District 71 Newsletter June 2018d71toastmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/June-D71... ·...

Toastmasters International District 71 Newsletter June 2018 www.d71toastmasters.org 1

District 71 Newsletter June 2018

Contents Welcome .......................................................................... 1

“Where is Division G?” ..................................................... 2

Division G Hall of Fame 2017-18 ...................................... 4

I recently popped my Cork… ............................................ 5

QUIZ – Know your Constitution ....................................... 6

Leadership or Coercion? .................................................. 8

Speechcraft with a difference .......................................... 9

A member’s story ........................................................... 11

An Area Director’s Life ................................................... 12

Red Skelton District Director ..................................... 13

Patricia O’Reilly, Program Quality Director and incoming District Director .......................................... 14

John Cox, Club Growth Director and incoming Program Quality Director.......................................................... 14

Les Hodgson, Finance Manager ................................. 15

Sue Eastman, Administration Manager ..................... 16

Laura Bruce, Public Relations Manager ..................... 16

Top Tips – Everything you wanted to know about being s*x but were afraid to ask .............................................. 18

Area 1 - Retrospective ................................................... 19

Speak Easy @ Martlesham ............................................. 20

Ipswich Electrifiers Speakers’ Club ................................ 20

ANSWERS to QUIZ – Know your Constitution ................ 23

Did you know. . . ? .......................................................... 21

Most Travelled Toasties set the pace: Here are our 2017-18 “Travelling Toastie” Champs!.................................... 22

Welcome Welcome everyone to the final District 71 Newsletter of this Toastmasters year. The bulk of this edition has been brought to you by the team in Division G(reat). Because it is the last of the year we have the unique privilege of being able to look back over the past year and look forward to the coming year. Therefore, the theme of the newsletter is ‘Looking Back and Looking Forward’.

Looking forward to the contents of this newsletter we have articles on why you should enter contests, the benefits of the Speechcraft program in higher education, a quiz to test your knowledge of the club constitution, a different approach to leadership, what has been going on in Division G this year, reflections from outgoing district leaders, thoughts and hopes from incoming district leaders. Finally, there are lots of tips from this year’s district leaders for incoming area and division directors.

There is something for everyone, new members and old hands alike. New and useful information, insights and viewpoints that will help you in the coming year.

What I have particularly enjoyed about putting together this newsletter is that some of the articles challenge us to think differently about Toastmasters, even challenge the organisation to think differently about its approach to certain elements of the program; both the old program and Pathways. Challenge is good, it can create opportunities for growth. We just need to ensure that challenges are made within the core values of Toastmasters; Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence.



“Where is Division G?” Robert Brooke. ACS ALB, Division G71 Director, Vice-President of Membership – Cambridge Speakers Club

As Division Director I have been asked several times this year “where is Division G?”. My pat answer is “…it’s the rump (or bump) of England, sticking into the North Sea”. Geographically it is 4 counties based on 4 ancient and distinct ethnic groups; the North Folk (Norfolk), the South Folk (Suffolk), the East Saxons (Essex) and the Weird Folk (Cambridgeshire). In Toastmasters it is 3 areas; Area 1 (Essex & Suffolk), Area 25 (Norfolk & Suffolk) and Area 41 (Cambridgeshire & Essex). The area directors are Andreas Arnell (Area 41), Julie Kenny (Area 1) and Natalie King (Area 25).

Division G has a proud history of achievement. We have many Distinguished Toastmasters, members who have been District Directors (and Governors) and other District Leaders, members who have gone even further to become a Regional Advisor and International Director, members who have won District Speech Contests. Most recently, last August, Vinette Hoffman-Jackson from Division G represented District 71 in the World Championship of Public Speaking.

But that was the old Division G, we used to call it Division G(reat).

This year started with several bangs. The first as the old Division G went through realignment with the other Areas, 20, 44 &14, becoming Division H(alf [of] Great). The second and third bangs came as the new Division G quickly lost two clubs that have been struggling for a while. A baptism of fire for the incoming Area Directors and the Division Director. We could have been discouraged by such a start but no, the team rallied quickly and undeterred they carried on. As always in Toastmasters there are lessons to be learnt, some of which are reflected in the contents of this newsletter (Leadership or Coercion?, ).The lessons may be hard learnt but from them comes the strength to improve and do better in future. I mentioned above the many distinguished, in every sense, members in Division G. As

the Division Director I have been incredibly lucky to have so many members I could look to for help and advice.

Losing clubs that have been struggling for some time has a beneficial side effect, it leaves you free to concentrate all your efforts to help the remaining clubs and members be the best they can be. With hindsight you can see that these clubs act like an anchor on a boat, they prevent any forward progress. Cutting the rope sets the boat free once more; the journey can continue. And continue it did…

I had the great privilege of attending most of the Area COT sessions and meeting the hard-working dedicated teams running the clubs in Division G. I was constantly impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment. It wasn’t always smooth sailing; during the second round of COT sessions leading up to the introduction of Pathways, there were plenty of discussions and some disagreements. But the needs of club members were always at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Autumn was a time of excitement and some regret as the final ever Autumn contests took place, and we went out in style. It started at Cambridge Speakers Club where I have the good fortune to be a member and to be the current VPM. Our member Guy Doza delivered his humorous speech, ‘Muesli Munching Enemy of the People’ and won. Then he won the Area 41 contest. Then he won the Division G contest. Finally, to our great excitement he won the final Autumn District 71 Humorous Speech Contest. Now I am going to let you all into a secret, when Guy delivered the speech at the club level he had only written it that afternoon, and it wasn’t that funny. Sorry Guy! But at every level Guy took the speech, learnt the lessons from the previous level, improved the contents, practiced the delivery and made it better. On his own admission, he wasn’t that bothered about winning the club contest, but by the time he got to the Steel City Conference in Sheffield he certainly was bothered.

The lesson is that the more you push yourself the better you get. In four speeches, just 28 minutes of speaking time, Guy went from a moderately good speaker delivering a slightly funny speech to an outstanding



speaker delivering a hilarious speech. Contests can do that for you. If you haven’t entered one, do so.

In the last ever Autumn Table-Topics contest Division G was represented by the enthusiastic Kieron Bain from Norwich Speakers Club. Kieron stormed through the earlier rounds despite having been a member for only two years. At Sheffield the level of Table Topics skill was incredible and despite a great effort Kieron wasn’t placed. But he wasn’t deterred, he was now hooked on contests, getting to the Division G final of the Evaluation Contest in April. Surely Kieron’s time will come.

The Autumn contest season also brought a change to the way Division G organises its contests. The old Division G usually held its contests in the same place every year. Attendance levels were erratic and some areas were poorly represented due to the geography. As a smaller division we have taken the contests on the road. The autumn contest was held in Area 41 at the newest club in the division, Saffron Walden. The spring contest was held in Area 1 hosted in Martlesham by Speak Easy at Martlesham Speakers Club. This was the first time for several years that Area 1 had hosted the contest and it boosted attendance from clubs that have not always been able to support the Division contest. Hopefully in the coming year this will continue. We also encouraged members who had not previously delivered workshops to have a go, with great success. At the autumn conference we had a blend of experience and the new; Teresa Dukes (experience) and recent member Simon Maguire of Saffron Walden Speakers (the new).

