Rovers Blog

Rovers Weekend in Carlisle.

LD — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 18:03:00 +0000

The Rovers held their annual training weekend in Carlisle this year from 4th to 6th September. As usual we stayed in the Old Brewery Residences and held the training meetings there.

On Friday night everyone met up and went out for dinner to the Quarter Lounge which was most enjoyable.

Saturday morning started with the customary coffee and muffins/yum yums etc. The first item on the Agenda was the Club Business meeting followed by an excellent Report on Convention by Nancy Sanderson. The first workshop was by Yvonne Baker - "Performing not Conversing". This was followed by our usual delicious buffet lunch and then on to the Speech Contest.

Margaret Robertson was the Speech Contest Chairman

and the contest was followed by a most entertaining speech by Stella Sneddon

The worthy winners were Diana Porterfield and Laurence Coates.

Saturday night and the members enjoyed a fabulous dinner by Derek Armstrong. This was followed by a hilarious "Cinderella" tale told by various members instead of a Topic Session. This was led by iris Gibson and a number of members took part.

Sunday morning was started with more Coffee and muffins etc then a workshop by Linda Griffin "The Selling Game". This was something completely different and made the members think about quite different skills. The final workshop was a Debate led by Rosemary Low. The motion "Animals are an acceptable source of sport and entertainment." was lost.

The vote of thanks was given by Diana Porterfield and this concluded a very enjoyable weekend

Rovers Training Weekend – Draft Programme

LGC — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:03:00 +0000

Friday Sept 6th

Members and guests arrive.
7.30pm Dinner at the Quarter Lounge,12 Treasury Court, Carlisle, CA3 8RF for those who wish to attend.

Saturday Sept 7th

Further members and guests arrive.
10am Coffee/tea and muffins in Lounge
10.30am Club Business Meeting
11.00 -11.30 Report on Convention
11.30 -12.30 Workshop “Performing not Conversing”
12.30pm Buffet Lunch
2pm Speech Contest
3pm Free Time
7.30 for 8pm Dinner

Sunday Sept 8th

10am Coffee/tea and muffins in Lounge
10.30 am Workshop (subject to be confirmed)
11.30 am Debate
12.30pm Winding up
1pm End of weekend

Rovers Writings

LGC — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 22:11:00 +0000

Gems

Theme: Gems (whether “precious stones”, “people held in high esteem”, “treasured things” …)

Gems – Precious Names for Girls

By Yvonne Baker

Are you looking for a name for your new born girl child? If so, you might like to consider using the name of a gem stone to signify your delight at the birth and how precious the child is to you and your family. There is a big choice, if you consider all the popular gems you can see in a jeweller’s window, but for some reason only a few are popular with the public for naming a child.
Gem stones you could consider are:

ALEXANDRITE	EMERALD	LAPIS LAZULI	QUARTZ
AMBER	FIRE OPAL	LARIMAR	RUBY
AMETHYST	GARNET	MARCASITE	SAPPHIRE
APATITE	HELIOTROPE	MOISSANITE	SPINEL
AQUAMARINE	IOLITE	MOONSTONE	TANZANITE
CITRINE	IVORY	ONYX	TOPAZ
CORAL	JADE	OPAL	TOURMALINE
CUBIC ZIRCONIA	JASPER	PEARL	TIGERS EYE
DIAMOND	JET	PERIDOT	TURQUIOSE

Of these, the ones that are popular as names in the English language are few. The most common are Amber, Pearl, Opal, Ruby and Jade. To me the only one of these, that brings to mind really vibrant colour is Ruby. If I were choosing a gem stone name, I would want it to reflect colour as well as preciousness.
Of course, not all the names we use in the English speaking world have an English language derivation. It is interesting to note that a number of common names relate to gem stones, although we probably wouldn’t recognise that. Most of these seem relate to “pearls” as identified in the examples below, making “Pearl” the most popular gem-related name I have come across.
BERYL: English gem name meaning "beryl," from Greek beryllos (applied to all green gemstones).
CHERYL: This is probably a blend of Cherie "darling" and the gem name Beryl, hence "darling beryl."
ESMERALDA: Spanish name meaning "emerald."
GRETEL: Pet form of German Grete, meaning "pearl."
MAISIE: Anglicized form of Scottish Mysie, a pet form of Mairead meaning " pearl."
MARGARET: English form of French Marguerite, meaning "pearl."
MARGOT: Pet form of French Marguerite, meaning "pearl."
The choice is yours. My choice would be “Turquoise” to imply brightness, depth and value. To me, this would be a great name for a precious gem of a child.

Snow White has a lot to answer for…

By Anonymous

I first saw Disney’s “Snow White” when I was 8 years old in the local cinema in my home town of Girvan. I enjoyed the beginning of the film and was amused to see the princess find the little cottage in the forest – who lived there? Then we cut to the next scene, where the seven dwarves were hard at work underground, mining for ………….. “Wow! Look at the shiny stones in the rocks – they’re all different colours and so beautiful!“

I was transfixed.

From then on, I was drawn to any film which contained the promise of jewels and treasure but these were as naught when, at age 10, I discovered my first crystal in a rock, picked up from a rocky shore. Who cared that it wasn’t worth anything, it was my first true treasure. As I got older, I was fascinated by any kind of naturally-occurring crystal or gemstone but wasn’t that bothered about diamonds – I much preferred coloured stones.

This changed one cloudy day in Paisley when, as a police officer, I finished a stint of directing traffic near Paisley Abbey. I turned around to face some shops at the same time as the sun broke through the clouds and hit the front windows of Gillouglies, a jewellery shop that specialised in diamond jewellery. The whole shop front exploded into piercing bursts of light of so many colours that I was left open-mouthed, much to the amusement of my fellow officer.

I was hooked.

At university, geology fieldwork allowed me to knock seven bells out of unsuspecting rock faces in my search for sparklers like prehennite, rose quartz, garnets and sapphires. (There’re supposed to be sapphire ‘pipes’ off the west coast of Scotland, albeit of poor quality. I haven’t found them but, isn’t it a wonderful image?) I was never that successful but poor results failed to douse my enthusiasm.

Then I travelled to New York and visited the American Natural History Museum where I noted that they had an extensive rock collection. I arranged to meet up with my friends half an hour later and toddled off to said exhibition. What I found absolutely blew my mind and left me speechless (yes, it can happen). There was case after case of every gemstone in the world – in both their natural and cut and polished forms. Then I saw the diamonds – of every type, size and colour from yellow to red (even brown!) Beautiful facsimiles of the most famous gems were included – the Cullinan, which is part of the British Crown Jewels to the dark grey- blue Hope Diamond. If you’ve never been to this exhibition, put it on your list, it’s fabulous.

Two hours later, my friends finally found me, nose almost pressed to a diamond case. When they began to remonstrate with me I just shrugged and said, ”Sorry, it’s not my fault - Snow White has a lot to answer for…!”

Geniuses in Experimental Media

By Laurence Coates

Who is more creative; people who build castles in the air or people who build castles on the ground? Kirsty Young, talking to Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell on Desert Island Discs said: “Even now we tend to sort of bracket the arts and the sciences separately in education. You know we've got creative and interesting in one silo and we've got difficult and logical in the next. It's terribly unhelpful”. The professor replied: “It's very unhelpful and I think its very untrue. I think all good scientists are very creative and I think science is interesting it has some words and some phrases that, if you don't know them, you feel outside it but they're only jargon”.
So why do we persist with this inane dichotomy? Creative OR scientific but not both? Cartoonists represent an idea with a light bulb so let's start there. The light bulb was invented by Joseph Swan and his home in Gateshead was the first to be lit with electric light bulbs. So if you are reading a novel on a winter evening be as thankful for the creativity of the Joseph Swan as for that of the novelist. Of course you wouldn't have the book if Johannes Gutenberg hadn't invented mechanical movable type.
For the electric light to work you need a power supply. So you must acknowledge the creativity of Nikola Tesla who worked out how to transmit electrical power over great distances. All your electrical items bear the names of creative scientists and engineers: Volt[a], Amp[ere], Ohm, Hertz and Watt. James Watt may be more associated with steam power than electricity but Watt's control device for steam engine, the governor, employed the principle of negative feedback which is important to all control systems.
For once let's acknowledge that the truly creative GEMS are the logical, inventive ones. Look at the technology around you and admit that it makes it possible for you to enjoy the arts in all their various forms. You need the castles on the ground to enjoy the castles in the air.

Gems from the Sweet Shop

By Colin Gray

When I was a boy, I used to have to travel a couple of miles to school. At the half way point was a sweet shop. There was only room for half a dozen customers at a time. The walls were covered by shelves holding large glass jars full of all types of sweets: liquorice sticks, gob stoppers, sherbets and Pontefract Cakes are some of the ones I can remember now. There were some delicious toffees. On the wrapper was a picture of a girl with one. Her dog looked longingly up at it and the caption said “Too good for you, Spot”. Today, of course, there is a return to the traditional sweet shop, but I find them unconvincing. They are too spacious, too neat, too brightly lit, the floor is too frequently swept. The slightly dusty atmosphere, the dingy electric light, the sweet jars all crowded together, these necessary features are lacking.

Gems were actually my least favourite sweet. If you can imagine a jelly made in a traditional mould but only as large as your fingernail you’d have a good idea of what they looked like. The green ones had a pungent lime flavour, but the yellow, red and black ones were a little bland. But, they were the cheapest sweet in the shop. For a few coppers, a handful would be poured onto the scales and then into a paper bag. My real favourites were “Lucky Strikes”. These looked exactly like a packet of real cigarettes. Don’t light them, remove the cigarette paper to reveal, not tobacco, but a tube of delicious milk chocolate. What outrage there would be today if they were still made! “Our children are being encouraged to take up a cancer causing habit” would be the cry.

You would be served by Pip. A slightly built man, he was clearly not in the best of health. Some said he had tuberculosis. Certainly, the shop could be closed for weeks at a time when he was too ill to open up.

A month before I started school, a letter of five or six pages arrived. It gave details of school terms, the address of the “Gentlemen’s Outfitter” from where the uniform could be purchased and so on. It all seemed very serious and official and I could not understand why there was a chuckle in my father’s voice when he showed me the sentences “The bringing of sweets and other comestibles to school is forbidden. The bringing of comics and similar “literature” onto school premises is forbidden”. That must have been written by the headmaster. I can still hear his voice as I write this The benefit of gems, of course, was that if you could put one in your mouth without the teacher seeing, you could suck it for the duration the longest Monday morning physics lesson.

Today the little shop forms part of Tesco’s. As I squeeze my way round, I check that my purchases have minimal sugar, salt or fat in them. At most, I may treat myself to a bag of sunflower seeds. Such is progress!

Rovers Writings

LGC — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:59:00 +0000

The POWERtalk International Convention in 2015 will take place in Rotorua, New Zealand. Rovers members researched the location. Here are some extracts from the Rovers newsletter.

