Black Swan March 2015
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Black Swan March 2015The Newsletter of Toastmasters District 17Editor: Judith Allen
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Editorial
If there is a theme to this month’s contributions, then it would have to be “Variety”. As well as our regular reports from our District Leaders, articles cover the latest on “in” words and phrases, the challenges of organising contests, developing effective relationships and a new club with an intriguing name.
Future events get a mention too, with a special “Roastmasters” club meeting, the latest on the Gold Fever Convention and the next round of District workshops, a must-read.
Judith Allen Black Swan Editor
Back to Menu
District Governor Report
March Toward Our Goals
Hasn’t March been an extremely busy month in Toastmasters? We have held many club, area and division contests, April renewals and new clubs being chartered in our district.
Congratulations to every participant, official and member of the audience at every contest. Without all of your combined energy these contests would not have happened, nor would they have been as successful as they all turned out to be. Our finalists for the District contests to be held in Kalgoorlie over the long weekend of May 30 to June 1 have been decided and preparations are being made to have the best of the best compete for district champion status. I think each contest will be sensational!
You probably have paid your April dues to your club and club officers have paid many renewals to Toastmasters International. I urge you to continue to submit dues as each membership payment helps your club march toward the goal of Distinguished Club or better and helps our District march toward our goal of President’s Distinguished District. With all the renewals being paid, we have seen a huge jump in our membership payments during March and as I write this, we are currently sitting as 2nd in our region for paid clubs and 1st in our region for membership payments. This is sensational! A great achievement indeed, however we still need to be diligent in continuing to process payments in order to maintain this status. The graph and table below show how we are marching toward our goal.
| District Goal (to be distinguished) |
Actual to date |
Year's goal |
Needs more |
Percent complete |
Rank in world |
Percentile in world |
Rank in region |
|
| Paid clubs | 77 | 78 | 1 | 98.7% | 29 | 71.1% | 2 | |
| Mem payments | 2958 | 3376 | 418 | 87.6% | 14 | 86.6% | 1 | |
| Dist. clubs | 0 | 30 | 30 | 0.0% | NYA | 0% | NYA | |
You will notice that at this stage we have 0 distinguished clubs, according to this table. That is because distinguished clubs are not recognised until after all April dues are recorded at WHQ. Then once clubs have achieved the DCP goals as well as the membership requirement, they are awarded distinguished or better status. I am confident we will meet our goal of 38 clubs distinguished or better. At the moment we have 26 clubs showing 5+ DCP goals earned and 20+ or +5 members. We call these clubs provisionally distinguished. Of course this will probably change once renewals are finalised so continue to march toward your goal for this Toastmasters year which may well help your club achieve Distinguished or better and our district achieve our goal. Together we can do it!
I am so proud of the members who have worked so diligently to charter our newest 3 clubs. Charter paperwork had been submitted in the last week of March and I welcome to our district; Kwinana Toastmasters, Jacobs Perth Toastmasters and PwC Perth Toastmasters. May you all prosper in the Toastmasters program and I look forward to serving you as you head off into the next step of your journey. I encourage you to march toward your own personal goals as well as extending your contact with other clubs and district events outside your own club. This will enrich your journey so much more as well as your growth.
Below you will see our District 17 Balloon Banner proudly showing our progress. I expect the information above to help you to understand our banner.
It is exciting to see more new clubs marching toward their goal of chartering as well. Keep up your effort because I know the end result is so worth every challenge and that is when you learn and grow the most. I hope to be presenting many new banners at our convention in May.
Some clubs have had a challenging year and I know much effort has gone into maintaining these clubs. Every club is important to me and I have watched the effort by many members, sometimes not even from the club concerned but sister clubs, to help build membership, find new venues and support fragile club environments. Congratulations to those now beginning to see results. This is an extremely arduous and sometimes thankless task. I want you to know that I appreciate your dedication and tenacity to see a significant result for those members, clubs and our district. For some clubs there is still work to be done. Continue wholeheartedly marching toward your goal and I will support you in every way I can. It is my goal to leave each club and the entire district in a stronger position on June 30, 2015 than it was in on July 1, 2014. We can only achieve this if every club is stronger.