All the talk at the second round of COT sessions was about Pathways. Early in the new year, across the District, Pathways Ambassadors and Guides swung into action. In Division G we were particularly lucky to have the District Chief Ambassador, Kevin Lee, to lean on and an early adopter, John Kendall DTM, to give us first hand experience. It’s too early to tell how it’s going so far. Certainly, there are some technical and usability challenges. Of the new members that have joined my home club since the introduction, most get the idea very quickly as they know nothing else. After years of anticipation there is almost a sense of anti-climax now it has happened, but better that than mayhem and drama!

The timing of the Pathways introduction could not have been worse. Clubs were busy making space in their busy meeting schedules to hold their spring contest when suddenly they had to accommodate demanding Pathways Ambassadors and Guides! (I know, I was one of those Ambassadors). Despite that, the spring contests were a great success and once again Division G was on a roll. Brilliantly hosted at a new venue for the Division contests in Martlesham, the contests themselves were hotly and closely contested. The winners being Teresa Dukes DTM (International Speech) and Julian Hammond DTM (Evaluation), two of the most experienced speakers in the Division. Those who went to the Safehaven 2018 Conference in Cork and who are paying close attention will realise that Teresa was not the Division G representative in Cork. How come? The dreaded speech rule book; rule 2.4.h “The following are ineligible…… : Presenters of education sessions at the event at which the contest will be held including area, division, and district events……”. Rather than disappoint those who wanted to attend her workshop at Safehaven, Teresa retired from the contest. So it was on to the second placed speaker, Ryan Shatwell of Ipswich Electrifiers with his impassioned plea to clean up plastic from our beaches; only he couldn’t make it to Cork that weekend. So it was onto the third placed speaker, John Duncan of Cambridge Speakers with his three tips for success. John is a very experienced Toastmaster who has been a member for many years in this country and in the US, and he has won and been placed in District and Regional contests in the US. There was a final twist to come. John went on to Cork and gained a brilliant third place at the District contest. Using all his experience he took his speech, and his delivery of it, to another level. A second District contest placing in one year for Division G, proving that our members truly are ‘G’reat.

Julian Hammond DTM from Dereham Articulate Speakers and Anglian Advanced Speakers excelled in the Division Evaluation contest against tough competition. To make it even harder the test speech was given by none other than the brilliant Vinette Hoffman-Jackson. I was glad I was in the audience and not competing! You can read more about Julian’s experiences here “I recently popped my Cork…”.



At the Division contest we again had new presenters for the morning workshops, Julie Kenny and myself. For myself I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to repeat it. The experience made me realise how much work goes into preparing 50+ minutes of content from scratch.

2017-18 also saw two Speechcraft programs being run in Division G. You can read all about the outstanding work that Bob Finch and the Camulodunum Club do with University of Essex here

Speechcraft with a difference. As well as this regular Speechcraft program, Cambridge Speakers Club were invited by the world-famous Cambridge Union Society to deliver public speaking training for some of their members. This was delivered in the form of a Speechcraft program. What was remarkable was not just the quality of speaking of the delegates at the final meeting but the dedication and enthusiasm of the club members who mentored them, several of whom were quite new members in the club. The growth in those members was amazing to witness. It is hoped that this program will be delivered again with the Cambridge Union. Especial thanks to Sultan Kus (President, Cambridge Speakers Club) who took the initiative to start this and Alison Judge who was the co-ordinator. Thanks to everyone else who contributed, you know who you are.

We’re nearly at the end of the year. I started this review with the hard news of two clubs finally closing their doors. But that is not the end of the story. Our members, club and area leaders have not given up. The green shoots of new and revived clubs are strong. The new member monster that is Chelmsford Speakers Club (48 members and 18 new members) has held its first demonstration meeting for a new club and the second meeting is coming soon, 20th June. RAF Mildenhall club, a struggling club, is moving into the community at Newmarket as ‘Crossroads Communicators’. This ‘revived’ club has already held 2 meetings with several new members joining already. There are at least three new potential corporate clubs either planning meetings or in the early stages of investigating how Toastmasters could help them. There are green shoots everywhere.

2017-18 has been a year of realignment, adjustment, trials, tribulations and great member successes. 2018-19 looks set to be a year of growth, certainly one of continued member successes, and probably a few more trials that we can’t yet see.

I hope 2018-19 brings everyone the success they seek in Toastmasters.

Division G Hall of Fame 2017-18 I wish to acknowledge all those who have helped make this a memorable year. Apologies to those I forget:

• Andreas Arnell – A41 Director • Julie Kenny – Area 1 Director • Natalie King – Area 25 Director and sponsor for

revived ‘Crossroads Communicators’ • Guy Doza – Division G and District 71 Humorous

Speech Contest Winner • Kieron Bain - Division G Table Topics Contest

Winner • John Duncan – Division G International Speech

Contest representative and District 71 International Speech Contest 3rd place

• Julian Hammond – Division G Evaluation Contest Winner

• Division conference workshop presenters: Teresa Dukes, Simon Maguire, Julie Kenny, Robert Brooke

• Karen Bellerby – Incoming Area 1 Director and sponsor for new Chelmsford club

• Bob Finch and Camulodunum Club for continuing work delivering Speechcraft at the University of Essex

• Vinette Hoffman-Jackson – Test speaker for Division G Evaluation Contest.

• Sultan Kus – Cambridge Speakers Club President and Speechcraft initiator

• Alison Judge – Cambridge Speakers Club – Speechcraft Co-ordinator

• Teresa Dukes, Julian Hammond, Red Skelton, Kevin Baggs, John Kendall, Kevin Lee, Daniel Sanders and many others who have given support, words of advice and gentle nudges when required.



Division G – 2017-18

I recently popped my Cork… Julian Hammond DTM. Dereham Articulate Speakers Club, Anglian Advanced Speakers .

What I meant to say was, I recently popped over to Cork to take part in the District Final of the Evaluation Contest! What a delightful city, although arriving at 11:00pm on the Saturday, briefing on Sunday at 8am, contest at 11am and flight home on Monday at 6:25am meant little time was available for sightseeing. The thing is, I have no real idea how I got there. Ryanair had a large part to play in the actual logistics, but my personal journey to Ireland had been a complete surprise.

It all began at our Club contest in Dereham, Norfolk. I only agreed to take part to make up the numbers! Achieving first place was a shock, but then again, I would never win the Area round in Mildenhall. Unfortunately, only 2 contestants took part so barring disqualification,

the Division round already beckoned before a word of feedback was uttered.

The Division round was in Martlesham and looking around at my fellow contestants, no way would I win this, it was a very strong field. Vinette

Hoffman-Jackson was the target speaker and she was phenomenal, as you might expect of a World Championship finalist. I thought I had been over critical,

maybe the Julian with Vinette at the Division G contest



other contestants found it difficult to offer points for improvement. Whatever happened, before you could say “You’re going to Cork” the winner’s trophy was thrust into my hands.

