RIYADH, 13 October — Toastmasters in Saudi Arabia have something to cheer about — their tribe is well and proliferating with Saudis in droves joining their ranks.
And the toastmasters came in for a well-deserved pat from the president of Toastmasters International, Gavin Blakey.
“The toastmasters in Saudi Arabia are very receptive. I congratulate them on their fantastic performance,” Blakey said in a recent interview with mediapersons after addressing representatives of various Toastmasters Clubs in the Kingdom here.
Blakey has reason to be proud; the region has registered the highest growth rate in the past few years, with Saudi Arabia leading the trend.
At last count, there were 70 clubs in the region comprising Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. Of the total, 32 were formed in the past three years!
Blakey was in the Gulf region to oversee developments in the Gulf Toastmasters Council, which is about to become a provisional district.
During his speech at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Olaya District, Blakey, who holds the DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest honor bestowed on members of the international movement) reminded his fellow toastmasters of their goal to “be productive” and “to build lifelong companionship and friendship regardless of differences in age, culture and nationality.”
He emphasized TM’s goals and motto which have “inspired even the “weak” and the “physically challenged” to endeavor feats of courage and leadership.
Nazeer Gazaq, who is also a DTM and Toastmasters governor in the Eastern province, said Blakey’s visit was significant not only for being the first by a Toastmasters International president but also because it has motivated many toastmasters in the Gulf to initiate more self-development groups.
“For example, Saudi Aramco management has adopted the Toastmaster way to improve employees’ productivity by enhancing their communication and leadership skills. Now it is part of the corporate culture and many senior executives have implemented a plan to start their own clubs in their organizations,” he said.
“Gavin’s visit also brought about a new club at Aramco, Ras Tanura, which was established only two days ago. There are several requests for new clubs in Riyadh (at least six more) and two in Jeddah,” he added.
Ralph C. Smedley initiated the Toastmasters movement in 1924 in Santa Ana, California. Today, there are 9,000 Toastmasters clubs in 70 countries with a membership of 178,000 men and women from all walks of life, including executives, politicians, media personalities, professors, entertainers, diplomats, doctors, lawyers and engineers.
Saudi Arabia’s first Toastmasters club was established in 1982. Membership growth in the Kingdom has been phenomenal.
According to Division A Governor Syed Abu Zafar, Indian expatriates in the region have been the most active, comprising about 60-65 percent, followed by Filipinos at 20-25 percent. The rest are Americans, British, Saudis, Emiratis, Omanis, Moroccans, Canadians, Australians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Bahrainis, Qataris, Jordanians and Sri Lankans.
Gazaq said many clubs have been chartered since the beginning of this year and the number of Saudi members has doubled. For instance, toastmasters of Area 9 now consists of 82 Indians, 79 Saudis, 26 Filipinos, and six other nationalities.
“This is very significant to us since Saudi nationals could eventually constitute the bulk of membership if we promote toastmasters properly,” added Gazaq.
The focus of this non-political, non-profit organization is self-development through mutual support of members. It aims to develop and sharpen the communication and leadership skills of members.
