Our club present second quarterly newsletter.

1. Volume 1, Issue 2June 2015
Expand Your Horizons 2
Team Work 3
Achievements 3
Activity at the club 4
Silver Jubilee Event 5
Moment of Truth 5
Evaluation Framework 6
First Elections 7
Elected Committee 8
Rendezvous 9
Power of Words 10
Joys of Teaching 11
Communication Com-
petencies
12
Progressive Learning 13
Toastmaster USA visit 14
Employee Engagement 15
The Interview 17
Mentor and Mentee 18
New Titles 19
Club Pics 20
Closing 21
Inside this issue
Horizon
News Letter
Toastmasters Club of Pune - North East
Where Leaders are made
All Images* by : Suraj Deo Singh

2. One meaning of horizon (həˈrʌɪz(ə)
n/) is the line at which the earth's
surface and the sky appear to meet.
The other meaning is the limit of a
person's knowledge, experience, or
interest.
What is the limit of our knowledge,
experience, or interest? Do we need to
expand our horizons? In all facets of
this burgeoning world we cannot af-
ford to be complacent about the
knowledge and experience we have
gained and the interests we have.
Most of us don’t get platforms to
showcase our talents so they become
latent and we are complacent about
what we have. And as I mentioned in
the previous editorial, complacency is
one of the biggest human failings. If
you expand your horizons, you broad-
en your outlook on life and its possi-
bilities. How can one expand or widen
one’s horizons? There are many things
one can do such as learning a new
language, travelling etc. In short, tak-
ing up new challenges would broaden
one’s horizons.
It is undoubtedly true that learning a
foreign language can broaden people's
horizons and help to expose different
cultures. Travelling enables many peo-
ple to broaden their minds in certain
aspects. When you travel, you gain
new ideas and experience new things.
However, you do not have to travel
miles to expand your horizons. What I
mean is, to expand one’s horizons,
one may travel thousands of miles all
over the world or just a few miles to a
Toastmasters club meetings in one’s
community. This is the subject I
would like to share about – Toastmas-
ters! Toastmasters program has noth-
ing to do with drinking or toasting
bread. But it’s all about making your
point in your way in a given situation.
It’s a life-changing and priceless educa-
tional program. There is no reason for
me to ‘embrace’ this superb program
without sharing it. Toastmasters is a
Way to Widen Your Horizons. But,
how do Toastmasters meetings widen
our horizons?
It helps to Increase Knowledge, to
hone Communication Skills, to Culti-
vate Self-Confidence, to Expand Net-
work of Friends, to Spend Leisure
Time, and to Magnify Income.
Toastmasters accepts you for who you
are, and helps you become whatever
you aspire to be.
There are NO LOSERS in the Toast-
masters world. Winners and NOT-
Winners. But NOT-Winners are not
losers. They are GAINERS.
What do we do in Toastmasters Club?
Speaking? Yes, for sure. There is no
way for you to learn swimming with-
out jumping into a swimming pool.
But don’t worry, Toastmasters is a
friendly environment for you to stay
until you improve. Nobody is going to
laugh at you when you say something
wrong unless you are delivering a hu-
morous speech.
Expand your horizons. Move beyond
the normal and mediocre to the ex-
traordinary. Be daring. Ride the waves
of life with enthusiasm, passion, and
freedom in your heart.
Open your arms wide and receive the
opportunities that life is presenting
you. Be light-hearted. You have much
to offer the world. You deserve the
very best. Your destiny awaits you;
steer towards it.
Page 2
From Editor’s Desk — Expand Your Horizons
Newsletter — Horizons
Club’s DCP Status
TM Amzathun Nasreen,
VP PR, Chief Editor
VP Membership—Elect

