Canning Vale Toastmasters Club Newsletter

December 2015

From the Editor

December is the month Meet our new members where we wind down for a well deserved rest over the festive season. This doesn’t mean it isn't a busy month. This month we had 3 fun meetings and two new members joined our ranks. We hope you had a safe and happy Christmas, enjoyed with family and friends and here’s wishing Akash Kashyap Paul Highwood you a fabulous new year for 2016. May your dreams To our new members: and goals come to fruition. Welcome to Canning Vale Toastmasters and congratulations on This edition is to help with taking that first step in your Toastmasters journey. Every member those withdrawals and see is willing to help you at any time and we will all support you with you over until January your progress towards your goals. 19th, when we meet again. Enjoy! To make the most of your membership, be sure to read page 2 in your Competent Communicator Manual, especially A Toastmas- Robyn ters Promise. We all look forward to watching you become the speaker and leader you want to be.

In This Issue

 Roll of Honour

 Let There be Light!

 A Word from the President

 Upcoming Events

 Tip of the Month

 Member Musings

Merry Christmas to all our happy gift recipients Roll of Honour

Our Newest Advanced Leader Bronze

AWARD MEMBER DATE ACHIEVED ALB Michele Naidu December 5th

A Few Words from the President

Let’s Shed Some Intense Light on Toastmasters Acronyms

Let’s take a closer look at those acronyms. Now that you know what the acronym stands for, this will show you the requirements for each award.

Communication Track

CC — Competent Communicator - Completed The Competent Communication Manual

ACB — Advanced Communicator Bronze - Completed Competent Communicator Award and completed two manuals from the Advanced Communication Series

ACS — Advanced Communicator Silver - Completed Advanced Communicator Bronze Award and completed two additional manuals from the Advanced Communication Series, plus conducted two presentations from The Better Speaker Series and/or The Successful Club Series

ACG — Advanced Communicator Gold - Completed Advanced Communicator Silver Award and completed two additional manuals from the Advanced Communication Series, plus conducted a presentation form the Success/Leadership Series, Success/ Communication Series or Youth Leadership, as well as Coached a new member with their first three speech projects

Leadership Track

CL — Competent Leader - Completed The Competent Leadership Manual

ALB — Advanced Leader Bronze - Achieved Competent Leader Award, Completed Competent Communicator Award, served at least six months as a club officer and participated in the preparation of the Club Success Plan plus participated in district sponsored Club Officer Training whilst serving in this role and conducted any two presentations from the Successful Club Series and/or The Leadership Excellence Series

ALS — Advanced Leader Silver - Achieved Advanced Leader Bronze Award, served a complete term as a District Officer, Completed a High Performance Lead- ership Program and served successfully as a Club Sponsor, Mentor or Coach

DTM — Distinguished Toastmaster - Achieved Advanced Communicator Gold Award and achieved Advanced Leader Silver Award Hippy

If you jump, your family will feel like you Meeting 374 This sign at train stations, The hippy girls were sharing reduced peace, love and flowers with suicides by 20% last year. us all tonight where we re- membered Woodstock and learned about “The Forgotten Anzac”, John Monash, The Value of Reflection and how to Diffuse Verbal Criticism from When I open our speech presenters. my text book, I fall into the Table Topics from Marcus abyss of took us on an early holiday boredom and our evaluators gave excel- lent feedback to not only the member they were evaluating, but to us all. Eloyise is a storyteller Mark’s questions caught us & a poet! out a couple of times, showing we need to brush up on our My headphones are more listening skills. His highlight of precious to me the night was Luke’s first than my child evaluation which was of his sometimes Mentor, Jenny. Tough gig, but it’s always challenging the first time and Luke was up to the task.

Did you get your $100 note? If Between Oktoberfest & you did, you will find our for- Hippy Night, gotten Anzac on it. Check one you’re keeping us out soon, if you find one. on a constant chemical high

Woodstock Trivia

Woodstock, the most famous music festival in rock 'n' roll history, took place 46 years ago on August 15-18, 1969. Any decent flower child worth their name was there to protest against the Vietnam war abroad and racial ten- sion at home.

