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

Monday, 29^th March Transformers made their contribution to Toastmaster’s Day (27^th March) by each member being encouraged to “bring a friend”. The result was a turnout of sixteen members and guests and a full programme of five prepared speeches. Word of the evening – indifference – cannot be ascribed to the members of Transformers.

The theme for the evening – Living with Purpose, selected by Kay Kotelo, who took of the role of Toastmaster of the evening for the first time, was based on “A Short Guide to a Happy Life” (2000) by Anna Quindlen. “Think of life as a terminal illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived.” Not a bad maxim to live by. Quindlen is an award winning journalist turned author with a string of awards and honorary degrees to her name and has many quotable quotes ascribed to her. “The truth about your own life is not always easy to accept, and sometimes hasn't even occurred to you,” is another worth some thought.

Toast of the evening was offered by Khaled Fourati, a first time guest to Transformers but a short-time member of Toastmasters in Ottawa, Canada some years ago. In his toast he gave a short introduction to himself in relation to Toastmasters and his toast was for mutual exchange. We hope to have Khaled as a new member in the near future. Mary Byrne in her response to the toast affirmed statements made by Khaled that Toastmasters is about learning both to speak and to listen.

Kay guided the course of the evening with grace and was awarded Best Contribution for the evening as a result. The prepared speeches she introduced fitted the theme of the evening as though she had primed each of the speakers. First to present, with the title “Die Young and Quick or Old and Slow”, Jim Powell explained that the brain, like the muscles of the body, deteriorates with lack of use. He cited an interesting study of nuns where those who had died below the age of 60 were described and physically and mentally inactive and mediocre contributors to life especially in later life. The nuns who died above the age of 85 had experienced only a slight drop off in physical and mental performance in later years and had healthier brains when examined. Jim’s message was to keep physically and mentally active, suggesting dancing as an exercise that requires mental engagement, and to save for a long retirement. This speech adequately met the requirements of a Competent Communicator project 2. By the way: Jim has a supply of quotes of his own that appear from time to time in our programme. His quote associated with Living with Purpose is: “Never enter your second childhood; don’t leave your first.”

Solani Bvuma fulfilled the requirements of a Competent Communicat or project 3 with a speech entitled “Rainbow Nation”. Her speech was radiant with imagery inviting a unity despite ethnicity, economic status or other difference in the symbol of the rainbow. In the Nguni languages the rainbow is a metaphor for hope and the future. This excellent speech earned Solani the award of Best Speech of the evening.

John-Peter Gernaat completed project 8 of a Competent Communicator with a colourful presentation to support a demonstration that physiologically laughter is nature’s antidote to stress. He concluded with a question to the audience: if laughter is the antidote to stress and stress has demonstrably increased in the last 100 years, why has laughter decreased in direct proportion?

Ruth Taylor attempted to persuade her audience, as required by project 9 of the Competent Communicator, that the fruit of the cocoa tree, the cocoa bean, is one of the most complete foodstuffs around and that it therefore made sense to eat chocolate in every situation. The cocoa bean is rich in anti-oxidants that protects against cancer causing free-radicals, rich in serotonin causing one to feel great and increases mental alertness. This was perfect persuasion for a chocolate binging Easter.

Rod Taylor also spoke persuasively, but in fulfilling the requirements of the Advances Manual in Persuasive Speaking project 5: the Persuasive Leader. As a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) it was hardly surprising that he spoke about communication and persuasively lead his audience to understand that communication is more than just the words that pass between the communicator and the recipient of the communication. If the words carried all the meaning then modern technology that effortlessly transmits words would solve all communication requirements. However, the visual aspect is the largest contributor to communication with vocal tone being the second and the actual words coming a lowly third. Successful communication thus relies on face-to-face interactions and it is precisely in this activity that Toastmasters has a very effective adult education programme.

Table Topics required the speakers to persuade the audience that their life has purpose. The audience were sitting is the life raft of a sinking ship with only one empty seat. The speakers had the task of convincing the occupants of this life raft that their life was worth saving. Cheryl-Lynn Langley had two community supporting businesses that required her to steer. Ruth was offering heart surgery for a seat. Jim modestly boasted that he would not lie about the reason he should be saved. John-Peter demonstrated how he could ease their stress through laughter. Mary Byrne had the key to the emergency supplied on the life raft and would only surrender it in death and would have been saved if the vote as Best Impromptu speaker is a measure of success. One of first-time guests, Joy, was a walking GPS who would get everyone home safely.

Thorough evaluations of the prepared speeches and the evening’s use of grammar followed. Cheryl-Lynn, as an evaluator of a speech and grammarian was awarded Best Evaluator. The award for Best Improved speaker was shared by Solani and John-Peter.

Members and friends are reminded that Area H3’s Area Contest takes place on Tuesday, 13^th April and that Kay Kotelo, Mary Byrne and Ryan Ebedes will be competing. Please come along to offer your support to these three accomplished speakers.

Transformers next meeting will be taking place on Monday, 12^th April at the Morningside Country Club and guests are very welcome. Come along and meet the friendly bunch that make up the membership of Transformers and find out more about Toastmasters without obligation.