Black Swan October 2017
Editorial
Hello Toastmasters,
I hope you enjoy your own Western Australian District 17 Toastmaster Newsletter for October. I encourage each one of you to consider writing something to contribute and so that you can 'give back' to your fellow Toastmasters. What have you learnt that we could benefit from? Has your club had an unusual meeting? Is there an event coming up at your club to which you would like to invite Toastmasters from other clubs? Do you have a funny Toastmasters-related story to share? As Toastmasters it is important to hone our communication skills in all mediums, and that includes written prose. I look forward to seeing these - just note the guidelines below - keep it short, pithy and pictorial. Email directly to me by the 14th of the month for that month's newsletter if you would like to see yourself in print.
This newsletter is 'written by Toastmasters, for Toastmasters'.
Guidelines for authors are at the end of each newsletter.
Lisa Martin
Black Swan Editor
District Director's Update
by Sue Fallon
I am pleased to report that the District 17 Budget and the District Success Plan has been lodged with Toastmasters International to meet our district requirements.
Thank you to all of our District 17 clubs who submitted their semi-annual fees in a timely manner.
Time now to pay your remaining members fees into TI as soon as possible. Please also follow up with your non renewing members.
District Executive Committee Meeting
On Sunday 1st October the District Executive Committee Meeting was held. The officers involved were District Officers including the Trio, Division Directors, Area Directors, our Finance Manager and District Parliamentarian. Our Administration Manager is away on holidays and I thank Catherine for undertaking the minute takers role. 
The officers in attendance gave their Division and/or their Area Reports, soon to be uploaded to the District 17 website, when our Administration Manager is home from her travels.
We also enjoyed a terrific presentation from our Area E13 Director – Janette Edwards.
Janette gave a presentation based upon your Legacy Impact and what legacy you will leave from a year of undertaking your District role or indeed what legacy you would like to leave from any time of your life.
Janette’s presentation asked us all to determine whether we were Ambassadors, Advocates, People Movers, Truth Seekers, Creative Builders or Experienced Guides and we then ascertained and shared the advantages & disadvantages of each of these roles.
Thank you Janette for sharing this presentation with us.
Division Speech Contests
We still have Club and Area Contests to conclude then we will be moving on to the 4 Division Contests.
Sunday 5 November 2017 – Southern Division Contest at Bullcreek Community Centre, Hassell Cres & Leichardt St, Bullcreek at 1:30pm
Saturday 11 November 2017- Eastern Division Contest at the Innovation Centre, Technology Park, 9 de Laeter Way, Bentley at 3pm for 3:30pm start
Sunday 26 November 2017 – Northern Division Contest at Bob Daniels Community Centre, 895 Beaufort Street, Inglewood, 12:30pm -4pm (1:00pm start).
Saturday 2 December 2017 – Central Division Contest at The Inmnovation Centre, Technology Park, 9 de Laeter Way, Bentley – time to be confirmed.
District Council Meeting
The District Council meeting will be on Saturday 18 November 2017 at 2:00pm at The Innovation Centre, Technology Park, 9 de LAeter Way, Bentley.
All District Officers, Club Presidents and Club Vice Presidents of Education will be voting District matters and motions.
With this in mind please submit any agenda items for the District Council Meeting to our
District 17 Administration Manager – Nola Haddrill on toastmaster.nola@gmail.com
and Sue Fallon, District Director on fallon1892@yahoo.com.au
By close of business 30 October 2017
Club Award Progress
| Clubs | DCP Status | Goals | CC's | AC's | CL's | New Mems | Training | |||||
| Plain Speakers | D | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Ellenbrook | D | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Canning Vale | S | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Southern River | D | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Fremantle Gateway | S | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Victoria Quay | P | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Fremantle Quaynote | D | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
My congratulations to the clubs listed above, who have achieved provisional Distinguished (D), Select Distinguished (S) and Presidents Distinguished (P) status in the District
The status is not official until the second round of training and 2nd renewals are complete next year.
I encourage you all to set your goals as members and go forward and achieve them this year, and Who Will You Bring to Toastmasters
Sue Fallon DTM
District Director 2017-18
Educational Awards September 2017
by Patricia D'Cruze
Thank you all for the collective effort in achieving 45 new Toastmaster Awards between you in September! A great effort.