Rotorua, New Zealand

New Zealand

– An Independent Parliamentary Democracy

by Anonymous

New Zealand is an independent parliamentary democracy, with universal suffrage. But how did it become so?

New Zealand has of course been inhabited for many centuries. The first known settlers were the Māori peoples who arrived from 1250 AD onwards. For Europeans, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman discovered the islands in 1642, with more detailed exploration carried out by Captain James Cook in 1769. The first European missionary arrived in 1814 and European settlement gradually grew from then on. Various treaties were signed with the Māori peoples, which purported to give them independence. However, the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840 ceded the independence of New Zealand and its Māori peoples to the British Crown. A separate New Zealand parliament was established in 1853, with the right to self-governance in domestic matters. It was not until 1939 that New Zealand had full control over its own foreign and military policy.

The first parliament in 1853 was an elected bicameral (two house) parliament, based on the British model with its attendant suffrage patterns. Key steps in the enfranchisement of the whole population were:

1853 - Voting limited to male British subjects aged 21 or over who owned or rented sufficient property and were not imprisoned for a serious offence (most Māori men excluded as not deemed ‘property’ holders).
1860 - Voting extended to holders of miner's licenses who met certain criteria.
1867 - Four reserved Māori seats established in the lower house (no property qualification).
1879 - Property requirement abolished.
1893 - Women won equal voting rights with men - voting age lowered to 20.
1974 - Voting age lowered to 18.
1975 - Voting extended to all permanent residents of New Zealand.
1996 - Number of Māori seats increased to reflect Māori population.
2010 - Prisoners imprisoned for 1 year or more denied voting rights while serving sentence.

It is interesting to compare New Zealand’s progress towards full independence and full suffrage with that of other countries.

Full independence did not come particularly early; the former British colonies of India and Pakistan achieved full independence in 1947. New Zealand did not pass appropriate legislation until 1986 to become a free-standing constitutional monarchy, whose parliament has unlimited sovereign power. Is this an indication of a conservative and cautious nation?

On the other hand, in terms of their approach to universal suffrage New Zealand was well ahead of other similar nations, in relation to its indigenous population and to women. From1879 Māori men had equal suffrage with non-Māori, while in Australia the aboriginal peoples did not finally receive universal suffrage in federal elections until 1962. From 1893 women had equal voting rights with men, making New Zealand the first major nation in the world to allow adult women to vote. In Britain, it was not until 1928 that women had equal voting rights with men.

The Climate of New Zealand

by Laurence Coates

What determines the climate of a country? The main factors are latitude, altitude, air currents, sea currents and the presence of land.

Most of New Zealand lies below 40° south which makes it vulnerable to the “roaring forties”, strong westerly winds that can build up a great speed owing to the relative lack of major land masses in the southern hemisphere.

Ocean currents bring subtropical waters into contact with the subantarctic waters in a complex flow pattern around the islands. The merging of waters at different temperatures can generate a lot of clouds. The Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, is usually translated as “the land of the long white cloud”.

The climate varies from a subtropical region in the northernmost parts of North Island to a cool temperate region in southern New Zealand.

The Southern Alps run along the western side of South Island. The Alps shelter the east of South Island from the westerlies. While the west of South Island is the wettest part of the country, the east, by contrast, is the driest. The moist air from the westerlies dumps snow on the mountains and feeds the glaciers of which there are over 3,100 on South Island.

The mountain ranges of North Island are a continuation of the Southern Alps but only Mount Ruapehu is high enough to feature glaciers – eighteen in total.

In the absence of a nearby continental land mass, the surrounding ocean has a moderating effect on temperature changes in New Zealand. Annual variation in temperature is at a maximum of about 14°C (57°F) inland and to the east of the mountain ranges and even less elsewhere.

Convention is being held in Rotorua, located in central North Island. The latitude (38° south) is a little far north for it to suffer from the influence of the roaring forties and higher ground to the south and east provide a degree of shelter that keeps the wind down.

In spite of the altitude (290m/590ft), snow is uncommon. The last time it snowed was 2011 but it had not snowed for 50 years prior to that.

In July the average minimum air temperature for Rotorua is 3.5°C (38.3°F) and the average maximum is 12°C (53.6°F). This is similar to the average temperatures in April where I live. The average rainfall is similar to March here (over 100mm). My advice for Convention goers is to pack as for the Scottish lowlands in spring.

The Rovers Carlisle Weekend

LD — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 18:17:00 +0000

This was held on 5th to 7th September, 2014 as usual in the Old Brewery Halls, Bridge Lane, Carlisle. As usual the members met on the Friday evening in the Golden Pheasant for dinner.

Saturday morning started with the usual coffee and muffins which was then followed by the business meeting which was chaired by our President, Nancy Sanderson.

The Speech Contest was held immediately after the business meeting, and the winners were Diana Porterfield and Margaret Robertson. (shown with the Chairman of Judges, Liz Duncan)

After the usual delicious buffet lunch we were taken up to Hadrian's Wall where our excellent guide Ian told us of the history not only of Birdoswold, but also of the area.

Dinner on Saturday night was, as usual in the Hallmark Hotel.

Sunday morning was time for Workshops, Dress to Impress by Ruth Maltman, Evaluation by Evelyn Flett and Tai Chi by Diana Porterfield.

Everyone had a most enjoyable and informative weekend. Special mention goes to our newest member Yvonne Baker.

CALDEONIA COUNCIL AGM.

LD — Sun, 11 May 2014 17:59:00 +0000

Caledonia Council held its Annual General Meeting on 11th May, 201 in the Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling.

Following the Business Meeting the President, Liz D. presided over the AGM. The Board for the 2014-15 Session will be, Liz D. President, Terry McC., Vice President, Iris G. Secretary and Louise L. as Treasurer. The Peebles Cups were presented to Stirling for the most new members and Rovers for the best percentage of members attending meetings.

Nancy S. installed the Board.

Following the Business Meetings Liz D. presented an Evaluation Workshop using Chocolate which seemed to be appreciated by members.

After a delicious lunch the members enjoyed a most stimulating and interesting workshop by Scilla B on Journaling.


Members show their appreciation

This brought the 2013-14 Session of Caledonia Council to a close. Best wishes were extended to Diana P. Region President for Conference and also to the contestants in the Region Debate and Speech Contest.

ROVERS SPRING WEEKEND.

LD — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 14:50:00 +0000

Rosemary, President, welcomes members to Dinner on Friday 25th May.

Following Dinner there was a quiz, which was won by Linda Griffin. Evelyn was presented with a prize for guessing the writers of the Christmas Panto.

On Saturday, 26th April members were free to visit various local attractions, including the Scottish Seabird Centre, Dirlton Castle

Myreton Motor Museum displayed thirty five different models of cars, plus motorbikes and bicycles.

An enormous yellow Packard was labelled "a small runabout car for rich Americans in the Thirties"!

The National Museum of Flight stunned with the range of war planes on show.
Looking into the pilots’ cockpits left one speechless at the tiny space. Concorde? Yes, we saw it, we climbed into it, we marvelled at the zillions of switches to be operated by the pilot and navigator.

Dinner on Saturday night was served in the Dinning Room. Sunday morning saw us all saying goodbye after yet another walk along the sands… until next year.

POWERtalk Pollokshields Meeting 14th April 2014

AC — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 18:42:00 +0000

Our meeting on the 14th April was our Annual General Meeting and very sensibly our President
Brendan K asked club members if we would mind reversing the order of the meeting so that the AGM was held before normal club activities.      It proved to be a masterstroke!

Our Meeting was on the theme "HOMECOMING" and rather than choose topics, our Programme Chair for the evening Roz K decided to give this time over to Issues of the Day.

They ranged from the controversial decision to blow up the Red Road Flats being overturned which pleased Louise L, to whether celebrities have any sway on the "Yes" vote, Frances H thought not.
Anita C didn't favour a proposal to have a riverbus on the Clyde and Iris G made a case for not only
e-books but also paper ones as well.

Our education session given by Scilla B had us all paired off and competing with each other on the
meaning of Scottish names and the spelling of them too.    As we had lots to say - of course - the education session was fun but long.    Good thinking Brendan K to hold that AGM early!

Speeches were from Liz D on the horrors of the Great War and the impact across the country and the waste of losing so many millions of young men.    Frances H provided an insight into the delays and frustrations of the well seasoned traveller.

Anita C gave mini evaluations of the speeches and timings were given by Ruth M.

Following this we had a very brief Business Meeting which covered everything that was required
until the end of the season.

Our next meeting is an Interclub Meeting to be held on the 12th May at 7.15pm for a prompt 7.30pm start. As usual it will be held in the Loggia Room at Pollokshields Burgh Hall.

It will be hosted by former club member and game show award-winner Anne M who will lead us all in a nostalgic and fun look at the evolution of games on radio and television and will feature shows JUST A MINUTE, GIVE US A CLUE and POINTLESS.     Everyone has the opportunity of taking part in what promises to be a good humoured and competitive evening.

Pride and Prejudice: Jane Bennet

LGC — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 17:28:00 +0000

First of all, after all the wait I would really rather be called Mrs Bingley, It has a sort of a ring, don’t you think? It might be the sort of thing you do in your times, but here we certainly defer to the married state and after all the problems I had getting together with Charles I definitely do prefer my proper title.

I have been fortunate that I married the love of my life and, incidently that he is a rather wealthy landowner, Netherfield Park being our country home. However, that had nothing to do with my choice, I think I would have married Charles, Mr. Bingley, even if he had been penniless, although I do not know what my mother would have said about that. But, after all, true love came through and I am so very glad about that.

My mother was rather keen to get all her five daughters married, but that is because the law (as it was then) was that my father’s wealth all went to his nearest male relative and that was Mr. Collins. He is obsequious and when he came to our home to seek out a wife I was eternally glad that I was not the one singled out as a prospective wife, no, that was Lizzie who certainly had her own ideas about the matter.

My mother did love us all dearly and I do not think that she would have tried to make any of us marry in an “Arranged Marriage” apart, from perhaps Lydia as she was always trouble and with very dubious taste in men.

Having said that – I think that perhaps it might work, if you were brought up to understand that was what happened to you, but it was not the way we were. Mother was always the driving force and she did worry such a lot about out futures – and I suspect her own, should father die. Father was another matter and he preferred to sit in his study all day reading and thinking. It has been said that Lizzy takes after him – with her cleverness. I only wanted to be happy.

All’s well that ends well despite all those who tried to come between my beloved and myself, including my sister’s choice – Mr. Darcy, and wasn’t that a big surprise. So since it has all turned out so well for me I just cannot make any comment really about an arranged marriage – can you imagine what would happen if you had a marriage like that and when you met him he was really distasteful –like Mr. Collins, how could you live with him?

I have heard a story, from your times, about a young girl who was forced into an arranged marriage and it was so intolerable that one morning she went downstairs, got a knife and killed her husband. So perhaps arranged marriages are not such a good idea for either party.

