Clarion District 59 September 2011
Dear District 59 Toastmasters, Welcome and Wow! District 59 is President´s Distinguished for the second year in a row. Thanks to your contributions and commitment we finished the year as one of the best six districts in the world. We are fourth out of 82 Toastmaster districts. Everyone in the District deserves a “High Five”. What an achievement! All the support and attempts that were made in the last month of the Toastmaster year to make it to Number One was fantastic. We received lots of “good luck” wishes. Members finished their CCs. More leader awards were registered than ever before. New clubs were charted. Everyone pulled together, giving all they could, wanting to be the best. You can all be very proud of (y)our accomplishments! This attempt to make “number one” made it obvious to me that there is a tremendous amount of positive energy, strength and creativity in our District. There is tremendous talent all around just waiting to be tapped. By pooling all the strengths that each one of us has, we can create a positive environment for learning. By giving speech projects, taking on roles in the meetings, serving as an officer in the clubs, giving feedback or asking friends to join we bring skills, energy and talent into the Toastmasters program. As you look toward the future imagine moving from good to great by tapping your talents, sharing your knowledge and experiences, and honing your communication and leadership skills. The skills you learn and practice at Toastmasters will give you vital tools to use in your everyday lives. Are you aware of what these skills are? Are you aware that the more one gives into the program the greater are the benefits and individual gain? Imagine continuing your quest to be even better, to realize your full potential. In that moment you are the “best” you can be. And District 59? Let´s strive this Toastmasters year to collectively make Number One happen. I challenge us to “be the best”. Starting now! See you on the way to the top. Barbara Hoerger, DTM District 59 Governor 2011-2012
In this issue: Editorial Olivia Schofield excelled in Las Vegas What Age a Leader? Speaker’s Corner in Ostrava, Czech Republic Our new Bottom-7 team Our new Division and Area Governors Imprint
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Editorial Business as usual? Yes. Even though Toastmasters has refreshed its brand, The Clarion, your District 59 newsletter will remain the same. You will find in our September issue articles covering club life and an introduction to our new District Leader Team. Are some Divisions missing? As we are all about communication, please feel free to ask your Division Governors why you find nothing to read about them. This time though, not everything is as usual. Sometimes there is something totally overwhelming, something we have never dared to dream of, something so exciting that we grow speechless. Our District 59 International Speech Contest winner Olivia Schofield went to Las Vegas. So far, nothing unusual. Then, she excelled in the semi-finals and she became the first District 59 speaker to go to the finals. This means she competed with the eight world-best speakers in the World Championship of Public Speaking. Absolutely incredible. Please read her story, first hand. Besides rebranding, there is more news to share with you. Easy Speak goes social media. Malcolm Warden (District 71 Webmaster), the inventor of Easy Speak, has integrated it with Facebook. Now, you have the “Like” button in EasySpeak as well. Furthermore, you can have your club/area/division Web site on Easy Speak. There is a convenient tool for updating your Web site and your blog. You do not have to make entries twice. For example, the agenda you create in EasySpeak will be on your Web site at the same time. Once again this year, we will have a contest for the best club Web site and for the best club newsletter. The contests are the Sparkling Pixel contest (for the Web site) Golden Quill contest (for the club newsletter) To take part in the Sparkling Pixel contest, submit your club’s URL to epfuhler@web.de To take part in the Golden Quill contest, submit 5 editions of your newsletter to epfuhler@web.de Talking Point – Is a newsletter still up to date? As we are moving to a fast-paced world with small chunks of information like Tweets or Facebook comments, is it still appropriate to publish a quarterly newsletter, which is rarely up to date when it is read? Therefore I will take the opportunity to invite you to discuss “Do we still need a newsletter – or is it more appropriate to replace it by a blog on the Web site?” A blog offers several advantages. Once it is set up, the editor is able to put articles on line instantly and readers can comment on the articles and discuss them! Thus, we will have two-way communication. Please write your thoughts to: epfuhler@web.de. Erwin Pfuhler Public Relations Officer 2011 - 2012
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“What goes on in Vegas stays in FaceBook!“ The only way in was past the long, green gambling tables, through the tall, silver slot machine jungle; surviving the noise pollution “ching, ting, ring!”, through the belly of the casino beast and on to the convention centre on the other side. A Toastmaster oasis! Gathered together at the Bally Hotel, situated on the strip opposite the Bellagio’s dancing fountain, there were Toastmasters from around the globe at the World Championship of Public Speaking in Las Vegas. From first timers like myself, to the famous faces of world champions, Lance Miller, Darren LaCroix, Jim Key, Mark Hunter, all under one roof! We District 59ers were there in force, so many of us in fact that we had to secure two tables at the President’s dinner! And there were enough of us to hold the banner when we were honoured on stage with our President’s Distinguished status... well done Ben’s team, no pressure Barbara’s team! For the semi finals a total of 81 contestants from around the globe gathered. It was a good opportunity to meet the competition and wonder what talents they would be unleashing on the audience. In my group there was the whole spectrum, from the New York TV talk show type to the standup comedian through to the shared story of tragedy and recovery and me somewhere in the middle speaking forth. It’s not so different to three district conferences taking place at the same time in three adjacent rooms. Everyone’s excited and expectant, having looked forward to this moment for weeks in advance. Four hundred in each audience, anticipation is palpable. The cameras are rolling, the air is still and the speakers are on their starting blocks, so to speak. The standard was impressive. In fact, the guy that came second in my heat, Brett Gresham, was extremely deserving of a place in the final. However, only one from each heat could go forward and this time it was me! How did I feel? Elated! I was whisked away for photos in front of the Toastmaster wall, holding the trophy and feeling like a Hollywood star! That lasted all of five minutes when reality dawned. The responsibility feels pretty weighty. It was 36 hours till the final, 36 hours to breathe, stay calm, not panic, not be swayed by others or allow my own self-doubt to creep in and, most importantly, 36 hours to remember my words! My worst fear was stage fright robbing me of my memory and drying on stage in front of 2000 people. It was at this point that I was thankful that my coach came along to hold my hand. Thanks, Captain Bob! That night I didn’t sleep much. My childhood friend Suzie had flown over from London to support me, just as she had at my university graduation seventeen years previously. We rose early and went in search of a fry-up for breakfast. We turned up at the conference around 11am and were told, “You’ve missed the finalist contestants’ briefing!!!! But Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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you have not been disqualified” (not yet anyway!). I was just in time to be interviewed by John Bowe, a journalist from the New York Times who is writing an article and a book on the Toastmaster phenomenon. At 2.30 in the afternoon, Captain Bob had gathered a small crowd in a private room to give me an audience to practise on: Mark Hunter, Jim Keys, 2nd place semi finalist Garret Garrels from Montana and 3rd place finalist Malachi Talabi, and Freddie Daniells a coach from the UK, along with the district 59ers, Benjamin Breuhl, Jack Vincent, Tuire Voulasvirta, Morag Mathieson and …who have I forgotten? Olivia Schofield, Berlin
