Toastmasters Dwell on Art of Public Speaking

DAMMAM, 18 November 2005 — Dr. Randy J. Harvey, the Public-Speaking World Champion of 2004, conducted a series of workshops at the Saudi Aramco Exhibit recently that had been organized under the auspices of Toastmasters International, Division F, District 79.

Abdulrazaq Ali Alturki, the organization’s governor, expended a great deal of effort to ensure that this event was a resounding success.

The event managed to attract around 100 Toastmasters from various clubs who responded to the sessions with excellent feedback pertaining largely to the way in which the World Champion dealt with the intricacies of public speaking.

The primary focus of these workshops was to enable individual Toastmasters to excel in the arena of making oral presentations and emerge as winners.

Focusing initially on the general aspects of delivery, Dr. Harvey emphasized the importance of having passion and conviction in what was being said so that the message could be conveyed clearly and interestingly.

Having a single theme and related anecdotes were vital to a well-constructed speech as was the inclusion of simile, contrast, rhymes, echo, alliteration and metaphor.

Throughout the seven days speeches were presented by eminent members including: Shaila Koya, Nazir Gazaq, Dr. Mohammed Al Otaibi, DTM Lancy D’Souza, Abdulla Al Abandi, Yousef Abugosh and Molouk Ba-Isa.

Topics covered included Effective Debating, Mentoring Makes a Difference, How to Emphasize Your Point in Just Three Statements, The Art of Effective Evaluation, How to Prepare and Deliver Humorous Speeches, How to Plan for Success and Enunciation and Pronunciation.

“This will be a milestone in the training to enhance communication and leadership for various fields and for Toastmasters,” remarked Abdulrazaq Alturki. He reiterated that the event would serve to strengthen the skills of International Speech Contest participants.

Alturki thanked Abdullah Al-Majoduie and his company for sponsoring the event, and Saudi Aramco for providing the venue, refreshments and media coverage. He also thanked all the participants for their presence at the workshop.