Speaker 1 0:00

And then I'll launch into the questions. Now let me just check that. My microphone's okay. Okay, all righty, well, we'll get going. So we'll start in three, two, one. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to episode 53 of the Talkative Toastmaster podcast. This week I'm speaking with Pam Holley, a member of the Redlands, indra, pili and Hot Toastmasters Clubs in District 69. She's been a toastmaster for 12 years and amongst her club duties has also been district parliamentarian and a club coach, where she successfully coached Yarning Toastmasters Club to the president's distinguished status. Pam and I have been bumping into each other a fair bit at some of the recent area and district functions in the last couple of months, and it's a pleasure to be speaking with you today, pam. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 1:01

Thanks, melanie, lovely to be with you. Thank you.

Speaker 1 1:11

Oh, thanks for joining in. So there's heaps to talk about, but let's perhaps start by you telling us when did you join Toastmasters and what drove that decision for you.

Speaker 2 1:17

Well, as you mentioned, I've been a Toastmaster for 12 years and I actually looked up the date I joined on the 1st of April, would you believe Might be a common day for Toastmasters tragics, yes. And the reason I joined? Well, I'd heard about Toastmasters many, many years earlier. We had some wonderful friends who were Toastmasters back in South Africa, where I come from, but I never had time, as most people don't, until I started working from home once or twice a week. And then I thought, well, maybe that's something to look into. And I actually found an advert in the local newspaper advertising a Toastmasters open house, and it was at the end of January, and that year, unfortunately, I wasn't available. I was going to be overseas for that week, so I didn't go and I thought, oh dear, I've missed it. And then, a year later, they put up another advert. So I hadn't realized I could go any time. But I did go a year later and, yeah, that was 2012, and here I am still a Toastmaster.

Speaker 1 2:24

And which club did you start in that?

Speaker 2 2:27

was Redlands, which is literally just around the corner from me in Cleveland. I can roll out of bed and the front door of the CWA hall.

Speaker 1 2:36

Excellent, excellent. And so when did you join the second and then subsequent clubs?

Speaker 2 2:42

I joined. Well, after I'd been in the club a couple of years. I went through. I was. My first role was VP Education and then President, and then in the following year I was Area Director for the first time, but I wasn't Area Director for my home area. Nobody else had put up their hand for that job and I'd put up my hand as well, but there weren't any positions for me. But, as it so happened, the person from Area 33 at the time couldn't take it on, so I was asked if I'd do that.

Speaker 2 3:15

Now that's right over at the other end of town the Interpolite Club is. It's about an hour's drive from here. Oh, wow, yeah. So I went out to my four clubs in the in that area quite regularly. I got to know them and two or three years later Indra Pilley decided that they needed a coach. So I coached them for a year. We got them to presidents, distinguished as well. I didn't join until about a year or so after that and that was always my my fun club. I didn't join until about a year or so after that.

Speaker 2 3:44

And that was always my fun club. I didn't have any officer roles in that club until about two years ago and, yeah, it's always been a fun club. It's worth going to, worth that one-hour drive out there. So that was then. And then the third club I joined is HOT, which is an online-only club, and that started, as most people in the district would probably know, during the pandemic.

Speaker 2 4:14

When the pandemic started, our then Program Quality Director, barbara, started up, had an incentive and started this online club. Started up, had an incentive and started this online club. We met for an hour at lunchtime every single day during the pandemic just to do table topics and get ourselves familiar with using zoom, which was new to most of us, and it was wonderful and eventually out of that pot emerged as a full-blown club. It's an advanced club and it meets for one hour on a Sunday lunchtime. Oh, okay, 12.30 to 1.30 every Sunday. We focus mainly on table topics. We do table topics three of the four weeks and then one week we have a speech-a-thon just to keep our Toastmasters roles all there for the year. So we do speeches and, of course, with the table topics, we have evaluations of the table topics. So they're very quick and impromptu as well.

Speaker 1 5:18

So those are my three clubs. Yes, Wow, that must keep you busy. It does, yes. And what do you most enjoy being a member of Toastmasters? You've obviously been in lots of different clubs and different people and experiences, but what do you most enjoy?

