JEDDAH — No one can become a good leader in today's world with inferior communication capability, said Faisal Abdalla, vice president of Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors. "If you cannot lead yourself, you can lead nobody," he said. Abdalla made the remarks while delivering an inspirational speech before unveiling the 7th edition of ALJ Talkmasters Club's annual magazine at the Oval Conference Room at ALJ headquarters in Jeddah on Dec. 6. "You cannot be a good communicator by accident. To become a good communicator is an art; more important, it's a science," said Abdalla, who is the club's chief patron. Abdalla stole the attention of the packed audience, which included members of ALJ senior management team, by depicting himself prior to joining the Toastmasters and describing how he benefited from the club. The audience, which was listening in pin-drop silence, erupted in thunderous applause when he concluded. Abdalla underscored the role being played by Toastmaster clubs in general and ALJ Talkmasters in particular for fostering employees' self-confidence and self-development, especially in communication and leadership skills. He reiterated the relevance of Toastmasters by repeating its motto, "For better speaking, better listening and better thinking, we learn by doing." "It's a process of learning as well as a science because it synchronizes your thoughts with words. It's only possible by practice and there is no shortcut to earn this important skill," he said. He praised the editorial board for their efforts that enabled the release of the magazine. He asked members to cultivate writing skills, in addition to acquiring speaking skills. Offering his unflinching support to the club, Abdalla urged the new committee to take the challenge of transforming the ALJ Club to a better platform where people can really develop themselves. Abdalla urged the club members to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by ALJ Company. He said ALJ Company is rendering its best to empower every one of its associates and is very keen to see its fruit. He recalled his initiative more than a decade back in 2002 that led to the formation of the club, which is still alive and holds regular meetings. At the end of his motivational speech, Abdalla did not hesitate to ask the audience to point out how many filler words he used throughout his speech. This gesture generated laughter from the audience. Club President Abu Kunnathadathil expressed his profound gratitude and appreciation to Abdalla for gracing the event and unveiling the magazine. He thanked the company management, especially Hassan Jameel, deputy president and vice chairman of ALJ, for enriching the magazine with his motivational message. He extolled the efforts of the editorial team led by Farook Hidayathulla and past club presidents for their timely advice. Hidayathulla gave an overview of the magazine and elaborated on the magazine's theme "Unleash the Leader in You." ALJ Vice President Assurance Mark Fensome shared his experience with the club. He asked members to nurture their passion, which is indispensable for gaining gradual growth that will result in total transformation of personality. Peter Aberle, senior managing director, retail operation; Omar Shteiwi, chief compliance officer; Rosman Bin Mohamed, managing director Center of Excellence; Othman Abdullah Al Orabi, managing director of External Affairs Dept. and Mohammed A. Samhan, finance director, ALJID, also spoke. ALJ Oil Co., ALJID After Sales Marketing and ALJ Machinery were honored by the vice president for their support to the magazine. Past club president Mohammed Kunhi opened the meeting and led the show spontaneously. A special function was arranged later at Village Restaurant at Azizia to honor magazine's sponsors. Basheer Ambalavan, Area 7 director, was the master of ceremony. The past district 79 Governor DTM Joey Villanueva symbolically unveiled the ALJ Talkmasters Club's annual magazine before a large audience by giving a copy to DTM Rashid Ali, immediate past Program Quality Director of District 79. Club president Kunnathadathil presided over the function while Eng. Ashir conducted a seminar. Villanueva delivered an inspirational speech in which he advised members to spread the message of Toastmasters to enable others to learn and develop communication skills. He said the ALJ TM club was a catalyst in the formation of many new clubs in the region. Many other Toastmasters also spoke at the event including DTM Saifuddeen, Dr. Lakshman Sockalingam, Hamza of Colors, Mohammed Ali representing Dunlop, Sajid of Mosaco and Adv. Shamsudheen. Toastmaster leaders representing various areas and divisions were also present. Binzagar (Dunlop Tires), Mosaco (Raymond) and Colors Establishment for Paints were honored for sponsoring the magazine. Lais Chalithodika read out the motto of the club and club president and chief editor gave away plaques of appreciation to sponsors and editorial team. Past club presidents were honored by the president for their services to the club.
