Lark Doley, president, Toastmasters International, is in Pune to attend the annual conference of District 98, Toastmasters International. The event Eloquence 2019 is held at Buntara Bhavana in Baner from May 17-19. Doley speaks to Anjali Shetty about the conference that will bring 800 toastmasters across India under one roof.
Tell us about the Toastmasters annual conference in Pune. What should Puneites look forward to?
Toastmasters is a worldwide non-profit organisation and we are dedicated to improving the individual’s ability to communicate and lead. Our mission statement is all about the individual. Our organisation is dedicated to the individual, and every year we have the privilege to hold conferences around the world. I’m attending a District 98 conference with 900 people in attendance and that is a record for District 98, so I’m very excited to be here. We’ve three days of educational sessions, entertainment, four competitions for Toastmasters and keynote speakers.
What is the basic aim of Toastmasters International? How has it benefitted you personally and professionally?
The aim is truly to help individuals be more confident, when they are speaking and communicating and leadership is a strength process as well. I needed to be an effective communicator in order to receive investments for my company and Toastmasters helped me in becoming one. I lead my own company, but I also loved volunteering and I have been a volunteer leader for the Toastmasters since 1991.
What are the challenges that the club faces or has faced over the years?
{{/usCountry}}What are the challenges that the club faces or has faced over the years?
{{/usCountry}}Clubs are continuously promoting themselves. Membership is a continuous process because often people join Toastmasters for a specific reason. People may join Toastmasters because they have a project at work and they are going to have to make a presentation to management and want to do it confidently. After they make the presentation, they may decide they’ve learned enough in Toastmasters. So, when they leave the organisation, they feel like they gained what they needed and move on to something else. We always have to continuously promote our clubs around the world so that we add members and maintain a base of at least 20 members. We love when we have 30 or more members in a club. According to me, the challenge for us is to continuously promote our clubs so that more and more people can gain benefits of effective communication and leadership. Worldwide we have 16,600 clubs and in India alone there are about 900.
What are the future plans and activities of the club?
Our future plans are an education programme that just went online last year and we want to continue to enhance it, so that we can provide more competencies to our members. They can continue to grow in communication and leadership fields. We want to show that we have a consistent quality among our clubs and that is the worldwide initiative for us. We are working with the districts around the world to enhance the awareness of Toastmasters globally.
What do you have to say about the Indian chapter? What are its positives and what needs to change?
India is truly inspiring. India has had an explosive growth for Toastmasters. I’m so honoured to be here and experience it. I had privilege to attend club meetings and, today, I had the privilege to attend the opening of the conference. It is the most exciting conference that I had the privilege to attend. Their passion for Toastmasters and dedication to prove them is amazing. The challenge for Indians is probably their expansive growth. So, when you have a club that has 118 members, how do you actually support each and every member? When you have that many members, it becomes difficult to focus on an individual goal, so it is the biggest challenge India has. There are so many organisations that want Toastmasters club within their communities. As we are an all-volunteer organisation, we depend on volunteers and if we do not have enough of them to meet the needs of people who want Toastmasters, that is also a challenge.
In today’s era do you think that leadership and communication are as important as the core skills?
Communication these days are with our thumbs, but if we can’t express ourselves effectively, we can’t succeed in life. So, that is why communication skills are critical and if we want to advance in our careers, we have to be leaders. Hence, communication and leadership to me are essential skills to be successful in life.
About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a worldwide non-profit educational organisation that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organisation’s membership exceeds 3,52,000 in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders.
About District 98
District 98 comprises more than 130 corporate and 50 community clubs in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.