Unsung Heroes - 12 March

I want to start this blog by giving you two pictures; two things to think about:

Some years ago I travelled from Port Elizabeth to visit my parents in what was then the Transvaal. On the way I stopped for a while at the Gariep Dam (in the San language this word means ‘great water’). There had been quite a lot of rain in the preceding month, so some of the sluices were open and I was amazed at the immense power I was witnessing. Much of this water flow really is harnessed and converted into hydro-electric power. I was left wondering about the machinery within the bowels of those great walls that make it all happen.

St Teresa of Avila, co-founder of the Carmelites

I have always had a fascination for those men and women who find themselves called to serve in the Church; those with a religious vocation. What amazes me most is that at a time when the world seems to be losing its sense of focus and morality, the strictest of these religious orders are the ones which appear to be the most attractive. One such order is that of the Discalced Carmelites. These men and women dedicate themselves to a life of prayer. The nuns, in fact, are an enclosed order who follow an entirely contemplative life.

By now you must be wondering what it is that I am trying to say? These two pictures seem to have nothing in common. Yet, the thread that connects them is one of unseen power. Without the giant machinery within the walls of the great Gariep Dam, those sluices would not open and the massive force of water would not be translated into electric power. Without the selfless devotion displayed in the prayer ministry of those Carmelite nuns many of those who serve carrying out the work of the Church would not feel themselves sustained.

What does this have to do with us at Toastmasters?

Everything. For most of us, when we arrive at our Club meetings, the venue has already been set up. Did you know that the venue we use serves another purpose during the day? Our Sergeant-at-Arms and one or two other members arrive early to set the venue up for us so that we are ready to go.

Every year, approximately ten schools in Port Elizabeth benefit from Youth Leadership Training courses. On top of that, various Speechcraft courses are run, either for corporations like ABSA, or for the general public. Who does this and what do they get for doing it?

Members of your club run the various courses, and other members assist them in a variety of ways by doing educational speeches or by helping with evaluations. Any payment that occurs is for the benefit of the clubs concerned. It is money from courses like these that enable clubs to subsidize the fees that we pay bi-annually to Toastmasters International. This money also allows our Executive members and those who are participating in the Speech Competitions to attend the Conferences that are held twice a year.

So, back to the two pictures and Toastmasters. I want to pay tribute here to the unsung heroes in every club who make things happen. If it were not for you, our experience of Toastmasters would be a pale shadow of the vibrant, active club that it is.

That said, I want to encourage members to enter the speech competition which will be held at our next meeting on Tuesday 26 March. Two competitions will take place, namely the International Contest (English Prepared Speech). Members must be CC6 to enter. Speeches are 5-7 minutes long. The other contest is an Evaluation Contest. A model speech is evaluated by contestants, who are then judged on their adjudication.

Winners of these contests will compete in the Area Contest (all the clubs in PE) on 6 April. After that, the Division contest will be held (against winners from Grahamstown and East London) – and the victors will represent Division E at the District Competition at MaxiCon. Please give your name to Alison Immelman today!

For those of you who are going away for the holidays, may you have a real rest.
Until next time

Ricky Woods

Every visitor is a potential member - 26 February

After fifteen years as a Toastmaster I still get a kick out of every meeting. Last night though, I saw something quite amazing – of the thirty people at our meeting, fourteen of them were visitors!


As usual, our President asked each visitor to give a short introduction. Their responses were all similar: “I want to improve my public speaking skills” or “I want to overcome my fear of speaking in public.” What became overwhelmingly evident to me was what we at Toastmasters have known for so long:

1. Many people really fear speaking in front of others;

2. Being able to speak confidently to groups of people is the key to personal confidence and to career success.

Many of the visitors indicated that the requirements of their jobs meant addressing groups of people in order to train them or to try to sell a concept to them. They recognised that it was a skill they would have to master in order to succeed. There exists in all of us a desire to grow; to improve and to fulfil our potential. Why else would so many people have deliberately put themselves in a place where they would have to acknowledge and face their fears?

That got me thinking about how clubs succeed. I believe in serendipity or synchronicity and last night’s meeting was yet another example of such a chance encounter. Antoinette Baatjes gave a delightful educational speech on How to Motivate People, which started with words attributed to Dr Phil (but which I have subsequently discovered to have been used by a host of other people): “You can’t give what you don’t have”.

