Black Swan July 2017
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Editorial
Welcome to the first edition of the Black Swan newsletter for the 2017-18 Toastmaster year. This will shape up to be an exciting year, and I would like to thank Leonor for the last year, and welcome Sue Fallon to the role of District Director, Patricia D'Cruze to the role of Program Quality Director, and Peta Rakela to the role of Club Growth Director. You will be seeing articles from these new 'top trio' across the year. I'm sure that you will join me in wishing them well for the coming 12 months.
We are still open for expressions of interest for the newsletter editor. If you are interested in becoming please send your details to me or Sue Fallon, and we will give you more information about what it involves and consider all applications.
And remember....
we encourage articles from members, this newsletter is 'written by Toastmasters, for Toastmasters'. Guidelines for authors are at the end of this newsletter.
Lisa Martin
Black Swan Editor
District Director's Update
by Sue Fallon
District Director 2017-2018 states - Learn, Develop and Enjoy!
Hi District 17 Members
Welcome all to the new year of District 17 Toastmaster’s friendship, fellowship and learning environments.
We all welcome the diverse nature of our members from all across the globe who all contribute to our sense of belonging, learning and development.
My phrase for the year is Learn, Develop and Enjoy! And my question is:
Who will you bring?...(along to Toastmasters).
Many members do not think to share the benefits that they receive themselves from being a member of Toastmasters and they don’t think to bring along a fiend, an acquaintance or a work colleague. The reasons for this can vary – for example - too embarrassed to have along a friend to see you speaking, don’t really think anyone else would be interested or you just want to keep it to yourself! Whatever the reason this year I encourage you all in each and every club to ask Who Will you Bring? To Toastmasters this year? Let us share the opportunity that you have taken with your membership and encourage everyone you know of the benefits you have gained. By word of mouth we can allow others to learn, develop and enjoy the same benefits you do.
It is time to work on your development for the coming year. What goals do you wish to achieve? Which award are you aiming for? Is the DTM on your radar?
We all have time to work towards and complete many communication and leadership awards and by years end your will be one or two or three steps closer to the highest award achievable. If you’re VPE has not approached you to ask what your goals are – offer them up yourself or talk to your mentor for advice. No mentor – then request one from you club leadership group.
Will you ask your VPE to plan your next round of speeches to complete your CC or ACB?
Will you accomplish your Triple Crown Award? – and lodge 3 Awards throughout the year to achieve this award.
Will your finish off your DTM award this year? – what needs to be done? – get the wheels in motion or simply lodge the award because you have achieved all that you need to!
I encourage you all to have a wonderful year, whether you be a club member, a club officer or a district officer – Learn, Develop and Enjoy!
Sue Fallon DTM
District Director 2017-18
Learn, Develop and Enjoy!
Educational Awards
by Sue Fallon
Award | Date | Name | Club |
ACB | 6/11/2017 | Bielski, Tom | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
ACB | 06/18/2017 | Leeder, Shell | Stirling Club |
ACB | 06/20/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | West End Toastmasters Club |
ACB | 06/30/2017 | O'Connor, Martin J. | Competitive Speakers Perth |
ACB | 06/18/2017 | Pawluk, Andrew | Stirling Club |
ACB | 6/11/2017 | Warner, Kerri M | Sandgroper Toastmasters Club |
ACG | 06/28/2017 | Drake, John L | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
ACG | 06/29/2017 | Pickens, Ian A. | City of Perth Toastmasters Club |
ACG | 06/30/2017 | Teh, Jon | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
ACG | 06/25/2017 | Van Aswegen, Deon F. | Perth Justalk |
ACS | 06/30/2017 | Amberville-Colby, Pascale C. | Perth Justalk |
ACS | 06/22/2017 | Bielski, Tom | Curtin Toastmasters Club |
ACS | 06/22/2017 | Cho, Mina | Curtin Toastmasters Club |
ACS | 06/26/2017 | Duda, Adam | Guildford Stars Toastmasters Club |
ACS | 06/24/2017 | Hatton, David James | Currambine Toastmasters |
ACS | 06/28/2017 | Sarandily, Ali | AECOM WA Toastmasters Club |
ACS | 06/18/2017 | Teh, Jon | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
