Pondering on the past year: some perspectives

Last night I attended another Algoa Toastmasters Induction dinner.

Many things were the same as last year: the torrential downpour that greeted us on the way to the dinner; the welcome glasses of sherry at the door; the genteel ambiance of the PE Women’s Club and, of course, the friendly faces of fellow Algoa Toastmasters members.  This is one event in the year which some of our long-suffering partners do attend and it was lovely to see people I had last seen a year before.

An Induction Dinner is a time for reflecting on the year that has past. I found myself looking at the very first blog I had written one year ago.  There I read that Algoa was officially the largest club in District 74.  I don’t know if this is still the case, but I do know that our numbers have continued to grow and that we still regularly entertain visitors who go on to become members. Clearly, we must be doing something right!

 

The evening of fine food and entertaining conversation had a number of highlights.  Firstly, there were the annual awards made by outgoing president, Denise Pudney, to whom we pay tribute for her gentle strength in leadership this past year.

Congratulations to those who were acknowledged for their exceptional contributions or achievements in various areas:

• Most Improved Speaker – Angie Kivido
• Most Improved Evaluator – Jessamy Kromhout
• Most Enthusiastic Toastmaster – Mike Brosnahan
• Toastmaster of the Year – Marianah Lourens
• Community Service – Ricky Woods

 

Certificates for adding exceptional value to the life of our club were awarded by Glenis Whitehead to Denise Pudney and Marlene Vosloo

Then it was time for our Division Governor, Glenis Whitehead, to discharge the outgoing Executive of their duties and to install the new Executive for 2013-2014. Alison Immelman, the new president, reminded members in a heartfelt message to Grow, Learn and Teach as the ‘family’ that is Algoa Toastmasters works towards its separate and combined goals.

 

But we certainly did leave the best for last.  Our guest speaker is a grande dame of education in the Eastern Cape, retired school principal of Riebeek Girls’ High, Natalie Stear. In a speech filled with compassion for those who have not experienced the benefits of a privileged education, she related her experiences while marking the current English Olympiad, In Camera. Injected with moments of humour, her speech brought home very clearly the plight of so many of our young people who look with fear at a future filled with little hope unless those in power are held accountable for their actions.

I said at the outset that many things were the same as last year, but in many ways nothing was. I know that I speak for all who attended when I say that we were warmed and encouraged by the events of the evening to continue to strive for the attainment of our goals.

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On a lighter note – I was thrilled to hear the following poem by Marlene Vosloo as the introduction to her role as grammarian at our last club meeting.

As grammarian this evening, suffice it to say

That I will present the word of the day.

Use it all night as much as you can.

Don’t look so shocked, Toastmasters; make a plan!

When speaking tonight, watch your ps and qs

And remember the plural of you is not yous!

Split infinitives, correct tenses and rules of concord

I’ll listen for these - hope I won’t get too bored

Use picturesque speech; let your grammar go to town

Paint your language bright red, not boring shades of brown!

As the end of the evening finally draws near

I’ll report back to the GE… but do not fear.

My report in this case will be short and sweet

For hearing Toastmasters in action is always a treat!

As a teacher of English and grammarian by habit, I loved it!  Any other offers?

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Re-kindle that fire!

Unless you deliberately do what Stephen Covey said in his seminal work Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that is, ‘sharpen the saw’ – a 21^st Century lifestyle can soon leave you feeling chewed up and spat out with no resources to carry on.

This is true of every aspect of our lives and those of you who do a lot extra in Toastmasters may be able to attest to the fact that sometimes one feels ‘Toastmastered out!’ Two meeting per month, plus another one if you belong to a second club. More, if you happen to be serving on an executive. Then assisting at a Youth Leadership Training Course or two; popping in to lend a hand at the university club or to be an evaluator at a Speechcraft course. Club Officer training, speech competitions and public relations drives – the list is endless!

All of this and you have not had a chance to look at your own manuals to meet any of your own educational or leadership goals – and pretty soon you will feel like giving up.

I want to encourage you here not to lose sight of the reason you joined Toastmasters: it might have been purely that you were dragged along by an enthusiastic friend and you have stayed to keep that friend company. It might more likely have been because your job requires you to make presentations and that you feel inadequate to do so. It could even be that you have heard that being able to speak in public is a sure way to fast-track your success in the company you work for.