The idea for the festival came from band manager and Artie Kornfeld, a songwriter turned record company executive. They wanted to raise money to build a recording studio in Woodstock, upstate , a haven for artists including Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. The organisers played down the numbers they anticipated, telling the authorities they expected 50,000, while selling 186,000 tickets in advance (costing six dollars for each day) and planning for 200,000. In the end 500,000 attended. Another million had to turn back because of traffic. It was originally advertised as 'A Weekend in the Country.' About two dozen ticket booths should have been in place to charge $24 ad- mission, but they were never installed because of the crush of festival-goers. Attempts to get people to pay were abandoned on day one, the fences were torn down and Woodstock was declared a free event.

Beatniks, hippies, flower children and rock legends gathered together not in Woodstock, but in the little town of Bethel, rural New York State. There was no suitable site in Woodstock, so organisers opted for Wallkill, 40 miles away, but residents blocked their plans, so dairy farmer stepped in to offer his alfalfa field, in the neigh- bouring hamlet of Bethel. A deal was struck for $75,000. With storm clouds approaching, the crowd was urged: 'Let's think hard to get rid of the rain.' A chant went up: 'No rain, no rain, no rain.' But it didn't stop the deluge and in three hours, five inches of rain fell and the festival became a mudfest. famously sang 'We shall overcome' during a full-on thunderstorm. During the downpour there were fears some artists would get electrocuted. Alvin Lee, of , was warned of the risk as it was still raining when his turn came to go on. 'Oh come on, if I get electrocuted at Woodstock we'll sell lots of records,' he said.

As an unknown and unproven business concern, the organisers, Woodstock Ventures, had to pay inflated sums to get the top rockers to sign up. were the first, paid $12,000, double their usual fee. Even hippy band The demanded cash in hand before they would play, as did and . Off-duty police officers were banned from providing security, so a New Mexico commune known as the were hired to form a 'Please Force.' The Hog Farmers were led by , a toothless former beatnik comic, who put on a Smokey-the-Bear suit and warned troublemakers they would be doused in fizzy water or hit with cus- tard pies. As well as forming the Please Force, The Hog Farm were in charge of catering, ordering in bushels of brown rice, buying 160,000 paper plates, forks, knives and spoons and 30,000 paper cups. They fed between 160,000-190,000 people at the Hog Farm Free Kitchen, 5,000 at a time. The performance of The Star-Spangled Banner by that closed Woodstock was described by the rock critic from the New York Post as 'the single greatest moment of the Sixties'. Yet it was witnessed by just a fraction of the crowd. Most had gone home by the time Hendrix came on stage, at 9am on a Monday morning. Organisers at Woodstock Ventures were at least $1.3m in debt afterwards. It took more than a decade for backers to recoup money, through audio and recording rights. Meeting 375

Lead by our Toastmaster, Rena, this was the meeting where Dennis admitted that on the weekend, he had lost Thanks for telling us his virginity, on a 1 night stand no less ………...... about being a 25 year his camping virginity. old virgin , Dennis. We all want to hear Sheldon inspired us to about that because “Back yourself” in his Tonic “Sex Sells”! and our Table Topics from Jenny had us reminiscing about the year that was. Prem told us that his most challenging speech was When I was a kid, there about Gay Marriage, Chandana remembered was no air conditioning. If Vanessa’s humorous we were hot at night, we all speech and Elena was dragged our mattresses out prompted to take action by on to the back lawn. Luke’s speech about his brother trekking around Australia to raise awareness and funds for PTSD suffer- ers.

We had lots of laughs with Theatre Sports and once again were privileged to witness an Icebreaker speech. This time by Jim.