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What Age a Leader? It struck me at the Prague Speakers TM club elections in May that the club’s elected president was a fine choice. Jan (Honza) Buzek, not yet 19 - just graduated from high school (Gymnázium Litoměřická) in Prague - is now poised to lead his Toastmasters club to achieve President’s Distinguished status during 2011-12. But what about his journey? Honza (because Jan sounds “dangerously close to Jane when pronounced in English”) grew up speaking English, having both parents as English teachers. At age 16, he went to the United States to study at a local high school. His experience at Franklin Center High School in Indianapolis, he says, defined his personality and gave him more than he could put into words (though this writer doubts this statement, knowing his prowess in Table Topics). When in high school in the US, he attended a speech club which gave him his first introduction to public speaking. Seeing his enjoyment, his teacher suggested joining the school’s speech team which provided opportunities for debating such issues as health care reform, global warming, crime (pretty heavy stuff for a 16 year old?). Obviously not, as Honza has several ribbons to prove his prowess! It was through the Speech Team that he heard about Toastmasters. So when he returned to the Czech Republic, he investigated the organization and attended his first meeting in September 2009. He says of his visit to Prague Speakers: “I was really quite nervous at the first several meetings but the atmosphere at the meetings was incredibly absorbing so I started to enjoy it very soon.” We won’t tell TM, but Honza joined Toastmasters at the age of 17. Area D2 was soon in for some stiff competition when contest time came around. In both Evaluations and Table Topics, Honza has reached Division. He qualified for Division in Evaluations this spring but withdrew because of imminent graduation exams. These he passed with flying colours so now he plans on going to the University of Economics to further his studies. Honza served his club as VPPR during 2010-11. This year when he turns 19, he is set to be president of his club. Is there an age put on leadership? I think not. As novelist Henry Miller said: The real leader has no need to lead – he is content to point the way. Go Jan Buzek and point the way to President’s Distinguished club for Prague Speakers. Toni Purdy Division D Governor, 2011-12 Succeeding is addictive
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Speaker's Corner in Ostrava, Czech Republic Only a few months after chartering, our club went public! :) Inspired by Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park in London, we finished our first season by speaking on a public square. During this event, eleven speakers from our club prepared 5 to10-minute speeches on various interesting topics, aiming to address invited friends as well as complete strangers who were just passing by. No microphone, no sound system – there was just the speaker, his own voice and the audience. Toastmasters Ostrava was established in Ostrava at the beginning of 2011 and was the first bilingual club in the Czech Republic. By May 2011 many speakers in the club had improved so much and got so used to the controlled environment and safety of our club, that we decided to try to speak truly publicly. The main reason was not to promote the club, but to pursue the challenge. Would you manage to go on with your speech even with a merry drunkard singing loudly 15 metres from you? Would you dare to face the unknown faces and reactions of the public? Well, our speakers did! With carefully chosen topics and meticulous preparation, everyone did really well and got new speaking experience. One interesting lesson learned is that we all found out how difficult it is to speak loudly enough on a noisy square for a longer period of time. It takes some serious training to get such a strong voice. Even the famous ancient orator Demosthenes was said to have practised in the following way: "to strengthen his voice, he spoke on the seashore over the roar of the waves." For us, this was a great success. And now comes the most interesting part. If a pack of newbies can face the challenge and catch the attention of passers-by, just imagine how well a well-established club could perform by presenting its most experienced speakers. Isn't it worth trying? In our case, we attracted some new guests and possibly a few new members. We have also decided to hold this event annually and next time, we will not be afraid of doing a huge promotion beforehand. You are more than welcome to visit us in Ostrava and good luck if you give a Speaker‘s Corner a try too! ToastmastersOstrava www.tmostrava.cz ************************************** Contact for editor: Mira Vlach, VPE, TM Ostrava, mira.vlach@gmail.com , +420 774 182 840
Pictures (from upper left clockwise) 1 - Pavel Tomi's speech of the day on politics in Roman times 2 – Small crowd gathered around our speakers 3 – Adriana Bulova's speech on relationships had listeners’ full attention 4 – There it was, Speaker's corner in Ostrava
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Introduction of our District Leaders in 2011 / 2012 Bottom-7 team Barbara Hoerger, DTM District 59 Governor I am an American residing in Nuremberg, Germany. I have been a Toastmaster for 8 years. After many months, 18 to be exact, of persuasive work from another Toastmaster I finally joined the Nuremberg Toastmasters and have been hooked ever since. I am an active member in a German and an English club. I have served in several officer positions, including Area D3 and Division D governor. I am a founding member of the District 59 Strategic Advisory Board. The past term I had the pleasure to serve District 59 as Lieutenant Governor Education and Training. What a learning experience! I have conducted the Youth Leadership Program (YLP) twice and have mentored others in the program. I find the YLP one of the most rewarding activities at Toastmasters. I plan to execute more of the Toastmasters programs so I just might find something I enjoy even more. In my spare time I enjoy reading, walking (not jogging), and dancing. I love Toastmastering and I believe I have lots to give by serving in my new position as District Governor. The diversity of this great district is something that fascinates and inspires me. I enjoy meeting new Toastmasters and sharing moments with old friends. The rewards and benefits are worth every minute of time spent on helping other Toastmasters discover their potential. Morag Mathieson, ACS, ALB Lieutenant-Governor Education & Training From the moment I attended my first Toastmasters meeting in March 2006 I knew I wanted to be a Toastmaster! My home club, Erlangen Toastmasters, has been a great place to learn and develop in all kinds of communication and leadership skills as I undertook meeting roles and served my club and the District as an officer. I am regularly inspired and challenged by other members who strive to achieve and whose efforts take them beyond what they thought they could reach. Being part of the District Executive for the last 2 years (as District Secretary and as Division D Governor) has given me the opportunity to work with Toastmasters from all around our District, supporting them in different ways to achieve their goals and, of course, it has been a great joy to work as a board member of a President’s Distinguished District for 2 consecutive years. In Toastmasters year 2010 – 2011 while being Division D Governor, I enjoyed leading a talented and enthusiastic team. As a result of everyone’s efforts, the Division grew from 15 clubs to 19 clubs; existing clubs grew in strength, and participation at area, division and district events increased. Division D was the first division in District 59 to become President’s Distinguished last year. As Lt. Governor Education & Training I plan to share the same commitment, skill and passion that I have shared in all of my Toastmasters roles and to promote quality educational programs, develop ways of sharing our learning and experience in specific areas such as the Youth Leadership Program, Speechcraft and club coaching, and to support the delivery of great conference programs and officer training sessions. I look forward to serving the District as Lt. Governor Education & Training this year and working with you to inspire and to be inspired as we pursue our goals.