I must tell you, sitting in that room back stage at the finals in Cork and being number 8 of 10 finalists was fascinating. I have never seen so much adrenalin in one room. Yes, I was nervous but also excited because this was to be my last contest and I simply wanted to do my best. Standing on that stage in front of several hundred of my peers was an awesome feeling. This is what Toastmasters is about, feel the fear and do it anyway. Although not placed I gave my very best that day and I

have no regrets at all about my performance. The simple fact is that others were better than me on the day and thoroughly deserved their success. However, in Toastmasters there are never any losers. I met so many wonderful and supportive people in Cork. A District Conference is a unique experience, competing is an honour and is the pinnacle of self-development. I can highly recommend it to each and every Toastmaster who has not tried it yet. Give it a go! As for me, it was my last contest, please don’t ask me to compete again. If you do I might just tell you to put a cork in it!

QUIZ – Know your Constitution

How well do you know your Club Constitution? Did you even know that your club has a constitution?

Your club constitution is probably the most important document it has. Without it your club could not exist. Without it the ‘Club Leadership Handbook’ is meaningless. Club leaders are all given a copy of the ‘Club Leadership Handbook’ when they take office and are encouraged to use it as their guide. How many have read their club constitution, which probably contains more information on how the club should be run and their responsibilities than does the ‘Club Leadership Handbook’?

With that in mind here is a quiz on the club constitution. All can be answered by reference to that document. Enjoy and learn!

1. On the purpose of a Toastmasters club one purpose states “Increase its individual members’ knowledge of the rules of …………………………………… and their skills in conducting meetings and participating in group discussions.” Which of the following is the correct answer to fill in the gap?

a. Meeting etiquette b. Parliamentary procedure c. Association football

2. The minimum age for an individual member of a club is?

a. 16 years b. 18 years c. 21 years

3. Would a club based on the individual members having the same political affiliation be constitutional? Yes or No

4. How many classifications of membership does the constitution recognise?

a. 1 b. 3 c. 4

5. A member can be classified as inactive for a number of reasons including absence from club



meetings. How is this absence defined? (one correct answer)

a. 1 month b. 1 month without notice c. 5 meetings d. Continued absence e. Continued absence without notice

6. Are inactive members entitled to places in the regular speakers’ program? Yes or No.

7. How many classifications of meetings does the constitution recognise? (Bonus point for naming them)

a. 1 b. 3 c. 4

8. What constitutes a quorum when voting on club matters in a business meeting? (one correct answer)

a. Half of the total individual members b. Half of the total individual members + 1 c. A majority of the total individual

members d. Half of the active individual member e. A majority of the active individual

members 9. Are proxy votes allowed on matters presented

to club members for a vote? Yes or No. 10. Is an affirmative vote of at least a majority of

active individual members present at a meeting at which there is a quorum present always sufficient for a voting matter to become an act of the club? Yes or No

11. Regarding the election of club officers the constitution states: “All elections shall be by secret ballot, unless a secret ballot is dispensed with by vote. ……..” What is the missing word?

a. Unanimous b. Majority c. Secret

12. Regarding the resignation of a club officer which of the following statements is true? (one or more correct answers)

a. The resignation must be in writing b. The resignation can be verbal

c. The resignation must be accepted by the President

d. The resignation cannot be rescinded e. The resignation must be delivered to the

President or Secretary 13. Club funds may be used for which of the

following? (one or more correct answers) a. To help a club member to attend a

District Conference to compete in a District Contest.

b. To hire transport available to any member to attend a District Conference.

c. To make a charitable donation (not to TI).

d. To pay expenses to an external speaker to address an educational event open to all members.

e. To subsidise a club Christmas meal 14. If a club closes down to whom can any residual

funds in the club’s bank account be paid after all outstanding debts have been cleared? (one or more correct answers)

a. Toastmasters InternationaI for general expenditure

b. A Toastmasters district c. The current club members d. Toastmasters International for

educational research e. The club officers f. Toastmasters International for any

memorial fund maintained by TI g. Another Toastmasters club

15. The club members can amend the club constitution by unanimous vote at a special meeting at which there is a quorum of active members. True or False?



Leadership or Coercion? Robert Brooke. ACS ALB, Division G71 Director, Vice-President of Membership – Cambridge Speakers Club

Many lines have been written on the subject of Leadership, not least by Toastmasters. For this article I challenged myself; “Is it possible to find a new angle” I asked? I hope so.

Close your eyes and imagine this scene; a group of walkers climbing a mountain they have never climbed before, led by one of the group who is familiar with it. The leader guides them along the best path taking account of the different abilities within the group. The group chats amongst themselves, encouraging each other when the going gets difficult. They don’t always stick together, they split into smaller groups, but all keep to the same path. The leader also offers help, advice and encouragement. Each member of the group has a map with the route they are following, and the destination clearly marked.

Now you observe that there is another similar sized group making the same ascent. You notice from a distance that they are strung out in a single file, all a similar distance apart. Every now and then the leader stops to consult his map and the group stops too, strung out in a line. Not talking to each other. They just trudge along, eyes fixed on the person in front. As you get closer you notice something strange, the second person in the group is tied to the leader in front. Then you notice that the third person is tied the second, the fourth to the third; and so on till the person at the end of the line.

A question; what would happen to both groups were the leader to suddenly disappear?

The first group, armed with their maps, knowing their location and destination would re-group and continue to reach the mountain summit.

The second group, with no map, no knowledge of their location or destination, now led by the de-facto ‘leader’, the person at the front of the line, would be lost. They would have no option but to follow the new ‘leader’ for

a while until perhaps becoming tired of them, breaking away and wandering off in other directions.

Let’s think about this. It’s true to say that both groups are being led, that the person at the front is the leader. But we know instinctively that both groups are completely different. The first group comprises of a leader and willing followers. The second; of a leader and unwilling followers.

It is interesting to remind ourselves that the word ‘lead’ is both a verb and a noun. Many of you will own dogs and when you walk them they may be on a lead, but who is the leader? Sometimes your dog is unwilling and you have to drag them out. Other times it is you who is dragged out into the cold, wet, dark night yet again… But then there are times when you could leave the lead behind and you are both in harmony walking side by side, but your dog still knows (I hope) that you are the leader.

In the world of leadership where the followers are unwilling, the leads are not physical leads. The leads are psychological leads; coercion, compulsion, bribery, force, obligation, duress etc.

What does these stories mean? They mean that just because you are leader doesn’t mean you have to have a

lead, physical or psychological. Where there is a leader, by definition, there must be followers; but for your leadership to be effective those followers must be willing, not tied to you. Followers who are tied to you will lose their way as soon as you are absent.

Many of you reading this will be either future or past club, area, division or district leaders. I challenge you to do two things. First, when you are in a leadership situation, look behind yourself, metaphorically speaking. Look at your followers; are they willing or is there an invisible, but very real, ‘lead’ binding them to you? Second, consider past leadership experiences either when you were a leader or a follower. Try and identify times when the followers were not willing, when the leader had to use psychological ‘leads’ to drag their followers along a particular path. Was it a good experience? Did it work? What would have happened



had the ‘lead’ suddenly been cut and the leader had disappeared?