As we head into the last quarter of this Toastmasters year, I congratulate all of our members on a wonderful year so far and look forward to us all being so proud of a job well done. Continue to march toward your own personal goals, then inevitably your club and our district will achieve our goals. Let’s Aim for the Sky by Building and Strengthening!
Robyn Richards DTM
District 17 Governor 2014-2015
Verbivores Toastmasters Club
Verbivores…not such a strange name for a Toastmasters Club when you think about it, especially given our emphasis on mastery of language and communication; and inclusion of sustenance to ensure that the experience is even more pleasurable.
But, I have to confess, this is a club with a difference.
Verbivores seeks to provide a safe, pro- active environment for those concerned with the injustices currently inherent within our society, and by adopting the Toastmasters International pathway to Communication and Leadership, endeavours to give support, encouragement, and skills to those who seek to be a voice for change.
We recognise that we live in times of turbulence, inequality and dysfunction. Despite so called progress there remain many strands of injustice, which include human and non-human, issues. Those with a strong moral conscience often feel powerless and despairing, and often perceive they lack the means to communicate their thoughts and ideas in purposeful ways that will lead to change.
With our motto: Now is the time for change…we’re the ones we have been waiting for, I wonder, is that you, too?
We need people who will speak out, for their own peace of mind, and on behalf of those who can’t.
VERBIVORES Toastmasters Club will strive to be a place where leaders are made and voices are heard.
This monthly gourmet club meets on the third Saturday of the month, 12.15pm for a 12.30pm start, at a lovely, relaxed Swan Valley Café, 990 Great Northern Highway, Millendon, in the Swan Valley.
For more information please feel free to contact me at pests@skymesh.com.au
Peta Rakela
VPE Verbivores
Play Well With Others: Develop Effective Relationships
You can submarine your career, work, and personal relationships by the actions you take and the behaviours you exhibit. No matter your education, your experience, or your title, if you can't play well with others, you will never accomplish your mission.
Effective relationships form the cornerstone for success and satisfaction! Effective relationships form the basis for goal accomplishment, personal and professional satisfaction, and create inspiring club meetings.
These are some ways you can play well with others. They form the basis for effective relationships. These are the actions you want to take to create a positive, empowering, motivational environment for individuals, team members, anyone with whom you form, or need to form, a relationship.
- Don't ever play the blame game. You alienate people and earn enemies. Identifying and blaming others for failures will earn enemies, who in turn will help you to fail. You do need allies.
- Your verbal and nonverbal communication matters. Whenever possible substitute I for We or Us. Don’t talk down to people.
- Keep your commitments. In an organisation, tasks are interconnected. If you fail to meet deadlines and commitments, you affect the work of other members. Always keep commitments, and if you can't, make sure all affected people know what happened. Provide a new due date and make every possible effort to honour the new deadline.
- Share credit for accomplishments, ideas, and contributions. How often do you accomplish a goal or complete a project with no help from others? Take the time, and expend the energy, to thank, reward, recognise, and specify contributions of the people who help you succeed. This is a no-fail approach to building effective relationships.
- Help others to find their greatness. Every member in the organisation has talents, skills, and experience. If you can help fellow members harness their best abilities, you benefit the organisation and every member immeasurably.
If you regularly carry out these actions, you will play well with others and develop effective relationships. You will be valued as a contributing, committed member. You may even experience fun, recognition, and personal motivation. Toastmasters can't get any better than that.
I have signed up for training commitments so this will be my last article for the foreseeable future.
I have enjoyed sharing ideas, thoughts, and some creative thinking. Thank you to those of you who read the articles. I hope some small gems of wisdom have reignited your goals to succeed and to grow.
