Black Swan March 2017
Editorial
Welcome to the March edition of the Black Swan. Congratulations to all of you who achieved awards in February, especially to the Triple Crowners! You might be interested in growing your leadership skills and at the same time becoming familiar with the exciting new Pathways educational program. You can help clubs understand and embrace the new learning program, and be a very important part of the roll-out of the program in WA. Read Sue's article below for information.
If you are interested in reading something a little different, Robyn Lloyd entertains us with some creative writing which talks about an experience that turned an ordinary morning into one much more interesting by reading a TM magazine found by chance in a coffee shop.
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 March News!
by Leonor Ragan
In the last four weeks, we have attended a few area and division contests. Contests have been of a very high standards and our Contestants have prepared very well and it is very pleasant to see the outstanding results and excellence. Congratulations to all our contestants, we wish everyone of you the very best at the next level. Well done! See you all at the District 17 May convention!
Darren LaCroix workshops were well attended. In the week preceding the workshop everybody helped and it all come together very well. Over 250 members attended the four workshops and benefited from having such outstanding toastmaster Darren LaCroix 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking.”
Convention…Convention “The Passion to Communicate
Have you booked your place for the upcoming District 17 Annual Convention being held in Fremantle May 26 – 28 May? Don’t delay any further. There are only 30 tickets left for the 2nd Early Bird price of $315 which ends on the 31st March:
http://www.d17passiontocommunicate.com/
Avoid Losing Access to Club Central
Club officers will lose access to Club Central 30 days after their membership expires and may not receive further communications from World Headquarters. To ensure that our club officers can continue conducting business in Club Central, please verify all our club officers have paid their dues.
Club Officers FAQ https://www.toastmasters.org/Footer/FAQ/Club-Officers
I hope that your members look forward to your club’s next Toastmasters meeting? Are most of your guests joining your club? If your answer to either question is “no,” it’s time to find out why. Every club gains a new member now and then. But do those members stay? If not, why not? If new members generally don’t stay with a club, the club is not meeting their needs. For sustained membership growth, make your club is worth belonging to.
Congratulations to all of our members for continuing to achieve your goals and look forward to us all being so proud of our achievements.
Leonor Ragan DTM
District Director 2016-17
The Passion to: lead, communicate and achieve your goals
District 17 Education Awards for February 2017
| AWARD | DATE | NAME | CLUB |
| ACS | 02/25/2017 | Thistlethwaite, Edith Helen | Bunbury Club |
| CC | 02/23/2017 | Rajapaksa, Thulani | Applecross Toastmasters |
| ACS | 02/22/2017 | Edwards, Janette | Swan Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 02/22/2017 | Edwards, Janette | Mundaring |
| CC | 02/20/2017 | Lemut, Stojan | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 02/20/2017 | Asresse, Yosef K | UWA |
| CC | 02/19/2017 | Monteiro, Lionel | Southern River Toastmasters |
| CC | 02/19/2017 | Cheng, John Vincent | Victoria Park |
| ACB | 02/18/2017 | Bignell, Sydney A | Mundaring |
| ALB | 02/18/2017 | Bignell, Sydney A | Mundaring |
| CL | 02/16/2017 | Lloyd, Robyn | Terrace Speakers Toastmasters |
| ALB | 02/16/2017 | Monteiro, Darrell | Victoria Park |
| CC | 02/13/2017 | Phillips, Gay M. | Kwinana Toastmasters |
| CC | 2/12/2017 | Taylor, Glynda Margaret | Armadale Toastmasters |
| CC | 2/11/2017 | Chapman, Michael J. | Northern Gourmet Toastmasters |
| CL | 2/07/2017 | Edwards, Janette | Mundaring |
| CL | 2/04/2017 | Palmer, John Alexander | Southern River Toastmasters |
Fantastic result - 17 Educational & Leadership awards lodged in the month of February – you’re superb work continues District 17 Toastmasters!
Your achievements continue to be lodged and our District Members are continuing to work on and receive recognition for their personal goals, as well as contributing to the Distinguished Club Program for their Clubs.
Make sure you are achieving your gaols, and be sure to let your Vice President Education know about your personal goals.
Sue Fallon
District 17 Program Quality Director 2016-2017
Triple Crown Awards February 2017
Darrell Monteiro ACB, CL, ALB
Janette Edwards ACB, CL, CC
Congratulations to District 17’s newest Triple Crown Award winners on your continued achievements.