Speaker 2 5:33

Well, that's probably it the different people, getting to know different people and hearing their stories, the camaraderie that's what I enjoy. I also enjoy watching those transformations and I put that down really to Toastmasters speciality. I think evaluations are pretty much unique to Toastmasters as a public speaking organization and I think those evaluations do make a huge difference, just seeing how people improve. So, yeah, that's what I enjoy, just seeing that. And fun there's always fun. Every single meeting is fun. If there weren't fun, I don't think I'd be going back.

Speaker 1 6:13

And it sounds like Redlands. Some of the events that you mentioned, like mock weddings and fairy tales and the shipwreck debate, tell me about some of those. Are they longstanding traditions at the Redlands Club?

Speaker 2 6:26

I don't know about longstanding traditions, but we do try to do a special event at least once a year. So yes, the Bok wedding, which is probably the first one I remember being involved in. There was a script for a wedding going around the district at that time with an Irish and Italian couple that get married, and I had planned that as I was VP Education. How's this going to pan out? I've mentioned it a few times at meetings but nobody really sounded too excited until about two weeks before the meeting I said, ok, now we've got to do it. And who's going to take on this role, that role and the next role, thinking it would be difficult, and I said it's got to be the bride. And I just looked around the room, made eye contact with someone and she said, oh well, okay, who will be the groom? And the person sitting next to her said yeah, I'll do that. And we just had the whole. Well, everybody, all of the roles were filled in next to no time and it was really great fun and we found that we do enjoy that role playing and I think it gives an extra outlet. I was actually the father of the bride at that particular meeting and one of the projects I had to do was a roast, and I was really struggling with that by role-playing and roasting my son-in-law, I think it was. Yeah, I could do that, so we do find that that sort of thing fun.

Speaker 2 7:56

Then we had a murder mystery a few years later where we all dressed up and in all of these we always do speeches that are pathway speeches or in those annual speeches, the murder mystery. At that stage we were just into pathways and a few people finishing level one where we had to do the research and presenting, yeah, so each person was given a role, also from something I had with me, the steampunk theme and we had Einstein and Rembrandt and Amelia Earhart and a couple of different people and we had speeches about either those people or their times and it was fun with being the murder mystery. We had food we always have good food at Redlands and we had things like death by chocolate or Bloody Mary and Soylent Green all these horrible murder and death type of foods done up. So great fun and with the names, yes. Then we had Fairy Tales on Trial, which was another interesting one, and that was actually during the pandemic and on one of the few days that we actually had to meet online. We thought, well, should we cancel it and or postpone it? But it was coming up for the end of the year.

Speaker 2 9:10

It happened to be the May meeting where we had to have our club elections as well, and it actually worked out to be great fun because we brought in people from outside to be the jury and they went out into a breakout room to deliberate after the strikes it was the three little pigs and the wolf, I think it was so they did their deliberating while we were doing our elections after having passed the trial. And, yeah, that again was also great fun. Again, great names we had for the people. We had a witness called I Saw it. And again, great names we had for the people. We had a witness called I Saw it and we had the lawyer was Crispy Bacon and Miss Babe was the pig and people got to do their persuasive speeches in the, the lawyers and the witnesses doing their persuasive speeches or other speeches that were relevant to the projects they were working on at the time.

Speaker 1 10:04

It's great that you've been able to mix up the programs to make it interesting. Keep it interesting.

Speaker 2 10:11

That's right, and we always do try to make sure we do get credit for what we've done. So somebody in the original ones we didn't have those leadership projects that we have to do now planning an event but we do now do those as well. So the person who organises them would be planning an event and do it as their project but get extra credits out of them as well.

Speaker 1 10:35

Oh, that's good. Yeah, I think there's so many ways you can use those speeches to make them count for pathways which I've always found important. Use those speeches to make them count for pathways which I've always found important, you know, make them count and yeah, but also keep it interesting and stretch people's creativity as well. It just sounds like you have that part of it really down pat at your clubs. It's great we do there.