Happy as a Leaf

LGC — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:54:00 +0000

Gyles Brandreth was on the BBC News Channel this morning talking about his new book The Seven Secrets of Happiness. Why the BBC allowed him to plug his book I don't know, but one of his strange-sounding secrets was to be a leaf.

A leaf? What he means is that a leaf on a tree is part of something bigger. You should join an organization.

If you are belong to a POWERtalk club you are part of an organization. A leaf receives nourishment from the tree but the branch is not the tree, it is only part of the tree.

The organization is POWERtalk International because it is international in scope. A twig may be part of a branch which is part of a limb which, in turn, is part of the trunk. In POWERtalk a member is part of a club, the club is (normally) part of a council, the council is (normally) part of a region which is part of the international organization.

It is myopic to see the club purely as an entity in its own right. The member can have a much richer experience if he or she is involved in council, region and even international level.

Pride and Prejudice: Mrs Lydia Wickham

LGC — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:16:00 +0000

Mrs Wickham, you must be so proud to have been the first of your sisters to marry and have her own household and her own budget. Today some people are spending massive amounts of money to try and keep a ring that Jane Austen once owned in the country. What advice have you? Is this a sensible use of their cash?

(Giggle) It’s so lovely to hear me being called Mrs Wickham. There’s a lovely ring about that. I feel so grown up now, having caught the handsome Mr Wickham. But what were you asking me – you mentioned a ring? Do you know Mr Wickham bought me a wonderful ring. Am I worth it? Of course Mr Wickham thinks so. ( Giggle)

But now I have a house to run. I have to manage the finances. That’s kind of hard, but I do sort of manage. And it’s rather nice that you are asking my opinion – not many people do that you know. They just say it’s young scatter-brained Lydia. But I’m not, I’m Mrs Wickham.

Should people be spending massive amounts of money to try and keep a ring that Jane Austen (whoever she was) once owned in the country. A ring is lovely , my ring is lovely, but spending masses of money . I could spend lots of money on trips to the town and buying new fashionable clothes. Gosh I would love that and I am sure Mr Wickham would love to see me in them.

But I am a married lady now and have to watch the pennies (Mr Wickham insists on that). So my advice would be not to spend all that money on one ring, but come to me and I would help them spend it.

Region Board Meeting

LGC — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 17:02:00 +0000

The 2013-14 Region Board

The Region Board met on a wet and blustery Sunday at the Westmorland Hotel, venue for the 2014 Conference.

Originally the plan had been to meet on the Saturday, which, as it turned out would have been much better weather-wise.

There was a wedding on the Saturday and the room was going to be used for storage so the meeting had to be changed to Sunday.

It was a productive meeting and clubs can look forward to hearing from the board soon regarding some interesting developments.

Pride and Prejudice: Mr Darcy

LGC — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Topic Leader: "Mr Darcy, classically there are seven deadly sins: wrath, sloth, greed, lust envy, gluttony and pride. Do you believe that pride should be included there – or do you regard it as a virtue?"

Darcy: "Madam Topic Chairman, Is pride a deadly sin or a virtue? I should say that there are some forms of pride that are virtuous: pride in one’s work, pride in one’s appearance or pride in one’s family. Pride becomes a deadly sin if it is inimical to sensibility.

I recall Elizabeth and Jane discussing whether pride or prejudice is the greater sin but I do not know what engendered such a discourse, perhaps they had been listening to Lady de Bourgh. For my part I should say that the one provokes the other. It was my own pride that originally made me prejudiced against the Bennet family. This in turn caused me to offend Elizabeth’s pride and made her prejudiced against me and willing to believe the worst of me.

I once told Elizabeth that where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation but I have to admit I found myself wanting such superiority of mind. It was Elizabeth who humbled me and made me realise that I had been become selfish and overbearing. Yet she swallowed her own pride when others convinced her that her ill opinion of me was not entirely just.

As regards the other sins, I doubt that any form of cupidity could be imputed to me, be it gluttony, greed or lust. Nor do I think that any would say that I am slothful. Envy? Perhaps a little at times but I have always had a problem with my temper and I have always admitted such.

In my other shortcomings I have been dishonest even with myself. In social performance I have been blinded by my pride and prejudiced against those who insist on tedious social ritual. Acknowledging the sin is but the first act in repentance. One must then seek forgiveness and endeavour to avoid the same behaviour.

Ladies and gentlemen, I entreat you all to avoid making a virtue of your vices as I did."

Pride and Prejudice: Lady Catherine de Bourgh

LGC — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:56:00 +0000

At the Rovers meeting in Carlisle, Lady Catherine de Bourgh graciously consented to be one of the party at dinner on Saturday evening and was asked to say a few words to the gathering. She addressed them thus:

"I thank you for your invitation to your rather quaint little gathering. Of course, it is not what I am used to, and I normally circulate amongst a rather different class of people, but the sign of good breeding is to be gracious to those not as fortunate as oneself, no matter how painful in the execution.

I have been apprised of a plan, or should I say a plot, to have the head of that woman, Miss Jane Austen, on our bank notes. What a preposterous idea. The only image used by the Bank of England on notes of any denomination should be that of our gracious and beloved monarch.

Miss Jane Austen, I regret to say, is a novelist. I ask you, what woman of good breeding would stoop so low. I would not condescend to read any of her writings, but I believe she goes as far as to give her characters, notably Miss Elizabeth Bennett, strong opinions and feelings quite above her station in life. And many people maintain that Miss Bennett, a young woman who lives in quite a small house, with no estate to speak of, is really this Austen woman.

In her books, Miss Austen displays a lamentable lack of taste. She recounts episodes such as this Bennett woman's younger sister running off with a soldier without benefit of clergy. Who would consort with anyone from such a family? Reputation is all as far as young unmarried women of no status in society are concerned.

In all her writings this Austen woman concentrates on the ridiculous notion of romantic love. Such an outlook on life may soothe the under classes, but in higher society, families have to consider the suitability of spouses and their ability to run houses and estates with dignity, fully aware of what is fitting, and behave throughout secure in the knowledge of their own impeccable background.

Young gels should know their place. And Miss Jane Austen, a woman of negligible fortune and a questionable position in higher society, should certainly not replace our beloved and revered monarch.

Preposterous!"

So spake her ladyship, much to the consternation and shock of a section of her audience, but to the great hilarity of the more discerning!

Sunday Workshops

LGC — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Evelyn

Sunday morning's workshops commenced with a workshop led by Evelyn on impromptu speeches. The workshop provided techniques for handling situations where one is required to speak without a great deal of preparation time.

Rosemary

Members found this useful for structuring the content and delivering to an audience without the need for extensive notes and participated enthusiastically in the workshop.

After dealing with some unfinished business, Rosemary rounded off the workshop sessions with a workshop on mindfulness, a technique for calming the mind.

We then had refreshments before departing at the end of a very successful training weekend.

Pride and Prejudice

LGC — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Mary as Revd. William Collins

Topic Leader Rurth

The Rovers club had dinner at the Hallmark Hotel in Carlisle. The after dinner topics led by Ruth had a Pride and Prejudice theme. Members answered topics as characters from the novel. Each topicee was presented with a paperback copy of a Jane Austen novel by Ruth.

Members greatly enjoyed the evening.

Rovers Speech Contest

LGC — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:15:00 +0000


Stella and Laurence with Contest Chairman Linda

The Rovers speech contest took place this afternoon. The joint winners of the Tibbie Brown trophy were Stella and Laurence with speeches entitled 'Mobile' and 'The Uncomfortable Timezone'. Colin is the reserve with a speech entitled 'Today's Shadow'. Should either of the others be unable to compete in the region final, Colin will take their place.

Carlisle, The Secret City

LGC — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Guest Speaker John Robson

Guest speaker John Robson gave a highly entertaining talk on the history of Carlisle. He told us of the city's origin as Roman Luguvallium later becoming
Caer Ligualid and then Carlisle. He told us how the city had changed hands many times between England and Scotland.

The keep of the castle was built by a Scottish king, David. Later an English king, Edward Longshanks, held his parliament there. "Did this mean", suggested John, "that Carlisle had been the capital of Scotland and the Capital of England?"

During their free time, members had fun looking for the landmarks mentioned in the talk including the plaque to the last man hanged in Carlisle, The shields above the station missing two coats-of-arms because two railway companies pulled out of financing the station's construction and two notices above different doors of Marks and Spencer. One of the notices told that Bonnie Prince Charles had had an office there in 1745, the other that his nemesis, the Duke of Cumberland, had an office there in 1746!

Cybersavvy Workshop

LGC — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 12:08:00 +0000

The Rovers Training Weekend is in full swing and we are in the middle of a Cybersavvy workshop covering Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and Skype.

Last night some members met for a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Others arrived this morning.

Later we shall have our speech contest followed by some free time in Carlisle. This evening we will have a dinner at the Hallmark Hotel.

Activities will continue on Sunday morning with workshops on impromptu speaking and mindfulness before we all depart for home.

Laurence talking about blogging

Iris talking about Skype

Convention News

LGC — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 11:00:00 +0000

After the Club business meeting Ruth brought us news from Convention. The Convention Blog details what happened at Convention.

ROVERS SPRING WEEKEND

LD — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:08:00 +0000

Rovers members met in Peebles Hotel Hydro on Friday 12th April for their Annual Spring Weekend.

View from the Hotel.

Nancy, Evelyn and Jim at Dinner on Friday night.


Members enjoying dinner on Friday evening.

Saturday morning and the members went to Rosslyn Chapel. This was very interesting and we had an excellent guide.

The members went along to Abbotsford for lunch at the visitors centre. The House is under restoration and not yet open to the public. Abbotsford House belonged to Sir Walter Scott.

Members enjoy dinner on the Saturday evening.


Members raise a glass to absent friends before dinner on Saturday evening.

The weekend was enjoyed by all. On Saturday the weather was wonderful all day and some people went on to Dryburgh Abbey and some members just spent the remainder of the day in Peebles.

On Sunday morning the weather was awful - solid rain so most members went home in the late morning after taking the opportunity to catch up with everyone.

A great weekend and congratulations to President Rosemary for her organisation.

Reading Aloud

LGC — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

If ever you are asked to read aloud there are three things you have to do:

Read the words
Read the punctuation
Read between the lines.

It may seem obvious to say that you have to read the words but is that what the audience is hearing? Don't whisper, don't gabble. You may feel that your objective is just to get through it as quickly as possible but no, your objective is to communicate with the audience. There is such a thing as speaking too slowly so don't over compensate – just try to speak at a reasonable pace.

The words only tell us what to say, the punctuation tells us how to say it. There should be a slight pause at the end of a sentence or when you encounter a comma. You might use a longer pause when you encounter a semicolon, colon or dash. If nothing else, pauses give you a chance to take a breath.

