Greetings inspirational valued members of District 112
On the 29 March 2019, Treetown Toastmasters lost a highly valued club member in a vehicle accident.
Reece Jacobsen was a member of the club for over 10 years and served as Club President (2012, 2013, 2014) and VP Membership (2015). Reece helped and mentored many in the club – sharing how they can improve their personal communication and leadership styles, always with a humorous story and smile on his face.
Reece’s stories will live on within the club, and the members he has helped will be forever grateful for the life skills he has left them with.
RIP Reece – you will be missed by the club and wider Toastmasters community.
We are now 3/4’s of our way through the Toastmasters year. Membership renewals should have now been paid, Division Contests are in progress and there are a wide variety of awards being registered for both the traditional and Pathways programmes.
The uptake on Pathways continues to increase which is both heartening and rewarding to see as Toastmasters International are working hard to make improvements to the programme based on the feedback they have received, and continue to receive from you, our members.
The excitement and expectation is growing as we draw nearer to our very first District 112 conference being held at the Distinction Hotel, 100 Garnett Ave, Te Rapa, Hamilton.
Our “Golden” International President, Lark Doley, has confirmed her travel details and will be with us in District 112 for one week. As well as her attendance at the Waikato Conference several other high-level events are being coordinated in both Auckland and Hamilton in order to maximise her presence. Keep an ear out or check our District calendar for the details of the events where she will be in attendance. Please share the event details with your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours as this is a prime opportunity for us to maximise the benefits that Toastmasters has to offer to one and all.
The District 112 calendar is located through our District website at:
In case you have not previously seen Lark, please take two minutes to view her greeting at: https://youtu.be/YHkUCWlxBv0
Conference Chair, Ross Kennedy, and the vibrant dedicated committee are working hard to finalise the details that will bring you a rewarding and memorable event we will all be able to talk about and reflect on in the years to come. To register for Conference go to: https://newbeginnings.org.nz
To keep up with the event updates please feel free to like and share the link to the Conference Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/newbeginningsdistrict112
The update to awards registered under District 112 since 1st July 2018 are as follows:
CC ACB ACS ACG CL ALB ALS HPL
119 39 27 16 76 18 19 9
Level1 Level2 Level3 Level4 Level5 DTM TOTAL:
308 77 24 8 4 19 763
Congratulations to each and every one of the 763 award registering Toastmasters! Your journey of learning and sharing is reaping wonderful results for you. ☺
Until next month, when we will be connecting almost on the eve of our Conference, I wish you well and trust you will find warming gems in the balance of this edition.
Toastfully yours
Toni Sharp QSM DTM
District 112 Director
021 1147 254
D112director@toastmasters.org.nz
PROGRAMME QUALITY DIRECTOR
Greetings Toastmasters!
The Area contest events have now concluded, and the Division events have commenced.
Please take the opportunity to attend a Division event and learn from the contestants by watching and listening to them exercise their skills!
Go here to look at the calendar of events on the District 112 website.
https://d112tm.org.nz/district-calendar
Pathways will be very much on the agenda for the District in the immediate future. As a District our goal is see all members registered in Pathways and at least have completed an Icebreaker. How long is it since you have completed an icebreaker? Since the last one you gave, you may now have a changed and changing audience. Give them a different story!
Soon we will send out a survey to clubs to understand the particular pain points that are being experienced in members’ engagement with Pathways. We would very much like the Survey to be shared with all members. The results will be used to determine where District resources are best placed.
Another goal that we have asked the Area Directors to expand on in their visits to clubs is the concept of a Club Champion ( or champions!) within the club who will be the go-to-people for all things Pathways. It may well be that the most suitable persons are members who have joined since 2017 when Pathways was rolled out across the region!
Having Pathways Champions and support for them from the District will assist clubs with their Pathways education efforts.
Some members may well wish to have access to a ‘Pathways Manual’ as a paper document. One of the Area Directors, John DiLeo has put such a document together and would like to share it with you. Keep a lookout for further details on the District 112 website very soon.
Do you have plans to attend the District Conference in Hamilton in early May? Lark Doley, the International President will be visiting and there also will be additional opportunities to meet her as described elsewhere in this Newsletter.
