the immediate results to illustrate your point. Make it fun. I poll my audience about how they deal with change. Based on how many times they’ve moved, changed jobs and fallen in and out of love, they fall into one of three categories - the walkers, joggers or sprinters. Polls can be used in many ways. They create audience involvement and lift the energy in the room. Make them short and sweet, and simple to understand.
 
9. Give clear instructions. I’ve witnessed some embarrassing moments when a speaker had not planned or written out their instructions for a group exercise. The result was chaos. Write out your instructions and try them out loud, with a few friends, before you use them on an audience.
 
10. Use PowerPoint as your assistant – not your replacement. They came to see and hear you, not read off of a bunch of slides in the dark. Did you know that dimming the lights tells your audience members’ brains that it’s nap time. Darkness signals the brain that it’s time to sleep, so it starts to produce Melatonin - that’s right - the same Melatonin that you buy to help you sleep at night. So keep the lights in your meeting room up and have the fewest slides you can get away with. Keep the focus on you.
 
11. Share the spotlight. Ask carefully worded questions that allow others to share their views and participate in the discussion. If you’re looking for someone to give you their opinion or share a short vignette, and they give you a one word answer, say “Tell me more about that.” If they are unresponsive, move on to someone else. Be careful with the one person in the room who thinks he or she is the expert and wants to steal the spotlight or make you wrong. Hold the microphone in front of their mouth, but don’t hand it to them. Control the flow of the interaction and hold on to the microphone.
 
12. Speak your own language; just talk the way you do all day. Don’t use words you wouldn’t use at dinner with friends. Too many speakers fall into the trap of trying to sound like a scholar. They write out a speech that would work well for an English exam and then read it, word for word. The problem with that is - we don’t speak the way we write. If you’re going to write out your speech, make sure you write conversational English, not proper English. If you want to disconnect with your audience, be verbose. See what I mean? 

13. Speak to their hearts as well as their heads. Remember that we are all emotional beings. People act on emotion and use facts to justify their decisions. In order to speak to their hearts, you must speak from your heart. How do you feel about what you have to say? How is your audience feeling? In addition to the facts and philosophies you bring to the table, don’t forget love and compassion.  Appeal to emotion and motivation, as well as to logic. 

14. Have a conversation rather than give a speech. Be intimate. Talk to them like they’re your best buddies. Think of them as people that you know rather than a room full of strangers. Know that if you sat down with any one of them, you would find more in common than not. Ultimately, you and they are very much alike. Don’t be afraid to speak softly, to confide in them. If you hide, there is little chance for true connection. Be real. Just talk to them. 

15. Tell personal stories. Nothing connects like a good story. People may not remember facts and data or the seven points that you made, but they will remember the pictures they saw in their mind’s eye while engaged in your story. Get into the details and paint pictures with words. The more visual you can make the story by acting it out, the better. Have fun and get into the telling of the story. The more energy and commitment you bring to the sharing of the story, the more fun it will be for both you and your audience.  

16. Be honest. People can tell when you’re not telling the truth. Don’t steal other people’s stories or say something about yourself that is false. You are credible just as you are. You have lived an amazing life full of ups and downs, twists and turns and hairy escapes. Tell the truth with compassion and tact. Don’t be brutal. If you happen to be the bearer of bad news, craft your words carefully. Think about what you’re going to say beforehand and run it by a few people. If you have good news, share your true feelings.
 
17. Provide hope. Don’t just paint a picture of doom and gloom - be optimistic. Find quotes and stories that uplift people’s spirits. Give them something to hold onto, as well as beliefs and philosophies that will support them in moving forward with their lives. Build your speech to a climax that envisions a better outcome. Paint a picture of a bright future and help them get there. Wayne Dyer says “you’ll see it when you believe it.” That’s the spirit.  

18. Care. People can sense your compassion. It’s as tangible as anything you will say or do while speaking. Remember, your audience is not made up of strangers; they are fellow travelers on the same roads you traverse every day. They may not travel the same pavement, but the roads are the same. They struggle for balance, for security, for love. They long for success, for excitement, for freedom. Zig Ziglar is famous for this simple but profound statement, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” 
 
19. Get out of your own way and have fun. If there is one ingredient that will make you a successful speaker, it’s your sense of humor and playfulness. Smile. Enjoy yourself. This isn’t dental surgery! Love yourself and let them watch! 