When you encounter quotation marks your tone of voice should indicate the change from narrative to quotation.

In normal speech we tend to use an upward inflection at the end of a sentence when we ask a question. So if you encounter a question mark you should inflect your voice in the same way (note: in some dialects of English an upward inflection is part of normal speech).

An exclamation mark is the most obvious indicator that emphasis should be applied but if you read between the lines and try to imagine how it should be said. Which parts should be louder or softer? How can your tone of voice replicate the tone of the piece you are reading?

When reading poetry you have to capture the rhythm of the poem but prose can have rhythms as well. Modulate your voice and avoid monotone. Your audience will appreciate it.

POWERtalk members can find more on this subject on the POWERtalk International Website under Member Resources>>Training and Publications>>Education Features>>Speech Delivery>>The Art of Oral Reading.

Presentations: Best Practice

LGC — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Last night I was at a meeting of a professional body. The speaker gave a presentation using an overhead projector linked to a PC.

The speaker was clearly confident in giving presentations to his peer group. The overheads were mainly black text on white. He proceeded at a rapid pace. One overhead might have a heading and a line of text, the next another point under the same heading.

Half way through the presentation he said "You don't need to take notes, the slides will be available on the website".

At one point he looked at the screen and said "I didn't mean to concentrate so much on ***".

After the meeting, I heard a few people say "A lot of that went straight over my head".

What do you think the speaker could have done to improve the presentation?

Speech Construction

LGC — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:52:00 +0000

Before you start on any speech, presentation etc., ask yourself some questions:

Why… have you decided to do this? (For fun, to raise money, to help a friend, a professional obligation etc?)
Who… are you speaking to? What age, sex, profession etc? How many people will be there? What are the common links amongst them, and between them and you?
What… are you aiming to do? Persuade / entertain / impress / inspire…etc?
Where… are you speaking? How big? What are the facilities – lighting, sound system, data projector etc? Do they work? Can you check them out personally? Do you need special advice about it (eg are you on TV or radio)?
When… are you speaking (eg at 10am or after dinner) and how will that affect your audience? How long have you to prepare for this? How long do they want you to talk?
How… are you doing it? A speech / presentation / discussion / debate…etc?

Material
1. If you have choice of subject, think of what you might talk about.
2. Collect your ideas on the subject(s) – lists or mind maps or pictures – whatever works for you. Don't exclude humour. (If you don't know about mind mapping, look into it, it works).
3. Research – books and publications, internet, newspapers, talk to other people; expand your ideas.
4. Decide what material you want to use – but throw away nothing in case you change your mind.
5. Think about/draft a possible order for your material - a logical progression for the beginning to the end.
Introduction
A speech will usually have a beginning, a middle and an end. But before you begin to speak you should be introduced to the group. Write your own introduction, ask the person introducing you to use it.
Write it to enhance your speech and support what you are trying to achieve. So it might explain your qualifications to speak on the subject; make you sound like a person the group can identify with; raise questions you will be addressing in your talk etc.
Beginning
1. If you start with something like ‘Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen’, it gives people time to tune into your voice and it gives you time to get to grips with the microphone / acoustics (if you haven’t has a practice run).
2. The beginning is important, try to make it make it clear, relevant and attention grabbing.
3. How much of your time will you give to your beginning?
Middle
1. There is a balance to a well constructed speech. 3 or 5 main points seem to give it. Decide what they will be and put the rest aside – but throw away nothing in case you change your mind.
2. Consider how to link your main points – a speech should flow, not jump, from one idea to another.
3. How much time is available for each point?
End
1. The end should (rather like the beginning) be clear, relevant and memorable. Sometimes switching your planned end and beginning works well.
2. Make the end clear to the audience – beware of letting them think that you have ended when you have more to say.
3. How much time will you give to your ending?
Review and refine what you have drafted, until you are happy with it.
1. Stand up in your biggest space and read it out loud, listen to it. Maybe record yourself.
2. Are you comfortable with it? Do you believe it will achieve your purpose?
3. Does it sound right spoken out loud? (e.g. isn’t or is not; we or you; short words or long?)
4. Is the timing going to plan?
5. Is there a place for more topical references or humour? (Keep listening to the news).
6. Take any help or advice going.
7. Be ruthless in getting rid of what isn’t working for you, even if you love it.
And some final preparations.
1. Are you using notes? (Why would you not?)
2. Print or write them on – cards? top part of A4 paper? Practise to find what suits you.
3. Ensure that you can read notes in bad light and number them in case you drop them.
4. Give someone a 2nd set, in case you forget or lose them.
5. If you are using IT equipment / pen drives / autocue etc, try to have spares and a run through before the meeting starts.
6. Decide an appropriate outfit for the event – have it clean and ready.
7. Have clear directions to where you are going and plan the journey – recce it in advance?
8. Arrange for feedback on how your speech goes from someone you trust; learn from it.
9. Whatever goes wrong – keep smiling. Audiences are both forgiving and slow to recognise mistakes!

Ruth Maltman, DC, FITC,
POWERtalk Pollokshields

Rovers Carlisle weekend.

LD — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:46:00 +0000

The Carlisle weekend was opened on Saturday morning by our President, Linda Griffin and the first item on the Agenda was the Business Meeting.

The Saturday morning workshop was by Iris Gibson and was on "Lateral Thinking". This had all the members working hard and everyone enjoyed this plus they got some new ideas.

Following an excellent Buffet lunch Margaret Emery conducted the Speech Contest.

The winners were Laurence Coates and Colin Grey.

Saturday evening brought all the members and guests to the Hallmark Hotel for Dinner.

The first item on the agenda was Topics by Margaret Robertson with the theme of Poetry.

Following Dinner, Liz Duncan ran a Lifeboat Contest with such characters as Marilyn Munro, Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and Minnie Mouse. The members entered into the spirit by dressing up.

The winner was Minnie Mouse (aka Ruth Maltman)

The first workshop on Sunday morning was a Writing Workshop by Marjorie Brooke who had all the members inventing characters for a short story. This was very stimulating and hopefully will encourage members to enter the Writing Contest.
Laurence Coates presented an excellent workshop entitled "The Missing Link" to inform members about the Blog. This was very useful to all.

Our lovely President Linda Griffin bids us all farewell at the end of the weekend.

Rovers Carlisle Weekend.

LD — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Rovers have their annual Training Weekend from 2^nd to 4^th September 2011 in the Old Brewery, Carlisle.

Apart from the usual Business Meeting there will be a report on Convention, a workshop on Lateral Thinking, a Lifeboat Contest, the Speech Contest (and don't forget the buffet lunch). Also included is a Writing Workshop and a workshop entitled “The Missing Link”.

Members will gather on Friday evening to visit a Chinese Restaurant and on Saturday the Annual Formal Dinner will be held in the Hallmark Hotel.

Caledonia Council new President.

LD — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Laurence Coates, a member of Rovers, has become the first male President of Caledonia Council.

Well done and good luck for the forthcoming year.

A Simple Guide to Newsletters in Word

LGC — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:34:00 +0000

POWERwrite

Online, On Paper or Both?

Are people going to be reading your newsletter on a computer screen? If so any web addresses should be hyperlinks i.e. the reader should be able to click on a link to be taken to the web address. If it is to be printed you may want the number of pages to be a multiple of four especially if it is to be professionally printed. One sheet of A3 can accommodate four A4 pages (this is the advantage of the ISO system of paper sizes over the ANSI standard used in North America).

Tick TOC

If you want to use a table of contents insert a TOC field. It will make life much easier for you. Why? because the table of contents is updated Automatically. By default the TOC entries will be based on the heading styles so make sure that you use the correct heading rather than arbitrarily changing the size and weight of the font to match a heading. The page number will be a hyperlink to the item and you can add the \h option to make the entire entry a hyperlink (this is the default in newer versions of Word).

As an alternative to mapping the TOC to headings you can set the \f option to use TC fields. This means that you insert a TC field before any item that you wish to appear in the table of contents.

Add Your Own Style

You may wish to add a style for a particular purpose for example a byline style might use right-justified paragraphs and bold text to display the author of an item.

Columns

Columns can complicate the layout of your newsletter but you may prefer this style of presentation. Use section breaks to separate collimated parts of the newsletter from non-collimated parts.

At the Drop of a Cap

If you leaf through a magazine you will notice that the first paragraph of an article and possibly some of the other paragraphs start with a large capital letter. This is a dropped capital or "drop cap". In word you can format the first letter of a paragraph as a drop cap. Do not use it on every paragraph and especially avoid it on short paragraphs. You might want to use drop caps as a way to break an article into sections.

Pull Quote

That eye-catching quote in your magazine highlighted in large print is known as a pull quote. You can add a pull quote in Word by inserting a text box and choosing a large font style. Format the text box to allow text to flow around it.

Format Painter

If you incorporate a submitted article into a newsletter you can use the format painter to copy the paragraph style from elsewhere in the document. The format painter is a brush found on the home ribbon or standard toolbar. Select a piece of formatted text and then click on format painter. Select the text to be formatted and when you release the mouse button the format is applied. If you want to apply the format to several places you can use a double click to activate the format painter. It then stays active until you press the escape key.

An alternative to format painter is to use Ctrl-Shift-C to copy the formatting and Ctrl-Shift-V to paste formatting to other places.

Take care with formatting paragraphs containing hyperlinks. The hyperlinks will still be active but will have the appearance of the surrounding text.

Compatibility Issues

Somebody’s just got a brand new shiny computer and suddenly you cannot swap files. What’s wrong? The chances are that the recipient is using an earlier version of Word. If you are the sender you can fix the problem by ensuring that you send files in Word 97-2003 document format (Instead of “Save” choose “Save As” from the file tab and find said format in the pull-down list for “Save as type”). If you are the recipient of a “docx” file and your version of Word can only load “doc” files, do not despair; you can download a compatibility pack from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/open-a-word-2007-document-in-an-earlier-version-of-word-HA010044473.aspx

Pictures

Insert your picture and experiment with the different formatting options until you are satisfied that it is presented the way you want it.

The Devil

… is in the detail so they say and the detail will depend on the version of Word you are using. Use what I have said above in conjunction with the help system to add a little sparkle to your newsletters.

Message to Members From The International President

LGC — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:36:00 +0000

Members,

As I write this I have 26 more sleeps before the start of Convention that is a really scary thought.

I know that there are members still trying to decide whether to come to Indianapolis or not. Obviously I think you will be missing out on a lot if you don’t, so if you are still deciding make the decision a positive one and book your seat now. We are still receiving registrations so there is some procrastination still going on.

For those members who just cannot make it to Convention you do not need to completely miss out. Blog Master, Wyn Bowler, is ready to launch the Blog; in fact, there is a message from me already there. Check it out and put the address into your bookmarks so that you can see and share what is happening day by day at the Convention.

http://ptconvention2011.blogspot.com/

Those of you who are attending can make a contribution to the content of the Blog by just letting Wyn know what you wish published. Give it to Wyn on flash drive, I am sure she will return it, or clearly written on a piece of note paper.

