Indomitable? Indubitably! - 22 January

After what was a really lovely December holiday for most of us, the schools started again in mid-January. Our first meeting after that was amazing! Not only did we have a bumper turnout of 28 Algoa members, but we also had no fewer than 5 visitors. If things carry on in this fashion for the rest of the year, we are in for a treat.

I found myself looking at the range of experience represented in the programme; from Natalie van Aardt, who was doing her Icebreaker speech, and Anna Heydenrych, who delivered a very competent CC2 ( Organise your Speech) on Food; to Nicholas Mitchell, who provided us all with food for thought in his motivational AC29 speech from the Professional Speaker manual. In between there was also Deborah Stephenson (CC6 – Vocal variety) and Mimi Makupula (AC6 – also from the Professional Speaker manual).

When I left the meeting I was filled with admiration – for the indomitable spirit of man (or should I say people?). Every person at that meeting came there from a job; from a family; from their own commitments. Every person there decided that evening that they would forgo something else in order to be there. While I do not know all of your circumstances, I do know that for many of you being there would have meant sacrifice – either on your part or on the part of members of your family.

Every person there had chosen at some stage to invest in themselves. Whether it was once again a New Year’s resolution of the kind we are wont to make every January; or whether it was a conscious decision once again to continue along the road to success; every person was at that meeting out of a sense of needing to change.

I really want to applaud you in that. I know how difficult it can be at times to commit to preparing speeches and to fulfilling roles when your work and personal obligations already take up so much time. Let this serve as encouragement to you to follow this sometimes testing path, so that you can realise your dreams.

If you would like some help in achieving your Toastmasters goals, I have two suggestions: the first has to do with SummerCon, a training session which will take place in Grahamstown on Saturday 16 February. It will be run by our District President, David Preece, and promises to be both informative and entertaining. Lunch afterwards will take the form of a bring-and-share picnic and will most likely take place in the Botanical gardens. If you are keen to attend, please contact Denise Pudney at dpudney@hinet.co.za or any other member of the Algoa Executive.

The other method is less dramatic, but no less effective. I was reminded of it by Mimi Makupula in her motivational speech. It has to do with setting SMART goals. In order to achieve success in any venture, your goal setting should be Specific; Measureable; Attainable; Realistic and Timely. For some more information on this, have a look at http://topachievement.com/smart.html .
In the meantime, believe in your indomitable spirit. We were not created to fail. Or, as Bill Cosby once put it,

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure”

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Is there enough juice in your wheel? - 08 January 2013

The thing about a new year is that it makes you evaluate your life:

What was it about 2012 that was good? What should I have done differently? How can I ensure that in 2013 I do not make the same mistakes? Small wonder it was then that the theme for the first meeting of the year at Toastmasters soundly reflected this idea.
Asking for the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions, Toastmaster for the evening, Ricky Woods found that the members were able to list many: weight loss and exercise coming in first, followed by the usual suspects, cutting down or out on smoking and drinking.



A little more probing elicited the fact that people often resolve to

learn something new (whether this was a new language or a musical instrument) and that they offer to volunteer at some charity, or at very least to support it financially. Then came the usual ones of getting organised; actually doing the things on your ‘to-do’ list and my personal favourite, reading more! Sadly, for all of these resolutions, Time magazine has indicated that they seldom last beyond three or at most, six months. The reason cited is not a lack of willingness or determination on the part of those who have resolved to do so; nor is it the fact that these resolutions are so difficult as to be unattainable. Instead, it has to do with the way we fill our lives.
This brings me to the one resolution which is often mentioned, but which we so often get wrong: having a better work/life balance.

We are all familiar with Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs. In essence, he states that we can only begin to achieve self-actualization once both our social and safety needs have been taken care of. Safety comes from employment; while our social needs are taken care of by friends, family and intimacy. The fact that the latter needs are higher up on the pyramid make them more ‘valued’ in a sense. However, as humans, we must take care of our safety needs first. Perhaps this helps us to understand why some folk spend so much of their time ‘married’ to their jobs – which is why they become so stressed that they do not allow themselves the time to do any of the things on their list of resolutions. So, as the New Year progresses, they pick up on all the bad coping mechanisms they were resolved to stop in the first place.

Speaking from the advanced manual, The Professional Speaker, Louise Solomons delivered a very interesting Professional Seminar (AC6), entitled most aptly, Balance.

