Algoa Toastmasters Club Meeting: 26 July 2016

Make Tonight Matter

The Algoa Toastmasters held another impressive meeting on 26 July 2016.

Toastmaster

Denise Pudney conducted the meeting efficiently and in a friendly manner, she ensured that the meeting ran smoothly and “auspiciously”

Table Topics Sessions:

Mimi Makupula conducted the Table Topics session; the theme was “The Joys of Growing Pains”. Toastmasters and visitors shared their experiences of the good old days including when parents could spank their children and it was not considered child abuse.

Prepared Speeches

Angela Rogers (CC2) on “The Secret of Getting Ahead Is Getting Started….” a topic about speech writer’s block. Angela’s speech was evaluated by Warren Tagg

Deborah Stephenson (ACB6) speaking to inform abstract speech titled “Be Aware for Some Its There” Deborah’s speech was evaluated by Tom Horne

Glenis Whitehead (ACS5) with the title “Motoring in Scotland’ speaking from the entertaining speaker manual, assignment 4. Glenis’s speech was evaluated by Marlene Van Wyk

Toastmasters, is about team effort and at every meeting we have role players. The role players for the meeting included:

Time Keeper: Roger Ah Kuhn

Um and Ah Counter: Zikhona Mfingwana

Grammarian: Zanele Hartmann

General Evaluator: Igor Leskor

 Winners

Best Table Topics: Warren Tagg

Top Toastie: Igor Leskor

In the beautiful words of our visitor Malibongwe during Table Topics “Living to fight another day”

At Algoa Toastmasters we are not only living to fight another day, we also “living to attend another meeting”.

Please visit the Algoa Toastmasters Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/algoatm/

Be Blessed

Zanele Hartmann

Algoa Toastmasters Club Meeting: 12 July 2016

The Algoa Toastmasters held another amazing meeting last week:

Toastmaster

Warren did an outstanding job as the Toastmaster for the evening. He truly made the evening “gaiety”

Table Topics Sessions:

Deborah Stephenson is an avid hiker who enjoys trails, nature and the outdoors and she took us through one of her hiking trips via Table Topics. This brought up a range of funny topics varying from hiking boots, blue skies, bible verses and others I shall not mention (parental guidance advised).

Prepared Speeches

·     Waven Korkie (CC6) on “Are You Going Fast or Slow” teaching us that everything is about process and the process leads us to who we need to become.

·        Mimi Makupula (ASC6) spoke about “Fat” sharing that we are the host of our souls regardless of body or colour and that the body is the house.

·      Nicholas Mitchell (Repeating CC1) spoke about “Learning One Step At A time” citing Aristotle “Knowledge of self is the beginning of freedom”

Winners

 

Best Table Topics: Denise Pudney

Top Toastie: Angela Rogers

Nicholas concluded his speech by saying “I am a working progress”

We are all a working progress at Algoa Toastmasters!

Be Blessed

Zanele Hartmann

Algoa Toastmasters Club Meeting: 28 June 2016

The celebrations and festivities continued at the Algoa Toastmasters Club following the installation dinner with Angela Rogers a.k.a Perfectionist Duracell Bunny completing her first speech from the Competent Communicator (CC1) Manual, the Ice Breaker. From Angela’s speech we learnt how much she values the importance of hard work and support. It comes as no surprise that she loves to help others learn more. Angela elaborates that “The more I see results the harder I push”. I really strive to try and make a difference every day and to touch people’s live. Congratulations and well done Angela.

Our new President 2016/2017 Reinhardt Botha was the second speaker for the evening. Reinhardt is motivated by seeing people become better versions of themselves, his Educational Speech on Goal Setting and Planning from the Leadership Excellence Series was very fitting for the evening. Reinhardt explained how writing goals down enables us an opportunity of achieving them. He further explained that to in order to be successful in goal setting our goals need to be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound.

A big thank you to Warren Tagg who was our Table Topics Master for the evening. All present at the meeting participated with “Alacrity” (thanks Zikhona Mfingwana) for adding the alacrity to our word basket.

Congratulations to the following Toasties!!!

Roger Ah Kun: Best Table Topics Speaker

Zikhona Mfingwana: Top Toastie 

Algoa Toastmasters 56th Induction Dinner

The Algoa Toastmasters Club gathered for a celebration on the evening of the 24^th of June 2016 at the PE Women’s Club Summerstrand. The club celebrated its 56^th Induction Dinner and it was an “auspicious” event filled with warmth and love. The evening kick started with a call to order by Waven Korkie followed by a warm welcome by Angie Kivido (President 2015/2016).