Speaker 2 11:00

Yes, we actually had a little online mock wedding at HOT a few weeks ago, which was also great, fun, wonderful speeches, the, the toasts and the roasts again.

Speaker 1 11:10

So but, again you, there's not too many places you can practice that you know in, except in front of families, and and often it's going to be those family members that you're going to be toasting or roasting. So yeah, to be able to practice, because that's quite a specific skill, the toasting and roasting.

Speaker 2 11:30

Absolutely yes, and yeah, there is a project in Pathways for that and it's fun to do that presenting an award. Actually, that's something else we have done a few times that I didn't mention to you is speechcraft courses, and we once did one for a group of. It was soccer referees and they wanted it specifically because they were presenting and receiving awards. We went through the speechcraft course with them and then at the final dinner they all had to do the awards and some of us were convinced that they were real awards. We actually had to check with them afterwards to see if they were just the awards they were using for the exercise or if they were so, so well done. It was amazing. That is a good project to be able to do and you know we often get people coming in wanting to join six weeks before their daughter's wedding so that they can get used to doing a father of the bride speech, and of course that doesn't work.

Speaker 2 12:32

But yeah yeah you need a little bit more time, a bit more time to prepare they get a tip or two by coming in and just listening and seeing what happens. It does evaluations as well, getting some practice in.

Speaker 1 12:48

And in terms of you mentioned Speechcraft, so the six to eight-week program. What about the coaching aspect, because you've mentioned that you've coached a couple of clubs and are you still a coach? Not this year, I was last year. Yeah, how have you found the coaching process? I guess yeah.

Speaker 2 13:11

Well, I've actually done it three times and the first one was wonderful because and so was the last one that I just did last year with Yarning the clubs were very receptive, they wanted a coach. The other one did as well, but that happened during COVID and they fell a bit apart for various reasons, so that one didn't go through and the club eventually folded. Various reasons so that yeah didn't go through and the club eventually folded. But yeah, yeah, the.

Speaker 2 13:39

I think the main thing with coaching is to have a club that wants to be coached. You can't force yourself on them. Yeah, and it's just a bit of polishing and noticing things that can be done differently. One of the things I found at the first club I coached was that they were asking guests right up front at the start of the meeting to introduce themselves, and these poor guests would stand up and this is what they'd come, because they were scared of speaking in front of people, and now they're the first one they don't know how long to speak for, yeah things.

Speaker 2 14:11

So if it's, you know, just those little tweaks doing that, giving them name badges so that they can be identified and making them feel part of the group there were a lot of little tweaks that we could do, and all of the clubs were very different and had different things that needed tweaking. It's just, I guess, that power of observation that you need to have and ability to help and, as I said, the main thing is that the club must want it and be willing to put their effort in. It's pointless going in and doing it. You really have to get them to do it and understand what needs to be done and hopefully for it to carry on afterwards. That's the big thing.

Speaker 1 14:53

Yes, and how long is it a minimum of six months that you need to be a coach, or yeah, what? How does that part of it work?

Speaker 2 15:02

yeah, it's a minimum of six months, which means I don't think it was always six months you now have to start before December in order to get your six months. The six the period ends on the 30th of June, right? So it's at least six months. The six the period ends on the 30th of june, right? So it's at least six months up until the 30th of june. It's usually a one year period maximum. It depends, of course, on when you join. So if you, when you start, start in september, you've got nine months yeah, okay, but it can be extended for another year.

Speaker 2 15:32

Okay, if necessary, it can be extended even further. You can have more than one coach. In my cases, in two of them I was the only coach and in one of them there was a second coach, and that's helpful because you get two people with their different ideas and being able to help and, being those, get the extra bums on seats, which is people to meetings, I think. Yeah, it's. Also, you don't always have to go to every. Well, you don't have to go to every meeting anyway, but I like to go to as many as possible. But if you're a co-coach, then that person can also go. And, of course, you have to have fewer than 12 or fewer members in order. Well, the club has to have 12 fewer members to ask for a coach. Yes, there's actually a process now. There's a little mini course that you have to do to somebody from the club. One of the officers and the coach have both got to go through this course.