There is final important lesson for all of us who aspire to lead. That is to recognise that there are times when we are all guilty of dragging unwilling followers behind us. The challenges are; to recognise these times and then take the appropriate action. We need to recognise that unwilling followers become a burden on us as leaders, and that our leadership is of no benefit to them. The best thing we can do is to cut the ‘lead’. This will leave us free to lead those who follow willingly, more effectively.

There is a final twist in the tail. There is a possibility that by cutting the ‘lead’ a leader may emerge from the unwilling followers that you have liberated who can unite them and lead them more effectively. Consider that it is possible that your leadership could be holding back somebody else.

Speechcraft with a difference Bob Finch DTM. Camulodunum Club, 5673/71

In November 2012, I received an e-mail from a law student at the University of Essex asking if Camulodunum Club could organise a public speaking course for some law students. Within a couple of weeks we held the first meeting, which was almost exclusively made up of law students, with two different groups we met on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 7.30 pm with several members of Camulodunum Club coming along to support the project.

For a manual I decided that rather than the youth leadership programme (the students were 20 and over) I sent for some Speechcraft Manuals. By midway through the spring term quite a few of the starters had stopped attending but several others had joined from other departments of the university and by the Easter Break we had a dozen enthusiasts enjoying meetings that often went on to 8.00 pm.

After Easter exams take priority and extra curricula activity is a no-no, and as soon as exams finish students disappear until October. Two or three of the first group were back that following October and wanted to run a course in support of a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Starting on the second week of term, meeting on Wednesday evenings, we managed 18 sessions before the Easter break, again based on the Speechcraft Manual. From this group one student, Maddie, determined that the Students Union should register public speaking as a formal student society.

Because of strict rules for student union societies, developed when the University of Essex was a Uni of



rebellion and also had some issues with missing Student Union funds, there was no way that we could create a Toastmasters Club, our rules and theirs are just not compatible. In any case the members are only there and available from October to mid-December then from mid-January to Easter so fitting that into the Toastmasters club management programme just cannot happen. Maddie’s enthusiasm, supported by various members of Camulodunum Club, not only got the club registered as an SU Society, with Paul Mitchell and myself registered as ‘society coaches’, but in the first year of operation the society reached ‘Gold Standard’, apparently the first time that this ever happened to a new society. The society is managed by an elected president and committee selected annually by a fully democratic process from amongst student members.

We have now finished our sixth year. Each year has shown improved speaking ability, several finishers this year were attending for their third year. I would be quite happy to see them entered in a Toastmasters Speech contest and would expect them to get through to at least Division contest level. The energy and creativity that they show is amazing, almost all their speeches are illustrated with PowerPoint and other visual aids. Once the new members who join in October get to understand what is required the three regular Camulodunum members who attend, Paul Mitchel, Gabriel Okanlawon and myself, find ourselves almost superfluous to requirements. We occasionally do a demonstration speech, a general evaluation or evaluate topics. When we spot a specific speaker has a trait that the student evaluators are not picking up we will do an evaluation next time that student speaks but addressed to all (as all evaluations should be). An example of this was that last years president, a theatre student from Russia, danced as she spoke. She was firmly told to glue her feet to the floor. For the whole of the next term she stood stock still, then we told her she could move a little. She now moves appropriately, as do several others who were

following a similar trend. Some members have attended Camulodunum Club as guests, but this is not a regular event. You may by now have identified that although we base the evenings on the Speechcraft Manual the sessions are actually run as a standard club evening would be.

Our next development is to get the second and third year members registered as members of Camlodunum club, not that they would be likely to attend often but in order that we can give them access to the Pathways programme. This hopefully will offer them challenges that the speechcraft course does not, with just seven evaluated speech outlines available. The financial aspects of that will of course be challenging as there is not a ‘student’ membership fee at Toastmasters, hopefully our club will be prepared to be supportive, or we will get some sponsorship from elsewhere.

I follow several of our former members on Facebook, one is seriously involved in politics in the Caribbean, there are others who I know when they first came to join the society had no

intention of becoming leaders, but after a

short time out of university they clearly are.

What we really need is a Speechcraft programme that will fit our formula. I did ask about a course for university students whilst at the World Convention in Kuala Lumpur. I was told that this would happen but at that time all the effort was aimed at getting Pathways underway, and they have subsequently moved across America as well, so I suspect that it will be a long time before anything emerges – which is a shame because there is some real talent that needs support in our universities.



A member’s story Teresa Dukes, DTM, International Director 2015-2017

We all join Toastmasters for different reasons. I joined to improve my communication skills so that I could progress in my career and take care of my family by earning more money. Speak Easy at Martlesham attracts members from all over the world, from different backgrounds and different careers.

One of our newer members, Anasol Pena-Rios, started her journey with Speak Easy in January 2016. She is a Computer Scientist doing research on immersive environments for collaborative work; combining mixed reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and internet-of-things to create ambient intelligence. She also holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Essex, UK. In other words, a very smart cookie!

I wanted to find out from Anasol what brought her to Speak Easy, so asked her a few simple questions which I wanted to share with you.

Q: Why did you join Toastmasters? A: I joined Speak Easy because I wanted to improve my communication skills. Due to my work, I have to do public speaking on a semi-regular basis, and although I had some previous experience, I never felt entirely confident or eager to be involved in presentations.

Q: What do you want to accomplish? A: I would like to be able to deliver a message to any type of audience and build the skills to become a more confident public speaker. I am interested also in evaluating and giving feedback, developing my own listening and interpersonal skills.

Q: How have you improved since being a member? A: Since I joined I feel that my confidence has improved. I have been able to stand up to a crowd and talk on

both, prepared and impromptu speeches, whilst being conscious of some of my previous weaknesses, and work towards correcting them. In fact, last year I participated in the Table Topics contest where I reached the Division

stage.

Q: What piece of advice would you give someone who wants to improve their communication skills? A: Practice! Toastmasters offers a great opportunity to practice in a supportive environment where people with diverse skills and backgrounds can provide you with valuable feedback. All the members of Speak Easy have been really friendly and supportive, which makes the meetings really enjoyable.

Speak Easy at Martlesham is so delighted to have Anasol as a member. We continue to learn so much from her and look forward to her future speeches.

No matter where you come from, your educational background, or where you are in your professional life – there is always a place for you in Toastmasters! Start your journey today!



An Area Director’s Life Natalie King ACS ALB, Area 25 Director, Brandon Speakers Club

It was a dark, cold winter’s night and it was very late. The roads felt like they were going nowhere, just winding through little villages throughout Suffolk and Norfolk.

I asked myself why was I driving these dark icy roads at midnight? I will tell you. I had started my second round of club visits that were required as part of the Area Director role. But why was I on these country lanes, when there was a perfectly good main road that would have gotten me home within an hour? All I can say is road works, and road closures on the A11, hence the 3 hour trip home along the country lanes.

