September 20, 2025
Being the third President of Giza Toastmasters Club
On the first of July 2024, I have been appointed the President of the Giza Toastmasters Club by unanimous voting and nomination from the first president Nizaar Abdelkader and the second president Soha Kotb. I was very flattered and at the same time extremely nervous. The president has to stand at the beginning of every meeting and talk with the members and guests. The president has to be charismatic and presentable at every event and in every situation. How will I deal with the former presidents? Will they respect my authority? Will they allow me to take their place with no problems?
I remember when I first attended a toastmasters meeting. It was even before the Giza Club has been officiated. I learned a valuable lesson. Courage is not just to be able to face your fears, it is to acknowledge your vulnerabilities and imperfections and face the world without feeling the need to hide them. This is a tenet that I have espoused through my journey with Toastmasters.
It was not the fantastic story like you see in the movies where I inspired and left everbody in awe and amazement. Also, it was not all bad. I learned how to be OK with myself while facing people. I learned how to deal with opposition while in a meeting. The most important thing I learned is that the leader would never feel that he is a charismatic leader. Even though the Vice President for public relations made a very nice post about me. This is just a mirage people far away from the process might see. In reality what keeps us going is the vision and the ability to make every single decision at every moment to be inline with this vision.
