District 67, Taiwan Joint Christmas Bash

With Christmas around the corner, I googled for any Toastmasters Club Christmas celeberation. And I found "Taiwan".

I attended a Toastmasters Club meeting in Taiwan a long time ago when Toastmasters International was trying to put Taiwan, China and Japan as one single District with all of us Asian Toastmasters disagreeing and saying that they deserve their own Districts. That is the reality today.

Glad to see that Toastmasters Clubs in Taiwan and District 67 is now on the top of the world with their enthusiastic Christmas and Toastmasters spirit.

Part 1 District 67 Joint Christmas Party 2008

What a Joint Christmas Party we had Saturday evening, December 13th.

Trini won the best Toastmaster award and I won the best costume award. Pamela Yang from Galaxy Toastmasters Club and Cecilia King from Legacy Toastmasters Club had their debut clogging dance performance. Incumbent District 67 Governor Marian Hsiao and Shelly Kuo of Prestige Toastmasters Club decided to join golden ladies clogging toastmasters from year 2009.

Golden Ladies Clogging Toastmasters presented a splendid closing clogging dance for seven minutes at Ming-yu Community Center in Taipei. Six Mrs. Santa danced merrily and joyfully to three Christmas songs, including Christmas Time's A Coming, Sleigh Ride, and Country Christmas. We not only won a big round of applause from the floor, but we also attracted many potential toastmasters to the clogging dance world.

Immediately after the Annual Performance of Thousand Cranes Japanese Dance School at Youth Arts Center, I rushed to D67 Joint Christmas Party in Kimono. The moment I arrived at the fourth floor, Toastmaster Kaku of Innovative Toastmasters Club gave a hearty welcome and led me to the party hall without having to wait in a long line. The hall was packed with more than 250 participants.Five Grand Toastmasters Club members performed Hanagasa Ondo and I gave a solo ad-lib Japanese dance to a western song during the intermission.

I was grateful to have the opportunity to mix the old and new, east and west, to add cultural varieties to Taiwanese Toastmasters Christmas party in 2008. It was a huge success beyond my expectations!If there had been the best performance award of the joint Christmas party, I bet golden ladies would claim it, because six golden ladies in red caught all the attention from the floor even at the end of the party. We brought the party atmosphere to the climax. All of us couldn't feel better and more satisfied to encourage fellow toastmasters members to join us to stay fit, healthy, happy like us.

Many thanks go to Sophia Chen of Grand Toastmasters Club for decorating Santa Caps for Grand's Japanese dancers. Sophia accompanied me from early morning till late evening, helping me with the make-up and hairdo. She took many photos of Japanese speaking toastmasters dancers and announcer. She and I were happy to bridge the gap between English and Japanese speaking Toastmasters Club in Taiwan. Master Kiyomi of Thousand Cranes Japanese Dance School will join the big Toastmasters Family from year 2009. Isn't it a good news?

Toastmasters in Taiwan are one of its kinds, we not only have clubs of different languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, Spanish...), but we also have talents from all walks of life. Do you want to add colors to your life? How about adding a new year resolution by visiting a friendly toastmasters club near you?

Sherry Li
Taipei, Taiwan

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Part 2: GRAND/NLFD/TTY Joint Christmas Singing Party - Dec 18, 2008

New Zealand - Dunedin District 72 Convention 2008

When I visited New Zealand some time ago, I met with the District 72 Governor Joan Hook and the LGM Suresh Kumar who was Malaysia born. Attended their speech contest and several club meetings. Found that our Kiwi counterparts ran their Club meetings with formality and putting into practise the Robert's Rules of Order and yet the dress code was very informally.

So it was a nice surprise to receive this email from International Director Poh Kim Siong of an update of the recent New Zealand District 72 Convention.



Goldrush!
Goals, Opportunities, Leadership, Direction, Reassurance, Understanding, Support, Help
Dunedin, 14-16 November 2008

The convention opened with a bag piper leading the banner bearers into the auditorium. Dunedin ’s mayor Peter Chin welcomed delegates with a magnificent song in praise of his fair city. He stressed the importance of public speaking and the role of Toastmasters in promoting this in a witty and entertaining speech that had the audience in fits of laughter.

District Governor Chrissy Meyer officially opened the convention using the convention’s gold rush theme to urge participants to open doors of opportunity.



The keynote address from Professor Mark Henaghan, the Dean of Law at the University of Otago was entertaining and informative. He tastefully drew out the parallels between public speaking and sex – why do it if you don’t enjoy it - and urged the audience to consider his ten commandments of public speaking, illustrating his theme with stories taken from his experience in teaching law.

During the convention Immediate Past District Governor Geoff Trotter presented a range of awards to clubs and individuals who had excelled during his term while District Governor Chrissy Meyer presented 11 Toastmasters with their Distinguished Toastmaster award.Table Topics contestants were faced with the subject "We live in a PC world" and all skillfully constructed brief exposes to illustrate their views. David Hatchuel placed first, Mark Baker second and Astarte third.



Humorous speech contestants had the audience in fits of laughter. Adrian Humphries took first honors with 'Wax On – Wax Off' a speech about having his back waxed, Barry Edwards placed second recounting his experiences as the winner of the wooden spoon award in junior rodeo, and Dominic Philips recounted the childhood horrors of being passenger in a car driving up one of Britain’s busiest motorways in the wrong direction.

Sunday's keynote speaker Christian Kasper related some of his experiences in building his company Vouchermate and his success in working alongside key international media companies to develop the business overseas. Using personal stories he transformed what could have been a dry business presentation into an entertaining and informative speech.

There was a diverse range of superb educational. Anna Campbell and Gaelene Woods explained personality types and portrayed that the best speeches are given when they are presented in a way that is true to the speaker's personality type. Gaelene also presented a later educational on speaking from the heart.



Kevin Prohl talked about creating the invisible thread that connects the speaker to the audience. Chris Manly, a Dunedin based drama teacher, explained the fine points of story telling and illustrated them masterfully. (Her description of a pavlova was cruelly evocative with many minutes to go before lunch).

Lindsay Wright’s educational 'Beyond 7 Minutes' focused on techniques for presenting longer speeches. With members of the audience holding up his washing line he illustrated the concept of a theme (the line) holding together a series of inter-related stories (each a piece of washing) and rounded off with volunteers piecing together an effective presentation using this technique (pictured below).District Officers presented educational on membership building and retention and successful clubs.



Chrissy Meyer chaired a well attended district council meeting that dealt efficiently with the business at hand. Past district treasurer Jan Meehan gave a particularly effective visual summary of the district's financial performance for the 2007/8. Chrissy also lead the district officer training on Friday night where area and division governors were briefed on their roles for the coming months and Richard Moffatt, the Division G governor received two bottles of wine for leading his division to a win in the division web site challenge.



There was networking, dancing and general conviviality at the Saturday evening at the dine and dance although some of those who stayed late and then gathered at 6:00 AM on Sunday to watch the Rugby looked a little jaded by the time the conference ended.

Well done to Julie Culpitt and her team for putting together a superb convention.

by Wayne Webley, District 72 PRO

District 72 Official Website

What members said about District 80 Semi Annual Convention@ Singapore....

I have just received this email of photos and comments from our International Director Poh Kim Siong.

District 80 (Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand) is our twin sister District held their recent Semi-Annual Convention during Nov 21-22, 2008 at YMCA Fort Canning Lodge, Singapore.

District 80 Official Website






What members said about District 80 Semi Annual Convnetion @ Singapore ..




CTM - Cozy, Timely & Meaningful convention
ATM - Amazing Time Mingling with all TM delegates
DTM - Don't miss next Time to Meet in HK Convention May 2009

Ivy Chan, ATMB, CL
Division H Governor 2008-2009
Hong Kong




“Learned to be Thankful”

Besides being touched by the Keynote Speaker and Workshop Speakers; inspired by breathtaking District Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests; warmed by caring hospitality of the Organizing Committee, what I learnt most in the Singapore 2008 Semi-Annual Convention is to be Thankful!