As to the question of what am I doing here? Toastmasters is about stepping up and doing things that need doing. Yes, we do get the recognition too, but at the end of the day, it is about all of us, the members. All the members and the clubs are what makes toastmasters who they are, because without members there would be no toastmasters.

Like my trip home there were challenges that I needed to face with regards to the area as well as myself. Having to organise and lead a COT (club officer training), was a huge challenge for me, and meant having to stand up and take responsibility for the club officers and what to provide at the COT. Then within the area, there were 2 clubs that were failing, both close together, which meant there was no strong club to help shore them up. Unfortunately to date, we have lost one club. The second club is being helped by 2 coaches, and things are looking promising.

Like my drive home that night, there were parts of the road that were fairly straight and easy to navigate, yet still a little slippery. There are two other clubs in the area that have strong members and who have been part of

toastmasters for many years, but don’t have a high membership. These clubs are ticking along with under 20

members. Because they have well established members, things appear to be under control and the committee knows what needs to be done to increase membership.

The last leg of my journey home that night was back on the A11 for the last bit, back to normal straight roads. This brings me to thinking about the 2 well established and strong clubs in the area, both in Norfolk and they work well together and give each other support, as well as having speaker swap nights.

Having made it home very late that night, I again asked myself why am I doing this, why? The answer is really simple! Toastmasters has given me so much as a person and has given me the opportunity to grow and to improve myself, and the least I can do it step up and help when needed.

What does the future hold for area 25? There are exciting times ahead with stronger clubs and the 2019 conference in Norwich, which will be very exciting as it will be different to what we are used to as Norwich will be running all 4 contests. Plus, there are plans afoot for a few different surprises!!

There will be challenging times ahead too, with Pathways becoming more of a feature in the clubs with new members joining toastmasters. Area 25 has been slow in getting clubs up to date with pathways, yet I am sure with the introduction of new members and the more established members, having completed manual and awards they are working towards, Area 25 will take Pathways in its stride. There is a lot of potential within area 25, and I am proud to have been able to serve and put my stamp on the area. And I look forward to being part of the area for many years to come and helping it to grow.



Looking Back – Looking Forward. The view from the top. Views from the District Leadership Team (DLT)

on the year 2017-18

For this newsletter I asked our incredibly hard working DLT members for their views on the past year and what the future held. Here’s what they had to say.

Red Skelton District Director What has given you the most

satisfaction? As I think back over this past year, the thing that has given me the most satisfaction is when I was able to help others to overcome a problem, provide guidance or simply listen to those that needed to talk. Many times, people just needed someone to talk to and they would often solve the problem/issue themselves during the course of our conversations. The friendships I have made not just this past year but as my time in Toastmasters has been fantastic. Taking a group of individuals and bringing them together into a team was also satisfying.

What has frustrated you the most? Probably the most frustrating thing during my time as District Director is not having the ability to help everyone. There was times during the year where issues

arose that required my input. I knew that one side or the other was going to get hurt. I could only refer back to the Toastmasters Values of Integrity, Respect Service and Excellence to make any required decisions necessary.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of the year that you know now? I guess the thing I wish I had known is that my goals for the District, although they were respectful, were not really achievable. I call this the “Smack in the Face with Reality” awakening. There are many things that I have influence over; my kids and perhaps my cat but that is it. I can’t make things happen they must progress with little nudges along the way. But, we can’t force things to change. This would have saved me a lot of worry.

What is your number one tip for your Successor? I am going to cheat a little and give you two. The first thing would be address the elephant in the room. It isn’t going away and two have as much fun as possible during your year. The second is self-explanatory because if you are not having fun you are doing it wrong. But the first is a little bit harder. Take care of issues when they arise. Don’t let them go around and around in your head. They need to be addressed. Once they are addressed you can move on.

What are you looking forward to most next year? I am going to enjoy watching the new team develop. I am going to enjoy watching the bonds form within the District Leadership Team (DLT) and also between the DLT and the Executive Committee and the District Council. This is very important and the tighter the bond the better the year.

In conclusion, I would just like to thanks each and every member of District 71 for the support you have shown me this past year, I cannot explain how much that means to me. I want to thank the members of my Team, Patricia O’Reilly, John Cox, Sue Eastman, Laura Bruce, Les Hodgson and Michael Collins for the friendship and support you have shown me. It is appreciated. However we slot into the world rankings of Toastmasters, in my eye, District 71 is number ONE!



Patricia O’Reilly, Program Quality Director and incoming District Director What has given you greatest satisfaction? I have enjoyed my year as Program Quality Director. I loved organising District Officer Training. I was

happy to be the go-to person for Division and Area Directors for all those difficult and unusual speech contest questions. I loved being involved with the conferences and as PQD it was important to me to ensure that the workshops were of a high standard. I count myself lucky to have been PQD when Pathways rolled out. Taking on the role of Pathways Guide gave me the opportunity to learn about Pathways in depth. Currently I am enjoying watching the clubs achieving distinguished status. All the above gave me great satisfaction. But the greatest satisfaction came from those clubs that achieved distinguished having not made it to distinguished last year - 15 clubs to date.

What has frustrated you the most? While I loved working with the conference teams, there were times when it was a little challenging. I found it very frustrating that having agreed on certain requirements, those requirements were sometimes then overlooked.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of year, that you know now? Given that this was the year that Pathways rolled out, I wish that I had been better informed about Pathways at the beginning of the year.

What would be your number one tip for your successor? Have the appropriate Speech Contest Rulebook to hand always. Be vigilant in checking eligibility requirements for contestants, judges and all other contest officials at the District speech contests. Enjoy the year.

What are you looking forward to most next year? As incoming District Director, I am very pleased that I have a good team. We are already working well together. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the incoming Division and Area Directors. I am excited about the year ahead. But what I am most looking forward to is standing on the stage at the Hall of Fame at the International Convention in Denver in August 2019 as District 71 is recognised as a distinguished district. To finish next year as a distinguished district will require hard work by everyone - the DLT, the Division and Area Directors and the clubs. As we prepare to start another toastmaster year let us remember that Together Everybody Achieves More.

Anything else? As we come to the end of this toastmaster year, I would like to say thank you to District Director Red Skelton, to my fellow members on the DLT and to the Division and Area Directors.

John Cox, Club Growth Director and incoming Program Quality Director What has given you greatest satisfaction? The help and support from Division and Area Directors

and Club Officers to help meet targets and deadlines – particularly when needed to deliver a result. Also the ability to share good practice around the District. I produced the Blueprint for Club and Membership Growth, a toolkit of tips, ideas and templates borrowed from some of our best performing clubs.

What has frustrated you the most? The occasional delays, lost items and lack of response from World Headquarters.



What do you wish you had known at the beginning of year, that you know now? Like most roles in Toastmasters it takes a few months to get your mind around the task at hand. It would have been good to do more marketing/promotion but identifying your target audience and how get at them takes time - then the year is over! In conjunction with Laura Bruce our D71 PR Manager we have been looking at Google Adwords and Facebook Ads and hope to do more targeted promotion with them this year. The workload was somewhat greater than expected but it was certainly fulfilling and kept me off street corners!

