Event: IIMB Orators Club 10th Anniversary Celebrations – 20th Oct 2019
Genesis of IIMB Orators Club
The year was 2009. After successfully organizing several celebrity talks at IIMB for over 2 years, a bunch of us alumni felt we must take up some initiative that would give us reasons to keep coming back to the beautiful IIMB campus on a more regular basis. Something that would help us network better. Something that would bind us together with a common goal of learning. Something that would make us better leaders. After much debate and deliberation, we decided what better than starting a Toastmasters club that would foster our leadership and communication skills in a learning environment that is structured yet friendly! Soon the first demo meeting of Toastmasters was held in July 2009 at the MDC Hall to a packed audience. It was so enthralling that all of us were inspired to start a Toastmasters club of our own for the IIMB alumni (currently open to alumni, staff, students & faculty of all IIMs). That was the genesis of IIMB Orators Club which was officially chartered by Toastmasters International on 22nd September 2009.
Who we are and what we do
For Orators (members of the IIMB Orators Club), 2009 to 2019 has been a glorious decade of friendship, camaraderie, learning, mentoring, speaking, evaluations, contests, climbing the leadership ladder, influencing and persuading through speeches – all achieved through meetings, week after week by following Toastmasters International’s structured education and leadership paths. Staying invested in the club for a long period, most of us have experienced a transformation that is hard to explain but easy to notice. We have become better communicators both personally as well as professionally.
Our members are at ease handling appraisals, press conferences, book launches, speaking at corporate meetings, large workshops & conferences, panel discussions, fireside chats, public events, etc. All these we owe to the practice of speaking and taking up different roles at our club meetings every Saturday, where we are not only mentored but also get critical and candid feedback/evaluation from fellow Orators for improvement.
Our club boasts of a diverse set of members – engineers, data scientists, IT professionals, doctors, CAs, legal professionals, teachers, management consultants, advisors, CEOs, directors, trainers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, ex-armed forces officials, authors, corporators and civil servants, representing students and alumni from PGP, PGPEM, EGMP & a variety of Executive Education Programmes. A key alumni initiative, strongly supported by the IIMBAA, IIMB Orators club has won the “Outstanding Alumni Initiative Award” at Anusmaran, 2012.
10th-year celebrations
To mark this wonderful journey, IIMB Orators club, under the aegis of the IIMB Alumni Association, celebrated its 10th Anniversary on 20th October 2019 with fervor & enthusiasm with participation from club members, Alumni, Students, and Toastmasters in the august presence of IIMB Director, Dr. Raghuram, Keynote speaker, and renowned theatre personality, Mr. Prakash Belwadi & other dignitaries.
Master of Ceremonies DTM[1] Tony Francis seamlessly compared the program from the start to the end. President Gourav Sarkar opened the meeting highlighting the virtue of empathy in leadership. Founder President Pradeep Kumar Menon took the audience through the 10-year journey & achievements of the club. He highlighted the club’s high standards & value it brings to the Alumni & student fraternity while also acknowledging the role of IIMB in producing leaders.
What they said …..
Director Prof Dr. Raghuram, quoting the following lines from Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsha
vāgarthāviva saṁpṛktau vāgarthapratipattaye |
jagataḥ pitarau vande pārvatīparameśvarau
emphasized how ‘vak’ (word or sound) and ‘artha’ (meaning or import) are inseparable as Shiva & Parvati, embodied as two-in-one entities. Recalling his participation in the club meetings on a couple of occasions, he lauded the club’s sustained efforts & contributions to the alumni community in the domain of public speaking & leadership.
Keynote speaker, renowned theatre personality, Mr. Prakash Belawadi delivered an enthralling speech on “Actors technique in soliloquy“. Key takeaways are :
- Need to be cautious in making oratory a virtue. Socrates makes fun of oratory that it is like culinary skills. Any section of people claim that their mother’s cooking is the best. Similarly, oratory is subjective and nobody can claim that his is the best.
- We all do role plays in life just like on stage. Shed the role (‘visarjana’) and move on in life. You should know when to stop, when to do visarjana, don’t carry it beyond the speech.
- When you speak in soliloquy, think of every role consciously. 1 persona is of the character and other is you, who is witnessing the role you play. ‘Vaagartha’, ‘prakruthi-purusha’ is not visible to us though all others can see this objective role. Develop the power of witnessing what you play.
- What is my character, what I am saying will affect me, my team and my audience? Keep all this in mind and speak.
- Difference between ‘vyabhichara bhava’ (transient emotions) and ‘sthayi bhava’ (stable emotions) – be conscious of it. What you said and what was understood could be different. Words are like counters on the table – what is said can be different from what is meant. In theatre, be conscious of what you say and what you feel when saying it.
- Great speech is one when the point to make it clear in the head. Not because someone says it is great. If the purpose is clear, communication is effective – be clear of intent, then body language shows.
- Recommend to you that all performing arts – music, dance, acting, instruments, public speaking must come in the same discipline as performing arts. As a speaker, you must be clear whether you are ‘performing while delivering a speech’ or ‘doing a ritual of speech’ – a significant difference that will be the actor’s technique. If there is a point made by the speaker, the effect should be felt by the audience. There is a mystical way of actor/speaker performing which generates emotions in the audience. Rather than delivering a speech as a ritual, it should be delivered as a performance.”
International Director DTM Sudha Balajee, one of the club members who rose up the ranks to become a Director on the Board of Toastmasters International was felicitated by the club on the occasion of its 10th-anniversary celebrations. Thanking the club for providing an empowering environment, she spoke of her inspiring journey starting as a student of the MPWE program at IIMB, joining the IIMB Orators club & growing up to the level of the International Director.
District Director DTM Raj Kumar Bansal, District 92, Toastmasters International, appreciated the high quality of the club and for being a role model to all the Toastmaster clubs at various Business schools & colleges. He described the club as a gold heap from which a member can draw as much as he can to hone his communication and leadership skills.
IIMB Dean Prof. M S Narasimhan, Alumni Association Office, Key club mentors & guides Dr. Ushy Mohandas and DTM A K Prabhakara & club members who achieved the highest educational award – DTM were felicitated by the club.
Oratory contests
Elevator Pitch contest saw Students and Toastmasters competing enthusiastically, as they pitched their thoughts and ideas on different topics in the allotted 2 minutes slot, and displayed their best talents to win the awards.
Debate Contest between four teams of Toastmasters enlightened the audience with forceful and logical arguments.
The event concluded with Hi-Tea & Networking. Overall the event provided a platform bringing together Alumni, Students, Faculty & Toastmasters as the IIMB Orators Club celebrated its 10th Anniversary in a memorable way. As we look forward to more milestone celebrations, we remain grateful to all the support received from IIMB and the Alumni Office!
– S.C.Sharada & Madhavaraju
Past Presidents & Founder Members, IIMB Orators Club
Contact us @ Email : iimborators@gmail.com
Visit us @ www.iimborators.org
Follow us @ www.facebook.com/IIMBOrators
Meeting @ IIMB campus, Every Sat–7.30 to 9.30 am
For more details contact:
- Gourav Sarkar, President : 99721 98007
- Dr Nagasubramanian, VP-PR : 9538978322
- Banu Priya, VP – Membership : 8105708877
- Balaji Desigan, VP – Admin : 9845900399