You may have the most brilliant content ever spoken, but if you don’t connect with your audience, it is all for naught. You’re human. They’re human. Connect!  

 Gulzar - Editor in Chief District 77- Toastmasters International – USA  

 

Twelve years ago I was a member of several speaking clubs. Their approach – You speak well, you are applauded. You speak badly, you are criticized and dumped. I ended up being humiliated and low on self confidence.  

The positive turn around began when attending a Leadership Training session by Toastmasters. I was mesmerized by their amazing speaking skills and humbled by their genuine invitation to everyone to join Toastmasters.

Week after week my club members helped me grow as a person with their non- judgmental and constructive response, banishing my speaking fears and opening the doors of self confidence and belief. I was empowered by the approach of sincere appreciation and feedback. I looked around and I realized that this was the magic Toastmasters created for anyone wanting to speak and discover their true selves.

Walk into any Toastmasters club in India and I promise you that the warmth and friendliness will touch you like droplets of nectar from heaven. The Toastmasters movement in India is like a huge lake.  Each member is like a drop of water riding on the ripple of care, concern and consideration.  As each wave cascades, the message of compassionate communication spreads far and wide, but still remains part of this unique lake – The family of Toastmasters.  

Personally Toastmasters has gifted me the ability to transform and connect to my audience, the skill and stamina to speak non-stop for 78 hours and the inspiration to keep 36 students involved, awake and alert during the Guinness Record for the Longest Lesson in the World.  

My wife Latha and I would never ever be away from Toastmasters– The family which has mentored and moulded us into the people we are today and given us those magical moments of our lives.  

Kathiravan M Pethi – (Kadri) - Charter President - Sunshine Toastmasters, India  

My journey of a thousand miles began at a marvelous place called…GARDEN CITY SPEAKERS’ FORUM.   

June 1998 … Training session for the officers of the Lions club. I sat in the audience and listened with admiration to the presenters from Garden City Speakers’ Forum. Speaker after speaker left me spell bounded. The subtle humor of UK Sharma, the conviction of Parminder Gill, the passion of Arjun Raj Urs and the eloquence of Ram Lal made me realize that people could be inspired and transformed with the power of public speaking. It was an incredible experience. I had never heard people speak with such fire, fluency and finesse. I wished that I could express my thoughts and feelings like them.  

After the session, the toastmasters invited me to their club meeting. My first meeting as a guest at the Cauvery Continental was really special. People were so friendly and caring. The whole atmosphere was electric and I was hooked for life. I took my first step on the greatest journey of my life, to become a TOASTMASTER.  I blossomed as a person and a speaker. Finally the most important day of my life arrived. I was dreadfully nervous.  Was it the day of my wedding? No!  It was the day that I had to be the Master of Ceremonies for the first time. The hard work and the mentoring paid off. The motivational feedback I received from Venkatesh, Mahabanu, Desai, Daniel and Zulfi lifted me to a different dimension, a dimension of confidence and self-belief.  

The reason I hold Garden City Toastmasters close to my heart, is the warmth of its members, the quality of the meetings and more important, the way it has touched my life. One enriching experience took me to another new highway. I became a member of three clubs. Mohan and I started Sunshine Toastmasters. We laid the foundation for the Toastmasters clubs at the Centre for Management Studies (Jain College). The International Tape speech award that I received at Florida was the icing on the cake. My mentor Rajan Parulekar’s help was priceless. A superb human being who gave all his skills and experience to make me a good speaker. He taught me to share knowledge without expectations. This gesture on his part inspired me to mentor many more members.     

Today I look back at life with immense satisfaction. I have switched careers from building houses to building people.   The love and affection I received from the toastmasters at Garden city has taken me on a bright and new pathway. Media coverage, visits to three international conventions, prestigious speaking assignments in India, US & Sri Lanka and training contracts with the top companies in the world.  I have discovered my passion, purpose and power, thanks to this fantastic toastmasters club with wonderful people.  

