RIYADH, 4 July 2003 — The Riyadh Toastmasters Club, a branch of the public speaking organization, held its 15th annual dinner last week. The dinner was attended by more than 100 members and guests. The guest of honor was Dr. Mohammed Al-Turaikhi, president of the Islamic World Council for Disability and Rehabilitation. Sponsored by the Saudi British Bank, the event included the induction of the club’s newly elected executive committee for the new term.
Khaled Al-Maeena, editor in chief of Arab News, won the “Excellence in Communications Award” for his help and support to the club. The award is given to prominent citizens and leaders in their professions around the world. Safinaz Murshid, a contributor to Arab News, accepted the award on behalf of the editor in chief.
Janaki Prasad Patanaik received the “Best Toastmaster of Division A for the Decade 1992-2002” for his support to the TM movement in the Gulf.
The Toastmasters Club is an international non-profit organization that focuses on developing public speaking and communication skills. It is present in 70 countries and has 9,600 clubs with a membership of 195,000 people. The club was founded by Dr. Ralph Smedley in 1924 when he was the secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Santa Ana, California, as a means of encouraging and developing the public speaking skills of young people.
Toastmasters has been established in the Kingdom for many years and its members have multiplied. In addition to the 30 clubs for the public here (with more clubs being created), there are corporate clubs within their organizations.
Saudi Aramco alone has four TM clubs, three in Dhahran and one in Riyadh. Abdul Lateef Jamil has a corporate TM club in Jeddah, Saudico has a corporate club in Riyadh and Zamil Co. also has a club in Riyadh.
Due to the fast growth of Toastmasters Clubs in Saudi Arabia, Division A has been rearranged into two Divisions: A (Riyadh and Jeddah) and F (Eastern Province).
Nazeer Gazaq is the first Saudi DTM and the division governor of Division F. In the Eastern Province, there are about 100 Saudi Toastmaster Clubs.
The Toastmasters Club is not only a growing organization that claims to make a contribution to the communications and leadership skills of individuals free of charge, but it is also developing networks between its members, and it prides itself on being open to all “regardless of caste, creed, religion or background.”
In Saudi Arabia, it has found support from prominent Saudis like Dr. Turaikhi, who has presided over TM events. A statement from the international president of the TM boasts that one club is “chartered every 10 hours somewhere in the world.” The most important aspect of the Toastmasters slogan is “We Learn by Doing.”