Marlene Ward DTM
TLI Training Group
“PRESS RELEASE”
"Getting to the Goldfields for 2015 Gold Fever Toastmasters Convention"
"TransWA” have now released a special discounted fare on The Prospector train for Group Bookings for Toastmasters and their partners to get to the 2015 Gold Fever Toastmasters Convention
Toastmasters 2015 Convention Discount Price - $158.55 Return
For a Group Booking Discount - Need minimum 10 full paying fares
Pension/Student/Health Care Card - $85.50 Return
(Normal Full Fare - $171.00 Return)
Transwa will put all Toastmasters together.
Two trains Perth to Kalgoorlie - on Friday 29th May
Two trains Kalgoorlie to Perth – on Monday 1st June
"Get together with fellow members in your club or area and organise a group booking (min 10) by contacting TransWA."
Can pencil bookings now - need approximate numbers now – names & payment by
24th April 2015
Contact -"Transwa” Bindu Raj –(08) 93263270 - groupbooking.transwa@pta.wa.gov.au
Ivan Henderson
2015 Gold Fever District 17 Convention
Organizing Committee
Tel (08) 90229395
Mob: 0456 098 022
Email ivadawnh@iinet.net.au
“Roastmasters"
Northern Gourmet Toastmasters Club meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Kingsley Tavern. We like to have a lot of fun and push ourselves out of our comfort zone. We have a themed night every so often and on the 9th of April we are having a Roast Night.
It has nothing to do with what we will be served for dinner!!
We have six speakers will be doing The Roast project form the Special Occasion Speech manual.
In this project, a Toastmaster makes fun of another Toastmaster in a good natured way. It is a real skill to be able to Roast effectively and we have the permission from all those coming on the night so that they are prepared for a roasting.
At Northern Gourmet we thrive on feedback as that is what helps us grow as speakers. We have group evaluations, we use audio and video equipment, but most importantly we have lots of fun.
Come along to find out more about the club and be part of this fun night.
RSVP to toastmaster.lisa@gmail.com
Lisa Evans DTM
VPE Northern Gourmet Toastmasters
VPM TLI Training Group
Mob: 0438 902042
The Division Governors Breathe a Sigh of Relief
Contest Season is over “for now”. It has been a real challenge to comply with the Toastmaster contest rules in relation to judges.
At Club level all judges, except maybe the Area Governor as Chief Judge, generally all come from the club. This is a challenge for a club of 8 or 10 members where the contest requires 14 or 15 officials without considering how many club members are competing. It is very good to see the words “unless impractical” included in the rule book.
At Area level Area Governors had the challenge of getting equal judging representation from every club in the area. That task was difficult enough and accomplished with great success from my view.
When it comes to Division finals, needing equal representation from each area in the Division seemed to be a very good fit. Add the complication that “no judge shall be a member of any club in which a contestant is a member” and it changes the position of the goal posts, because some contestants belong to two or three clubs in the same area. Plus they belong to more than one club in a different area.
It has been a nightmare, especially when a contestant is a late replacement and the judge qualified with the original winner but not with the final speaker. The Division Governors have done a fantastic job and have shown great leadership and flexibility in achieving a challenging task.
Of course everyone wants a share of this excitement and leadership growth, and therefore should be standing up for Area or Division Governor.
Spare a thought for the contestants who spent months preparing for a Division Contest so they can be on the District stage in Kalgoorlie. “Yay, I won!” came with an over-rider: prepare to travel to Kalgoorlie for the contest.
In my world it is a no brainer, of course I want to be in Kalgoorlie at the District Convention. Not everyone loves the thrill of conventions as I do ( I understand that) , but our contestants, and I hope their club members (supporters, fan club, or cheer squad) flock to Kal for an exciting long weekend in May / June.
In summary:
Division Governors - you have done a fantastic job with your contests. In fact you are fantastic yourself.
Area Governors - you have done a superb job with your contests. In fact you are superb.
Club officers - you have done a marvellous job to enhance the member experience in your club. In fact you are marvellous yourselves.
Contestants it is obvious as judged by your peers that you are simply the best.
See you in Kalgoorlie 30 May to 1 Jun when the best of the best face off against each other. I can’t wait.
