Please read the first part – Click here.

Well it was the final day and was the day when dreams came true or came crashing down! But for us in the audience, was one of the best moments we would ever experience. Before the results were announced, the people who made DTAC happen were recognized. The Best Club Newsletter was also announced. Finally the District 79 Newsletter was released by the Toastmasters International Director Mohammed Murad. It was a great feeling that the newsletter I designed was to be released to so many Toastmasters. I was the happiest guy on stage that day. It was even sweeter when everyone liked it! What a feeling!

Well, the results of the DTAC 2009 held in Abu Dhabi, were announced and hence here are the results.

Table Topics

1. Sujit Sukumaran
2. Hemalata Thawani
3. Abraham Thomas

Humorous Speech

1. Mohammed Essa
2. Tariq Al Qahtani
3. Mohamed Abdulla Isa

International Speech

1. Koka Prasad
2. Mohammed Essa
3. Loy Machedo

Mathew was placed in the top 5. He did a splendid speech and we in Lagoon Toastmasters are really proud of him. It is no laughing matter, is it?!

Loy Machedo came 3rd, but his performance was world class. His was the ONLY speech which stood out from the rest. Congratulations Loy! You “ROCK”!

Speaking about the winners, they were of course the best. Koka Prasad will now be representing our District in the US. All the best to him. Incidentally he won the DTAC last year too and had represented us then also.

Well that’s it for now.

It was a wonderful 3 days of exhilarating contests and keynote speeches. With more than 700 registrations for this event, it was one of the most exciting DTAC conferences ever in the GCC. It was indeed a “Journey towards Excellence”.

This would not have been possible without these people – Nasef Dhafari, DTAC Chairman and his team and Radhakrishnan Karantharath (RK), the District Governor and his team.

Day 1 was held in India Social Center. It was the day of qualifying for the finals of the Humorous, Table Topic and the International speech contests. Our club the Lagoon Toastmasters was participating in the Humorous (TM Mathew Jacob) and the International (TM Loy Machedo) speech contests. The did an amazing job and qualified. A lot of speakers were very good. One of my favourites apart from Loy and Mathew was TM Sujith Sukumaran in Table Topics. I will post videos if I get them. Some of the brilliant ones were V P Menon, Mohammed Al Essa, Mohamed Abdulla Isa and Tariq Al Qahtani in Humorous. Sridhar Sampath, Jiju Varghese, Koka Prasad, Mohammed Al Essa, Reginaldo Maga Jr, Jamsheed Hamza and Asif Daudi in International. Rajendra Varma. Sujit Sukumaran, Abraham Thomas and Hemalata Thawani in Tabe Topics.

Day 2 was held in the Intercontinental Hotel. The Finals of the Humorous and the Table Topics contests.Keynote speeches by two World Champions of Public Speaking, Ed Tate and Darren LaCroix was very educative and a great learning experience. The contests were held and everyone gave their best performances. The District Council Meeting was also held and it was an eye opener for me. So many enthusiastic Toastmasters wanting to take up Leadership roles to lead their Division and District. A real election process with lots of joy and disappointments. But as it is in Toastmasters, we take it in the right spirit and all support given to the winners! True Toastmasters Spirit.

Day 3 same hotel. The Finals of the International contest. The release of the District 79 Magazine. The Awards ceremony. After the keynote address by Ed Tate, which btw way was on ‘how to make stories in minutes’ and was brilliant, was the International Speech Contest. This is one of the main events because the winner here represents this region Internationally in August in the USA. Whoever wins becomes the World Champion of Public Speaking! The speakers were Sridhar Sampath, Jiju Varghese, Koka Prasad, Mohammed Essa, Loy Machedo and Asif Daudi.

Every speaker put up his best show and emotions were high. The crowds escatic. The fans eager. Everybody on their toes as each contestant spoke, the audience hung on to every word, every action, every emotion, every pause. So intense so beautiful.

We came back to our senses only after the contest was over!

Please read the second part – Click here.

I should have written this sooner. One of the main events for the Toastmasters in this part of the region. The District Toastmasters Annual Conference or DTAC as it is commonly referred to in Toastmasters circles is a platform for speakers of different nationalities to come on stage and try to compete with each other to become champions of the district.

This DTAC will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi from 21st to 23rd May 2009 for the first time. More than 800 Toastmasters from the 13 Divisions and 7 countries making up District 79 are expected to attend the 21 – 23 May DTAC. The theme for DTAC 2009 is: Developing Leadership & Communication Towards Achieving Strategies. Anyone can attend. Details can be found in the DTAC website.

Two amazing speakers are giving speeches, Darren Lacroix and Ed Tate.

Darren is the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. He has traveled the world demystifying the process of creating a powerful speech. He has roused audiences in faraway places like Oman, Malaysia, and Taiwan with his inspirational journey from first-rate chump to first-class champ, proving anything is possible if you are willing to work for it.

Ed Tate is the 2000 World Championship of Public Speaking. Ed is an international keynote speaker, author, trainer and facilitator for Fortune 500 companies and associations worldwide. Ed has spoken in 13 countries, and on five continents.

You can contact DTAC officials here.