João de Mendonca Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Lieutenant-Governor Marketing I am a Toastmaster from the heart. If someone had told me several years ago that I would be speaking in front of more than 300 people and that I would be helping people speak in front of an audience, I would have said: “Impossible!” Nothing is impossible in life, if you believe in it. I do believe in Toastmasters values and I am learning a lot with Toastmasters. I am pleased at that. Four people and I started Toastmasters in Portugal in 2006. In that first club, I took the last role because I was afraid to lead. I was revealing myself (to myself) as a person who could lead and take initiative. I loved it! Since that moment, I have gone through almost all club officers roles: Sergeant-at-Arms, Treasurer, Secretary, VP Membership, VP Education and President. Also, I started in the district helping my Area Governor since she was very far away from Portugal (she was in Marbella, Southern Spain). Next year I was Area Governor of the Year, President’s Distinguished Area and I could lead a different division Conference in Lisbon with more focus on the public and showing our champions, one of them WCPS 2005, Lance Miller. I went for a second term as Area Governor with a goal of having enough clubs and members to create a Portuguese area. We did it and we were President’s Distinguished area again. Last year I was Division Governor, and I was proud to work with excellent AGs. The division and all areas were President’s Distinguished. Last year, I had the honor of being the president of two clubs in Lisbon which I launched in 2010. You can guess... both of them were President’s Distinguished (ranked Number #2 and #8 in Europe in the extended DCP). This year I am Lieutenant Governor for Marketing and I look forward to working with all of you to reach one more success together: helping each area to become President’s Distinguished area. The marketing side of this goal is: we all need to have a new club in each area, have more new members and retain current ones. Since creating clubs is the most challenging experience, let’s take this as our main goal: to create 46 new clubs in our district! Let’s do it... together. Erwin Pfuhler, ACS, ALS Public Relations Officer When I am asked what I regret, I have to admit that it took me three years after I first heard about Toastmasters before I visited a club. On my first visit I became a member of The Munich Toastmasters which is still my home club. I joined in December 2006 and assumed the role of VP Public Relations in my club at the first chance. Later on I became Area I1 Governor and in 2009/2010 Division I Governor. Among the people who helped me to develop my public speaking and leadership skills, I want to name Denise and Christopher Magyar and Kai Gabriele Krueger who are and always were there to lend me a helping hand! I am just building up my own business (ANOVASTAR) which focuses on systemic marketing and business development. I am divorced and have two daughters (twins), one of whom lives with me. In my spare time I like to go to the mountains (hiking and biking) and do sports. My goal for this term is to build teams to support Easy Speak, to maintain our Web site, to edit the Clarion and to work on Social Media. These teams should have self-organizing capabilities and they should be dynamic (able to replace people who drop out). Thus, future PR Officers will be free of day-today business and more able to perform strategic tasks.
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Karin Rode, ACB, ALB District 59 Treasurer I live in Hamburg. I have been a Toastmaster for more than 5 years. The reason I joined was to practice my public speaking skills. I am an active member in an English club, The First Hanseatic Toastmasters. I have served in a few officer positions, currently as Club Treasurer. In my spare time I enjoy reading, walking, yoga, meditation, and dancing. I love Toastmastering and I believe I have lots to give by serving in my new position as District Treasurer. The diversity of this great district is something that fascinates and inspires me. I enjoy meeting new Toastmasters. The rewards and benefits are worth every minute of time spent on helping other Toastmasters discover their potential.
Benjamin Bruehl, DTM Immediate Past District Governor Being a Toastmaster since 2004 it was a pure pleasure leading our strong District 59 of Continental Europe to our great success during the 2010-2011 term. Serving you in the last Toastmasters year was filled with exciting and amazing experiences and ended as a tremendous success: President's Distinguished and number 4 of all Districts in the world! I’m grateful for having worked with a wonderful team of District Officers, friends and mentors who devoted lots of time and efforts to fulfilling our dreams in District 59. Again: thanks to all of you. Meeting many Toastmasters from all around Europe was and still is a fantastic opportunity and a pleasure as well. Getting a glimpse of our District’s diversity makes me feel proud to be a member of District 59 myself. Looking back at some of last year’s highlights I see two great district conferences including the visits of our International President Pat Johnson and Regional Advisor Sunny Varghese. Both inspired us with their expertise and passion for Toastmasters. Also two World Champions of Public Speaking, Lance Miller and Darren LaCroix, amazed us with their communication secrets and insights. Our District grew fast with a net growth of 29 clubs and 20% more members during the year. The performance in terms of the Distinguished District Program was better than ever and we exceeded last year’s results by 30%. That’s fantastic! The success of achieving President’s Distinguished District status started as a vision for our district but in fact it’s based on the success of every single member of our District, YOUR success. By pursuing the Toastmasters paths of communication AND leadership, the strong development of all our members reflects itself directly in our District’s success. My term was about Fulfilling Your Dreams. Now it is my pleasure (as Immediate Past District Governor) to be able to support the new leadership team that strives to fulfill our new Toastmasters motto: Toastmasters International – Where Leaders Are Made
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Lars Olberg Conference Treasurer I joined Toastmasters in 2006 and have had since then the chance to experience its unique atmosphere and learn a lot in four clubs on three continents: first in Monterey, CA, then in Amman, Jordan, and finally in two clubs in Berlin, Germany. This year I have the opportunity to serve as the Conference Treasurer of District 59. I am looking forward to this yearlong leadership experience. Besides Toastmasters I recently discovered a new passion: triathlon. It is definitely not a very communicative sport but it gives me some time to think about the topics of my next speeches.
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Division A Marc Tournon, Governor, Division A My main goal is to grow Division A, with 3 to 5 prospective clubs chartering next year. This year, the existing three areas aim to be President’s Distinguished. Most of the four areas will achieve this goal next year. Reviewing 300 awards achieved since 2003, we are aiming for 38 awards this year, most noticed during club visits. 74 awards are the base for next year, including 2 or 3 DTMs.