We capped off the night by electing our new club officers who will lead our club from January 1 until July 31, 2016. They are; President—Vanessa, VPE— Mark, VPM—Dennis, VPPR—Robyn, Treasurer— Elena, Secretary—Matthew, SAA—Ronnie. Congratula- tions to all and good luck in your role. Community Spirit

During November we noticed that the Canning Vale College Student Councillors had a very worthwhile initiative to collect food donations for families in our community who may not have enough food during the Christmas period. In the library where we meet, there was a sign explaining the TO THE STUDENT COUNCILLORS, initiative and a box to leave STUDENTS AND STAFF the donations in. OF

CANNING VALE COLLEGE We were so impressed that these young people had taken on such a huge and A BOOST FOR YOUR FOOD HAMPER DONATION CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR THOUGHTFUL INITIATIVE & COMPLIMENTS meaningful task, that we CANNING VALE TOASTMASTERS CLUB immediately wanted to contribute and show them how much we think of their commitment to the Hi guys, community. I have just seen the hampers you left in the Library . You guys are great!, Although I don't have anything to do with it - Thanks Over two meetings, members for your Donation! brought along donations That was awesome! from their own cupboards or Lauretta bought items they thought would help these families Dear Mark & Robyn, and on December 1st we left a surprise for them. On behalf of CVC, we would like to thank you and the members of Toastmasters for your kind donation to our hamper, an initiative by our student councillors. It has been a great success and as a result We received two emails from of this many needy families will be able to celebrate Christmas. members of the staff thank- We have passed on all our collection of goodies to Life City Church ing us for our contribution. I who said they have approximately 70 families requesting assistance have included them for you at this time. to read. Thank you once again and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for once again showing our club member’s Kind regards wonderful Community Spirit! Christine McInerney Associate Principal Student Services Canning Vale College Meeting 376 Christmas Meeting

HO HO HO, Jolly Christmas was the theme of this meeting, of course!

Our Toastmaster, Ronnie, kept us on track throughout the night, Michele advised us that “You are good enough” in her Inspiration, whilst Table Topics saw the cushion and the beach house lights as the most swapped items. Jenny was so excited to receive her colouring book that she screamed in delight as did Liam when he opened his gift to find a water blaster. TJ, our guest of guest, Matthew, received shaving cream, however, sadly he doesn’t shave yet. Chandana ended up with the Orgasma- tron, Mark was happy with his glass candy jar and Fiona’s daughter, Caitlin, grabbed the teddy bear. Rena finally ended up with the beach house lights.

We had much fun jumping on a tour bus with Jenny as the tour guide and Mark as the driver as we travelled to The wheels on Consulate Court, Thornlie to the bus go round witness the award winning and round street of Christmas lights. Chandana gave us a briefing In usual about his war on journalists Canning Vale and the Media Mafia. tradition, the It was great to have Josh supper and back as a guest to tell us all fellowship after about his first few months in the meeting Navy Officer training. was delicious! Christmas Meeting

The coveted beach house lights

I’ve been framed

I’m not sure I “do” Tuscan Seasoning! This hat suits me because it’s an Elf hat. Elves make presents and we know that all presents are made in China! Upcoming Events

First Meeting of 2016 The first meeting for 2016 will be held outdoors to enjoy the balmy summer evening and to have a casual meeting enabling us to get back into the swing of Toastmasters. This is also a chance to build your skills in speaking whilst competing with outdoor noises. It will be warm, so bring your fold up chair, esky filled with drinks and a plate of Christmas leftovers to share. When: Tuesday January 19th, 2016 Where: Sanctuary Waters Park, Alexandria Blvd., Canning Vale

Club Officer Training There will be 3 opportunities to attend Club Officer Training during February. If you are a club officer and didn’t attend the session in December, this is another opportunity for you. When: Saturday February 13th, 1.30pm—5.30pm Thursday February 18th, 6pm—10pm Sunday February 21st, 1.30pm—5.30pm Where: The Innovation Centre, Technology Park, Bentley

Speech Contests

Our Club International and Evaluation Speech Contests and the Area Final will all be held early in the new year. You need to have completed at least six speeches from the Competent Communica- tion Manual to compete in the International Speech contest. If you would like to compete or perform a contest Chair role in any of these contests, Please advise Prem ASAP. When: International - Tuesday February 16, 2016 Evaluation - Tuesday February 23, 2016 Area Finals - Tuesday March 1, 2016 Where: Canning Vale College Tip of the Month Five New Year's Resolutions That Will Change Your Life

1: Smile more. It is well known among social psychologists now that the simple act of smiling can make you happier and healthier, even if your smile is a forced one—so practice more in 2016! Smiling works for another more obvious reason—it is contagious, literally.

