Toastmasters Southern Africa Homepage

No. 7 No. 6 No. 5 No. 4 No. 3 No. 2 No. 1	Frances Boshoff DTM, District 74 Governor, 2006/7
	YOU CAN #7
	22 January 2007 "If you wish to reap a crop, you must first cultivate the land, plant the seed, water and fertilise the plant, protect it, and then finally, undertake the harvest" - Glen McQuirk. Clubs plan to achieve Distinguished Club at the end of 2007 and bring club members great joy. Area Governors plan to be a Distinguished Area and Division Governors plan to be a Distinguished District. Overall we plan to be a Distinguished District by June 2007. We have planted the seed of being distinguished, but we need the water and fertilise the seed. Every single member of District 74 has to work towards achieving an educational goal, introduce a member (or more than one) to his/her club. Goals are not achieved overnight, but one step at a time. Farmers understand the principle very well. They never stop caring for a plant before the harvest is due, yet we stop caring before the plan is complete. Once we have created the plan, we don’t work the plan. In order for a member to achieve an educational goal, he/she needs to be motivated. For a club to achieve its membership goal, members need to be motivated and inspired to introduce friends, family members and colleagues to the Toastmasters organisation. With 5 months and 1 week before the end of this Toastmasters year … it is now time to re-evaluate your personal Toastmasters goals as well as your club, area, division goals and adjust if necessary. Together we CAN achieve our educational goals. Together we CAN achieve our membership goals. Together we CAN (one step at a time) be a Distinguished District by June 2007.
	YOU CAN #6
	3 January 2007 Emily Dickinson wrote: "I dwell in possibility". Toastmasters in District 74 dwell in possibilities. In South Africa alone we have a population of approximately 45 million and only about 2500 of them are Toastmasters. The possibilities are endless. During December I was privileged to attend the charter function of Positive Speakers in Soweto. The enthusiasm and dedication of the members of this club was one of the highlights for 2006. The population in Soweto is somewhere between two and three million (no accurate figures are available), and the members of Positive Speakers intend to make Toastmasters available to as many as possible residents in Soweto. With such enthusiasm, there is now doubt that we can grow the membership of District 74 to 5000 by 2011. The best way still to market something is by word-of-mouth – if you tell your friends and family about the organisation and how you have benefited from the program our membership will increase (also get involved with the Toastmasters Day planned for February 2007). The first six months of the 2006/07 Toastmasters year is past and now is the time to re-evaluate your personal Toastmasters goals as well as your club goals for the remainder of this year. Use the first meeting of January to do some planning for the next six months. Ryk Neethling said: "When I go into a competition or a race, I don't go there to be first: I go there to be the best I can be. In my mind, as long as I know I gave it my all, that's all that matters." Let us finish the 2006/07 Toastmasters race being the best that we can be. I wish you a wonderful and exciting 2007! [back to top]
	YOU CAN #5
	28 November 2006 In Tuesday's with Morrie, Morrie says to Mitch Albom: "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. … devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." Is this how we approach our Toastmasters goals … half-asleep, busy with unimportant things? Toastmasters can help you achieve your career goals. By becoming a better communicator and leader you will have an advantage above other candidates when it comes to promotion time. As Toastmasters we learn: Listening and critical thinking skills Performance feedback Time management Planning and implementation Organising and delegating Facilitation skills Motivation and mentoring skills Team building skills These are all important skills that can be applied in your career. But what do we do to measure if the clubs meet the goals of its members? To measure the success of clubs, we use the Distinguished Club Program (DCP). Is your club using the DCP? Clubs like Cape Town (Top club 2006) have purpose and meaning. They do the right things right: the members are prepared for assignments, they present manual speeches, they have high-quality evaluations, an educational slot and they invite guests to their meeting (10 at the last meeting) and they have fun – "they learn in moments of enjoyment". Are you (and your club) busy with unimportant things? You can be a successful communicator and leader and president's distinguished club. [back to top]
	YOU CAN #4