Speaker 1 16:34

Oh, that's good. I guess it sets expectations and lets both parties know what they're in for and what's expected.

Speaker 2 16:45

Yes, yes, it's good. And it's a good thing to do and of course it's something that anybody who's wanting to do a DTM would have to do the coaching. But it's something that's available and there usually are a number of clubs that need coaching. The difficult one is to find the clubs that want coaching.

Speaker 1 17:04

Yeah, yeah, it's on my list to do in the next I don't know 12 to 18 months or whenever the opportunity arises. So I'll be on the lookout. Yeah, probably, probably from about next june. I would say we'll see see what happens.

Speaker 2 17:21

But uh, after your area director.

Speaker 1 17:24

Yeah, yes, yes, yes again yes yeah, a bit of bit of a break. Now what's what's been? Would you say some of the most valuable skills you've learned during your time, because you've done so many things the coaching and competing and pathways and things like that but yeah, what would you say the most valuable skills?

Speaker 2 17:45

I haven't actually done that much competing. I usually end up being the judge or the organizer, and that's something I think it's. Organizing is what I've learned, and keeping the organizing structured. But there are a few things. I think it's being aware of time and waffling, getting to the point, not wasting other people's time, not wasting your own time, your own time, and also, I think one of the things in particular is that respect and appreciation of other people and the diversity of people.

Speaker 2 18:25

As an example, we had a guest walk into our club once and he was dressed up in his high-vis outfit and he didn't make any eye contact and I thought, oh, I wonder if he's actually meant to be here, if he wants to be here. I spoke to him and he could hardly respond and you know we don't want this person and he turned out to be the most wonderful person he joined. He did have Asperger's or some form of autism, but and he admitted it freely and he is wanting to be an advocate for that. Unfortunately, he's left the club. He's moved over to the United States. Oh, but he's, he's joined a club there as well. Good, he's still trying to go on with his advocacy that he's. He's trying to get to.

Speaker 2 19:18

He actually managed to win a couple of our club contests, even wow competed area, and do really well at that, yes, with not even being able to string two words together and look at anybody when he first came in. It was amazing. So that's, that's something that I've learned is to appreciate other people and not judge. Well, not judge, but cover it. I'd say yes, and then I guess the other thing is just learning not to judge myself too harshly. I guess we don't have to be perfect. I guess the idea is to aim to be better next time than we were last time, and better this time than well, better next time than we are this time, better this time than we were last time. So always keep on that steady improvement slope, I guess is what we're saying here.

Speaker 1 20:16

Yeah, absolutely. And I think the whole evaluation process and when we're looking for the good things that other people are doing, the great things and their strengths and their opportunities for improvement, it's always couched like that. So you're right when we can turn that scrutiny to ourselves but say, hey, actually I did this really well, I did this this and this really well, I could improve. Yeah, I just think you're right. It helps to be less judgmental and more compassionate, I suppose, with ourselves, as we would be with other people. So yeah.

Speaker 1 20:54

I haven't heard that perspective of getting value out of Toastmasters expressed quite like that.

Speaker 2 21:04

A real value I did get. That you've just reminded me of is the buzz. I always get a buzz out of a Toastmasters meeting. I can go in feeling exhausted and come back to be buzzing, and one of those first meetings it was back in 2012,. I went to bed and I couldn't sleep and I got up and I watched the news that I'd recorded and it was the last night on which solar panels were available for the special discounts and rates feeding tariffs that we were getting, and it was about three minutes to midnight and I got in and I submitted my form and I actually got it and, yeah, that's been brilliant. I haven't paid for electricity for the last 10 years.