Central to her discussion was an explanation of the wellness wheel. This is a concept that has been used and adapted for a variety of uses in different fields. The wheel consists of aspects of how we make up our lives. These aspects include: our occupations, health, emotions, finances, our social interactions and a number of other factors. Wellness ensues from finding a balance among these aspects of our lives.
A concept that we all found new was that of juice. Simply put, juice is what we do for entertainment or relaxation. It is, strictly speaking, not the same as social (which has more to do with relationships) – and in many cases, is an area that is neglected in our determination to achieve in other areas.

So, at a time when we are making New Year’s Resolutions, let us not forget the importance of playing. Let us, in an attempt to maintain a work/life balance, remember to ensure that there is enough juice in our wheels.

In the words of one of my favourite writers, Robert Fulghum, “Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.”
(All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten)

That said; let us still remember the need to set meaningful goals.
Until next time
Ricky Woods

Mother Christmas and all - 11 December

On Monday 10th a few of us met with Frances Fraser and Paul Jensen – from Cape Town - in the boardroom of Goldberg & de Villiers. Nicholas Mitchell had organized the meeting as Frances and Paul were in town for the rugby, and wanted to meet with local Toastmasters to chat about the need to start new clubs in the area. Frances is the Lieutenant Governor Education & Training for our District, and as we are so often left out of this type of discussion, it was very interesting to hear what they had to say and to interact with them. Glenis, Colleen, Nicholas, Mark, Marianah, and Denise were there from our club; Yvonne Anderson from the Madiba Bay club; and Megan Judd and Thaja Moodley from the ACT club.

Father Christmas

Our last club meeting of the year, held on the 11th December, was a happy one despite many apologies by those tied up with other matters due to pressures at this time of the year. The hall looked pretty with some Christmassy things for atmosphere, and a few of us wore red Christmas hats. However, Mimi Makupula got right into the spirit of things by wearing a white jump suit with red shoes, a red scarf, and a flashing red hat. As Mimi was Table Topics master, she wanted us all to address her as ‘Mother Christmas’, and our topics had to start with the words “All I want for Christmas is ..…” whatever was on the slip of paper we had drawn. There were things like having no shopping bills; switching roles with your spouse; a visit to Nkandla with Helen Zille, and automatic bedmakers, to name but a few. Everyone there spoke and Gideon Smith was the winner of the Table Topics floating trophy.

Our Toastmaster for the evening was Belita von Steiger, who cheered us up by focusing on the positives of living in South Africa. Did you know that 7 out of 10 of the fastest growing economies in the world are African countries, that Cape Town was voted the favourite holiday city in the world by the readers of the Telegraph of London, and that Table Mountain is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world?

We had 3 interesting speeches, starting with the icebreaker by Anna Heydenreych. As Anna is Mrs H., she divided her speech into her history, her home and her heart. It was very cleverly done, and she ended by saying she had told us where she had been, where she is comfortable, and where she wants to go to. Congratulations to Anna for an excellent icebreaker and also on her pregnancy.

Dxy Madikizela gave her CC7 Research your Topic speech, and she spoke about travelling around the world – not by aeroplane or by cruise liners, but on cargo ships that have passenger services. These vessels take only 12 or 15 passengers, criss-cross the world, and spend 2 or 3 days in port while loading cargo. This way of travel is actually more expensive than flying, but is much more interesting!

Angie Kivido gave her CC8 Get Comfortable with Visual Aids speech, and even though we are just 44ml short of being in the wettest year on record, Angie reminded us not to waste water. She had interesting visual aids on the table at her side and urged us to reduce usage, re-use water, and repair leaks immediately.

Glenis Whitehead had received two ribbons in the post – one for Algoa being the home club of the Division Governor, and the other for our being the home club of the Area Governor. Well done Algoa!
TMI are having a photo competition to show off the new Toastmasters branding, and Glenis showed us the photo of the November winner, which was the Winelands Toastmasters Club in Cape Town. We felt we can do better than that, so we would like all of us to come to the first meeting next year, being the 8th January, dressed up in bright floral shirts, dresses and ties. We want to portray SUMMER, as America will be in the grip of winter. Those who have T-shirts from the Flower Power and Mexican conferences can wear those, and those with traditional African dresses should wear those. Quirky headgear such as hats and flowers will also go down well, and those brave enough can don swimwear and sarongs! However, that is just the backdrop. The main aim is to show off the new branding. So bring whatever you have – certificates (Nicholas, bring all your recent ones to lend to others), magazines, CC and CL manuals etc.