MC Colleen Love: Photograph by Deborah Stephenson

The MC for the evening was Collen Love who kept us entertained and informed us of what lay ahead during the evening. The food was absolutely delicious Tuna Mousse for Starters, followed by Beef and Yorkshire Pudding and vegetables as the main course. Last but not least Lemon Meringue for dessert.

In true Toastmasters style, there was a guest speaker for the evening, Riga Vermaak who herself used to be a Toastmaster graced the stage as the guest speaker for the evening. She educated us on what real food is and highlighted the importance of understanding and knowing what we put into our bodies. Following Riga’s speech it was time for the presentation of the 2015/2016 awards. Congratulations to the following Toastmasters received awards for year 2015/2016.

                                                                                                                                         Toastmasters Awards winners 2015/2016: Photograph by Deborah Stephenson 

                                                                 

         Marianah Lourens - Community Service Award

          Roger Ah Kun - Most Improved Speaker

          Zikona Mfingwana - Toastmaster Of The Year

          Reinhardt Botha - Most Improved Evaluator

          Zanele Hartmann -Most Enthusiast Toastmaster

          Tom Horne - The Mentorship Award 

The final segment of the evening was the induction of Club Executive Officers for the year 2016/2017 by Tom Horne.

Angie Kivido and Reinhardt Botha (Immediate Past  President and President): Photograph by Deborah Stephenson

                          

The new President Reinhardt Botha made a very insightful speech and what stood out most from his speech was when he said, “In Toastmasters I found a place where everybody wants to learn”

Let us continue to Learn, let us continue to Teach, and let us continue to Lead.

To have a sneak peak at how beautiful the evening was and just how beautiful Algoa Toastmasters were on that “auspicious” evening please visit our facebook page:: https://www.facebook.com/algoatm/

Be Blessed

Zanele Hartmann

What I Know For Sure

Over the years Oprah Winfrey has shared in her popular O, The Oprah Magazine, a monthly column titled "What I Know For Sure" as a source of inspiration and revelation.

My name is Zanele Hartmann and not Oprah Winfrey however, I would like to share my toastmaster’s journey and hopefully it will inspire many. Let us rewind the clock a little bit. Following an advert I saw in the newspaper in June 2014 I picked up the phone and called a lady named Marlene Van Wyk and enquired about the Speech Craft Course at Algoa Toastmasters. Following our telephonic conversation Marlene sent me an email on the 10^th of June 2014 and below is a brief extract from her email:

  

“I am attaching the information about the course and have put down your name as one of the candidates.  I am positive you will enjoy the course and gain a lot of confidence from it”

Marlene was very right. I never attended the course instead I decided to go and visit the Algoa Toastmasters Club and that was a year ago. I went from being a visitor to becoming a member! From membership I went to doing speeches, Marlene as my Mentor. Then came the time for my first speech from the Competent Communicator Manual called the Ice Breaker. I remember sitting opposite Marlene in her living room on a Sunday afternoon and Marlene guiding and supporting me through my prepared speech titled “Who is Zanele”.

I can clearly remember Marlene saying to me “You’re going to have to speak up, I can hardly hear you from across the table”

I am very sure she was crossing her fingers on the night when I delivered the speech. I can tell you now, two things were going through my mind as I got to the lectern, firstly I was worried about my voice, let alone the volume but the shaking! Secondly I was going to talk about my personal details and feelings to strangers!

My turn to speak came and I went up to the lectern and delivered my CC1 and I have never looked back.  Today the people I thought of, as strangers are my leaders, family, friends, teachers and psychologists. I look forward to going to club meetings every time. As I write here I can safely say that is what I know for sure.

I also know for sure that:

·       Algoa Toastmasters has contributed in my personal and professional growth;
·       Has taught me confidence;
·       How to make connections through my voice;
·       Leadership and support;
·       How to let go of fear;
·       Discipline and the respect for time
·       Constant improvement of myself;
·       Camaraderie;

  

I can go on and on. My favourite affirmation is “Everyday in everyway I get better and better” and through Algoa Toastmasters and its members I have witnessed this.

As fellow Toastmaster Waven Korkie wrote in the blog post date Wednesday, 02 March 2016

“Let Algoa Toastmasters club continue to shine by having the fire inside of us, and exude the passion and enthusiasm. Let us be a light to all the negative intentional fire starters out there and empathize with all the accidental fires. Until next time my beautiful candles…….”