Speaker 1 21:44

I could probably thank Toastmasters for that oh, there you go for the buzz, yeah, yeah, I agree, I think there's something in just in hanging around inspiring people. Toastmasters are never dull. They're interesting people, I think, because they can tell their stories in interesting ways and typically tend to be good conversationalists. So it's yeah. Even contests and I know we've both been to a few recently it can start off thinking, okay, here we go another one. But when you get into it and you're hearing the speeches and the evaluations and everyone's in full swing yeah, I, always. It's tiring, but it's inspiring.

Speaker 2 22:31

Exactly. Yes, you're exhausted after the day, but you really feel invigorated.

Speaker 1 22:38

Yeah.

Speaker 2 22:40

Yes.

Speaker 1 22:40

Yeah, that said, I won't be at all upset when this contest season comes to an end.

Speaker 2 22:47

And the next one starts.

Speaker 1 22:48

Yeah, exactly, exactly. Got to love that annual nonstop calendar, but what would you say to I know, let me, let me start another question. Um, so you've mentioned as well one of the other projects you've taken on was to be the free toast host ambassador. So can you tell me about that and and what that means to Toastmasters? Sounds quite specialist.

Speaker 2 23:16

Sure, yeah, well, free. Toast Host is a free website platform available to all Toastmasters clubs and most, I'd say well over half of them. There were 11,000 at one stage, but we had more clubs then were using it, so a large proportion of clubs do use it. It is free and very easy to use and it's easy to transfer to the next person, and they actually only run on by volunteers managing the whole system, and I'm one of the few. There are less than 10 of us, 10 ambassadors, who do help anybody who comes up onto the support site with queries.

Speaker 2 24:02

So there's a lot of documentation for help available. But yeah, it is something that is wonderful it's got. It's a one-stop shop, I'd say, and I use it at Redlands totally as a one-stop shop. We've got all of our agendas for the last 12 years. Anybody can look up any of the speeches they've done over that time and the roles they've taken. That's all stored and recorded and it's a great tool for the vice president of education to work out who should. Well, the forward planning it's all built into the agendas. It's membership management management, so you can send emails out to all the members and your whoever vppr or vice president membership whoever sends emails out to guests can just send that out to guests just in one fell swoop. Through that make custom groups for sending things to you for certain projects. It's really handy and probably one of the should I say best kept, or worst kept secrets. I know about it. Unfortunately, not many people use it to its fullest extent. All of our role descriptions, all of our meeting minutes it's linked to our.

Speaker 2 25:13

We do have a google drive with some of our documents, but everything's linked to that so every our members want to go, and even when they go to pathways, they go via the club to get to the quick access website. Yes, so, but yeah, then it doesn't take too much time being an ambassador. As I say, there are only 10 or 12 of us for the whole world less than eight or ten of us at the moment and a couple of queries come in pretty much every day. There's not many days that we don't get any queries at all. They getting less and less as people are getting used to them tweaked as well, which is, yeah, the main thing that helps. At the change of year, we get quite a few queries with new people coming in.

Speaker 1 26:01

New executives, swapping over, I guess as well. Yeah, and has that sort of been a skill that you've developed in Toastmasters? You know web, I guess not development, but web administration and web management. Was that sort of a new skill or you'd done that elsewhere, or yes and no, I'm a software developer.

Speaker 2 26:21

Okay, when I started, when I joined the club in the first year as I joined in April and they had the elections in May asked me if I'd be on the committee and I thought, no, this is way too soon. But I said yeah, but I'd help with anything. And the suggestion came up. Or I volunteered to help with the website. And that's how I got into it, just using our website and wanting more out of it or wanting to know more. So I went through the support site and got roped in.

Speaker 1 26:52

Oh, it sounds like one of those common things with Toastmasters.

Speaker 2 26:56

You look remotely like.

Speaker 1 26:57

you know what you're doing and there you go. You should do that role now. No, but it definitely sounds like it. You know free Toast sites have a whole lot of functionality that would help VPEs and VPNs and, yeah, Treasure is yes, you can just send out your dues notice.

Speaker 2 27:19

just pop it out and there you go, mm mm.

Speaker 1 27:23

Excellent. Oh well, that's. You sound very busy. And what are the? Do you have other projects on the side currently, or do you have any specific goals for the coming year?

Speaker 2 27:36

Sure, goals for the coming year. I well, I guess I would like to finish a path, or maybe two. I've got two paths that are close to finished, so one of them I definitely will finish. I've got to do my icebreaker speech.

Speaker 1 27:50

That's the last project it's always fun, always fun to revisit the icebreaker.

Speaker 2 27:58

Yes, and yeah. So finishing those off, um, oh, I've been asked to be dtm mentor for the district this year, so I've got to get going with that. I've got plans for club the next round of club officer training that in into that. So I do have a project well, a powerpoint, should we say half done, need to finish that off. Otherwise, not no real projects that I'm needing to finish this year, apart from to get all of my clubs to presidents distinguished yet again. Presidents distinguished for 11 years and well on track for the 12th year now. So, oh, wow, yeah, yeah. And HOT has been President's Distinguished every year since we started and we've sold this month.

Speaker 1 28:46

Yeah, I think it's a great measure of quality, like I like ticking things off. I like you know, seeing new members coming in and training being done and people moving through pathways, and yeah, I think it's an important part of the process. But it also sounds like your clubs embrace it and I think it makes a difference when you know you certainly have a couple of people driving it and, I guess, imparting the importance of it, but also the clubs participating. So, yeah, some clubs seem to take it way more seriously than other clubs.

Speaker 2 29:25

Well, I think it's just a matter of once you're rolling and doing things, it just manages itself. Yeah, once you've got it going, it's easy to keep going, as long as you keep the membership up. Yes, people are giving speeches and they're pathway speeches. They're getting through their projects and we're ticking those off. And, yeah, redlands have got a great Vice President's education this year. It's doing a marvellous job. Making sure people go in now with the new base camp is so much better. Yes, going in and ticking off and finishing off their projects, which is brilliant.

Speaker 1 30:02

Yes, and when you mentioned DTM mentor for next year, what does that role involve?

Speaker 2 30:11

it's basically just helping and promoting the distinguished host master project for those people who might not know where they need to go next. So, for instance, yourself wanting to do the coaching, that sort of thing, just what's available? How can we link you up with clubs, that sort of thing? So we'll do that in combination with our club growth director and our coach manager coaching manager deb. So it'll be fun as a group thing, but just trying to make sure that everybody's aware of what it means. And also the one of the things you need to do is you would probably be aware is the dtm project. There are some suggestions for projects that we've got, so if people are looking for those, we we'll try and look them up and in fact there's one that might suit you very much.

Speaker 1 31:04

Oh, I was going to say what are some examples of DTM projects that you might suggest?

Speaker 2 31:09

Well, a couple that our public relations managers got in mind for public relations exercises for the district and to keep those rolling. They might involve some podcastings.

Speaker 1 31:22

Ah, yes, I must have a chat with him. I'm how he's uh, josh is in one of my clubs, so, yes, I'll, uh, I will have a chat. But, um, one thing I have thought about as a DTM project is to do a slight take on this podcast, maybe in the new year, and try and get a bit of a specific history about District 69 in a recorded format. So just interview people quite specifically about you know, the early days and the formation of the various, whether it's old area governors or you know people like that. So, yeah, that's one idea. I've floated around with our district historian and a couple of people just to see if one it would be relevant and useful and yeah, so that's something I have in mind.

Speaker 2 32:18

Well, that sounds fantastic, sounds like a brilliant idea and that's something that also could be kept rolling, probably just every year. Add a few more to those, yeah, yes, talking about that, the history quite coincidentally, our club Redlands is turning 40 in May. Oh wow, 10 years ago it turned 30 and I happened to be at the district conference just around the same time, just before we were having our celebration. I met Di Riddell there, and it happened that she was district governor in those days when we were chartered.

Speaker 1 32:59

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 33:00

It was fantastic to be able to get her, and she actually came to our 30th anniversary and we get her back to our 40th as well.

Speaker 1 33:08

Oh, wow, yeah, yeah, I think it's important to be able to keep the history and to keep the you know, to get the stories out and to record them. And yeah, it's nice sort of hearing, hearing a bit about our heritage. So, yeah, wow, 40 years, that's, that's.

