Have You Ever Been To A Toastmaster's Ovation?

~ From the Days of a South Asian Girl

Nethmi Muthugala

and

Yasasmi

Jun 15, 2022

Dear friends, today, I am going to talk about my first time experience as a toastmaster in D82- OVATION 2022.

🗣 So Toastmasters, huh? 😐

I joined toastmasters in the year 2019, December as a guest. I officially became a member of Toastmaster international on the 19th of February 2020 after joining Lions Toastmasters Club (Area 4, Division A, District 82).

Toastmasters International - — Image Credit: Toastmaster International

I will not say why I joined Toastmasters, because that’s gonna be a pretty big story, that I am dying to share with you on another day.

But to pique your curiosity, I will say this. If you feel like you want to try out toastmasters or if people around you, asking you to join toastmasters, just pick a good club in your region or area through social media (because if a toastmasters club is maintaining a good social media feed or an active feed, that means they do function actively as a club) and drop them a message asking about their next meeting date and time. If you think you can attend, please do attend and see if this works for you.

If you think, “alright, this is my cup of tea”, and if you are ready to take up the challenge, go for it because toastmasters can give you hope, and it will help you find the true purpose of your life.

🎉D82 OVATION?🍾

Ovations happen in all the toastmaster districts, annually. Sri Lanka and the Maldives altogether form one district, which is District 82 (Just like in Interact, Rotaract, or other international organizations.)

Toastmasters’ ovation is usually a black-tie event. Men wear tuxedos, and women shouldn’t wear “floor-length gowns”, just like we see in other black-tie events. Men and women both should wear anything which looks formal. Since this is in Sri Lanka, many women wear beautiful dark-colored sarees as well, which sounds good and fine.

Toastmasters International- D82 Ovation 2022 — Opening Ceremony ~Image Credit: Ovation 2022

The Ovation is a glitzy and opulent event. Everything has been meticulously prepared and is beautifully themed. The decorations, cuisine, and technology used to make this event a complete success are all things that should not be overlooked.

An ovation goes on for 3 days.

Day 1:

Normally starts at 5 pm and goes on until 10-11 pm.
The opening ceremony happens on Day 1 (obviously)
Toastmasters from various toastmasters clubs meet their friends from other clubs for the first time in a year.
So Day 1 is the beginning of 3 happy; exciting days.

Day 2:

Usually starts in the morning, and goes up until midnight (because of the DJ night/ fun night)
Throughout the day, there are various keynote speeches done by the professionals in the field, entertainment items, and the award ceremony.
The DJ night/Fun night starts at 7 pm. The dress code is party wear/ cocktail attire. However, this is literally a DJ night. So wear something comfortable and nice, so you can dance like crazy.

Day 3:

A slightly boring and a very sad day (because the ovation is ending).
There are keynote speeches and entertainment items.
More importantly, they present awards for the International Speech Contest District's top 3. Before presenting the awards, they show the speeches of the top 3 talented contestants in District 82 on the big screen. And that’s a big moment for all 3 winners, their mentors, and the juniors like me who’d love to see myself on that big screen, one day.
They give more awards to the district directors, divisional directors and area directors, and the individuals who have shown flying colors throughout the past year.
District Officer installation
Vote of thanks

🌐 Why you should go to a Toastmaster’s Ovation?🥂

It is the ultimate networking event of the year. This is not a university alumnus gathering, a company retreat, or a MUN conference. People do toastmasters because of various reasons. Some do it because they enjoy it, some do it to build their communication and speaking skills, and some do it to expand their society. But the only similarity of all the attendees is that they are toastmasters. Apart from that, they could be doctors, CEO s, engineers, lawyers, professors, computer scientists, etc. The niche is big. Therefore, the connections you can make by networking are bigger.
A few leaders (DTM Balraj Arunasalam: Toastmasters’ 2017–2018 International President, DTM Viruli De Silva) in the district and the chief guest (DTM Gauri Seshadri: International Director for the region no.13) are chatting~ Image Credit: Ovation 2022
This is a pool of opportunities. You can meet outstanding speakers and contestants and talk to them, get many tips as you can to develop your speeches, or You can find a qualified mentor who can assist and advise you on your toastmasters’ adventure.
The first ovation is gonna be a life-changing experience for any toastmaster. So don’t stay till you grow old, to go to a toastmasters’ ovation. Once you see the number of awards they give, and the number of awards you can win, you will definitely work hard to win an award in the next ovation ceremony.
Image Credit: Ovation 2022

🏅 What did “I” do at my very 1st Ovation?👩‍💼

Honestly, I wasn’t planning to go to the ovation this time. Because of various reasons, but more importantly, I didn’t know what to do or what to expect from an ovation. But the day before the deadline to pay and register, a considerable number of people asked me whether I was attending, and that kinda made me want to go.
Before attending the big event, I did some small research about the event (i.e: the dress code, the venue, the agenda, and I even checked the photos of the past events to get a clear understanding of this event.)
Since this was my first time, I wanted to observe the whole event, how it functions, the attendees, and the leading toastmaster clubs.
One thing I love about this ovation is that you can talk to anybody and become toastmaster buddies. You don’t need to be shy or scared to approach other leading speakers or mentors. We even had a casual chat with the chief guest as well. And I really enjoyed it.
The fun night is super-duper fun, because of the DJ. So just wear something nice and comfortable.
The meal breaks are one of the best times to network. So try to meet other toastmasters during meal time. Don’t give a high priority to food.. LOL 😂.
I was planning to take so many photos, but I couldn’t. So I don’t have much to post. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t take a photo with Dananjaya Hettiarachchi - The World Champion of Public Speaking 2014 😁🎉

Dananjaya Hettiarachchi - I see something in you — Taking a photo with the champ is truly an unforgettable moment for my friend(who took the photo) and for me.

🙌 Last but not Least 😇

If you're a toastmaster and haven't experienced an ovation yet, you haven't yet discovered the most fascinating aspect of being a toastmaster.

🔴 The ovation ticket is a tad costly. However, the quality of the experience outweighs the cost. And the price of the ticket may increase every year, and it totally depends upon the economy of the country 😅.

Anyhoo, I urge you to go to the next ovation, because you deserve to witness that grand event.

If you're a student who doesn't want to bother your parents by asking for money, start collecting money ahead of time.
If you feel like you can’t go to the ovation without a friend or a person you know, then persuade your club members to join the ovation next time. Because, as far as I have realized, the number of people from a club, that join the ovation demonstrates how strong that club is.