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From your editor

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2010. I hope your New Year has started well.

Our first newsletter has, as usual, plenty of exciting content. Included is:

p. 2-4 Hear the latest from the District team, the progress made and inspiration for the future

p. 5-6 Hear some great ideas for fillers you can use in your club meetings as brought to us by past District Governor, Mary O‟Connor

p. 7-8 With contest season about to commence, Rory Marriott, Area 31 Governor clears up some of the confusion over the contest rules

p. 9 For many clubs, choosing a venue is one of the most important decisions. Warren Sheng, President of Harrovians shares his experiences of finding a new venue

p. 10 Hear all about the Lands of Heart‟s Desires conference in Sligo. It sounds very exciting!

P.11 News from around the District

p. 12-14 Keep up with leadership responsibilities and see who has already managed to achieve awards this year!

Let me know what you would like to see in the District newsletter going forward.

Hope to see some of you during contest season!

Freddie Daniells District 71 Public Relations Officer M: +44 7977 465983 E: freddiedaniells@gmail.com

2001 World Champion of Public Speaking Confirmed for Sligo Conference Exciting news indeed! We now have it confirmed that Darren Lacroix, the 2001 winner of the World Championship of Public Speaking will be joining us at the Lands of Hearts desire conference in Sligo this coming May. He will be running a number of workshops that will help you to improve your speaking skills.

This is a particularly unique opportunity for us. Darren has been a huge supporter of District conferences around the world for many years, travelling widely. He has, however, recently decided that he needs to focus more on his career and so is making the Sligo conference the last of his District conference duties. He has recorded a special Youtube video for D71. It is available here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGz1n5h_50

In addition to Darren we will also be joined by Ted Corcoran, Past International President of Toastmasters and Andrew Brammer, Past District Champion. With wisdom like this, how can you go wrong?

More information on the conference inside!

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Our recent District Officer Training sessions in the UK and Ireland gave us a chance to meet with Area and Division Governors from around the District. All left the training sessions with new ideas and re-energized for the challenges that we face for the latter half of our terms.

They in turn have been spending some of their valuable time organizing Club Officer Training throughout the District which will hopefully be as well supported by the members of all our club committees.

Its also competition time again and of course somewhere in the world this years World Champion of Public Speaking is beginning his or her journey at club level that will culminate in their participation in the world finals in California in August. It‟s a sobering thought to think that YOU may well be organizing the contest that takes them on the first step of that journey. When you are considering how much effort to put into organising your contest it might be wise to think about the responsibility that goes with the possibility of having a potential world champion as the winner……

On the Executive we are frequently asked questions that relate to membership, club or district bylaws or even how elections are run at Club or District level. An excellent source of material for answers to these is the

Toastmasters International Website. The “Members Questions” section at http://www.toastmasters.org/contactus.aspx has a wealth of information on subjects like these and is well worth checking out.

Finally, as we get into the second half of our year its time to think of succession and the search for next years leaders. We are, after all, a “Communications and Leadership” organization and it is through the leadership opportunities that Toastmasters offers that we have a real opportunity to learn new skills while giving something back to the organization. At District level the Nominations Committee has been seeking nominations for the Executive and for Division Governors. If you are interested or know of someone who is interested in any of these roles then return the forms already supplied to all members of the District Council as soon as possible to nominate that person for election at the Council meeting in Sligo in May. Remember that it‟s your organization and it owes its continued existence to the efforts of the dedicated volunteer leaders and the support they receive from the individual clubs in each Area or Divisions throughout our islands. Joe Gibbs D71 District Governor “Find Your Voice”

Looking for our future leaders – District Governor, Joe Gibbs

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My challenge to you in December was:

Set your goals, take action to make them happen, and celebrate immediately when accomplished!

How have your members done so far then? Give yourself a big round of applause if you have achieved one of the 265 Educational Awards listed below!

CC = 114 ACB = 30 ACS = 16 ACG = 12

CL = 37 ALB = 17 ALS = 14 DTM = 15

Well done to our DTMs – you have accomplished the highest award you can achieve in Toastmaster International. Thank you for your dedication and leadership within District 71:

Division A

Denis Heffernan

Mary Brassel

Division B

Gillian Cutts

Keith Gautier

Hilary Briggs

Division E

Michael Clarke

Oscar Merkx

Division G

Constance Turner

Jim Robinson

Angus Galbraith

John Morris

Division H

Helen Quinn

Robert Nisbet

Jacqui Hogan

Meg Heyworth

Training – District Officer Training happened even with all the snow we encountered in January – a flurry of training in both UK & Ireland. We reminded Club Officers of the goals that they set at the beginning of the year. Now is the time for you to start monitoring. Your Club Officer Training needs to be completed no later than 28

th February 2010 and I

look forward to receiving 100% from all Divisions! Let‟s see how many of you can actually get all seven officers at the training sessions – there may be a prize for the Area that accomplishes this at the Sligo Conference!

Club Visits – Area Governors need to ensure that their Club Visits are scheduled in and completed by 30th April 2010.

Get a head start on this so that you can support your clubs if they need assistance before the end of the year. Also remember that you need to be identifying future leaders for your role – keep talking to those who you feel have potential to make good leaders!

Successors For Our Leaders – Have you reached a place in your development where you are ready to jump out of your comfort zone? Are you ready to step up and take on a leadership role? Then start talking to your Club Officers, Area Governors & Division Governors to see if there is something you can do to stretch yourself. Think about the one thing you would never have done 6 months ago and take the steps to make it happen!

Leadership Awards – The Competent Leadership Award is one that everybody in District 71 should be working on. This is the first step on the ladder of the Leadership Track and is one that even if you don‟t want to go any further it gives you a good base of skills to build on for your communication development. Remember to bring your manuals to club meetings and get them filled in when you carry out a role! A great way to be an active member in your club!

Education Awards – We all should have set a plan at the beginning of the year to achieve a certain educational award. Have you reached yours yet? I plan on achieving my Competent Leadership Award this year and am on schedule to do so. Revisit your manuals and see how far you have to go in order to reach your goal – there are only 20 weeks left to give those speeches or run those workshops. Talk to your VPEs and get onto the programmes. If you are struggling to get on your own club‟s agenda then talk to a neighboring club – we are all here to help you reach your goal and find your voice!

So, my message to our Members, Club Officers, District Leaders is: Review your progress so far this year, start taking steps to follow through with your plan, and encourage others to actively find their voice and achieve their goals too!

Teresa Dukes, DTM, Lt Governor Education & Training

Time to review our progress- LGET, Teresa Dukes

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January 2010 has been a hectic month. We look back at the past six months to measure our performance and look forward with enthusiasm to the opportunities and challenges that the next six months will bring. The recent snowfall caused some problems. All are safe.

Toastmasters International sets goals for District 71, in terms of the number of members, the number of clubs, education awards, leadership awards and the state-of-health of our clubs, namely, clubs with 12 or less members and clubs with 20 or fewer members. In fact, as the Lt Governor Marketing, I receive detailed weekly emails related to the above goals. These emails enable me to direct support to clubs that need Club Coaches and to provide some grants from District Funds, where appropriate.

So, what are those reports telling us, at this halfway stage of the year? Well, we have already built 11 new clubs and thus have exceeded the goal set by one new club. We have 24 Pre Charter Clubs, which is 3 more than we had six months ago. Our membership growth

is on target at the moment and is set to considerably exceed target by year‟s end.

Are there any problem issues in the Marketing area? Yes, there are, and they are being addressed in a number of ways. At the District Officer Training {DOT], in January, Division and Area Governors were advised of the specific problems and were made aware of the financial grants and the possible appointment of a Club Coach that can be facilitated through District 71 Marketing Fund. The Club Officer Training [COT] sessions, which are now being delivered, in each division, will bring these issues/grants to the four-or-more Officers from each club, who attend these training sessions.

Five Club Coaches have already been appointed to clubs with 12 or less members. In addition, a grant of £150 or €220 is available to such clubs for Marketing/PR purposes. There are up to 12 other „weak clubs‟ that can have a Coach and a Grant on application. We have a Division Marketing Fund of £300 or €380 available to all Divisions. Every PC club that is meeting can receive a Marketing Grant of £150 or €220. Finally, all newly chartered clubs can receive $100 towards the purchase of a Banner and a Bag.

We are doing well. Keep it going!!

Getting current members to spread the word about Toastmasters is the most powerful way of finding new members that we have. Last year, in Division B we had over 500 new members join. An

informal survey suggested that well over 50% of those people first became aware of Toastmasters through a friend or colleague.

This is the most cost effective form of marketing. It also plays effectively on one of our key strengths – talking!

But how can we be sure that we are encouraging our members to talk about Toastmasters to their friends and colleagues? Here are a few ideas:

Talk about it – The President of the club can regularly highlight that the key to membership growth is our members talking about Toastmasters. Perhaps have an after meeting session asking members how to encourage Word of Mouth about your club.

Ask your members what they need in support materials – would your members benefit from having brochures or pamphlets that they can hand to people

who are interested. Some clubs give business cards to members with contact, website and meeting details all included. Could your club benefit from this?

Have a contest – perhaps you could encourage your members by having a contest. Maybe there could be a prize and recognition for the member who introduces most people to the club over a set period?

Tell stories – just as we know that stories are one of the most important tools for emotional engagement in our speeches, so they are in attracting new members too. Stories of member success can be regularly highlighted by the President in meetings and by the VP PR in club newsletters. These stories become the fodder to be talked about by our members when sharing the story of Toastmasters itself.

Host an Open Evening – Although most of our clubs welcome guests to every meeting, hold a meeting that is focused on members bringing guests. You will be amazed by how many turn up!

Word of Mouth should be a key part of your Clubs marketing and PR. Done well, it can reap great dividends.

Successful growth of the District – LGM, Jim Hegarty

Toastmasters – spread the word! PRO, Freddie Daniells

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How many times have you found a hole in the programme that needs filling? Sometimes people let us down at the last minute. Sometimes we have a club or Area contest with a slot to fill. One way to get round this it is to have more than one evaluator for each speech. But what if all the speakers are new to Toastmasters? Having more than one evaluator works with more experienced speakers but would be daunting to those newer to Toastmasters. I have found the following exercises be helpful in the event of just such an emergency:

1. Topics – all on one theme e.g. Money, Health, Sport, entertainment etc

2. Mini Debate – Divide the room in two with men on one side and women on the other. Appoint a captain for each side. Propose a simple motion e.g. “That the make of your car is a reflection on your personality”. Encourage all to participate. Result? Always a draw!

3. Difficult Words (involve the Grammarian) – Ask the audience to write a word they are not sure how to use on a piece of paper. Gather the papers in a hat or similar. Invite the Grammarian to come to the lectern and open the dictionary on the appropriate page as each word is read out. Select the first word and hand to the Grammarian. Ask 5 or 6 members of the audience what they think the word means and then ask the Grammarian to read out the correct meaning.

4. Figures of Speech (involve the Grammarian) – Prepare in advance several figures of speech and ask the audience what they mean. It may help to write them up on a flip chart.

Note: our club members use many of these figures of speech regularly without realising it.

5. Call My Bluff (Style B could be more suited to social occasions)

a. The host asks all the questions and the audience write down the answers. Answers are collected and checked. Whoever gives the most correct answers is proclaimed Mastermind!

b. Create two panels of three people on each side. The first team gives 3 different meanings of a difficult word and the 2nd team must guess which one is correct. If guessed correctly then the second team gets a point. If not, then team one gets a point. Reverse the situation for perhaps 5 or so more rounds.

6. TM Quiz – This exercise is great for an emergency but is also perfect during the interval at a club or Area Contest. It is surprising how little some people know about the Toastmaster‟s organisation:

a. Who is the founder of Toastmasters International?

b. What is your club number?

c. After your club, place the following in the correct order – District, Area, Division

d. When was your club chartered?

e. What club and individuals sponsored your club?

f. What is the maximum number of votes that a member can carry to the District Council ?

g. Who is the current Treasurer for District 71?

Former District 71 Governor and current Division D Governor, Mary O’Connor, shares some of her best ideas for dealing with those tough to manage gaps in the programme

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h. How many projects in each Advanced manual?

i. Name the Executive Director at TM World HQ?

j. Who is the editor of The Toastmaster magazine?

7. Q&A session – Facilitate a Q&A session with the audience - what would they like to hear about? What subjects do they need more information on? Usually they like to know more about some or all of the following:

a. Evaluation

b. Mentoring in Action

c. Ideas for speeches

d. Visual Aids/Handouts: items to show – how much is too much?

e. Body language – including facial expressions!

f. Club Officer roles (Spring is a great time for this as we approach elections)

g. How to improve Vocal Variety

8. Panel Discussion – Create a Toastmasters information panel where the audience asks questions of a select panel of experienced members. Ideally questions should be available before being „thrown‟ at the panel. This could work particularly well at a joint meeting of two clubs when more „expert‟ people would be available for the panel.

9. ‘Public’ Panel Discussion – All members select a piece of paper from a hat. All will be blank except for 5 with named occupations on them. Choose a subject that allows for some controversy. E.g. Farming land is being polluted, bad smell from a local factory, parents won‟t allow their children to attend a local school. The occupations of the panel of

five might include the farmer, a worried mother of seven, a county councillor, a laboratory expert who performed the tests and – the local factory owner! (depending on the scenario others might include: the school principal, local doctor and patient, gardener etc).

10. Club Newsletter – Discuss how it can be done. Advantages vs. Disadvantages. Who does what and how many issues a year?

11. General Observation Quiz – Note various things on the way to the meeting. The ideal things are those that a guest may see on the way in but that you no longer „see‟ because you pass them so often. How many clocks are in the Hotel Reception Area? What colour is the flower arrangement? How many chairs? What drinks are sold in the soft drinks dispenser? The name of the normal meeting room? How many steps on the stairs up to the room?

12. Page of deliberate grammatical errors – Hand out a typed page with lots of grammatical errors. Ask members to correct errors and count them. Then go through the errors and get members to tick off accurate corrections of errors. Proclaim the highest score as Mastermind.

13. Workshop on Advanced Manuals – Many members choose the wrong advanced manuals to work though. Often they dfon‟t know who to turn to for advice. A short workshop on Advanced Manuals (lasting 10 minutes) would benefit not only those members who have completed speech 8 or 9 but also those who are deciding on a 2nd or 3rd lot of Advanced manuals.

If you have other ideas for Emergency Fillers, I would love to hear from you at: ryoco57@gmail.com

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With contest season imminent, experience demonstrates that there is much confusion about the rules of engagement. In order to explode some of the myths that surround the upcoming Toastmasters Contest Season the following could be of help to you:

Q - How many speeches must I have completed in order to enter the International Speech Contest?

A – The International Speech Contest rules clearly state in order to be eligible to compete a member must:

“Have completed at least six manual speeches in the Competent Communication manual prior to the club contest. However, a charter member of a club chartered since the previous July 1 is permitted to compete without having completed six manual speeches in the Competent Communication manual. The club must be officially chartered before the area contest.”

For this criteria I will emphasize the phrase “…six manual speeches….PRIOR to the club contest”. There is a widely held belief that a member can use the contest to deliver their 6th speech and that makes them eligible. According to the rules, IT DOESN‟T. The rules are very clear. You must have completed a minimum of SIX CC/CTM accredited speeches in order to be eligible to compete in your International Speech Contest..

Q – How many speeches must I have completed in order to enter the Speech Evaluation Contest?

A – None. So long as you are a member in good standing (have paid your fee to your club and it has been logged at WHQ) and you are an active club member you are able to enter your club contest.

Q – I have submitted my membership fees to the club and therefore I am eligible to compete

A – Contest rules stipulate that in order to be eligible a member must be … a member in good standing of the club in which he or she is competing. The club also must be in good standing. A new, dual, or reinstated member must have dues and membership application current with World Headquarters.

Which in translation means “the members dues must have been registered at WHQ. Simply having paid the money to the club is not sufficient , it has to be entered at WHQ. Contestant‟s have been disqualified in the past as a result of clubs not completing the process correctly.

Q – Is it true that I can only enter one club contest?

A – Absolutely not – You can enter as many club contest‟s as you like, however, you can only compete at one Area contest so if you win at two club contests you have to decide which Area you will compete in.

Q – I won my Club International Speech contest in Area X. I won the Evaluation contest at my Other Club contest in area Y. Can I compete in both area contest finals?

Contest Rules Rory Marriott, Area 31 Governor, dispels a few of the commonly help myths on contest rules

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A – Yes – As they are separate contest‟s in separate Areas there is no problem.

Q – I have been asked to be a judge at a contest at another club/area/division/district and am also competing. Can I be a judge?

A – In order to maintain integrity Toastie rules clearly state “An individual is not permitted to be a judge at any level for a contest in which they are still competing.”

Therefore you can not judge in different areas, divisions or districts if you are still in that contest. If you are only taking part in one of the contests you can however judge in the other.

If you have any other questions you are advised to raise these ASAP to the Division Council.

And finally...get involved with your club contests - as a speaker, an organiser - you will learn a lot and it will be great fun.

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I am the President of Harrovians Speakers Club. It's a friendly club in Harrow, Middlesex (yes, that is London but not postally). For years, we have met in a pub meeting room, a 15 minute bus ride and walk from the nearest tube station. Needless to say, it hasn‟t been easy to find. The first floor room no longer has the smell of tobacco smoke but the lighting was bad (broken light bulbs seemed to get changed as often as the room was cleaned – perhaps once a year!). I even had to bring my own soap to the W.C.!

Guests would come, enjoy Toastmasters, but dislike the venue. I knew of several who had left and joined other clubs instead. Yet, we tolerated this room because it was cheap and finding a better venue was never urgent or easy.

THEN, the pub was taken over by new management who didn't seem to like us and promised a price increase. Yikes! This made me unusually motivated to find a new venue.

Many inexpensive venues are not visible on Google and indeed, many don't even have their own website. Much as we would have liked to hire a quality hotel room, it was either too expensive or perhaps I am just too miserly.

Eventually, thanks to members with experience of finding good meeting rooms, we found a venue just in time for our next meeting. It is such a good venue that I feel re-born at the new place.

Our new home is Glebe Hall, Glebe Road. It is brightly lit; there is no traffic noise; there is only one toilet (with soap!) but there is also an attached kitchen area. We are close to Stanmore tube so it is much easier to find. Being ground floor means we can welcome those who cannot easily climb stairs. There is plenty of free evening parking nearby. The place gets cleaned every week (!) and there are over 30 comfortable seats. And it is so cheap, it's embarrassing! Let's just say, it's cheaper than our former place and we can easily afford to give free tea and coffee to everyone. And biscuits, if someone remembers to bring them. Is that a unique selling proposition? And is "Tea Person" a new Toastmaster role (that deserves evaluation of course)?

Since we have moved membership of the club has increased from 19 to now 28. It is always difficult to pinpoint why things are working but it is clear to the committee that the combination of a better location and free tea and biscuits is having an effect.

Conclusion: having the right the venue is very important. Although it may not feel like an urgent priority, take the time to make sure that you have the best venue for your members and guests. It makes such a difference.

To come see our new venue, please visit us! See www.harrovians.org.uk for details. Warren Sheng President, Harrovian Speakers

Changing Spaces Warren Sheng of Harrovian Speakers humorously shares his experience of moving venues

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As you read this, as many as a 1,000 speeches are being written and prepared by International Speech contestants across the UK and Ireland, all with the dream of taking to the stage at the Land of Hearts Desire Conference in Sligo. In May, at Sligo, you will hear the eight best.

A further 1,000 people are Evaluators, now honing their skills in pursuit of fame in the District final. Again, at Sligo, you will hear the eight best.

Come the end of the conference we will depart, dreaming of how we can emulate the amazing speeches and evaluations that we have heard.

Luckily, at the Sligo conference, all the tips and tools that we need will be on hand. We will also hear some of the best educational sessions that you can imagine:

1. Rarely do you have the chance to learn from a

past World Champion. At Sligo, you will.

Darren Lacroix, 2001 World Champion of

Public Speaking, will lead a series of

educational workshops, giving us the belief we

need and the skills required to become a top

speaker.

2. Andrew Brammer, a past District 71 Champion

and expert story teller, will share his expertise.

3. It is also a great honour to be joined by the

only person from outside of the USA to

become World President of Toastmasters, Ted

Corcoran. This man brought Toastmasters to

Sligo and indeed to the North West of

Ireland.Welcome home Ted! We look forward

to hearing his educational workshop too.

The District executive has been sensational in the line up of the educational programme. It is the organising

committee‟s job to keep pace on the entertainment side. We want to provide a programme that the delegates will remember as a truly enjoyable weekend.

On the Friday evening, we are keeping with the tradition of a Fancy Dress dinner – the theme is Saints and Scholars. You don‟t have to be too saintly – an odd saucy school mistress and a few cross dressers wouldn‟t go amiss and will add to the laughter!

We will have members of the Sligo Concert band to get you „in the mood‟ prior to the Parade of the Flags and National Anthems. Following this, will be a buffet meal accompanied by background music. After dinner will be the Straw Boys, bringing a bit of ancient Irish culture and some song and dance. Finally will be a disco followed by the usual craic in the bar.

During the Saturday evening, we will have the Dress Banquet and Ball. After the meal will be a visit by The Rosses Point Golf Club Male Voice Choir. There will be a couple of hours to dance to the fabulous Conquerors Show Band, followed by more sing song and craic in the bar.

If that is not a weekend of Education, Training and Entertainment then I don‟t know what is!

So, start making those travel plans. Visit the D71 site to help with planning. There are ideas and tips on how to travel to us. For people in the South or East of Ireland, now is the time to start car pooling.

We plan to make this the best Toastmasters party around. See more on the website here: http://d71.org/portal.php?page=7

Ronnie Gillanders Conference Director

Land of Hearts and Desires Conference,

Sligo, May 14th-16th

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News from around the District

Send in your articles We are trying out a broader range of articles in this newsletter. However, it is important that we still hear about the stories of our members and clubs. Our members and clubs are the centrepiece of what we do. So, please email me articles with the stories about:

o Members of your clubs putting their Toastmasters skills to use outside of Toastmasters o Great feats of club management that your club has achieved...good PR, how your new website or special event has helped

you get new members, tips for how to do committee roles, indeed anything that would be interesting to other members o Ideas that your club has adopted that other clubs can learn from o Toastmaster‟s workshops that you have attended telling us what you have learnt o Indeed, anything! If in doubt, sent it through!

If you have a finished article great, just drop me a mail at freddiedaniells@gmail.com. If you think there is something that we should include but aren‟t able to write an article then drop me a line anyhow and I can help too.

The Rapid Reaction Fun Force Kim Crosby, past President of London Corinthians, explains how she is harnessing the enthusiasm of Toastmasters in London for the good of the elderly

‘The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer someone else up’, Mark Twain

The Rapid Reaction Fun Force was formed by Kim Crosby, ACS, to „Put a little bit of sparkle into the lives of vulnerable people across Central London‟.

Kim had the idea for the RRFF when helping out at the Pullen Centre, a Day Care Centre for elderly people in London, SW1. The Centre provides a vital local service for elderly people who are classed as „vulnerable adults‟. That is people who are living on their own in the community but who, due to health or mobility problems, may have difficulty leaving their homes unaided. As a result of this, many feel lonely, neglected or isolated. Thus mini-buses collect them from their homes and bring them to the Centre to socialise.

Kim found out that, occasionally, people pop into the Centre to give a talk about local history, say. It occurred to her that, if she could ask the Good People at Toastmasters if they would like to give a performance at the Centre, then it would be a win / win situation for both parties. The Toastmaster would get an opportunity to practise his or her public speaking skills whilst, at the same time, the Service Users benefits from hearing interesting stories.

It emerged that Toastmasters are kind and talented. Speakers have included: Carol West (A poetry recital), David Lennon (Tales of a Foreign Correspondent), David Jones (The life and times of a Tropical Ecologist), John Craddock (A humorous speech: „My aunt wasn‟t for turning and neither am I‟), Laura McCracken (Cultural Immersion... One Wink at a Time), Dick Dixon and Jane Liburd (Recital: Poetry from the Caribbean). And there are musical Toastmasters too: Mia Silvas gave a rendition of jazz songs, whilst Division B‟s Governor, Hilary Briggs, with her accompanist, Lady Jean Arbuthnot, played the cello and piano respectively, so treating the audience to a repertoire of light classics. And Lady Jean Arbuthnot has put in another appearance, this time with opera singer Carlos Fidalgo. And Christmas Carols sung by Dick Dixon and Jane Liburd et al.