Jean Nasr CC, CL, Governor Area A1 Founding member of Expressions in Paris in 2005. I have participated actively during the last five years as VP Membership, VPE, President, Past President. This participation gave me opportunities to conduct various workshops in the club and at conferences as part of the series of ‘winner clubs», also to take active part in meetings and officer training with other clubs. I participated in the annual conferences of areas, and the Division A Fall Conference 2009 was organized by the Expressions team during my term as President. Since 2009 I have attended District Conferences in different parts of Europe. My wishes, as Governor of the 4 Parisian clubs (Agora 75, Eiffelturm, FRDS, Lutèce 75) are to help them to achieve their goals in the Distinguished Club Program. Otherwise, a last point which is very important to me is helping 2 clubs to charter this year: 1- Parlez Yvelines 2 – State Street Bank (corporate)
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Division D Toni Purdy DTM, Governor Division D I have been a member of this fine organization for over 18 years, having joined while undertaking a Speechcraft course in Canberra, Australia. During this time, I have held all club officer positions except SAA as I never seem to be able to organize myself for this role. In 2004-05, I was Area 30 Governor in northern New South Wales as part of District 69 (Queensland, Northern Territory and northern NSW) for which I won Area Governor of the Year for a 23% growth in the Area. In 2007 I left Australia to teach English as a second language in China where after a bit of a search, I found the local TM club in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. During that year, I attended what was then the provisional District conference in Shenzhen. My move to Prague was decided against another offer of employment in the CZ for the simple reason that there were two existing Toastmasters clubs in the city. I joined Bohemian Toastmasters club and in 2010-11 became Area D2 Governor. I have chosen as my motto for the year Succeeding is addictive as I know from experience as Area D2 Governor that seeing our area in the Czech Republic grow from 6 clubs to 9 with another on the way (sounds a bit like a rather large family with mother expecting again!), the Area becoming President’s Distinguished and an overall growth in our club membership, succeeding is indeed addictive. Now that I am Division D Governor for 2011-12, I want to see it all again, I want to be on that bandwagon of success. With the growth in Area D2 came a split into two Areas. Therefore, the Division now has four Areas – Area D1 in northern Bavaria, D2 in Prague and western Bohemia, D3 in Austria and Hungary and D4 eastern Bohemia and Moravia, Czech Republic. Area Governors for the year will be Gerhard Hoerger (D1), Hywel Clark (D2), Klaus Hammer (D3) and Valerie Wagnerova (D4). What would I like to see in Division D this year? I’d like to see Area D2 expand not only in Prague but possibly with another club in this part of Bohemia; D1 establish and charter a fourth club plus I’d like to see Bratislava in Slovakia establish another couple of clubs so that they can apply to the District for membership. They have a strong and enthusiastic membership base in their Bratislava club but I would like to see this enthusiasm directed into additional clubs with the possibility in future of becoming another Area in the Division. There seems to be a special anniversary coming up in Vienna this year in October with the VIC TM club celebrating their 25th anniversary since charter. Klaus Hammer, Governor, Area D1 Klaus “discovered” Toastmasters when living in Prague four years ago. As a manager and trainer, he found the program ideal for his needs. Now a resident of Bratislava in Slovakia, he has encouraged others to join him in his enthusiasm for Toastmasters. As D2 Governor, he is responsible for clubs both in Austria (Vienna) and Hungary (Budapest). Hywel Clark – D2 A member of Bohemian Toastmasters club in Prague, Hywel joined Toastmasters when living in the UK. He moved to the Czech Republic with his wife about four years ago. He is well liked by fellow club members for his wit and exaggerated story telling in Table Topics. Asked why he joined Toastmasters, he said to meet people. It is assured that during his year as Area Governor, Hywel will meet a great deal more people. Away from Toastmasters, Hywel is a business coach, communications skills trainer and business English teacher. His working life revolves around helping others make their businesses more successful.
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Gerhard Hoerger Governor Area D3 Known to most Toastmasters in the District, Gerhard has served the last two years as the District Treasurer. He lives in Nuremberg and lives Toastmasters with his wife Barbara who is the current District Governor.
Valerie Wagnerova Governor Area D4 Together with her husband, Tomas, Valerie fostered and chartered the first Toastmasters club in the Czech Republic. Having been on sabbatical in Canada and being introduced to Toastmasters, Tomas and Valerie returned to their homeland and set about starting their own club in Pardubice in eastern Bohemia. With the growth in Toastmasters clubs in the Czech Republic during 2010-11 and the split of Area D2, Valerie has taken up the challenge of Area Governorship for Division D’s newest Area.
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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Division E Ben Parsons Governor Division E As a club, area, and now a division leader, we find that it is possible to understand where people are coming from, and to put in place the environment to help them make the changes that they want. Seeing the changes in individual members that result from our leadership initiatives is the ultimate motivation. Whilst the area governor must be a great field commander, the division governor must learn to transmit his message from afar. Team, people, and motivational skills are the real challenge at this level. WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT MY DIVISION Division E has a great energy. Switzerland has a habit of punching above its weight in District speech contests, and this fall we will host the District Conference in Basel; the more we see great performers on our own turf, the more we learn from them, and in Division E we have come to share this learning with our fellow toastmasters. Jim Murdoch Governor Area E1 Jim has been a member of the Zurich Club since July 2009 and served for six months as club treasurer. In his second year he served the club as VP Education and assured in the club's continued momentum of new and experienced speakers. VISION AS AREA GOVERNOR 2011 – 2012 Jim’s vision is to grow the clubs in strength and numbers. To see a greater retention of members, by emphasizing the communication and leadership tracks for the individual's development as well as of course for the dynamic for the club and area. WHAT HE LIKES MOST ABOUT HIS AREA... My area has a history that goes back several years, with some of the longeststanding members in Switzerland. This brings important experience and motivation to draw on.
Celine Horan Governor Area E2 Celine was VP of Education in 2008/9. As Area Governor, she has focused on building: building confidence in her clubs’ leadership; calling them to face new challenges. Secondly, she has focused on establishing a new corporate club, in Zurich (a first for her Area). VISION AS AREA GOVERNOR 2011 – 2012 Her goal is to see the chartering of the area’s first Corporate Club, to continue to encourage weaker clubs, and to sow the seeds for the next generation of leaders. WHAT SHE LIKES MOST ABOUT HER AREA... is how members are willing to rise to a challenge, and their determination to see projects through to full fruition.
Yasmin Samaan Governor Area E3 Yasmin is a member of two clubs in Geneva, one in English and one in French. As soon as she joined Toastmasters she got involved in the PR and VP Membership roles. Yasmin believes that the team that works together is the team that works best, and finds that each of us can add a personal touch in our own clubs. VISION AS AREA GOVERNOR 2011 – 2012 As governor of a 5 club area, she will guide the 4 young clubs, and challenge the experienced club to keep its level high. WHAT SHE LIKES MOST ABOUT HER AREA... I appreciate the motivation and participation of the members to work out excellent meetings. And I also like how this area worked towards the birth of a French club, the first one in Switzerland.