3. Team Work
You cannot achieve it
alone. Whatever it is, your
goals or the journey of
your life, you need to learn
to work with others. Being
a Leo, I have it in my na-
ture to do everything
alone. I hardly ask for
help, and, this attitude
hasn’t taken me anywhere.
Of many instances of (in)
my life, I will share a
memory most alive with
me. When I joined my
company and was in train-
ing, the only feedback I
got and still get sometimes
during my performance
review is to gel with other
members on/off the team.
I remember an instance
when 3 new members
joined my team and I was
assigned to train them on
the products. It started
well and after a couple of
days, they took me upstairs
and gave a very casual feed-
back of how I used to be
with them and requested
me to change so that they
can understand the prod-
ucts better and together as
a team, we can work effi-
ciently. I told them that I
will not repeat this but
after a few days, I was at it
again. There were other
instances when people
from other team came for
help and I shrugged them
off. Whenever I tried to
improve upon, my ego
came in between.
Luckily, my manager was
very understanding and
gave me many opportuni-
ties to improve. He always
used to assign me tasks
which required another
person’s involvement.
Apart from that, every
week at Toastmasters, I got
an opportunity to work
with others. The major
improvement which I saw
in myself was when I vol-
unteered to be a club of-
ficer and served the Dis-
trict as an Area Governor.
It was difficult but not
impossible. I started get-
ting positive feedbacks.
Working in team has actu-
ally helped me achieve
goals. Even Lions need to
work in tandem to take on
powerful bait.
Be it my colleagues at the
office or my family, know-
ing that someone is there
to fall upon has helped me
achieve many things in life
which would not have
been possible with my ego
and attitude.
If team work is an area you
want to improve upon
then Toastmasters is one
of the places which can
help you.
TM Nitesh Agarwal ACG,
ALB
President
“The Buck Stops Here”
Achievements
TM Swapnil ACS
TM Unmesh CC
TM Sadanand CL
TM Tushar CC

4. Activity at the Club

5. At every Toastmasters club, every six
months there is a Moments of Truth
session to reflect on the club’s most
important goals of member service
and personal satisfaction. The mem-
bers and guests as a team in small
groups of about 4 to 6 people debate
specific points about the prevailing
conditions in a Toastmasters club to
identify actionable points so that every
experience is a positive one for all.
Our club had conducted this session
on March 31st, 2015.
Actionable points highlighted:
1. Introductions could be done in
the middle of the meetings.
2. Banner and standee to easily
locate the room
3. Regular sharing of infor-
mation about Toastmasters
4. Membership survey to be taken
by all members
5. Participation in other club
activities
6. Online newsletter
7. Sharing of useful videos and
graphic images
8. Use of templates for better
understanding of roles and
responsibilities
9. Capturing member introduc-
tion to expedite meetings
10. Focus on membership count
11. Platform to publish meeting
proceedings
12. Effective usage of mass com-
munication
13. Educational training sessions
at some meetings
This list will be periodically updated
to check our progress.
Ratings on six critical Toastmasters
moments of truth parameters:
editor, Tm Nasreen. The event wit-
nessed the spectacular and mind bog-
gling speeches, followed by construc-
tive and fruitful evaluations. It was
indeed dream come true moment for
many who had been working consist-
ently for making this event successful.
This was just the beginning of our
journey, a milestone. Finally the meet-
ing came to an end; it was the mo-
ment of glory for some, President an-
nounced the results. As a token of
love and appreciation only one print-
ed copy was presented to the best
speaker of the day.
No doubt, this news letter reflects the
vibrant expressions of our members.
You can feel the colour and vibrancy
of their thoughts in these pages.
Members who have contributed will
be exhilarated to find their write-ups
published in the news letter.
It was held on 24th March, 2015 on
the special occasion of the silver jubi-
lee meeting of our club. The event
was scheduled at 7 P.M. yet most of
the eager beavers of our club were
present well in advance, showing their
toastmaster’s spirit and commitment
towards the event.
The atmosphere that was created just
before the event was stern yet congen-
ial during the event.
TMOD Swapnil was diligent and duti-
ful in explaining the theme of the
meeting. The news letter was released
by our privileged guests of that meet-
ing with the help of president, TM
Nitesh Agarwal. The copy was then
circulated amongst the toastmasters to
go through. Everybody was super excit-
ed to see it. Undoubtedly it was the
team work which bore the sweet fruits
under the able leadership of the chief
Page 5
Moment of Truth
Silver Jubilee an unmissable spectacular event – The release of the first edition of the News
Letter
Newsletter—Horizon
PARAMETER SCORE
First Impression 5.5
Membership Orientation 4.5
Fellowship, Variety, and
Communication
3.5
Program planning, and
Meeting Organization
5.0
Membership Strength 3.0
Achievement Recognition 4.0