What would be your number one tip for your successor? Look at your clubs at risk and find ways to encourage and support them to get their membership up. Nearly half our clubs have less than 20 members. Also put more attention and support into our corporate clubs – many start off well but run out of steam quickly. We lost 12 clubs this year some of them relatively new corporates – so they have to be replaced before we can get any club growth.

What are you looking forward to most next year? I have long been a critic about quantity driven targets – more clubs, more payments, more qualifications. And I know that quality suffers as a result. I believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on quality. If we focus more on the quality of the service we provide our guests and members and on the quality of our meetings, the numbers will follow. Member retention at around 50% - 60% is a key issue in Toastmasters and I know that some people leave because we haven’t lived up to their expectations and learning objectives. We lose several new members in the first few months of them joining. Moments of Truth is a great tool for helping us to drive up quality – providing we act on the feedback we get. In my new role of Program Quality Director I am keen to help and support our clubs to strive for quality and excellence in all they do.

Anything else? Being part of the DLT for nearly three years has been an honour and a most enjoyable experience. Being able to serve our members and to help improve and grow our

clubs and membership has been on occasions challenging, yet very rewarding. We all join Toastmasters for many different reasons but we need to remember that at the end of the day the people running our clubs, areas, divisions and districts are all volunteers and of course it’s only a hobby. So, let’s make sure that we keep it fun and enjoyable.

Les Hodgson, Finance Manager What has given you greatest satisfaction? I have enjoyed meeting many new people and visiting clubs and Divisions across the District.

The District Leadership Team were great to work with and it was great to benefit from their knowledge and experience.

What has frustrated you the most? My role, as Finance Manager, has a large element of administration. My year got off to a bad start due to a health problem which has dogged me throughout the year and prevented me getting fully to grips with the admin and I was not able to bring refinement and improvement to the finance area.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of year, that you know now? I arrived at District level without having come through the Area and Division structure. It would have been useful to have the experience and knowledge that would have come from a more traditional route.

What would be your number one tip for your successor? Keep on top of everything and don't get behind.



What are you looking forward to most next year? In the coming year I am looking forward to achieving DTM and continuing to work hard to improve the north east area as it enters the new Division N.

Anything else? Toastmasters offers a superb structure to gain experience and work as part of a team. I would recommend fellow Toastmasters to take any opportunity to be involved and make the effort to go to Toastmaster events outside of their club. they will not be disappointed!

Sue Eastman, Administration Manager What has given you greatest satisfaction? As Administration Manager for 2017-2018 I will always be grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on the DLT. There are many things I could mention but some highlights have been working with such a

supportive and caring team, getting to know the DEC and many other fellow Toastmasters in D71, feeling very privileged to be asked to be the International Speech Contest Chief Judge at the Safe Haven Conference in Cork, and visiting with a warm welcome to Divisions C and D. It gave me great satisfaction being part of the team making the DOT trainings successful and being on the DLT in Sheffield and Cork.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of year, that you know now? One thing I wished I had known at the beginning of the year was I needed a hip replacement in February !!!!!!! but thankfully I am now nearly fully fit to spring into the new Toastmaster year.

What would be your number one tip for your successor? My number one tip for my successor is to be yourself and enjoy the experience.

What are you looking forward to most next year? Next year I am looking forward to being the Conference Director for the Lancaster Conference Norwich and welcome you all to our ‘Fine City ’in May 2019.

Laura Bruce, Public Relations Manager

What has given you greatest satisfaction? Working with the DLT and meeting members across the District has been the most satisfying part of my role. I love people and the people I have met in Toastmasters are exceptional. It’s been the best part of my time on the DLT. It was a great privilege to visit Division D, Division M and Division C for their contests, and to present my “How to write a press release in 12 minutes” workshop at D, and my “Creating Membership Magic” workshop at Division M. I also really enjoyed being the Test Speaker at the Evaluation Contest in Cork – though preparing for it seriously cut into my socialising at Safe Haven! I was also pleased to create the #WeAreToastmasters campaign. I hope it continues to grow!



I’m also very grateful to all the members who contributed to the newsletter, and shared photos and stories with me for the website and the newsletter. Sharing news across the District has been incredibly gratifying – there are so many incredible stories of personal growth that are a direct result of members’ involvement in our organisation. Toastmasters truly transforms lives.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of year, that you know now? It would have been good to have assembled a team and to have divvied up the tasks. The PR Manager role goes across most aspects of the District’s business, so there is a great deal of scope for communication. Having a team to address the things I didn’t have time to do would have been good. Also, having a cushy, salaried job would have helped. Running my own business and having a role on

the DLT inevitably meant short-changing my business at times.

What would be your number one tip for your successor? Get the articles for the newsletter in earlier than you think you need to! It always takes longer than you think to publish and distribute the newsletter, especially if, like me, you decide to do one every month!

What are you looking forward to most next year? I am looking forward to the break from publishing the newsletter! I am looking forward to getting started in Pathways, and I am aiming to achieve my DTM in the year ahead. I am particularly looking forward to the Norwich conference, and seeing all the wonderful people I have met again at long last.



Top Tips – Everything you wanted to know about being s*x but were afraid to ask Oh alright I meant “…wanted to know about being a Division or Area Director” but I had to get you to carry on reading didn’t I? Many of you will look at this and think “Oh this doesn’t apply to me”, but before you pass over this section consider that one day it might be you. I bet that everyone who contributed to this section thought the same once, but then they realised it did apply to them.

Although these tips are aimed at Division and Area Directors many of them apply in all walks of life. That’s the beauty of Toastmasters, it may be a safe and supportive environment, but the tasks we undertake and the decisions we make as leaders are still real. They have a real tangible impact on our members. Just as those decision and actions have real consequences so the advice in these tips can be applied both inside and outside Toastmasters.

…and just to show that we are real, here are all the Division Directors for District 71 at the Safehaven 2018 conference.

What a handsome/beautiful crowd we were.

L-R Brenda Lannon (Div C), Gerard Mannix (Div B), Robert Brooke (Div G), Euan Bayliss (Div S), Red Skelton

(District Director), Ciara Halloran Division M Director Candidate 2017-2018 (Div M), Jane Mooney (Div D), Angela M Scott (Div E), Siobhan Fitzgerald (Div F), Daniel Sandars (Div H) & Ted Mellamphy (Div A)

Here is a summary of the collective wisdom of the Class of 2017-18 Division Directors.

What are your top tips for incoming Division Directors? There were recurring themes among Division Directors:

• “ask for help early” (with respect to Division Contests). Echoed by “Organize venue for your contests now.” (i.e. NOW)

• Organisation of COT was a common theme. Typical comments were, “If club officer training is being organized at division level include your AD’s. Organize your venue and agenda and speakers immediately after DOT. Organize financing of COT with your ADs - room hire can be expensive”.

• Communication with Area Directors. “Proactive communication with Area Directors”, “Talk to your Area Directors, no! – even better Listen to your Area Directors”; “As the incoming Division Director, I laid out a schedule, which very basically was we would meet monthly to discuss and plan actions for our Division”

There were lots of other tips too:

• “. . . don’t rely on hopeful emails, call people on the phone.”