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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E4 BRIGITTE RENZ SONKO Governor Area E4 Brigitte has been a member of the German language Rhetorik Club Zürich since early 2010, rapidly becoming VP Public Relations. For the new Toastmaster Year she took on the responsibility as Area Governor for the German speaking area E4. VISION AS AREA GOVERNOR 2011 – 2012 Her vision is to support the clubs that want to effect a turn-around back to growth, as well as helping those clubs that are already solid but want to retain their gains and momentum. WHAT SHE LIKES MOST ABOUT HER AREA... ... is the motivation and dedication of its members and club officers - there are some very intelligent and talented people out there! She really enjoys the interaction with clubs to achieve their goals and the overall goals of the Division.
Kimmo Makinen Governor Area E5 Kimmo has been a Toastmaster since February 2008 when he joined The Oxford Speakers Club. He was on the organizing committee for the 2009 District 71 conference held in the UK. He moved to Switzerland in mid 2009 and joined Lausanne International Toastmasters. He then started a new club, NRC Toastmasters, at his work place, Nestlé Research Centre, and led the club to distinguished club status during its first year. VISION AS AREA GOVERNOR 2011 – 2012 Kimmo’s vision is to help the clubs ensure that their members progress rapidly through the speech and leadership projects and achieve their potential as public speakers and leaders. WHAT HE LIKES MOST ABOUT HIS AREA... Area E5 is a brand new area that split off from Area E3, the fastest growing Toastmasters area in Switzerland and continental Europe in 2011. It currently comprises four clubs from the Lausanne region. Each club has many enthusiastic members keen to push their new Area to speaking excellence.
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Division F Cornelis (Kees) Broos Governor Division F What I got out of Toastmasters to date is so much that I will not be able to repay my debt to the organisation in my lifetime, but I am chipping away at it by taking up the role of Division F Governor for the year 2011-2012 and working on my ACG and ALS awards. Division F covers a region in Germany encompassing the states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg with cities like Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Born in 1953 and raised in the Netherlands I moved to New Zealand in 1983. There I learned about Toastmasters in 2000 and joined a club. I was bitten by the Toastmaster bug, became a very active member, serving as President and VP Education twice at two different clubs: East Coast Bays in Auckland and First Light in Gisborne. My life changed dramatically in 2006 when I met my wife Uta in Flagstaff (USA), which brought me to Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 2007. Here I joined the Esprit de Corps Toastmasters Club, serving on the officers board over the years as Sergeant at Arms, VP Education and currently as President. Last year I was also representing Division F as member of the new club building team for District 59, which was a lot of hard work, but very, very rewarding. I enjoy building, having been a designer and builder of residential homes for 25 years in New Zealand, but also enjoy building new contacts, friendships and bridges between clubs, areas and divisions, as a Toastmaster. Apart from building I like problem solving and finding solutions for ‘derailed’ situations. Pursuit of this passion led to a Master in Management in dispute resolution from Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand in 2005. I also am a fellow (arbitration) of AMINZ in New Zealand. Both skills continue to serve me well within the Toastmasters organisation. I think the above illustrates the truly international character of Toastmasters. I am looking forward to a rewarding Toastmasters’ year with lots of learning experiences in my role as Division F Governor. Together with my Area Governors Hervé Marcy (F1), Horst Müller (F2) and Marcia Cole (F3) we will try to rock Division F, with a focus on expanding our member base, building new clubs, and bridges between clubs. Off course nothing of the above could have been and can be achieved without the tremendous support of my wife, family, friends and fellow Toastmasters. Hervé Marcy Governor Area F1 I joined Toastmasters in 2008 as a member of the Stuttgart International Toastmasters Club and have held the positions of VP PR and President in my club. My club turns 40 years old this year in November. I work as an IT solution architect and within that context have to give lots of presentations to customers and to take over leadership, hence Toastmasters has been helpful from the first day I joined. My goals for this year are to help our existing clubs blossom and help to start at least one new club in my home town of Stuttgart, where I see a lot of potential.
Horst Müller Governor Area F2 I joined Toastmasters in November 2004, becoming a member of Rhetorik-Club Frankfurt. I was active in that club for about 6 months, giving four speeches. I stopped going to the meetings because of the 100 km (one way) distance between my home town and Frankfurt. In 2007 the Rhetorik-Club Bergstraße was about to charter and I was asked if my membership could be transferred from Frankfurt to Bergstraße to support the chartering. I agreed, and a few weeks later I became active at TM again. I have completed my ACB and ALB awards. Some of my TM steps: Club President 2010-2011, VP Education 2009-2010, VP Education 2008-2009, Club Coach for Heidelberg Toastmasters since October 2010, participant at the District 59 Evaluation Contest (German) 2010 (Winner of Div. F), Winner Division F Table Topics Contest (German) 2010 I work as a self-employed trainer, being a Licensed Instructor for Mind Mapping Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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(Buzan Centre, Poole GB) and a Certified Trainer for Mind Manager Software and personality coach. I wrote four books, of which the one on Mind Mapping is rather successful. The Bergstraße club will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year and plans to organise a "Rhetorics Week" during the last week of October.
Marcia Cole Governor Area F3 I joined Toastmasters in May 2006 and I was a member of two clubs in the USA, the last one Stately Speakers in Washington D.C. I participated actively in TLI’s and Area/ Division/ District Contests and Conferences. I have held the club officer roles of VPPR, VP Education and President in the past as well as being Area Governor in 2009-2010. I have completed my CC and ALB awards. Early this year my work made me touch down in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Here I transferred to Esprit de Corps Toastmasters club and I have taken on the role of VP Education for the 2011-2012 TM year. Challenges do lie ahead of me, mastering the German language one of them, but above all looking forward to another experience in my role as Area F3 Governor bringing enthusiasm and energy to knit my fellow Toastmasters closer together.
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Division H Joel Dupont Governor Division H I have been in TM for over 6 years and I have enjoyed taking on various roles on the officers board including Sergeant-at-Arms, VP Education and President, and more recently Area Governor for H2 and club sponsor. During this time I have enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life and nationalities. I also like travelling and discovering new cultures and countries. I aim to complete ACB and ALB this year. I have been inspired by the outstanding results for Division H and hope that we will become President's Distinguished Division again. To achieve this goal, we will pursue three main lines of action: Keep the momentum It is an exciting time, and we should take advantage of the fact that the Division is booming and growing to keep up the momentum and surf this wave to achieve even more spectacular figures with more clubs Advertise and educate Advertise, evangelize and educate in clubs so that there is an understanding of what is a district, division, area and what is happening whithin each of these and how members can benefit from it. Intensify advertising and, in particular, expand our visibility in social networks. Consolidate weak areas Set up specific follow-up actions, coordinated by the area governor, for clubs at risk or underperforming before it is too late to re-ignite the fire of enthusiasm and commitment. For areas where clubs are close to each other, arrange visits of experienced speakers to other clubs
Angela Dunbar CC CL Governor Area H1 She is a Canadian who fell in love with Barcelona 14 years ago on a study abroad trip and never left! She has been a Toastmaster for five years, as a member of the Prestigious Speakers club. Angela is currently the sponsor of a new corporate club in Barcelona: EADA Business School.