Sue Fallon
District 17 Program Quality Director 2016-2017
Exiting Opportunity – Become a Pathways Guide
Get in on the Ground Floor!
District 17 requires a number of Pathway Guides to prepare a group of clubs assigned to you to prepare for the launch of Pathways in our District
Please read the Job description. Applicants should send a one page application outlining your Knowledge and Skills (based upon the Job Description).
Enquiries and applications can be emailed to Sue Fallon, Program Quality Director at
pqd-d17@toastmastersdistricts.org
Job Description
Position Summary
The Pathways Guide is an integral member of the Pathways launch team. You will work with the Chief Ambassador (CA) and the Program Quality Director (PDQ) while partnering with one Ambassador to prepare the clubs assigned to you for the launch of Pathways in our District. You are the first point of Contact to bring clubs up to speed with the program and get them on-board for a seamless transition. You will be responsible for conducting one club visit to each of you assigned clubs and educate club members. You will also provide support to the vice president education (VPE) of the clubs assigned to you by conducting regular virtual support sessions. Your term of service will be 6 months.
Description:
- Read the Pathways Guide Handbook
- Read the Pathways Learning Experience Presentation Slide Deck and Talking Points and view the Pathways Learning Experience Presentation Recording
- Read Training Basics’: Getting it Right, Making it Work (Item 102)
- Develop presentation skills by practising in your club
- Receive Pathways’ roll out kits for assigned clubs’
- Coordinate with your Ambassador to conduct one club visit to each assigned club
- Deliver the Pathways’ Learning Experience Presentation and rollout kit during each club visit
- Complete and submit a Club Visit Report for each club visit
- Access Base Camp as a member and a VPE and view all tutorials in the system
- Follow up with VPEs proactively to ensure they and their club members are comfortable operating in Pathways and Base Camp
- Conduct regular virtual support sessions with the VPEs of your assigned clubs
- Collect questions from VPEs during each virtual support
- Submit questions from VPEs to Wold HQ staff, as needed
- Provide answers to VPEs
- Will receive credit for one year of district leader service
Knowledge and Skills:
- Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
- Organisation and time management skills
- Discussion r moderation knowledge skills
- Presentation skills, both in-person and virtual
- Technology-savvy
- Self-motivated and able to set and meet own deadlines
Sue Fallon
District 17 Program Quality Director 2016-2017
Kick start your membership building drive
by Patricia D'Cruze
Memberships are the lifeblood of all clubs. That’s why it is important to retain and recruit new members to your club. If your club membership numbers have been flat or, if even worse, you are losing members, you may need some fresh ideas to pump up your numbers. Start by putting yourself in the shoes of a potential member… Why would they join? What’s in it for them? And for a new member, what would make them stay after their initial year of completing their Competent Communicator manual? There is definitely strength in numbers, so how can you give your membership count a boost? Here are 10 simple ideas that are easy to implement and will help to get your creative juices pumping and kick start your next membership building drive.
1. Market where your members hang out
Go where your members go and you will be able to find new members/leads to mine. Use relevant keywords and tags on your website to increase traffic to your website. Update your Facebook and Meet up pages after every meeting. If you are a corporate or university club, make Toastmasters an integral part of the orientation process.
2. One plus One –Take turns inviting guests
Members should take turns inviting prospective members to club meetings. At least one member should be expected to bring a guest every week. This effort could be conducted in alphabetical order, based on the members’ first or last names. After the last member in the order brings a guest, go back to the member who started the order and do it again. Some of those guests will want to come back and join. In addition, this consistent approach to growth helps get members in the habit of identifying prospects and asking them to join. This One plus One campaign is very effective and will help your club grow.
- Have a membership drive.
Develop a membership drive and reward those who generate the highest number of new members. Don’t forget the annual Toastmasters membership campaigns during the year - Smedley Award campaign (Sept. 1 to Oct. 30); annual Talk Up Toastmasters campaign (Feb. 1 to March 31) and Beat the Clock campaign (May 1 to June 30).
4. Look up old friends
Pull out some of your club’s old membership rosters and circle the names of those who have left the club. Give those members a call, their situations may have changed since they left and they may be ready to return to your club. If for some reason, they are unable to re-join, ask them for the names of some people they think would make good members.
- Get feedback from current members.
