TOASTMASTERS helps members improve their public speaking, presentation and leadership skills. TRANSFORMERS CLUB meets the 2nd and 4th Monday's of the month at the Morningside Country Club in Johannesburg, South Africa. Come and visit us to see what TOASTMASTERS is all about!
Theme for 2011/2012: The Club is the newest member

The theme for the meeting held on Women’s Day was not only most appropriate, but both our Toastmaster for the evening, Cheryl-Lynn (who, by the way was awarded for the best contribution of the evening),

Cheryl-Lynn with her trophy
for best contribution

Our toast for the evening, proposed by one of our newly joined members, Solani Bvuma, toasted women as transformers in society.

Solani toasting transformers

Unintentionally the dominance of women prevailed through the official tasks of the evening. Our Wordmaster-Grammarian for the evening selected a word that should have set a record for highest number of uses in an evening – inspire – and then failed to count the uses. Our Listener’s Corners, making its second appearance on the programme, gave second-time guest, Geraldine Buckton, the opportunity to stump those around the table with questions derived from anything said during the evening. Being an auditor she succeeded with a couple of the questions to show that no one had heard particular statements.

Three prepared speeches were presented. Ele Mandavha presented a speech fulfilling the requirements of the third Competent Communicator project entitled “My conflict as a modern woman”. She highlighted how closely together traditional culture and modern, western culture reside in Africa and the conflict that this can cause when a woman fulfils her role in a society where both cultures collide. The speech earned her best speaker of the evening.

Glenice Ebedes presented a speech to fulfil the requirements of the first project from the Interpersonal Advanced Manual entitled “Reason, season or lifetime”. Glenice demonstrated that while a competent Toastmaster can deliver an excellent speech it is a different kettle of fish to role play a scenario. A role play requires careful selection of props and the incorporation of props into the role play. A role play should be well rehearsed or it becomes an impromptu dialogue that requires the Toastmaster to be very astute in thinking on his (her) feet.

Glenice and Solani role play
at a wedding expo

Rod Taylor in his speech in fulfilment of the fourth project of the Persuasive Speaking Advanced Manual spoke of the glass ceiling encountered by women in most fields of endeavour.

The glass ceiling - Rod Taylor

Our Toastmaster regaled us with wonderful facts and anecdotes about such great South African women as Helen Joseph – anti-apartheid activist, Dr. Rampela Mampela – director of companies and the World Bank and Zola Budd Pieterse – Olympian.

Table topics provided great amusement. Quotes from well known women were given to each speaker who had to tell the audience who had made the quote and the circumstances that has prompted the quote. Not one of the speakers correctly guessed the owner of the quote and resultant stories that ostensibly gave rise to the quote provided many laughs.

Sya about to stumble
with Zola Budd

Our next meeting on 24th August is our annual Humorous Speech Contest. All are welcome to a fun-filled evening of certain-to-be entertaining speeches.