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Carlos F. Hidalgo Governor Area H2 My relationship with Toastmasters is deep and long-standing. A charter member of the Madrid Toastmasters, I have been an active member in that club and served as Sergeant-at-Arms for several years after the club’s chartering in 2000. I have coached Toastmasters who later served in leadership positions. Another learning experience (for each of my Toastmaster experiences is an education in itself) was being the President of Advanced Toastmaster of Madrid. I am also a founding member of Nova-Communications of Madrid and served as its Sergeant-at-Arms and coach. Additionally I am a member of the Greater Elkton Toastmasters Club of Elkton, MD., US. My goal as Area Governor is to foster innovative leadership within the Toastmasters Trinity; that is effective communication, leadership and fellowship. All of this will be aligned with the goals of International Toastmasters Headquarters as well as of my District, Division and clubs within my areas. Furthermore, I propose during my tenure to expand the clubs in terms of quality and quantity by promoting diversity and individual members' needs. This will be achieved through ad hoc recruitment and through a customized members’ service program targeted to meet incividual member's goals. The recruitment will be done primarily through a committee in each club dedicated to this end and that it will foster diversity. A mentoring program will provide each member the opportunity to avail himself/herself the experience and wisdom of a mentor, who will tailor his tasks to the individual needs of the mentee. The seasoned members of the club will serve as mentors; in this manner they will continuously reinforce their didactic, managerial and speaking skills. They will be leaders practicing fellowship and training potential leaders who in the future will do as well, thus reinforcing the strength of their club, their community and the global village. This approach to mentoring is a Win-Win situation and rather novel focus, for it fosters and increases participation for new as well as for seasoned members. At the same time I urge everyone not only in my prospect area, but in all International Toastmasters to count on me to live and to perform the ideals of International Toastmasters. One of my personal goals is to update a bilingual English-Spanish textbook on International Business that I wrote some years ago. It is also a priority for me to enjoy life along with my family. Linda Sage Governor Area H3 I am a Brit living in Spain, on the Costa Blanca, south of Alicante. My background is psychology and adult education, though I had never been involved in Toastmasters in the UK. I came into Toastmasters in Mil Palmeras over four years ago via a social meeting of one of the founding members. I went just to have a look and I have learnt so much since then both personally and professionally. I have built my confidence in presenting in both English and Spanish. I was President of Mil Palmeras last year ascending to Area Governor this year, I am also involved in the public relations of the clubs and areas through my close relationship with local media. We are also starting to open a new Business Club in Rojales as well as launching Speech Craft in English and Spanish in the local area. I have met some amazing people during my time in TM, visiting the Divisional and International Conferences has inspired me to want to increase my knowledge and participation further. I have a great team of Clubs in H3, I am very proud to be their Area Governor this year, they have all achieved outstanding achievements in the last year and I am sure we will support each other to build an even strong bond as an Area this year. I am passionate about TM and what they can do for people and businesses. I have set myself and Area Goals for this year in: Personal responsibility and accountability Developing a strong personal pride and involvement in each club for each member, personal accountability for involvement in the growth of their club and H3 Area. Expansion and growth Developing all of the 5 Clubs in the Area, with personal and Club Achievements, maintaining retention of members and increasing new members. Opening and successfully running the new Business Club in Rojales Launching Speech Craft in the Southern Costa Blanca area. Training & Press Increase press awareness both in English and in Spanish, via the physical media and press as well as breaking into Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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the Social Media and online marketing that is available to us via websites, Facebook, YouTube, blogging, Twitter etc. Training experienced members, new members, and officers on a more in depth and regular basis. I will foster mutual support from each Club in the area and greater collaboration between the clubs. Every Club has some amazing ideas and initiatives that can be used throughout the Area. Personally I will complete my ACB and my CL this year I will also participate in Area, Divisional and International Conference Training Sessions I am looking forward to an amazing year and wonderful experiences with new places, new people and new achievements My name is Joâo Antunes, I am the Area H4 Governor’s for this period 20112012. My main objective is expanding the Area creating new Clubs and improving the Toastmasters awareness to new towns where the organization is not present. This is a hard work, which demands visits and meeting in new places, even during the holyday period. I believe, as a member of the dynamic team, that we are growing the organization here in Portugal, and we can gain leadership experience from our efforts. During the last year we made some successful experiences with social networks like Facebook and Linkedin. These kinds of tools are so powerful nowadays that I believe we must continue feeding it and learning everyday how to obtain the best value in this new age. The focus in terms of communication must be the social networks. My professional background is engineering in electronic systems, where I worked on for a few years. After that, I did an MBA specialized in Marketing and I changed my career to customer relationship building and business operations. My involvement with Toastmasters started 4 years ago. I’ve been VPE for the last two years it was an interesting period of acquiring knowledge of the organization that I found so interesting. At this present time, I feel that I became a better professional, dealing and communicating with my customers and leading my team, an also a better father with my 2 kids. I will make efforts and try to do my best as Governor of Area H4, and improve upon the efforts and work of my previous Governors
Rui Henriques ACS, ALB Governor H5 (Portugal) My first contact with Toastmasters dates back to the early 1990s in South Africa where I was actively involved in a club at my place of work. In 1993, I moved to Portugal and brought with me the desire to start this wonderful movement here. However, circumstances at the time didn’t permit me to get started. Fifteen years later I re-found Toastmasters in the city of Porto. I felt like the prodigal son returning home! I am an ACS ALB at present. More important than my communication and leadership awards is my “duty” to give back to others. As a mentor of new members and as a club coach I am continuously learning through interaction with others. As a Toastmaster leader my calling is to “serve” my fellow Toastmasters. Area H5 is a new area. Notwithstanding, during 2011-2012 we will endeavor to add a further three clubs to our existing family of four. We will also play a significant part in the translation of manuals into the Portuguese language. On a personal note, I intend to go back and re-do my basic Competent Communication and Competent Leadership manuals.
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Division I Eva Steinmaßl Governor Division I I joined Toastmasters in Regensburg 2007 as one of the first members, founded the Redensburger Toastmaster Club together with the team and chartered the Club mid 2008. In the first year I was responsible as VP Membership, the second year as President. I have received CC in 2009. Last year I was Area Governor I1. In this upcoming year I want to focus on the following together with my team: - development and personal growth for all members - increase number of participants in speach-contests - increase number of members and retain members by interesting tasks - found new clubs - network of clubs and share experience - continue to promote Toastmasters externally (PR, radio, press) - create centralized documentation for important information In my “real life” I am Human Resources Manager, Trainer and Coach. I like hiking in the mountains, mountain-biking, skiing in the winter and jogging the whole year. Goekhan Kilic Area Governor I1 I joined the Toastmasters in 2007. I served twice as President at the Munich Prostmasters. I earned ACB and ALB. My goal as area governor is to help to the clubs in my area to build sustainable success. I am an industrial and business engineer and working as project controller. I like painting, skiing, sailing, driving and learning languages what I combine with my passion travelling. Harald Dill Area Governor I2 I joined the Toastmasters in 2007. In between I served as VP education at the Munich business speakers. I have earned ACB and ALB. My main target as area governor is to create more synergies between the clubs in my area. On a personal note I am self employed as a leadership coach. I like to go to the alps for mountaineering and cross country skiing. I also enjoy Tango Argentino and its spin offs. I am a lucky father of a 3 year old and four month old girl. Erwin Waas Area Governor I3 I joined the Toastmasters in 2007. Since then I have served as VP Education and President at “Speaker’s Corner” Munich and at the Advanced Toastmasters Club “Ceterum Censeo”. I have earned ACS, ALB and an “Outstanding Toastmasters Award. I served as Chief Judge on our Division Conference two times, trained Toastmasters in Division I for the “Speech Contest Judge Trainings Program” and “The Art of Effective Evaluation Program”. On a personal note: I am self employed as a Personal Trainer and Coach. My special interest is to educate and develop in Spiritual Conciseness with an old, effective trainings program.
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Division J Celeste Brown Governor Division J I am proud to serve as 2011-2012 Division J Governor in the Netherlands. I admire and respect what Toastmasters can do for its members and will use my energy and experiences to support and grow TM in this country. I am Charter Member of Toastmasters of The Hague (2003) where I have served as President as well as Charter Member of Leiden Toastmasters (2011) where I served as VP Education. I was honored to receive Leiden Toastmasters’ first “People’s Choice Award” in June 2011 for outstanding efforts on behalf of the club. Past District 59 Toastmaster activities have included District Secretary (20062007), Charter Member of the District 59 Strategic Advisory Board (2009), CoChair of the successful Spring 2010 Conference “Springtime at the Beach” in The Hague and was named Ambassador for Toastmasters District 59 in 2010.
Erik Garritsen Governor J1 My Name is Erik Garritsen, Area Governor of J1 for the Dutch speaking clubs in the Netherlands. I started as a Toastmaster in 2005 by starting a new club as founder of Epe Toastmasters, a successful Dutch speaking club in "the country side" of Holland. I have earned my CC and CL, am now on the threshold of ALS and ACB and have been Club President for 2 years and VPE for 2 years. My goal for J1 in the year 2011/2012 is to have at least 10 Dutch speaking clubs -including Belgium- to have the manuals translated into Dutch and with that, to enhance the growth of the Dutch clubs in the future. In my opinion every "big" city in Holland is waiting and ready for a Toastmasters club. In my profession, I am an entrepreneur, leading a company in the dentistry industry (HRM services and practice development). I love to travel, especially to the far-east, doing business and for pleasure.
Laverne Hunt Governor J2 My name is Laverne Hunt, CC and I am Area J2 Governor for 2011-2012. My first goal as Area Governor this year is to be of service to the Officers of the Clubs so that they can achieve their goals and help their club members achieve theirs. My second goal is to have the Area become a Distinguished Area by June 30, 2012. On a personal note, I have been a Toastmaster for 4 years. I belong to Taste & Toastmasters club, where I serviced as Secretary, Vice President Membership, Vice President Education twice and Club President. I’ve learned throughout my years as a leader to always focus on quality and not quantity. I’m a mother of two and stopped working my full-time job to becoming a full-time mommy. While running after my kids at home, I realized I needed to improve myself. Didn’t really know how or what, but decided to search. I found the Toastmasters club and something happened. Toastmasters changed my life. I do mean that. Receiving the positive pep talk really gave me the self-confidence I lacked for years. Today I’ve become a better presenter and leader. There are lots more things to learn and to practice, but hey, that is why I’m a Toastmaster.
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Ingeborg Kuyvenhoven Governor J3 My name is Ingeborg Kuyvenhoven and I am Area J3 Governor. I was born in the flower and vegetable garden of Holland with a global mind, a Scottish heart and a roll-up-sleeve mentality. A lawyer by profession, I am registered at the London and The Hague Bars and work enthusiastically at building the largest underground gas storage in Europe. I love spending time with family and friends, as well as on photography, art, history, music, hill walking, the beach, and most of all, learning new skills and meeting new friends at Toastmasters! I am a native of The Netherlands and studied law at the Universities of Leiden and Edinburgh. I am a qualified Dutch attorney and an English solicitor with specialized experience in the oil & gas industry. After working in private practice for 5 years, I joined one of the majors in the oil and gas industry in 2002 and have worked in both The Hague and Aberdeen in various legal and commercial positions. In 2008, I completed the Executive education Essentials of Management at Columbia University. In my current role as General Counsel of the Bergermeer Gas Storage Project, I have responsibility for all legal matters of this large scale project varying from permitting and procurement to commercial and joint venture matters. Also I have been Deputy Project Director of the Bergermeer Gas Storage Project since 2008. For the last 2,5 years, I have been active in Toastmasters as a member of the Rotterdam Toastmasters (RTM) club and am founder of the first Dutch speaking club in Rotterdam, De Euromasters. I have served as Immediate Past President of RTM, and am currently Acting VPE and VPMem of De Euromasters.