I believe I have touched the lives of hundreds of people by my mentoring at various clubs. Am I doing something special? No! I am just a messenger, carrying the torch of love and true human spirit that was handed over to me by the toastmasters at Garden City.  Indeed, a journey of a thousand miles begins in the heart of toastmasters at Garden City Speakers’ Forum.   

Kadri – Founder President Sunshine Toastmasters

Dear readers, how about living with greater inspiration? 

Wayne Dyer calls inspiration the “ultimate calling.” But no matter who you talk to about the subject and who has given it considerable thought, one thing's for sure: Anyone can live with more inspiration. 

I'm not sure anyone really knows when inspiration will show up in his or her life -- I certainly don't. However, when it does, it's an unstoppable force. It's something that happens within us that is so exciting that we cannot stop it, even if we wanted to. 

For many years, I was inspired by Toastmasters - www.toastmasters.org   and it still inspires me. Virtually every day, seven days a week, it was as if thoughts would come to me -- I never had to go to them. It was inspiration in action.  About a year ago, I had a blast of inspiration that I couldn't let go of -- it came over me as light dominates the day hours. It appeared, as if out of the blue. 

As I paid attention to my new inspiration, it was telling me what to write about. At any rate, the way to tell if you are working or playing with inspiration is that there is essentially no effort involved. It's something you feel you must do -- you are being called to do it. It's fun, rewarding, relaxing and enjoyable. It doesn't feel like "work" even though from a technical sense, it could be. You can think of others who you may think of as sources of inspiration -- those who work for fun and love their life. Money may come easily to these folks, but it is never their primary motivation. They are generally childlike (not childish), they love to play, are content being an expert or a beginner, and love to share their gifts with others -- although they have no attachment to the same. In short, they are virtually ego-less, and fun to be around. They radiate joy and happiness, and virtually never gripe about their life -- they are too busy enjoying it. If you know people like this, spend as much time as you can being around them and learning from them. 

The trick, I believe, to tapping into your own inspiration, is to first understand that it exists. Be certain! Believe!  If you can think about times when you worked or played from a space of inspiration. I'll bet you have. Like the time you were building something and it seemed to build itself, or the time you were working on a project and it seemed like it finished without you. You were involved, of course, but almost as an observer rather than a participant. It was essentially effortless. Then, once you are convinced you have it in you, you simply have to have the faith that it will show up, or emerge in your life, and sure enough, it will. 

Sometimes, your inspiration will show up almost immediately, as if it follows your commands. Other times, you must wait until the inspiration, which almost has a mind of its own, decides to take over. 

There appears to be four very simple steps to take in order to connect with your own source of inspiration. First, know that it exists. Look for evidence in yourself and in others. When you find it, marvel at its beauty and simplicity. Second, want it. Say to yourself and even out loud, "I want to be more inspired." Third, see the connections around you. When a certain person shows up in your life, or some strong potential signal, pay attention. It is likely a clue that will lead you to inspiration. 

Fourth and finally, when it shows up, go with it, even if it doesn't make sense in a logical way. You may be inspired to write -- even thought you're not a writer. So what, write anyway. Or, you may feel inspired to read certain kinds of books or paint pictures or make a new friend. Whatever it is, listen to the clues and take a chance. Chances are, you're engaging in inspiration and the joy that it will bring you. 

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 Gulzar - Editor in Chief District 77 Toastmasters International – USA

“If God appeared before me today and asked me to wish one thing, I would wish that I would be born again among this same group of wonderful friends, the greatest family I have ever known. If he asked me a second wish, I would wish the same again.”- President’s Message - Vol 1, Issue 2, April – July 2000.  

These were my words from “SUNSHINE” – Newsletter of Sunshine Toastmasters. My feelings remain the same even today. Every time I attend our club meeting, I feel a rush of energy, enthusiasm and euphoria.   