Be Blessed!

Zanele

The Algoa Toastmasters club is on fire, not the flaming type of fire we have witnessed in our country for a while now to get the authorities’ attention. Sometimes all you have to do to get what you want, in our beautiful country, is to burn something and then the powers that be - finally listen. I am sure you would agree that this is not the way to go, but what about Algoa Toastmasters?

We have been on fire, there has been interest shown in our club as far as social media is concerned, we have witnessed a plethora of guests at our meetings. As our VP Education would say; Toastmasters is not a meeting, it is an Event; great metaphor to use and more accurate too.

At the Algoa Toastmasters club we have a burning desire to serve you, to lift you up. That is not what we set up to be or to do, it is the culture that has been adopted by everyone involved -  now that is red-hot.  When you are at the Algoa Toastmasters club, it sometimes feels as if you are at Steers or Spur, because you get that sizzling feeling!! 

I hope I am not getting your hunger temperature on a high here, but when you get to the Event -  Colleen Love would have already serviced your flames, with the liquids she sets up so beautifully at each Event. Now let me move away from the scorching talking, as I am sure by now that your mind is boiling by all of this fiery words, but I must admit that right now the words are just steaming in on this sweltering Blue Monday. It is literally blue - there are no clouds in the sky.

No worries - the Algoa Toastmasters club has not been roasted – but do you feel the heat in here? Let me warm up this read by saying that the Algoa Toastmasters has your interest at heart, to such an extent that it subsidizes your fees where possible. This is done by various activities outside of our club such as the Youth Leadership Programmes. Recently the club also started an additional Event in the month to accommodate your speeches and the members are there to serve you fully.

While some fires are accidental as witnessed in the Western Cape over this summer on many occasions, and some are intentional as witnessed in our beautiful country over the years, let Algoa Toastmasters club continue to shine by having the fire inside of us, and exude the passion and enthusiasm.

Let us be a light to all the negative intentional fire starters out there and empathize with all the accidental fires. Until next time my beautiful candles…….

Waven Korkie

Do you ever get that feeling where you had a long day, feel fatigue and have to deal with all kinds of stress? And then you ask yourself, do I really need to go to Toastmasters tonight?

Well, if you never had this feeling before, stop your dishonesty right now!

It was one of those days for me, but with the usual twist. The MC of the evening showered us with a plethora of inspiring quotes and spread it evenly throughout the evening. The fun part of the evening started, also known as Table Topics. If, like me, your heart rate goes up immediately and you start looking around for a doctor, but there is usually none, and speaking of the cuff is what you ought to do, but then you suddenly feel on a high, not the kinda high Plaxedes was speaking about, you know, the legalizing of Dagga, but rather being lifted up.

A long day suddenly becomes too short of a night, fat-ique is turned into fat-laughs, stressed is turn in to blessed. All the speeches were amazing, some of us might be aware that Warren Buffet tap dances to work, but who would have thought that Roger Ah Khun, would Ballroom dance into his speech! His demonstration, moves and education about dance altered my perception. Did you know that dancing can reduce risks of dementia by more than 70%, compared to most exercises, swimming, and even your favorite crossword puzzles? There you have it; your mind is a dance.

After that speech, the crowd felt like they are being hit in the stomach, because when Igor speaks, we should know by now that he will hold no punches, and I am not sugar-coating things here. Yes my dear friends, who would have thought that you can do a CC9 ‘’persuade with power’’ speech with packets of sugar. A very powerful speech that altered my perception of sugar? No more sugar- mommies for me.

Glenis Whitehead brought back the laughs with a wonderful entertaining speech; I thought I was at a standup-up comedy show, a free one I might add, well that is if you are a guest. I’m sure her brilliance is included in my dues. This was Glenis at her best. 

We had so many guests at the event, I thought I was going to sit on someone’s shoulders and neck, and all of them said that they were pleasantly surprised and would like to come back, which means I might sit on a neck next time! Oh well, I always wanted to be a kid again.

Everyone played their role magnificently, with our Madam President leading from the front and the back. When you are at a low point, always rise to the occasion, dig deep, go look for that upliftment and find your high point again. When you are on a high though, I suggest you keep on smoking, so that you don’t hit that low point again. 

What a great night…until next time….

Waven Korkie