London Cardinals

Closing a chapter

2010-06-27T14:01:00.006+01:00

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!!!

2010-06-13T21:13:00.003+01:00

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!!

2010-05-30T16:18:00.004+01:00

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!!

2010-04-17T10:09:00.002+01:00

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!!!

2010-04-07T22:42:00.005+01:00

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

2010-02-28T19:57:00.007Z

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

2010-01-31T11:50:00.013Z

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!!!

Jo's Roast

2009-12-27T21:21:00.005Z

My last entry was the day before our re-branded Cardinals Plus, on 30th November and I urged you all to 'Join us for our wonderful run-in to Christmas' - and thanks and Congratulations to you all. We had an unprecedented 'Weekly' programme: 30th November, Cardinals Plus, Club Meetings, 7th & 21st December, and Jo's Roast on 14th December. Each evening was really well attended, even 'The Last Club Meeting of the Decade!' (21st December), which weather wise was a real stretch.

There are or will be newsletters for the club evenings, so I'll reflect on Jo's Roast, which was a wonderful evening in so many ways.

It is usual for the Immediate Past President's 'Roast' and The Christmas Party to be separate events but for various reasons, Jo's Roast didn't happen when it was supposed to in late September. I remember feeling really annoyed and frustrated - and a bit guilty as it seemed unfair on Jo - but as so often happens, support and a solution is always just around the corner, especially in London Cardinals! The evening I announced the postponement of Jo's Roast, Gilly was zooming around in the bar like a firefly speaking to fellow Club Members and kicking around ideas. The first idea was 'Combine Jo's Roast with the Christmas Party'. Initially I was opposed to it - but then it dawned upon me - it was a really good idea!! - We had no spare dates before Christmas - both events are 'Fun'and combining them would reduce costs for Club Members. So all we had to do was find a venue - Jason Belne knew just the place - 'About Thyme' !! and even better, Jo knew it as well and liked it! it seemed that within minutes, a solution was found - Jason liaised with the Restaurant, Gary did a fabulous flyer and menu, Caroline managed the guest list, I liaised with Gilly and Nigel on the format and speakers and 'Voila' we were ready to 'Rock n'Roll!'

And the evening itself? We had 27 members and guests around one table- Everyone was so relaxed - Our theme, of course, was Chocolate.

Jenny got us off to an excellent start, imploring us all to describe Jo as a chocolate 'Like an Aero bar Bubbly and Effervescent!'

The first Roast was delivered by Jessie - and here the weakness in our 'Roast game-plan' was revealed - Jo is very popular and for some of our members, roasting her is well nigh impossible!!

Jason gave a Christmas fun speech - about how HM The Queen got on with her Ice-breaker at the club down the road from the 'Palace!

Tory then gave Masterclass in delivering a Roast - Mean, spiteful, questioning of integrity - delivered with great humour, of course!!

The final after dinner speech was delivered by Alexander 'The White Envelope' an excellent salutation to the real meaning of Christmas.

We also had a raffle, with prizes contributed by club members - Gilly, Gary, Jenny, Minna, Tory among others - and we raised £136 for the club.

My lasting feeling was 'What a wonderful evening, everyone enjoyed themselves, yet again there was a wonderful display of talent, it was a great way to celebrate Christmas and an acknowledgement to Jo of her excellent Term of Office 2008/2009.'

The White Rose Conference

2009-11-29T21:06:00.005Z

The White Rose Conference was enjoyable!! it was held at the York Hotel, one of those wonderful 'Railway Hotels' -spacious, calm, assured of its vintage - I would imagine that some of the fixtures and fittings - Such as the ornate carving, fireplace and panelling in the Oak Room are 'Listed'.

The Conference started on Friday evening, a traditional opening with the parade of Club Banners and a Fancy Dress pageant. Our own Jason Belne won the Fancy Dress Contest, (He assures me the key skill is to chat up the Judge's wife!).