Recently the Regional team was invited to hear Lark speak on “Our Golden Mission”. If you would like to catch up with Lark’s presentation, then it is available here;
https://www.toastmastersd69.org/our-golden-mission-with-lark-doley-dtm/
Please do take the opportunity to meet and hear Lark at the District 112 Conference, 3-5 May, 2019, at the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton.
See you there!
Neil
CLUB GROWTH DIRECTOR PORTION OF THE APRIL 2019 NEWSLETTER
I would like to extend a warm welcome to our three new clubs who chartered in March:
- Congratulations to Legen-Dairy Toastmasters, the Hamilton based Fonterra Club which chartered on the
18th of March. Congratulations to the drivers behind the club, Nicola Mackenzie and Wendy Wickliffe
- Congratulations to Auckland Airport Toastmasters which chartered on the 28th of March. Congratulations to Anna Rybakova, the primary driver of this club.
- Congratulations to TVNZ Toastmasters who submitted their charter documents in March. These documents have been checked and accepted by Toastmasters International and the club will appear on the dashboard shortly. Congratulations to Erica Richardson, Sean Walton and team for leading this club to success!
A lot of hard work and the commitment of many people goes into starting a new club. We would like to thank everyone involved for the effort they have made to make the chartering of these clubs possible. Thank you for giving these new charter members the opportunity to gain confidence and grow in so many ways through Toastmasters.
MEET OUR INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR LARK DOLEY
As our District Director, Toni, mentioned, we are incredibly privileged having our International President, Lark Doley visiting us from the 30th April to the 7th of May. Lark is an amazing person and is happy to attend many different events to enable us all to benefit from her vast knowledge and experience.
Please mark the events at the end of this newsletter in your diary so that you do not miss the opportunity to meet Lark.
Congratulations and a big thank you to our new club coaches:
- Karl Waters at Technically Toastmasters
- Kingsley Moody at 2degrees Toastmasters
- Jonathan Darby at OP Auckland
- Sheryl Dickerson at Orewa Lunchtime
It takes dedication, patience and understanding to support a club that may be struggling. We really appreciate the effort all our club coaches are making to help our clubs to flourish and grow.
We appreciate the importance of the club coach role and take great care to find the right coach for the right club. Each club coach goes through an interview process prior to the club coach appointment application being submitted to Toastmasters International.
We are looking for suitable club coaches, so please do contact me should you be interested in a club coach role. Keep your eye on the Toastmasters International dashboard when the reports roll over on the 13th of April. See if there is any club with 12 members or less whom you may wish to coach and please let me know. It is an excellent growth opportunity for both you and the club.
In March we had three more clubs added to our clubs in formation list – NZTE Toastmasters (in formation),
(inaugural meeting planned for 8th April), ERoad Toastmasters (in formation), (inaugural meeting scheduled1st May) and Stuff / Mediaworks Toastmasters (in formation) (inaugural meeting tentatively planned for late April / early May).
Marsh Toastmasters Auckland (in formation) will be submitting their charter documents in early April. We look forward to seeing the club charter.
I had the pleasure of attending the Division P Conference. A big thank you to Heather and her team for holding such an inspiring, well run conference. The speeches delivered were of a high calibre. I loved that a few members showcased #MyWhy.
Mt Albert Club held the most amazing 20th year anniversary celebration.
Congratulations to the team that arranged this event, it was exceptional. The club created a Cluedo themed evening. We had our well known Cluedo characters, murder themed speeches and who-dun-it Table Topics. Close on 50 people attended the event, with the finishing touch being the
WIN TWO NIGHTS ACCOMMODATION AT THE DISTINCTION HOTEL
As advised in our February District 112 newsletter, Ralph Smedley images have been placed on our District 112 website. (https://d112tm.org.nz/) Remember to browse the website to find how many images there are. All correct entries received by the closing deadline will be placed in a draw to win TWO night’s accommodation on Friday the 3rd & Saturday the 4 th of May, , at the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton where the District 112 Conference, New Beginnings, is being held. https://newbeginnings.org.nz/ To enter email your details and the number of Ralph Smedley images you found to: d112growth@toastmasters.org.nz by the 20th of April at 8:30 pm. All correct entries will be placed in the draw to win the two night’s accommodation. (Draw to be done by independent person).