Non-Toastmasters are members of the RRFF also. For example, Archivists from Westminster Council, the City of London and the London Transport Museum have delivered presentations about the 1948 London Olympics, Lyons‟ Tea Houses, and London Transport during The Blitz respectively. Not only is this interesting for Service Users but the Archivists use the session to gain valuable first-hand knowledge of the audience‟s experience of these events, so aiding their research.

Commented Kim: „My vision was to parachute in the Good People from Toastmasters to put a little bit of sparkle into the lives of vulnerable people across Central London. If it was a success, then it might be adopted by other Toastmasters‟ regions. Or maybe they‟re already doing it better than us!‟.

If anyone would like to do a performance at the Pullen Centre, or would like to know more about how the RRFF operates – with a view to adopting the idea in their own area – then contact Kim direct (TellMeMore@CustomerClix.com; Mob: +44 (0)7775 992505).

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Upcoming dates for D71 Officers

Club Officers Area Governors Division Governors

FEB HOLD demo meeting COMPLETE your COT by 28th FEB START reminding Area Governors about Semi-Annuals

PLAN Club level International Speech & Evaluation contests

SEND your list of COT officers trained per club to LGET

CONFIRM all officer trained submissions have been sent to District LGET

SEND in your Club Visit reports to WHQ when completed

REMIND Area Governors of their Club Visit reports and monitor then as they appear

REMIND and START collecting Semi-Annuals

START reminding Clubs about Semi-Annuals ASSIST Area Governors on semi-annuals

Nominating committee appointed for Club Officer Elections

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR DISTRICT OFFICE? Then it's time to start your campaign.

MAR COLLECT Semi-Annuals and send to WHQ by 30th March

ENSURE Semi-Annuals are being sent to WHQ - assist with any problems

ASSIST with semi-annuals and MONITOR WHQ member figures to ensure numbers are correctly

represented

Send winners of Club Contests to Area Governor

START Area International & Evaluation Contests

START advertising Division International & Evaluation Contests

RECEIVE WHQ Proxy Form - SEND to District Governor or bring with you to District Conference in MAY

30th MAR LAST date to email COT list of officers to LGET

ENSURE Division Council is meeting their objectives

ENSURE Semi Annuals have been sent to WHQ by 30th MAR

MONITOR DPR on WHQ to catch any last minute lapses in membership renewals

START PUBLICISING THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE

REMEMBER - all contest winners have to be fully paid up & a member in a club that is fully paid up and in good standing AT ALL LEVELS OF THE COMPETITIONS

APR Support Area and Division contests

SEND winners from Area contest to Division Governor

HOLD Division International and Evaluation contests

Submit Area Governor report to Division Governor by 10

th April

COLLATE Council report, submit to District Secretary by 20

th April

All 2nd

round Club visits must be completed

by Apr 31st

SEND winners from Division contests to District

Executive

ALL NOMINATIONS FOR DISTRICT OFFICE MUST BE INTO NOMINATING COMMITTEE BY 10

TH APRIL

MONITOR DPR reports regularly

REMEMBER – all contest winners have to be fully paid up and a member in a club that is fully paid up and in good standing AT ALL LEVELS OF THE COMPETITIONS

MAY HOLD elections at 1st meeting

in May Ensure clubs HOLD their ELECTIONS at the first meeting in May

REMIND Area Governors about elections of Club Officers and AGM

WHQ Proxy form - SEND to District Governor or bring with you to District Conference in May

Attend Executive and Council Meetings at District Conference May 14/15/16

Attend Executive and Council Meetings at District Conference. Give 2 minute report ot District Council meeting

SUBMIT Club Officer list to WHQ online

Submit Club Visit reports to WHQ by 31st

MAY REMIND Area Governors if their Club Visit Reports and review them as they appear. Highlight potential leaders for the upcoming year

MONITOR DCP awards MONITOR DPR Reports regularly

Incoming District Governor reviews Club Visit forms to identify potential leaders who have expressed and interest on going further in TM. The incoming SG APPOINTS new Area Governors by or before the Spring Conference. NO-ONE HAS THE JOB UNTIL APPOINTED.

