Careers are made and broken on first impressions; emphasising the value placed on presenting oneself in public. In an attempt to provide further value addition to its members, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Sri Lanka Region, recently joined hands with Toastmasters International to charter the world's first CIM Toastmasters' Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Comprising of 26 Charter Members, the club is an innovation geared towards inculcating effective presentation skills across CIM membership.
Noting the need for better presentation skills, President of CIM Toastmasters' Club, Dayan D L Fernando stated: "We as professional marketers dream of making our brand the best. How are we judged?

Most of the time we will be judged on how we communicate our products and services to the world. In doing this, we have to communicate with many types of personalities and professions. This Toastmasters' Club will give you that muscle to achieve your dreams.

One may have all the knowledge and wisdom, but if they are unable to communicate accurately, their potential will be limited .Let us strive to be better speakers, better listeners and better communicators".
Shiraz Latiff, Chairman of CIM, Sri Lanka Region commented: "CIM endeavours to instil and improve not only the marketing and management skills of our members but also the soft-skills needed to succeed in the corporate world. Our initiative to launch the Toastmasters' Club for CIM members was to give our members an opportunity to improve their self confidence and public speaking skills so that they will be well rounded individuals in the corporate world."

Chief Guest, Dr. Uditha Liyanage, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) and a Past Chairman of CIM, Sri Lanka Region, revealed his "5Ss" of speaking to the audience. Toastmaster Arunasalam Balraj, District Governor of District 82 was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony which was also attended by many senior Toastmasters. Toastmaster Sunil De Silva, President of Serendib Toastmasters' Club, the sponsoring club to CIM Toastmasters' Club was also felicitated at the ceremony for his contribution towards chartering the club.

Toastmasters International has spent the last 83 years helping people all over the world become more confident before audiences large and small. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the non-profit educational association has 220,000 members in 90 countries. For more information and to find a meeting near you, visit www.toastmasters.org

The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world's largest and most prestigious professional body for marketing present in over 80 countries around the world. CIM Sri Lanka Region is the first CIM International Region and largest CIM body outside UK. For the fourth consecutive year, CIM Sri Lanka Region was awarded the "Best Region Award" at the CIM International Chairmen's Conference - 2008 in recognition of the excellent contribution towards creating value to its membership and local community.