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Division K Heike Kunzelmann Governor Division J My name is Heike Kunzelmann and I'm the Division Governor of Division K for the period 2011/2012. Thanks for founding this new Division in the northwest part of Germany ;). The Division is surrounded in the north by Denmark. The border in the east follows the border to the Netherlands. In the East we are responsible for all Toastmasters west of the former German border to eastern Germany. My hometown Bonn in the south marks the border in the south. That I'm with Toastmasters since 2009 is the result of a disgrace during the love story of my best girl friend. She mixed up Toastmasters with a cooking club during a talk with the man of her desire. Never a disadvantage without a grace - after the call I immediately googled for this rhetoric clubs "Toastmasters" and I found one in Cologne who has the club evening the same day! That was the beginning of my love to the Toastmasters live and people. I served as Sergeant at Arms 2009 in the club and as Area Governor for the region Cologne/Bonn in 2010. In 2010 I organized a travel of my home Club Rheinredner to Dublin to a visit of the Hellfire Club in Dublin. Last year I finished my CC, CL, ACB. When I describe myself - I would say I’m furious and curious. Always willing to look behind the next corner of live. Toastmasters is for me the best hidden secret of the world - it took my 39 years to discover. This secret I want to bring up to light of Germany and in the brains of people. For this I want to develop a German Toastmasters website and start new clubs in my division to fill all Toastmasters free landscapes. My Division now supports 16 Clubs and 3 Baby Clubs. I have 4-5 requests for starting new Clubs in other cities of my division. In between I visited all the officers trainings in my division to get in contact with the different officers teams of the clubs. My team of fabulous area governors and I want to encourage our clubs to more exchange and installed an “Explorer Cup” in each area. To win it a club has to visit the current home club of the cup with a speaker and a general evaluator – and then take it with them. If I'm not with Toastmasters I run my own business and sell pottery and porcelain. I enjoy traveling from Toastmasters club to Toastmasters club and the same time from garage sell to garage sell. So I fill my store new porcelain and help to replace damaged pieces for my customers and get to know all the great Toastmasters clubs in my division. Akiko Baldrigde-Hohn Govenor Area K1 Although I’m American, I had never heard of Toastmasters before moving to Hamburg, Germany. I joined Toastmasters less than one year ago and my rise through the ranks has been fast and furious. I started as a guest of the First Hanseatic Toastmasters. It was around competition time. I was blown away by the speakers in our club contest and curiously attended the Area Conference in Buxtehude, Germany and then the Division C Conference in Berlin, Germany where I participated in one of Barbara Hoerger’s educational sessions. The positive and enthusiastic energy from all the Toastmasters I met across club, city and country borders was an irresistible magnet. I immediately joined the First Hanseatic Toastmasters, joined the Hamburg Power Speakers helping them to charter, became V.P. Membership on the boards of BOTH clubs and by being in the right place at the right time and leaving the right impression was asked to follow in my predecessor’s footsteps as Area Governor for this year. Area K1 is a monolingual area consisting of only English-speaking Toastmasters clubs. At the moment, the four clubs are geographically tight knit. Two clubs lie in Hamburg only 3 km apart: The First Hanseatic Toastmasters, who celebrated their 10-year anniversary and the Hamburg Power Speakers, who chartered in February. In the county of Niedersachen, on the lower side of the Elbe River and southwest of Hamburg, lie two more clubs. The furthest from Hamburg and the one with the most picturesque landscape is in Stade, 80 km from Hamburg, while the mother of all Area K1 Clubs established 22 years ago, the Hedgehog Toastmasters Club can be found in Buxtehude, about 30 km from Hamburg.
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Tilo Maria Pfefferkorn Govenor Area K2 My name is Tilo Maria Pfefferkorn and I am area governor for K2. This area comprises 4 German speaking Clubs and is situated in an area from the Danish boarder to Hamburg and a little further to Bremen and from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea sea. The clubs ar based in Kiel, Luebeck, Buxtehude and Hamburg. So far plans for funding two additional clubs are in discussion. I joined the club HanseRedner in Hamburg in 2005 and served as their president 2010/2011. Last year I finished my CL and the ACS. In my professional life I am an entrepreneur. More than 25 years ago I founded one of the first Business Centers in Germany and still run one Center in Hamburg where professionals find either office room for short or long term and/or secretarial and conference services.
Michael Rose Governor Area K3 My name is Michael Rose and I'm the Area Governor of Division K, Area K3 for the period 2011/2012. In 2011 the Area K3 is a small one with only 3 Clubs. They are in Bremen, Hannover and Paderborn. See the borderline of the Area K3 in the south of Hamburg, in the West the border to the Netherlands, in the East we are responsible for all Toastmasters west of the former German border to eastern Germany. And in the south marks the border the line from Muenster to Kassel. I'm a Toastmasters since 2010. 2009 my brother invited me to the TM-Club Rheinredner in Cologne every week and I visited the Rheinredner in August 2009. I was fascinated and I WANTED to visit the Club in Bremen; but there was no TMClub. So I had to constitute one. Together with two other people, Sabine Wallisch, our President in 2011/2012 and Jörg Riedel, our first President in 2010 we established the club Rederei Bremen. And now we are more then 40 members. I served as the Treasurer from our first day. I love to visit other clubs and so I HELD my first speech in English, total mean my second, in Cologne. I also love contests and so I went to competitions as a speaker in Buxtehude und Berlin. I gave my first speech on January 11. 2010 and finished my CC on September 20.2010. Now I work to finish my CL in September 2011 and my ACB in December 2011. What are my next plans? I want to get the Division K Spring Conference 2012 to Bremen. And I would like to have three more Clubs in the Area K3. Muenster, Kassel and Oldenburg. And despite the large distances between the individual clubs, I hope to establish an active visitor traffic. I hope to the you next time in Bremen Carsten Kiess Governor Area K4 My name is Carsten Kiess and I am area governor for K4. This area comprises of the clubs in Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf and now also Bochum. Currently there are 8 clubs in the area, 3 of them are not yet chartered. The whole area is an economical hub and it has a dense population so there should be room for expansion. I have created a website for "Rhein-Ruhr-Toastmasters" to serve as a "lighthouse" for all clubs to raise the visibility and profile in this geographical area. I joined the Rheinredner club in Cologne 2 years ago and served as their president 2010 / 2011. I enjoy the full range of what I call the Toastmasters iceberg and developed a special interest in debating. In my professional life I am a coach and consultant for business development in Bonn. After 15 years in software development and IT consulting I graduated as MBA. At the same time I joined Toastmasters. This was a powerful combination to drive my career development. This is especially true for all the great people I met at all levels of the Toastmaster organisation. See you somewhere soon!
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Imprint: As the Clarion is published in Germany this information is added in accordance with German law: V.i.S.d.P.: Erwin Pfuhler * Waldeckstr. 56 * 81543 Muenchen * erwinp@boxbe.com Contributors in this edition: Barbara, Hoerger, Olivia Schofield, Toni Purdy, Mira Vlach, Christopher Magyar, Erwin Pfuhler The names Toastmasters International, Toastmasters and the Toastmasters International emblem are trademarks protected. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Clarion September 2011 • District 59 • Where Leaders Are Made • www.district59.org
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