6. TM Chandrasekhar gave a speech on
the art of providing speech evaluation
to the members of Toastmasters Club
of Pune NE on 14th April, 2015.
TM Chandrasekhar galvanized the
members by posting a question – to
differentiate between assessment and
judgment. He advised the members
to ensure that the evaluators are
providing an assessment versus provid-
ing a judgement. He pointed out that
judgement is akin to giving a verdict
and cautioned speech evaluators not
to be judgmental while providing eval-
uation. Chandrasekhar provided a
framework for providing evaluation to
speeches delivered in Toastmasters
meeting.
1) First, he advised the speech
evaluators to focus on the core
feedback to be delivered. He
reminded the members that
the speakers are looking for
feedback for improvement
from the evaluators - failing to
provide the core feedback will
disappoint the speakers. To
better understand the frame-
work Chandrasekhar com-
pared with Hazelnut Choco-
late. The core feedback is akin
to the Hazelnut.
2) Second, he wanted to ensure
the core feedback is delivered
in a way the speakers are moti-
vated. Again comparing with
the Hazelnut Chocolate analo-
gy. The sourness of the Hazel-
nut is sweetened by the Choco-
late covering the nut. He ad-
vised to follow the similar ap-
proach – to deliver the core
feedback with commendations.
3) Finally Chandrasekhar advised evaluators to provide the assessment as
a package. He correlated again with the Hazelnut Chocolate analogy.
The Hazelnut Chocolate is covered with golden wrappers. He advised
the evaluators to follow the similar approach – deliver the assessment as
a package to speakers that is appealing for speakers to consume the
feedback.
The members were captivated by the evaluation framework by TM Chandra-
sekhar and looked forward to practicing in the future meetings.
Page 6
Evaluation Framework – TM Chandrashekar (Lt. Gov. of Marketing for Dist 41)
Newsletter—Horizon
“Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It
happens when you are ready to face the questions you have
been avoiding your whole life.”
― Shannon L. Alder

7. On 19th May 2015, the TM club of NE demon-
strated the radical value which the INDIAN flag
proudly reflects over other flags – DEMOCRA-
CY. Indeed, the working committee of TM club
of NE for second half of 2015 was elected by it’s
members through a formal election program
conducted by it’s own President TM Nitesh.
The election program started with a surprising
element which made everyone’s mouth water –
SUDAMA’s BHEL. At first I didn’t want to it
eat because I don’t like BHEL much. But, the
first spoon in my mouth made me realize why
it’s the best bhel in Pune. I could not stop eat-
ing thereafter!
Such a refreshing start was followed by the ex-
planation of general rules by the President. Vot-
ing ballots were given containing a list of candi-
dates against each position.
One by one, as per the sequence of positions, the voting took place. The President gave a fair chance to candi-
dates contesting for the same post by allowing them to speak for 2 minutes so that they can tell the audience as
to why they were deserving. The Secretary casted ‘THE-ONLY-VOTE’ for all those positions where only a sin-
gle candidate was contesting.
This was followed by counting of votes and
announcement of the result. The newly
elected working committee took an OATH
that they will do justice to their positions
and work together to create a big positive
difference!
The President congratulated the newly elect-
ed members. I could see a speck of relief on
his face because of two factors : Firstly, the
election was a huge success & Secondly, he
was confident that the club will continue to
meet the goals going further.
The Election program concluded with one
common belief – “In TMs, every student is
a teacher & every teacher, a student.” Hav-
ing said that, one could see a common goal
in everyone’s eyes – to LIFT the club, it’s
members & themselves to great heights.
Page 7
Breaking Dawn – A glance at the *First Elections at NE Club*
Newsletter-Horizon

8. Page 8 Newsletter-Horizon
Elected executive committee (Jul — Dec)
President
TM Swapnil Bhagat
VP- Education
TM Hemat Joshi
VP -Membership
TM A.Nasreen
VP-PR
TM Suyash Agarwal
Secretary
TM Unmesh Mohitkar
Treasurer
TM Tushar Komawar
SAA
TM Sanjay Kulkarni

9. To enhance the familiarisation and to boost the spirit among the members our club President TM Nitesh arranged for an
outdoor event at White Orchid Resort on 28th June.
Most of the members actively participated in the event. A few were accompanied by their families showing their support.
Members played Volleyball, Cricket, some indoor games, clicked few picture and then started feeling peckish so headed
towards the dining area. The food was scrumptious so we enjoyed it. And at 5pm we dispersed. It was like a rejuvenation.
Looking forward for such more events in the upcoming term
Page 9
Rendezvous by club members
Newsletter—Horizon

10. Silence is bliss,
Silence is pain.
Silence is gentle,
Silence is harsh.
Silence is victory,
Silence is defeat.
Silence is submission.
Silence is aggression.
It's really surprising,
to see a single word expressing so many emotions.
Who says silence is peace?
It can be the silence before the storm.
Who says silence is submission?
May be it's just a tactical retreat.
Same word, different feelings, different meanings.
We human beings are blessed to have so many words to express feelings.
Empire vanish, dynasties decay,
It's the words which will always hold sway.
Page 10
Power of Words
Newsletter—Horizon
TM Unmesh Mohitkar, Secretary
“Attitude is important than fact”
“Without knowing the force of
words, it is impossible to know
more.”
― Confucius

