Learn How To Get Your Point Across And More

Do you feel a little uneasy when you have to talk in front of people either in person or online? If the answer is yes, you will want to read this article.

Pictured above are Arun Menon (left) and Dr. Craig Karvala (right). Both are members of Toastmasters (TM). TM is an international, non-profit, educational organization whose primary mission is to help its members overcome the fear of public speaking and at the same time develop leadership skills. People who get “tongue-tied” or just want to be a better communicator come to us. TM has over 364,000 members, with over 16,200 local clubs in 145 countries.

Both Arun and Dr. Karvala are members of Lincoln-Way TM who meet in Frankfort, IL. Dr Karvala is also a member of Key City TM who meets in Kankakee, IL. Currently, due to COVID-19 precautions both clubs are meeting virtually.

TM rates all of its clubs in the areas of membership strength, members’ educational achievement and club administration. Lincoln-Way TM was rated a President’s Distinguished Club, for the second year in a row. This rating is the highest recognition that a club can receive. In the US, Lincoln-Way TM is among the top 5% of clubs. Arun and Dr. Karvala were big contributors in making this happen.

In college, Arun took a liking to public speaking. After he graduated, life got busy and he pursued other challenges. In 2012, he heard about Toastmasters as a place for developing one’s communication skills. He came to a few meetings as a guest. He was impressed how friendly everyone was, the meeting structure and instructions received on how to present one’s thoughts. He decided to join and has enjoyed every moment since.

In the past 12 months, Arun served as the club’s VP of Education. In this role, Arun’s goal is to engage members and encourage them to reach educational milestones both in public speaking and leading. Arun led by example by reaching 2 educational milestones himself.

Currently, Arun is involved with a career transition. By profession, Arun is a Purchasing/Supply Chain Professional. Like a lot of individuals, he lost his position. He is currently looking for the next opportunity.

Dr. Karvala is a chiropractor in Bourbonnais, IL. He joined Toastmasters in 2016. He wanted to improve his communication skills both one-on-one and in front of a group. Having better one-on-one communication skills enables him to speak to his patients, educate them on what their problem is and what it will take to rebuild their health. Having better group communication skills enables him to give dynamic health seminars/presentations.

In the past 12 months, Dr. Karvala served as a Division Director. He oversaw the operations of 15 local TM clubs. The past few months have been unsettling. Dr. Karvala had to assist several clubs in changing from in person meetings to virtual, online meetings which was a significant paradigm shift. Dr. Karvala also led by example by reaching 4 educational milestones. The last one becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster which is the highest educational level in TM.

Besides communication skills, Arun and Dr. Karvala share several other abilities they learned through TM such as:

• confidence
• effective listening
• how to structure a speech
• use of humor
• tactful evaluation of others
• how to help others reach their goals
• organizational prowess
• team collaboration
• how to delegate responsibilities
• time management

Toastmasters is open to all individuals 18 years or older. The membership cost is very nominal. There are multiple clubs through out the area. Due to COVID-19, you can stay at home and attend meetings virtually. Over time, in person meetings will resume. To find a club, go to: www.toastmasters.org and click on the ‘Find A Club’ option. You can also call Thad Gray at 708-769-7506.