Know your Abilities & Pursue your dreams
Interviewed by: Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi
Ali Alfarai is a self-made brand. He is an attestation of the magnitude of dreaming big. From a humble beginning in 1997 as a technician in an Oil and Gas company, his second station was a training coordinator for a mere two years. However, his inner cursor has always whispered to him that it is time to kiss the ‘Day-Job-Club’ goodbye. Ultimately he listened to his heart and let his passion drift him a way to plant a seed that has sprouted out and blossomed to make him the founder of “Promind Training & Development”.
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| TM Ali Alfarai |
OTAC 2012 was his ticket to fame. He returned home with two trophies in his hands, as a result of winning the first place in both the international speech contest and the humorous speech contest. Such winning qualified him to represent the division and compete at the District Toastmasters Annual convention (DTAC-2012).
Ali might have not returned home with trophies from Bahrain but the personal growth such exposure has added to his life is unmatched.
In an exclusive interview with “let us talk” he opened his heart, revealed his aspirations and shared the valuable lessons learned. A member of both Morrison Muscat Toastmasters and New Tracks Toastmasters our conversation with him shed light on the following aspects:
· I learned the skills of the real speaker that is the ability to excite, inspire and motivate people.
· Contesting against the cream of the crops is a different ball game.
· Every time I win in a certain level, I become responsible for that level.
· Be prepared, be prepared & be prepared. You never know what’s waiting for you there.
· A good speaker is a good human with a positive message.
· We all need to work together as a team because we are all under the same umbrella.
· It is YOU and Only YOU who knows your abilities and you can take it as far as your beliefs can take you. So, believe in yourself.
When did you join Toastmasters and why?
April 2010, that’s when I gave my first speech ‘The Ice Breaker’. I always wanted to become a public speaker but never had a proper training, so I started asking about where to learn the skills and a friend suggested Toastmasters. I never heard about it before at that time so I looked around and found few clubs but they were all private, until I found ‘Morison Muscat’. I attended as a guest and loved it so I joined immediately.
You are already a trainer what did toastmasters add to you?
I learned the skills of the real speaker. When I look back far before I joined Toastmasters, I was fine as a normal speaker but didn’t have the ability to excite, inspire and motivate people. But Toastmaster taught me more than that. The ability to connect with your audience and captivate their attention is something uplifting.
What about your participation in contests at the Clubs and area level?
I joined last year in Humorous speech contest. That was my first participation and I won the third prize.
This year I decided to participate in both Humorous and International speech contests and my aim was to reach to the Convention in USA this year but maybe I needed to be well prepared because there are so many hungry champions out there who want win the accolade and earn the recognition and snatch the glory. Contesting against the cream of the crops is a different ball game.
You were the star of OTAC in 2012 what did winning mean to you?
Responsibility. Yes that’s what winning meant to me. Every time I win in a certain level, I become responsible for that level. When I won OTAC, I felt it was my responsibility to represent All Oman’s Toastmasters clubs in the right way.
What Lessons did you learn at DTAC 2012?
Be prepared, Be prepared & BE PREPARED. You never know what’s waiting for you there. Because remember, your opponent came for the same purpose. And don’t be over-confident.
In addition, DTAC was not just about the contest. It was more than that. You get to meet, mix and mingle with different people who share the same interests.
What is the makeup of a good speaker?
A good human with a positive message.
What is in your toastmasters agenda this year?
As usual, try to become a better speaker and learn more about the secrets of a great speaker
What do you expect from the Division this year?
I believe the division is growing up and more ideas are coming up, so I can’t expect anything but a great work that will be seen by the division. However, I think we all need to work together as a team because we are all under the same umbrella.
Last word
Thank you for this opportunity. It is a commendable way for the division to connect with its Toastmasters, listen to them and enable them to share their experience. Such gesture no doubt will enhance wider networking among the Toastmasters members. Let me wrap up with these lines.
“If you want to achieve your dream, you better start working on it right away. And never let any negative voice enter your mind. It is YOU and Only YOU who knows your abilities and you can take it as far as your beliefs can take you. So, Believe in yourself” ~ Ali Alfarai
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