Whatever your reason, ensure that you are assigned to a mentor as soon as you join a club. This will be a person who is further along the road than you are, who will be able to guide you in the preparation of your speeches and can warn you of some of the pitfalls you may encounter. Remember, your mentor will do as much or as little as you ask of him or her, so it is up to you to get the benefit as you can from the relationship.

So, what about sharpening the saw?  Covey defines this as taking time to renew yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

One of the ways to do this in Toastmasters presents itself twice a year in the form of the Mini- and Maxi-conferences.  A number of us from Algoa were fortunate enough last weekend to benefit from just such a saw-sharpening conference at LeaderCon.  Set in a most convivial environment, the Indaba Hotel at Fourways, this conference gave us plenty of food – for our minds, our emotions and our spirits. Also physically - with a superb array of food to satisfy even the most discerning of tastes.

Keynote speakers were Mark Brown and Ed Tate, both World Champion speakers from the USA. Our own Douglas Kruger, many times a winner of the International Speech contest in South Africa and runner up in the World Championships, also showed us some of the tricks of his trade. Other noteworthy speakers were Helen Nicholson who introduced us to the concept of Mastering Networking and Julie Filmer whose ‘Donkey Logic’ helped her to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as a tribute to her late husband.

A young man who charmed his way into our hearts was 12 year-old Jordan van der Walt. He realised some time ago that offering hungry children Easter eggs once a year was not the solution to real hunger. With the aid of his principal and a challenge to his school and others the Just one Bag initiative was started, resulting in the collection of literally tons of mealie meal for distribution to the hungry.

Emotional highlights came in the form of a heartfelt presentation by Tina Botha, mother of Chris

Corlett who died of lymphoblastic leukaemia, who founded the Sunflower Fund to raise funds for a larger bone marrow registry in South Africa. There were not many dry eyes left after she had spoken.

Add to that incredible input the Evaluation Contest and the outstanding speeches at the International Speech Contest and you have a recipe for inspiration.  Our congratulations go to the winners, Louis Nigrini and Jabulani Mangena , respectively.    Jabulani, you take the hopes and dreams of District 74 with you to the International Convention in August!

I could go on listing the inspirational speakers we heard and the lessons we learned, but instead I want to challenge you: when you feel that this whole Toastmasters thing is taking more out of you than you are getting in return; go along to a Conference. The next one is the weekend of 11 October in Johannesburg. If you want more details, check out the Toastmasters website www.toastmasters74.org .

Come on, re-kindle that fire!

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Selling the Toastmasters Concept

I was privileged on Tuesday past to witness what was, in a sense, the culmination of many years of hard work in the midst of what might be considered by some to be trying circumstances.

I am referring to the AC30 speech of Nicholas Mitchell, which he did from the Professional Speaker manual.  Those of us who have been members of Algoa for some time know that Nicholas is a multi-faceted person who strives to give of his best in every aspect of his life, whether it is at work where he has proved his worth in becoming a partner in the firm where he practises law; whether it is at home, where he relishes his role as father of five and husband to Naomi; or whether it is at Algoa Toastmasters, where he is a stalwart member, always happy to lend a hand at Speechcraft or Youth Leadership Courses, or to compete in – and win – the various speaking competitions, at the same time as working towards his ultimate goal of becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster.

It came as no surprise then to hear that the topic of his final (project) speech dealt with the matter of Selling the Toastmasters Concept.

With public speaking regarded by many as a fate to be feared second only to dying, this almost intangible skill would seem to be a really marketable concept. Yet, when one considers the relatively few members in existence it would appear that the Toastmasters concept is a well-guarded secret.

Nicholas is convinced that it is a secret we should all be happy to sell.  He makes the proviso though that it is not a one-size-fits-all concept.  While he offers a basic recipe which can be adapted, he cautions that one should take account of the needs and goals of each individual one encounters before one tries to steamroller someone into becoming a member.

For those of you who wish to rise to the challenge of selling the Toastmasters concept, he suggests an acronym – RISEN.  Let me unpack it for you.

