05 October 2008

Colin Perfect DTM.

I remember a speech of Colin’s several years ago when he joined us for the charter dinner of a new Christchurch Toastmasters club. Colin told us about how a pearl was made. He spoke of how a small irritant such as a speck of sand can get inside the shell of a clam and the mollusc’s defence mechanism to this was to build a protection barrier against the irritant. As the clam protects itself it deposits layer upon layer of calcium carbonate and thus produce a pearl. Colin then went on to compare his pearl story to Toastmasters and how a small irritant like the fear of public speaking encourages us to join Toastmasters. And during our time in Toastmasters we grow layer upon layer of confidence and skills to overcome our “irritant”. We learnt that evening that the word pearl is a metaphor for something rare, a thing of admiration and was very valuable and this is how we should feel about how we grow as Toastmasters.

I have been receiving many memories about Colin this past week from Toastmasters who knew him. They all talk about a man that encouraged them to go that extra step and challenged them to grow. For me Colin was, among many other things, a mentor, a confidant and often the person who I thought of when I asked myself, “What would Colin do in this situation?” And probably most of all, because of all the layers of learning I have received since, Colin was the person who asked me to go for the Lieutenant Governor Marketing role in New Zealand which led on, two years later, to me becoming a Distinguished District Governor.

The pearls of wisdom Colin shared with all those who knew him will live on in us, however one of the greatest gifts Colin taught many of us was to share that which we have learnt. In doing so layer upon layer of understanding and learning will continue to grow from the man many of us saw as a real gem among, not only Toastmasters, but all the people we have known. Thank you, Colin, for us all.

28 September 2008

Daylight Savings – Future Investments

Last week I conducted my first spring wedding ceremony of the year. Spring time begins the season of weddings and I love my role at weddings as the celebrant and being part of a wonderful and happy event. Nowadays we often have a nice mix of the traditional and the contemporary during the ceremony which I believe encapsulates our pasts and looks forward to our futures. In other words we remember that which we hold valuable to us from our family traditions and we also realise that things do change mostly for the better, and we can adapt to change and create some new family traditions. The couple I “married” last week will have their customary wedding in their own country next year but because they love living in New Zealand they also wanted a New Zealand style wedding as part of their celebration together.

Traditionally, after the ceremony, the bride often throws her bouquet of flowers behind her to a waiting group of single ladies. The idea of this tradition is that the single lady who catches the bouquet is thought to be the next person to get married. This year this custom has become more popular with enthusiastic ladies becoming really excited about catching the bouquet. It is a lot of fun and a great part of the day’s festivities as other couples together start thinking about their futures.

Daylight Savings time is also a good time to think of our futures. With the warmer weather coming and the new growth of spring blossoming all around us we start thinking about things like summer, gardening and holidays. As Toastmasters we can also start thinking about where we have come so far in the Toastmaster year. I think Daylight Savings time is a great time to think about what we have achieved so far and really put plans into action to make sure we achieve the goals we want to reach either this calendar year or this Toastmasters year. I encourage you to think this week about what you really want to accomplish in the next 9 months of Toastmasters and to catch the bouquet of opportunity that Toastmasters offers you every week to help you realise your dream for your future.

To Die Another Day

This afternoon my wife, Dianna, and I went to see my father on his farm. As we entered his property I noticed a large pile of wood for the fire had been delivered during the week and I knew that we would be stacking it before we left to go home. And, you guessed it, within an hour we were all out there stacking the wood in to the shed – even my father’s dog, Galla, and Lucas, our dog helped. Well Lucas wasn’t actually helping us for he was ferreting deep into the pile of wood after something. As far as he was concerned he had discovered something and he was determined to get. As the pile of logs slowly shrank Lucas became more and more excited and because of our hard labour he was getting closer and closer to his goal. Suddenly the woodpile erupted with woodchips and fur flying in all directions and a baby rabbit flew out of the logs searching for cover as both dogs took chase. Dianna was immediately running and chasing the rabbit as well trying to prevent it from certain canine capture and with surprising agility and speed the rabbit – which was unbelievably quickly name Peter – as safely in her arms! We spent the next hour convincing Lucas Peter was not his dinner.

Lucas’ determination to keep digging for his quarry reminds me why I continue to be a member of Toastmasters. Every time I attend a meeting and no matter what role I play in the meeting I always come away learning something new about communication or leadership. And often it is not the things in our manuals that I am being taught. Most often I learn from my fellow members or through my own observation of what is going on in the other people’s presentations. And sometimes these are the most valuable lessons that I learn.

The other valuable lessons Lucas reminded me of was to be dogged (pun intended) and unwavering in attaining the goals I have set for myself and that sometimes we need to battle onwards through the woodpile of life before we finally reach our predetermined destination. Although Lucas never actually got to eat Peter this afternoon, he did inspire me to remain focused on what I want to achieve myself. Peter was OK and on our way home this evening we released him into a much friendlier environment to live another day.

13 September 2008

Speak Up

The one thing that has lived on with me since my time at the Toastmasters International Speech contest in Calgary last month is the message I received from our new World Champion of Public Speaking, LaShunda Rundles. Her speech was called “Speak” and she spoke about the need for people to speak up and be heard. I believe we all have a message inside us whether it is a message to a child as we are playing with them, or an idea that we need to express at work or even a story that needs to be shared with the world. LaShunda’s message was to encourage us to use our voices to communicate our message to others, as too many people remain silent and their message then forgotten and, in her mother’s case as she died too young because she did not speak up about her cancer, something is lost to the world.

Toastmasters have helped to produce many hundreds and even thousands of people who are now speaking out. Toastmasters have helped us to overcome our fear. LaShunda says in her speech, “Speak straight through your fear and to your purpose.” Day after day and meeting after meeting we, as Toastmasters, will become more comfortable with sharing what is important to us with others. And the simple reality is that we do not need to become the World Champion of Public Speaking to do so. Every time I attend a Toastmasters meeting, without question, I discover something new about myself or about those around me – and that is powerful stuff. Toastmasters: Opening Doors of Opportunity.

LaShunda’s life has changed now she has won the contest and she is receiving invitations to speak around the world and she is a Toastmaster just like you and me and she is willing to speak up.