On Saturday morning, there were workshops, one of which was delivered by Nigel Cutts, featuring the 'Thinking Environment' in which he is an advocate and practitioner - His session was well received!

After the workshops the District Council meeting was held - One of those formal committee meeting thingys!! I picked up a nice idea, though. If anyone ran over time, they were clapped off stage - in a very supportive way, of course!!

And then after lunch we had the Humorous Speech Contest which, along with the Table Topics contest, was the focal point of the weekend.

It's diffficult to capture the tension and passion of a contest -You just have to be there! There were 8 speakers each representing their Division - ........And the winner was...Bob Feguson, from Excalibur, with 'Chips with Everything' (Microchips that is) - really funny -and well deserved.

The Gala Dinner and Dance in the evening was enjoyable and a good opportunity to mix - Gilly, Nigel Jason and I were given places together and we shared our table with some Toastmasters from Ireland - being Yorkshire, it just had to be Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding!!

An enthusiastic and LOUD band quickly emptied the diners into the bar after dinner - and a further opportunity to mix.

There is a strong Irish contingent at Conferences and the 'Craic' is de rigeur - I left them to it!!

The Table Topics Contest was held on Sunday morning - another stellar field, and a charming Irish chap with a gorgeous powerful voice called Kevin Walsh (no relation) won. The Topic was 'Which era would you choose to live in' - He chose today, explaining that the advances in Medical Science had enabled him to live!! He gave a gracious acceptance speech, explaining his strong links to York and that after the Conference, he was visiting his 96 year old uncle, an Irish Medical Doctor who moved to York to work for Dame Judi Dench's Dad over 60 years ago!

The Hall of Fame, which honours outstanding service and achievements within the District for 2008/2009 was then held, followed by the Closing Ceremony. I had a couple of hours before my train home and it was good to walk into York and York Minster and reflect upon the weekend. -

And it didn't end there, because just before the Table Topics Contest, I was in the Hotel Foyer and struck up a conversation with Julie Kertesz. She is a member of Lewisham Speakers and their First Anniversary was the Wednesday following the Conference. Lewisham is my neck of the woods, so on Wednesday 18th November, I was a guest at Lewisham Speakers (And Table Topics Evaluator!) it was wonderful, a very different dynamic from our own club, much more a local community club - and absolutely delightful - Chris Howell, Division H Governor, who co founded the Club with the President Phillip Landergan, gave a short speech urging members to go out and be 'Leaders in the Community!! - Getting to know the Lewisham Speakers club and members has been a real bonus!!

Is Christmas just over 3 weeks away? And what a run-in!

Tomorrow evening we have Cardinals Plus - Our re-branded meeting for Advanced Speakers to give Prepared Speeches and for all members to fully participate

We have 2 Club Meetings in December

And of course, Jo's Christmas Roast - We celebrate Christmas and Jo Holmes' Term of Office in one fun and festive evening!!

So my learnings?

Go to a Conference - It's fun and you'll make new friends

Go to other clubs as well as London Cardinals - it will be different and the same!

Join us for our wonderful run-in to Christmas!!!

PS I haven't had chance to tell you about our wonderful new website that gary Cooke has created - Watch this space!!

Wow !!! Great contests!

2009-09-27T21:32:00.004+01:00

Wow, what great contests!!!!!
The Humorous Speech Contest - Monday 14th September and the Table Topics Contest - Monday 21st September. It was a real privilege to be President, open the evenings and then just be filled with talent, energy and fun!!

The contests were so well managed - Andrew Chuks, the VP for Innovations, Events and Contests being in overall control and the Contest Chairs, Gilly Cutts and Gary Cooke managing their respective Contests with great skill and purpose.

The standard for both contests was excellent and congratulations to Alexander Lowry, winner of the Humorous Speech Contest and Jessie Macneil-Brown, winner of the Table Topics Contest and all of the contestants.

