Introduction to the Project:

As Toastmasters Club members, it was noticed that: the membership consists of only those who could communicate by way of voice. Does one really need voice communication capability to engage an audience in a meaningful conversation; to be a Toastmaster? The clubs have more to do to become all-inclusive by way of opening doors to people with varying physical abilities. This project is a determined effort by the members of the IESL Toastmasters Club to Expand the Inclusiveness to those experiencing challenges in communicating by voice.

Project Significance:

A person who experiences challenges in communication by way of voice, would work in an establishment. Such person may experience challenges:

1. Having to make a presentation as a part of her/his job.

2. Not finding it feasible to have a sign language interpreter always at hand.

3. Needing a sign language interpreter will make one feel dependent on others, and adversely affect self-confidence, career growth, and so on.

4. Even when available, using a sign language interpreter may preclude use of:

1. rhetorical devices

2. body language

3. use of stage

and so on, that are needed to make the presentation more convincing and effective to the audience.

How can Toastmasters help differently able people who are intelligent, bursting with ideas, but finding it challenging to express by way of voice?

Examples from Other Sectors:

Paralympics demonstrates many good examples, such as, a person without both hands would accurately shoot an arrow using a bow! Also people without legs may run. Human capability is limitless!

Project Objective:

To inform persons experiencing challenges in communication by way of voice, how they could use techniques other than voice, to successfully deliver effective and engaging presentations, resulting in a meaningful conversation with the audience.

Project Launch:

The project was proposed to the IESL Toastmasters Club as a CC09 Persuade with Power speech at the educational meeting held on 14^th July 2017. Many members present expressed that the idea should be taken forward as a CSR project conducted by the Toastmaster Club. So, the search was launched to identify a suitable Candidate who experience challenges in communicating by way of voice.

The Candidate: Oshadi Dushmantha Palansooriya, an enterprising young person joined this project as the Candidate on 9^th August 2017. Having completely lost hearing at the age of 4½ years, and faced severe challenges in the family such as the demise of his beloved father at the age of 5, he has persevered to become an engineer, passing out from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Initial Project Meeting:

During the initial meetings focus was on identifying Oshadi’s needs, and expectations from this project. As an aspiring a young engineer, who was then pursuing the final year of studies at the University of Moratuwa, he had, firsthand, experienced challenges in making presentations required for his work. Oshadi’s expectations include overcoming his challenges of hearing and communicating by voice, to successfully serve as an Engineer and an Educator.

First Visit to the Club:

During the above initial meetings of the project, Oshadi was invited to:

Oshadi is such a persevering person, when invited as above, with no hesitation he wanted to make his first visit at the very next meeting, ready to deliver a speech!

Toastmasters Program promotes people to start their public speaking journey by speaking about themselves; do the ‘Ice Breaker’ speech about oneself. Oshadi having led a very exceptional and “role model” life overcoming physical and familial challenges, has a lot to share in this respect. It was, hence, decided that the speech should be about himself.

At IESL Toastmasters Club Educational Meeting 05 of 2017/18, held 14^th September 2017, Oshadi made his first visit, and did a presentation as well, as an endeavor to begin his journey of improving public speaking. Therein, he used a combination of slides projected on the screen, and writing on the whiteboard. On the whiteboard, Oshadi drew an inclined timeline, and indicated major life events along that. He pronounced his name by way of voice, however, almost everything else, he either showed by way of slides or wrote on the whiteboard.

Having witnessed the above presentation and valiant efforts, Toastmasters were really encouraged to work with Oshadi to improve his presentation skills!

Improvements to the Presentation:

Lots of improvements were brought in line with the techniques of the Toastmaster education program:

A presenter who is not using voice, can still use all techniques of the Toastmaster program other than Vocal Variety!

