Archive for November 2018
District Director – Frank Tsuro DTM
As we are fast approaching the festive holidays I have started seeing people shopping for gifts for their loved ones. While for some this is an enjoyable event, for some of us it can be stressful finding the right gift in the congested of malls. This holiday, I would like to challenge you to consider…
Read MorePresentation Skills – Presenting to “Big Guns”
Audiences that strike fear inside One of the most frequent fears expressed by presenters is that of presenting to senior managers or executives or any of the so called “big guns”. The question is: Why does positional status seem to add to presentation stress? What makes seniority and status a cause for added anxiety and…
Read MoreLeadership Opportunities – Spontaneous Leadership
After visiting my current club and other clubs in the Midrand Johannesburg area several times, I finally joined the Midrand Groundbreakers in June 2018. I say without a shadow of doubt that it was the biggest and most amazing thing I have done for myself in 2018! I was thrown into the deep end by…
Read MoreMember Moments – Three Vital Skills
‘Only the one who wanders finds new paths’ – Norwegian proverb. True to the Norwegian proverb above, there are three things that I have learnt and gained in Toastmasters. These three things are patience, listening and learning. Firstly, every time I am dealing with my fellow Toastmasters, I have discovered that we tend…
Read MoreDid you know about HPL leadership lessons?
If from my High Performance Leadership (HPL) I learnt only two lessons about service and servant leadership, I wouldn’t ask for more. What the project was about. Challenged by Toastmasters to carry out a HPL project as a requirement for achieving an Advanced Leadership Silver Award, I set about to identify a project and recruit…
Read MoreEditors Post- Power of Completion
According to the universal calendar November is the penultimate month of the year. December is full of festivities. You are looking forward to a restful holiday in December; it’s been a good year. Maybe you can’t wait for the year to end, it was a tough year. Exams will be over and it will be…
Read MoreAre you playing the New Year’s Game?
Have you ever heard of the “New Year’s Game”? Have you ever played this game? On Tuesday, I attended a Toastmasters meeting themed “Goals”. In one of the speeches, I was reminded of a very popular game I used to play every time towards New Year’s day but, was not aware at the time I…
Read MoreEditors Note – Toastmasters a way of life
Have you ever wondered what your life would have been like without Toastmasters? So many things happen to us in our lifetime, sometimes like dew on grass it evaporates and disappears and other times remains embedded in our lives like a deep scar that will never fade. We go out there and share our stories…
Read MoreDid you know about The Toastmasters Promise?
She was shaking her head as she came back to her seat. A beautiful induction ceremony had just taken place and eight members had been inducted. She whispered to me ” That promise ummm I did not know about it” she looked visibly shaken. I was taken aback as I realised that we take it…
Read MoreMember Moments – Seeing through the eyes of an introvert
Why I joined Toastmasters? There comes a time when you have to get out of the comfort zone, there comes a time when you have to unshackle the chains of fear that binds us. 2013 was that defining moment that I decided to confront my fears and get out of my comfort zone. As an…
Read MoreMentor Moments – “The Boss Lady”
During the 44 months I have been a member of Toastmasters, I have met inspiring Toastmasters who have helped me to chart and navigate my leadership and communication journey. One such Toastmaster is a beautiful lady who I affectionately call “The Boss Lady”- Nikki Quinn. I first met Nikki at our Division Z Club Officer…
Read MoreLeadership opportunities – Coming out of the shell
My name is Olivia Mwamba. I joined toastmasters in 2016. Toastmasters has become part of my daily routine. The club members were welcoming and made me feel at home. Toastmasters has helped me come out of my shell and embrace everything I ever dreamt of becoming. I dreamt of being a leader, a life coach…
Read MoreToast-spiration
The question; “Are great salespeople born or made?” returns about 723 000 results on the Google search engine, this is indicative of the ongoing debate about whether one is born knowing how to sell or the skill is acquired over time. Now, before I give you my take on this subject matter, I have a…
Read MorePathways Resources
Since the day I joined Toastmasters, I have always found incredible resources at my fingertips just by searching google or Facebook – How to be the grammarian, what to do when you are the Toastmaster of the day, who to contact at World Headquarters, where to buy a Gavel – all my questions are answered…
Read MoreStrong Club -Happy members.
Now that the collection of semi-annual dues and the “mop up” of the members that didn’t renew are in your review mirror it is time to look forward and set your club up for success. As a club and particularly as the Vice President Membership of your club, you now know exactly how many members…
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