JEDDAH — As part of Toastmasters tradition, Eagle Toastmasters Club conducted its annual contest with much fanfare. The contest was distinct from other contests by the number of participants in each category. Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Johnnygene Padillo, District 79 PRM, urged members to gain the full benefits of Toastmasters. "It needs persistence and perseverance coupled with practice," said Padillo in his motivational message. Mohammed Kunhi, Division G director, in his address asked members to aim high as it widens vision, expands dreams and broadens horizons. Area 7 Director Ramces Dungog also addressed the audience. Speakers were conversant enough to capture the audience attention. Humorous speech 1st prize winner Sami Grami tickled the people's funny bones with his enthralling effort. Some of them were regaling at the mood generated by the speaker. His speech was full of humor and homilies and was delivered in an unflagging manner. Ramy Abdul Wahab and Sayda Ansari won second and third prizes respectively. DTM Abdulbaset Qary was the contest master. The topics for the Table Topics speech contest was prepared to conform to the theme of the contest "Dare to Soar." The Table Topics speech contest equips participants to think on their feet and present their views logically in an impromptu setting. To win this segment, contestant must be an avid reader to respond to any question that is revealed only at the presence of the first contestant by the contest master at the beginning of the contest. Khaled Baharetha won the first prize in this segment whereas Sami Grami got second place and Sayda Ansari earned the third prize. Ramces Dungog led the show. In Toastmasters, feedback is called evaluation. The contest master for speech evaluation contest was Omar Fattah. A test speech delivered by Linda Al Sahli was spellbinding. The target speaker's eloquence in elaborating her own true story caught the attention of the audience. Contestants were given 5 minutes after the speech to prepare their notes of evaluation. The objective of the speech evaluation contest is to improve evaluators listening skills as well as to cultivate critical thinking. Ramy Abdul Wahab bagged the first prize in evaluation speech contest followed by Faiza Rage and Sayda Ansari. In the International speech contest, through which the winner is eligible to compete at international level, humorous contest winner Sami Grami emerged the champion of the segment. Ramy Abdul Wahab and Faiza Rage were first and second place runners up. The contest master for this session was Bahige Saab. Since, Mohammed Qahtani of Eastern Province was the International Champion of Public Speaking in 2015 at a conference held in Las Vagas, US, many people, who are aspiring to earn the coveted title, are coming to the fore by competing in this prestigious session. The event was ably anchored by Abu Kunnathadathil, a member of Abdul Latif Jameel Toastmasters Club, who kept the audience thralled by weaving together seamless stories and quotes that fell within the peripherals of the contest theme. The contest chair Jehad Hattan officially opened the event while his assistant Mat Jason Solmerson was the sergeant at arms. Winners of the first and second place from each category will represent the club at Area 7 contest. The function was attended by many members from other clubs even from Makkah. The event was graced by several prominent personalities of Toastmasters.
