Autumn Contests & 2023 D91 Conference News

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District Conference 2023

Hello, it’s Diane Richardson here, your Program Quality Director,

I am delighted to say that the District 91 Conference has been booked for the weekend of 6th and 7th May in Central London. I cannot divulge where it is going to be yet, but I think you’ll be excited when you find out. As always it is going to be a smorgasbord of great talks, seminars, and of course the District Contest finals. If you attended last year, you’ll know that this is an event not to be missed!

Whether or not you have attended this conference before, you should know that a tremendous amount of work goes into organising it.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with the conference team. We are looking for a Finance Manager, a PR Manager, and a Sponsorship Manager urgently. Other vital roles such as a Registration manager and IT manager will be needed soon after.

Just a taste of the benefits members of the last conference team gained can be found in these two examples from 2022-2023 Area Director Bonnie Wong and Division Director Rose Nakibirango.

If you are inspired to join the conference team, please contact either Angelie Bharwaney on angeliebharwaney@gmail.com or myself on diane@d91toastmasters.org.uk

Bonnie Wong, D29 Area Director

Rose Nakibirango, Division K Director

Club Officer Training

After a few late entries I am pleased to say that 125 clubs in the District now have 4 or more club officers trained.

However, I would ask every Club President to check that all the correct number of officers trained are shown on the club Dashboard, before the end of October as records cannot be updated after the 31st October and despite the best efforts of everyone occasionally someone is missed.

Pathways Workshop Tips

On Sunday 16th October Massimo Guadagnino, this year’s Pathways Champion and his team will be running a webinar on how to get the most from your Pathway’s journey. The Pathways Champion team have lots of creative ideas and suggestions on how members can gain the most from their Pathways experience. They will also be explaining how you can start your Pathways’ journey within a day or two of joining a club. If you are a new member or a member who has yet to start a Path, then this is a great first step to start your pathways journey. Experienced members will also learn lots of useful tips on how to complete some of their level 4 & 5 projects. To register for the webinar please click on the link below  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89058848593?pwd=YVRUN2laZ204RGFobkRKZ05oQTAzdz09

Diane Richardson,

Program Quality Director, 2022-2023

Renewals and Forex $-£

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From the Desk of the District Finance Manager

It is a pleasure to inform that our Q1 Financial Activities were all completed on time – the signoffs of our 2021/22 Year-End Accounts and Year-End Audit, and the DEC/Council-approved 2022/23 Budget was accepted by WHQ on 28th Sep.

We are now into Q2 of the Toastmasters calendar. I trust most Club’s bank signatories and accounts have been transferred over to the new Treasurers and Club Officers now have a good grasp of their budget in their Club Success Plan. Club Reserves have grown for many during the pandemic. As clubs return to face-to-face meetings, be mindful that venue hires and refreshment costs will now be incremental to zoom licenses and other costs that came in during the pandemic.

A quick scan of the renewals on 1st Oct, suggests to me that more renewals are yet to be captured. Making the situation more even challenging is the impact of the recent mini-budget announcement which plunged our currency to almost parity against the US dollar; a Sterling Weakness not seen since 1984.

With a weakening Sterling and with renewals not coming in as strong as they should be, an “MOT” on your club finances at this point may be prudent.

  1. Why not re-visit your 2022/23 Club Budget/ Plan and re-validate the membership dues collection forecast to understand better the cash inflow expected for the rest of the Toastmasters Year?
  2. Re-assess all your club commitments, especially those recurring ones such as Zoom subscriptions, Meet-Ups subscriptions, etc. What about sharing the licenses with another club in your Area as often, club meetings do not clash on the same day/time
  3. Re-forecast your cash outflow, specifically those that are denominated in US Dollars, as this will now inevitably cost more with a weaker Sterling e.g., Membership Payments to TMI, Zoom Licenses, etc.
  4. Perform some sensitivity analysis on the number of members (new & retained) and on the US$-denominated expenses to see what your end financials will could be
  5. Use a simple worksheet (example shown) to create better clarity of your club’s financials

A quick sense-check will provide you with a better insight into your club finances; hence allowing you to take the necessary interventions where required, to ensure that your club remains financially sustainable for this year and beyond.

Eddy Quah
District Finance Manager

District Director: Thoughts on our late Queen

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Rupa Datta on how she was inspired by Queen Elizabeth II

I write this month’s piece (originally written for the September newsletter) in a rather pensive mood.

Like the vast majority of you, I’ve only known of HM the late Queen Elizabeth as our Head of State, a woman in leadership and someone whose life was devoted to service from a young age. I’m sure as time passes there will be more reflections and parallels and for someone who was present in different ways for different people, there will be different takeaways.

Last month, at the Toastmasters International convention in Nashville, I had the honour to carry the flag of the United Kingdom during the opening ceremony. It’s hard to describe the thoughts that went through my head when the decisions for allocations of flags were being made and what it was to participate in such an event that really demonstrated the diversity of our organisation.

Given the events of the last two weeks, the whole event feels much more poignant right now.

As we near the time where we are decide on renewing our continued commitment to Toastmasters, our clubs and our personal growth, I can’t help but draw some parallels:

  • Service

The third of our Core Values. We associate 70 years of her reign as a lifetime dedicated to service as she pledged in her speech on her 21st birthday in 1947. In many ways, she was unprepared to take on the role when she did yet did so with grace throughout her reign.

At Toastmasters, we have opportunities to serve everywhere and a safe space to fail from time to time as we are students of leadership and communication. There are opportunities available right now for you to contribute in your own way. This could be within your club or beyond. Just reach out and ask the question – rupa@d91toastmasters.org.uk How can I serve?

  • Lifelong learning

As above, our late Queen spent a lifetime learning her role probably had many mentors throughout her time, and no doubt became a mentor and counsel to others along the way. We may never again see the depth and breadth of experience that one person attained in one leadership position.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have met some incredible Toastmasters who have been with the organisation for decades (I was 2 when one of my mentors and guides joined the organisation!) You may have read it before, and I seem to be reading it a lot at the moment as someone I met last month is posting this quote by the first female to join Toastmasters and a past International President, Helen Blanchard:

‘If you get out of Toastmasters all there is to get out of Toastmasters, you’ll never leave Toastmasters.’

  • Stability

Change is a constant fact of life. We witnessed during the pandemic the extent to which our Toastmasters community was a source of stability for many our our members. As one era ends, and we enter another, for some of us knowing that we have that club meeting to attend every week with a supportive group of people can be an important anchor.

Having the option to renew every 6 months, also gives us the opportunity to review our goals and growth – it’s ok if it may be time to explore a different club or even ‘go beyond your club’.

I have different goals to when I joined Toastmasters in February 2016. Some of what we are witnessing this month, we have never seen before and may never see in our again in our lifetime – the formalities and different types of speeches. Different roles in Toastmasters give you that too – I reflect again having chaired a formal business meeting for District Leaders earlier this month and will be chairing another one for our District and Club Leaders at the end of the month.

I hope you continue your membership with us…and contribute some small steps to help our community grow to 5000 by the end of this Toastmasters year.

“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”

HM Queen Elizabeth II

Rupa Datta

District 91 Director, 2022-23

Presidential Citation: Andy Hammond

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The photo shows Andy receiving his award from former Toastmasters International President Richard. E. Peck at the Toastmasters International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee last month. Andy shared about his interaction with TMI who had written the following:

The original email notification stated:

It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected to receive the Presidential Citation, which will be presented to you at the 91st International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. This award is presented in recognition of your outstanding achievements in representing the goals and ideals of Toastmasters International and is one of Toastmasters’ highest honors.

The wording on the plaque reads:

For outstanding and continued contributions to Toastmasters International’s organizational growth and excellence.

The citation as read out at the Hall of Fame started with:

Andy has a gift for bringing people together during difficult situations and times.

They went on to list some of my roles, which I have added to as follows:

Andy has been a member of Toastmasters since 2001. He was Division Governor in 2005-2006, a Pathways Guide and Pathways Chief Ambassador from 2016 to 2018, District Director in 2018-2019, a Board Committee member in 2019-2020 and a member of the International Leadership Committee from 2020 to 2022.

Congratulations once again for your great achievement, Andy!

Club News in District 91: New Clubs, Twin Meetings, Going to Prison

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New Club: Open Text Speakers

District 91 welcomes Open Text in Newbury to the family of Clubs and more details will be shared in future newsletters. Their Club President and Co-Founder Miriam Hernandez shared with me a photo from the Charter celebration on 5th August where our District Director Rupa Datta was also in attendance. Welcome to the District, Open Text!

Reading and Dusseldorf Speakers – From the Banks of the Rhine to the Banks of the Thames

On Monday 5th September as PR Manager I received a special invitation to visit Reading Speakers. This was a very special joint meeting alongside a Club in Europe, Dusseldorf Germany to be precise. And Dusseldorf Speakers happens to be the biggest Club in Europe with 107 Members. It was a lovely inter-cultural experience to see these two Clubs merge their traditions and showcase the best of Toastmasters. I spoke with Reading President Claire Jerrold who sent this report on their arrangement with Dusseldorf.

From 2nd to 5th September 2022, Reading Speakers were excited to play a key part in welcoming the Düsseldorfer Speakers for a weekend of social events including pub visits, a river cruise down the Thames, and a BBQ, which culminated in a fantastic joint Toastmasters meeting on Monday evening. The connection between the two clubs has its foundations in Reading and Düsseldorf being twinned towns, the oldest link between a British and German city, dating back to 1947.  Mark Clements a long standing Club Member shares his role in how the relationship came about:

“The Reading and Düsseldorf twinning has led to many joint activities over the past 75 years including education, the arts, sports and business. In 2018 Mark Clements, a member of Reading Speakers Club, became a member of the Reading Düsseldorf Association having partaken in many choral visits with the Reading Festival Chorus and Johanneskantorei of Düsseldorf. Why could Reading Speakers not become a part of the twinning activities?