Ian Pickens DTM
District 17 LGET
Help Organise a Club Competition – ‘Project Review’
Club competition time is an interesting time to learn and grow. When our President Steve Raynes kicked off the “project”, Rashmi Kaushal (VPE) and I were very enthusiastic to be on the team. Marinko Gaspar, current N22 Area Governor and a Toastmaster subject matter expert (SME) provided key input and coordinated lunch time conference calls.
As the day drew closer we all ploughed through emails, paying attention to detail so that our project would meet all the objectives set out by Toastmasters International. It was overwhelming to figure out how many forms are required and a lesson learned is that, if we were to do this again, to consider how to go paperless where possible. In other words, let’s go green in our project approach (social responsibility).
Focusing on resources, it was a celebration for the team to secure Ian Pickens - Lieutenant Governor Education and Training Officer, to be on the judging panel. Catering was provided with no impact on the budget, having been outsourced to members who all brought a plate.
On the night it was delight to have a number of guests at the competition. Contributing to the success of the event was another SME, Cole Vindevoghel. We huddled to get the pre-competition briefing and took a couple of deep breaths – ever grateful for the mentorship provided to us by Cole and Marinko. Another lesson learned is that mentorship is important.
The room was abuzz and the test speaker, Mitt Ramgobin from Electric Toasters engaged the audience with his rendition of a visit to see the Giants in Perth. While executing our competition work packages, we enjoyed watching the three contestants in each competition. There were competitions for Evaluation and International Speech. We were delighted to see Steve Harris (Evaluation) and Greg Gibson (International) go forward to represent our club.
Another win for our club for the month was our success in securing the highest guest numbers as an input into the District 17 incentive, resulting in us winning a set of 10 “The Better Speaker” series manuals. This is a good lesson learned - use the club competition night as a draw-card to encourage guests to attend.
Our project delivered and the team met the key milestone “To hold club competition for evaluation and international speeches” on time as planned on 24th February 2015. Our President had not only arranged and delegated a fantastic event, but also participated in it!
Our thanks also go to Cole, Marinko and Steve who provided mentorship and guided us both through the lifecycle of the competition - rules a key driver to ensure the usual high quality standards were met whilst we managed the risks.
In review, the speakers benefited through a fair competition opportunity. The officials, club members and guests enjoyed the overall event, not to mention the lovely food!
The next time an opportunity arises, put up your hand and help to organize a club completion – it is so rewarding and a wonderful time to learn and grow.
Veda Breuer
VPM Project Managers Toastmasters
Double DTM
The Distinguished ToastMaster Award (the DTM) is the highest award given by Toastmasters International. It requires a lot of speeches, leadership roles at Club and District level, a High Performance Leadership Project and success in either the formation of a new club or the revitalising of a failing club.
Until ten years ago that was the pinnacle of member aspirations in WA, but I saw that DTM graduates had a wealth of experience, skill and energy that was being lost to Toastmasters in WA.
May, 2004 the Double DTM was launched
The District 73 Convention was held in Fremantle that year. (We were still part of District 73 then, but of course later we set up our own separate District, 17.)
The DTM Breakfast
With help from Jeanette Farrar, Mark and Robyn Richards, I organised the first DTM Breakfast, held on the Sunday morning of the Convention. Current DTMs and hopeful DTMs met for breakfast. Recent DTMs were honoured. Information was given about the requirements for the award. And the Double DTM project was launched and promoted.
At that point I was the only Double DTM. It took some time for the concept to take off. The next Double DTM was Glenis Nicholas in July 2007, followed by Alan Smith in July 2008 & Mark Richards in April 2009. Then in July 2009 the Ross Wilkinson rocket blasted off. You only need 2 to be a Double DTM but why stop there? As of today in March, 2015 Ross has 6 DTMs. The floodgates were opened.