As 2012 is fast coming to an end, I would like to wish all our members a safe, peaceful and blessed Christmas. Enjoy downtime with friends and family, and come back in January raring to go!
Denise

Jingle Bell Rock and Roll - 27 November

Jingle Bell Rock and Roll

An amazing sight greeted Toastmasters from all the clubs in Port Elizabeth who gathered at the Mater Dei church hall in Newton Park on Friday 23 November to celebrate a fun Christmas get together – blizzards of snow!

The fairy lights were twinkling in the darkened room; Christmas carols played in the background; the excitement was tangible – and as we stepped into the room, we encountered a veritable snow storm – well, not a storm exactly, but some very pretty snowflakes, thanks to the competent work of Jesse Brosnahan, Mike’s son.

The party was the brainchild of Area Governor, Colleen Love, and although it was disappointing not to see a huge turnout of members, those who did attend had a ball! We all sang together - some rather unusual Christmas songs together, like the following one:

Oh, I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas

Mommy and Daddy are mad.

I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas

'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad.

Then we enjoyed a delicious meal and after Santa delivered our sweet treats, we danced the night away to a selection of music that really dated the majority of us. We also discovered that we have a number of enormously talented and sure-footed Toastmasters among us!

Thanks so much to Colleen and Mike for going to so much trouble to arrange this special evening.

Hopefully, it will become an annual event in the Toastmasters calendar.

Our meeting on Tuesday 27 November was wonderful! Despite the fact that there are so many things keeping people busy at this time of year – and we did have a large number of apologies – Marlene Vosloo, as our Toastmaster for the evening, made sure that her theme of The Good Old Days was one that everyone enjoyed.

The Table topics, run by Roger Ah Kun, entailed members describing or discussing the items they found depicted on the bits of paper they opened – from drive-in theatres, to coloured comic books, to typewriter ribbons – we were entertained by a world of yesteryear, which left us quite nostalgic for those good old days.

The speeches, as always, were varied and entertaining. New member, Gideon Smith did his Icebreaker speech (CC1) entitled How well do you know your fellow Toastmaster? Well done on a very good first attempt, Gideon.

Then, attempting the first speech in her advanced manual, Speaking to Inform, Belita von Steiger gave a very interesting and certainly informative speech entitled The youngest profession?.

Finally, recently wed Quinton Jacobs gave a lovely account of his fairytale honeymoon to Russia, aptly entitled In Russia In Love. The opulence displayed in some of the castles they saw, was quite incredible. Long may the fairytale last, Quinton.

Many of us who are matric teachers are going off to mark their final exams and so we will miss the final meeting of the year, but I trust that there will be those who will be able to attend. You are in for a treat. Denise Pudney, our President, has agreed to write the blog for me; and for that I thank her.

Remember, before you know it 2013 will be upon us. Before that happens, do spend some time setting your Toastmasters goals. Then, as soon as you can, book your slots. There are only six months left before this Toastmasters year ends!

Until 2013

Ricky Woods

Life Lessons Learnt - 13 November

I was sitting at Capellini Coffee Shop on Cape Road last Tuesday just before our Toastmasters meeting. This pre-meeting meeting has become something of a habit over the last while: it is perfectly situated to ensure that we are not late for our meeting and it also means we can have a light supper at a reasonable hour of the day. Eating once we get home afterwards is disastrous because I am usually so hungry by then I will eat anything that is nailed down.
But, I digress.
I was there with Alison and two other English teacher colleagues. Almost in unison, Alison and I said, “If I were not on the programme to perform a duty tonight, I would not attend. I am so very tired.” In mitigation of this sinful confession, I must remind you that we are in the middle of final exam marking.
However, being the troopers that we are, we did attend. I was not disappointed. I never am. In the process, I also learned so much:

• Perfect Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
This has long been a motto that I like to apply to every aspect of my life, but I certainly saw its truth in action. Thorough preparation on the part of those who had duties to perform ensured us of a smoothly run meeting that served both to edify and entertain us. My particular thanks in this regard go to our Toastmaster for the evening, Trevor Wells, who showed us that being new at the game does not mean you cannot deliver the goods. Well done, Trevor.
• Recognise your fear, and then do it anyway

Yes, Table Topics is a whole lot of fun and it certainly is a valuable skill to master being able to speak off the cuff. But I know that it was also the aspect of our bi-monthly meetings that would have me quivering in my boots. So, to the new members and visitors who bravely took on Plaxedes Ndlovu’s thought-provoking topics, I say ‘Well done!’ What was more, one of the visitors was named among the best Table Topics of the evening.

