"May the best speaker win."
And with that, anxious executives and aspiring middle managers prepare to step to the front of a narrow banquet hall on the second floor of an Abu Dhabi restaurant and deliver prepared speeches to a group of about 30 listeners. It is nerve-racking for many of the assembled, but that is the whole point — to master the elusive art of public speaking.
Unlike the protagonist in the Oscar favourite The King's Speech, the participants on this night will not engage in unconventional calisthenics or be encouraged to swear. It's all about practice.
According to the rules established by Toastmasters, the organisation behind this night's event, each speech must run for at least four-and-a-half minutes. Fall short or gab longer than seven-and-a-half minutes and the speaker is disqualified. At the five-minute mark, a green light will flash at the back of the room, followed by an amber warning at six minutes and a red flare at seven.
There are about 12,500 Toastmasters groups globally - 18 of them in Abu Dhabi. Each group sets its own monthly membership fees, although they typically include a one-off fee of US$16 (Dh58) to $20, plus $3 to $4.50 a month in global dues.
"It's basically for people who want to improve their communication skills," says Sujatha Parthasarathy, a regional banking executive who volunteers as president for one of the Abu Dhabi groups. "They learn by doing."
Almost any subject is fine to explore, except the big three: religion, sex and politics. Predictably, many business leaders tend to focus on the theme of success: fighting for it, achieving it, being remembered for it. One man, with dramatic flare, hid behind a cardboard tombstone and asked: "If you were to write your obituary today, how do you want to be remembered?"
Still, topics vary widely, ranging from the difference between solid and liquid soaps to a demonstration of how to bake a cake.
But the specific subject matter is irrelevant to the exercise.
"The point is, what is the purpose of that particular project and have you achieved that?" says Ms Parthasarathy.
Each meeting's "project," or task, centres on learning a specific skill such as getting to the point of a speech in an efficient but artful way, or making effective facial expressions. The wannabe baker's goal when he decided to prepare a cake? To showcase his ability to employ his body language successfully.
Tonight's event includes a couple of contests in which winners can go on to compete against regional, national and even international peers in what has been dubbed the "Olympics of oratory".
Yet for Ravi Moosad, a 33-year-old who consults with the Ministry of Finance in Abu Dhabi, there are simpler ambitions. He says he wants to beef up his public speaking skills to improve his project presentations and verbal status reports at work.
After delivering a moving speech, about how some of his personal failures were stepping stones toward success, Mr Moosad sat and listened to six other members as they provided him with feedback. They lavished plenty of praise, but also peppered him with helpful suggestions. Stop slouching your shoulders, for instance, and push out your chest to appear more confident. Another tip: Maintain eye contact with audience members even when you are trying to remember what comes next in a speech.
But there was a common thread in nearly all of the critiques, and that is what Mr Moosad says he aims to work on most.
"Adding more vocal variety," he says, showing a voice recorder where he stored all of his peers' comments. "I need to work on that."
nparmar@thenational.ae
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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Where%20the%20Crawdads%20Sing
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari