Clarion December

December 2015

2CLARION

Meeting Agenda

[ This is the final month of the 2012-2013

this is the version in english this is the

version in english this is the version in

english this is the version in english this is

the version in english this is the version in








































the version in english this is the

TOASTMASTERSINTERNATIONALD I S T R I C T 5 9

MANAGING EDITOR

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTORS:

Ângela Azevedo LopesPedro MarcelinoMasha Marjevscaia

District Director

Program Quality Director

Club Growth Director

Public Relations Manager

Administrative Manager

Finance Manager

Assistant Finance Manager

Immediate Past District Director

Marike Dijksterhuis

2015-2016 DIVISION DIRECTORS

2015-2016 DISTRICT 59 TEAM

CONTACTING CLARION EDITORIAL TEAM

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

Since 1924, Toastmasters International has been recognized as

the leading organization dedicated to communication and

leadership skill development. Through its worldwide network of

clubs, each week Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million

men ans women of every ethnicity, education level and profession

build their competence in communication so they can gain the

confidence to lead others.

By regularly giving speeches, gaining feedback, leading teams

and guiding others to achieve their goals, leaders emerge. They

learn to tell their stories. They listen and answer. They plan and

lead. They give feedback–and accept it. They find their path to

leadership.

DIVISION A Sylvie Klajman

DIVISION B Sandra Lizioli

DIVISION C Marcel Damen

DIVISION D João Antunes

DIVISION E Ulrike Laubner

DIVISION F Siegfried Haack

DIVISION G Francesco Fedele

DIVISION H Nacho Arenas

DIVISION I Robert Dohrendorf

DIVISION J Caspar Horne

DIVISION K Joan Fabregat

DIVISION L Ana Isabel Ferreira

DIVISION M João Sarmento

Manie Conradie

Dominique Carrasco

Nelson Emílio

Bess Stonehouse

James Sorlie

François Matthey-de-l'Endroit

Jaap Russchenberg

[email protected]

[email protected]

Marike Dijksterhuis, Dominique Carrasco, Francesco Vecchié,

Carol Bausor, Ian Cherington, Julita Davies, Sylvie Klajman,

Daniel Kervarec, Joan Fabregat, Sandra Lizioli, Margarida Brites,

Ulrike Laubner, Luciana Riestra, Susana Caballero, Ana Isabel

Ferreira, Luis Carrilho, João Sarmento, Balint Juhasz, Bill

Monsour

Club Business & Awards

District’s Corner

Learning Moment

Special Event

In my Division

Coming Up Next

What’s New

Prepared Speech

Editorial ……………………………………………….…………. 3

New Clubs ………..………………………………………..……. 4Club Building Strategies ..……………………………………… 5

News from Division A …………..………...…………………… 16

News from Division K …………..…………………...………… 17

News from Division B …………..………………...…………… 18

News from Division E …………..……………………………… 20

News from Division H ...………..……………………………… 22

News from Division L …………..……………………………… 24

News from Division M …………..……………………………... 26

Spring Conference …………………………………………...... 28

Bill Monsour……...…………..……..………….……………….. 30

Let’s go Corporate .………………………………………..……. 6

Autumn Conference ……………………………………..……. 10

Newsletters ………………………..……………………………... 29

3DECEMBER 2015TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL, DISTRICT 59

I found my way back to my hotelroom by turning left at my signpost, Michelangelo’s David. Spitting images, but something wasmissing.

It made me think about the function of copycatting. We see it in copies of famous brands, in scientific articles and in art. Not onlyin Las Vegas, I recently saw a documentary where Chinese craftsmen were meticulously copying Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Iwondered: is it a compliment or a kind of theft?

Then something struck me: doesn’t learning always start with copycatting? Those of you who have children or younger siblingsmay recognize the funny or embarassing shock when you see your own behaviour mirrored in these kids. Doesn’t always feel as acompliment.

And isn’t this the way we learn in Toastmasters, every time we do something for the first time: learning by observing each other,copying it, making it a habit?

You know, I cherish Toastmasters for the value in itself but also because of the transferable skills I learn, although some of themare more useful outside the Toastmasters context than others. At work I often find myself the only one clapping when somebodytells a good story. But last week one of my trainees told me that he was very impressed by the way I’d mastered the art of shakinghands and thus managed to get connected to at least half of the audience during the ten minutes breaks of events. Clapping andshaking hands have become a second nature after a few years of Toastmasters.

ast Summer I was in Fake City for the International Convention. A most peculiar experience. I stayed in the huge Caesar’s

Palace, walked through endless shopping malls and casino’s, along Venetian gondolas and palaces. We went for a dinner at

the Trevi Fountain below a painted sky, so realistic we actually found ourselves discussing if we would sit inside or outside.L

I wondered: is it a compliment or a kind of theft?

Club Business & Awards

COPYCAT

Marike Dijksterhuis (Marike)

District 59 Director

Copycatting, turning new behaviour into a habit, isn’t this alsowhy we built this triangle of leadership roles in Toastmasters:start as an assistant, fulfill the role and become an advisor toour successors?

It took me while before I realised what was wrong with Davidand the Trevi fountain in Las Vegas. Simply copycattingdoesn’t work, it lacks soul. The child that mimicks you first,developes into a unique character. If I am an ah-counter orchair a District Council Meeting I use my observations of howothers perform the role, but I add my own flavour and colourto it. That’s the way: observe, copycat, develop uselful habitsand always put your own unique soul into it.

4

Building a new club is a great and very, very, very interesting adventure.

Sometimes, people who has not been involved in this process do not realize the time and energy needed to have a motivated and

committed team, a nice venue, a well prepared room, a structured meeting with agenda and defined role, a lot of guest who came

because they heard about the club in a promotional campaign or in the website.

We want to congratulate all those Toastmasters who are involved in all those project which succeed to a club charter, or not …

because, even if sometimes we do not succeed to charter, it will have been a great adventure.

ive club chartered since the first of July.

Congratulations to club founders and all the team involved.F

District’s Corner

New Clubs5 New Clubs since 1st of July 2015

Building a new club is always a fantastic adventure

CLARION

District’s Corner


Dominique Carrasco (domiC)

District 59 Club Growth Director

There are many pieces for this task: who wants to sponsor a new Club? Who can be involved in the team? Where’s the most

favourable ground to plant a New Toastmasters Club seed? What’s the best season to plant it? What will be the result after a year?

And after five years?

Planning in advance can help to achieve the best result in this task.

As an assistant to the Club Growth Director Dominique Carrasco, I’m offering my service to help each Division in District 59 develop

a strategy for building new Clubs.

The goal of the project is to provide and refine a tool that will help you to:

• Collect useful information in a coherent way.

• Analyze the information to give meaning to data

As an example of this step, consider the France map in the next page where the blue dots are for cities with more than

100.000 people and stars are for existing clubs.

• Create a plan of actions for the time frame considered (until the end of June, for example).

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don't much care where.

The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

D

District’s Corner

Club Building StrategyA tool to identify club building opportunities

6CLARION

ear Leaders,

building new clubs is part of the mission of the District, an experience that requires effort and drive and a rewarding

one.

A tool that will help you to reach your goals in the SuccessPlan and that can be used again next year by yoursuccessors, building on this year experience

District’s Corner

The result will be a tool that will help you to reach your goals in the Success Plan and that can be used again next year by yoursuccessors, building on this year experience.

The project will start with a pilot in France, thanks to the Division Directors Sylvie Klajman (Div A), Siegfried Haack (Div F), SandraLizioli (Div B) and their Club Growth assistants Sean Ryan (Div A), Philippe Christin and Carol Bausor (Div F).After learning the lesson on how to do it in the most simple and effective way, the project will be extended to all the District 59Divisions

I’d like to leave you with a quote about the flexibility needed in the execution of a plan:“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination”


Francesco Vecchiè (francescov)

Club Growth Director Assistant for Club Building Strategy

So here it is a wonderful opportunity for District 59 to boost:

• The number of clubs in the District

• Leadership awards for our Members

• Our visibility in the business world

• Career opportunities for our Members.

Corporate Clubs are not born overnight (even if in Paris, we have a new corporate club which came into existence… almost by

itself!) *

But helping to create a Corporate Club can be a most interesting experience for Toastmasters, as well as providing them with a

great opportunity for a HPL project.

STEP 1: Identifying Target Corporations

To create a Corporate Club, begin by making a list of the companies that you are familiar with (perhaps your own employer, or

that of another member). We recommend that you target relatively big companies, since, for a Corporate Club to survive over a

long-term, we need to have at least 200 employees on the same site. Then…. once a possible candidate corporation has been

identified… Toastmasters need to start thinking like a corporate person! Be business-like in all your contacts with the company,

and share ideas with your fellow members.

* The Paris Club QUAI D'ORSAY was nonetheless helped into existence by Sylvie KLAJMAN and her team. Several people working

here attended Toastmasters club meetings, and liked them so much that they decided to set up their own club.

D

Learning Moment

LET'S GO CORPORATE!Corporate Clubs in Europe

8CLARION

id you realize that almost 30% of Toastmasters clubs in the world are Corporate clubs? Most of them are in the USA,

that's for sure, but there is a growing tendency in Europe for companies to understand that their employees would

benefit from the skills we learn at Toastmasters.

Here it is a wonderful opportunity for District 59 to boost

Learning Moment

Don’t stress the “club” aspect: it makes Toastmasters sound like a social opportunity, but rather talk about our wonderful

educational programme, the learning approach, the feedback model, leadership and positive attitude. Ask if the Corporation would

be willing to finance the club (it is customary to do so), and if they would consider giving a pay rise or a bonus to members who

reach Toastmasters Awards. Contact the person you met after a maximum of 2 weeks to see if they have made a decision, or need

more information.

STEP 3: Demo Meeting

Make sure you organise a highly professional event: enrol other Toastmasters to help you. Look like the corporation you are going

to: young people go to young style corporations… make sure you have understood their demographics, and aim to match them.

Make the meeting easy for the corporation contact by sending him or her promotional material to circulate, and have fellow

Toastmasters to participate and take on various roles on the day. Print a professional looking programme! And make it fun! (You

already know how to do that!)

STEP 4: Keep in touch!

For the Corporate Club to succeed, they must have at least 25 members at all times. You can help them to maintain good

membership by remembering to invite them to Officer Training and all Area, Division and District Events. Provide support to the

club, up to and after the Chartering process.

Launching a Corporate Club is a wonderful opportunity for you to have a privileged contact with the world of business. You will

certainly meet a lot of interesting people and learn a lot yourself! And… you will be conducting great networking.

If you would like a helping hand in organising a Corporate Club, or even a Corporate Summit – an event where you invite several

Corporations at the same time – or want to know how to help flagging Corporate Clubs, please don't hesitate to contact me, Carol

BAUSOR, Assistant to District Club Growth Director, in Charge of Corporate Clubs: [email protected].

Some countries seem to be better than others in creating and running Corporate Clubs: why don't we work together to share our

skills and… get more Corporate Clubs launched in District 59!


Carol Bausor (CarolToastmasters)

Club Growth Director Assistant for Corporate Clubs

STEP 2: Set an interview with key players in

the Corporations

Make an appointment with decision makers,

and make sure that you have a brief

presentation prepared, in true Toastmaster

style. Leave documents (I will be delighted

to send you some!), and aim to leave with a

date upon which you will be able to

organise a Demo meeting. During your

discussion, make sure that you stress

advantages to the company of their

employees sharpening up their Presentation

and Leadership skills.

10CLARION

The core team was small and efficient; Andy Baker as Contest Director (who had appointed Contest Masters to supervise each

event), Eleonore Breukel as Education Chair, Ekaterina Voinova as Registration Chair, Saby Sangupta in charge of the 8 strong

Venue team, Biljana van Zanten as Finance Chair and Julita Davies as head of PR and website issues.

Their energy, creativity and leadership skills were vital in making the weekend run so smoothly and with such a high level of

professionalism.

Our theme was “Building Bridges” and we tried to reflect this in as much of the programme as we could.

Friday morning was an early start for the team as the first attendees were in front of the registration desk and raring to go 2

hours before we opened! The happy faces of Saby’s team created the friendly welcome to set the tone for the Conference.

Dutch and Spanish were chosen as the languages for the Humorous Speech Contests, and these were efficiently run in the early

afternoon, followed by the semi-finals of the English Contest; both in full rooms with only standing room left!

The evening social event was a walking trip to an Amsterdam “brown café”, which was enjoyed by a sizeable group – particularly

impressive as winter had decided to arrive that very evening. I am sure that Paul Huxley did enough chatting and drinking to

keep the visitors warm.

Saturday was the full day programme. A Table Topics Contest with 13 contestants at 9 a.m. was a test of commitment for

everybody – the energy in the main room was a sign of the level of achievement and fun that we were all aiming for.

We received over 30 applications to host workshops and we choose a variety of new faces to fill our 22 slots. Next to registration

desk, we had a sign-in system where people could show their interest in attending a specific workshop; this allowed us to

reshuffle the location according to the size of room required. This was a great success, and happily we still had some very full

rooms.

ne of the best yet” was one of the compliments received during the closing ceremony of the District 59

Autumn Conference. Following a year of planning and preparations, we were hoping that all would go well.