• “My top tip for division directors is be organized!!”

• “[Have an] Agenda for Division Council meeting” • “[Make] Club visits if travel friendly -- listen,

observe and assist struggling clubs” • “Attend Area Contests as it supports the

organising of the Division Contest” • “… arrange a meeting for a formal handover

where the two [Division] teams met and discussed any issues. (It was a nice icebreaker, and none of us felt we were being dropped in it once the new season kicked in in September.)” [for September read ‘July’ in UK clubs]



• “Enjoy your year - it is a great privilege to be given the responsibility and honour of being Division Director - do your very best for your Division. Support your ADs and club committees remembering the member is at the centre of what you do. Work together as a team.”

• “Don’t’ take yourself so g*d*mn seriously”. • “Don’t try to take on a club officer role and

Division (or Area) Director role. To do both to the best of your ability will create time conflicts that are difficult to resolve”.

• “Remember you have a family and/or friends outside Toastmasters, don’t neglect them”

What are your top tips for incoming Area Directors? Once again there were some common themes:

• “do things as early as you can - particularly COTs and club visits.”. do your club visits early in the term but more importantly complete your club visit reports as soon as possible - 30th November rolls around very quickly!! Likewise with the 31st May.”

• “Some Area Directors ran out of steam after a while. Good leadership and commitment is

required of an Area Director.” and “Being an Area Director is like a marathon, not a sprint”.

And there were plenty of other ‘top tips’:

• “Support the Clubs, visit and follow up as needed. Be present during the year.”

• “Be organised”. • “Carry a copy of the contest rule book with you

to every contest you attend”. • And a top tip for the technically minded Division

and Areas: “a Division WhatsApp group, we all knew what was going on in the Division and each Area, so we all helped.”

Hopefully all club, area, division and district leaders will find something useful in these tips. They may sound like common sense, but it’s amazing how uncommon common sense is….

Thanks to the following for their insightful contributions:

Brenda Lannon (Div C), Gerard Mannix (Div B), Robert Brooke (Div G), Euan Bayliss (Div S), Daniel Sandars (Div H) & Ted Mellamphy (Div A)

Area 1 - Retrospective Julie Kenny ACS ALB, Area 1 Director, Ipswich Electr ifiers Speakers Club

Area 1 runs along the A12 in Essex and Suffolk, from the city of Chelmsford, our nearest club to London then northwards to Speak East @ Martlesham on the outskirts of Ipswich. Between these are Camulodunum in Colchester and Ipswich Electrifiers. The four clubs are well established and will all reach distinguished or higher this year as they regularly do. It was great to see that all clubs have begun on Pathways,

not only for new members but some very long-standing members throwing themselves in too.

Chelmsford Speakers Chelmsford Speakers reach their 10th Anniversary later this year with a celebration evening on 27th June. Also celebrating this year at Chelmsford was Barry Rix who achieved his DTM. The club is going from strength to strength with 18 new members so far this year.

A second club is in the process of being started in Chelmsford, Chelmsford City Communicators

First Pathways Speaker and Evaluator at Chelmsford – Marcos Reis & Karen Bellerby



Speak Easy @ Martlesham Speak Easy is now 14 years old and continues to welcome new members. This year they trialled online access to their meeting enabling one of their members to achieve her CC which due to ongoing health problems would not have been possible otherwise. With just over 20 members the club logged in 5 advanced awards this year on the traditional program.

In April they hosted the division G conference, workshops by Robert Brooke and myself. We were lucky enough to have the evaluation test speech delivered by Vinette Hoffman-Jackson. Those who went forward to the district conference in Cork both placed in the final.

Camulodunum Speakers’ Club When the Camulodunum Speakers’ Club formed 33 years ago, they adopted the Roman name for Colchester, which seems fitting for a club in Britain’s oldest recorded town and the first city and capital of Roman Britain. They meet just on the outskirts of Colchester every second and fourth Monday of the month and also have a monthly dining meeting at the nearby Shepherd in Langham; the meeting has all the usual sections but with table topics, speeches and evaluations all fitting around the meals ordered. It’s a huge amount of fun, slightly less formal than the standard club meeting, and gives members the opportunity to speak in a different environment. The club also continues to support the public speaking club at Essex University, I had the delight to meet some of the members who came to watch the club contest and was very impressed, you can read more about the University club here:

Speechcraft with a difference.

Ipswich Electrifiers Speakers’ Club My home club and the second oldest club in the area; the first meeting was held in 1994 at the offices of Eastern Electricity, sparking the idea for the name. These days we meet every other Thursday at the

Chamber of Commerce offices, a good location for both those in the town centre and coming in from surrounding areas, it’s walkable from the train station, and often one or two members do just that. The club ran two guest evenings this year, although one was hampered by the winter snow and was rescheduled. The area around Ipswich is also the setting where Arthur Ransome was inspired to write the Swallows and Amazons books, to celebrate the 80th birthday of ‘We didn’t mean to go to sea’ an 8-hour book reading took place at Pin Mill organised by The Nancy Blackett Trust. Member Cathy Shelbourne and president Christopher Brown took their turn in reading a chapter alongside local authors, artists, and many others including Griff Rhys Jones who lives in the local area. Like all clubs, one of the reasons members join is to work on the big ‘wedding speech’, and this year we went along to a local wedding fayre to ensure that more people knew about

what we can offer. As I’m writing this the day after the event, it’s hard to say what the outcome will be but it was fascinating to see the looks on many bride’s faces as we asked them ‘are you confident about how the speeches are going to go on the day?’. We suspect a few cards will be pressed into hands in the forthcoming weeks.

Looking forward In April the club hosted the area’s first area contest to be held in the evening rather than a Saturday. A great success regarding turnout but a few lessons to learn about timing, whether my successor Karen

Bellerby will take something of that format or not I’ll leave her to decide, but I’m confident that the area is in safe hands

Work towards a new prospective club in the Chelmsford area offering the alternate Wednesday’s to Chelmsford Speakers’ Club is underway. Interest is building, and

Area 1 Director Julie Kenny and Christopher Brown of Ipswich Electrifiers at Wedding Fayre.



hopefully, the area will be up to 5 clubs in the next TI year.



Did you know. . . ? Things didn’t improve much in the ’80s. Fifteen new clubs in Ireland and 9 in England were chartered in the decade. There may have been more, but they no longer exist. Numbers of new clubs chartered each year ranged from none in 1982, to what was then a remarkable five, in 1984. These five were Crusaders and Clonmel in Ireland and Camulodunum, Maidenhead and Newbury in England. Of the 21 clubs in England, in 1972, only 6 had survived to 1987, while the 3 clubs in Scotland had all disappeared. However, in Ireland, of the 7 clubs in 1972, 6 were still there 15 years later.

