| The All Island Best Speaker (AIBS) 2009 contest takes place today at the Cinnamon Grand hotel at 5.15 p.m.
It all began 20 years ago, when the Bartleet Group and the Colombo Toastmasters Club embarked on a journey to showcase the finest public speakers in the land. Celebrating its vicennial this year, AIBS has become synonymous with oratory at its best.
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| The Bartleet Group handed over the contest sponsorship recently at Bartleet House. From left to right: AIBS 2009 Committee members Nuwan Perera and. Nadeeka Jayathilaka, President, Colombo Toastmasters Club Yukthi Gunasekera, Chairman, Bartleet Group Eraj Wijesinghe, and Director, Bartleet Group Eshanth Wijesinghe. |
At the sponsorship handover ceremony held recently, Bartleet Group Chairman Eraj Wijesinghe observed, “The people of our country possess tremendous potential to be successful achievers. It is lack of effective communication skills that hold some back. This contest celebrates effective oral communication, thus it becomes a beacon to those who aspire to enhance their communication skills to join the Toastmasters movement and better themselves, and thereby the country. We are proud to have been a part of this transformation process for the past 20 years.”
President of the Colombo Toastmasters Club Yukthi Gunasekera explained that, “AIBS not only puts on stage some of the top communicators in Sri Lanka, it also highlights how Toastmasters builds self-confidence and personal growth in contestants through the speech contest process and the public speaking workshop held free of charge for all contestants. The position that AIBS enjoys in the country’s social calendar is well deserved: over the past 20 years we have been in the business of producing wholesome, articulate and valuable men and women for our country’s progress.”
AIBS 2009 takes place today at 5.15 p.m. at the Oak Room of Cinnamon Grand, Colombo. Tickets, priced at Rs. 200 each, are available at Keells Super outlets at Crescat Boulevard, Liberty Plaza, Union Place, Kohuwela, Nugegoda (High Level Road), Narahenpita, Mount Lavinia, and Wattala.
The Colombo Toastmasters Club
The Colombo Toastmasters Club’s proud motto is ‘Creating people of value for our nation’s progress’. The first Toastmasters Club to be founded in the South Asian Region, encompassing Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives, it counts among its alumni/members entrepreneur industrialist Mahesh Amalean, advertising giant the late Reggie Candappa, and public speaking guru Haleem Ghouse.
The Club has trained over 600 of its own members in public speaking and leadership skills. Its community outreach programmes – the Youth Leadership Programme and the Speech Craft Programme – have helped hone the communication and leadership skills of more than 1,500 high school students and corporate executives.
For more details see their web site: http://www.toastmasters.org/
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