Yes, I know it's nearly August, but since Toastmasters is an international organization with its headquarters in the United States, we are obliged to start our year in July. That said, it is time for all members to have a look at their goals - both with regard to the educational track and to the leadership track. If you are not sure what this means, do take some time to speak to the VPEd, Alison Immelman or to any of the other members of your Exec. You will also be receiving an email from her which will help you to focus you on those goals.
Some bits of news that will be of interest to members :
- We welcomed Tom Horne back after he had spent some time in hospital. He gave us quite a scare, but bounced straight back to the meeting out of his hospital bed. May you continue to be the blessing to our club that you are, Tom.
- We want to wish Quinton well as he goes off to get married in August - and then to a magical honeymoon , in Russia, no less! ( At least it is summer there.)
- Club Officer Training took place on Saturday, 28 July at VP Grey and was attended by 27 executive members from most of the clubs in Area E1. Grateful thanks to Glenis, Marlene, Nicholas, Yvonne and Megan who undertook the training. Attendance at this training also ensures us of Club points in the Distinguished Club Programme.
After a fascinating stint of Table Topics during which time we were asked to explore the fascinating world of phobias - including the fear of washing, ghosts and even of food! - we went on to a range of prepared speeches from both the Competent Communicator and the Advanced manuals.
Anton Barkhuizen started off with his CC2 (Organize your Speech). We learned about Your Secret Weapon, our unique style of communicating with others : visual,aural,tactile.
Then, Trevor Wells had us rolling as he regaled us with his tale of a body surfing experience gone wrong with the Washing Machine(CC4 Ho to say it).
In her first advanced speech from the Public Relations manual, Louise Erasmus sold us all over on the benefits of Toastmasters with her speech entitled So, You want to be a Public Speaker?
The level of humour evident in some of these speeches serves as a reminder that our annual Humorous Speech Contest is coming up very shortly, as is the Impromptu Speech Contest. Both of these contests are in preparation for the National Contest which will take place at MiniCon at Kirstenbosch Gardens on 13 October. We are hoping to take a really representative group from Area E1 to support our competitors. If you are keen, speak to an Exec member, or visit the District 74 website at www.toastmasters74.org for details. The sooner you book, the cheaper the rates - and flights!
It is my sincere attempt to make this blog an interactive site for Algoa members - and for visitors. Last time I asked members to give others tips on how they get to finding a topic to speak on. I think there were some gremlins at work then, so I am extending the same invitation to you this week. Just click on the Post a Comment link and then let's see what happens.
Until next time.
Ricky Woods
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