All Talk
Interview with Khalid AlQoud ….by Bahrain Confidential magazine
If u ever have been accused a motormouth, and are always being told to shut up, the Toastmasters, says Division C Governor, Khalid AlQoud, could well be for you.
What do james Lovell, a former Apollo 13 astronaut; Chris Mattews, author and host of MSNBC’s “HardBall;” Tara Dawn Holland Christensen, the 1997 Miss America, as well as countless leader and politicians, writer, actors and activist have in common? They are all toastmasters, and they all have been benefitted from that association’s commitment and passion for the spoken word.
Founded in a California basement in 1924, by Ralph C Smedley, toastmaster international today boast more than 230,000 members in 92 countries, all of whom, according to their mission word, the toastmaster have a point. We are what others understand us to be, and that understanding is largely formed by the external messages we all transmit. The clearer the message, the better our understanding will be.
Khalid says that, “through its member clubs, toastmaster international helps men and women learn the art of
“The Toastmasters say that spoken English can be wielded like a knife; a weapon in the ongoing battle against mediocrity and bluff.”
Statement, are ‘devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality”, It’s good to talk, right? But the Toastmasters say that spoken English can be wielded like a knife; a weapon in the ongoing battle against mediocrity and bluff. It is all very well talking, they seem to say, but if you are not speaking to be heard, why bother speaking at all?
Khalid AlQoud, at first, seems quietly spoken. He is courteous, meek even, and accommodating to our unscheduled request for his portrait to be taken. He shrugs it all off. When we begin speaking however, he comes alive; as if all his training is being channeled directly for the sole purpose of getting his point across. “What the Toastmasters do is to take an anybody, and give them the skills to be a somebody”.
Lots of organizations claim to be able to transform the ordinary to the extraordinary, but in tacking the spoken speaking, listening and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential , foster human understanding and contribute to the betterment of mankind.’’
Stirring stuff certainly, but how does it work on the ground? “In Bahrain, there are currently 43 clubs, split into 2 divisions (C and K) . It takes a minimum of twenty people to start a club, so already you can see 850 people honing their speaking – and listening – skills. That’s 850 people who can take these skills into their careers and communities, and reap the benefits that better communication affords them.
Indeed, one recent development with Bahrain’s Toastmasters , is the creation of corporate clubs; clubs which , by virtue of all their members working towards the same corporate vision, are already seeing tangible benefits. ‘if a group of people learning better communication skills in the work place , then it is easy to see how readily these can be transferred back to work for the good of the company”.
Toastmaster is primarily a social group. “it is an opportunity for people, irrespective of background, color or religion to come together and enjoy the spectacle of public speaking.
There are club, inter-club and divisional competions; the emphasis is on learning through bettering your last performance.”
In a fully world it is reassuring that so many people place so much stock in something as simple as spoken word. The ability to speak effectively excludes no one in the way in which a dependency on technology so often can and, by championing this oft forgotten art form, the toastmaster are reminding us that it is within us all to ensure that we and our ideas are properly understood.