How will you know what to improve upon if you don’t know what is wrong? By asking your current member base for their opinions, you’ll be able to adjust your meetings to appeal to the current and future members. Run a Moments of Truth to collect feedback. If the responses evoke a change in the way your meetings are run, make sure to convey this to your current members. They will not only be impressed that you’ve addressed their concerns, but they will likely spread the word to non-members. Plus, your new changes will automatically elicit a positive response.
6. Keep existing members happy.
Increasing your membership count also means retaining current members. The fewer you lose, the easier it will be to reach your annual growth goal. New members, those within their first year of membership are at the greatest risk for drop-off. For these members, ensure you have allocated them a mentor that will guide and nurture them especially during within the first year. For all other members, continue to engage and connect with them.
7. Celebrate achievements.
By providing your new members with a ribbon when they complete their Icebreaker Speech, then Project Speech 5 and 10 will encourage them and in turn others to complete their awards. Ensure that all members bring their award certificate to club meetings to share and celebrate these important milestones. Take photographs and post them on your club website and Facebook. Everyone like to be a member of a successful club. Don’t forget to pin all your club award ribbons on your club banner.
8. Feature great programs
Once you succeed in getting guests to a meeting, make sure they like what they see. Organize interesting club meeting programs that will make those guests want to come back for more.
9. Begin the renewal process early.
Most members do not renew because they simply ‘forgot’. Remind members early (and often) to renew their memberships. It may take several ‘touches’ before you’ll receive a response. Also, in your correspondence, remind them of all the great benefits that they receive (and what they’ll miss if they don’t renew).
- ‘Join NOW!’
Create urgency by offering potential members a discount for joining on the spot.
As you can see, these ideas are simple, easy-to-implement and will help get your creative juices pumping for even more ideas! Sometimes you just need to ask yourself “what would entice me to join?”
Patricia D'Cruze DTM
District 17 Club Growth Director 2016-2017
How many opportunities do you miss every month to promote your club?
Here is a 3 step process to make sure you don't miss any more opportunities.
by Almarie Meyer
Do you take photos of yourself and other club members when you win a contest, receive a certificate for completing a CC, CL or advanced award or even a participation certificate?
Do you take photos at every club meeting?
What do you do with these photos?
We've all heard of moving with purpose when we give a speech, but have you ever considered posting with purpose when sharing your club photos? Here is a 3 step process to make sure you don't miss any more opportunities
Step 1:
Make sure you take that photo. Check with club members and guests whether they mind having photos of them taken at meetings and shared on social media. Nominate someone to take photos if your VPPR has a role on the night and can't do this. Get at least one photo at every meeting. Ensure you have smiles. Take some silly ones and take some serious ones handing out trophies and certificates. Take your certificate to your club meeting and have your VPE or President present it to you. We've had 98 CC's in the district so far this year and I have most definitely not seen 98 photos on Facebook.
Step 2:
Post these photos on social media. Tag people, share with your friends and club members. Like each other's photos. If you have a Meetup group then upload the photos to Meetup. Update your club website at least once a month so that the home page has some familiar current members smiling at website visitors.
Step 3:
This is the most important step of all. When you post the photos to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or any other social media platform. Include a CALL TO ACTION. Don't just say "Look at me. This is my certificate". Add something about your club or the district. Tell people when the next meeting is. Refer them to the district website to find a club close to them. Invite them to come get one for themselves.
I'm looking forward to spending my days liking photos of Toastmasters having fun and showing off their certificates. I'll tell you when I've had enough and you can stop.
Almarie Meyer
District 17 Public Relations Manager 2016-2017
Announcing the demise of WA Governors club and the rebirth of Leading Lights Toastmasters.
by Almarie Meyer
On 16 March 2017 we had the first meeting of Leading Lights Toastmasters Club and what an exciting meeting it was. We had some of the original charter members from 2007 attend as well as a number of guests from various other Toastmaster clubs.
Robyn Lloyd started the meeting with an inspiration, then Ian Pickens led the introductions. We had speeches from Judith Allen, Patricia D'Cruze, Almarie Meyer and David Finnimore under the capable eye of Mike Helm who was the Toastmaster of the evening. Facilitated discussions and fun items were led by Alex Farny, Sue Fallon and Leonor Ragan and at the end of the meeting we had a special Toast to the new name by Ross Wilkinson, followed supper laid out by Ian Pickens.
