On A Point – Toastmasters Southern Africa – District Newsletter
Editor’s Note
Dear Members of District 74,
Those who know me well will attest to the fact that I have achieved a couple of great things in my life because of my involvement with Toastmasters the past four years. I can confidently proclaim that Toastmasters has transformed me from being a reserved HR Manager to a confident HR Executive as well as a respected Conference Speaker.
These are some of the reasons why I am always one of the first people to renew my Toastmasters membership dues every six months. Last night, I made an electronic funds transfer from my cheque account to the cheque account of my home club, Tarentaal!
Reading the below articles in this edition is a much needed dose of encouragement for us to step up our efforts in leading our clubs towards becoming Distinguished by helping our members achieve their individual goals during this Toastmasters’ year.
Take a break from your daily routine and enjoy reading this ACHIEVE edition!
Kind regards,
Gerson Veundja Kamatuka, DTM – On A Point Editor
Recognising achievement!
Over the past few weeks I have had the immense privilege of participating in club officer training session across District. At each event we have celebrated the achievements of members during the past six months. Every ribbon presented (at the event or in subsequent club meetings) represents a member’s success in planning, preparation and execution of projects on a consistent basis. This achievement heralds individual success but it also recognises a club that creates the “supportive and positive learning experience” to help members achieve their goals.
I applaud the commitment and contribution of club officers to ensure quality club events that encourage members to participate and achieve. The tremendous energy and excitement of club officers, and their willingness to serve and excel, is evident from the turnout and participation at the club officer training events. I have every hope that this commitment will power a positive club experience for members.
Keith Bowen, DTM – District Director
Committee Corner of Achievers!
I hope by now the Executive Committees (Excos) in each club are meeting regularly. I suggest that your next Exco meeting include the following discussion points:
Completing a Public Relations and Membership growth plan (to be submitted by 15 August to PR Manager Merryl Jubber at pr@toastmasters74.org), focusing on how to achieve the Smedley Award (adding 5 or more new members)
Completing member success plans (or Personal Development Plans);
Issuing of invoices for the first round of semi-annual dues
Keith Bowen, DTM – District Director
Achieve as a club sponsor, mentor or coach!
As the Club Growth Director of District 74 I often I get asked what the difference is between a club sponsor, a club mentor and a club coach, one of which is needed to be completed before you can achieve the Advanced Leader Silver educational award.
1. The CLUB SPONSORS are involved from the inception of a new club to when the club is chartered. The sponsor is there to support the new club in achieving the minimum of 20 members needed to charter a club, this involves running and planning demonstration meetings, putting the agendas together for these meetings and completing all the necessary paperwork needed to get the club STARTED.
2. Once the club has chartered the CLUB MENTORS work with the club to support them. They are there to educate the committee as to how to function and run the club effectively and meet the member’s needs. They also run educational sessions to help the members understand the various roles that need to be fulfilled at the meetings. This role lasts for six months after charter date.
3. A CLUB COACH is appointed to help an existing club, that has less than 12 members and has challenges to getting to a charter strength of 20 members. The club coach goes into the club and helps the committee to understand the challenges and helps to prepare a strategic plan to get to charter strength and by meeting their members’ needs and achieving Distinguished Status.
Once accomplished the outlined task the Club Sponsor, Club Mentor and the Club Coach will be eligible for achievement of this task towards their ALS.
As the club’s VPPR it is your role to have a number of campaigns running which will entice non-Toastmasters to visit your club.
For your club to achieve the Smedley Award – to increase your club base by five new members during the months of August and September you need to drive this initiative.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to contact each visitor that you had at your club meetings in the last Toastmaster year. These are people who, for some important reason to themselves, took the initiative to visit your club.
Never give up on a guest!! You need to call them and ask them “For what reason did you visit our club?” This will establish the reason they took the initiative (the Why). When you know this then it is easy to give them a reason for coming back and visiting again.
You will find that generally, whatever their reason is, you will have a member of your club that had the same or similar reason that brought them to Toastmasters and you can relate their story and how they are in the process of accomplishing that reason or overcoming that fear.
Get to know their personal reason and then give them the solution. Don’t just invite them to a meeting. This is one way you will achieve success as your club’s VPPR.
Merryl Jubber, DTM – PR Manager
Do you really want to achieve your goals?
