Archive for December 2018
District Director – I admire you
Dear History Maker, I admire you. It takes a special kind of person to make a choice to invest in themselves so that they can give abundantly. The world needs you to be a better brother/sister, to be a better parent/guardian, to be a better boss/community leader. Over the last 5 months, I have had…
Read MoreEditors note – Happy Holidays!
Have you ever noticed the amount of energy you expend as you plan your Holidays? There are those like me who like to have their ducks in a row and start panicking at the thought of one duck losing its place! At least Toastmaster has helped me to tame that emotion. Then there are those…
Read MoreDid you know about O.U.R.Con?
Did you know about O.U.R Con? Well, neither did I, until Makgahlela Talane and Zoya Mabuto gave us a taste of what it was and what it was bringing to the Toastmasters stage we were on. What stood out the most about how they opened up O.U.RCon to the immediate audience of the day was…
Read MoreMember Moment – Value for Money
We live in a society where most people are invariably looking to make the next buck at any cost by hook or crook. Serving in Toastmasters over the last couple of months, has often meant having to explain to some people what the cost of being part of Toastmasters is, and in a cash strapped…
Read MorePresentation Tips – Things Fall Apart
Have you ever been asked to take a high level responsibility last minute? It happened to me. I was asked to be a Director of Ceremonies just one week before a conference of 250 engineers and the invited Guest of Honour was a Senior Cabinet Minister. Coincidentally, I had many other commitments and deadlines to…
Read MoreClub Officer Training-CoT
Do you want to be successful in achieving your goals? Are your club members achieving their goals? Join Tens of Thousands of Club Officers & Members around the globe attending Club Officer Training during December, January & February. The second round of Club Officer Training kicks off on the 1st December in Gauteng and will…
Read MoreElections Already? IPPs
It is a good time to start talking to members about the benefits of leadership roles in the club executive committee. Even though most clubs will only hold the annual general meeting and the election of the new committee in May (which seems a lifetime away), there is no harm in getting the ball rolling.…
Read MoreExcellence is a Habit
The end of a calendar year is a great time to reflect and plan for the year ahead. At Toastmasters, we are fortunate that the end of the calendar year, marks the half-way mark of the Toastmasters year. The current Toastmasters year started on 1 July 2018 and will end on June 30 2019. As…
Read MoreA Sergeant at Arms and so much more
You are never just the Sergeant at Arms, you are the Sergeant Major of the Toastmasters meeting. When you are the SAA for your local club, you may not be fully aware of the power that you yield. When we start getting towards COT events and the annual Toastmasters conference to be held during the…
Read MoreA Stitch in Time Saves Nine
In June 2015, 2 weeks before my term as Charter President of Metropolitan came to an end, I remember so vividly realising how we were not Distinguished and yet our goal was to be President’s Distinguished by the end of that month. I had the longest 2 weeks of my life. I frantically tried to…
Read MoreEach One Bring One
Dear Vice President of Public Relations, have you ever had a fortunate coincidence? For a long time, Frank nagged me to join him. I was hell bent convinced I was a great speaker already. I even remember sending my friends to attend this Toastmasters thing, after all, they needed it more…or so I thought! Had…
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