2: Maintain a health and fitness regimen. The health impacts of regular physical exercise are widely known (and very important to your success as a leader). But, in addition to reducing stress, fighting disease and improving mood, energy and sleep, getting regular exercise and eating healthier can also make you appear to be a better leader. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, healthy-looking individuals are perceived as better leaders than even intelligent-looking people.

3: Schedule personal time. That’s right, schedule your personal time. Many of us are used to scheduling, but for some reason only seem to do so in the context of work (e.g., meetings, project deadlines, etc.). However, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the most productive people are not actually the busiest but rather those who prioritize their free time—for personal passions, for family, for activities completely unrelated to their jobs.

4. Don’t commit to things you can’t do. There’s quite a bit of literature out there about the fake-it-until-you-make-it mentality—that is, committing to things outside your comfort zone in an effort to grow and improve. But in this case, I’m referring more to those activities you just know you can’t do. Can’t make it to dinner with your friend next week but prefer to say ‘maybe’ so you can delay the disappointment? Just say you can’t. Not overextending yourself will save you time and consternation down the road, and when you do commit, you’ll actually follow through—and become known as a person whose word means something.

5. Use your calendar. One of the best ways to stay on top of your goals is to schedule—relentlessly. Managing your to-do list in an online calendar will help you miss fewer deadlines, keep you organized, and ensure that you are prioritizing your most important tasks. Key non-work items to schedule include seeing family and friends, reading the news and books, engaging in personal hobbies and checking personal finances.

Don’t Just Set, Maintain

Success with resolutions, as with business objectives, isn’t merely about setting goals but maintaining them. Come up with your own system to periodically monitor your progress and assess whether a change in strategy is necessary. That requires will power, discipline and a fluctuation in mindset between living in the moment and planning. This is an excerpt from an article by Shane Robinson on www.forbes.com Member Musings A new member’s view of our Christmas Table Topics

As a new member of Toastmasters, this type of Table Topic was very new to me, but it was festive season and it was time for Secret Santa. Approaching the Christmas tree I placed my gift and saw the other presents, all of different shapes and sizes. I was looking forward to finding out what I will open, but not the short speech talking about the random gift I just picked.

We were all given a small piece of paper with a number written on it. Mine was 8, which gave me some relief, at least I won’t be the first one. In the time we were waiting for everyone to settle down and get started, I had already thought about some things I could talk about relating to chocolates, as I was sure there was going to be chocolates in one of those presents or something “Christmasy”. Unfortunately for me, that number wasn’t an order and number 8 was the first drawn out of the box.

I hesitantly walked up to the Christmas tree and picked the one that looked like chocolate, that is, a rectangular shape. Surprise, just when I thought things would go my way, it was “Nivea for Men Shower Gel”. Completely caught of guard, I managed to make up something and say that I have sensitive hair, which makes no sense and I’m pretty sure it isn’t even a thing. It was good improvising practice and everyone at Toastmasters is friendly, so stuffing up didn’t matter. I didn’t go home with the gel though, Michele swapped my shower gel for her Christmas themed drinking glasses, which was really kind of her.

This was a fun experience to have at Toastmasters, especially if you are new and starting out, as it wasn’t as formal as our normal meetings.

Akash Kashyap

We meet every Tuesday Find us on Facebook & Twitter @ 6.30pm Canning Vale College Library Dumbarton Road Canning Vale Toastmasters Phone: 0417915464 @CVTMPerth Email: [email protected]