I thank so many impassioned Toastmasters friends and distinguished leaders who have given their heart to help us promote and enroll registrations for Macau 2009 Convention. We have received more than 120 registrations in 2 days.

THANK YOU for believing in Toastmasters Conventions, believing in Macau , and believing in Reaching … for your Dreams!

Melanie Hoi
Macau 2009 Semi Annual Convention Chair
Reach For Your Dreams




"Good place, good rest, good food, good performances and good friends! "

Happy to be with brothers / sisters in Singapore Semi Annual Convention. Thanks all for such a good entertaining. See YOU soon in Hong Kong Convention !!

Cheers!
Supin Chaiboonruang, CTM CL
Past Area Governor T4,
President The First Thai TMC Thailand




You demonstrated greatness and humility. You have endeared yourself to the hearts of many. May I salute you, International Director!

Chin Mei Har, DTM
Singapore

Year 2008 - Year of Election

In 2008, we have seen many dramatic elections in Malaysia, around the world and soon on November 4 in USA.

In Toastmasters, we enjoy annual elections at Club, Area, Division, District and International level.

Here is a report of a successful election campaign last August at Toastmasters International Convention in Calgary, Canada.

1) Poh Kim Siong (Chua Chu Kang Toastmasters, Singapore) won the election to be our International Director for Districts outside North America, 2008-2010.

2) His campaign manager was Past District 80 Governor Gea Ban Peng (Braddel Heights Advanced, Singapore) who had written this article below to share.

3) I first met Poh Kim Siong at Toastmasters International Palm Desert Convention 1998 when we were convention delegate hotel room-mates.

Gea Ban Peng was Division S Governor (Singapore) in 1997-98 when I was District 51 Governor. When it comes to good stuff, everyone is related.
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Kim Siong & Ban Peng

On Friday 15th August 2008 in Calgary, Canada at the 77th Annual Convention of Toastmasters International - Poh Kim Siong, DTM became the first member in District 80 to be elected to the Board of Directors of Toastmasters International. I was his election campaign manager.

We faced many challenges. We surmounted them. We enjoyed every minute of it. Many thoughts filled my mind. Below are four, not in any order, they just happened to pop up and I want to get this piece written quickly so that I can get back to work!

Begin with the end in mind.
7 Habits of Highly Successful People – Steven CoveyThe mathematics for success was easy. All we needed was 50% of the votes plus one more vote. That would give us a simply majority, a seat on the board, and a simply amazing feeling of confidence that we can do it. It gave us the courage to conquer.

Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
The Prophet by Kahlil GibranAll Kim Siong had to do was to be himself. He possess all the 4 qualities the voting delegates were looking for (1) a caring person - they could feel he truly cared for them – he was there for them, (2) a trustworthy person – they know the can trust Kim Siong to honor his commitment, (3) a humble man – they could see he was not arrogant - he would listen, and (4) a competent leader – his leadership track record was impeccable.

The journey is the mission – Journey to the West – Chinese Legend
The whole purpose of the journey to Calgary was to do things we have never done before, to experience, to learn, and to share. The learning, the growing, and the friends we make during the 4 days of intense work on the campaign trail was simply amazing. We were determined to enjoy the journey. And enjoy we did – especially Goh Wei Koon, Neil Sy, Aziz Mustajab, Arthur Ting, Desiree, Julia, Kim Siong, and I.

Happiness cannot be pursued. It must ensue.
Men’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It is the happy by-product of one dedicating oneself to a cause greater to oneself. In this case, Kim Siong selflessly dedicated himself to bring the benefits of Toastmasters to more people. That is a good cause. He cannot help but succeed.

Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But, perhaps, it is the end of the beginning. – Sir Winston Churchill Speech in November 1942
Winning the election did not bring us to the end of the journey. It is, in fact, the end of the beginning of the journey. There is so much to be done. Let us give our newly elected International Director, Poh Kim Siong DTM, a ready hand to help bring more benefits of the Toastmasters training program to a greater number of people.

Sincerely, Gea Ban Peng DTM
District 80 Governor 2004-2005
Presidential Citation 2006-2007