• Allow yourself to be surprised and you will never be disappointed

Three very different speeches were on the menu. Firstly, Mike Brosnahan did his CC2 (Organise your speech) on a topic very close to his heart, entitled We are all Chinese. He warned us to check out the labels on the items that we buy and, if we have a choice, to buy South African products. Then Jessamy Kromhout completed a CC5 (Your body speaks) in which she most effectively reproduced some of the items she had performed on stage to qualify for her Drama Teacher’s certification. The last prepared speech was from Dxy Madikizela. Her CC6 speech (Vocal variety) had us question the value of spending enormous amounts of money to reward people for the charitable or community work they do. Surely the reward is intrinsic to the work itself?
The cherry on the top, however, was Marlene Vosloo’s educational speech on Value-Based Leadership, which she did as part of the requirements for the Distinguished Toastmaster award. I just want to highlight some of the most salient points of her speech:
In essence, we are driven both as people and as leaders, by our values. This is the same, whether we are looking at values based leadership in the workplace or at Toastmasters.

If we are at Toastmasters, the following descriptions of leadership could apply:

L – Listen - To be effective as leaders we must learn to listen to the words and the body message behind it. The situation is often as important as the words being spoken.

E – Expectation – Effective leaders will learn to manage the expectations of all the members, including their own.

A – Attitude – Having the right, positive attitude is a vital requirement for effective leadership.

D – Determination – Leaders, who show that they are prepared to stick to their guns, model that same kind of behaviour for their members.

E – Energy – Much the same as a positive attitude, energy on the part of the leaders, is something that allows the members to feed off it; and to reciprocate with energy of their own.

R – Relax – Leaders have learned that they cannot save the world or achieve the impossible. While some failure is inevitable, having the right value system will usually be enough to carry one through these failures.

Marlene ended her speech off with two lessons that she had learned from great leaders:

• From Dr Ali Bacher: Resist the urge to react to verbal abuse via email with the same kind of verbal abuse. Instead, respond with: “Your comments have been noted”

• From Raymond Ackerman: always treat EVERYONE with courtesy and respect – that is what they deserve, regardless of their standing in life in relation to your own.
Those are indeed wise words from some really effective leaders in our society.

So, a meeting that I had approached with ‘lang tande’ (as they say in Afrikaans) taught me so much. I am really glad that I had not given in to my compulsion to stay away.

Until next time
Ricky Woods

An Issue of Commitment - 23rd October

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.”
                                                                                                  Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005)

Our last Algoa Toastmasters Club meeting seemed destined to be a bit of a flop – but we should have known better. Despite the fact that, for a variety of reasons, members had been unable to fulfil their planned speaking commitments, and then at the last moment, technology let us down – as can be its wont – we found ourselves looking at a meeting comprising two prepared speeches – and an Educational.

Serendipity is an amazing thing though, is it not?

 

We enjoyed Deborah Stephenson’s CC5 speech (Your body speaks) entitled Green gold is my story – and then we were treated to some delicious green gold olives.

Advanced speaker, Reinhardt Botha (AC3 – The Entertaining Speaker manual) regaled us with his humorous speech, The Perils of PhD Parenting.

The highlight of the evening happened, however, when our VP Membership, Antoinette Baatjes did her educational speech on Keeping the Commitment and proceeded to induct two new members, Gideon Smith and Atherick Bott.

Part of the Induction ceremony involves the inductees reciting a pledge and then members of the club reciprocating by stating a similar pledge. Over the past fifteen plus years I have declaimed it many times, but Antoinette’s educational brought its value back to me so powerfully. For those of you who may have forgotten it, here it is:

As a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise:

• To attend club meetings regularly;
• To prepare all my speeches to the best of my ability, basing them on Manual projects;
• To prepare for and fulfil meeting assignments;
• To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations;
• To help the club maintain a positive, friendly environment, so that all can learn and grow;
• To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so;
• To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy;
• To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits of Toastmasters membership;
• To adhere to the guidelines and rules for Toastmasters educational and recognition programs;
• To maintain honest and ethical standards during the conduct of all Toastmasters activities.

As much as these ten promises apply to our membership of Toastmasters, they also apply to other areas of our lives where commitment can mean the difference between success and failure. Broadly speaking, our commitment can be divided into four categories:

Participation – This area covers the first three promise areas of regular attendance and preparation. I am reminded of the Nike slogan, Just do it! All that is required for success is that every member arrives and fulfils his commitments (or makes timeous arrangements if he can’t)

 Interaction – Success seldom happens in isolation. After all, we are at Toastmasters because of a common goal. Our evaluations must be constructive and encouraging. This ensures a positive growth environment for members – and the club.