11. I was walking to the bus station. It was
morning time, and there was freshness
all around. Everyone was desperately
trying to reach their destination to
start the job of the day. It was nothing
short of a mad rush. The title of
Thomas Hardy’s famous novel. “Far
from the Madding Crowd” appeared
on my mental horizon like a red traffic
signal. A stream of thoughts suddenly
started. Can I get out of this highly
competitive world and wander “Along
the cool sequestered vale of life for a
while?
After sometime I reached the bus sta-
tion. There were several buses and an
ocean of passengers. My attention was
soon drawn to the passenger sitting
near me. He was an old man who
might be in his early eighties. The
calm and gentleness on his face were
quite striking. His spirit was young
and vision was the noblest. He asked
me what I was doing in Pune. I told
him that I was engaged in teaching.
He then asked me whether I enjoyed
my profession. My answer was of
course positive since teaching is my
passion. Soon he asked me a question
which really had a far reaching impact
on my life. The question was this,
“Can you spare sometime to teach the
children of the underprivileged?” He
then spoke to me about the plight of
those children who are living on the
margins of society. Their mothers are
helpless. They are spurned and con-
demned by an unjust system.
It did not take me a long time to give
a reply to the old man, a man who was
very, very young at heart. The years
must have wrinkled his body but not
the spirit. I told this dear uncle that I
was ready to teach these children.
After two days I met these children
who were eagerly waiting for me. I
began to teach in my usual style by
trying to get them involved in the
process. I was doing my duty with
utmost dedication and sincerity. The
lines of Tagore will not be out of place
here:
I slept and I thought that
Life was happiness
I woke up and discovered that life was
duty.
I fulfilled my duty and discovered that
It was happiness.
My students responded to my teach-
ing positively. They were curious to
learn more and grow up. A few of
them were dropouts. Now they will
not drop out of learning. I continue
my teaching to these underprivileged
children. I enjoy this teaching session
more than anything else. Is it not a
real privilege? How can I thank the
old man in the bus and the Toastmas-
ters club, the only place where leaders
are made which in true sense helped
me to discover my hidden potential? I
am convinced of one thing. Service is
life. Each one of us should be daring
and adventurous in life. How beauti-
ful are the lines of Robert Frost!
Two roads diverged in a wood and
I took the one less travelled by.
And that has made all the difference
Page 11
The Joys of Teaching the Underprivileged
Newsletter—Horizon
TM Swapnil Bhagat
ACS, CL
VP Education
“Every child should have a caring adult in their lives. And that's
not always a biological parent or family member. It may be a friend
or neighbor. Often times it is a teacher.”
—Joe Manchin

12. In this article I will describe few com-
petencies that I believe are important
for interpersonal communication. By
demonstrating these competencies
one could greatly improve interperson-
al communication and build relation-
ships with individuals. The competen-
cies that helps in interpersonal com-
munication are:-
Demonstrate Focus
Manage Emotions
Negotiate for Win-Win
Manage Conflicts
Demonstrate Focus
One must demonstrate focus with the
person being engaged. Demonstrating
focus with an individual is fundamen-
tal principles of communication.
Demonstrating focus competency can
be accomplished by active listening
and making sure the views of the oth-
er individual are valued and felt im-
portant. In solving problems with a
coworker at office it’s vital to identify
the problem that both are trying to
solve. Demonstrating focus should
enable on brainstorming potential
solutions for problems identified. By
demonstrating focus with an individu-
al one develops the below three skills.
Relationship Management
Problem Identification
Solution Brainstorming
Manage Emotions
To improve interpersonal communica-
tion it’s important to be able to identi-
fy and control emotions. There are
few techniques that help in managing
emotions. First, one must keep a dia-
ry to note down the list of emotions
exhibited during the day. Second, one
must try to understand and reflect the
reasons for exhibiting the emotions –
positive and negative emotions and
the impact to self and others.
Negotiate for Win-Win
Negotiating for mutual agreement is
an important communication compe-
tency. There are few techniques that
help in arriving mutual agreements
with an individual. The first step is to
arrive at the problem that both the
individuals agree on. Once the prob-
lem is identified the second step is
identify the positions and interests of
both the parties. After identifying the
interests, the next and the final step is
to brainstorm for alternatives and
consensus on the best solution.
Manage Conflicts
There are few techniques that help in
resolving conflict with an individual.
First, try to separate individual from
the behavior. One must try to focus
on the problem to be solved and sepa-
rate out the individual Second, one
must try to empathize from others
point of view – being able to think
from other’s perspective help in man-
aging and resolving conflicts. Third,
active listening – try to paraphrase the
key points of the individual. I firmly
believe Toastmasters provide the plat-
form for everyone to build these com-
munication competencies to be a bet-
ter person and leader.
Page 12
Communication Competencies
Newsletter—Horizon
TM Subramaniam R

