Delivering the keynote speech at the sixth annual conference of Division-G District 79 Toastmasters in Jeddah, Abdalla emphasized the increasing importance of "emonomics" that underlines the role of emotions in boosting business and economy.
He urged Toastmasters to know and lead oneself to become good leaders. "It's the manpower in every organization that makes the difference. The right place to start with new initiatives for success is people," the ALJ vice president said.
"Getting to know oneself is the key to our journey to the future," Abdalla told the conference, which was attended by leading Toastmasters in the city as well as several Saudi and foreign students. "Discover yourself and stretch yourself to achieve excellence." Abdalla said a person who thinks he knows everything will be a failure. "We should know that there is always room for improvement," he added.
Conference chairman Mohammed Rashid Ali said the event's theme "Lead with commitment — inspire and innovate" reflected the Toastmasters' passion for success. "I am humbled by the creativity, enthusiasm, support and dedication of Division-G executives and members that made this conference a big success," he said.
Division-G Gov. Art De Leon called for innovative approaches to become competent speakers and effective leaders. "Leading with commitment is leading by example, which is a step forward toward making an ordinary to become extraordinary," he said.
The conference saw contests in humorous speech, table topic, speech evaluation and international speech. Reginaldo Maga, who won first place in international speech, will represent Division-G at the district conference in Kuwait in May. Speaking to Arab News, Maga said he was overwhelmed by the congratulations he received from people of different nationals after the victory.
In his outstanding speech, Maga told the audience how God blessed him with a job promotion and good salary and benefits after he donated his blood as a gesture of good will to this country. He said narrating stories from his personal experience was the secret of his success. He said he developed his skills through training, practice and watching good speakers.
The second and third prizewinners in the category were: Greg Gulmatico and Shafeequr Rahman. The top three winners of humorous speech were Errol Esguerra, Othman Al-Suhaim and Bahzad Daboul; in table topic Marwan Dashash, Mohammed Haneef and Rommel Jubay and evaluation Maga, Dashash and Rahman.
The speech of District Lt. Gov. Marketing Khalid Al-Quod, who came all the way from Bahrain, was particularly inspiring as he explained how he achieved success, overcame obstacles and the odds of life. Anchors Abdullah Filimban, assistant governor marketing, and Maria Villanueva, treasurer, did their job excellently, energizing the large crowd that packed the auditorium.
Div G is one of 14 Toastmasters divisions that compose District 79 (from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Unites Arab Emirates and Jordan) of Toastmasters International.
Currently led by its current governor Arturo De Leon, the division comprises Areas 11, 24, 37 and 44, which in turn are each composed of several clubs.
Founded in 1924 in California, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit organization now has nearly 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries.
