The Consul General of Pakistan, Aftab Ahmad Khokher has emphasized the role of Toastmasters clubs in the Kingdom in bringing together people from different countries on a common platform and creating a suitable atmosphere for them to develop their communication skills.

“I appreciate your efforts in arranging a common platform for multi-nationals to learn these important skills in a congenial and composite culture,” said Khokher while addressing the 10th annual conference of the Division G (of District 79) Toastmasters in Jeddah.

In his opening speech, DTM Saifuddeen, governor of Division G, highlighted the effectiveness of the initiative in terms of transforming individuals into powerful leaders and communicators. The governor urged all members to spread this light to make others’ lives brighter.

DTM Saif Ali Sheikh, the District 79 governor delivered a motivational message. “Don’t look for perfection but excellence. Everyone has an area for improvement and toastmasters, especially always find room for improvement,” he said while explaining the golden pillars of Toastmasters International.

Philippine Vice Consul Rodney Jonas L. Sumague was present at the conference as a guest of honor. He emphasized the importance of cultivating communication skills to produce successful leaders.

DTM Khaled Matlagaitu, the international director, was the keynote speaker. He urged members to respect each other, the law of the land, local and regional languages, and culture irrespective of nationality and creed. Alan C. Herradura presented an educational seminar on “the impact of adventure learning.”

The main attraction of the event was the international speech contest in which Ramces Dungog of Area 24 enthused the audience by his eloquence and oratory skills that clinched the first prize. Anitha Koloth secured the second place while Kavitha Senapathi attained third place. DTM Abdullah Filimban was the contest master.

Ramces Dungog was the conference champion who also won the first place in speech evaluation and table topics contests. The introduction of Arabic contests into the mainstream was the novelty and attraction of the event. Arabic contestants demonstrated their speaking skills garnering a big round of applause from the audience.

Abdul Rahman Al Dail won the first place in both international speech and evaluation contests in the Arabic category while Yahya Majed Asfari secured second place in the international speech category and first place in table topics. Ibrahim Misfer Al Ghamdi won the first place in the Arabic humorous speech contest. Ali Mohammed Al Shehri won the second place in the speech evaluation contest.

The first place winner in the humorous speech segment was Mosleh Al Emrani of Area 24. Shabnam Kavumpurath and Karthikeyan Nagarajan secured the second and third places respectively. The contest was conducted by Benifer Consolacion. In the table topics contest, Cijo Mathew got the second place and Thouseefuddeen Khan was the third place winner. The contest master was Aboobacker Abdul Rahman.

The target speaker was Tasneem Ejaz, who enlightened the audience with her inspiring speech supported with tips and techniques of public speaking. Rayan Mohtasib and Muhammed Kunhi Purayil won the second and third places respectively in speech evaluation. Bobby Ensomo was the contest master.

Andrea Consolacion delivered a speech representing the gavel club. She stole the show by her sterling delivery and dogged determination to pursue her passion to acquire public speaking skills. DTM Joey I. Villanueva was the master of ceremony while TM Johnnygene Padillo, was the conference chairman.