13. Many dreams have been destroyed in
the realm of imagination due to fear.
We as professionals, businessmen,
entrepreneurs, students, wish to excel
in our respective fields. But when we
never do anything to actualise it, we
are simply killing the inner ability we
have. The only way to grow and dis-
pel the fear in us is to walk right
through the fear. Pushing through
the fear is less frightening than living
with underlying fear that comes from
feeling of helplessness.
By joining Toastmasters club to pro-
gressively gain public speaking skills,
you have already committed yourself.
As a Toastmasters member, you enter
the realm of public speaking where
fellow members provide you support
to learn and build public speaking and
leadership skills.
The journey of 10 speech projects in
TM club starts systematically with
project 1 – The Icebreaker -- of compe-
tent communication manual. We are
the one that presents ourselves to the
world. Accordingly, the world re-
sponds to you. As you stand first
time before an audience in TM club ,
just make sure that your persona is
pleasant , because that gives you confi-
dence that creates positive vibes for
yourself. In TM clubs, the audience
always wishes you success. Often
after the first speech, the speaker real-
ises that she already has raw skills of
speaking before an audience.
As you speak and tell the audience,
‘who you are?’, ’Your life’s journey,
and ’your dreams and ambition’, the
speech creates necessary bonding be-
tween you and fellow members. Any
speech is just the speaker’s thought
conveyed through spoken words. A
fantastic way to ensure that speaker’s
message reaches across is to present it
in organised way. The first step is to
grab the attention of an audience
from the word ‘GO’. A dynamic be-
ginning is essential for successful
speech.
Some techniques to begin are:- ‘state
the importance of your topic’, ‘make a
startling statement’, ‘arouse suspense
or curiosity’, ‘tell a story or anecdote’,
‘ask a rhetoric question’, ‘begin with
quotation’, ‘reference the occasion’.
Other techniques include humor,
audience participation, a demonstra-
tion, and a reference to a historical
event.
Make sure that each successive point
is picked up from a preceding point.
Learning such transitions from one
point to other is the gist of the project-
2 of CC manual. In the end leave the
audience with a conclusion that will
create a smashing and memorable
impact. Consider these endings --
‘use a quote’, ‘tell a story or anecdote
that reinforce your message’, ‘call for
action’, summarise your main points’,
or a ‘reference to the beginning of the
speech’.
Project 3 speech should fit into 4
general objectives i.e. ‘to inform’, ‘to
entertain’, ‘to persuade’, and ‘to in-
spire, and leave a take-away message
for the audience. Become familiar
with the speaking area and know the
audience. Get acquainted with the
spectrum of the stage. Understand
audience variables such as age range,
male-female ratio, occupational and
economic status, educational back-
ground, political orientation, leisure
activities. Objective of project 3 is to
make your audience accept your view
point. Speaker needs to speak on a
subject that appeals to the audiences’
interest. Deep involvement in the
subject helps him confront nervous-
ness.
Project 4 focus is on making maxi-
mum audience impact through your
words. How distinctly do you formu-
late your words when you speak?
‘What to say’ about the subject is
speaker’s knowledge but how to say is
an art learnt in toastmasters club.
Words of your speech should be so
vivid that audience can see, touch,
hear, smell, and taste whatever you
describe and stir the imagination of
the audience. As proper arrange-
ments of notes create a melody in
music, arranging your words makes an
idea or thought sound more pleasant
and memorable for the audience.
In Project 5, the speaker accentuates
his verbal message by using body lan-
guage, he is already on the way to be-
come a competent communicator.
Effective use of body language enhanc-
es speaker’s credibility. Gestures, pos-
tures, body movement, facial expres-
sion, and eye contact are five non
verbal tools speaker can employ to
emphasize his point. With practice
one can learn to use body language
naturally and be consistent with the
words spoken. This awareness itself
boosts the confidence of speaker.
About Project 6, every time the speak-
er addresses an audience, his/her
mind, body and voice act as synchro-
nised partners while communicating
with the listeners. Your voice is the
primary medium for conveying your
message. Like body language your
speaking voice should also be natural
and consistent with the meaning of
the words.
Project 7 is about researching your
topic. When a topic is chosen for
speech, it is either speaker’s personal
experience or any other reference ma-
Page 13
Progressive Learning of Speaking and Leadership Skills
Newsletter—Horizon
TM Hemant Joshi CC, CL
VP Membership
“Pursue your goal come what may”
Continue...