ALB | 06/20/2017 | Fisher, Elizabeth | Noranda Toastmasters Club |
ALB | 06/29/2017 | Haddrill, Nola | Noranda Toastmasters Club |
ALB | 06/21/2017 | Kunzel, Cathy A. | Cannington Communicators |
ALB | 06/20/2017 | Mott, Mitchell | Curtin GSB Club |
ALB | 06/17/2017 | Ragan, Leonor | Leading Lights Toastmasters |
ALB | 06/27/2017 | Yau, Henry | Electric Toasters |
CC | 06/30/2017 | Amberville-Colby, Pascale C. | Leading Lights Toastmasters |
CC | 06/30/2017 | Amberville-Colby, Pascale C. | Gosnells Foothills Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/19/2017 | Barbour, Collette | St George's Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Barns, Helen | Northern Lights, Western Australia |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Breadsell, Jessica | Stirling Club |
CC | 6/05/2017 | Brockman, Rebecca | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/25/2017 | Choudhury, Anirban | City of Perth Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/28/2017 | Cooper, Melissa | Mundaring |
CC | 06/29/2017 | Cowlishaw, Deborah A | AECOM WA Toastmasters Club |
CC | 6/11/2017 | Cullen, Ann Lorraine | Maylands Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/26/2017 | D'Cruze, Patricia Ann | West End Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Devenish, Emma J. | Stirling Club |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Dixon, Gary P. | Northern Lights, Western Australia |
CC | 06/19/2017 | Dolgoy, Susan | St George's Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/28/2017 | Evans, Lisa | Perth Justalk |
CC | 06/29/2017 | Fallon, Sue | Terrace Speakers Toastmasters |
CC | 06/28/2017 | Field, Michelle S | Perth Justalk |
CC | 06/28/2017 | Flack, Wendy | Currambine Toastmasters |
CC | 06/13/2017 | Golding, Peter G | Central Communicators Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Hardie, Scott A. | Perth Justalk |
CC | 6/11/2017 | Harrison, Barbara | Maylands Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/28/2017 | Harrison, Peter | Currambine Toastmasters |
CC | 06/29/2017 | Herrmann, Teresa | Noranda Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/29/2017 | Huynh, Henry M | AECOM WA Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/29/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | Leading Lights Toastmasters |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Lock, Steve | Stirling Club |
CC | 06/19/2017 | Morton, Alexandra Kathleen | Cannington Communicators |
CC | 06/30/2017 | O'Connor, Martin J. | Competitive Speakers Perth |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Ragan, Leonor | Curtin GSB Club |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Sitparan, Thurka | West End Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Teh, Jon | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
CC | 6/09/2017 | Wambua, Joseph | Perth Justalk |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Williams, Grant | Northern Lights, Western Australia |
CC | 06/27/2017 | Yong, Beatrice | Water Corporation Toastmasters Club |
CC | 06/18/2017 | Zaeper, Ralf | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/26/2017 | Allen, Judith L. | Guildford Stars Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/30/2017 | Amberville-Colby, Pascale C. | Northern Gourmet Toastmasters |
CL | 06/22/2017 | Bielski, Tom | Curtin Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/18/2017 | Breadsell, Jessica | Stirling Club |
CL | 06/28/2017 | Charles, Anne-Elise | Jacobs Perth Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/22/2017 | Cho, Mina | Curtin Toastmasters Club |
CL | 6/11/2017 | Cullen, Ann Lorraine | Maylands Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/30/2017 | Dawn, Gillian | Northern Gourmet Toastmasters |
CL | 06/28/2017 | Dolgoy, Susan | St George's Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/29/2017 | Ettinger, Melissa J | ToastiES |
CL | 06/30/2017 | Gaspar, Marinko | Project Managers |
CL | 06/29/2017 | Hiyare Gamage, Ayesha | ToastiES |
CL | 06/27/2017 | Kufakwandi, Joseph Simona | Electric Toasters |
CL | 6/08/2017 | Kunzel, Cathy A. | Cannington Communicators |
CL | 6/04/2017 | Lindsay, Martin | Ellenbrook Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/23/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | Leading Lights Toastmasters |
CL | 06/18/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | West End Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/30/2017 | Malaga, Monica CM | bToasty Perth Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/30/2017 | Meyer, Almarie | Competitive Speakers Perth |
CL | 6/03/2017 | Mikhaltsevich, Elena | Murdoch Southsiders Toastmasters Club |