I believe that is the root of the success of a club like Algoa – we give what we do have. It all starts with club members who are already motivated. When individual members are feeling a little down, or not as ‘on track’ as they would like to be, there are others who are ‘up’ and that enables them to act as a motivating force. Regular attendance at meetings therefore ensures a level of motivation. We keep going because of the encouragement of others.

Motivation, according to Antoinette, can take three forms:

Praise - people are motivated when they feel appreciated or encouraged. There is little that spurs one on more to further action than acknowledgement of a job well done, whether that is a project speech or a task performed in service of the club. Evaluations should always be positive and encouraging, while at the same time making constructive suggestions for improvement.

Public recognition - as above, people enjoy this recognition at a meeting (in the form of an award like the Top Toastie, or Best Table Topic) or in a newsletter or club blog.

Promotion – this entails opportunities for advancement in the organisation. Members may be asked to serve the club in executive positions, in this way recognising their value to the club.

Fourteen people came to visit last night; fourteen people took a risk. Were we at Algoa motivating enough in our encouragement of them and of one another that they will stay to become members?

Until next time
Ricky Woods

It's all a matter of changing your perspective - 12 February

We are often quick to bewail our fates and to find excuses for the lack of success in our lives. Or should I say, I am? This weekend though, I read something in the newspaper that made me realise that it really is all about perspective. The writer of the article challenged his readers to try to re-tell every incident from different perspectives: he suggested four, but I would like to focus on two: victim and hero.

If, for example, you find yourself passed over for promotion at work because (according to you) the person who could have made it happen for you has a personal issue with you, you can choose to see the situation in one of two ways. Firstly, she doesn’t like you and she doesn’t realise your innate potential. You are far smarter than she is and she feels threatened by you. With an attitude like this, you might as well resign because you will transfer those negative feelings into every work scenario. Sadly, you will probably take that attitude with you into the next job, where things will probably not go any better.


Or, you could see the situation as an opportunity to grow. The person responsible for your promotion (or not) is in that position because those higher up have recognised qualities in her that they consider to be capable. If you are mature about it, you could ask her for advice or mentoring to ensure that when the next promotions come up, you will be sure to be in line. Another advantage to this kind of attitude is that you might even gain a friend in the process.
Ridiculous? Perhaps, but the second way will help you to sleep better. Why not try it? Even when it comes to progress with your Toastmaster's goals, a change in your perspective on matters can make a big difference. It really boils down to ‘glass empty or glass full’, doesn’t it?
* * *

I have been so impressed with the level of presentations that we are having at Algoa lately and this last week was no exception. Our Division Governor – and Algoa member – Glenis Whitehead, gave a particularly informative and educational CC8 (Getting comfortable with visual aids) using a PowerPoint presentation, about recognising and dealing with ADHD in our children.

Since more and more of us are using data projectors and electronic media to do presentations, perhaps it is time for us to have an educational input from one of the experts in the club on this subject?

Congratulations too, to Gideon Smith, Trevor Wells and Dxy Madikizela on completing CC2, 6 and 8 speeches respectively and to Mariannah Lourens on her AC26. It was wonderful once again to see such a range of speeches being completed. I am sure, from the comments of the visitors, that we will soon have more new members wanting to follow in your footsteps

* * *
Early Saturday morning, 16 February saw carloads of intrepid Toastmasters from Port Elizabeth make their way to Grahamstown for the first SummerCon, which was hosted by the very enthusiastic Area E1 members at Rhodes University.

David Preece, our District Governor, flew in from Johannesburgto preside over the training session, which a group of about 50 Toastmasters from all over Division E attended. Claire van Zyl and Glenis Whitehead provided training. Our very own Megan Judd and Marlene Vosloo assisted David in the training of Club Officers, new and old.

Afterwards, a picnic lunch was enjoyed by all.

Division E is set to host MaxiCon next year in May. To that end, the Rhodes Toastmasters presented a very spirited proposal.
That reminds me - it’s time to start registering for LeaderCon, which will be held from 23-26 May at the Indaba Hotel at Fourways in Johannesburg. Details are available on their website www.maxicon.co.za Trust me, it is an unforgettable experience.

Until next time
Ricky Woods

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