Closing a chapter

How time passes.!!
My term of office ends on Wednesday and tomorrow is my last club meeting as President. I have always felt that the President of our club is a steward, managing and adding to a wonderful heritage.

Our Culture
So what are my thoughts and feelings over the past year? I have very much enjoyed the role and I am delighted that our culture is being maintained - we are a club that is open, inclusive, sharing, high quality, diverse supportive - Culture is all important - It provides the Foundation for all else

Distinguished Club Programme
You may recall that the 'Distinguished Club Programme' is a performance management programme that all clubs within Toastmaster's International pursue. It is designed to improve our educational and membership performance - (You can find more information on the TI website). We have done really well and (again!!) achieved the top award - President's Distinguished Select Award - That reflects well on every member of our Club!!

Contests
Contests are an integral part of a club's calendar and it was wonderful to see the success that our members had - Congratulations to everyone who took part - it was wonderful to have so many contestants and special congratulations to:

Simon Bucknall - Club, Area & Division Champion - International Speech Contest
Andrew Chuks (Representing Excalibur) Club & Area Champion, International Speech Contest
Glenn Jones, Club Champion, Evaluation Contest
Laura McCracken,(Representing London Olympians) Club, Area, Division Champion, 3rd Great Britain & All Ireland, Evaluation Contest
Alexander Lowry Club Champion, Humorous Speaking Contest
Jessie Macneil-Brown, Club & Area Champion, Table Topics Contest

Educational Awards
Each of us in our Club is on a personal development journey and Toastmaster's International provides an excellent framework. Many congratulations to:

Competent Communicators:
Caroline Watson, James Gilpin, Miriam Knibbe

Competent Leaders
Tory Craddock, Andrew Chuks,

Advanced Communicator Bronze: Alexander Lowry

Advanced Communicator Silver: Jenny Cutler

Advanced Communicator Gold: Gilly Cutts

Distinguished Toastmaster: Gilly Cutts

Challenges
We had some unexpected challenges during the year - several resignations from Committee for various reasons and a change of venue. I have been inspired by the positive approach of fellow club members to these challenges and I truly believe that as a result our club is now more robust and in even ruder health!!

Succession
A key component in the success of any enterprise is succession. I am particularly delighted , therefore, that we have a strong vibrant committee for 2010/2011 led by effervescent Gilly, our new President. This year, Gilly received the highest award, DTM and as one half of the dynamic duo that founded our club, it is excellent that she will be leading our club.

My plans
from Thursday morning, I will be your Immediate Past President, supporting our new President, actively pursuing my Advanced Speaking and Leadership pathways....... and being your Area Governor! I will be looking after Area 6, which comprises London Cardinals. London Corinthians, London Olympians and Polish the Polish - I will support each club in their Educational and Membership aspirations.

And Finally......
Many thanks for a wonderful year, especially to my Committee, who supported me in a really enjoyable way. I would recommend the role of President to every club member - it is a very fulfilling role, especially if you like to support individuals in their personal development.

I look forward to many more memorable years as a member of London Cardinals................

Succession Plan in place!!!

Traditionally, it is the Immediate Past President who sounds out members for posts on the new Committee for the new Toastmasters year, which commences on 1st July.

Accordingly, Jo Holmes introduced our dazzling new Committee to the club at our last meeting on Monday 7th June. She did it with style, panache and fun - very much the London Cardinals way!!

I am so pleased that we have such a vibrant Committee - a mixture of experience and rising talent!! Next year will be yet another excellent one for London Cardinals under the stewardship of our President, Gilly Cutts DTM!!

The Committee:
President: Gilly Cutts
VP Education Jessie Macneil-Brown
VP Membership Laura McCraken
VP PR Kristie West
Jheni Arboine Sergeant-at Arms
Glenn Jones Treasurer
Monica Chong Secretary
Mentoring Secretary Jo Holmes
Immediate Past President Paul Walsh
Founding President Nigel Cutts
Honorary VP Design Gary Cooke


Tomorrow night we have a workshop, masterminded by Andrew Chuks - I am sure it will be a splendid affair!!

Contests over - in the British Isles!!

Another Contest Season is over in Great Britain & All Ireland. -Since my last blog, The Division and District Conferences have been held - on Saturdays 24th April & May 14th respectively.

The Division Contest was an innovative event which worked really well. It was held at London Underground's excellent training facility at Lillie Bridge Depot and was a 'Mini' conference.

It commenced at 10.00 AM with a choice of workshops - I attended Nigel Cutt's excellent workshop 'Listen - Think - Speak'. It was based upon the work Nigel has done with Nancy Kline, Founder and President of Time to Think Inc. and his lifetime experience, which provides the foundation for his 'Love at Work' project. The workshop was engaging, energetic and yet calm.

There was then a workshop for everyone on Evaluation delivered by Bob Ferguson, a man of detail and passion. (If you google his name, you will find his website and can read the workshop material - how about that for detail and passion). Bob delivered an entertaining educational workshop and one idea that particularly stuck with me was 'In Summary'.