Well, for me right now, it is back to working on information that the Protocol Chair, Irene Laidley is waiting on.

President

ONE + ONE
Every member recruit a member and watch our membership grow

POWERtalk International Convention

LGC — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:21:00 +0000

2011June POWERtalkpackage

Post Conference Excursion

LGC — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:09:00 +0000

Approaching Glenridding

On Sunday Morning we headed for Pooley Bridge for an excursion on an Ullswater steamer. It was a little breezy on deck and the clouds looked a little threatening so most of us stayed under cover for the greater part of the nearly hour-long sail to Glenridding at the other end of the lake.

In Glenridding we had two hours to have lunch and look around the village. There were a few small shops, a tourist information centre and obligingly, they had put on a craft fair in the village hall. As it approached time to head back to the pier a few spots of rain began to appear. It remained wet and windy for most of the journey back to Pooley Bridge and so again we mostly stayed under cover.

At Pooley Bridge we said our farewells and headed home in different directions. In spite of the weather I think most people enjoyed the scenery and the chance to relax after a busy conference.

Rovers AGM

LD — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:31:00 +0000

The Rovers AGM was held at Great Britain Region Conference after dinner on Friday 10th June 2012 at the Westmorland Hotel.

The new Board were elected
Linda Griffin, President
Rosemary Low, Vice President
Liz Duncan, Secretary
Colin Gray, Treasurer.

The Board were installed by Iris Gibson.

Persuasive Speaking Part 3 - Charm and Hex Words

LGC — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:34:00 +0000

To understand persuasive speaking you have to understand the power of words. If an advertisement for a food product claims it is “full of natural goodness” they are trying to make you believe the product is wholesome. The phrase is meaningless but it circumvents laws against making demonstrably false claims.

Words can have emotional resonance that strikes deeper than rational argument. When a tabloid journalist talks about “Frankenstein food” he or she is trying to stir up revulsion at the idea of “tampering with nature”.

Words like pure, natural and hygienic are what I call charm words. Words like artificial, synthetic and “germy” are what I call hex words. The former have a positive connotation, the latter a negative one.

A vitamin made by artificial means is no different to the same vitamin from a natural source. Is it meaningful to describe a soap dispenser as “germy” if it harbours a few hundred bacteria? If it harboured a few thousand the advertisers might have a point.

In a TV studio discussion programme they were talking about whether obese pregnant women should be given a drug hitherto given to diabetics (including pregnant diabetic women) in order to prevent the foetus from receiving too much insulin. One of the panel said that if she were pregnant she would want to make sure that anything she took was “pure”. Pure what? Pure poison?

When I hear words like “chemical” being used a hex word I take it with a pinch of sodium chloride (that’s a chemical commonly known as salt by the way). If you want to avoid chemicals, avoid the sugar and spice and go for the healthy protein of the rats and snails.

To recap, in Part 2 I explained that an Adult-Adult transaction at a social level can also be an Adult-Child transaction at a psychological level. As a persuasive tactic you can appeal to the Child in us through charm words, words that make us feel safe and comfortable or you can use hex words to frighten the Child (scary monsters – hide behind the sofa).

In debating think about the use of words and the resonances that certain words have. Don’t forget about humour. sometimes the charm words that work best tickle the Child.

Persuasive Speaking Part 2 - Transactional Analysis

LGC — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:11:00 +0000

In his book, Games People Play, Dr. Eric Berne described ego states as being “a system of feelings accompanied by a related set of behaviour patterns”. He tells us that ego states are categorised as exteropsychic, neopsychic or archaeopsychic. The first resemble ego states of parental figures; the second are autonomously directed towards the objective appraisal of reality and the third are ego states that remain from early childhood.

The expression of the three kinds of ego state may be referred to colloquially as the Parent, Adult and Child respectively.

Berne defines a transaction as a unit of social intercourse. Parents indulge in gossip. Adults solve problems together. Children or Parent and Child play together. These are known as Complementary Transactions. However a Crossed Transaction occurs when one party addresses the other as Adult-to-Adult and the other party responds as Child-to-Parent or Parent-to-Child.

What does any of this have to do with persuasive speaking? In Part 1 I talked about Aristotle’s three types of persuasion. Ethos (moral character of the speaker) is an appeal to the Parent, Logos (reasoned argument) is an appeal to the Adult and Pathos (an emotional appeal) is an appeal to the Child.

Berne points out that transactions involving the activity of two ego states simultaneously (Ulterior Transactions) are the basis of games (games are complex social behaviours with their own rules not necessarily games in the literal sense). He cites the following example:

Salesman: ‘This one is better, but you can’t afford it.’
Housewife: ‘That’s the one I’ll take.’

On a social level the transaction is Adult-Adult but on a psychological level the salesman’s Adult is addressing the Housewife’s Child. Notice that there are two sets of Complementary Transactions here. Berne states that “the first rule of communication is that communication will proceed smoothly as long as transactions are complementary; and its corollary is that as long as transactions are complementary, communication can, in principle, proceed indefinitely.”

Perhaps now you can see why the emotional appeal is particularly powerful. In Part 3 I’ll examine the use of language in persuasion and how we are easily persuaded using words with a positive connotation (charm words) or those with a negative connotation (hex words).

Hands Across The World Chain (HAWC) Delegates

LGC — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:17:00 +0000

We are looking for HAWCs. If you are going to the 2011 Convention in Indianapolis, we would like you to soar into action and be a HAWC delegate.

We have a number of clubs that are unable to send a delegate so they rely on a HAWC delegate to represent them. Don’t just sit on a tree branch waiting for things to happen, we need you to be part of the action by volunteering to be a HAWC delegate. At this time we do not have enough HAWC delegates. Some of you will be potential last minute delegates since you might not have registered but you recently won your region Speech contest. For those speech contest winners that will stay for the business meetings, be a part of the action and sign to be a HAWC delegate.

For those alternate delegates for your own club, please contact me if you might be available so that we can work out a process to make you available to be a HAWC delegate once your own delegate has signed up at the credentials desk at the convention.

For those potential HAWC delegates in the Japan Region, please address your request and inquiries to Kazuyo Sugitani, HAWC Committee member in the Japan Region. Please submit format to her and a copy to me. She can be contacted at kksugi@nifty.com and I can be copied at hawc@powertalkinternational.com.

For those attending let’s have fun at the convention but also let’s make sure all the clubs are represented.

Alan Nakano, Chairman

Hands Around the Word Chain (HAWC) Committee
POWERtalk INTERNATIONAL

Persuasive Speaking Part 1 - Aristotle's Rhetoric

LGC — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:06:00 +0000

The Greek Philosopher Aristotle defined rhetoric as “the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion”. Aristotle’s Rhetoric was a very influential work in the development of the art and now, millennia after it was written, it is still regarded as an important work in the academic study of rhetoric.

Aristotle identified three types of persuasion that a speaker can use:-

Ethos: Persuasion based on the moral character of the speaker,
Logos: Persuasion based on logical argument,
Pathos: Persuasion based on emotional appeal.

By far the most powerful persuader is pathos. If you want to win people over trying to appeal to reason can be difficult as can relying on your reputation – would I lie to you? Emotion will trump these almost every time.

2011 Convention

LGC — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:15:00 +0000

To: Members of POWERtalk International
From: George VanSickles
2011 Convention Coordinator

RE: Convention NEWS
The members of the 2011 Convention are excited about the series of
packages we have put together for the members of POWERtalk International
for the 2011 Convention to be held in Indianapolis, IN USA, July 23-27,
2011.

Hotel Information:
RESERVATIONS PROCESS & BOOKING WEBSITE
Online and phone reservations will be accepted until 18 June 2011.
A dedicated booking website has been created for your event so you will
be able to make, modify and cancel their hotel reservations online, as
well as take advantage of any room upgrades, amenities or other services
offered by the hotel.

To preview the website, please click the following link:
https://resweb.passkey.com/ Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new& eventID=2575226

Phone reservations, or for assistance ( Handicap rooms, etc.) please
call 800-266-9432 and ask for the POWERtalk group rate.

Please make reservations EARLY. We have only a limited number rooms available.

Hotel amenities:
Washer and Dryers available
Ironing boards, refrigerators, available on request

Convention Registration and Meal Packages:
All Spouses and Friends Welcome
Please go to the POWERtalk website and download the Convention
registration form and send in your documentation as early as possible.
We want to make sure that you can take advantage of all the amenities we
have to offer during your stay in Indianapolis, USA. Pass any of this
information on to other members of your club, council or region.

Tours Indianapolis, USA

Accent on Indianapolis – 5 tours (Information and Dates to be announced)
Taste of Indy (Information and Dates to be announced)
Beef and Boards Dinner Theater – Tuesday evening
Golf and Baseball Outings (Dates to be announced)

Workshops
A series of workshops and training sessions have been compiled by our
2011 Programming Team to ensure that your personal development needs
will be met. Details can be found on the POWERtalk International
website. Seating is first come first served, so immediate convention
registration is required.

Volunteer Opportunities
In addition to the quality training, the business sessions, speech
competition, sight seeing and renewing old friendships in a great city
in the midwest, there are several volunteer opportunities available. If
you truly want to elevate your 2011 POWERtalk Convention experience
don’t sit on the sidelines. Volunteer your time and talents while you
are here in Indianapolis. Please eMail me at nikki@indy.net immediately
so we can slot you in.

2011 Member Check List:

Make your hotel reservations today Through the PASSKEY reservation
system or by calling:
800-266-9432.
Vera, our Registration chairperson has a seat for you, your spouse or
best friend at the 2011 Convention with your names on it. Download and
complete the registration form, send in your payment, and we will do the
rest.
Pack accordingly because the hotel has all the amenities so you can
wash and wear and not pay for extra baggage.
Spread the word about your plans for July 2011 in Indianapolis, USA.

Looking forward to seeing you in Indianapolis, USA

George VanSickles
POWERtalk International
2011 Convention Coordinator

POWERtalk on You Tube

LGC — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:41:00 +0000

A video presentation from members of Trends Club, Austria on how POWERtalk can change your life. If you didn’t think that public speaking could be fun the enthusiasm of these ladies might just change your mind!

For clubs in Great Britain see the panel on the right – Where Are We?

PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST

LGC — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:38:00 +0000

A list of program participants for the International Speech Contest is being developed. Judges, hosts to judges, timers, tellers, pages, and evaluators are needed.

If you plan to attend the 2011 POWERtalk International Convention, July 23-27, 2011, in Indianapolis, IN, and are interested in serving in one of these roles, please contact Melton Baxter, International Speech Contest Chairman, via email at meltonb202@aol.com or by phone at (North America) 202-723-1328 as soon as possible and indicate your preference.

Melton Baxter

International Speech Contest Chairman

New Speaking Club in Derby

EDF — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:33:00 +0000

We're launching a NEW CLUB in DERBY which will meet on 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month

at 7.15pm for 7.30pm until 9.45pm
at DAYS Hotel - Derbyshire Cricket Ground, Pentagon Roundabout, Derby DE21 6DA

The Launch will be on Tuesday 8th February 2011

If you're interested in:

Public Speaking
Presentations Skills
Building Confidence
Winning Presentations
Increasing Sales
Succeeding at Interviews
Leading Discussions
Chairing Meetings

then this is the club for you

For more information contact Lorna Sheldon on: 07860 806381

Find Coaching in Effective Speaking From Your Mobile Phone

LGC — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:38:00 +0000

Find POWERtalk clubs on your mobile phone!

Increasingly people access the Internet without using a computer. Now you can find POWERtalk clubs in Great Britain with a web-enabled mobile phone.

A website designed for computer access is difficult to use on a mobile device. Direct your mobile phone to m.powertalk.org.uk to find links to information on POWERtalk Clubs in a format more suited to a hand-held device.

How to Create an Impromptu Presentation

LGC — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:34:00 +0000

According to Mark Twain it usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. Most of us however when called on at short notice to give a brief presentation in a meeting (for example) probably don’t even have the luxury of 5 minutes preparation time – let alone 3 weeks! So how can you still deliver a reasonably successful presentation if you’ve got about ZERO Preparation time?

Presentation Structure is the Key

In a situation like this, you need to have some form of standard structures in your head that you can call upon at very short notice.

One example structure that you can use quickly (if it’s relevant) is:-

What’s the issue
How is it affecting things?
And what is being done about it?

Using the Power of Three – so 3 main points and then if needed break down each of the points into 3.

Chronological Structures

Another structure you can use for impromptu presentations is:-

Past
Present
Future

Another similar structure is based on:-

What was it like before?
What was the event?
What’s the result now?

The Three 'W's Structure

What?
Which?
Who?

e.g. Buying a car: What sort should I buy? Which brand should I purchase? From Whom should I buy it?

More Conventional Structure

Introduction
Main Body

Point 1 – with 3 sub points in support
Point 2 – with 3 sub points in support
Point 3 – with 3 sub points in support

Conclusion and call to action if relevant

Conclusions
As with most things the more you practise something the better you can become at it. And impromptu speaking is no exception!

Give yourself some topics to speak on and then allow 2-3 minutes of preparation for each one. Then try presenting on each of about 5 minutes. Learn as you go get someone to watch you and give you feedback on how it went. Try it in your POWERtalk club!

Not a member yet? See the links to clubs in the right-hand panel or ask about starting a club in your area.

Stella Sneddon

Why bother with Accreditation?

LD — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:47:00 +0000

Accreditation assignments are tailored to individual needs within a recognised, optional, multi-level format, which offers a flexible and self-paced program. From the simplest of beginnings of a one-minute ‘speech’, to the complexity of leading two-hour workshops at International Conventions, the Accreditation Program provides a disciplined and graduated personal growth path.

We all need a yardstick to measure our progress - whether it was the baby steps at School, culminating in achieving your school leaving qualifications, moving onto University and obtaining a degree - these are life skill assessments of our ability. We are a top quality training organisation based on assisting our members to achieve professional status in their chosen field and as such our Accreditation programme assists them to assess just how far and well they have progressed.

You receive a written evaluation for every assignment – very useful to measure your achievements.

Being on the Accreditation Programme gives you the incentive to undertake assignments you would not normally do – such as Workshops at Council and Region or even perhaps at International.

You receive encouragement at all levels from the Accreditation Team.

Clubs which have many members on the Programme find that their club programmes are more interesting as members ask for assignments to complete the different levels.

You receive a qualification Starting with EC(Efficient Communicator), PC(Proficient Communicator), SC(Skilled Communicator), AC(Accomplished Communicator), and DC(Distinguished Communicator) and your employer will be advised of your success (if wished)

The Latimer Trophy is awarded to the person who has the most signatures in their book in the year in Great Britain Region.

Caledonia Council Meeting 19/9/10 – Presentation Planning

LGC — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:39:00 +0000

The first Council meeting of the new session was held at the Redhurst Hotel, Giffnock, Glasgow.

Hard-working Council President, Stella Sneddon, presided at the business meeting and led workshop sessions before and after lunch.

Workshops this year are focussing on delivering presentations. Stella’s workshops were thought-provoking and made everyone aware of the amount of preparation that is required before delivering a presentation and indeed before even undertaking any research for a presentation.

So what skills makes an effective presentation?

Here's a list of just some of the key things that make an effective presentation...

What the presenter has to say...

is well researched
has a good structure
is clear, concise and easily understood
is pitched at the right level for the audience
uses visual aids wisely

How the presenter delivers it ...

creates an immediate and positive impression
engages well with the audience
speaks clearly, confidently and with conviction
deals with questions effectively
comes across as a relaxed and “natural presenter”

The impact on the audience

They feel the experience worthwhile
They believe in what is being said
They want to respond positively
The presentation is remembered and acted on afterwards

Self-Accreditation Through Origami

LGC — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:14:00 +0000

In preparation for the POWERtalk International Training Weekend in Kobe, why not brush up on your origami skills with this simple self-accrediting model? You can obtain origami paper from any good arts and crafts shop

Start with your piece of paper colour side up. Fold the top edge to the bottom edge, make a firm crease with your thumbnail then unfold. Fold the right-hand edge to the left hand edge and again make a firm crease and then unfold. A fold with the colour on the inside is known as a valley fold.

Turn the paper over and fold in half across each diagonal, crease firmly and unfold. A fold with the colour on the outside is known as a mountain fold.

Holding the paper at the marked points on the left and right fold into the creases to bring those to points down to meet the marked centre point.

Flatten the model. This is called the water-bomb base but we are not going to make a water bomb!

Fold the top triangle into the centre and unfold. Using this crease, open out the triangle and flatten. This is known as the squash fold.

Repeat the previous step on all four of the flaps of the water bomb base. The model will now look like this.

On the uppermost diamond, fold the outside corners into the centre line, crease well then open.

Fold the whole model in half and unfold.

Using the creases made in the previous two steps, lift the bottom point of the model (the uppermost layer only) up to the top point, bringing in the sides of the model at the same time, as shown. This is known as the petal fold.

Repeat the previous three steps (petal fold) on each of the remaining three sides.

Now fold down each of these triangles halfway, on all four sides.

If you have followed the instructions, award yourself a star.

Notes on Debating - Rovers

LGC — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Basic Set up

Chairman, Chair, Moderator, Speaker


Proposers, Government

Opposition, Opposers

Right of the chair –
those for the motion:

Proposers, Government

They speak first
(and traditionally also last)

Proposers define what the motion means

Left of the chair –
those against the motion:

Opposition, Opposers

They speak alternately with proposers

(But always check the local set up and rules, inc. timings)

A motion is always a positive statement… this house is / will / would / likes / wants / believes / can…

E.g. this house would fight for King & Country; believes in God; wants cannabis legalised; values higher education.

Discussion and Challenge (again always check the local set up, customs and rules)

Usually only address (talk to or through) the chair – never directly to another speaker
Point of information – providing information to or challenging the person speaking e.g. Madam Moderator, is the lady aware of the survey in today’s Times…; Mr Speaker, I have already explained this point… Can also be used humorously e.g. Mr Chairman, I cannot believe that the gentleman is over 21!
Point of order – providing information to or asking for guidance or intervention from the chair e.g. Mr Speaker, can I remind you that we need to leave the hall by 10pm? Madam Chairman, it is surely not acceptable for the gentleman to use that kind of language here! Can also be used humorously but with care, not always appreciated e.g. Mr Chairman, Surely the lady is too young to have that drink brought to her!

Team work

If you’re debating competitively, check the rules for what you are (each) meant to do and what the judges mark you by. Generally the expectation will be as 2 – 5 below:
The first speaker for the motion is expected to ‘define’ it – to say how it is being interpreted, what it means.
All speakers are expected to be able to refer to previous arguments already used on both sides and it helps to refer to what your team mates will say later (‘My colleague Jenny will develop this…’)
All speakers are expected to take and deal with some points of information, and to give points of information.
The final speaker is expected to summarise the arguments. It can pay to have your most confident speaker in this position.
There is great value in joint preparation and anticipation of the other side’s arguments.
Consider your team’s appearance – all jackets / all shirts / all jumpers?
Don’t get waylaid by complex points of information – practise cutting someone off / dismissing the point.
It’s meant to be fun for participants and audience – enjoy it, laugh at it.

Ruth Maltman DC FITC

Writing Contest - Fiction Winner.

LD — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:26:00 +0000

Read all About it

by Laura Jane Barnsley

It was the start of a normal day for all those who worked on the station. The steam surged across the platform from the first train of the day and would be repeated at regular intervals throughout the day. Then for some reason he glanced across the platform and saw her, as her figure became clearer as the steam and smoke evaporated. Even though this scene had played out many times before, this time it was different. On previous occasions it had seemed that she had always been with someone else, either arriving with an entourage or being met off the train. Now she was on her own. He got the feeling that she had noticed him as he was staring at her. After a moment she started to smile. He had seen that smile before, a warming smile reserved for that special person who was on the platform waiting for her. He made a move to respond to it, when he noticed, from the corner of his eye, the one person who was stopping him. The tall, immaculately dressed man, now in officers' uniform, pushing past him. In one movement he picked her up by the waist and kissed her on the cheek.

He was just the news vendor on one of the many platforms in this large station. He was one of those people who loved to watch people, observe life, the one person who saw everything. From what he saw he would then make up stories about the people and incidents and take them home to his brothers and sisters. These stories were always the highlight of their day. The descriptions of the fashionable ladies and gents rushing around going from here to there, going to places they thought they would never see. He would bring home discarded magazines for them to wonder at the exotic pictures. But the story, about this mysterious woman, was just for him.

Then, a day earlier than normal the steam and smoke cleared from the arriving Express train and there she was. This time it was different, the smile was gone and replaced with tears. This time the light white cotton outfit with light straw hat she wore for the summer was replaced with black crepe. This time the officer didn't appear, in his place was an older gentleman also dressed in black with a black crepe armband on his coat.

The news vendor always found time to look at the pictures in the newspapers and magazines but never had time to read the text around them. That day he saw him, he saw the officer staring back from the newspaper page. For once he took the time to read around the picture and find out why he was there in amongst the other pictures. It read 'Captain Lorimore was killed in action.' The article went on 'He had only been at the front for four days and was leading his men on their first assault on the enemy...' It didn't seem that long ago that he had seen the officer leave with his men on the now regular troupe trains that were leaving the station. He had an idea where they were going, but did not realise how real this war would become to him till now. It was now very real. It now affected his stories, as it affected her.