When we chartered the club, there were only 2 seniors - Mohan Bangaruswamy and I. Together, we had to mentor 27 members. Memorable Mentoring Moments – Jogging at Cubbon Park with TM Pandrinath running behind practicing his speech, at Jai’s Fast Cars and of course at Mount Carmel College. 

We had some tough times when he had to shift from Alliance Francaise. Thanks to Dr Ali Khwaja, we could move in here and even have our own library. We had some stringent rules, but also had good fun.  

1. Members to do 2 speeches per project. If committee opines that the project guidelines were not met, the speech was to be repeated a third time.
2. DRESS CODE: Badge compulsory, tie to be worn during speeches, Violation – Rs.10/- fine. ( Sunil Roberts & Venkat had a debate on this)
3. Pager, mobile beeping – Rs.10/- fine. At Lectern – Fine Rs.20/-
4. Wait for the sound of claps before coming in -  Fine Rs.20/-  
   

The rules were strictly followed. The standards were pretty high... The news was – Speak at Sunshine, get a good feedback, then you are really an excellent speaker. But the strictest rule was - the fine collected was to be spent only on Draught Beer. If you don’t drink beer it was your bad luck. 

Winning the International Tape Speech Contest, the Guinness World Record, my change of career- All the credit goes to my wonderful friends at Sunshine. 

My message to the current members – Toastmasters is not just STAGE TIME, not about speaking to IMPRESS, but speaking to EXPRESS, to share your experiences and dreams, ultimately to touch and transform lives.  

Kathiravan M Pethi (Kadri)

Charter President – Sunshine Toastmasters

The voice is the richest, most versatile communication tool we possess but we overlook it while giving our presentations. Most people take their voices entirely for granted. If we could just take out a little time to improve our vocal instrument, the rewards that we will get will be the most rewarding.  

I asked my mentor “How do I make my vocal instrument more pleasant and powerful?” To that he said “You must begin with breathing.” While I was researching the facts for this topic, I came across this fact: “When we were born, we breathed naturally from our diaphragms. A newborn can scream at the top of its lungs all night long and not wear out its voice. Why? Its voice comes out unimpeded because vocally, it is completely relaxed. Its voice is a force of nature and the center of power is in its abdomen. Most adults are vocally shot by half time of the basketball game. What's happened? Tension has brought the center of vocal power up to the neck and upper chest.” 

I am sure you would like to have a clear voice again, with the power to fill an auditorium and stamina to speak as long and as often as necessary. There was an article in the Toastmasters magazine on vocal variety, so I decided to note it down: “You have to rid yourself of that high vocal tension and drop your power center back where it belongs in the lower abdomen. This means learning some good habits or more precisely, unlearning some bad ones. Begin with a full stretch and a conscious relaxation exercise to rid tension from all parts of the body. It is strange but true, that the whole body is the vocal instrument and even tension in the feet affects the voice.” 

When you go to visit your doctor, what is the first thing that your doctor asks you to do? He asks you to breathe correctly. If you lie on your back on the floor, supporting your head with a book or small cushion, you will probably find yourself breathing correctly. Your belly should rise with each inhale and fall with each exhale - quite naturally. You need to be fully relaxed for this to occur spontaneously. If it doesn't seem to work that way for you, it means that you are not concentrating. You’ll have to pay more conscious attention to your breathing for a while.  

Zig Ziglar, the guru on motivational speaking says to “Imagine that your torso is a rectangular elastic box. With each inhale you inflate the box on all six of its sides - front, back, left, right, shoulders and pelvic floor. When you lie on your back, the front seems the most elastic. Now, roll onto your belly, support your forehead on your hands or turn your head to the side. Now where does the breath want to go? Into your back and sides, doesn't it? Can you fill the spaces around you kidneys and between your ribs and pelvic bone with air? Now imagine that your pelvic floor too, expands with each breath. Your chest and shoulders, restricted by all those bones, is not so easy to expand, is it? Now you are breathing from your power center - low.”

The key to great vocal performance is Relaxation Take care not to overdo these exercises. I REPEAT do not overdo it.  Hyperventilation is not our goal here. Just take nice, easy breaths - exploring deep and shallow ones, light and strong, from a center below your navel. Once you've been able to establish abdominal or "belly-breathing" on your back, you must bring it to work on your feet. Here are some exercises to improve your vocal instrument. 