Double DTMs today
(and yes, 4 of us have more than 2 *)
| David Nicholas DTM * | Ross Wilkinson DTM * | Judith Allen DTM | Ian Pickens DTM |
| Glenis Nicholas DTM | Mark Richards DTM * | Martin Lindsay DTM | Robyn Richards DTM |
| Alan Smith DTM | Pascale Amberville-Colby DTM* | Leonor Ragan DTM |
The current criteria for DTMs were set up in 1997. To see the full list of all DTMs since then, go to DTM Records
If you have information concerning DTMs in WA before 1997, please contact David Nicholas
David Nicholas DTM
The Purpose of Language
(A P6 speech presented by Suzanne last month)
A recently published newspaper article aroused my interest on passing fads in our speech. I recall only too well adopting the favourite words of the time in the 50’s and incorporating it in my language, to the horror of my parents, I might quip.
Reflecting back to my childhood, it was supremely important to be adopted as part of a group. From a child’s point of view, you felt stronger making your way in the world, feeling accepted by your peers and most importantly, thought “cool”, one whose ideas were to be followed.
The need to belong to a group is not isolated to childhood. Adults also want to know they are valued, part of a group, and accepted by our peers as well as our superiors.
I have difficulty recalling some of the “in” words from my youth. It was likely as not more often careless speech, for example “bet ya” meaning “I bet you or I challenge you”. Words or statements such as these were the “in words”
I do know; anytime my language didn’t suit my parents, they were keen to correct me. They obviously didn’t see my need to be accepted by the group. I’m not sure too much attention was given to child psychology in the 50’s. It’s not that they were unforgiving, but they wished me to grow up sounding educated, I daresay.
I spoke with my adult children asking them about words commonly used in their groups of friends and how they felt about the need to belong in a pack. They asserted belonging in a group was supremely important to them.
My son was an excellent source for a supply of words used throughout his generation, even including present times; the benefits of being a school teacher. According to Steven, a word coming from the 80’s was a “dope” meaning someone who was “cool” and translated to mean really good. “Bestie’ was the title for your best friend. “Like”, “Wicked”, “As”, “What ev’s”, all rolled of the tongue and your contemporary’s immediately knew what you meant.
The researcher for the article that incited my interest suggested words such a “literally”, not used in its literal sense “hell”, and “reckon” could be the next to edge their way into common vernacular. “Hell hot” or “hell interesting” , are currently popular phrases and globalisation is having a huge effect upon language.
It seems the corporate world is not immune from developing their own language. As evidence that “in” words or phrases are not isolated to youth, I offer examples from the management consulting world’s language.
“Low-hanging fruit” translated means really quick wins; an example is “Boy, that guy Bob in accounts is low-hanging fruit”. “Downsize” replaced by “Rightsize”. And how about “Boiling the ocean”? In translation it means doing a lot of analysis. Meaning: we’re so busy in meetings we really want to economize on the amount of actual analysis we do eg. “You don’t need to look at the cost structure of each of the operations. Don’t boil the ocean.”
I’m suggesting that it doesn’t matter where the words come from or in which country we reside, words are used to connect the tribe. Words commonly used amongst a group of people unite them.
Suzanne Hounsome
Desperados Club
District 17
LGET Report March 2015
After an eternity and a lot of contests we finally know the winners and representatives for all contests at Kalgoorlie.
The fun really starts to organise officials for the district contests and finalise the planning for Convention.
It is just now I understand how valuable being a Convention Chair has been. To have that in-depth knowledge of the amount of work behind the scenes to make just one weekend a fantastic member experience has really hit me(in a positive way).
We have a fantastic speaker and motivator, Ryan Avery, attending Kalgoorlie. Don’t miss this chance to listen to Ryan and build on your knowledge, not only Toastmasters but also personal.
Triple Crown recipients have now risen to 18 members. I am expecting to see about 40 of our members achieve this award before 30 June.
DTM - we now have seven members with a new DTM tag, not all for the first time, but newly awarded for this year. You will see the new addition to this long standing list with Sue Fallon, in her words “finally completing her DTM”. Congratulations Sue. It is so good to see you reach your goal.
Competent Communicator – achieved by 92 members, which is an increase of 19 this month; a fantastic effort by everyone.
Competent Leadership. - 38 members, which is an additional 10 members this month.