| Award | Date | Member | Name |
| CC | 9/01/2017 | Newton, Wayde | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 9/01/2017 | Jahmeerbacus, Reshma | Desperados |
| ACB | 9/01/2017 | Jurin, Ilija | Victoria Quay Club |
| ACS | 9/01/2017 | Carrie, Peter | Victoria Quay Club |
| ACS | 9/01/2017 | Jurin, Ilija | Fremantle Quaynote Speakers |
| CC | 9/02/2017 | Liau, Sam | Aspire Toastmasters |
| CC | 9/05/2017 | Liew, Ian | Western Founders Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 9/06/2017 | Bowerman, Chris | Rockingham Toastmasters |
| CC | 9/07/2017 | Figueiredo, Andre | Canning Vale Toastmasters |
| CL | 9/07/2017 | Foley, Paul | Bunbury Club |
| CL | 9/07/2017 | Voller, Troy P | Bunbury Club |
| ACB | 9/08/2017 | Kulkarni, Shrikant | Rising Stars Club |
| ACG | 9/08/2017 | Edwards, Janette | Swan Toastmasters Club |
| ACS | 9/09/2017 | Small, Mark Anthony | St George's Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 9/10/2017 | Browning, Shirley | Bunbury Club |
| ACG | 9/12/2017 | Young, Geoff | Jetty Toastmasters |
| CC | 09/13/2017 | O'Brien, Catherine | Competitive Speakers Perth |
| CL | 09/13/2017 | Wang, Louise | Plain Speakers |
| CC | 09/13/2017 | Wang, Louise | Plain Speakers |
| CL | 09/15/2017 | Davies, Jane G | Touch of Gold Toastmasters Club |
| CL | 09/15/2017 | Davies, Jane G | Touch of Gold Toastmasters Club |
| CL | 09/17/2017 | Narayanaswamy, Anandan | Southern River Toastmasters |
| CL | 09/17/2017 | Giandzi, Ronnie | Canning Vale Toastmasters |
| ACB | 09/17/2017 | Nowak, Katarzyna | Currambine Toastmasters |
| CC | 09/18/2017 | Mamidi, Ramesh Reddy | Victoria Park |
| ACS | 09/18/2017 | Law, Peter C. | Armadale Toastmasters |
| CL | 09/19/2017 | Bruce, Carole | Plain Speakers |
| CL | 09/19/2017 | Sardal, Amit Suresh | Plain Speakers |
| CL | 09/19/2017 | Pinto, Phillip | Plain Speakers |
| ACB | 09/19/2017 | Pinto, Phillip | Plain Speakers |
| CC | 09/21/2017 | Morris, Jay | Sandgroper Toastmasters Club |
| LDREXC | 09/21/2017 | Watson, Graham Paul | Southern River Toastmasters |
| LDREXC | 09/21/2017 | Chan, Stephanie | Southern River Toastmasters |
| ACB | 09/22/2017 | Al-Ghamdi, Abdullah | Cannington Communicators |
| CL | 09/26/2017 | Han, Paula | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| ALB | 09/26/2017 | Davis, Roger Harold Stanley | Bunbury Club |
| CC | 09/27/2017 | Blay, Olga A | Plain Speakers |
| CC | 09/27/2017 | Sardal, Amit Suresh | Plain Speakers |
| CC | 09/28/2017 | Fisher, Charles A. | Leading Lights Toastmasters |
| CL | 09/28/2017 | Olivera, Elsa | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| CL | 09/28/2017 | Esteban, Gabriel | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 09/28/2017 | Han, Paula | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 09/28/2017 | Maclean, Conrad Charles | Fremantle Gateway Toastmasters Club |
| CC | 09/29/2017 | Stone, Leisl | Victoria Quay Club |
| CC | 09/29/2017 | Stone, Leisl | Victoria Quay Club |
Patricia D'Cruze DTM
District 17 Program Quality Director 2017-18
Pathways is on our doorstep
by Patricia D'Cruze
The Toastmasters ‘Pathways learning experience’ will be rolled out in District 17 in December 2017. It is an exciting time for all of us as we transition into the new education program. Pathways is designed to help you build the skills you need to communicate and lead. It comprises of 10 paths that teach more than 300 unique competencies.
As you progress through Pathways, you will:
- Practice and improve your communication and leadership skills.
- Give speeches in your club based on assignments in Pathways.
- Challenge yourself to build and refine certain competencies and skills.
- Complete a range of projects that include persuasive speaking, motivating others, creating a podcast and leading a group in a difficult situation.
Develop real-world, transferable skills in many different areas through Pathways —communication, leadership, management, strategic planning, service to others, public speaking and more.
Pathways is not a departure from the current education program. It maintains Toastmasters’ guiding principles and educational concepts. Club meetings will still be at the heart of the Toastmasters experience. The new program builds on the best of what we have now. It takes the education program to the next level, but at its foundation, Pathways is anchored in the vision of Toastmasters’ founder Ralph C. Smedley.
Members were asked to play a vital role in the development of the program. Early on, more than 270 members were chosen to be Learning Masters, a group that offered valuable feedback to the Pathways team on the educational content and learning experience. Maree Pickens, our Speechcraft Coordinator was one of the Learning Masters who tested the beta version of Pathways.
