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| The Coke toastmasters |
“Coca-Cola Sri Lanka believes in investing in its
people, so that they can be better leaders for tomorrow” said Kapila
Welmillage, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited, speaking
about the completion of another year for the Coca-Cola Toastmasters Club.
Established in 2011, The Coca-Cola Toastmasters Club is a coveted forum within
Coca-Cola Beverages to cultivate and empower talented employees into leaders of
tomorrow. “Our objective is to groom our employees to be potential
leaders through better communication skills, increased confidence and exposure
to various competitive situations” continued Kapila Welmillage. “The Club is a
dynamic forum that has nurtured some of the Company’s leaders over the years
and is a great way for personal and professional development that benefits not
just the employee but the Company as well.”
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| The Coke Toastmasters |
The Coca-Cola Toastmasters Club, presided over by
TM Shama Mithraratne, has 24 members who meet twice a month and is mentored by the
Country Human Resource Manager, TM Nilanthi Jayathileka. The Club, set up with
the objective of enhancing communication and leadership skills, provides
employees with various opportunities and
forums like discussions, debates, conferences and off-sites to enhance skills
and prepare for divisional competitions and conferences.
The Company organized a CCBSL Toastmasters
Inaugural event that involved a Speech Craft program in early 2013, post which
a competition for Impromptu Speeches was held to
choose two participants for the Area level Impromptu Speech Contest at the
CCBSL Technical Training Centre. The winners, TM Sandiya Shanmugam and TM
Maithree Attanayaka also participated in the Area H Impromptu Speech Contest
organized by the Area Governor. Other Toastmasters Clubs that participated were
BEPZ Toastmasters, SLIIT Toastmasters and Fusion Toastmasters. The topic of the
Area H Impromptu Speech Contest was “If life can be changed” and Coca-Cola’s Toastmasters
were place second.
“We are very happy to have been able to provide our
employees with these opportunities that add value to their personal and
professional development. We believe that strong communication skills offer a unique advantage in many workplace situations
and we take care to structure our programs so as to suit the needs of our
participants.” said Country Human Resource Manager, Nilanthi Jayathileka, who
is also the mentor of the Coca-Cola Toastmasters Club.
Coca-Cola in Sri Lanka has established numerous HR
processes to empower employees and provide them with opportunities to develop
their skills and talents within the company. In 2013, the Company won the Global
HR Excellence Awards – for Talent Management, the Global HR Excellence Awards -
Best Employer Brand, and the Global HR Excellence Awards - Outstanding
Contribution to the cause of Education at the World HRD Congress.
In
2014, the Company plans to develop more events as part of the Coca-Cola Toastmasters Club, inviting Toastmaster Veterans and other leaders to motivate
employees and help them in developing their personal brand.
About Toastmasters
Toastmasters International is a
non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership
skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in
Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization has more than 292,000
memberships in more than 14,350 clubs in 122 countries. Since 1924,
Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more
confident in front of an audience.
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