I had set out a number of goals and often asked myself if I was really committed to achieving my goals.
This past month, I was reminded of how important it is to achieve your goal(s). Becoming a Competent Communicator is not just about you being a better speaker. It’s more to do with how well your family, friends and workmates receive your message. Similarly, becoming a Competent Leader, is not just about you. It is about lending a listening ear to those who are desperate to get something off their chest, its more to do with being a better mentor to those who look up to you and it certainly has more to do with you inspiring this continent to be a better place for the next generation’s sake.
So, please don’t be selfish. Pursue your goasl and leave no stone unturned to achieve them. Commit to them. Have no excuses, no matter how valid you think they are..
Achieve your goal!
Andrew Tsuro, DTM – Division A Director
Achieve, one life at a time!
What a year we had in 2016/17. As President of Cape Town Toastmasters I was thrilled to be part of the phenomenal growth we experienced, as we implemented a mentoring programme, which saw the awesome transformation of individual lives and the collective growth of our club. So, to move on into the role of Area Director for D3, I am equally excited to help nurture and grow the four clubs in my area through the development of a mentoring programme, which will assist each member in achieving their personal goals, thus growing the Clubs, Areas, Division and District to achieve their goals and to become President’s Distinguished once again.
As we move forward into the 2017/18 year, it is my belief and vision that, together, we will see many more people joining us and being helped and impacted to grow and develop in ways they hadn’t thought possible. What a privilege we have to be collectively joined in positively changing the world – one life at a time. Viva Toastmasters International!
John Hambleton – Area D3 Director
Achoo or achieve?
Being winter many people are “plagued” by a cold and you know that sneeze is almost as quick as the blink of an eye. Well that could also be the length of a fellow club member’s membership time at our clubs, especially this time of the year, if we do not focus on their ability to ACHIEVE their goals timely. How can we avoid having many ACHOO members but rather acquire many members that are able to ACHIEVE and soar to great heights in growing their communication and leadership skills?
1. Make sure each new member has a Mentor and VPE needs to check on the Mentor that they are helping the new member to ACHIEVE their goals. Excitedly the new Pathways have great and much better structured focus to help the Mentor, and the assistance they are to provide the new member, helping the new member to ACHIEVE their goals better.
2. The commitment of the TREASURER to ensure invoices were sent out as early as end of June followed monthly till the member has paid, while looking at a club final dues date of end of August to ensure the club pays TMI before 15 September, helps to keep the momentum and excitement of ACHIEVEMENT.
3. VPE needs to familiarise themselves with the new Pathways in order to build on the excitement of all the new and exciting ways to achieve communication and leadership goals, to help with retention and transition of members onto the new Pathways next year.
4. VPM builds warm caring relationships with new members and constantly checks on the members individually, to ensue they do not lose interest
5. The President can add huge value to the club in giving very clear indication of the club focus for this Toastmaster’s year, voicing repetitively how important it will be to ensure a GREAT MEMBER EXPERIENCE and how the great member experience can be measured through the DCP points the club will earn along the way.
Please explore the TMI website and familiarise yourself with the new Pathways and lets get excited about the potential and the future to avoid ACHOO members but to increase member ACHIEVEMENT.
May you have an amazing August ACHIEVEMENT month!
Be Botha, DTM – Area D4 & D5 Pathways Ambassador
District 74 mourns the loss of an Achiever in Nerina Mahachi
Nerina Mahach achieved much and was taken from us too soon. The Toastmasters family is saddened by this loss
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends too soon;
But that we wait too long to begin it.”
K. Notolo
Toastmaster Nerina Mahachi Joined Executive Club Toastmasters as a member on the 7 th of January 2014. She was taken away from us in a tragic accident on the 5th of August 2017…
She became the VPM in 2015 and due to professional commitments excused herself and ceded the role. She pursued both her Communication and Leadership tracks with diligence.
She carried herself with confidence. She continued to develop many skills within our Toastmasters family. A tenacious leader and an avid learner, Nerina remained a faithful loyal toastmaster and a member in good standing.
In 2017 she bounced back at the Executive Club as a promising Sergeant at Arms- A role she worked on with passion and admirable enthusiasm.
We will live on sweet memories shared
Drawing from her tenacity
And gleaning from her sweet sense of humour.
Honoured to have served with you and to have been served by you.