Usually, the contests are held as a combined event on one evening but as we had so many contestants - 11 for each contest, we decided to have one evening for the Humorous Speech Contest and to hold the Table Topics Contest as part of a normal club evening. I felt it worked better than having both contests on one night - it gives each contest its own platform and enables contestants to focus on each contest - (Thanks to Alexander for the original idea!)

The evenings were also an excellent advertisement for London Cardinals and I believe that some guests were so inspired that they signed up there and then!!

We will be hosting the Area Contest on Monday 12th October, so please do come along and support Alexander and Jessie!!

Our Area Governor, Gary Edwards visited both of our contests, his second visit being an 'Area Visit'. I'm pleased to say he enjoyed himself and appreciated the warm hospitality and the quality of our club.

Each club in Toastmasters International participates in the Distinguished Club Programme - it is an annual programme from 1 July to 30 June and comprises 10 goals that a club should strive to achieve to enable it to fulfil its Purpose. The goals are educational (such as number of competent communicators) and membership (such as number of new members) based. A club will achieve a recognition according to the number of goals attained and under the stewardship of Jo Holmes last year, London Cardinals attained the highest recognition, 'Presidents Distinguished Club'. You can find out more about the Distinguished Club Programme by following this link.

[LINK] (This link is to the Toastmaster International website - it is a great resource - and can give a greater insight into how our club operates and your own pathway with London Cardinals!!)

So what is the purpose of a Toastmasters Club? - it is expressed as a Mission:

To provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

I'm sure many of us in our professional lives have been blighted by 'Mission statements'!! But I reckon that this mission statement is one I can buy into - As long as we deliver it with a modicum of FUN!!

Au revoir............
At membership renewal time, we find that some club members move on - sometimes it is due to work commitments, other times a change in Life's priorities.

I am aware of 4 members who will be moving on - Valentine and Catherine Palmer, Laura Campbell (Going home to Canada), Annika Bishell (Going home to New Zealand).

To all of you it has been a delight to have known you. Thank you for zest and energy and we wish you all the best in your continuing journey.

The nights are drawing in!!

2009-09-13T20:49:00.008+01:00

Hi All,
A mid-september sunday evening, the Proms are done and dusted for another year, the Ashes a distant memory, Premier League football and rugby are in full swing, politicians are back in Westminster and the party political conferences are just around the corner.

- My wife Judy hates this time of year - she longs for the hot and humid 12 hour days all year round in her native Malaysia, just differentiated by either a 'Wet' or 'Dry' season - But for me, the changes of seasons in our temperate climate are just wonderful - There is always something to look forward to - Hallowe'n, Guy Fawkes night (And now we have assimilated other cultures' festivals, like Deepavali!!). So please do not feel 'Blue' at this time of year, celebrate this change of season and look forward to London Cardinals' evenings and the 'Run in' to Christmas!!

Last week, I referred to the new International President Gary Schmidt's theme for his term of office: Confidence; Leadership; Service. I urged each London Cardinals' member to be of service to others and thereby to ourselves.

In our Club, we can be of service to others by:

Giving excellent Commend-Recommend-Commend (CRC) feedback to those giving prepared speeches;

Supporting each other in our roles and Table Topics;

Giving a warm welcome to guests

Enjoying the moment with members and guests!!!

And have you ever thought about being of service on our Committee!!?? London Cardinals continually grows and develops and gives every opportunity to each member to offer and develop their skills - What better way to achieve that than by being on the Committee? Please think it over - as the nights are drawing in!!!!

This n' that

2009-08-30T09:10:00.005+01:00

World Public Speaking Champion
Mark Hunter, a Primary School Principal from Brisbane Australia, won the World Public Speaking Championship at the recent International Convention. He has competed several times at the International Convention - I saw him in 2006 at Washington.. You can find out more from this link.......LINK

Forming a New Club
A couple of weeks ago, Steve Macguire Assistant Division Governor, hosted an evening on the 1,000 member challenge - Division B. In London, we have 960 members and the challenge is to get consistently above 1,000.