Pathways Ambassadors and Guides have been appointed to help your club prepare for this exciting experience. Some Ambassadors may have already visited your club to create awareness about the Pathways program. Your Pathways Guide will visit your club shortly to introduce Pathways and train your Basecamp Managers (Vice President Education, President and Secretary). During the visit, club members will have the opportunity to ask questions and practice logging into the Toastmasters International website. Additionally, you will provide your club will receive a rollout kit. The kit contains The Navigator, Pathways Quick Start Guide, Pathways Flash Drive and Pathways Pins.
For continued support, your Pathways Guide and Ambassador are available following the visit to answer any questions and help club members achieve success in Pathways.
Here are some tips to prepare you for the club visit with your Pathways Guide:
- Ensure that all members login to the Toastmasters.org website with their personal ID, prior to the visit and rollout.
- Plan to dedicate one entire club meeting to present on Pathways. Consider the date that works best for you.
- Make club officers available to meet with your Pathways Guide after the presentation to debrief.
- Ensure you have a laptop or tablet device available for your Pathways Guide to use during the visit. If a device is not available, notify your Pathways Guide so they are able to bring one with them. If your club has does not have access to AV equipment, notify your Pathways Guide so they are able to bring the AV equipment to the meeting.
- Share any special circumstances of your club or meeting space (e.g. print-only club, virtual club, no technology available, no internet access available).
- Share if there are any challenges getting to your club meeting (e.g. security clearance, gate access, etc.).
The District will run additional workshops to help club officer especially Base Camp Managers in the second round of Club Officer Training that commences in December 2017.
If you have any questions about the Pathways Program, please contact your Pathway Guide or myself.
Patricia D'Cruze DTM
District 17 Program Quality Director 2017-18
D17 Upcoming events
by Patricia D'Cruze
Aspiring Leaders Workshop
When: 19 November 2017 from 10 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Technology Park Innovation Centre
9 De Laeter Way Bentley
Are you interested in taking on a leadership role in District 17 next year?
Do you need to complete your Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) Award and still need to complete a term as a district officer? (district director, program quality director, club growth director, public relations manager, administration manager, finance manager, division director, area director)
Then come along to the ‘Aspiring Leaders’ Workshop to find out more on the various district officer roles.
We will have the Region 12 International Director David Fisher at the session to share his knowledge and advice on leadership followed by a panel discussion where past and present leaders share their experience and knowledge in the various district roles.
Click here to register for the Aspiring Leaders Workshop.
Patricia D'Cruze DTM
District 17 Program Quality Director 2017-18
REWARDS
by Peta Rakela
Having spent the majority of my life teaching primary school kids I’ve learnt the value of rewards. Let’s not delude ourselves: it’s not only kids who crave them. We all appreciate recognition for effort, achievement, or service to others, be it in the form of money, decoration, present or some kind of token. However, you may be surprised to learn that in most instances the spoken or written word, conveyed with sincerity, and gratitude, acknowledging the effort we have made, is more than enough. In Toastmasters so many give of themselves, for the benefit of others. In fact Toastmasters as an organisation, would not, could not exist without such generosity and servitude from its members.
Unfortunately we sometimes tend to forget this largesse that flows endlessly into our clubs, areas, divisions, and district. Worse still, we sometimes abandon the TM core principle of respect, forgetting that we are all volunteers, on a learning journey of our own, doing the best we can. And we forget how much we rely on, and need each other.
My question is this....
When was the last time you gave the greatest reward of all… some positive praise and words of appreciation to those who serve you?
A hug, chocolate, or more importantly those few sincere words of appreciation and encouragement…spoken or written.
I urge you all to look around. “They” are there. The givers. Your club committee members, mentors; area, division and, district teams and leaders… your fellow club members
The “they” may well be "you”…
And if that’s the case one behalf of District 17 leadership I thank you, one and all, for the selflessness , the commitment, the dedication, the time, the effort you make to make Toastmasters so great.
Without you, we are nothing.
The Ultimate Reward: HPL → DTM
With Pathways on its way what better time to complete your DTM and start with the new program.
In order to do this you need, amongst other things, to do a High Performance Leadership Project (HPL).
There are so many things we could do at District Level, to take D17 to the next level, but lack the man or woman power to do just that...
SO this is where you come in!
As Club Growth Director I have a zillion project ideas you can take on for your HPL. I am also as keen to hear YOUR ideas- I love creativity and innovation- (and I’m known to hand out the odd reward as well-)
SO if that HPL of yours is just waiting for opportunity to knock, consider it done.
I’m knocking…
Flick me an email at: pests@skymesh.com.au and we’ll take it from there! DTM here you come!
Marvelous Membership Award
Every club in District 17 can win the Marvelous Membership Award. All you have to do is meet following criteria
- Achieve both membership goals of 4 new members by 30 September 2017 and 31 March 2018 ((Distinguished Club Program Goal 7 and 8).