We could not have hoped for such a success.“O

Autumn ConferenceBuilding Bridges in Amsterdam

Special Event

Our theme was “Building Bridges” and we tried to reflectthis in as much of the programme as we could.


Special Event

Humorous Speech Contest – English (Finalists)

Conference Team

Dutch Humorous Speech

1. Renaat Toppets

2. Paul Dumont

3. Remco van der Kuijp

Spanish Humorous Speech

1. Joana Sanz

2. Lucia Maté

3. Juan-Pablo Chaclan

Conference Team



We are very proud that all of the items in the Conference ran exactly on time. With the exception of the DECM, which ran 40

minutes over into a one-hour lunch break. I strongly suggest that a system of discussion and voting on points and motions be

devised to save lengthy debates on points of order or on topics that were previously known. Poor council members were left to

scrap for a quick sandwich before heading into the afternoon session.

The job of keeping (nearly all of) us awake after lunch was well done by keynote speaker Jessie Gordon, with an animated

presentation on gaps and bridges in personal communication. Perfectly in theme and despite some challenges, the only she

dropped were the chocolates!

The late afternoon was the build up to the grand finale; where 6 contestants vied for the Humorous Speech crown.

Within 2 hours we were all back, suited and booted and looking as elegant as could be for the champagne reception and gala

dinner. An Italian “family” dinner, served on long tables and with no set seating plan made for an informal and relaxed, fun dinner

with lots of cross-cultural bridges being built. The prize giving ceremony was short and sweet and the attention was maintained.

We had a short break for gelato in another room as the main hall was remodelled for DJ and dance floor.

The party went on as it can in Amsterdam.

12

Special Event

English Humorous Speech

1. Ivan Ottaviani

2. Colm Kehoe

3. Jennifer Rietbergen

Table Topics Contest

1. Percy Roland

2. Carol Bausor

3. Melchior Glatthard

CLARION

Table Topics English Humorous Speech Contest - Finalists


Sunday morning’s closing ceremony was short of a few people (no surprise) but the workshops were well enough attended

(considering).

The formalities were expertly and efficiently done and we were well ahead of time when I was called to the stage with my team.

In fact, my whole team had not yet arrived!

I will honestly never forget the ovation received from the (growing) audience – it made all the hard work totally worthwhile.

My thanks to my team, the District Council and to the venue staff at De Zwijger.

It was amazing!!

All the best to Luxembourg for the spring.

The bar is high!

Special Event


Ian Cherington (IanC)

Conference Chair

Gala Dinner Ivan Ottaviani

14CLARION

- Humorous Speech Contest English, Dutch and Spanish

Winners of the contest are listed on our website: http://www.tmamsterdam.com/winners/

Our keynote speaker was Jessie Gordon, world-wide communication specialist, motivational speaker and author.

You can check the Conference photos on our website: http://www.tmamsterdam.com/photos/

If you would like to access the workshop materials, keep on checking this page for slides and handouts. We are updating the

website as we receive the materials: http://www.tmamsterdam.com/workshop-materials/

If you enjoyed our Conference, please share your comments, insights, testimonials or recognitions on the event website. We

would love to hear from you! - http://www.tmamsterdam.com/wall/

Go to the website and comment!

Thank you to all attendees of D59 Autumn Fall Conference in Amsterdam, you made it special!

e had 300 attendees, 24 workshops and 4 contests:

- Table Topics ContestW

Autumn ConferenceBuilding Bridges in Amsterdam

Special Event

Julita Davies (JulitaD)

Public Relations Chair

http://www.tmamsterdam.com/winners/

http://www.tmamsterdam.com/photos/

http://www.tmamsterdam.com/workshop-materials/

http://www.tmamsterdam.com/wall/

http://www.tmamsterdam.com/


Special Event


Conference Team



Autumn Conference Attendants

Building Bridges in Amsterdam

16CLARION

success story to share:A

Sylvie Klajman (sylvie.k) & Daniel Kervarec (danieldk)

Division A Director & VPM TMI LES AILES - PARIS

In my Division

1. Find a good venue:

We have a large and free venue at MDA Paris 8ème.

2. Choose evening mentors:

Our club has a strong core of experienced members. We choose an evening mentor to welcome guests and ensure they are

seated next to a member.

3. Incentive of professional trainings:

This year, TMI Club "Les Ailes" decided to organize professional trainings, in addition to the regular TMI meetings and had on-

the-spot registration of new members that evening.

4. A visible website:

We have an optimized website so guests can contact us easily, quickly and without obligation. According their feedback, the

guests also appreciated our cordial and warm environment and the friendliness of our club. They were also impressed by the

level of the speeches that evening.

TMI LES AILES - PARIS - France www.toastmasters-lesailes.fr

Division AMembership News

Recruit twelve new members out of fifteen guests at your first meeting

http://toastmasters-lesailes.fr/


But, did I need to repeat about commitment to all those members who

had expressly come to a meeting of officers?

Does one who lives filling up an agenda, session after session, is not

aware of its importance?

So I decided to change it on the fly. Focusing on the real fuel of our

actions... PASSION!!! The same one that was showed for our

representatives of Division, Oliver, Barbara and Joana, in the past District

Contest.

They competed fiercely with the champions of France, Italy, Portugal,

Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the other Spanish

Division and... we have a District champion... and no losers when you put

all the awareness and effort.

n my last meeting with club officers, I had prepared a few words about

the importance of their work and commitment to the club.I

Joan Fabregat (fabregatj)

Division K Director

Creating the climate in order to find meaning to attend sessions is basic... and then everybody shines. Let's do it with passion, let's ignite the club !!!

In my Division

On December 11th, we had the yearly Christmas party in Barcelona and I can feel how the organizing team is putting enthusiasm

with no limits. The Area K4 has already begun to organize the Division Contest Spring’16 in Alicante... five months before!!! I

want to feel this same energy rushing up the clubs.

Creating the climate for members in order to find meaning to attend sessions is basic and then everybody shines, the experts in

their contests, beginners in their first steps forward without fear. Let's do it with passion, let's ignite the club!!!

Division KIgnite the club !!!

msterdam 2015: Belgium Building Bridges

Congratulations to Renaat Toppets, Toastmasters Hasselt: winner, Dutch Humorous Speech Contest;Congratulations to Jo Ann Broger, Brussels Toastmasters - the first in a line up of 12 TT contestants with Table TopicA

In my Division

question, SUGAR!?Congratulations to Colm Kehoe, Armada Toastmasters Club - 2nd placeEnglish Humorous Speech Contest;Congratulations Agnes Tarnai - Yes! She is our latest DTM!