Advanced Communicator - 46 members, which is an additional 10 members this month.
Advanced Leadership. 36 members, which is an additional 5 members for this month.
Congratulations to everyone who has achieved an award this year. I am sure there are many still to be lodged.
Congratulations to the clubs who are ensuring that their members obtain maximum benefit from their membership and are building on the member experience.
Training
TLI and COT starts in July. Is it too early for a place holder in your diary?
Thursday 9th July - 6pm start, Saturday 11th July - 2pm start, and Sunday 19thJuly - 11am start. All will be held at (Technology Park) 9 De Laeter Place Bentley. The building is marked E3.
We have had feedback that there is no, or at least very little public transport, but we need to balance that training venue where almost all training will take place in 2015/2016.
A Toastmasters International workshop called "Improving Your Management Skills" from the Success Leadership series (Item 259) will be presented by Marlene Ward an experienced trainer and long- time Toastmaster on behalf of TLI Training Group.
Saturday 18th April at the Palms Community Centre Nicholson Road Subiaco, 1pm to 4pm.
This is the last of the training opportunities offered, but I do want to add a judging workshop, particularly for the nominated district contests judges; not planned, but in the back of my mind once the last contest is run.
I very much look forward to the next 3 months of education and achievements in District 17. I look forward to seeing your successes rewarded.
Ian Pickens DTM
District 17 LGET
2014/2015 Positive Promotion Premiership Ladder
| POSITIVE PROMOTION PREMIERSHIP POINTS as at 31 March 2015 | ||
| CLUBS | PROMOTION AWARDED | POINTS |
| Southern River | ABx14(13x25,1x75), Hx1, Dx1, Gx19, Cx6, Nx1, Ux3 | 544 |
| Noranda | Ux8, FEx9, ALx1(75), Gx13, Cx6, Ox2, Bx1, ABx2. Mx1, Tx1, TEx1 | 353 |
| Canning Vale | Ux6, Nx4, FEx5, Cx4, Mx1, Gx53, Cx14, Bx1 | 319 |
| Armadale | Ux9, ALx1(75), Sx3, FEx6, ABx2, Nx2 | 275 |
| Victoria Park | Ux2,Nx6, FEx5, Gx32, Cx15 | 252 |
| Touch of Gold | FEx10, Sx2, Ux4, Ox2, Gx7, Nx2, ALx2 | 227 |
| Northern Gourmet | ABx3, Ux1, FEx7, Gx12, Cx6 | 217 |
| Northern Lights | Ux10, FEx1, Gx21, Cx11 | 186 |
| Guildford Stars | Ux10 FEx6, ABx2 (1x75) | 180 |
| Subiaco Early Birds | Ux2, Mx1, Gx12, Cx6, ABx1(75) | 147 |
| Ellenbrook | Ox1, Ux4, FEx1, Mx1, Rx1(90) | 145 |
| Swan | Ux8, FEx5, Sx1, Gx12, Cx3 | 132 |
| Mundaring | Ux5, FEx2, Gx10, Cx5, Sx1 | 115 |
| Electric Toasters | ABx3, Fx1, Ox1 | 100 |
| Rockingham | ABx1, ALx1 (1x75) | 100 |
| Curtin GSB Sundowner | Ux4, ABx1(75) | 95 |
| City of Cockburn | Ux4, Sx2, ALx1 | 85 |
| WA School of Mines | FEx2, Sx1, ALx1 | 55 |
| Margaret River | Alx1 | 25 |
| Western Founders | Sx1 | 20 |
| Murdoch Southsiders | Ux1, FEx1 | 10 |
| WA Governors | Ux2 | 10 |
| Curtin GSB | Ux2 | 10 |
First place is still being held by Southern River, with Noranda now coming second and Canning Vale running third at this stage. It is excellent that the leading clubs keep on changing as more points are forwarded for consideration.
I love to get the feedback on the promotional work you are undertaking, so if you have not been in touch as yet, my email awaits.
Eight clubs have now claimed their triple points challenge! (Given to VPPR’s at COT in July).