JUN SUBMIT Club Officer list to WHQ online

ENSURE Club Awards and Officer Lists to WHQ by June 30th

ASSIST Area in Club Awards and Officer Lists at WHQ

HANDOVER to new Club

Commitees

HANDOVER to New Area Governors

START ALL OVER AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING!

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Educational Awards Each newsletter, we celebrate our members who achieved their educational awards. These awards are for September, October and November. The letter in brackets after the club name is the Division that it belongs to. Congratulations to everyone who has achieved their awards. Hopefully many of you will go on to achieve many other awards in the Toastmaster curriculum. Well done from all the District team.

Competent Communicators Stephen Denton Camulodunum (G) Paul Miner MLP London Bridge Speakers (B)

Julie Bart Holborn Speakers (B) Gillian Beecroft North Norfolk Speakers (G)

Diana Baynes Holborn Speakers (B) Katie Wicka Guildford Speaker's (H)

Paul Lau Holborn Speakers (B) Brian James Thame Speakers (G)

Martin Chanders Athy (D) Margaret McGuire Nenagh (F)

Barry Jackson Cheltenham Speakers (E) Christopher Shutt Norwich Speakers (G)

Elaine Morrissey Cashel (D) Christopher Bell Northern Lights Speakers (B)

Phoebe Dickens Chesterfield Speakers (E) Julian D'sa London Athenians (B)

Stephanie Stasiuk Elder Gate (G) Mary Willis Berkhamsted Speakers (G)

Aoife Collins Drogheda (C) Damian Loftus Bishopstown (A)

Joseph Brady Maynooth (D) Sharron Von Tutschek Northavon Speakers (E)

Rachel Anne Kelly Voice of Wales (E) Anna Ospennikova Camulodunum (G)

Ronan Rigney Naas (D) Sonia Aste Riverside Communicators (B)

Elizabeth O'Donovan Beara (A) Matthew Sloan Northavon Speakers (E)

Claire Lucey Powdermills (A) Clare Power Glasnevin (C)

Simon David Owens Chesterfield Speakers (E) James Gilpin London Cardinals (B)

Lesley Lyle Cottonwood Speakers (H) William Winton Cookstown Speakers (C)

Competent Leaders Josephine Ryan Thurles (D) Don O'Neal Isis Speakers (E)

Augustus Defoe Thurles (D) Jim McGuire Nenagh (F)

Richard Scotson Chaseside Speakers (H) Donna Hicks NZICA Bank Speakers (B)

Paul Egan Fingal (C) Jim Doyle Cambridge Speakers (G)

Yvonne Arrowsmith Toasted Sandwich (H) Christina Macguire Camberley Speakers (H)

Tory Craddock London Cardinals (B) Jim Davidson Dundee (E)

Advanced Awards Elizabeth Deegan Gorey (D) ACB

Marie Collins Powdermills (A) ACB

Jacqui Hogan Maidenhead Speakers (H) ALB

Werner van den Hemel

Mullingar (F) ALS

Patrick Foley Thurles (D) ACG

John Morris Thame Speakers (G) ALS

Celine Hayes Blarney (A) ACB

Atef El Abed Chaseside Speakers (H) ACS

Vanessa Buck The Speakers of Croydon (H) ACB

Paula Kelleher Glanmire (A) ACB

Peter Cranston Aberdeen (E) ACB

John Morris Thame Speakers (G) ACG

Andy Hammond Arun (H) ACG

John Keating Bishopstown (A) ALB

Avril Stringer Linlithgow Speakers (E) ALS

John Morris Thame Speakers (G) LDREXC

Ivor Pether Epsom Speakers (H) ACB

Keith Gautier London Athenians (B) ALS

Frank Doyle Greystones (C) ACB

Malcolm Warden Bicester Achievers (E) ACB

Michael O'Connell Talking Heads (A) ACB

Werner van den Hemel

Mullingar (F) LDREXC

John Keating Bishopstown (A) ACB

Keith Gautier London Athenians (B) LDREXC

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Distinguished Toastmaster We would also like to wish a particularly huge round of applause to our members who have achieved the highest award possible within Toastmasters – The Distinguished Toastmasters award. A big well done! John Morris Thame Speakers (G)

Keith Gautier London Athenians (B)

Jim Robinson Thame Speakers (G)

Angus Galbraith Thame Speakers (G)