The two-day conference, organized by Toastmasters International Division M, takes place on Thursday and Friday at the Crystal Island Hall on the Alkhobar Corniche and is open to all. Jum’ah will speak on the path to leadership. He will be joined by other notable speakers including 2004 Toastmasters World Champion Randy Harvey, Zamil Group Holding Co. Managing Director Khalid Al-Zamil, Monitor Group consultant Noura Al-Turki and Bahraini poet Abdul Rahman Al-Rufaye.

Toastmasters International Division M is headed by Ali T. Al-Qahtani and exclusively comprises Saudi Aramco employees. The division, with nearly 600 members, is rated as one of the most important groups in the world of Toastmasters. Its annual conference is always a big affair and is known for its meticulous planning.

“Since all of us come from Saudi Aramco we are trained by professionals in organizational skills. So all this planning comes naturally to our members,” said one office holder of the division. “Every year, we try to come up with something unique.”

Division M Governor Ali T. Al-Qahtani said for the first time in the history of Toastmasters in the Kingdom, the conference is being held both in Arabic and English. “All this while our programs have been in English,” he said. “This time you will hear speeches and contests in both languages,” he said. “The idea is to draw as many participants as possible from the local community,” he told Arab News.

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization that promotes communication and leadership. It was Saudi Aramco that helped form the first Toastmasters club nearly 30 years ago. There are five divisions with three in the Eastern Province and one each in Riyadh and Jeddah.

Toastmasters Clubs have spawned a culture of communication and have worked as an important bridge between Saudis and expatriates. “It is the right place for anyone who wants to learn and improve their public speaking and sharpen their leadership skills,” said Al-Qahtani. Toastmasters from nearly 50 clubs are expected to take part in the conference deliberations.

Outlining the program details, Al-Qahtani said there will be important workshops on obesity and employment, thinking techniques, learning from mistakes, innovative ways of learning, managing workplace stress and balancing work and life commitment. There also are speech contests.

He said Harvey would deliver two keynote speeches. On Thursday, he will speak about the essential elements of speaking. On Friday, he will speak on communication across generations. Al-Zamil will speak about family business governance and Noura Al-Turki will expound on businesswomen in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Qahtani said his division has received tremendous response from the corporate community and all sections of society.

“All of them have come forward in a big way to either sponsor or support this key conference in any way they can,” he said and specifically referred to the key contribution made by businessman Abdul Razzak Al-Turki. “You can’t think of Toastmasters without him. He is a fantastic supporter of the organization.”

A colorful entertainment program will follow at the end of each day’s session. For more details about the conference, log on to www.essoog.com/toastmasters/