Fellowship – This speaks to the concept of mutual respect and service. Being called upon to serve as a Club Officer is like ‘paying your dues’ – giving something back for the services rendered to you by others.

  

Creating a Pleasant and Stimulating Atmosphere – Continuation of a club happens when members share what they have discovered. So too, abiding by standards determined by our parent organisation ensures a feeling of security, which is conducive to growth.

 It’s very easy to forget why we joined Toastmasters; or to think that it is a one-way relationship: we pay our dues (literally) and in exchange we expect to get the skills and the Toastmasters qualification. I found the following, which really sums it up for me:

  

“Commitment, by its nature, frees us from ourselves and, while it stands us in opposition to some, it joins us with others similarly committed. Commitment moves us from the mirror trap of the self-absorbed with the self to the freedom of a community of shared values.”

                                                                                                    Michael Lewis

So, let’s think about what we expect from Toastmasters, but let’s also think about what we need to give in order for our goals to be reached.

Until next time

Ricky Woods

The Whole is greater than the Parts - 9th October

Flower Power Conference Adds Toastmasters Value

This past weekend saw close on two hundred Toastmasters from all over Southern Africa make their way to Kirstenbosch gardens, nestled beneath the majesty of Table Mountain as it was time again for MiniCon.

Traditionally, this is the time for the Humorous Speech Contest, but for the first time the Impromptu Contest was also defended.

Friday night saw Cape Town funny man; Rob van Vuuren (of Corné and Twakkie fame) entertained the delegates after the cocktail meet and greet with his particular brand of humour.

Thereafter, a closely fought Impromptu Speech Competition was held. For those delegates who were used to the one word or short phrase impromptu topic, there was a surprise in store. What would you have made of the following topic ‘Dr Seuss said: Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple. What do you think?’ In any event, the hardy contestants were not put out and came up with some wonderful responses. Congratulations to the winner, Graham Shirley!

Early Saturday morning the brightly dressed delegates (in honour of the Flower Power theme of the Conference) were raring to go. The Flag Ceremony was followed by introductions and welcomes and then we were inspired by the keynote speaker, comedian and entertainer, Allan Committie (known by all for his wonderfully popular Defending the Caveman). His easy, interactive style had the whole audience laughing and learning – which is what Toastmasters is all about, not so? All too soon an hour had passed and it was time for more serious matters – the Hall of Fame, where Toastmasters and their clubs were acknowledged for their achievements of the past year. Special congratulations go to all the Division E Toastmasters for achieving their own goals – and for enabling the Division to achieve Select Distinguished Division status!

Another change that was rung was the introduction of the Afrikaanse Humoristiese Skouspel. Following on from the Zulu speech contest in May this year, we were treated to the best of Afrikaans humour by four intrepid Toastmasters. The winner, from the West Rand, had the audience howling with her account of a family trying out a new motor boat on the Vaal Dam during a time of extreme cold, because Boot gaan ons boot! (Roughly translated that means, ‘we have a boat, so we are going to use it!’ – it was a whole lot funnier in Afrikaans)

A choice of three workshops followed. I was really impressed with the presentation on Becoming Better Impromptu Speakers and those delegates who attended the other two: On Speaking as a Leader; and the Discussion Leader, were equally satisfied.

After a really delicious lunch, it was time for the Humorous Speech Contest. Eight contestants delivered their best material and we found ourselves transported with them to scenes of trout fishing; road rage and India. Our congratulations go to Biddy White from KZN on taking home the winner’s trophy this year. Sadly, our own Nicholas Mitchell was not placed, but we all enjoyed his speech, Why Four? (or should we say Five?)

Executive members then went on to do the business of Toastmasters.

Later that evening after the Banquet members were inspired and empowered to embrace change by extreme adventurer, Braam Malherbe who regaled them with accounts of his work in conservation. Truly, this was a fitting end to a weekend of learning and growth.

So, I look back over a weekend of amazing moments and can truthfully say that the whole experience was so much more than the sum of its parts. If you are looking for some inspiration; for an experience that will motivate and stimulate you to greater achievement, then look no further than the next Conference – MaxiCon 2013 (called most aptly, LeaderCon). It will be held in Gauteng and details (including Early Bird special price offers) will be available very soon. Watch this space.

Until next time
Ricky Woods