Brussels Club & Artful Orator Daniel Mouque - the perfect Contest Master

Division BBelgium building bridges

18CLARION

Renaat Toppets

Colm Kehoe Agnes Tarnai

Jo Ann Broger

Daniel Mouque

Aperitivo Toastmasters - first bi-lingual Italian English prospect club launches in Brussels

Brussels has several bi-lingual clubs - Armada (Spanish), Berlaymont (French), Blackforest (German), Dacia prospect (Romanian),Claddagh (Irish) and Atomium (Dutch). We've now decided to add Italian to the mix and bring the spirit of Italy to Toastmasters.The evening starts with a Spritz, un aperitivo, and then we merrily go into the meeting 'A alto voce!" The location is unique - aconcept store that combines food, fashion and fun! Meetings our on Mondays. Our first demonstration meeting was on November9th; we now continue with two more in 2015, kicking off officially in January 2016. Tutti benvenuti!Join our Facebook page!

Ernst & Young - new prospect corporate club has first demonstration meeting

On October 27th, Ernst & Young (E&Y) held their first demonstration meeting with Lars Sudmann (Brussels Club) and Jeffer London(Artful Orators) as guest speaker and evaluator. Area Director Peter Le Page helped organize the event and being the Table TopicsMaster. Over 30 people attended. Watch this space. Second demonstration meeting planned for January 2016.

Daniel is never shy on stage. In fact, he's so at home on stage that heeven dressed up as a Dutchman in drag as the Contest Master of theEnglish Humorous Speech Contest in Amsterdam. He certainlywarmed up the audience and had us laughing before the programmestarted!

A weekend away with Toastmasters Gent: where members learn, grow & have fun!

Have you ever considered spending a weekend away with your club? Home away from home is the perfect recipe to get to knoweach other, re-energize and inspire growth.

Toastmasters Mathieu Piens and Anton Lemmens went Above & Beyond when they organized a Toastmasters weekend for theirfellow club members from the Gent Toastmasters Club from October 9-11th. It was a weekend away filled with workshops aboutcreativity, how to live a positively balanced life, table topics, viewpoints and resolving conflicts.

“Above all, it was an occasion to learn, to have fun and to get to know each other a little better, both for the club's long-standingmembers as well as newcomers, for whom it was the perfect opportunity to feel part of the family from the get go!” - GlennDegrendele, VPPR.

FridayThe weekend kicked off was on Friday evening, with a delicious home-made meal with burgers & chips accompanied by a lot ofchatter and followed with games to get to know each other even better.

One of the games was “Ask a Question”!You have a deck of cards with questions.One person at a time picks a card with a question on it and picks somebody to answer the question.That person then picks another card and chooses somebody else, and so on.‘”It was a fun and informal way to get to know each other at the start of the weekend.”, says Glenn.

SaturdayOn Saturday, they started the day with a 2-hour creativity workshop where the goal was to work in teams and gather ideas forspecial themed Toastmasters meetings, combine three of them into one themed meeting idea and present that idea in front of thewhole group.

During a long two-hour lunch break, people could play kubb, relax in the sauna, go for a short swim in the elements outside or justsit around and chat over a coffee.

How to overcome fear in lifeIn the afternoon, everyone was treated to an inspirational workshop about how to overcome any fear in life, get where you wantto be and live a positively balanced life.After this workshop, it was time to put their very own inspiration to use in a table topics workshop, where they received tips fromthe club's best table topic speakers on how to deliver a successful table topic.

Says Glenn, “Time flew by as the clock turned to 6.30 pm and, in no time at all, we were served tasty vegetarian cooking. With ourstomachs full, we were divided into teams of 4 or 5 people to compete in a 30-question quiz. The winner received a bottle ofchampagne! The evening continued with playing board games, chatting, sweating (again!) in the sauna and playing"werewolves" until late into the night. It was magic!”

SundaySunday started with more workshops including one on viewpoints, a training which is often given to actors and other stageperformers and another on resolving conflicts. After a short test to determine how everyone handles conflicts(compete/collaborate/compromise/avoid/accomodate), people were divided into groups and given a case conflict which they hadto resolve.

As this final workshop drew to a close, so did their fantastic weekend.“Although this weekend has only just ended, some of us are already looking forward to next year's Toastmasters weekend.‘”

Check out pictures on Facebook!

Why don't you plan a weekend away with your club? It's a great way to build relationships and encourage growth in a place awayfrom home! For further information contact Glenn Degrendele (glenn-dgbe), VP PR.


Sandra Lizioli (sandraliz)

Division B Director

In my Division

The aims of this Division Contest were challenging:

- Motivating multiple clubs to participate and members to take part as contestants

- spread the word about Toastmasters to public and find interested people in Rhetorik as guests

- create a learning atmosphere with workshops and lovely food

- don't run in a financial disaster.

Yes, we can! I am proud to be Director of this Division. All Area Directors and Club Officers did a brilliant job in motivating their

clubs and spread information.

20

hetorik Club Winterthur used once more its experience to fill up a room with 100 members and guests for a

contest.R

Div. E has done a great job in delivering a professional setting, good organisation and great pleasure in his first contest. Although Switzerland was spread in 3 parts, more than 100 guests had the chance to see magnificent speeches and workshops.

In my Division

Division E An example of co-working, fun and learning

CLARION

So it is time to share our experience:

When we knew the date, we were searching in June for workshop leaders and keynote speaker, as well as a location.

Rhetorik Club Winterthur is a young club without substantial financial

reserves. Members were searching for sponsors. The Division E asked all

17 clubs for a contribution of 75 CHF. This was a rather unusual

procedure and merely a 1/3 paid the contribution. However, I hope the

wonderful experience and feedback we got will lead to a better co-

operation in this respect.

We used Emails, Newsletter, Xing, LinkedIn and Facebook to spread the

word as well as Public Relations before the Event. Two days after the

event the Press already published a detailed article. The club spread the

information on the Homepage and Fb as well.

This were very good means to make non-financial marketing. However,

several hundred flyers were printed and spread amongst the clubs, at

Area Contests and in business and private. This is an expensive means

and was seen as action to spread the word about Toastmasters and its

recipe in a long term. In German and English language!


Ulrike Laubner (ulrilaub)

Division E Director

In my Division

The workshop sessions were well-prepared by Toastmaster members and the feedback "great tips - I have learned so much".

The break time was marvellous. A communicative cosy session in different languages. Just right to talk to share experiences andmake new friends. The food and drinks prepared us all for the 2nd term.

