The Best of Toastmasters East Africa (BOTEA17), came with much aplomb.
Hosted in Kigali, the hosts gave the East Africans a run for their
money. They were suave, hospitable and charitable. Lynda Nabayiinda, Immediate Past President of Kampala Toastmasters Club and Josh Tahinduka the CEO of BOTEA 17, share their personal journeys.
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| Stephano Kiyemba |
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| Christine Nabiryo and Viola Lutara |
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| Paul Kavuma |
As usual, when it's time to
travel outside my home town, my spirits soar. And the impending trip to
Rwanda-Kigali was no different. I looked forward to the road trip with 15 other
colleagues. We traveled at night and it proved to be a great decision. we
chatted all the way to the Katuna border. Imagine!. Fast forward, the first
activity once in Kigali was the panel discussion with 4 experienced
toastmasters as the panelists and an amazing audience mainly composed of Rwanda
youth who by the end of the 1 hour session were ready to become toastmasters.
The cocktail after the panel discussion too was a great opportunity to network
and make new friends from the 4 different countries that were represented.
What stood out most for me was
the number of contestants. Over 30!. The speeches were all of high quality
and showed a lot of preparation. Our 5 speakers from Uganda didn't disappoint;
well structured speeches with no pause fillers, the right dose of humor and of
course the expected punchy openings and conclusions. our contestants made it to
the semi-finals which was commendable. We would have loved to bring the trophy
home, but BOTEA 2018 is just a few months away. I can't wait.
Hoping once you read this, you
will take the first step and join a toastmasters club near you and become one
of the contestants for the next BOTEA.
Lynda Nabayiinda
Immediate Past President
Kampala Toastmasters Club
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| LYNDA N |
JOSH TAHINDUKA SHARES, BELOW
WHAT
WAS IT LIKE AS CEO?
The
experience of Hosting BOTEA in Rwanda is not one I will ever forget. We had 34
contestants all aiming for the Best speaker of 2017, probably the stiffest
completion BOTEA has ever had. Prior to BOTEA we had a panel discussion that
attracted over 150 professionals and Toastmasters in Kigali, the Rwandans
managed to share their stories through UMUGANDA with the rest of the brothers
and sisters in East Africa, we elected the leadership of the Territorials
Council, the list could go on.
FAVOURITE
MOMENTS?
As
an organizer, it is rather not easy to experience everything and later on chose
the best moments but for me, my best moment was at the start of each day when I
saw members streaming in from all over East Africa and Africa. It was
exhilarating seeing the people my team prepared a banquet for, attending even
beyond our expectations.
BIGGEST
CHALLENGES?
Ensuring
that we managed Time well.
YOUR
FAVOURITE SPEECH?
I
think all speakers I watched were great speakers and each had a unique message
for me so I would struggle to single out one.
LESSONS
FOR RWANDA
The
biggest lesson for Rwanda is there is much more potential in us than is tapped.
Many of us never knew that we would organize East Africa’s biggest public
speaking conference to that level of success. We experienced the beauty of
teamwork and for this I wish to acknowledge my team for the impeccable piece of
work.
IF
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, WOULD YOU HOST AGAIN?
Hosting
BOTEA was such an enriching experience for me and hopefully my team. In as much
as I am boldly sure that Rwanda as a country would jump on the opportunity to
host BOTEA, I would not be the CEO of the event. I would be selfish if I never
let another person learn the lessons like I did. I however will be ready to
host the Best of Toastmasters Africa!!
LESSONS
FOR NEXT YEAR
The
biggest lesson for next year is to start planning as early as possible. Please
remember that time will possibly fly by so ensure proper allocation of time to
each activity. This will prevent you from shocks. Finally, enjoy each part of
the journey as a precious learning opportunity but also a priceless chance to
serve other people.
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| Davis Tashobya, Richard Ssebaggala and Nora Matovu |
SEE YOU AT BOTEA 2018
Bukoto Toastmasters Club meets every first Tuesday of the month at
Alliance Francaise. We’re soon moving to our new premises.
Twitter: @BukotoTM1
Tel: +256 751 703226
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