Speaker 2 33:30

That is a solid, solid milestone that is yes, and apparently we've been in the same at the same venue all that time. Wow, incredible yeah yeah, that's that.

Speaker 1 33:42

that's awesome. I haven't been to Redlands. I must come out for a visit one time. You're welcome. You're welcome any time, thank you. Now what would you say, pam, to people out there who are interested in Toastmasters but are nervous about going into that first meeting?

Speaker 2 34:00

I'd say just do it. You can't change your prospects for work. As I said earlier, feedback sets Toastmasters aside, and you'll be amazed just listening at those first ones to how evaluations help in all aspects, not only with work but with friends and family as well, and I'm sure it will. It will boost your self-esteem. It's amazing how that clapping which sounds strange in the beginning but it really does help and you can enjoy that unlimited personal growth and at the worst, you're going to just have a great night of entertainment.

Speaker 2 34:37

If you don't join, you can go and visit another club. You'll probably pick up a few tips even just by going once, but I think most people who come along are likely to come again and don't waste their time. There are people I've heard of so many people who get to the door and never get in, or it takes months to get in and then they're so sorry that they didn't come in earlier. I mean, I am I only joined late enough. If I'd joined 30 or 40 years ago it would have been different, yeah. So yeah, I'd say just do it, just do it.

Speaker 1 35:11

Yeah, absolutely, and is there anything?

Speaker 2 35:18

else that you would like to share before we wrap up. I suppose I'd say that well, the more that you put in, the more you're going to get out of it, and I'd say probably you're going to be having a lot of existing Toastmasters listening to your podcasts and to then put up your hand for leadership roles. That takes you to a whole new level at the club and again at district. You learn so much more and it is really beneficial. That's where value, I think, really comes out, apart from the evaluations which are at the club level, but coming in for the leadership that you can do in Toastmasters and you get so much support for that.

Speaker 1 35:57

Yeah, I agree, I mean, this is my first out of club role as an area director and I think in the first three months I learned more about the organization and the structure and because I'd never really been able to wrap my head around the levels, the area and the division and district and I always used to get them mixed up, but they're very cemented now. I don't get mixed up at all now. And then I think the last last three months I've probably learned more about contests and the behind the scenes aspect of having competed quite a number of times. But, yeah, the back end of all of that and what goes on to get a contest up and running, yeah, I can only imagine what I will learn in the next three months and the three months after that. And that's one year in my Toastmasters career which, yeah, I just wouldn't have necessarily thought there was that much. And that's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the other roles that are there. So, yes, I would agree with you wholeheartedly on that one absolutely, and yes, you learn.

Speaker 2 37:05

The other big thing that I think I've learned out of Toastmasters is to be adaptable. Yeah, that's something you really learn at contests, when you're organizing things and things just aren't going according to plan or somebody's left something behind that they were meant to have, or there's a trophy, just substitute it with another trophy. Yeah, adaptability is something that certainly goes hand in hand with especially being vp education. It tells us probably all contest organizers as well. Yes, yeah, director, yeah yeah, there's.

Speaker 1 37:42

There's so many things that are just having to handle last minute and contingency planning and, yeah, as you say, just adapting whether it's meetings or or yeah, there's always something, isn't there, oh, excellent, well. Well, look, pam, I've really enjoyed speaking with you and hearing about your journey and just the various things that you have done. Thank you so much for, as I said, I've seen you around so many times in the last couple of months, so you just sort of seem to be helping everywhere. So, you know, thank you for what you do for the organisation and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the show today.

Speaker 2 38:24

Thank you, melanie, and thanks for all that you're doing. Your podcasts are absolutely brilliant. I listen to them very regularly and you know I always get some benefits out of them. So thank you, and I'm sure you'll be around for a long time and doing plenty too.

Speaker 1 38:41

Excellent, I hope so. Well, you have a great Christmas and all the best for the new year, and to you as, well, thank you. Thanks, Pam.