14. Page 14 Newsletter—Horizon
terial. Well researched supporting
material lends legitimacy of the
stated facts and increases the trust-
worthiness of speaker. Collecting
relevant information and weaving
it in speech in such a way that it
holds audience interest till the
end of speech adds to audience
knowledge.
Make your speech vivid and mem-
orable through the use of visual
aids in Project 8. Select visual aids
that are appropriate to the point
that you wish to illustrate or clari-
fy. Charts, graphs, diagram, mod-
els and printed words can stimu-
late audience and increase
In projects 9 and 10, the speeches
are focused on attempting to ener-
gise, alter attitude, or instigate
new approaches, and to create a
commitment to accomplish a com-
mon vision. Since motivational
talks need to target the emotions,
they work best when they include
inspiring stories from real life be-
sides logic. On completion of
project no.10, the speaker is eligi-
ble to receive competent commu-
nicator award from Toastmasters
international. The confidence
exuded on your face is worth
much more than any certificate
would bring. Regardless of your
field, the certificate adds value to
your professional as well as person-
al life.
Have you tried speaking outside your
home club? Challenging yourself to do
so at an alien venue is really coming out
of your comfort zone. For me the op-
portunity to do so in Table Topics at a
Toastmasters club in USA was a pleas-
ant experience at :
Talk of the Town Toastmasters club in
Parma. Parma is a part of the greater
Cleveland area in Ohio, USA The area
is predominated by Polish and Ukraini-
an immigrants. The president of the
club, Larry Szczepanski (extreme right in
the photograph) was friendly and said
that they did not have difficulty with my
Indian accent.
The Tabletopics that day was about des-
serts where two ingredients would
be mentioned and each participant
would have to come up with the
final dessert which could be made
using the two specified ingredients
in any recipe. Interestingly I had
to come up with a dessert for rasp-
berry jam and chocolate.
What was different? The display
of the US flag, and the invocation
pledging allegiance to the coun-
try’s ideals at the start of the meet-
ing was distinctive. I liked the idea
of using the Jokemaster role to
enliven the proceedings from the
beginning was striking and got the
audience in a good mood. My
suggestion to them was to consider
TM Sadanand Konchady, CC
“Chances Choices Changes”
Rasberry-Chocolate dessert at Toastmasters?
the use of Idiom of the Day and
Easy-speak software for better man-
agement of Toastmasters meetings.

15. It is, by now, a well-established belief
that the “Engaged Employee” is a ma-
jor source of competitive advantage
for any organization, not only to suc-
ceed but also to achieve aggressive
growth in today’s ruthless competitive
world. There are practically thousands
of theories and hundreds of method-
ologies which organizations across the
world have experimented and are still
experimenting to “engage” their most
valuable asset i.e. employees. The or-
ganizations have tested many notions,
designed numerous interventions and
implemented various programs to
motivate its employees, to make them
productive and convert its employees
into real resource. Organizations
worldwide have attempted to engage
employees by giving lavish office spac-
es, high increments, expensive gifts,
bonuses, incentive tours, superb cafe-
terias, meeting with CEOs, early pro-
motions, etc. to motivate their em-
ployees; however organizations have
found that these have very short effect
or no effect in energizing their em-
ployees over and over again. In spite
of this, the attrition rates are high and
morale is down.
In this article, let us discuss about one
of the most critical dimensions i.e.
“Importance of Superior-Subordinate
Relationship in Employee Engage-
ment.” We will elaborate on the valua-
ble insights, practical tips and key
challenges relating to achieve high
level employee engagement through
this relationship.
We all know a popular adage that
‘employee leaves a manager and not
the organization’! We all must have
heard examples that employees leaving
well-known organizations in a very
short span of time and one can be
curious about it. Most of the time, it
is just another example or proof of the
above mentioned adage. Strangely,
there is another example of an em-
ployee staying happily very long time
in a company which is ill-reputed or
not so good company. This is prima-
facie opposite example however it
reinforces the same adage – employee
stays with a good manager irrespective
of the organization.
It makes us think that who is a good
manager and what makes him a good
manager from the subordinate’s per-
spective that impacts him so much so
that he leaves good company or stays
with not so good company. What is
the impact of good Superior on subor-
dinate and why it is so special and
critical in the entire scenario? Why it
is a weak-link in the whole scheme-of-
Engagement. What is the meaning of
‘organization’ for a subordinate?
Let me bring you straight to the point
by giving you one example. If a newly-
wed female notices that her husband
is not a good person, however all oth-
er family members are good. There is
absolutely no problem with the family;
however the person with whom she
has to risk her rest of the life is not
the person she has expected for. Will
her marriage be a successful one?
What is more important for her, the
family or the husband? Well, we all
know the answer… Let us also change
the scenario in this example. The hus-
band is good and the family is not so
good. Yes she will certainly stay with
her husband. Similarly, for any subor-
dinate, his company is represented by
his Superior. As any female will stay
with a good husband with not so good
family because he is the most impact-
ing factor in her world. Similarly,
superior is the most impacting factory
for subordinate - this is the most criti-
cal link for keeping our employees
engaged, as superior-subordinate rela-
tionship is capable of destroying all
the other positive factors existing in
the company.
So the natural question is who is a
good Superior. This should not be a
difficult question. Just scroll back
your memory little bit and names of
good superiors, will appear on your
screen that have influenced you posi-
tively. Why are you thinking him as a
good Superior, what is so special
about him? Start getting 2-3 character-
istics of that good Superior. You will
most certainly find one these adjec-
tives such as a) Caring, b) Impartial, c)
Invested-his-time and Took-efforts-to-
develop-you, 4) Open & Transparent,
5) Sensitive and was knowing you very
well, 6) Supportive, 7) Demanding
and Utilized your potential, etc. You
will actually tag him as ‘he is more
friend than a Superior for you’. You
will also agree with me that you must
have worked more passionately with
him than other Superiors; you worked
more hard for him and have contrib-
uted more to his success than any
other of your Superiors. You were very
happy to work with him than any oth-
er Superiors and worked even on holi-
days and extra-hours. It is also most
certainly that you are still in touch
with each other even though today
you both are not working in the same
organization. This is Engagement -
this is Giving more than 100% will-
ingly – this is the real connect.
There are following essentials for hav-
ing extraordinary superior-subordinate
relationship to have Engaged Employ-
ees:
 Expand the circle beyond
work:
Page 15
Importance of Superior-Subordinate Relationship in Employee Engagement
Newsletter—Horizon
TM Sanjay Kulkarani
Continue...