The evening focussed on increasing membership through new club formation and there were presentations by Gilly & Nigel Cutts, who of course founded London Cardinals 5 years ago, David Thompson, who was District Governor for Britain and Ireland at the time and gave invaluable assistance - and has helped launch many other clubs and Samantha Babister (Immediate Past Division Governor Div H), who has also launched several clubs.

I found it a very useful evening in that it confirmed what I feel are 2 important factors in club formation:

The Process - There is access to Toastmasters who have lots of experience and a good outcome of the evening is a contact list

Spirit, Determination and Passion
No matter how good the process, you need spirited, determined and passionate people to lead club formation and each of the presenters have those qualities in abundance!!

So where do I stand on new club formation, i.e. should London Cardinals form a new club? In principle, we should!! That is how Toastmasters International has grown. I have spoken to some fellow members who are concerned that forming a new Club will somehow detract from London Cardinals. My view is that it enhances what we strive to be......... We pride ourselves on the qualities of being open, welcoming, diverse and inclusive, yet we can only offer prepared speaking slots to members every 3 -4 months or so and we are forever wondering if we should suspend access to our club to new members because our ceiling of 60 is being breached. Forming a new club would mean that we are a true manifestion of our qualities!!

The real challenge is to find members who have the Spirit, Determination and Passion to lead a new club formation and so my position is this...........

'I believe that London Cardinals should form a new Club, it's just the right thing to do......

I fully recognise the challenges in forming a new club and that it cannot be done by committee, it needs spirited, determined and passionate club members to lead new club formation.

I hope that in the future, some club members will rise to the challenge of forming a new club and as President of London Cardinals, I will fully support them and will encourage our Committee and Club members to do likewise.'

How we learn and develop in London Cardinals
I recently wrote to Club Members about self learning and responsibility and that for me it is a great attraction of our club. - I am coming from a position whereby I have been in learning and development in a commercial context since the early 90s -

At our committee meeting, we discussed the importance of keeping to time - and I am delighted to see how each Club Member is responding to that challenge. It has such a positive impact:

Our meetings are so 'Tight' and have a great feeling of 'Professionalism' - It's really motivational - and it enhances our skills in managing expectaions - have you ever been to a meeting and presentation that over runs - How do you feel?

It enhances our skills in resource management at work - we get used to working within the time available - and encourage others to do so as well.

So well done to you all for keeping to time and avoiding the Hooter!!!

Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday!!!!

Happy Memories of Washington

2009-08-14T13:53:00.004+01:00

Hi All,
Three years ago, 2006 - It seems a Lifetime away and yet just like yesterday. Three years ago, I was in Washington D.C. with my son Michael. I was really excited - I had never been to the United States before, let alone Washington. We were staying at the Hilton International Conference Hotel in duPont Circle - and so was Gary and Abbie Cooke, David and Minna Sellman, Nigel and Gilly Cutts - all there to support Simon Bucknall, the Great Britain & All Ireland International Speech Contest Champion!! I will not attempt to give you detail, just to say it was a wonderful experience to be in Washington, (The buildings and layout are very European, the folk definitely a melting pot of what makes the United States!) to be at this extraordinary Toastmaster's International Convention - 5 days of competitions, workshops, meetings, socialising and to share a very special experience with fellow London Cardinals members. As I write this the International Convention is being held at a place called 'Mashantucket' (Not quite Washington!!) and the World Champion Public Speaking Competition will be held tomorrow. So who will be our next Great Britain & All Ireland International Speech Contest Champion - who we can then support at the next International Convention!!

As well as International Conventions, there are national conferences held twice a year, the next one being 'The White Rose Conference' in November - why not check it out!!? [LINK]

Already into August!!

2009-08-01T19:26:00.005+01:00

One month has already passed of our London Cardinals year!! Last week, we completed 'Club Officer Training' and had our first committee meeting.

