JEDDAH — Speakers at Saudi Arabian Toastmasters Annual Conference (SATAC ’24) mesmerized the audience with their persuasive speeches and eloquence. The event also marked the centennial celebrations of Toastmasters International.
Members of the Toastmasters fraternity got a chance to witness the annual contest split into different categories: Humorous, Table Topic, Evaluation and International Speaker. The event was a grand success and set a high standard in terms of its meticulous planning.
The contest chair DTM Samia Baghallab welcomed the members of the Toastmasters and other guests and congratulated everyone with the centennial celebrations of the Toastmasters. The event started with the recitation of the verses of the Holy Quran. It was followed by the national anthems of Saudi Arabia and India, the country of the current district director. The master of the ceremony was TM Mohammed Aldamari, who was assisted by TM Nida Tahir who ran the show adroitly for two consecutive days.
District 104 Director DTM Saji Kuriakose delivered an inspirational message that touched the hearts of the audience with his uplifting theme of “Shaping the future.” He further encouraged everyone to communicate through the language of love, breaking down barriers and investing in quality time together. He also expressed gratitude to all Toastmaster members, sponsors, and guests for their contribution to the successful SATAC event.
DTM Abdulhadi Hawsawi, District 104 Program Quality Director, delivered an empowering message, stating, “When quality planning and preparation intersect with excellent performance and presentation, excellence and creativity are born.” SATAC, or The Saudi Annual Toastmasters Conference, serves as an icon for all present today, of which I am proud. We unite in saying, “Shaping the future.” I express gratitude to everyone who prepared, contributed, participated, supported, and dedicated their time, effort, and money. Special thanks go to the visionary, resilient, ambitious leader of this event, our contest chair DTM Samia Baghallab.
In her opening speech, DTM Samia said she was happy to be the chair for the contest this year, which coincides with the centennial celebrations of Toastmasters International. She added, “I feel lucky to be the contest chair for this year’s SATAC. It was a bit challenging at the start to organize this contest. I encountered several difficulties while organizing and properly planning this contest, especially in securing sponsorship for this annual event”.
The English annual contest started with the Evaluation Speech contest which had four contestants with a test speech delivered by TM Fatima Azam Ali. TM Sadaqah Wazzan won the first prize, followed by TM Mark Guel B Lacanilao and TM Abdulrahman Yussef respectively. DTM Marwan Dashash was the chief judge and TM Tasneem Zohra was the contest master.
In the humorous speeches, four contestants entertained the audience with their spontaneity and humor. DTM Mohammed Rashid Ali was the chief judge while TM Sameer Veeran was the contest master. TM Surenderpal Singh Ajmal was declared the winner, with TM Yassir Dawood and TM Saleh Mohammad Ba-Khutma coming second and third respectively.
In the Table Topics Speech contest, where the contestants had to deliver an impromptu speech for 1 to 2 minutes on a given topic, there were five participants. DTM Sara Ansari served as the chief judge and TM Nehad Sarhan was the contest master. TM Abdulrahman Yussef won the first prize, TM Saleh Mohammad Ba-Khutma took second place, and TM Mohammed Siraj finished third.
The contest ended with the International Speech contest – a 5 to 7-minute speech delivered on a topic of the speaker’s choice, devoid of sex, religion, or politics. Five contestants from five different divisions enthralled the audience with their inspirational and thought-provoking speeches. District 104 Director, DTM Mohammed Ibrahim Maricar, was the chief judge and DTM Samer Murshid was the contest master. TM Pritpal Kaur Ajmal was declared the champion, while TM Rumbidzai Madovi was the first runner-up, and TM Mark Guel B. Lacanilao was the second runner-up.
Former Toastmasters International President for 2013-14 DTM Mohammed Mourad, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the contest. He spoke about how communication may change one’s life and career and it sometimes lead to miscommunication. “We have to always take every message on a positive note as the negative mode may sometimes lead to a misconception followed by the negativity among people.”
He further said that Toastmasters are taught to always have a positive attitude. A speaker is boosted, motivated, and then becomes a successful leader. “Every aspiring leader needs a team to become successful. In addition, to fulfill any vision, excellent leadership ability and communication skills are required. The Toastmasters organization has done a tremendous job in cultivating leadership and communication in the last few decades. We need to spread this message across our community and provide opportunities to new members. We need to develop more members and continue this legacy,” he said.
The conference could not have been successful without the support of the sponsors who were Abdul Lateef Jameel Co. Ltd., Universal Inspection Co. Ltd., Tebyan Training Center, International Union of Muslim Scouts, SSAD TV & Destination KSA Magazine, and the support of TM Yasser Nishaa Alotibi and DTM Faten Khalid Alsumman.