16. Page 16 Newsletter—Horizon
The relationship between
two humans cannot be me-
chanical or just official. Su-
perior has to give human-
touch to their relationship.
Because of his stature, he has
to initiate this process and
he is generally in a position
to take this relationship to a
higher level. Understand
subordinate: It is the duty of
any superior to know his
subordinate, his personal
and family background, his
pain areas beyond work, his
preferences, his likes and
dislikes, what are his circum-
ferences and where is
he coming from. He
should be familiar
with his wants and
haves. Superior
should make efforts
to understand his
subordinate. This
equally gives a supe-
rior a platform to
express his own ex-
pectations, his
boundaries and the
environment where-
in the work takes
place.
 Invest time in subordinate’s
development:
Development is a natural
process and so everybody
wants to develop. It is the
duty of superior to ensure
that his team members are
progressed in a right man-
ner; he should accelerate
their development process
with proper inputs. He is in
the most advantageous posi-
tion to give right inputs. He
knows exactly what the short-
comings and which are the
areas which need improve-
ments first. Superior needs
to invest his time with his
team, talk about what is hap-
pening, listen, empathize and
include. Inclusiveness builds
trust and fosters collabora-
tion. This feeling is very in-
spiring and increases produc-
tivity. When trust is low,
efficiency breaks down and
cost goes up as people waste
time and efforts in protect-
ing themselves. The superior
needs to give timely feedback
and this is what spending
time with subordinate is all
about.
 Build Trust and Foster Collab-
oration:
Trust is most important and
if you win the trust then you
are the real good superior.
How can you win the trust of
your subordinate? You have
to be sensitive, you have to
be impartial and show open-
ness & transparency in every-
thing you do and you don’t
do. You need to be a person
of high character. You need
not tolerate wrong things but
you have to be assertive. You
help your subordinate to be
a better professional, give
them opportunity to excel,
provide them platform to
exhibit their talent. If you
connect with your subordi-
nate very well, that’s it. You
can win his trust. Once you
win his trust, he will work
harder for you. He will give
more than his potential.
 Recognize him at appropriate
time:
Recognition is one of the
important factors in the en-
gagement space. Timing of
recognition is vital. It is
more important than how
you recognize. Recognizing
on the spot in front of his
team-mates is more im-
portant than how much
money you gave. Recogni-
tion consists of ignition – it
literally ignites the person’s
potential, it makes him
young and feels proud.
Hence do not underesti-
mate the power of recog-
nition. Channelize this
power in a right direc-
tion and in a proper way.
The above mentioned
genuine efforts by superi-
or towards his subordi-
nates work as wonder as
they connect heart and
mind of subordinate and
inspire him to put his
maximum efforts. He
gets completely immersed into making
his role as most impacting role and
supports the function whole-
heartedly. He channelizes his energies
for making positive impact to the or-
ganization. He feels valued because
his suggestions and opinions are taken
into consideration. Because of the
clarity and good communications, he
knows the limitations of his superior
as well as his own hence he is not
making any over-expectations. Gener-
ally the over-expectation from both
sides makes the game dirty. He starts
enjoying the work, he gives his Best;
he gives his more than 100%
…..WILLINGLY.