Exercises for the Voice  

There are countless exercises for relaxing, strengthening and focusing

the voice. Here are a few of them. 

• Stretch. Big muscles first, arms, back and legs - reaching for ceiling, bending sideways, flopping over and hanging from the waist, arms dangling, knees relaxed. Then roll up back from pelvis, one vertebra at a time.  
  

• Shoulders neck and face. Jam shoulders up to ears and hold for ten seconds, then drop them with a sigh. Roll head gently around in a circle, releasing tension in neck. Alternately squeeze and stretch muscles in face. Shake it out and let face go rubbery.
  
  
• I read in a yoga book that yawning is the best way to relax and open your larynx. Experiment with yawns vertically and horizontally. Shake out face and blow out lips between exercises. Vocalize a sigh as you release tension.  
  

• Sigh. Release for tension anywhere in the body. Breathe it out on a sigh. Breathe deep into your torso. Let a sound appear on the next exhale: "Fa-fa-fa-fa" very quiet. Repeat three times allowing yourself to breathe in a normal rhythm. Jaw is loose and dropped, posture erect and centered. Breath originates below the belly button.  
  

• Now vocalize: "Om" gently. Repeat and hold the "Om" a little        longer. Find the vibrations in your sinuses.  

• Sing "May, Me, My, Mo, Moo" on an ascending scale, as long as it is comfortable.  
  

• Pay attention to the placement of the tone in your mouth, head, throat and chest. Then substitute consonants "L, B, G & K" 
  

• Vowel Placement - from "fit" to "fall" - play with where they occur in the mouth. Call "He-e-e-e-y-y-y-y" as though to a friend some distance away.  
  

• Extend your range - Practice singing the scales from lowest to highest pitch: sing " mi, ma, mum, no, nay" by turns.  
  

• Count to ten, tossing a ball to another person - one number per toss. The objective is to focus the voice and carry it to the listener in the same way you make sure the ball reaches them.  
  

REMEMBER to keep the sensation of breathing low as you work the above exercise for the voice. 

Gulzar - Editor in Chief District 77 Toastmasters International – USA  

The way you live life today is preparing for your tomorrow. A vital question every dentist needs to ask – Are you grooming yourself for success or failure?

As my father used to say – “Son you can finish your homework now and play later or you can play now and finish your homework later. The difference is that if you play now, you will be tired and you will not complete your homework or end up doing it wrong.”    Life is not a practice session. You will never get a second chance to relive today.The only adequate preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today and now.

What is that as dentists you can do today that can make you successful tomorrow?   Benjamin Disraeli says “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” You can be ready for life if you have a positive attitude.  Why Attitude Matters Today?  All things equal, Attitude wins. All things not being equal, attitude still wins. 

Where do we begin?  Ask yourself what kind of an attitude you have towards life, health, money, relationships etc. Be honest and you will realize the areas you need to work on. The next step is to decide to change your bad attitude areas. You are the only one in charge of YOUR ATTITUDE. There are things in life you cannot choose or change – Parents, race, etc. But your attitude is something you can change. Don’t blame circumstances or people for the miseries of your life. Be the change you want to see in others. If you desire to change yourself, then start with yourself. Believe you can improve, than you can change into the person you desire to be.  

  Some of the areas to focus on to change your Attitude and your life would be:

1. Respect and Value people : 
   

You can’t dislike people (however bad you presume they are) and get the best out of them. Look at extremely positive people around you:  Your dad, mom, teacher etc – Do they treat people badly but still have a good attitude? You can’t have a bad attitude and encourage people.  When you start looking for good in people, their best qualities and talents are developed and people start admiring and respecting you.  