	31 October 2006 Humans are by nature competitive – remember the recent Currie Cup finals? A nation divided? Whether we support / play rugby, cricket, soccer, hockey, golf, etc. we cheer when our team scores a try, goal, holes out for a birdie (or is it an eagle?). Our sport stars get paid for every game the play however we support them … because it is about team pride and support. Yet when one of club members completes that first speaking assignment (CC1) we don’t cheer as loud. When one of our club members completes assignment number ten (CC10) there is no celebration. When a member of our club serves as an Area Governor, Division Governor, we don't celebrate with them and support them. Why? We often assume that our members don't need encouragement but we do believe that when our favourite rugby, soccer, cricket team plays a game, we have to support them. Research makes it clear that if we are going to make it to the summit we need someone shouting in our ear: "Come on, you CAN do it. I know you CAN do it!" Let's celebrate the successes of our club members and cheer in loud voices when someone completes an assignment … Let's cheer as loud as we can and together we CAN be SIMPLY AMAZING Toastmasters. [back to top]
	YOU CAN #3
	23 September 2006 I had something else prepared for this "I can" article, however, yesterday I was waiting to pick up my nephew, Micky, from school and overheard a conversation between a parent and her daughter [It was end of term and the learners had all received report cards]. The one-way conversation went something like this: "You can be the head girl of this school one day if only you did better academically - you will have to work harder next term." This apparently was according to the girl's teachers. I could see her shoulders slump and the disappointment on her face (I'd rather not say what I wanted to tell the mom!). I am sure this girl did the best that she can. Will she be head girl one day? Maybe … Will it be her goal? … Definitely not! It would only have taken an "I am proud of you and I know that YOU CAN" to put a smile on her face and make her work harder next term. This got met thinking … Is this the way we run our Toastmasters clubs? We can be a distinguished club if we only did better on attracting new members, achieving our educational goals. But, whose goals are these? Do we get so caught up in achieving that we forget about our members and to have fun? Are the goals that we set those of the club executive or do the members of the club have "buy in" [Your club should have goals, but it should incorporate the goals of your members]? One of the clubs in District 74 has so many guests attending their meetings and applying for membership that they considered splitting the club. The club has been President's Distinguished for the past 4 years. What are they doing differently? They are proud to be members of their club and Toastmasters. They recognise achievement on a regular basis - not only once a year and the members have "buy in" in the club goals. They encourage their members to participate, believe in YOU CAN, but mostly they just learn in moments of enjoyment! They drive the goals of the members ensuring that every member achieve his or her goals. Happy, achieving members = distinguished clubs. Your club too can be President's Distinguished in June 2007 if you invest in the goals of the members and give regular recognition. Guests would want to join a club where the goals of the members are important and where they can learn while having fun. YOU CAN be simply amazing Toastmasters! [back to top]
	YOU CAN #2
	6 September 2006 One of my favourite singers at the moment – Sandi Thom – sings a song entitled "Time" ... rollerskates and bumblebees holding hands and grazing knees dressing up and falling down ... (This really brings back some fond memories!) I been making plans since I was three time catches everyone and the world goes round the sun and the memory lives on in my heart Can you remember the big dreams you had when you were younger? The dreams you had when you joined Toastmasters? Remember that dream ... you were going to complete the Competent Communicator (CC) award within a year, then tackle a leadership role in your club, then finish two advanced manuals and become an Advance Communicator Bronze (ACB)? Did time catch up with you and this is now only a vague memory living in your heart? Now is the time to let the memory and dream become a reality again – YOU can! Don't let time catch up with you. Plan to complete your Toastmasters goals by December 2006 – YOU can! If you haven't made contact with your club Vice-President Education to plan your speeches and other club roles – do it today – YOU can! YOU can be the best communicator and/or leader as you dare to dream! [back to top]
	YOU CAN #1
	Every person has a purpose in life and maybe your purpose / goal is to achieve the Competent Communicator (CC) award. Studies done about concentration camp survivors during World War II revealed that each of these survivors had a purpose / goal to survive, whether it was to find the surviving members of their families or like Victor Frankl to write a book. Frankl entered the concentration camp with some of his writings which was confiscated. Later he found some pen and paper (which was illegal) and started to recreate his manuscript. That is a very positive I CAN message. You can be a CC by December 2006. How? Most clubs meet twice a month. Contact your Vice-President Education today and schedule all the speeches ... YOU CAN! Then find an hour or two in your busy schedule and brainstorm ideas for each one of the projects in your manual ... YOU CAN! If your club’s program does not allow for you to speak at every meeting, contact other clubs in your area and offer to be a speaker ... YOU CAN! Always go to a Toastmasters meeting with a speech prepared ... inevitably there is always a speaker that cancels and YOU CAN fill the gap. YOU CAN be a Competent Communicator by December 2006! [back to top]