• The installation of the executive and extended executive committees for the KDU Toastmasters club 2025/2026

On 8 September at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Faculty of Graduate Studies celebrated dignity, grace and confidence with ‘Première’, the 13th KDU Toastmasters Club Officer Installation Ceremony.

This marks an important milestone for a community of KDU students who value the lifelong impact of skilled leadership and effective communication.

Toastmasters, an age-old global programme, empowers millions to communicate better and lead with confidence. The KDU Toastmasters Club welcomes members from both military and civilian backgrounds, and at this event inducted an impressive 46 new members while installing 14 officers for the year 2025/2026 – seven executives and seven extended executives.

‘Première’, which indicates a ‘first performance’, symbolises the first step the Toastmasters take as they embark on a personal and collective mission to enhance their communication and leadership skills. 

Guest of honour for the evening, Piyakara Jayaratne, spoke of the great honour and responsibility granted by this event, stating: “Membership in Toastmasters is a privilege that brings many rewards, but also a responsibility. You are now part of a vibrant community built on mutual support and shared success. You are now part of a team working together to achieve what none of us could accomplish alone. Your commitment includes striving for personal growth, supporting others and contributing to the success of our club.”

The takeaways from the evening were not limited to the new members, but enlightened the entire audience gathered – friends, family, honoured guests and past Toastmasters. The Daily Morning Brunch decided to share the lasting lessons learnt on community, wisdom, learning and leadership.

Mistakes, mistakes and mistakes again

Immediate Past President Rozanne Silva expanded on the evening’s theme, ‘Premiere’, explaining that she saw the event as “One beginning to another”, and reflected on her own experiences within the club. She shared not only the value of accepting our mistakes with humility, but having the courage to overcome them, and make more, perhaps different versions of the same blunders, until the result is satisfactory.

“Looking back to my beginning a year ago, I stood upon this very stage and said that my hope was simple. I wanted to keep this club a safe space, a space where we Toastmasters could stumble and make mistakes with grace and learn not just from our own journeys but from each other’s as well. So I made many mistakes and tried time and time again, as we all do, until we got it right, much like practising a speech.”

As a leader, Silva found strength not only within herself, but in the people she led as well, emphasising how a club, team or society functions not through one person but through its members. The Toastmasters club she built in the year 2024/2025 thus exceeded her vision, as members grew from each other’s stories and strengths, learning empathy and understanding for one another and also for themselves.

This highlights the importance of creating a community not built on censure, but quiet discipline and constructive growth.

Silva added: “Each day can be a premiere. You can start over as many times as it takes to get it right, just as we do with our speeches. Just make sure you start, and it will be great.”

Leading through care

Keynote speaker Dona Balasuriya put forth the impactful questions: “Do you see me? Do you hear me? Do you care for me?” diving into the concept of ‘to lead is to care’.  

“The answer does not lie in strategic reports or job titles,” Balasuriya continued. “It lies in communication, the tone of your voice, the consistency of your actions. So, ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to think about this. Think about the people you lead. Do they know you care? Do they see it in your actions? Do they hear it in your words? Do they feel it whenever you show up? Because if they do not, they will not follow your leadership.”

Balasuriya emphasised the qualities of a star leader that anyone can aspire to, regardless of their designated role, echoing Silva’s sentiments on how the community’s thriving measures leadership. Creating a culture of care was also highlighted as the key to effective leadership and a cohesive team spirit, even through hard times, so that morale is sustained and mutual respect is ensured.

Furthermore, when equality is prioritised above all else, members feel that they belong, identifying with the community’s shared purpose instead of being alienated. The selfless commitment of leadership, then, is not a one-way process, but is circular. Under a trusted leader’s efforts, a team prospers, leading to individual flourishing.

Balasuriya put this concisely, stating: “Leadership is about showing up for others. Leadership is about sacrificing yourself for the benefit of your team. Leadership is about caring for others irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, race, or even sexual orientation.”

Thus, the reiterated message is that leaders are often remembered by the people they lead, and with care as their armour and commitment as their second nature, they are bound to take their team and themselves to great heights.

Final remarks

What the Toastmasters programme promises, then, is not simply improvement in elocution – it is a quest for self-development that does not stop when stepping down from a stage or title. A learning experience is created and delivered through a pledge of honour and dedication, fostering effective communication and mutual appreciation for a community.

Première 2025 showed that mistakes can be made and strengths identified, provided care is ensured throughout. But what matters is casting aside fear and taking the first step on one’s journey to become a better individual. 

Balasuriya’s closing remark was yet another interrogation, leaving the evening’s lessons to resonate with all who were gathered: “So leaders, let me leave you with this question. When you lead, do you show up to care?”