However, I also saw that the knowledge on roles in a contest is not "on the sunny side of Toastmasters". There is a need for abetter preparation on contest roles and rules.

The language issue no longer exists. 15 out of 17 clubs have participated. They worked very well together - as judges or contestchairs in a non-mother language sessions.

We reached our aim due to networking outside the clubs, enthusiastic toastmasters and engaged Area Directors.

Thanks to all.

22CLARION

n action-packed couple of months saw the Autumn Contests happening; first at club level, then the Area Contests thathappened in Madrid, Vitoria and Marbella.The last weekend of October we had Division ConferenceA

Luciana Riestra (LucianaR)

Division A Public Relations Coordinator

In my Division

in Seville, where the contestants for the Division level weredecided.

We enjoyed a weekend of fun (Humorous speeches always are) inand outside of the Conference venue!During the Gala dinner Outstanding Member recognitions weregiven to Isabelle Steiner (TM Sevilla), Cristina Juesas (Vitoria) andRaquel García (TM Madrid) for their special contribution anddedication to Toastmasters.

District conference in Amsterdam had good participation fromDivision H: congratulations to Percy Roland, winner of Table Topicscontest in English, and to Lucía Maté, who won second place in thefirst District 59 Spanish Humorous Speech Contest!

Also, the bid for organizing District Conference in Autumn 2016was approved. In November, MAD Fun&Sun: come to Madrid!

Plenty of activity in the forming of new clubs as well: you can readabout our newest Club, Ericsson TorreSuecia (Welcome!), but alsomeetings for prospective clubs are being held in companies:Airbus, Gas Natural and in cities: Zaragoza, Cádiz and Santiago deCompostela.

On another note, many will agree that public speaking is not a skillparticularly trained in Spanish educational system. Benito Vega,our Area H1 Director is leading a wonderful initiative promotingToastmasters among children: Youth Program.

Moreover, we had Excelencia Toastmasters in the radio, talkingabout fear of public speaking at "Gente Despierta" program inRadio Nacional.

Lastly, some club business: renewals happened in October; do notforget to update your member list in EasySpeak! And do startthinking about TM Christmas party, always a good chance to gettogether, have some food and drinks, organize themed TableTopics and enjoy!

Division H ChroniclesEventful couple of months in the Division!

Outstanding Member recognitions

Lucía Maté, 2nd place on Spanish Humorous Speech Contest

Percy Roland, winner of Table Topics Contest in English


Ericsson is a company that devotes time and money to its main asset, People, so creating a new Toastmasters Club at Madrid Headquarters was perfectly aligned to that philosophy.

Before deciding to create the new club I needed to try the experience myself, so I joined Ericsson Madrid R&D Club. I delivered my first speeches, played roles at meetings and learnt the basics about running a club.

Then, in close collaboration with our colleagues at R&D Madrid Club we organized awareness sessions at Ericsson Madrid PMO. Mouth to ear worked so perfectly that we were asked to run additional sessions. Learning & Competence Development Department also helped us promote the initiative together with our Communication Department.Open Doors Day session run in March 2015 was a sound success with the Auditorium fully packed with around 70 people.In a few months we already had a group of almost 30 people eager to start practicing public speaking and leadership abilities.

ew Corporate ClubEverything started when a friend talked to me about the initiative being run at Ericsson Madrid R&D Club. Attending somemeetings as a guest I realized the initiative would have a great acceptance at Ericsson Madrid headquarters, where where mostof the people have a close relationship with customers; and Communication and Leadership skills are crucial.N

Susana Caballero (ecesucp)

Ericsson TorreSuecia President

We are officially a new club since October 1st… and our 40 members are so eager that our speeches calendar is fully packed up to January 2016!

In my Division

We are officially a new club since October 1st but wehave been running bi-weekly meetings since the 1st ofJuly. We even managed to hold weekly meetings duringsummer time. Our 40 members are so eager to improvetheir communication and leadership skills that ourspeeches calendar is fully packed up to January 2016.

The start-up of a new club is a thrilling experience,especially when all the members are new (just 2 of ushave some previous experience about Toastmasters).Our committee is made up of motivated people withscarce knowledge about Toastmasters, but full of energyand initiative. Together with our Ericsson Madrid R&Dcolleagues we managed to start running the club in areally short time.

Still in our ice-breaker phase, we are already eager toparticipate at Spring Contest...We’re the new kids on the block ready to be heard!!!

You’re welcome to visit us anytime!

Ericsson TorreSueciagoes live in Madrid!!

24CLARION

M

In my Division

any thing is happening around Division L. All the Clubs have been very dynamic, and the networking is going

beautifully.

Division LNo Limits to Learn, Live, and Laugh!

In the three Areas (L1, L2 and L3) of the

Division L, there had been many events and

iniciatives that are worth telling about.

In Area L1, the Oporto Toastmasters Club

made it’s 9th anniversary and completed 300

sessions, so a big thumbs up for them, ,

congratulations!

In Area L2, the Aveiro Toastmasters Club held

the Autumn Conference, and what a great

event it was… the Toastmasters that

represented Division L in the Finals in

Amsterdam are: Paulo Salgado (Table Topics in

English), Sara Rodrigues (Prepared Speeches in

Spanish) and António Calheiros (Prepared

Speeches in English). Congratulations to all!

Aveiro TC is also supporting the growth of a

new Toastmasters Club, named Bairrada TC.

Very soon we will have more news about

them.

Also in Area L2, the EDP Toastmasters Club

won the Ralph Smedley Award. This a very

recent Club, with less then 2 years, and it has

been growing very fast. (at the moment is the

Club in Division L with more members.)

Winners of the Speech Contests

Aveiro Toastmasters Club

In Area L3, they had a great event that gathered all the Clubs in the city of Castelo Branco. That is a fantastic way to strengthen

connections, and change experiences and ideas.

There has been some other initiatives, promoting the membership and networking:

• The EDP Toastmasters Club has being organizing Workshops for members of Toastmasters and potential future members. The

themes are related to developing the soft skills, for example how to be on TV and radio interviews, posture, dress code, time

to talk... Recently they had a Storytelling workshop that was open to the Toastmasters community and others. This way is also

helping people to became more interested in Toastmasters meetings.

• Oporto TC, with the collaboration of another Clubs has promoted a day for Master Mentoring Program. The goal is to be well

prepared and to grow as a Mentor, the exchange of experiences has a very important role in this process.

25

In my Division

Steal the Cup

The Cup, since the last Clarion, was stolen from Invicta TC by

Marinha Grande Toastmasters Club, and now is waiting for

the visit of, at least two members from other club. This

initiative makes Clubs visit each other, and until now has

been a huge success. I think that another Club is already

preparing an assault to Marinha Grande TC… be aware!

