An interview with District 20 Director, Khurram Salman

1. Can you tell us more about Toastmasters International and how it benefits its members?

Toastmasters International is an international organization that has been in existence since 1924 starting in California. As of now it has about 357,000+ members in 143 countries. It runs with the mission of empowering individuals to become effective communicators and leaders. A Toastmasters club meeting offers a supportive group environment where people with diverse skills and backgrounds come together to practice their skills and exchange valuable feedback. In addition to delivering speeches, members are asked to evaluate other members’ speeches while also developing their own listening and interpersonal skills. It allows its members to grow in that supportive and positive environment gaining confidence to do better.

2. Can you tell us what your work as District Director entails?

District Director is the highest-ranking position in the District, acting as the District’s Chief Executive Officer. District 20 spans over Bahrain & Kuwait, comprising of 130+ Clubs and 2500+ members. My role as a District Director involves ensuring the quality and growth of the Toastmasters clubs and its members within the boundaries of the District. It also includes creating and implementing a strategic plan focusing on effective trainings, members’ leadership development and optimizing the critical success factors of the District.

3. What are the skills that leaders, especially in business and other industries can pick up in Toastmasters? And how do they start?

In the words of our CEO Daniel Rex, the biggest development one can have from Toastmasters is confidence. It allows you to build selfconfidence and motivate yourself and others. In addition to that, it teaches you how to speak effectively, to formulate ideas and express them better which leads to better pitching. It improves your organizational skills and allows you to lead meetings with humor and gusto. You can also learn time management skills and learn how to receive and provide effective feedback. All these things are important in a business so think of Toastmasters as your confidence incubator.

4. Are you planning to set up an Entrepreneur Toastmasters Club in Bahrain similar to Silicon Valley Toastmasters Club? Can you give a rough estimate of the percentage of business owners/ managers who are in Toastmasters Bahrain?

Definitely, there are many Toastmasters Clubs around the world that focus on entrepreneurs. Some clubs even let their members practice their pitches to investors or customers while receiving positive critical feedback. With the startup-friendly ecosystem that Bahrain has developed, a Toastmasters club might just be what the entrepreneurs need for them to grow and gain necessary leadership and communication skills. I would say, roughly about 20-25% of Toastmasters in Bahrain are entrepreneurs.

5. What are the added benefits that entrepreneurs and startups can gain in Toastmasters?

Toastmasters finds a way of always placing you with the right type of people. It gives you a supportive environment and great networking opportunities. All entrepreneurs must be leaders and have leadership skills and Toastmasters is where you can develop just that.

For more information:
www.toastmasters.org