Dr. Randy Harvey
Division D, District 116 of Toastmasters International in Qatar has successfully conducted its Toastmasters Annual Conference (TAC-D) online speech contests on April 14 and 15.
Under the banner ‘Discover 2020’, more than 300 members, district, and division leaders attended the first online annual conference of its kind in the history of Toastmasters in Qatar. Traditionally, such contests are conducted on stage, however, with the evolving coronavirus outbreak, this year’s event embarked on a virtual stage.
Opening the two-day event, Mou Bera, the TAC-D Chair, said: “Challenges are opportunities in disguise and the current pandemic provided us with a unique opportunity to conduct our annual conference online with participants joining in from all over the world including Antarctica.”
Lance Miller
“The annual contest aims to empower our members to enhance their speaking skills and reach the international level,” said Juttas Paul, Division D Director. He continued: “It is very exciting to witness our first-ever online contests in Qatar. This proves the power of virtual networking during this time of uncertainty.”
The TAC-D was marked with three renowned world public speakers from the US Dr. Randy Harvey, Lance Miller, and Ryan Avery.
Dr. Randy Harvey, a 2004 World Champion of Public Speaking delivered a keynote speech in which he highlighted on the importance of focusing on the audience and suggested to pick on one of three categories when crafting a speech; faith, hope, or love.
Ryan Avery
In his keynote address, Lance Miller, World Champion of Public Speaking for 2005, explained how one learns from ‘giving a solution’ rather than simply ‘passing a test’. Miller captured the online audience with his words. “Toastmasters ignites our individual capabilities to handle difficult situations,” he said referring to organised online contests. The greatest wasted natural resource in the world is the untapped human potential that resides in each of us,” said Lance.
Ryan Avery, the youngest World Champion of Public Speaking history of Toastmasters in 2012 delivered yet an intriguing speech. “If you want to succeed,” he cautioned the online attendees “don’t surround yourself with people who’ll challenge your big dream.”
The success of the first online TAC-D sets an example to the rest of other divisions in Qatar and is poised to raise the performance of District 116 during these challenging times of the pandemic.