DECEMBER 2015TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL, DISTRICT 59

Luís Carrilho (lcarrilho)

Assistant Division L Director - M&PR Coordinator

Toastmaster of the Year

During the Toastmasters District 59 Autumn Conference 2015, in

Amsterdam, there was the moment to announce who was most

voted for the Toastmaster of the Year 2014. And the Winner was…..

Ana Isabel Lage Ferreira, from the Division L, actual member of

Invicta TM and Division Director. She was asked about her thoughts

when she knew about that recognition.

“My first reaction to this award? Why me? I kept repeating this

question with a mixture of awe and sheer happiness, while Jaap

over the phone gently tried to explain what was going to happen in

the following day in Amsterdam.

My story is no different from thousands of others. I became a Toastmaster to develop my communication skills. And like those

other Toastmasters, I ended up developing my sense of self, not only as a leader and communicator, but also as a person and a

friend. And also like all Toastmasters, that was only possible because I listen, learned and shared a lot with very special people –

every member of every club of every session I attended since I joined in 2011.

There are however three people whose influence lasts until today. João de Mendonça for his passion and the way he believes and

cheers everyone. Sara Magalhães, for her enthusiasm and perseverance. Carlos Costa, my mentor, for his support, care and

wisdom.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for considering my story, and work worthy of recognition. My heart is full. Toasts!”

26CLARION

In my Division

The contest winners were:

• Humorous Speech in Portuguese - Orlando Martins (Business Speakers TM)

• Humorous Speech in Spanish - Paulo Martins (Business Speakers TM)

• Humorous Speech in Dutch - Áurea Sequeira (Young Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club)

• Humorous Speech in English - Paulo Martins (Business Speakers TM)

• Table Topics in Portuguese - José Esteves (Taguspark TM)

• Table Topics in English - Mariana Vieira (Business Leaders TM)

mazing! This is the way of describing the last few months!

On October 24th, the Division M Fall Conference took place in Lisbon (at Ordem dos Engenheiros) where more than80 people gathered for a fantastic event with contests, keynote speeches and several pitches!A

Division MDynamic Team


João Sarmento (jsarmento)

Division M Director

The first edition of the "From Speaker to Trainer" was held on December 7th (in Club ISCTE, the venue of Business Speakers and

Advanced Toastmasters Runners), and a second edition is being prepared for the next semester. Participants who want to run

put in practice what they've learned and present their own Toastmasters workshops will be helped by this team and receive

follow up and feedback. This program is being managed by Sara Magalhães (magalhaess), so if you want to participate contact

her.

At District 59 Fall Conference in Amsterdam, our champions

Áurea, Mariana and Paulo were superb, and although they did

not win, they represented us very well. During the event,

Ricardo Cabete also presented a highly participated workshop

called “Light Your Fire”, which got the audience on fire.

One of the highlights of the Gala Dinner, was the moment

were our most recent DTM, Sara Magalhães, received

recognition from the District on her achievement, with her

being the first female DTM in Portugal and our Immediate Past

Division Governor.

Several clubs/areas are preparing to host "The of

Effective Evaluation" workshops in order to

improve the quality of evaluation within our

sessions. Thinking about this? Get in touch with

Nuno Maximiano (nmaximiano).

We already had some Youth Leadership Projects,

but are striving for more. If you want to participate

in these projects, know of an opportunity for these

programs or simply want to know more, Fernando

Santos Costa (tm.fernando) is the person managing

these programs.

In my Division

This first semester we’ve created two new clubs, Toastmasters @ HP Lisbon and Cisco Lisbon Toastmasters. We have

some more prospects and leads, so if you want to help or have an idea for a new club contact Flávio Oliveira (FlavioCFO).

On January 16th, we are having together with Division D, our Toastmasters Leadership Institute. It's the first event of the

next semester, and is being hosted at the Instituto Superior Técnico at Taguspark (Porto Salvo/Oeiras). All officers and

members are invited to participate in this event, attending training for officers, workshops and having a lot of fun.

Thinking about hosting one of the workshop? We will be accepting applications in a couple days. More news on our event

we'll be sent over to all members.

28CLARION

And now, it will be in Luxembourg - this little Grand Duchy of a country, set between Belgium, France and Germany, offering youthe opportunity to delve into its days of old, to find the secrets of... the Grund, but also to make the most of the DistrictConference, as you warm up to the weekend, play along at the parties, feast on the food, down the drinks and compete like thetrue champions that you all aspire to be.

Those are not the only activities for you to be a part of it all! Join in to judge, conduct yourselves as chief judges, write up yourworkshop plans, contemplate yourself as contest chairs, volunteer to take on one of the umpteen opportunities that offerthemselves to you.

We have negotiated great accommodation deals for your comfort, and have the best program planned, as part of the conferenceand on it's fringes. We look forward to having you on board to enjoy the legendary luxury of Luxembourg, so that we can offer amemorable moment of mirthful merriment to each one of the record numbers of attendees we anticipate to welcome.

So join in and make Luxembourg Talks 2016 the successful District Conference 2016 YOU want it to be!

The Dream Team

James Sørlie: Finance Chair; Francois Matthey: Finance Assistant; Diane Ries: PR and Sponsorship Chair; Stefanie Zutter: VenueChair; Kuba Jakubiak – Digital Media Chair; Marina Tataram: Education Chair; Pierre-Elie Bernard: Contest Chair; Balint Juhasz:Conference Co-Chair ; Prince Motiani: Conference Co-Chair.

Learn more about the conference and fetch your ticket via www.luxembourgtalks.org

The early bir tickets are already gone, and the normal tickets are also selling out fast!

uxembourg Talks 2016

Since its split at the Spring Conference in 2014, District 59 has gone places: from Lyon to Porto and now from

Amsterdam, it has covered in excess of 5000 kilometers.L

Spring Conference20-22 March 2016 in Luxembourg

Coming up next

Balint Juhasz (baliju)

Luxembourg Talks Conference Co-Chair

http://www.luxembourgtalks.org/

http://luxembourgtalks.org/

Division A December Newsletter English http://bit.ly/1NdnQyl

Division A December Newsletter French http://bit.ly/1jJGfdH

Next edition is March 2016.

Send your articles, award information, club news, ideas to

editordivafrance @gmail.com.

Clarion has a new format available!

Check out the new Wordpress page of Clarion at

https://clarionsite.wordpress.com/!


C

Ângela Lopes (Ângela_L)

Managing Editor

What’s New

NewslettersDivision A & New Clarion Page

ongratulations to Division A Public Relations team,

for producing an amazing Newsletter for all Division.

http://bit.ly/1jJGfdH

30CLARION

Prepared Speech

wanted to interview him. I did not know at that moment that my plan for a short interview would quickly become quite fun and

inspirational... and not so short, after all.