Rapport/Relationship - Trust me; no-one is going to buy anything from you until you have established this.  Out of a trusting relationship you can begin to inform the potential ‘customer’ of the value of Toastmasters. In other words, you can show them how their specific needs can be met in the non-threatening environment that is Toastmasters.

Invitation - Getting someone to attend one of our meetings is half the battle won! It is important that they realise that a first visit is just that – there must be no pressure placed upon them to participate in the proceedings of a meeting, unless they choose to do so. There must also not be any ‘hard sell’ attempt to coerce a visitor into becoming a member.

Sell - Expect some skepticism at first. The financial outlay is always a concern for potential members, but it is up to you to convince them that whatever the cost, the benefits to them will far outweigh those cost.

Eagerness/Excitement - All club meetings should be welcoming and encouraging. Visitors should always be exposed to a product that is slick and professional, but NOT intimidating.

New member - Hopefully, this will be the outcome of a purposeful attempt at selling our product.

So, Algoa Toastmasters – the gauntlet has been thrown. Will you pick it up?

LeaderCon

A number of us will set off on Thursday for the annual MaxiCon, which takes place at the Indaba Hotel at Fourways.  We wish Mariannah Lourens well as she represents Division E in the International Speech Contest.   As Denise indicated earlier today in her email, we all hope to come back renewed and full of Toastmasters enthusiasm!

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Dream - 23 April

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

These wise, inspirational words have at times been attributed to Mark Twain; to the writer H. Jackson Brown, and even to Brown’s mother.

The fact that no-one really knows who used them first does not detract from their power.

So, it was these same words that our newest CC, Angie Kivido, used to start her CC9 speech (Persuade with Power) about her dream to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, aptly called “Dream”.
Achieving a dream, according to Angie, is not something which just happens. It has to be aimed at and planned most deliberately. What follows is a breakdown of some of the steps that she took to make her dream a reality. With a little application, it seems to me that these steps would fit the realisation of almost any dream:

• Define your dream

This boils down to what has been said before about goals or dreams being SMART (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based)

• Believe in yourself

It is self-evident that a dream will remain just that if you,

the dreamer, don’t believe in your ability to attain that dream.

• Break out of the rut
Benjamin Franklin said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
So, expecting to realise dream by continuing old behaviours is planning to fail. Success in the achievement of your dreams will require changed behaviour.

• Make your dream known
Allowing your dream to be known by others makes it real. There is always fear attached to speaking your dream. Fear of ridicule; fear of failure. However, you would be surprised at how supportive others are once they are aware of your dream. Soon too you will discover that there are others who share your dream. That shared passion will go a long way towards helping you to realise it.

• Do not fear failure

There has to be a price to pay if something worthwhile is to be achieved; otherwise the attainment of that dream is cheapened.
If that means that there are moments of failure along the way, so what? Each time you try again it means that you have been strengthened in the pursuit of your dream.

• Change your mind set
If circumstances have allowed you to become negative with regard to the attainment of your dream, it is up to you to change the way you are perceiving things. Positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes.

• Celebrate small successes
Every time you experience a small success on the route to attaining your dream, celebrate. That positive reinforcement will be an incentive to reaching greater things.

These steps seem so simple, yet they helped Angie to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in 2005! Just imagine what they can do for you.

Talking about the realisation of dreams – 23 to 26 May will see a gathering of Toastmasters from all over Southern Africa at LeaderCon. With world class speakers to entertain and inform us, I think we are in for a treat. We wish the delegates from Division E all the best of luck as they represent us in the Evaluation and International Speech Contests.

If part of realising your dream entails completing a CC or any other project speech, do let me know so that I can slot you into a programme as soon as possible.

Until next time

Ricky Woods
rickywoods604@gmail.com

Courage - 23 April

In the absence of the “official” blogger – you are going to get the ramblings of the “technical assistant”. Well not exactly ramblings – since you know that IT people are logical, direct and to the point- and so there will be an adjective-less, succinct blog – with clinical details of the evenings proceedings!

As usual – the meeting started on time. The President – who then morphed into the Toastmaster – warmly welcomed all – including a large – okay 8 – contingent of visitors.