Weeks seemed to go past and he didn't see her. Then a train came in, one he hadn't seen before. One full of soldiers, not like the soldiers on the troupe trains, these soldiers were muddy and bloody. While they milled around he thought he caught a glimpse of her. Again the steam cleared to show her elegant silhouette. This time the black crepe dress and black veiled hat were replaced with a starched white and blue nurse's uniform. This time the smile and tears had gone and had been replaced with concern. This time she never looked up as she knew that he would not be there to meet her.

Once all the injured soldiers had gone it was time for the station to slowly return to its everyday selection of wives and daughters going home to prepare the house for the returning husbands and fathers, to their palatial suburban villas. He again prepared to sell his newspapers and magazines to them. Then for the first time since he first saw her, she walked straight to the kiosk. As she arrived in the front of the kiosk she hesitated, unsure why she had walked there. Was it the draw of the familiar face of the boy behind the piles of papers? She looked at him.

"Can I help you Miss" he said in his cockney accent that seemed to grate on her ears.

"I would like..."she paused "I would like a magazine, please." She was slightly breathless but still audible above the usual din of the station.

He selected a magazine he thought she would like, a magazine that he had given to other ladies. He collected the money off her and gave her the change and magazine. The total transaction was no more than a couple of minutes but to him it was as though time had stood still. He hadn't realised that she had gone and had been replaced with one of the many city gents that visited his kiosk requesting their usual evening paper.

Time seemed to pass slowly for the next time he saw her at the station she had again replaced her starched nurse's uniform with the white cotton summer outfits of before the War. However she did not arrive at the station alone, another officer accompanied her. The gentleman had met her at the station before; he was much older than her. This time he was the one arriving by the Express train and she was waiting on the platform for him.

Not for the first time as she passed the kiosk the news vendor thought she smiled at him. Was it him or was she just smiling at someone over his shoulder. He could not see behind the kiosk and so would never really know. A week later she returned to the station, with the officer on her arm. She stood on the platform and waved the officer off. She stood on her tiptoes and waved her handkerchief at the departing train and remained on the platform till the smoke and steam were long gone. She remained on the platform until she was the only one left. When she turned round he saw the tears running down her face. Her face glistened in the half light of the station lamps with the streaks of tears down her cheeks.

At that moment he wanted to leave his post in the kiosk. At that moment he wanted to run up to her. At that moment he wanted to put his arms around her. When he looked again at the platform, she was gone. The only people on the platform were the porters or other station staff.

As time went by she would be at the station. Never arriving and never leaving, but she would meet the trains. She would meet them full of injured men. She would meet them full of fresh faced soldiers in transit before embarking for the front. She would also meet them full of boxes with women dressed in black crepe with white handkerchiefs dabbing at their faces as she had once done. Every time she was at the station now she was dressed in the starched while and blue uniform. He never saw her in anything else. Every time she returned she never smiled as she had done that day. Not that there was anything to smile about, it was probably that she had lost her smile. Every time she went passed the kiosk now she would nod her head in acknowledgement. They seemed to have come to an agreement. He would smile or wink, she would nod and walk past. That she now noticed him was what he had wanted, but not like this. He had become part of her story.

Winners - Writing Contest - Poetry

LGC — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:32:00 +0000

PAST GLORIES by Margaret Emery

Dizzy with scented blooms of brilliant hue.
Which filled our world with pleasure so that few
Would fail to bake the sponge or grow the leek -
In hope to see the label ‘Best in Show’,
The judges almost fearful then to speak
Their preference for the one they deemed to grow
The perfect carrot or the straight-glassed flower...
So different now, grey headed, we present
A static audience, restless for the hour
When Colonel Baverstock, with best intent,
Ceases to drone forever on his bees
And we, tea sated, leave to take our ease.

Margaret Emery
Sutton Coldfield Communicators
Rovers

Winners - Writing Contest

LD — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:55:00 +0000

MUSINGS ON BICYCLES by Marjorie Brooke

A strange thing happened to me on the way to work this morning - I didn't see a single cyclist. Well, you don't get too many on the motorway. But I have seen the future and it is a world without bikes.

I want to share with you my views on bicycles and the reasons why I believe that all cyclists will eventually be banned. This includes schoolboys on school bikes, postmen on post bikes, mountaineers on mountain bikes (if mountaineers ever do ride mountain bikes ..) and particularly those totally crazy, murderous women with tiny children perched precariously in little seats on the back of their bikes.

I’d also ban the major menace in our cities, the dedicated cyclist. You know the ones I mean, they’re usually men. They wear helmets and face masks and padded cycling shorts and lurid lycra clothing and they race through the streets with total disregard for the rules of the road. They indicate right and set off without another look, going diagonally across 3 lanes of fast moving traffic as though they were quite immortal. Sadly, its not always the case.

I truly think my car attracts bicyles, like a magnet. When I see a cyclist ahead of me, my heart sinks. At any moment I expect the bicycle to topple over and its rider to disappear under my wheels. I carefully creep past, then, expecting the worst to have happened, anxiously check my rear view mirror - just to reassure myself that the bike is still upright, and that the cyclist hasn't fallen off.

That’s not the end of the episode, oh no. Inevitably the traffic slows, and the cyclist catches up with me, wiggles past on the inside, and the whole process is repeated.

But please don't think that I'm a misery, someone who doesn't appreciate the joys of cycling. I had a second-hand bicycle once, when I was 8 years old. Your first two-wheeler bike was one of the major milestones of childhood, a rite of passage from being one of the little ones on their tricyles to the world of the big kids. It gave you freedom and independence and status.

I still remember the exhilaration, the fantastic sensation of speed as I swooped down the hill to our home, freewheeling at twice the speed of sound. I also remember the ambulance that took me to hospital when I failed to negotiate the bend at the bottom of the hill and ended up under a car. When I came out of hospital, I asked my father where my bicycle was. He said : ‘Don’t ask’ and I never did find out what happened to it. My short cycling career was over, my independence was gone.

This happened more than 50 years ago, in a small village where it should have been safe for a child to ride a bike, and I almost lost my life. That's the real reason that I want to ban bicycles from our main roads. Because I don't ever want to be responsible for an accident involving a cyclist, don't ever want to feel the distress that my accident caused my parents and the people in the car that hit me. And if bikes continue to be allowed on our crowded city streets, then it's bound to happen some day.

Ten Tips on using Notes.

LD — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:53:00 +0000

Writing out the whole speech will give you too many notes to handle. Use key points for each paragraph or point.
Large notes, if held in the hand, will detract from the presentation. Use palm-sized cards as a prompt or reminder.
Print or type speech in large letters on while, unlined cards. Everything on the cards should be readable at arm's length.
Use card rather than paper as it is easier to handle and will not curl if placed on a lectern.
Use wide margins so you can find your place easily as you scan down the card.
Underline words and phrases you want to emphasise.
Mark reminders of pauses or phrasing in a bold, different colour.
Mark some of the cards for possible elimination in case your speech has to be shortened.
Number the cards in the top right hand corner. If you do have the misfortune to drop them they can easily be re-ordered.
As you finish with a card put it to one side. If it is placed at the back of the pile you may accidentally put it in the wrong place and thereby repeat your material or get lost.

INTRODUCING AND THANKING A SPEAKER

LD — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:40:00 +0000

1. Check that

The microphone and other electrical equipment is working
water is available for the speaker
the lectern is the right height for the speaker
You have enough background information.

2. Make the Speaker Welcome

Meet the Speaker at the entrance.
Ask if there is anything he/he requires.
Show the speaker to his/her seat.

3. Preparation.

Prepare your introduction and thanks beforehand.
Write key words on a cue card.

4. Avoid.

Cliches
Repeating yourself - remember to use your notes.

5. Use this Formula.

Why this subject?
Why this subject subject for this audience?
Why this subject for this audience at this time?

6. Don't

Exaggerate the speaker's qualifications
Read a lengthy curriculum vitae or biography
Say how wonderful the speech will be
Steal the spotlight

7. Do

Speak to the audience not the speaker
Be brief - never longer than two minutes
Be genuine and sincere
Smile and relax

8. Facilitating questions

listen carefully to the question
Repeat it clearly for the benefit of both speaker and the audience
Unobtrusively guide speaker to audience members signalling to ask a question.

9. Thanking the Speaker

Say what you enjoyed about the presentation
Don't simply repeat the main points of the presentation
Speak to the speaker and the audience.

10. Most Importantly

Be sincere
Be brief
Be seated!

Ten Tips on Mentoring

LD — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:47:00 +0000

Mentoring is a relationship that enhances the development of individuals by the passing on of knowledge, skills and values.
This relationship is a creative bond between a mentor (teacher) and a mentee (learner) which is to the benefit of both.
From a mentor, a mentee receives input about organisational culture, coaching and counselling, skills development, motivation and continuous feedback, thus becoming a useful member of an organisation much more quickly.
The mentor benefits by the development of interpersonal and leadership skills, and accomplishments in his/her mentee's success.
A mentoring programme should have the visible support of those at the head of an organisation, and it should form part of the culture of that organisation.
The ideal ratio is one mentor to one mentee.
Mentors should volunteer their services. The relationship should be one of choice, and should be committed to in writing.
The best mentors are experienced empathetic persons with a willingness to share, the capability of building trust, and with good listening skills.
Specific time periods should be set aside for mentoring. Opportunity should be given to the mentee for questions and feedback.
It is recommended that the mentee maintains a close relationship with the mentor, takes ownership of his/her own development and actively seeks new challenges.

Ten Top Tips Effective Delegation.

LD — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:40:00 +0000

1. Choose the Right Person.

You should consider the needs of the assignment and your knowledge of the person's skills, abilities, interests and motivations i.e. you need to be confident that the person to whom you are delegating will be able to achieve the required results.

2. Give Compliments.

Say why you feel they are the right person for the job.

3. Define the Results You Expect.

The focus needs to be on the GOAL rather than on the tasks performed in order to achieve the required results.

4. Emphasize the Purpose of Achieving the Objectives.

The importance to the organisation and personal benefit of achieving the objective or failing to do so, needs to be emphasized.

5. Ensure There are Adequate Resources

for the devised plan of action which ensures adherence to specified times.

6. Introduce Control Systems.

These need to be developed and introduced so that deviation from progress can be monitored and corrected.

7. Establish a Measurement of Success.

This is necessary to determine whether a satisfactory or outstanding result has been achieved. You want the best.

8. Offer Support

Get agreement and ensure that rules, regulations, limitations and policies regarding the area in which they are to work are understood. Back them all the way.

9. Delegate the Responsibility.

But allow a margin for minor mistakes in judgement.

10. Empower with Sufficient Authority.

For achieving results and reduce your authority. Then you will get the best performance.

Rovers Spring Weekend

LD — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:13:00 +0000

On Friday 9th April 21 members and friends of Rovers met in the Ardgowan Hotel, St. Andrews for our annual Spring Weekend.