We then had the International Speech (ISC) & Evaluation Contests. whilst I felt that the standard was not overall outstanding, there was in each contest a handful of outstanding performers - including our own Simon Bucknall & Andrew Chuks in the ISC and Laura McCracken in the evaluation.

There was an amazing tension and we were disappointed that Andrew wasn't placed for his excellent speech and delighted that Simon and Laura won their respective contests! They qualified, therefore, for the 'Land of heart's Desire' District Conference in Sligo.

The 'Mini' Conference was very well organised and delivered and I feel it is good practice for contestants as it had the 'Feel' and the tension of a District Conference.'

Nigel, Gilly, Simon and Laura attended the District Conference - this time Simon wasn't placed 'It wasn't my year!' - but Laura placed 3rd in Great Britain and All Ireland. An outstanding achievement.

The ISC Winner was Erik Rainey, who will now compete in the International Convention in August in Palm Desert, California - he has competed at this level before, placing 3rd.

For the rest of us, however, another season of contests has ended - And it's back to planning, preparing and practising for Autumn 2010 - Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests - Perhaps this year is your year!!??

A High Energy Evening!!

Monday, 12th April 2010 - A High Energy Evening!! Great speeches, excellent functionaries. The Easter Break had refreshed everyone and the room was bursting with vitality!! Gary Edwards Area Governor was making his spring visit and Cole McInnes, President 2005-2006 (Who I hadn't seen since I left for a contract in Worcester January 2006) was our General Evaluator. It was fitting that Alexander's final moments at London Cardinals were to receive 'Best Evaluator Award' and to give Miriam her Competent Communicator pin -

Thanks, Alexander, Congratulations Miriam, Welcome Back Cole!!

That's London Cardinals for you - folk come and go and always remain friends across space and time.

The Excitement Builds!!!

Hi All,
What a busy and exciting month March has proven to be!! it's the time when momentum builds with the International Speech & Evaluation Contests. As ever, our Club Contests were high quality - And I am so inspired when we have 8 quality speakers competing for the International Speech Contest (ISC). Our Club Champions were Simon Bucknall (ISC) and Glenn Jones (Evaluation), who competed at the Area 6 Contest, hosted by our sister club London Corinthians at the Westminster Thistle on
March 29th. Simon prevailed once more and in the Evaluation Contest, club member Laura McCracken, representing London Olympians was the Champion. There was more exciting news with Andrew Chuks winning the Excalibur Club ISC Contest - a particularly notable achievement as Excalibur is an Advanced Speakers club - and then he won the Area 47 contest - We will have, therefore 3 club members competing at the Division contest (In various guises!)on April 24th.

The winners of the Division Contests will go through to the Great Britain & All Ireland Finals, which will be held at the District Conference at Sligo 14th - 16th May. And after that, the Great Britain and All Ireland ISC Champion will compete in the Public Speaking World Championships in August at the International Convention - and it all starts with a club contest!!

And back to the beginning - we had a wonderful 'Ice-Breaker' evening in March, with four excellent speeches delivered by Andrew Addison, John Doyle, Saket Modi and Karim Awad, each taking their first step along the Competent Communicator Pathway - It was appropriate that Maria Contreras was Toastmaster - a first for her as well. Her theme of Fun was joyfully expressed!!

London Cardinals is a vibrant Central London club which by its location and nature has a somewhat transient membership - we make strong friendships and then folk move on. This is evident at the end of March when club members renew or leave. - And so it is a very fond farewell to members who are not renewing and in particular, Alexander Lowry and Immediate Past President Jo Holmes.

Alexander joined London Cardinals in 2006 and immediately made an impression, becoming Table Topics Club and Area Champion and last year Club Humorous Contest Champion. An excellent Evaluator and Mentor, he ensured the Club's financial stability at a crucial period at the end of 2009, when we moved from The Rubens to Westminster Thistle.

It was my privilege to be Vice President Education when Jo Holmes was President. She managed the energy of the Club beautifully, ensuring that high standards and integrity were liberally sprinkled with fun. The events at the Rubens Hotel during her Presidency, a highly successful workshop delivered by Simon Bucknall in January 2009, Tory's Roast and The Christmas Dinner were excellent. it is little wonder that the Club achieved 'President's Distinguished Award' under her Presidency.

Alexander and Jo will be visiting us as their schedules allow - and that is the beautiful thing about London Cardinals - that past members will always be warmly welcomed - as will be Cole McInnes this Monday 12th April, President, London Cardinals 2005-2006, who will be our General Evaluator!!!

A busy time of year

Tomorrow is March, a month which sees a lot of activity in a Toastmasters International Club -

1. It's contest time!
A key aspect of Toastmasters International is the contests and March is when the International Speech Contest (ISC) and Evaluation Contest are held.

Every Chartered Club (and most of those yet to be Chartered as well) in the World will be holding their own ISC - as we will next Monday 8th March. Club contest winners then go forward to Area Contests and then Division Contests. the Division contest winners then go through to the 'District' contest, which for us is District 71, Great Britain & Ireland. The contest will be held at The Spring Conference at Sligo, 13th - 15th May. The winner, therefore is the 'Great Britain & Ireland Champion. All District Champions compete at the International Convention in August, being held this year in Palm Desert California. Any qualifying Club member, therefore, has the opportunity to become Public Speaking World Champion!

At our club contest next week, there will be 11 speakers, so do come along, offer support and be amazed at the quality of speakers in our Club!!

Because there are so many speakers at our Club ISC, our Evaluation Contest is being held the following week in the first half of our Club Meeting on March 15th. That contest goes all the way to District level.

2. Mentoring Month
You have already received an email from Deborah Henley Vice President Mentoring, encouraging you to meet your Mentor during March so you can assess your progress so far and discuss objectives. A learning for me over the past few months is to work on my Leadership as well as my Communication Education Pathway objectives.

My focus this year has clearly been on my role as President - but in 4 short months , my term ends, so I am now considering my objectives for the next 'Toastmaster' year which commences 1st July.

What objectives will you set yourself?
'Competent Communicator? Advanced Speaker Bronze? Competent Leader?
Have you gone onto the Toastmasters International website to check out the comprehensive information available?
Are there objectives which translate into your work life, social life or supporting London Cardinals?

Please do ensure you book some time with your Mentor. And do not forget that the Mentor-Mentee relationship in itself is a good skill development which you can apply in work and social situations.

3. Member Renewal Fees
You will have received an email from me last week explaining the reasoning behind our increase in Member Fees. I am sure you agree that it is still outstanding value!! Please do make payment, ideally on line, as soon as is practicable.

New beginnings and Leadership

As you know, there have been significant changes in London Cardinals since my last blog.

Tomorrow we start a new chapter in our history - our new home - Westminster Thistle, 49 Buckingham Palace Road, a few doors away from The Rubens

Gilly Cutts has put together her first programme as our Vice President Education, taking over from Miriam Knibbe

Glenn Jones is working with Alexander Lowry in tandem and will become our Treasurer.

When I became President of London Cardinals, I did not foresee any of these events but as a leader of this prestigious club and like the leader of any enterprise, I have to be prepared for any and every eventuality - I am sure we can all relate to those days when we have our work perfectly planned - and then there is a telephone call, a visit, a request from a colleague, an announcement - and we have to adapt to circumstances.

I believe that we are forever learning, so what leadership lessons have I learnt or re-learnt over the past few weeks?

1. Things happen when we least expect them to -
2. Be prepared for the unexpected -
3. Be calm -
4. Draw upon the strength and support of others
5. Believe in a successful outcome, whatever that may be -

It is good to see that Andrew Chuks has returned from his travels and speaking to him a couple of weeks ago at Club Officer Training, I was reminded that all of us at London Cardinals have the opportunity to develop our leadership skills within our club in three areas:

1. To fulfill the 'Toastmaster's Promise'
When we joined London Cardinals, we would have received a small card, on which is printed the'Toastmaster's Promise' [LINK]. I urge you to read each of those 10 commitments - and if each of us fulfils them, we will not only have an even more vibrant club but each of us will be acting as leaders.

2. Pursue the Competent Leader Award
Almost invariably, people join London Cardinals to improve presentation skills - but that is not even the half of it. The educational pathway is a parallel Communication and Leadership Programme. I remembered when I joined London Cardinals I was interested in undertaking my first role, giving my Ice-breaker and commencing my Competent Communicator Award. I was completely oblivious to the Competent Leader Award [LINK]- which is a real shame, because if I had been more organised, I could have pursued it as I was giving speeches and undertaking roles. And that is what Andrew Chuks has done - and others such as Tory Craddock and Alexander Lowry.

As a club we need to help our members by increasing awareness of and encouraging participation in the Competent Leader Award. February is traditionally a month when we make contact with our Mentor to discuss our goals and aspirations. As mentors and mentees, therefore, let's discuss our Communication (Competent Communicator and Advanced Speaker pathways)and Leadership goals and aspirations (Competent Leader and Advanced Leader pathways)

3. Be a Committee Member
We have been fortunate to have had a succession of strong and inspiring Presidents -and each of them has benefited from being supported by an effective committee. being a committee members is an excellent way to contribute to the ongoing development of London Cardinals and is a great way of developing leadership skills 'On the job'. In the next couple of months, we will be looking for candidates for the committee that will support Gilly Cutts as President from 1st July 2010 - 30th June 2011 - and before you dismiss the notion with 'I'm too busy, let me leave you with a couple of thoughts........

I am not aware of anyone in London cardinals who is not 'Busy'!
Remember the phrase, 'If you want something done, ask a busy person'!
It's just a matter of being organised and having fun!!

Back to our new beginnings - I am looking forward to our first evening at Westminster Thistle. It is a new and exciting chapter in this extraordinary and very special club that is London Cardinals!!!