Thereafter it was an ambition to achieve a joint meeting. The process started when Mark contacted the Düsseldorfersin April 2019. Christine Sommerfeldt was advised as their main contact and an ongoing correspondence Between Christine and Mark started immediately.

Covid proved to be the major hindrance to our initial meeting. It delayed the meeting by a year but, most propitiously, our Toastmasters’ clubs first meeting has occurred in the 75th anniversary year of the twinning.

It was such a special opportunity to not only see how one of the biggest clubs in Europe operates and learn from them, but to find connection in how different yet similar the Brits and Germans are.”

Claire continues: The meeting on Monday evening was hosted in the Council Chamber in the council building, a specially chosen location perfect for practising public speaking. Although the meeting followed a usual Toastmasters format of Table Topics and Prepared Speeches, it was anything but ordinary.

Speeches ranged from learning the ingredients of what makes Reading Speakers a special club, the stereotypes of Germans and the British, and what animal your Toastmasters club is (and of course what the best German beers are). All the roles were shared between both clubs, with impeccable organisation from VPEs and the wider club committees. There was even a father-daughter duo as Timekeepers who got to use the famous Reading Speakers ‘over time’ turkey!

Reading Speakers Club President, Claire Jerrold, said:

‘Looking round me on the pub on Monday night, all I could see were enormous smiles. Everyone commented on how much they had enjoyed such an interesting and engaging meeting. Bringing together the best of Düsseldorf, and the best of Reading, this meeting was exceptional.’

With the Mayor, the Area 46 Director, and the District 91 PR Manager all in attendance, it was an occasion not to be missed. But it wasn’t the grandeur of the occasion that made it. It was the connection made between people who otherwise might never have been brought together if it weren’t for being members of Toastmasters. Laughing, smiling, and learning all weekend.

Here’s to a Reading Speakers visit to Düsseldorf soon!

Beckenham Communicators: Toastmasters Goes to Prison

Alan Chapman, VPM for Beckenham Communicators contacted me in August to say that 4 members from Beckenham Communicators visited an open prison to promote a form of Toastmasters to the ‘residents’ and have planned another visit hopefully with a local club. Alan and his daughter Karen wrote the following report:

During April 2022, six Toastmasters including four from Beckenham Communicators visited Springhill Open Prison to deliver a Communications Workshop. All the residents of the prison are male and the 16 that participated on the day were Category D whom had earnt certain privilages. The aim of the event was to build the confidence and communication skills of the residents in the space of the afternoon, and to equip them with the tools to continue to develop these skills after the event. The workshop was focused on public speaking to help with any verbal communications to prepare for daily conversations, interviews etc., and also enhance other skills such as listening. The day flowed nicely and the engagement from participants was high.

The workshop was based on a previous Toastmasters event for Princes Trust and was made up of an introduction of the day and its aims, along with an introduction of the event organisers and their previous challenges with communications and how they overcame these; a warm up; tips for effective public speaking; and then group sessions where they would prepare and practice a small speech to give at the end of the event. The participants, although nervous at the beginning, started to open up in the group sessions which acted as support groups, and through practicing their speeches, the Toastmasters were honoured to hear stories of the participant’s personal challenges and their hopes for the future which included helping others such as starting up charities.

Many of the participants seemed to get pleasure in using their voices and getting messages across about their own life battles, and the more each person shared, the more it encouraged others to open up. In these group sessions, lots of advice was given to help with their speeches and the participants were encouraged to give their feedback on each other’s speeches in the hope of honing their listening skills as well.  At the start of the event, participants were reluctant to speak but by the end, they were fighting for the spotlight and the opportunity to share their story to the audience. The atmosphere was, by then, high energy and there seemed to be an air of comradery between the participants. All participants received a certificate which the Toastmasters witnessed being showed off like a badge of honour to the prison officers. After the event, the particpants were sharing with the Toastmasters how much they enjoyed the afternoon, how they benefited from it and how they wanted more!

In addition to the participants, the Toasmasters gained an awful lot from the event; they learnt about the lives of the residents, they developed their leadership skills, and thoroughly enjoyed sharing their skills and giving back to the community. As a result of this hugely positive feedback, the Toastmasters are planning to run another session at the end of September; this time with a couple of local Toastmasters in the hope that they can build a long-term relationship with the prision. The same tried-and-tested structure will be used to manage the event but with a few tweeks including a slighly advanced level for the participants that will be returning for a second time.

Going on from this, this group of Toastmasters are also hoping to reach out further to disadvanted groups such as those that are homeless to give them the skills and confidence to find their feet. It is with the hope that those reading this article are inspired by the huge mutual benefit of running workshops like this, and we would encourage any Toastmaster to share what they have learnt from Toastmasters with those that may not be able to attend our regular sessions due to life’s challenges.