- Submit 20 membership renewals by 30 September, 2017.
- Submit 20 membership renewals by 31 March, 2018.
Easy? Well life was never meant to be that easy!
The Marvelous Membership Award will be presented at our District 17 …………….. RENDEZVOUS Convention, Scarborough, May 2018…………………
Interactive Workshop
9th December 2017
12.30- 4.00pm
(change of venue, date and time)
Mechanics Hall. 20 Meadow St. Guildford
This venue is a few minutes walk from Guildford Train Station, close to restaurants, cafes, ice-cream shops, interesting curio shops, a glorious park, and pubs - for those who’d like to socialise after the workshops with a glass or two…
- Sponsors , Mentors and Coaches (SMAC)
Refer back to article: Black Swan August 18th
- Bringing FUN and VARIETY into club meetings
Have a bit of fun yourself n this whacky ‘walk on the wild side’ workshop
Please note: As both of these sessions involve audience participation numbers are limited to 40.
You can register your interest now by contacting me directly at pests@skymesh.com.au
or through Eventbrite bookings as of November 1.
Peta Rakela DTM
Club Growth Director 2017-18
“Grow do it”
Letter from Singapore
by Stephanie Chan
On my home visits to Singapore over the last few years I have had a chance to befriend a Past District 80 Governor. This friend has been a source of information on their District activities, achievements and more recently in elucidating the workings of the new Pathways educational framework.
While it’s exciting to get growth ideas and a peep of what’s to come from sources outside of our own District, I cannot believe my good fortune when he texted me on an upcoming event hosting a visiting Toastmasters dignitary – International President, Mr Balraj Arunasalam, DTM. I dashed to register my name, albeit past midnight, hoping to be among the 80 invitees.
The event is held at the recently renovated Cairnhill Community Club (CCC). What is noteworthy of mentioning is that the CCC hosts nine Toastmaster Clubs on site. As though to parody the melting pot culture of Singapore, these are cosmopolitan clubs for Mandarin speakers, Francophones (the only French speaking club in Asia), for Vietnamese, Filipinos, Tamils and Anglophones.
I finally get to meet Mr Arunasalam at the dinner buffet and am pleasantly surprised to find him totally humble and easily blended into the local community.
Past and present District Exco members address him like any other ordinary Toastmaster and I am completely in awe of the camaraderie that could have been forged years ago at past International Conferences and country visits. In introducing myself, I realise how small the world is, when Mr Arunasalam specially mentioned knowing Chandana Weerasekera (Canning Vale Club), who was a member in his Colombo Toastmasters Club.
In his keynote speech, Mr Arunasalam recounts his personal story of first joining a Toastmasters club to socialise and for the food. The room abounds in laughter when he relates that his high sounding title of Territorial Council Chairman for the Sri Lanka Chapter meant looking after only 4 clubs there. He tells of how his Toastmasters skills rubbed off on his daughter (although not a Toastmaster) who represented Sri Lanka as the official youth delegate at the UN General Assembly and accorded him a chance to enter the inner sanctums of the Assembly hall.
Herein lie his takeaway messages:
- Always put people (members) first even before self
- People leave a club because they are not fulfilled. Hence, all Toastmasters should look at meeting each other’s growth needs
- It is in the giving that people grow and their contribution entrenches their staying power.
- A good leader enables others to become leaders so that they can surpass him
- Joining a Toastmasters club is about getting an opportunity to develop self-confidence and growth through the Toastmasters program (rather than simply “to learn public speaking” which the organisation has become more ubiquitously associated with)
This chance meeting with the International President may be rare and coincidental but for those who have not been privy to this opportunity, be inspired by his messages and make them your own both in your Toastmasters and in your personal life.
Stephanie Chan, DTM
Southern River Toastmaster Club, Vice President Membership
A Toastmaster’s Journey part 2
by Ray Roach
John was picked up
For a Toastmasters meeting,
He was nervous
And his heart was beating,
Unsure of what to say
Or what he was supposed to do,
Never heard of Toastmasters
Everything was new.
John didn’t need to worry
Because it was his first night,
Everyone was friendly
No one was going to bite,
The meeting began
With the agenda,
Also a funny joke
Which was a bender.
Everything went quickly
Until table topics started,
My name was called
It felt like the earth had parted,
The question was easy
From what I could hear,
I just felt different
Probably from fear.
I gave a short answer
The best that I could,
It wasn’t hard
It actually felt good,
From that moment on
I knew I was hooked,
Everyone was encouraging
My membership was booked.
Stay tuned next time to hear John progress through his Toastmasters Journey.
Ray Roach,
Kwinana Toastmasters Club
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
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- Please use Headings 2 for title.
- Please use Headings 3 for subtitles.
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