Triple points awarded to Armadale, Southern River, Noranda, Guildford Stars and Ellenbrook.
Curtin GSB Sundowner and Subiaco Early Birds were awarded their Triple Points in February for submitting articles to the Black Swan. Our latest Triple Points Awardee is Rockingham who had an article printed in their local paper in late January. Congratulations to all of the clubs who rose to the challenge!
I am sure that lots of you are doing wonderful things to promote your clubs and look forward to more advice (along with the necessary proof) hitting my email in the coming month.
Don’t forget to get your points in by end of April as that is the end of the PPP Accruing period and this March issue will be the last Points Ladder published, before the Leading Club is awarded their trophy at the Gold Fever Convention, so get reviewing and checking!
My email address is fallon1892@yahoo.com.au
Sue Fallon
District 17 Public Relations Officer
Positive Promotion Premiership Closing Date Coming Up!
The time frame for lodging promotional activities for inclusion the in the Positive Promotion Premiership challenge is winding down.
Items (with proof) must be forwarded to Sue Fallon at fallon1892@yahoo.com.au by end of Thursday 30th April 2015 to be considered. All items received after that date will not be considered.
The ladder, which is published in the Black Swan today, is the last visible total to be revealed, as I will then announce the winner of the Positive Promotion Premiership at the Gold Fever Convention in Kalgoorlie between Saturday 29th May and Monday 1s June 2015. Good Luck!
New Competition – District 17 Newsletter Competition - Open & Closing Dates!
My last Public Relations competition for the 2014-2015 Toastmasters Year will be the District 17 NEWSLETTER Contest 2014-2015.
The opening date is now, as the information has been received by the Area Governors, Presidents and Vice Presidents Public Relations. The contest offers the opportunity to submit one of your Club and Area Newsletters for consideration for this award. Entries close on Wednesday 30th April 2015. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
The winning entries from both Club and Area will be announced at the Gold Fever Convention in Kalgoorlie between Saturday 29th May and Monday 1s June 2015. Good Luck!
Sue Fallon
District 17 Public Relations Officer
Steps to Success
To achieve success in life, one must have a plan. For a club to achieve success, it too must have a plan.
Toastmasters International has provided a High Level Plan called the Distinguished Club Program focussing on three main areas:
- Paid Clubs
- Membership
- Distinguished Club
- To keep a club alive it takes dedicated members. The more dedicated members, the higher the success rate
- The average lifespan of a Toastmaster globally, is 1.5 years
- The WIIFM Factor – What’s In It For Me?
- We need to keep on top of why members leave the club
- We need to improve
- Have an active Public Relations program
- Have a club web presence
- Keep it up to date
- Keep it eye-catching
- Have an active Club Membership Building program
- Membership Drives with goals and rewards
- Incentives for bringing guests
- Extra points for guests that join
- Create a Guest/New Member Kit that contains:
- Information on Toastmasters International
- Information on your club
- Description of club meeting roles
- Description of club officer roles
- Copy of latest roster/agenda (use leftover printed agendas)
- Toastmasters magazine and pamphlets
- New Membership Application Form
- Conduct Specialty Meetings and Programs
- Speechcraft
- Youth Leadership
- Joint Meetings with other clubs
- Educational Meetings
- Showcase Meetings
- Humorous Speech Meetings
- Club Contests
- Debates
- Demo Meetings
- Put on a Great Show at every meeting
Strive for the perfect meeting – this is probably not what you think
- Everyone in attendance is given the opportunity to speak
- Welcome your guests
- The role holders prepare in advance for their roles
- Do not expect every speaker and role holder to be perfect
Look forward to your successes. If you need assistance, I will be delighted to help.
Leonor Ragan, DTM
Lieutenant Governor Marketing 2014-2015
Happy to be of service to District 17 members
It is my pleasure to announce that last week District 17 lodged the Charter for three new clubs:
Kwinana Toastmasters Club
Jacobs Toastmasters Club
PwC Toastmasters Club
What a fabulous team of leaders do we have indeed! Everyone is working together diligently, and doing their very best to extend the benefits of Toastmasters to the WA community.