2. Gratitude  &  Appreciating Life : 
   

People who complain about everything are like ducks. Quack, Quack, Quack…Quacking all the time. Complaining about everything. The soup’s too hot. The bed is too cold.  The college has no facilities. The teachers are not good... The dental course is too tough.  Their list is endless.  To start changing our attitude toward life, we need to start appreciating little things in life and be grateful for them.  Look around carefully and you will be filled with gratitude. Your health, parents, education, opportunities, challenges and the very fact you’re alive and kicking.  Remember what John Wooden said “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”  

3. Finding Positive in Everything :  
   

It may sound philosophical but if you look at pain and difficult situations in life, you can find something positive. Ask any successful or happy person, he or she would have experienced situations which at that time would have looked miserable, but they never lost hope. It was their attitude of being hopelessly confident in the worst possible situations that got them through. They had the approach of trying to find a positive lesson in the worst of situations. The message is: When you lose something in life, don’t lose the lesson.  

We can start at looking for positive people and positive situations around you.  There are plenty.  Take the example of your Orientation Program – Prologue 2010. Dr Ramesh and his team put in tremendous efforts, year after year. Organizing the event, speakers, logistics, mementos, food etc. I personally have seen the attitude of his team. Why are they doing it? Because they Respect and Value people. They respect and value the students who are joining the Master Dental course. They do face a lot of challenges in organizing such events, preparing and teaching the students, handling management, personal problems and various other issues.  

They don’t complain, but accept these situations as important lessons to be learnt. Dr. Ramesh has this amazing quality of finding positive in people. Every time I meet him, I hear words of appreciation about me and others. Eg: When he called me to write this article and make a presentation I told him- “Doctor, I’m really hard pressed for time and I wouldn’t be able to do it.” He replied with a smile – “Sir, I know you will do it.” That really motivated me. The result: This article and the inspiration to prepare for a great presentation for your orientation.  

As young dentists, can you start with asking and assessing – What kind of attitude do I have? What steps do I have to take to change my attitude?  Understand that reading inspiring articles, movies do not motivate you for a long time. Just like bathing does not last long, having a positive attitude for a single day will not last long. Life will be full of hurdles and challenges. But you can start with the mind set every morning – Just for today – I’m going to have a great attitude. Why is this important? How does it help you? Victor Frankl, the Austrian psychologist sums ATTITUDE brilliantly : The last freedom a man has in any given situation is his freedom to choose is ATTITUDE. WHAT ATTIDUTE WILL YOU CHOOSE?  

Kathiravn M Pethi

• Guinness World Record Holder
• Winner of International Speech Contest

A medical college professor, known for his strictness was lecturing his students. He was speaking about the importance of observation and paying attention. Taking a glass of urine, he said “As doctors, we must not only know the color and smell of urine, but also taste.” Saying this he dipped his finger into the glass of urine and then put the finger into his mouth. The students were shocked. Now he ordered the students to do the same. The glass of urine was passed around, not wanting to annoy the professor, all the students ended up with the stinking urine in their mouth. When the glass was finally landed up at the professor’s table, he scolded them. “As medical students your power of observation is very poor. I put my index finger into the glass of urine and my middle finger into my mouth.”

This story clearly demonstrates that communication is not just about talking and listening. It also includes the lesser- known aspect OBSERVATION. Observing people carefully gives us a tremendous insight into what the other person is trying to convey. Observation also helps us to avoid mistakes. Even routine tasks could end up in a mess, if we don’t pay attention to the things we do.

My experience at a wedding opened my eyes to this crucial but less practiced aspect of communication. Sitting at a wedding, a friend remarked, “Are all trainers, as colorful as you?” Looking at my socks, I realized that my socks were of different colors. One black and the other gray. On closer observation, I realized that even my shoes were polished differently- black and brown. Should I even mention the time I used after shave –lotion for gargling my mouth and the mouth rinser on my face? I learnt the OBSERVATION lesson the bitter way.

Poor observation of routine things can cause major embarrassments.  It also projects us in a poor light or as confused individuals. Paying attention means concentrating on what the other person is saying and on what we are doing. Another advantage of observing is that we can recognize and interpret body language. We also convey a sense of caring. It is important we pay attention to this crucial aspect of communication. LIKE THE PROFESSOR SAID, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION, or you might end up with a bad taste of urine or an after – shave lotion in your mouth.

Kathiravan M Pethi (Kadri)

Trainer – Soft skills