Pedro - Bill, everyone knows you are the easy-Speak ‘guru’. How did you get involved in this project?

Bill - My background is theatre, acting, dancing and singing, which is another side of presenting in public from speaking. Easy-

Speak is the software that powers our club administration website www.tmclub.eu, used by all Toastmasters club in Continental

Europe. When I was asked to get involved in the project nine years ago, it was actually just to help with promoting this tool to all

the clubs in our District. Later, as I became more and more involved, I began to provide tech support and training. Since I am not a

programmer, however, it was from the side of understanding the end-user.

Pedro - What do you do to be so successful as a tech support person?

Bill - First, you need to be friendly and sympathetic to the end-user’s needs. It also helps if you are familiar with the whole

Toastmaster’s program. Often, in order to show people how to use the easy-Speak system, I first have to help them understand

what their officer role is. Then I can explain how easy-Speak is designed to support the Toastmasters Club Leadership Handbook

and the learning exercise of being a club leader.

Pedro - Ok, you think that people should know their officer role in order to use easy-Speak correctly. In your opinion what do you

think is necessary to be a good officer?

Bill - Actually, I think about this question often since I’m always looking to encourage any Toastmaster who has leadership

potential. I have spoken at many, many officers trainings all over the District, and if I get the chance to speak again at a training, I

would start by asking why they want to be an officer of the club. If they don’t say that they want to practice their leadership skills,

then I would suggest they think about the wonderful opportunity they have as a club officer to participate in a role-play in a small

business environment in which they can get feedback and support. This is the spirit that I think is necessary to be a good officer

because, if people see running a club as a learning opportunity, they will engage more, they will read the Toastmasters handbooks

and they will look for improvement.

Bill MonsourInterview with a Toastmasters Addict

Iwas a bit uncertain about how to start my interview with Bill Monsour DTM. Besides being known as a guru of the easy-

Speak club administration software, he’s also an international speech champion, past parliamentarian and Toastmaster of

the Year of District 59. Before I could ask my first question, however, Bill turned the tables on me and politely asked why I

“I believe that absolutely everything with Toastmasters is a role-play and role-playing is a very effective learning method. ”

http://www.tmclub.eu/

Pedro - Do you think Toastmasters is about role-playing?

Bill - I believe that absolutely everything with Toastmasters is a role-play and

role-playing is a very effective learning method. First you read some theory

and understand the role-play exercise. Then you run the role-play, doing your

best to apply the theory. Afterwards, by evaluation, you learn what to

improve. Sadly many officers miss this learning opportunity and are not

getting the most out of their time as an officer.

Pedro - What are you learning in your role as a system administrator for the

website www.tmclub.eu?

Bill - I have learned how important IT management is for the success of a

modern business. Look at the Toastmasters leadership exercise... you have

the District Director, the Club Growth Director, someone in charge of

Education and so one, but the Toastmasters program doesn’t have an IT

Director. Why not? Nowadays, every big company has an IT Department. Of

course, the World Headquarters of Toastmasters International started an IT


Prepared Speech

Services department a few years ago, too. But why isn’t it already a part of the leadership development role-play in our clubs and

District? There are the roles of “Webmaster” and “Web-site Committee” which appeared in the Competent Leadership manual

some years ago. But, IT is much more than supporting a club website like on the tmclub.eu platform. Think about all the social

media today and helping our members with all their technical questions.

The easy-Speak software was developed by Malcolm Warden DTM in England, who made it available for clubs around the world.

The system is designed as an administrative tool: communication, public relations, administration and everything else you need

for club and District meetings. By the way, we are always looking for volunteers to help on the easy-Speak Support Team as

developers and also for support and training.

Pedro - What are you learning in your role as a system administrator for the website www.tmclub.eu?

Bill - I have learned how important IT management is for the success of a modern business. Look at the Toastmasters leadership

exercise... you have the District Director, the Club Growth Director, someone in charge of Education and so one, but the

Toastmasters program doesn’t have an IT Director. Why not? Nowadays, every big company has an IT Department. Of course, the

World Headquarters of Toastmasters International started an IT Services department a few years ago, too. But why isn’t it already

a part of the leadership development role-play in our clubs and district? There are the roles of “Webmaster” and “Web-site

Committee” which appeared in the Competent Leadership manual some years ago. But, IT is much more than supporting a club

website like on the tmclub.eu platform. Think about all the social media today and helping our members with all their technical

questions.

The easy-Speak software was developed by Malcolm Warden DTM in England, who made it available for clubs around the world.

The system is designed as an administrative tool: communication, public relations, administration and everything else you need for

club and district meetings. By the way, we are always looking for volunteers to help on the easy-Speak Support Team as

developers and also for support and training.

32

Prepared Speech

Pedro - Where can people sign up to be an easy-Speak Support Team member?

Bill - The volunteer should have some free time and some sort of interest in technical things, as well as good social skills. It’s hard

to find people like that who are not already too busy with other Toastmasters projects. But, if this sounds exciting to you, contact

[email protected] for Pau Rey who has taken over coordination of support and training for the district. My job,

nowadays, is to focus on database system maintenance, like adding clubs to the database, merging duplicate user accounts,

catching spam and maintaining the email system.

Pedro - You’ve been talking about your work for the Toastmasters community. Looking at your extensive LinkedIn profile,

however, I was wondering how you manage everything?

Bill - For work, I’m a self-employed trainer of presentation skills, so my schedule is flexible and I can fit many things in. It takes

good planning and time management. I also just love what I do and I like to keep busy.

Pedro - Can you summarize your path as a Toastmaster and tell me why you joined?

Bill - I joined Toastmasters in 2002 and since then I’ve been participating very actively by competing in speech contests, running

different workshops, founding clubs and I have filled many club and District leadership roles. After 13 years, I am still discovering

there is so much more to learn as a Toastmaster. For me, it is like a fitness program for my mind. I plan never to stop my

Toastmaster’s addiction. To quote Diana Ross DD [Distinguished Diva], “if there's a cure for this, I don't want it.”

Last year, in the Netherlands I set up a nine-month program called the X-Train program - a series of workshop days to help

members develop their training skills. Participants gave many short workshops for practice. The reason why I started this program

was to improve the quality of training at our officer trainings. I hear many officers say that it is only at the end of the year they

finally understand what they should have been doing the whole year long. Meanwhile, that year the club quality may have

suffered by less-than-great leadership. I think we can do better in preparing incoming officers so they do well right at the start of

their leadership year.