These were the bedrock on which new clubs grew in the two largest Irish cities i.e. Dublin and Cork and eventually spread to their hinterlands. Accordingly, by 1987, the club balance had swung entirely from England to Ireland. In 1972, at the formation of the district, the numbers were GB 24 (England 21 Scotland 3) – Ireland 7; by 1987, the numbers were Ireland 24 – England 15. This translates into an astonishing 243% gain for Ireland but a 38% loss for GB. It’s interesting to ask the question why this exceptional disparity in growth and survival had occurred. Could it be that in Dublin and Cork, where the first clubs were chartered and which, by their proximity to each other in each city, developed networks of support which could not be replicated in England because of its size and population? Remember it was November, 1990, before Grosvenor Square – chartered March 1980 – had a companion club in London! So it would be fair to say that the survival of Toastmasters on these islands was due, firstly, to the initiative by Gaylord Giles in 1972 and the 21 English clubs which formed the basis of the new district, but, secondly, to the growth and survival of the Irish clubs when the number of English clubs nearly halved during the ’70s and early ’80s. In 2017, these 6 Irish clubs are still in rude good health, while Aylesbury, Epsom

and Oxford are likewise doing very well in England. It is also interesting to note that it took, until as recently as 2008, about 40 years later, for the number of clubs in Britain to again exceed those in Ireland.

Contributed by Ted Corcoran, DTM, Past International President of Toastmasters “Did you know. . . ?” has been a regular feature of the District 71 newsletter during 2017-18.

Ted has documented the development of Toastmasters in Ireland and Britain in A

Comprehensive History of Toastmasters in Great Britain and Ireland: 1935–2014. (click link to open)

To read more of Ted’s history of Toastmasters, visit http://d71Toastmasters.org/history/

Editor’s note: I am very grateful to Ted Corcoran for shedding valuable light on the history of our District with his columns this year. Thank you Ted! -- Laura

http://d71toastmasters.org/history/







Most Travelled Toasties set the pace: Here are our 2017-18 “Travelling Toastie” Champs! District 71 Champion: Clare Crowther

She’s not just the first Accredited Speaker in District 71. Clare Crowther is also our champion Travelling Toastie. Clare visited an incredible 19 clubs this year. Here she is at Surbiton Speakers with VPE Eddy Quah. Well done Clare!

Division A Champion: Phillip O'Brien

Phillip wasn’t just the Division A champion, but was our second most travelled Toastie. Here he is at Hellfire Toastmasters Club in Dublin with President Denis Fitzpatrick.

Division D Champion: Deirdre Walsh

Our favourite Iron-Woman also has great stamina for visiting other clubs. Here’s Dee at Saudi Toastmasters in the DIT College with Taha Boksmati.

Division H Champion: Philippa Collier



Division M Champion: Fiona Basquil

From Dun Laoghaire Toastmasters, Fiona was one of only two Travelling Toasties in Division M!

Division S – Joint Champions Lesley-Ann Hunter and Nicholas Mockler

Congratulations to Lesley-Ann Hunter and Nick Mockler: they are the joint champions of Division S in Scotland. Lesley-Ann is a member of Dunfermline Toastmasters and Nick belongs to Stirling Speakers. Here’s Nick visiting Roscrea Speakers, in his home town!

We had a number of other distinguished Travelling Toasties: Thanks to Steve Campion, Daniel Sandars, Julian F Cereceda, Avril Stringer, Pauline Dix, Christopher Johansen, Colette Grant, Ben Laing, Eileen Hopkins and Krystal Long. Well done to you all! Thanks to everyone who took part! --Laura Bruce, PR Manager

ANSWERS to QUIZ – Know your Constitution Caveat. These answers are correct to the best of my knowledge and with reference to the latest published

constitution. Toastmasters International Club Constitution 2017.

Before relying on these answers you should check with Toastmasters International. No liability is accepted for incorrect interpretation of the published constitition.

1. b. Parliamentary Procedure. Article I, item 5. 2. b. 18. Article II,

Section 1. 3. Yes. Article II,

Section 1. “…the addendum of standard club options (hereafter referred to as the “Addendum”) under the constitution may provide for other restrictions on the composition of the individual membership, e.g., …….. ……. people sharing a special interest.” Note that this needs to be read in conjunction with Article XI, Section 1. “This club is not legally affiliated with any company, agency, or special interest

group from which this club may draw its

individual members” [my italics] 4. b. 3. Article II,

Section 2. “The individual membership of this club may be divided into three classifications: active, inactive, and honorary”

5. e. Continued absence without notice. Article II, Section 4.a. “An individual member may also be classified as inactive for continued absence without notice.”

6. No. Article II, Section 4.b. “Inactive individual members shall have no ….[List of preclusions] …. They are not

entitled to places on the regular speakers’ program…” [my italics]

7. 3. Article IV, Sections 1-3. (‘Regular meetings, Special meetings, Club Executive Committee Meetings)

8. e. A majority of the active individual members Article V, Section 1. “A majority of the active individual membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business of this club.” [This is why it is important to understand what constitutes an ‘active’ member, see question 5 and Article II of the constitution].

https://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/123A95CC53D5482CB6392593CC07E6B7.ashx

https://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/123A95CC53D5482CB6392593CC07E6B7.ashx



9. No. Article IV, Section 3. “No voting by proxy or absentee ballot shall be permitted on any matter presented to the club membership for a vote.”

10. No. Article IV, Section 4. “Unless a greater vote is required by this constitution in a particular matter, the affirmative vote of at least a majority of those active individual members who are present and voting at a duly held business meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of this club.” [Note the question asked “is it always sufficient. A later article in the constitution requires different criteria as mentioned in the wording of this section].

11. a. Unanimous Article VI, Section 5. “All elections shall be by secret ballot, unless a secret ballot is dispensed with by unanimous vote,….” [This is the article referred to in question 10.]

12. a, d, e. Article VI, Section 7. “Any officer of this club may resign, provided that any such resignation must be made in writing and delivered to the club president or club secretary. Unless any such resignation is, by its terms, effective on a later date, it shall be effective on delivery to such club officer, and no acceptance by this club shall be

required to make it effective”. [my italics] 13. b, d Article XI,

Section 1. “The use of the funds of this club shall

be limited to educational purposes. They may not be used for social or political purposes, or for the benefit of any individual.”

14. b,d,f,g Article XI, Section 2. “In the event of dissolution of this club, distribution of any funds, after payment of any indebtedness, shall be made either by contribution to any educational research or memorial fund maintained by Toastmasters International, or by contribution to another Toastmasters club or to a Toastmasters district.”

15. False Article XII Section 1. “This constitution may be amended only by a majority of the votes cast at an Annual Business Meeting or a special meeting of the

voting membership of Toastmasters

International.” [My italics]

How did you do? • 11+ Well done, you are truly a constitution

nerd. • 6-10 Good work, you grasp the essentials, a

little more bedtime reading to do (it’s the best cure for insomnia).

• 1-5 If you are a club officer take action now. Get a copy. Read it. All it takes is for a problem to occur in your club and for you to handle it incorrectly and you could have big problems. If you are an Area Director or above, reading this needs to be at the very top of your list of things to do.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end. Hope you have enjoyed this year’s instalments of the District 71 newsletter. It’s been a pleasure bringing them to you. -- Laura

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