I was spring cleaning for the new year 2011 and found this old magazine dated January 1996. It caught my attention because it had a picture of a white rabbit as 2011 being the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar.
The International President then was Ian Edwards and the theme was "Live, Learn, Lead". I would like to add a twist by asking can you live well, learn well and lead well if you do not read well.
Do you read The Toastmaster Magazine? Do you read your manuals of Club Officer, Club Constitution and By-Laws, Area Governor or District Handbook? Do you read your project manual a few times before you do your projects?
As Toastmasters, while we emphasize listening, thinking and speaking skills, we realize that much of the information and wisdom can be found if we read more.
For leadership and service, writing skill is important too. The articles written in The Toastmaster Magazine are living proofs of sharing and learning through writing. They can be read in 2011 even though they were written in 1996.
Writing whether by email, sms, fb, twitter or traditional printed material is one of the best and fastest way to share information and wisdom to more readers faster, easier and more cost effectively.
So never underestimate the power of your club blog or club newsletter. It has to be written before it can be read.
As Toastmasters, we emphasize on making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. Reading more and writing more, reading better and writing better will help towards achieving this noble goal.
Well, I have already written my first post for 2011 and hope you have read it too.
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