Has your club discovered the WOW Factor Project and #MyWhy yet? https://www.toastmasters.org/ wowfactor, https://www.toastmasters.org/mywhy,
Embrace the opportunities offered by the WOW Factor Project. We all videoed #MyWhy at District Officer Training in March. I applaud the Division Directors who have introduced the WOW Factor Project and #MyWhy at our Division Conferences. Just a reminder that the purpose of the WOW Factor Project and #MyWhy is for all cub members to explore the opportunities this initiative provides, raising the bar of clubs across the globe to be more uniform and top-performing.
OUR INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, LARK DOLEY’S, DISTRICT 112 ITINERARY, 30TH APRIL – 7TH MAY
30th April 2019
Tōhī Toastmasters, a bilingual Te Reo (Maori) / English club.
Meet Lark and be empowered by her presentation (topic to be confirmed). Kingi Biddle, who was the keynote speaker at Tōhī Toastmasters charter function, is coming up from Rotorua to attend this meeting and to meet Lark. Kingi placed second in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in 2013.
Time: 12:00 – 13:00
Venue: AUT (room number to be advised, dependent upon interest expressed) Address: Wellesley Street West, Auckland CBD
30th April 2019
BHive Toastmasters(In formation)
Membership Building Workshop– take this once-off opportunity, to come along and experience the passion and energy Lark has for Toastmasters in over 143 countries in the world, as she shows us how to grow and stregthen clubs.
Time: 17:15 – 19:15
1st May 2019
Academic Toastmasters 10th Birthday Celebration
Come and be inspired by Lark’s presentation and take the opportunity to find out how Lark would suggest we address the challenges and opportunities presented by a uni club. Light breakfast provided. Venue: Student Lounge, Massey University Gate 1 off Albany Expressway
Address: 1/5 University Avenue, Albany, North Shore, Auckland Time: 7:00 am – 9:00 am
1st May 2019
One Hour Toastmasters
Meet Lark, hear one of her presentation by Lark Doley and meet Bruce Powell, our past member who delivered his Pathways Ice Breaker at his 100th Birthday Celebration at the club.
Venue: Glenfield Memorial Hall
Address: Hall Road, Glenfield
Time: 13:00 – 14:30
1st May 2019
Pacific Toastmasters
Join Pacific Toastmasters to hear Lark speak about the value of Pathways, and the value of personal connections within Toastmasters
Venue: Tanoa Room, MIT North Campus, Pasifika Community Centre Address: Gate 13 Alexander Crescent, Otara, Manukau Time: 18:00 – 20:00
2nd May 2019
WNZL Toastmasters
Lark will potentially be delivering a presentation on Transforming Your Toastmasters Experience into Personal and Professional Success.
Venue: Westpac
Address: Takutai Square, Britomart, Auckland CBD Time: 7:30 am – 9:00 am
R.S.V.P. Sharon Kerr-Phillips 021 059 9897 by 30th April 2019
2nd May 2019
Legen-Dairy Toastmasters
Lark’s specific presentation details to be advised
Venue: Level One Conference Centre, Anchor House
Address: 80 London Street, Hamilton Time: 12:00 – 13:15
3rd – 5th May Hamilton
New Beginnings Conference – Please refer to the link to find out more about Lark’s keynote speech, presentations and workshops: https://newbeginnings.org.nz/
5th May
14:30 – 16:30 OR 6:00 – 8:30 pm in either Hamilton or Auckland, possible combined meeting of Watch This Space Toastmasters and Review Toastmasters
6th May
Two events are planned, awaiting confirmation of details.
7th May
Auckland Airport Toastmasters
Join Lark for a light breakfast and hear Lark delivering her final speech before flying to District 72
Venue: Te Kaitaka – The Cloak (Glass building on the corner)
Address: 1 Leonard Issit Drive, Auckland Airport
Time: 7:30 am – 9:00 am
We hope you will have an amazing April. Enjoy the Division Conferences and embrace the many opportunities Toastmasters provides.
Warm regards
Sharon Kerr-Phillips DTM
Club Growth Director – District 112