The Galfar Toastmasters Club (GTM), the corporate club of leading construction company Galfar Al Misnad, recently held its 12th Annual Speech Contest.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the contest was conducted on a virtual platform this year and had a "record number" of 59 people in attendance, the company said in a statement.
The competition was held over two days, featuring the Humorous Speech Contest and Evaluation Speech Contest on the first day, and the Table Topics Speech Contest and International Speech Contest on the second day.
The first prizes in both the Humorous and Evaluation Speech contests went to TM Gopalakrishnan. The first prizes in the Table Topic and International Speech contests went to TM Mubeen Mohamed Ali and TM Nishant Menon, respectively. The first and second place winners of each contest will now go onto represent the Club in the Area 04 Contest on March 5.
The contests were judged by an expert panel of judges headed by chief judges DTM Riana Pinto and TM Neshi Kumar.
“The enthusiastic and healthy participation of so many members in the contests this year demonstrated the learning that is provided by the Club.” said TM Subramanya Hebbagelu, president of GTM for the 2020-21 term.
Galfar Al Misnad, which has been operating in Qatar for more than 25 years, instituted its own Corporate Toastmasters Club in 2009 as a management initiative to develop leadership and communication skills among staff members. Through this programme, the company has seen a large number of employees upgrade themselves to perform better in their functional roles as good speakers and effective leaders, the statement noted.
“The Club was formed as part of the organisation’s commitment to personnel development. Now, as we expand our operations, our newly recruited employees are also inducted into the Club to upgrade their communication and leadership skills. The guidance of the experienced senior members of GTM will also be advantageous to the development process,” said Satish G Pillai, executive director of Galfar Al Misnad.
Within three years of the Club’s founding, members of GTM started participating in area contests, and by 2016, they were participating in division-level contests. GTM has ensured its representation right up to the district level in the speech contests.
Galfarian TM Alfonso Betita also holds the position of director of Area 4 for the 2020-21 term. "Over the past decade, the Club has won the best Corporate Club award numerous times, and is considered one of the most sustainable and successful corporate clubs in Toastmasters. With 72 members and 10 out of 10 Distinguished Club Points in the current term, GTM is a leading club in Qatar," the statement added.
In his address to the attendees at the contest, Galfar Al Misnad’s senior general manager Hemachandran recalled, with examples, the discernible transformation brought on by the Club in the members and how they benefited.
GTM conducts its regular meeting every first and third Saturday of the month at the Toastmasters Hall, a place exclusively provided by the company as its meeting and activity venue. The Club’s activities were shifted to the online platform in the 2020-21 term to maintain Covid-19 protocols. The Club’s next event is a blood donation drive on March 4.
The competition was held over two days, featuring the Humorous Speech Contest and Evaluation Speech Contest on the first day, and the Table Topics Speech Contest and International Speech Contest on the second day.
The first prizes in both the Humorous and Evaluation Speech contests went to TM Gopalakrishnan. The first prizes in the Table Topic and International Speech contests went to TM Mubeen Mohamed Ali and TM Nishant Menon, respectively. The first and second place winners of each contest will now go onto represent the Club in the Area 04 Contest on March 5.
The contests were judged by an expert panel of judges headed by chief judges DTM Riana Pinto and TM Neshi Kumar.
“The enthusiastic and healthy participation of so many members in the contests this year demonstrated the learning that is provided by the Club.” said TM Subramanya Hebbagelu, president of GTM for the 2020-21 term.
Galfar Al Misnad, which has been operating in Qatar for more than 25 years, instituted its own Corporate Toastmasters Club in 2009 as a management initiative to develop leadership and communication skills among staff members. Through this programme, the company has seen a large number of employees upgrade themselves to perform better in their functional roles as good speakers and effective leaders, the statement noted.
“The Club was formed as part of the organisation’s commitment to personnel development. Now, as we expand our operations, our newly recruited employees are also inducted into the Club to upgrade their communication and leadership skills. The guidance of the experienced senior members of GTM will also be advantageous to the development process,” said Satish G Pillai, executive director of Galfar Al Misnad.
Within three years of the Club’s founding, members of GTM started participating in area contests, and by 2016, they were participating in division-level contests. GTM has ensured its representation right up to the district level in the speech contests.
Galfarian TM Alfonso Betita also holds the position of director of Area 4 for the 2020-21 term. "Over the past decade, the Club has won the best Corporate Club award numerous times, and is considered one of the most sustainable and successful corporate clubs in Toastmasters. With 72 members and 10 out of 10 Distinguished Club Points in the current term, GTM is a leading club in Qatar," the statement added.
In his address to the attendees at the contest, Galfar Al Misnad’s senior general manager Hemachandran recalled, with examples, the discernible transformation brought on by the Club in the members and how they benefited.
GTM conducts its regular meeting every first and third Saturday of the month at the Toastmasters Hall, a place exclusively provided by the company as its meeting and activity venue. The Club’s activities were shifted to the online platform in the 2020-21 term to maintain Covid-19 protocols. The Club’s next event is a blood donation drive on March 4.
