District Toastmasters Annual Conference (DTAC 2019) in Dubai

Parmita Debnath, Manager – Strategic Projects (Academic and Professional Development – Executive MBA) and Manager – Quality Assurance (Dubai Campus) at SP Jain School of Global Management, shares her experience of being a part of the District Toastmasters Annual Conference (DTAC 2019) in Dubai.

It was a great privilege and honour to attend and be a part of the prestigious District Toastmasters Annual Conference (DTAC 2019) yet again this year. The conference included four regions – UAE, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon – and was held in Dubai from April 25-27, 2019. The event was attended by around 700 delegates.

It was a wonderful learning experience to witness the International Public Speaking Contest and the outstanding winners across the four regions. The ‘World Champions in Public Speaking’ are undoubtedly created here in this challenging and supportive forum.

The Conference highlights included three prodigious Workshops conducted by renowned personalities such as: 

• Richard Dean – A journalist, broadcaster and public speaker based in Dubai, he presents the UAE’s leading current affairs radio show, The Business Breakfast, on Dubai Eye 103.8 FM
• Amal Murad – The first Emirati woman to coach and compete in Parkour or free running
• Mikolaj Zeilinski – The one among the world’s first 100 to get selected for ‘Mission to Mars’

Their incredible experiences in their respective fields were inspirational.

Over the past 2.5 years of our Toastmasters journey, weaving through the TMIs Core Values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence, has immensely blessed us as Team SP Jain Toastmasters Club, Dubai. We have had many satisfying moments as we continue to refine our public speaking and leadership roles and go through the many ‘hoops’ of the myriads of opportunities this learning platform provides.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Nitish Jain (President – SP Jain) for supporting Toastmasters from the outset. Furthermore, Dr Gary Stockport (Dean – Executive MBA, SP Jain), Lakshmi Raman (Registrar, SP Jain) and Prof Christopher Abraham (Professor and Head of Campus (Dubai)) for their continuous support. Thanks to all the Associates, too, who have played a role in making Toastmasters happen.

About the Author: Parmita Debnath

Parmita Debnath is the Manager – Strategic Projects (Academic and Professional Development – Executive MBA) and Manager – Quality Assurance (Dubai Campus) at SP Jain School of Global Management. She is a qualified Human Resources professional and holds over 10 years of extensive strategic HRM experience, specialising in areas like Learning and Development, Talent Management, Succession Planning, Executive Staffing, Performance Management / Coaching / Mentoring, High Potential Development and Change Management, working with different leading organisations including IBM India, SABMiller, Adi Ispat and DAMCO Logistics.

Parmita is a DBA Scholar at SP Jain and an MBA in HR and Marketing from Amity Business School, Noida, India. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Micro Biology followed by two Post Graduate Diplomas in Personnel Management and Public Relations. She is a Certified NLP Business Practitioner (ABNLP approved) and a Certified Associate Leadership and Executive Coach (ICF approved) apart from her various other Certifications.