CL | 06/19/2017 | Mott, Mitchell | Curtin GSB Club |
CL | 6/07/2017 | Newboult, Greg | Ellenbrook Toastmasters Club |
CL | 6/11/2017 | Warner, Kerri M | Sandgroper Toastmasters Club |
CL | 6/09/2017 | Young, Andrew | Perth Justalk |
CL | 06/13/2017 | Zhang, Mark Zijian | UWA College Row Toastmasters Club |
LDREXC | 06/22/2017 | Blackburn, Tim D. | CPA Toastmasters |
LDREXC | 06/30/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | Durack Club |
Sue Fallon DTM
District 17 Program Quality Director 2016-17 and District Director 2017-18
Pathways is on our doorstep ![](https://toastmastersd17.org/wp-content/uploads/pathways-image2-300x118.png)
I am excited to announce that the launch of Pathways to District 17 will be before the end of 2017. This will be the fourth region-wide rollout worldwide.
Pathways Guides will partner with Ambassadors and visit active clubs to introduce Pathways to members and deliver rollout kits. It essential all clubs in District 17 are active. An inactive club cannot participate in Pathways and will not be visited or supported by a Pathways Guide.
I will be contacting District 17 Toastmasters who had earlier expressed an interest in the role of a Pathway Guide shortly. There are still a few positions available as we now have 90 clubs in District 17.
Position Summary of a Pathways Guide
The Pathways Guide is an integral member of the Pathways launch team. You will work with the program quality director (PQD), Chief Ambassador (CA) and an Ambassador to prepare a group of clubs for the launch of Pathways.
As a Pathways Guide, you will serve as the first point of contact at club level and will bring members onboard seamlessly. You will partner with your Ambassador to schedule and conduct a visit to each of your assigned clubs. During these visits, you will raise awareness and build excitement around Pathways and educate members about the new program. You will support the vice presidents’ education (VPEs) of these clubs by conducting regular virtual support sessions. Your term of service will be six months.
You will receive a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) credit for one year of district leader service on successfully completing your role as a Pathways Guide.
Link to Pathways Guide Role Description Statement.
If you are interested in taking on this exciting and challenging position or have any queries please email me.
Patricia D’Cruze
Program Quality Director 2017-18
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Grow Do It
by Peta Rakela
When people ask me what I like the most about Toastmasters I have two immediate responses:
- It works
- It makes us better people
Toastmasters International devotes itself to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. When we, as members, embrace this opportunity to learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking, and then take these out into the real world, we each do our bit to help make that vision doable.
It’s ironic, I think, that as a species we have been blessed with the ability to communicate through spoken language yet so few use it effectively for themselves, or for the benefit of others. Like having a box of chocolates and not eating or sharing any of them! Worse still we have a culture of fear. Most people rate public speaking as their number one phobia. How sad is that?
And that, my friends, is precisely why I love Toastmasters. We Toastmasters feel the fear, face the fear , and we do it anyway! How good is that?
This is because at it’s core Toastmasters International provides the opportunity for us to develop skills that will help us self actualise. It helps unleash the potential within each and everyone of us. And wait, there’s more… participation in Toastmasters can help us develop leadership potential, foster human understanding and, best of all, contribute to the betterment of mankind, and, I would hope, all species that share our common home- planet Earth. What better than to walk the path of altruism?
John Maxwell said it all: “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others”. As elected Club Growth Director for District 17 2017/2108 I will strive to empower wherever, whenever, however, and most importantly whomever I can, for I firmly believe that when people believe in themselves they can do amazing things for themselves, and for others.
By helping build new clubs where there is need, and working with you to retain membership, we Toastmasters can be the change we want and need to see in others.
Peta Rakela DTM
Club Growth Director 2017-18
Competitive Speakers Perth
1st Birthday Celebration & Tall Tales Competition Success!