Friday evening was a get together over dinner.

Saturday morning we all met and went out for our traditional visit to a castle, this year it was St Andrews Castle followed by a visit to the Cathedral.

On Saturday evening we all met up in the famous Byre Theatre for dinner followed by a performance by "Pink Champagne" a singing quartet (plus one). The evening was enjoyed by all, particularly since two additional members joined us for dinner.

The weekend was a great success and everyone enjoyed meeting up with friends. One husband, Donald, even managed to achieve a lifetime ambition by having a game of golf on the Old Course, St Andrews.

Region

LD — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

GREAT BRITAIN REGION BOARD MEETING.

On Saturday 27th May the Region Board met in the Premier Inn Carlisle South. This was the fourth meeting of the Board and was, as usual conducted in a warm, friendly and happy way with the members in agreement about most things and sparking ideas off each other. The next meeting will take place just before Conference in the Premier Inn, Newcastle City Centre.

EASTWOOD COMMUNICATORS

LD — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:56:00 +0000

On Wednesday 17th of March Eastwood Communicators had a meeting and, of course, the theme of the evening was "The Emerald Isle". We had an appropriate Passing Thought and an interesting Talking Point on various Irish problems. The only speaker was Jean Carson who made us all laugh with her speech about Ireland and ended with a number of limericks.

The education was by Alan Kirkwood and was a very interesting presentation to

Remind us all of the Contents of the Master Manual/International Web page

Tips for delivering a basic PowerPoint Presentation

Summary on some books on Public Speaking.

The members all enjoyed this and everyone learned a great deal. It is always good to have something different and I think we would appreciate more presentations on PowerPoint.

Putting POWERtalk on the Map

LGC — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:48:00 +0000

The POWERtalk Great Britain Region website now features an interactive map. Map pins indicate the position of clubs. The table on the same page gives the key to the numbers on the map pins.

The map pins overlap but the map has plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out and can be scrolled by clicking and dragging. Alternatively the map can be traversed by by clicking on the arrows on the pop-up dialogue box. Needless to say clicking on the club name takes you to the web pages for that club.

So are you a little curious as to how this was done? Well the information to construct the map is taken from that very same page. Google Spreadsheets have an "ImportHtml" function that allows you to extract a table from a website. So I created a Google spreadsheet with a single entry in cell A1, =ImportHtml("http://powertalk.org.uk/ukclubs.htm","table",2). The '2' signifies that it is the second table on the web page (the first being the site menu).

By ‘publishing’ the spreadsheet as a web page, I was able to obtain a CSV link. CSV= Comma Separated Values, in other words each item in a row is separated commas (hint: why do you think the addresses use semicolons are in the original table?). The CSV link is used as the input to a Yahoo Pipe. The Pipe does all the clever stuff like working out the latitude and longitude and putting the pins on the map without any real programming.

TEN TIPS

LD — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:39:00 +0000

SHORT STORY WRITING

1. Concentrate on your opening sentence.

This is where you will grab the attention of the reader.

2 Write as if to a friend

A story has to read easily and should sound great when read aloud.

3. Use simple sentences

Readers do not read more than 25 words before they are distracted. Use

no more than 15-20 words per sentence.

4. Alternate long sentences.

Use sentences of 4-5 words or evens single word it creates an impact and makes

reading easier.

5. Make paragraphs of 3-4 sentences.

Small paragraphs will entice the reader to go on. and on. and on.

6. Look at the verbs you use.

Are they strong or weak? Compare 'he has yelled at the top of his voice'

with 'he called out'

7. Use the 4 W's

What, Where, Why and When. There is a 5th W - Whether. Decide whether

you should use the word EDIT.

8. Believe in your Characters.

If you don't how can your reader? Your story should have one main character

and no more than one or two secondary characters. Only mention characteristics

or outward appearance if it adds to the story.

9. Check the rules.

If you are entering a contest check the rules. You don't want to be rejected for an

incorrect format or for using too many words.

10. One idea - one story.

When you have finished use your red pencil and edit again. Sometimes it helps

to put the story aside for a time and then look at it with fresh eyes.

LISTENING SKILLS

LD — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:32:00 +0000

10% of our waking time is spent in communication and 45% of that time is spent listening but we only retain 25% of what we hear.
Active listening is about listening for the purpose of understanding and interpreting the message the speaker is trying to convey.
Concentrate carefully - don't get distracted.
Listen for the explicit date (what is said) as well as the implicit data (what is not said)
Refrain from immediate evaluation - attempt to see the other person's point of view.
Check that you are really listening to the other person - not just waiting your turn to speak.
Listen for the main ideas. Acknowledge what you have just heard and give an appropriate response.
If you do not understand, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.
Read and listen to difficult materials just for the exercise. Jot down the main points you have noted and then check to see how you did.
For a day, keep a record of the time you spent listening. Consider the specific differences improved listening could have made.

Google Calendar Gadget

LGC — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Dear Google,

Please fix the Google Calendar Gadget for Websites. The POWERtalk websites in Great Britain Region had nice little mini-calendars with a list of events below. Now the Google Calendar Gadget does not work so I have had to resort to using the embedded calendar instead.

I can still display the calendar on my iGoogle homepage but we want the world to be able to see it. It was by far the best of the Gooogle Gadgets.

Note to Rovers: please see what it says at the foot of the calendar!

Regards,

POWERtalk Great Britain Region Web Editor

Mentoring…

EDF — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Mentoring - a Learning Partnership
If you have had a good experience of being mentored, or of acting as a mentor, you may recognise the definition of mentoring as a learning partnership. This idea of ‘partnership’ is what distinguishes mentoring from straightforward ‘coaching’ or ‘teaching’.

Who Needs a Mentor?
Anyone facing a new challenge could find it helpful to have a mentor. So, the answer to the question of who needs a mentor is: we all do at some stage in our careers.

Choosing a Mentor
It’s best if the initiative in seeking a mentor is taken by the person wishing to be mentored (the ‘mentee’). Mentoring isn’t something that can successfully be imposed on mentees.

The following checklist will help you choose a mentor:
I know what I want from a mentoring partner.
I have identified potential mentoring partners.
I know why I want this person as a mentor.
I have ideas about how it might operate.
I have a list of concerns for discussion.
You should have worked through these points before choosing a possible mentor.
The Mentor
The mentor’s role is to listen, provide constructive feedback and help their mentee consider options.

They may refer their mentee to other resources as well as facilitate decision-making or share their own experiences. They provide guidance, not direction; and do not solve problems, but act as a collaborator in the problem-solving process.

Primary responsibilities of a mentor include:
Maintaining confidentiality
Being accessible
Promoting decision making
Helping achieve the goals of the mentee
Ensuring a professional relationship
Acting as a role model
Knowing when to end the relationship
More Information for POWERtalk International Members
You will find a Guide to Mentoring in the members’ resource centre of the international website under ‘PREM’. There is also a workshop in ‘Education Features’, which can be used to promote the adoption of mentoring at every level.

Keys to Success
Any promotion of mentoring will only succeed if:
Potential mentors are identified who have an excellent track record in skills such as leadership, delegation, management, communication and motivation.
These potential mentors can be paired successfully with mentees in a true learning partnership.

LD — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:46:00 +0000

TEN TOP TIPSON

CHAIRING A MEETING

Prior to the meeting ensure a comprehensive agenda has been prepared and distributed to all members. Ensure that you have all relevant documents to hand in the same order as the agenda.

It is the chair’s responsibility to regulate the meeting and to ensure that a quorum is present before business commences.

Stick to the Agenda.

Only one person should speak at a time. Should discussions “on the side” become apparent, call for order.

Do not permit speakers to stray from the topic under discussion.

Do not hesitate to seek expert advice when necessary. It is in order to suspend the matter under debate until such advice has been received.

From time to time during a prolonged discussion summarize the main points. This helps those present to follow the argument.

It is sometimes advisable to set a time limit on debate. Such a proposal must be approved by the assembly. A time limit may be placed on each speaker and no speaker may speak twice to the same motion until all who wish to speak have had the opportunity to do so.

Be sure to remain neutral.

When it is necessary to take a vote, repeat the motion immediately before the voting takes place. The most common method of voting is by a show of hands. Remember to ask for votes in favour and for any against. When announcing the result, again repeat the motion so that all present are clear on the decision which has been taken.

Book Reviews in Club Programmes

LD — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:04:00 +0000

BOOK REVIEWS
(Club Programming)

Has your club every thought of having Book Reviews for a club programme?
Many members of POWERtalk are avid readers (when they have time) and have widely varied tastes in books. There are many advantages to having this sort of evening including making you much more aware while reading a book you intend to review and enjoying hearing other people’s views of something you have read your self or even finding out about one or more books that you would enjoy

Another interesting idea would be to ask members to review specific books – perhaps something that they would not normally read

Accreditation: The What, Why, Who and Where to get you started

LD — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:06:00 +0000

ACCREDITATION

WHAT ?

Accreditation is a way of recognising achievement and guaranteeing quality. In POWERtalk we all do assignments that we are proud of but we soon forget how well we did. If you have all of your assignments accredited as well as evaluated you will have a record of those you did well. Accreditation is not just a tick box exercise. To be accredited for an assignment you must do it to a minimum standard which is where the guaranteeing the quality comes in.

If you wish your employer will be informed when you complete each level.

WHY

Because it gives you a goal and a record of all the assignments we complete, together with a written evaluation for future use. It is a measure of your improvement.

WHERE

Can I find out more about this?
Go on line to the International web page at http://www.powertalkinternational.com/index.php/ps_pagename/members_home
Click on Resource centre for Accreditation (don’t forget to click go)
to read about
The Accreditation Journey
Accreditation Basics Master Manual UK Section 8
Lists of Accomplished Communicators and Distinguished Communicators

After that go to Master Manual for the Accreditation Programme

Master Manual - Section 3.1 Project Basics level 1
Effective Communicator (EC) Level One l
Master Manual - Section 3.2 Project Basics level 2
Proficient Communicator (PC) Level Two
Master Manual - Section 3.3 Project Basics level 3
Skilled Communicator (SC) Level Three
Master Manual - Section 3.4 Project Basics level 4
Accomplished Communicator (AC) Level Four;
Master Manual – Section 3.5 Project Basics level 5 Distinguished Communicator (DC) Level Five
Plus
Master Manual - Section 3.6.1 Appendices for Effective Communicator
Master Manual - Section 3.6.2 Appendices for Proficient Communicator
Master Manual - Section 3.6.3 Appendices for Skilled Communicator

WHEN CAN I START?

At any time – print off levels 1 and 2 (or more if you are really keen) and inform your Accreditation Chairman of the Club that you are on the programme and wish to be evaluated. Levels 1 and 2 can be completed all at Club level.

WHO?

All members can participate in the programme and it has been found that clubs where many members are taking part discover a new enthusiasm in the club with members eager to complete assignments.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?