Toastmasters of the IESL TMC spent many long hours trying to bring in new ideas and improve the Oshadi’s presentation. A big challenge was that this pioneering effort had no prior examples to follow, hence the uncertainty whether we would be successful. It was with lots of expectations that Oshadi joined as the candidate. We did not want to disappoint him. Oshadi, nevertheless, is a very hard working person. His untiring efforts were a big contributor to project success.

The presentation was improved in line with each and every technique of the Toastmaster education program. Slideshow, flashcards and props were used. Oshadi began to feel confident and started using some voice too. Speech and Language Therapists Dr. Malka Jayathilake contributed by volunteering to improve his vocal expressions.

Presentation at the Toastmasters Divisional Conference:

Oshadi’s improved Ice Breaker was presented at District 82 Division E&J annual conference held on Sunday 25^th March 2018, at the Centre for Banking Studies, Sri Lanka. The time slot given to him was just before the lunch break. Oshadi took over the stage around 11.40 am, and in less than 10 minutes delivered his spell binding Ice Breaker, which finished before 11.50 am.

Audience response went way beyond a standing ovation. Not only ladies, grown men in the audience too cried with pouring tears. Emotions ran so high that people felt pain in their joints. Past 12.00 noon, people were hanging there discussing their experience and saying they cannot eat lunch; yes, Oshadi has given everyone a bellyful! An amateur video of Oshadi’s presentation is available at: https://youtu.be/ce8OAPdG7xY.

Presentation at CITC-10:

Going beyond the Ice Breaker, IESL Toastmasters decided to assist Oshadi in publishing his undergraduate research at an international conference. 10^th international conference ‘Construction in the 21^st Century’ (CITC-10), was held 2^nd to 4^th July 2018, at The Hilton Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was the 10^th in a series of conferences held worldwide since 2002. For details, please see:https://www.citcglobal.com. To this conference, Oshadi submitted his undergraduate research paper “Formation of Photocatalytic, Antibacterial and Self Cleaning TiO₂ Film on Tiles”, which was accepted.

A technical presentation was much different to an Ice Breaker, and gave many challenges to a team. Presenting technical content with limited use of voice was very challenging. Highly animated slideshow, flashcards, props, etc., were used in conjunction with every technique of the Toastmaster education program.

Conference organizers offered Oshadi extra time to make the presentation, however, Oshadi and the team at the IESL TMC declined it, because a differently abled person could and should work shoulder to with peers.

Please watch Oshadi’s presentation at the CITC-10 international conference at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=267WrZMmN9g. Please watch at the end of the video:

Delegates from every continent other than the Antarctica were present. They came up to the organizers and commented that they understood Oshadi’s presentation better than those made by people who did not experience challenges of speaking!

Direct Benefits of the Project:

1. A young professional, experiencing challenges in hearing and voice communication, learnt to engage audiences and have meaningful conversations; unaided by a sign language interpreter.

2. The Toastmasters working in this project got invaluable opportunities to reflect on their own nonverbal communications and improve.

3. The IESL TMC launched itself on a path of further expanding its inclusiveness.

Generalizable Benefits of the Project:

1. The results of the project could be utilized to train many other people experiencing challenges in hearing and voice communication, to engage audiences (who do not know sign languages) and have meaningful conversations. Oshadi being an active member of associations of hearing challenged persons, and committed to help others, there will be a head start in taking the benefits to others with similar needs.

2. A wider section of Toastmasters working on endeavors to train many other people experiencing challenges in hearing and voice communication, would get an invaluable opportunity to reflect on their own nonverbal communications and improve.

3. The experiences of the IESL TMC in this endeavor could be shared with other Toastmasters Clubs thus helping them expand their inclusiveness as well.

4. Enable Toastmasters International develop and conduct:

   1. ‘Special Needs Speechcraft Programs’

   2. ‘Special Needs Youth Leadership Programs’

   3. Develop Gavel Clubs at schools and institutions focusing on serving persons who experience challenges in communication by way of voice.

that will benefit many who experience challenges in communication by way of voice.

We need your support to take the Generalizable Benefits of the Project to a wider communities of persons in need.