Congratulations to the following members who have been appointed Sponsors and Mentors of the above Clubs:
Marianne Law Kwinana Toastmasters Club
Michael Gorman Kwinana Toastmasters Club
Peter Law Kwinana Toastmasters Club
Michael Foster Kwinana Toastmasters Club
Stephanie Chan Jacobs Toastmasters Club Sponsor
Robyn Lloyd Jacobs Toastmasters Club Sponsor
Allen Hahn Jacobs Toastmasters Club Mentor
Natasha McCarthy PwC Toastmasters Club Sponsor
André Sequeira PwC Toastmasters Club Sponsor
Garry Morris PwC Toastmasters Club Mentor
I'm very grateful to all involved for all your assistance and support. Without all your efforts, it would be impossible to achieve these outstanding results.
Leonor Ragan, DTM
Lieutenant Governor Marketing 2014-2015
Happy to be of service to District 17 members
TLI Training Group Toastmasters Club - Workshops
Hi District 17 Toastmasters
The TLI Training Group will be conducting two workshops in the near future.
The first workshop is called “Improving Your Management Skills” and comes from TI’s “Success/ Leadership” series. It will be presented by Marlene Ward DTM.
During this workshop you will learn:
- How to define the difference between leadership and management
- How to chart a purpose and set goals
- How to motivate through reward and recognition
- How to delegate more effectively
- How to develop solution strategies
Other details:
Date: Saturday 18 April 2015
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Venue: The Palms Community Centre, corner Nicholson & Rokeby roads, Subiaco
For further information e-mail Marlene at speaking@marleneward.com.au
The second workshop is called “Parliamentary Procedures In Action” and comes from TI’s “Success/ Communication” series. It will be presented by Ross Wilkinson DTM and Charles Fisher ACS CL.
During this workshop you will learn:
- What parliamentary procedure is and how is can help you
- How to run effective business sessions at your Toastmasters club
- The principles of parliamentary rules
- Handling a motion during a business meeting
- Different types of motions used in Toastmasters business meetings
Other information:
Date: Saturday 16 May 2015
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Venue: The Shenton Park Community Centre, 240 Onslow Road, Shenton Park
For further information e-mail Ross at toastmasterross@hotmail.com or
or Charles at charles_fisher89@hotmail.com
Charles Fisher Ross Wilkinson
The Shell Australia Toastmasters Club Chartered in January 2015
Club members with Mentor Almarie Meyer
Shell Australia Toastmasters Club has now held six meetings with members filling roles eagerly as they progress through their journey as competent communicators and leaders. The committee of eight have put a lot of effort into welcoming new members and setting up all the systems to ensure members are looked after and challenged at the right pace.
On 31 March 2015, the club was recognised by District 17 Lieutenant Governor Marketing Leonor Ragan DTM, who presented the official banner to club president Rebecca Taylor. Members celebrated this milestone, which displays all the effort that has resulted in a chartered club and a foundation for learning and having fun!
Leonor Ragan presenting the club Shell Club President Rebecca Taylor
banner to the President
Leonor Ragan, DTM
Lieutenant Governor Marketing 2014-2015
Happy to be of Service to District 17 members
Highgate Toastmasters Club Welcomes You!
Hi District 17 Toastmasters
Are you having the following challenges?
- Unable to get a spot on the forward program to deliver a speech due to a large number of members wanting to deliver speeches.
- Unable to deliver speeches from the advanced manuals because the timing is greater than 5 to 7 minutes.
If your answer is YES to one or both, then Highgate Toastmasters can help you.
If you would like to attend one of our club meetings to deliver a speech, you would be very welcome.
We have our meetings on the first and third Tuesday each month.
Our meeting start time is 6:30 pm and the venue is St Albans Church HalI, corner of
St Albans Avenue and Beaufort Street in Highgate.
If you would like to attend then contact Charles on phone 9268 8035 or e-mail him at charles_fisher89@hotmail.com.
Charles Fisher
Highgate Toastmasters