Why did we need a new name? The main reason, of course, was that the club had changed and the old name had become meaningless. There are no more governors in Toastmasters and the club was now about all aspects of leadership and not just a "how to be a district leader" club. And now we come to the important part? Why Leading Lights? What makes this a special name for a special club?
There are two main definitions of leading light. The first is for an outstanding person in an organisation or a cause. This fits Toastmasters, because this is where leaders are made. The second definition is even more important to us as a club, because this symbolises everything we stand for. Leading lights come in pairs and are built on riverbanks and harbours to ensure the safe passage of ships through dangerous and troubled waters. By lining up the two leading lights and following the course, the vessel will remain in the safe channel and not run aground. Each one of us are on a leadership journey and each one of us need more than one leading light to take us to the next step towards our destination. The two leading light are always of different sizes and elevations. Again, at our club we have leaders at different levels, each guiding according to their own experience and shining their light from their own perspective. The same way successive pairs of leading lights can take a ship on a long river journey, being guided by multiple mentors will allow new leaders to progress safely along their journey.
Come join us at our next meeting to be held on 20 April 2017, 6:30 pm at Shenton Park Community Hall with the theme of Effective Teams.
Almarie Meyer
District 17 Public Relations Manager 2016-2017
Ho hum!
by Robyn Lloyd
Ho! Hum! Monday morning blues!
Same old! Same old!
You know what I mean!!
I sat in my favourite café, contemplating!
Contemplating the taste of freshly brewed coffee,
Life?! What’s around the corner?
Contemplating, fighting with my conscious.
Could I? should I? Who would know?
Tempting me, the display of just out of the oven scrumptious muffins,
displayed close enough that I could, see, almost feel and experience.
Temptation taunting me, the morning breeze wafting the aroma
of cinnamon and chocolate my way.
It was at that moment I glanced across the room, our eyes locked,
A famous Hollywood star, the perfect stranger?
Wrong!
You might say it was a celebrity.
Looking at me was the cover of the January Toastmaster magazine.
The smiling face of a victorious US Olympian Lauryn Williams CC.
An exuberant wave under the banner,
“Setting goals and winning gold! Reach the Finish Line!”
I shouldn’t haven’t been surprised to see Lauren – I put the magazine
on the café’s magazine rack.
But I was surprised when I realized that in my enthusiasm to share Toastmasters
I had overlooked reading this edition. I quickly snatched it before another patron did.
Waiter!
another cup of coffee please, hold off on the muffins!
The cover espoused excitement, I couldn’t wait to read on!
A jammed packed edition;
Lauryn talking about goal setting and success;
We Are What We Do” by Maureen Zappala DTM.’ Habits and goals go hand in hand’.
“the Toastmaster Whisperer’ (Craig Harrison DTM, PDG, sharing thoughts on
Evaluation public, personal, private).
“Game On”!!
Why I became an Accredited Speaker! By Darren Lacroix.
Tell Me More Tell Me more!!!!
Ho! Hum!
The moral of this story!
Toastmaster magazines still full of exciting, and inspiring articles.
How to change a Ho Hum day,
read the latest Toastmaster magazine,
I did. Game On!!!!
Footnote:
only the waiter, muffin and I know my decision that morning!
Robin Lloyd
Black Swan Newsletter Guidelines for Authors
Criteria
- Articles must be relevant or of clear interest to Toastmaster members.
- Articles must reflect the TI core values; integrity, respect, service and excellence.
- Articles must reflect the education and communication programs and goals of TI
Document Format
- Please supply as a MSWord document
- A template is available for easy use on the D17 website
- Please save document as YourName.ArticleTitle_MM_YYYY eg JoeBloggs.Toastmasters_are_amazing_ 11_2016
- Preferred length 300-400 words. Articles must not exceed 500 words without prior agreement.
- Please use Headings 2 for title.
- Please use Headings 3 for subtitles.
- Please use arial or calibre font – including signature There is a template available if you want to make it really easy (just request by email: lisamartin.tm@gmail.com)
.
Image format
- Please supply images as JPEG format, with the best picture quality available
- Please supply images separately to the document
- Please save images as YourName.ArticleTitle_pic1; YourName.ArticleTitle_pic2 etc
- In the text:
- indicate where to insert eg Insert Picture 1 about here
- state image title
- supply names of people shown
- Please supply an up-to-date profile picture of yourself
- profile pictures can be natural and informal, but appropriate for use
- please supply the highest quality picture available