By Martin O'Connor
Our club made a huge effort in the past few weeks to become President's Distinguished and we made it. Like many clubs, we were struggling with membership numbers as many people dropped back their club attendance.
The leadership committee decided to combine a 1st birthday celebration with a membership drive and we had a fun and fabulous themes evening.
Our second Tall Tales contest was held and we had over 25 in attendance.
5 new members decided to join on the night and our members contributed all the necessary awards to get the nine points on the Distinguished Club Program.
Well done to our outgoing committee Martin O'Connor (President), Almarie Meyer (VPE), Lisa Evans (VPM), Catherine O'Brien (Treasurer) and to all club members and guests.
On July 7th at the Toastmasters District 17 awards night we celebrated our success.
What is a Tall Tales Competition?
We followed the Toastmasters Tall Tales speech rules, with some minor changes, as this is a fun competition. The timing is 3-5 minutes. The judge’s guide and ballot can be found here:
https://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/d13f181d4b65432bb74fcad35e6e9e61.ashx
Official additional rules for this competition are:
The Tall Tales contest follows all rules outlined in the General Rules section of the Speech Contest rule book. In addition, the following additions and exceptions apply:
- The subject for the Tall Tales speech must be of a highly exaggerated, improbable nature and have a theme or plot.
- Humour and props may be used to support or illustrate the speech.
Unofficial additional rules we added for this competition were:
- Everyone in the audience including competitors will be a judge and at the end of the contest you will only have to vote for the winner.
- Person with the most votes will win and you can only vote once.
- The highest-ranking toastmaster attending will be the tiebreaker if a tie is unacceptable.
The trophy we were competing for was a very fetching lei of flowers. You can see our winner here, Almarie Meyer celebrating with District Director Leonor Ragan.
If you want to see some of our Tall Tales speakers in action, we filmed most of them and put them on our website. Check them out here:
https://competitivespeakersperth.toastmastersclubs.org
If you want join in the fun at one of our meetings, visitors are always welcome!
Martin O’Connor
Competitive Speakers Perth toastmasters club
Martin O'Connor, Immediate Past President & Vice President Education
Competitive Speakers Perth Toastmasters Club
Australian Speak Easy Association Conference 2017
by Geoff Martin
I am a person who has stuttered all my life (72 years) from age 3 until the present . Following a successful program I have mostly defeated my speaking obstacles with the objective of defeating my fear of speaking in speeches and social situations. Toastmasters has been an integral part of my recovery ---I joined Foothills Toastmasters Club in 1992 completing all the officer roles. I then joined UWA toastmasters in 2006 and have been instrumental in the formation and progress of Dynamic speakers in Subiaco. Toastmasters, with the help of many other Toastmasters have been invaluable in my recovery. I recommend that all my students join Toastmasters as part of their recovery from stuttering as I consider this to be a vital component.
The Speak Easy Association is a not for profit self-help organisation that provides support for people who stutter. The Australian Speak Easy Association is holding this year's conference in Perth on the 19th - 22nd October at the Good Earth Hotel, Adelaide Terrace, Perth, with theme of
Finding the Balance: Quality of Life, Quality of Fluency.
Professor Scott Yaruss, from Michegan USA, will bring international knowledge, and Associate Professor Janet Beilby and Dr Charn Young will bring Australian experiences to talk about emerging research and quality of life outcomes for stutterers. There will be information on resilience, well-being, and self care. For more information call 0419 930 903 or check out the website link: http://www.speakeasy.org.au/convention/perth-2017/
Day registrations and early bird discounts are available.
Geoff Martin, ATM gold (in progress),
VPM, Dynamic Speaker, Subiaco
Exclusive offer from Tradewinds Hotel
by Jackie Perriman
The delightful staff at the Tradewinds Hotel are offering Toastmasters a special accommodation rate which is available until 30th September 2017.
Just book via the Client Login area on the Website.
Client Code: Toastmasters
Password: Leader
The special offer is $175.00 including breakfast for 1 in the Superior Room- additional breakfasts are available at $20.00 per person.
Jackie Perriman
Passion to Communicate Convention Committee Member
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