The Table Topics was an attempt by Deborah Stephenson – with the assistance of Wilbur Smith - to get us to develop a truly warm, rural, African bush story. All was going well until Tom took to the floor – and the story was hijacked by an urgent WhatsApp message on a cell phone and a quad bike excursion to a party down the road!! This side-lining of the story won Tom the Impromptu speaking award.

The formal speeches once again covered many things – not quite “of shoes and ships and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings” Midlife – by Barbara de Scande (CC4) to a truly motivating Secret of Success from Gideon Smith (CC3), to an excruciating overview of Dental Pain from Mike Brosnahan(CC4) and finally a plea from Glenis Whitehead with Tots and Technology(CC9) to balance exposure of children to IT with a nostalgic look at what is truly remembered from childhood. So besides being entertaining – the speeches provided food for thought.

but moved from a hilarious overview of

With the Toast to Seasons – Ana Heydenrych toasted both the wonder we experience with the change of seasons as we transition from Summer into Autumn but also the transitions through the stages of our lives. This was so apt as Ana moves towards her role as mother.

As Top Toastie last week – Barbara awarded the Top Toastie this week to Reinhardt Botha for the enjoyable, encouraging evaluation (do I detect an alliteration?)

Our warmest congratulations to Marianah Lourens for coming 2nd in the International English Competition and Jessamy Kromhout for coming 3rd in the Evaluation Competition in East London this last week-end.

So where does courage come in? – You may ask! It was the theme for the evening – and as we know public speaking takes courage !!!

Yours in the interim

Belita

How do we keep going? - 26 March

Our last club meeting saw us having our annual Club Speaking Competition in preparation for the run of contests leading up to the Division and finally, the District Competition at MaxiCon in May.

There is a saying (borrowed from the Robert Burns poem To a Mouse) about the best laid schemes of mice and men; and sadly, this event turned out to fraught with all sorts of problems. It was not that there had not been enough warning; we had known about it for ages. It was not that there were initially not enough entrants for the International and the Evaluation Competitions; there were. It was just a case of LIFE, with all its complexities and problems, happening.

Despite the limited number of entrants in the final competitions, I believe that we all – and the four or five visitors who were present – learned a lot. Glenis Whitehead (our Division Governor), in her role as Chief Judge, took us through the rules and discussed some interesting items which had been raised by Shaun Goodbrand, District Chief Judge in a recent On a Point. It was an enjoyable evening as always. Mariannah Lourens and Jessamy Kromhout went on to represent Algoa at the Area Competition at Victoria Park Grey on Saturday, 6 April.

This Competition saw entrants from all the clubs in Area E1 competing: Algoa, ACT, USpeak, NMMU and Rhodes. The results were as follows: Jessamy Kromhout won the Evaluation Contest, followed by Charlie Msimane from Rhodes; Michael Travis (also from Rhodes) won the International Contest with Mariannah Lourens in second place. All four of these contestants are allowed to compete at the next level and we wish them the best of luck!

20 April will have competitors and supporters leaving PE and Grahamstown very early in the morning to travel to East London for the Division Contest to determine who will be representing us in the District Competition at LeaderCon in Fourways from 23 – 26 May. If anyone would like to support the contestants from Area E1, please speak to Glenis Whitehead or Colleen Love about transport arrangements.

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I found myself wondering after the club competition though: How do we keep going? We are all so aware of the treadmill lives that we lead. Taking it easy translates these days into being lazy – and if we want to achieve any level of success, either personally or at work, we cannot be seen to be lazy! So, we load our metaphoric plates until we really cannot do any more – and then we sometimes have to face the consequences in poor health, a lack of family time or even nervous breakdowns. I guess the only way to ‘have it all’ is to find balance.

This is not a new topic of conversation at Toastmasters; I have devoted most of a previous blog to it. However, I keep coming back to it. Renowned theologian, Thomas Merton, had this to say:

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony."

So, if we are looking for a way to achieve our goals without falling apart or of driving ourselves too hard, we must find a way to devote time to each of the following areas: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social/Emotional and Material. Looking online, I found a really simple article at http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Balanced-Lifestyle which sums it all up.

I know it’s not always easy, but if we make small, deliberate changes to the way we live, we would be surprised at the results that will yield.

Until next time
Ricky Woods

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