17. Page 17
THE INTERVIEW
Newsletter—Horizon
Let's meet a member of our club, TM Niyanand Patil who travels from Jalgaon to Pune to attend TM meetings. He has
been interviewed for his burst of exuberance..

18. Page 18
Mentor — Mentee Relationship
Newsletter– Horizon
TM Sagar Raut
I, Sagar Raut, work in a rubber company as supervisor. I was educated in a rural
area. I had no confidence about public speaking and daring on the stage. I
joined Toastmasters Club of Pune Northeast in December 2014. Thanks to
the valuable guidance and instructions from my mentor, I am fully confident
now and progressing successfully.
The mentor-mentee roles are ideally like that of the guru and disciple. A men-
tor is a friend as well as a teacher and advisor. For a rewarding relationship, it
helps to have a clear understanding of the roles. Mentors take a personal interest
in their Mentees; they serve as role models, coaches, and confidantes. They
share knowledge, insight, perspective and/or wisdom and ongoing support. A
mentoring program offers many benefits to both new and experienced club
members.
Some noteworthy tips: Read books, listen to English news, try to speak to peo-
ple, discuss and organize speeches, listen to one’s practice speeches, and use
constructive feedback from speech evaluations.
It inspires me to continue to improve and achieve my goals. Now I am privi-
leged to be mentoring other members.
TM C Senthil Kumaran
The first mail I received from my club president TM Nitesh was regarding
a mentor being allotted for me. “Mentor” as I vaguely remember was the
tutor of Telemachus, son of Odysseus, so I was waiting to meet this charac-
ter from Greek mythology. Then I met this wonderful lady TM Amzathun
Nasreen.
Nasreen is verbal GMAT trainer. She has been my mentor since I joined
Toastmasters. I thought I knew what being a leader meant, with more than
13 years in the military, but Nasreen taught me that leadership requires
vision, reassurance and wisdom. She demonstrates these attributes through
genuine caring for others, motivating them to reach their potential in
Toastmasters and in life. She is by far the best mentor I have ever had.
For the last 3 months, Nasreen has proved to me that mentoring is the
hallmark of success in Toastmasters program. I have largely benefited from
her unique brand of knowledge, insight, perspective and wisdom.
Then I get this mail from the club president regarding two mentees being
allotted to me. I feel blessed to be a key link in club where I am being men-
tored and I also mentor somebody. The power of toastmasters club is un-
folding in front of me, where you compete with you and you alone.
Here is what our members have to say on their experiences as mentees at our club:

19.  Create a parallel between dis-
trict leadership and leadership
in the corporate and volunteer
sectors.
 Reflect the level of leadership
required in each position.
The updated titles will apply to the
elected and/or appointed district lead-
er positions for the 2015-2016 pro-
gram year. Leaders holding district
roles prior to July 1, 2015, will retain
their current titles.
This change is a positive step for
Toastmasters International and is in
alignment with the organization’s
strategic plan objective to modernize
the programs with a renewed focus on
leadership.
At its February meeting the Board of
Directors decided (meeting minutes)
on new district leader titles that will
take effect on July 1, 2015, when the
incoming district leaders assume their
new leadership roles. They will be the
first generation of leaders to carry the
new and contemporary district leader
titles.
This decision to modernize the district
leader titles was based on the findings
of a Board of Directors committee
studying the competencies required
for district leaders to successfully ful-
fill their roles. As a result of this study,
it became clear that titles needed to
evolve to better reflect their responsi-
bilities and real-world practice. The
new titles:
 Are more modern.
 Accurately reflect the focus and
responsibility of each role.
 Are more familiar to potential
members.
Page 19
NEW TITLES FOR DISTRICT LEADERS IN 2015
Newsletter—Horizon
Our club president TM Nitesh Agarwal has been elected for Division Director role for 2015-16.

20. Page 20
Club Album
Newsletter—Horizon

21. Symbiosis Law School
Viman Nagar, Near Airport
Pune-411014, India
Meeting Time: 6.50 to 8.30 pm
Tuesdays
https://www.facebook.com/TMCPNE
News Letter
Editor-in-chief: A. Nasreen
Sadanand Konchady
Swapnil Bhagat
Subramaniam Ramasubramanian
Suyash Agarwal
Suraj Deo Singh
Editorial team
“If you can speak, you can influence. If you can
influence, you can change lives.”