Club Officer Training occurs twice a year. Its purpose is to:

· Give a review of officers responsibilities and tips for fulfilling them;
· Provide an opportunity to meet officers from other clubs;
· Become familiar with Area & Division initiatives.

I went to a Club Officer Training evening with Andrew Chuks in mid July. I found it really useful to share with fellow role holders some of the common place challenges and to network, which helps when planning for external General Evaluators for our meetings and Judges at our Club Contests. It was good also to catch up with Andrew afterwards!

One of the things I really like about Toastmasters International is that all of my involvement is a continual learning process - There is the obvious stuff, like improving my public speaking skills with prepared speeches and the less so, like how I interact with fellow Toastmasters and guests before, during and after a meeting and with fellow Committee members - face to face, email, text, formally and informally - This is where each of us has the opportunity to develop our leadership skills.

Our first Committee meeting was on Monday (27th July). James Gilpin was kind enough to be our host -he and his wife have a gorgeous flat close to Royal Festival Hall. He nearly became a Dad. One of us walked into his flat, saw a buggie (Owen's, Stephanie's bairn) and thought the buggie belonged to James!!

So what did I learn on Monday?

1. That I am fortunate to have a committed and passionate team of Committee members. A lot of effort is going into the discharge of their respective reponsibilities - It was a delight to have so many positive and challenging discussions and there is a real desire to cherish and enhance the
wonderful London Cardinals legacy.

2. We did not have enough fun!! It's a fair cop guv, down to me!! I was hopelessly optimistic with (the length of) the Agenda, so our meeting ran on too long, not giving us enough time to enjoy each other's company. I was a bit frustrated going home but in the morning, I reminded myself that all I have to do is learn from the experience and ensure that the remaining Committee meetings are to a reasonable time frame and enjoyable!!

So onto this Monday, another London Cardinals evening and some more learning!!!

Already 2 meetings into the New Year

2009-07-22T21:53:00.004+01:00

Monday 20th July was our 2nd meeting of the year - A wonderful evening as ever. High energy - and what a delight to meet James Gilpin's parents!!

Our General Evaluator, Peter Thong had emailed me from Beijing to say he was coming to London - it turns out that Peter comes from Malaysia and his home town is Petaling Jaya - that's where I stay with my sister-in-law when I go back to visit friends and relatives!! That's one of the great features of our club, the friendship and camaraderie - making new friends and welcoming back old ones - Mark Lacy returned from his tour of duty in Baghdad!!

Our first meeting of the year on 6th July had been very special, our 5th Anniversary. Nigel Cutts, Founding President , was our Toastmaster and Gilly Cutts, whose idea was the inspiration behind London Cardinals gave a speech which saw her achieve Advanced Toastmaster Gold, the highest speaking award - it has been a 15 year journey!!

Bill Russell, who was Toastmaster at our inaugural meeting was General Evaluator and again dazzled us with his talent and energy.

It was fitting that Gary Cooke, our VP Public Relations 'Design Guru' and the man who has created our brand, presented Gilly and Nigel with a gorgeous montage of London Cardinals Newsletters.

So what to do next? Well we have our first Committee Meeting next week - We'll have 5 committee meetings during the year and at our first, we can see how we are all settling into our roles and plan for the next three months - Jo's Roast (!), Humorous Speaking and Table Topics Competition .

And, of course, we have our first Cardinals 2 meeting of the year on 24th August. Cardinals 2 is our meeting in which the prepared speeches are for our advanced speakers. - we are fortunate to have so many talented advanced speakers and this year we really want to enhance their experience. We will do that by supporting them more in their respective advanced speakers pathway, developing the Cardinals 2 evening and increasing the number of Cardinals 2 meetings to 6 - the Cardinals 2 meeting is, of course open to all of our members and non advanced speakers can take on roles and give Table Topics - I firmly believe that Cardinals 2 is a great development opportunity and should be supported by all of our members!!

At this time of year, committee members are invited to attend 'Club Officer Training' but that's a story for another posting!