Thursday 24 th September 2020 the Rotary Club of Lang’ata fellowship was taken over by Toastmasters in the infamous ‘Toastmasters Takeover’. There was resounding presence of great speakers who shared insights about public speaking skills, being a leader and the qualities that are required for effective communication.
Led by Rtn and Toastmaster Serah Njoroge, the Toastmasters swept up the first half of the evening, running a Toastmasters meeting with all roles and speeches. Toastmaster Anthony Wagondu, who was the only Toastmaster to take the stage, talked about “Unleashing the Leader Within”. He quoted the words of the famous Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world”. Through his inspiring speech, he encouraged attendees to become better leaders by effectively communicating their vision, engaging better with their teams and empowering their teams to actualize the vision. Did you know that it is proper to focus your eyes on the pinhole of your computer’s or mobile phone’s camera?
Rotary international and Toastmasters International formed a Toastmasters-Rotary alliance that was officiated in January 2019. The collaboration between Toastmasters and Rotary aims to encourage upcoming leaders to think on their feet, and organize and communicate their thoughts more effectively. Rotary through this partnership is ensuring personal growth, professional growth and impeccable communication skills for each of its members, with equal opportunities for all. The two organizations collaborated to strengthen their members’ skills and broaden their opportunities through leadership and public speaking trainings and networking.
Crowning the evening was none other than Dr. Wale Akinyemi, author of the book “Beyond
Intelligence”. Dr. Wale spoke about the simple practice of staying relevant and principles of sticky ideas that move people to action and to sustain the action. Peppering his speech with memorable analogies, Dr. Wale encouraged all attendees to continuously build on their circle of influence to stay ahead of the pack. In his opinion, to remain relevant, market intelligence and acting upon it early enough are must-haves for any leader.
In case you missed this great meeting of minds, watch it here.