Emerging with Élan

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Rosaline Roy has come a long way with her ‘yes I can’ attitude, something she attributes to an organisation she holds dear to heart. Behnaz Sanjana listens on.

Back in 2002, a friend suggested to Rosaline Roy Charlie that they go and see a Toastmasters meeting. Knowing nothing about it, she went along to find out for herself. “I saw how the speakers talked and the meeting was conducted, and I signed up for it that very evening,” Rosaline says. “I was a homemaker at the time, and felt it was the right place for me to improve my public speaking skills and develop as an individual.”

Toastmasters International is a non-profit network of clubs that teaches public speaking and leadership skills in a supportive learn-by-doing environment, allowing members to set and achieve goals at their own pace. It is present in 144 countries and has over 350,000 members worldwide.

In 2005, the idea for a Toastmasters club exclusively for ladies in Bahrain began to blossom, and Angels Toastmasters Club was born, of which Rosaline is the founding president. She has served three terms as the club’s president since then, and has also taken on various other roles such as area and division director, as well as district administration manager. Currently, she plays the role of mentor for the club.

She says: “Ours was the first ‘ladies only’ Toastmasters club in Bahrain. I strongly believe that women are born with talents that they fail to recognise. Angels Toastmasters Club gives women a platform to come out of their shells, identify their skills and talents, and showcase and polish them to transform them into confident speakers and vibrant leaders. We do invite men for our various assignments and we compete in regional contests along with the other clubs, but the core club is by the ladies, for the ladies.”
Rosaline believes that her association with Toastmasters has advantaged her more than she expected. She explains: “Being a part of the club can help you develop your unique identity. I got the confidence to do more with my life; and today, people look to me as a good leader and guide.”

Toastmasters International is a non-profit network of clubs that teaches public speaking and leadership skills in a supportive learn-by-doing environment

She was the third woman in Bahrain to hold the title of Distinguished Toastmaster, one that is achieved after successfully completing many educational and leadership tracks stipulated by the organisation. With her teaching background, Rosaline represented Bahrain’s Ministry of Education on the executive committee of the Indian School of Bahrain a few years ago. She is also involved in the core working of the Indian Community Relief Fund, among the various honorary roles she has fulfilled.

Angels Toastmasters Club will be hosting Confluence 2017 – a convergence of world-class speakers open to all on December 26, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain. Five renowned speakers from around the world will be addressing the audience. Rosaline elaborates: “American speakers Sarah Khan, a noted public speaker featured in TEDx, and James Jeffley, a three-time runner up at the Toastmasters World Championship, will be coming to Bahrain for the first time. The panel includes other speakers like Saudi Arabia’s Abdulla Abandi, Bahrain’s own Joel Indrupati and Rowena Niduza from the UAE, who was the first woman in the Middle East to enter the semifinals of the Toastmasters World Championship. Listening to them will motivate and inspire you to do and be your best, which is a must for all of us.”

Rosaline urges the uninitiated to attend a Toastmasters meeting to understand how it helps in all-round personality development. “Every meeting is a learning process. Members hold different roles – timekeeper, grammarian, accountant or a table topic master. They get recognition and awards for every level that is successfully crossed.”

The mission of Toastmasters International is to empower individuals to become effective communicators and leaders. Rosaline says: “Communication is very important in today’s times. With the skills you receive from Toastmasters, you become an inspiration for your children. It’s great when mothers are their children’s role models.”