Also, nine years ago, Elizabeth Nostedt DTM and I co-founded the ‘The Professional Trainer Group of Toastmasters” in Continental

Europe to help experienced trainers learn from and support each other, and also to let us mentor those toastmasters who want to

become professional trainers one day. Now Agnes Tarnai DTM is co-manager of this project and we have a Facebook page, but

later this year we will announce a new website, a speaker’s directory and a new name for our group. How does the European

Trainers Network sound to you?

The main reason I joined Toastmasters was because I wanted to get evaluation for my own skills as a professional trainer. My

clients don’t know how to evaluate me in an effective way as Toastmasters do. Toastmasters also gives me many examples of good

and poor habits to use when I need to explain to my clients why they should do this and not that. I joined Toastmasters, as well,

partly in order to network. I’ve even been offered some paid work through referrals from fellow toastmasters.

CLARION

mailto:[email protected]

33

Prepared Speech

Pedro - You said your background is in theatre, singing and dancing, so I have to ask you this... searching online, I found a Bill

Monsour on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). Is it you?

Bill - Yeah! Ha, ha. Did you see the movie I was in?

Pedro - Not yet…

Bill - The movie is called Oversexed Rugsuckers from Mars; you should see it. It’s got aliens, murder, thrills and nudity! Very funny.

One film critic calls it “the worst film ever made” so that means it is very special, right? Before I got my university degree in

management, I studied acting in New York, and later I studied singing and did auditions in Hollywood. I’m still acting in movies

from time to time. Next September go see the film Alberta where I play a cagey Canadian real estate agent.

Pedro - How useful is that acting experience in your daily life?

Bill - I apply my knowledge of performance on the stage in a business environment. For example, when I coach people on their

speeches, their storytelling, their voice, their body language and how to connect with the audience, most of my understanding and

exercises come from my theatre school training. The important thing is to exchange some kind of energy with your audience. I call

it building a “heart bridge.”

Pedro - How important is it to connect with the audience?

Bill - It is essential. We know it’s very important to consider who your audience is, because you’re doing it for them. However, it’s

also important to find your passion for your speech topic. If you don’t have that passion, the audience will feel it’s missing and be

turned off. This happens in every art form, not just speaking. You need to take advantage of the human connection... show your

personality and humanity. You can’t relate to your audience as if you were talking to robots, especially not when you’re

performing live.


http://www.imdb.com/

34

Prepared Speech

Pedro - Is that one of the key points of your coaching work?

Bill - Definitely. I remember once I did a workshop for Toastmasters officers about how to run contests. I only had 45 minutes to

speak, so I didn’t have time to teach them every fact, tip and trick that I have learned. Therefore, I focused my session on the ‘why’.

Pedro, have you ever seen Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle? The one where you find the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’? Many managers tell

people what to do and how to do it, but they don’t tell why. They should start with the why. So, as I didn’t have time to speak

about everything, I helped them understand why contests are such a valuable education for the people organizing and

participating. Helping to run a contest should be a fun learning opportunity for everyone and not an obligation. If the people

participating are not motivated to read any of the Toastmasters preparation materials, don’t see it as an role-play exercise, and

don’t ask for an evaluation of the event afterwards, then it’s a missed learning opportunity. I will repeat what I said before that

everything in Toastmasters, including this interview, is a learning opportunity.

Pedro - Bill, we are reaching the end of our interview.

Bill - Wait! This interview was too serious. We need a wild story!

Pedro - I’m not a wild guy... You’re our hope.

Bill - Ok, I’ve got a little story to share. When I won the District International Speech Contest in 2005, I then had two whole months

to prepare another two speeches for the World Championship of Public Speaking in Canada. Now the rule is changed to only one

more speech, but back then it was two more. I’m not joking when I say that those months were the most nerve-wracking and

intense two months in my life. Did I have two ready and polished world-class speeches in my repertoire to present at the

international conference? Nope! But, I thought I could work fast because I had written my winning speech for the District Contest

in only three days; a great idea for my speech just suddenly had appeared to me. I checked it with some friends and that was

enough to win that year. No offence to the other contestants that year, but I do think that speech quality in our District has shot

way up since 2005.

CLARION

35

Prepared Speech

I ended up drafting about ten speeches about death in my family, organ donation and other really deep and emotional topics. But

each time I performed them in my club, people groaned and said that I couldn’t go to the contest with such dark, sad stories.

Looking back, I think the topics were not bad themselves, but I did not know then how to tell the stories with a bit of humor and

lightness mixed in. I mean, the speeches were so drowned in emotion that the audience had no moment to come up for air!

Weeks of mounting stress went past and by the time I boarded my flight to Canada, I still didn’t have an acceptable speech written!

It was during that 8-hour flight to Toronto that I relaxed and wrote a fun, honest speech that I would later give at the contest. A tip

for aspiring champions, I can recommend KLM for writing speeches.

On the contest day I awoke feeling ready to compete with a speech that I could be proud about. But then, at the contest briefing

only a few hours before the contest, they instructed me to use face makeup because of the strong lighting needed for the official

video cameras. Makeup?!#*! Where was I supposed to find makeup at the last moment? But, keeping calm, I walked into a local

drugstore to tell my dilemma to a kind salesman and that man offered to make-up my face for free, with the best products in the

store, if I would only have dinner with him the next night! Willing to give my all for my District, what else could I do? In many

unexpected ways, my trip to the Toastmasters International Convention was an unforgettable and richly fulfilling experience.

One lesson I brought back from the Convention to our District was that speech champions generously support other contestants.

Since then, I’m happy to see all our District contest winners mentoring and sharing their experience with so many other

Toastmasters. That’s great, isn’t it?

Pedro - That’s the true Toastmasters spirit. We like heavy metal in our lives. Bill, I don’t have English words to express how

thankful I am for your time and for everything you’ve been doing for the community, so I’ll say it in Portuguese: muito obrigado!

Bill - Thank you for your time, too, Pedro. I enjoyed talking with you. Good luck with all your future interviewing!

A true leader is someone that inspires us. Thank you Bill for inspiring us.

Stay awesome!

SHORT AND QUICK

FAVOURITE SONGThe Impossible Dream.

ONE QUOTE THAT YOU LIKELife is best when there is love and humor in it -- love to understand it and humor to survive it.

HOW IS YOUR PERFECT SUNDAYGoing for a morning walk in nature; fresh green salad for lunch; chamber music concert in the afternoon and ballroom dance class in the evening.

THE QUALITY YOU MOST ADMIRE IN ONE PERSONAbility to find life funny and entertaining.

Pedro Marcelino (pedro_marcelino)

Executive Editor


Documents

Clarion December