Staying in Focus
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Club 2173599, Area 34, District 70
Club News and Events – August 2012
In this issue
Page
Earl Spencer’s Eulogy for Diana 1
Eulogy for Diana, Princess of Wales
By Earl Spencer, Westminster Abbey, London,
9th September 1997
President’s Message
2
Editor’s Message
2
Focus Advanced Program
3
Up and Coming Events
3
Emotional Intelligence
& Giving & Receiving
Evaluations
4
Check Your Quotes
& Protect Your Speech from
Losing Credibility
4
Never Knew – Did You,
and never be stuck for a
Table Topics Answer?
5
Book Review and Ahoy There!
5
Eulogies Evaluated
6
Anniversaries, Birthdays
& Member Profiles
7
Hawkesbury Division
Changeover Dinner, Fun,
Frolics & Photos
8
Beginners’ Speechcraft Dates
9
Excerpt from: “Speeches that Shaped the Modern by World”,
by Alan J Whiticker.
RIP Diana 31st August, 1997
Wrap up Notices
9
(see coaching notes on this and other eulogies on page 6)
“I stand before you today, the
representative of a family in grief, in a
country in mourning, before a world in
shock. We are all united, not only in our
desire to pay our respects to Diana, but
rather in our need to do so, because such
was her extraordinary appeal that the tens
of millions of people taking part in this
service all over the world via television and
radio, who never actually met her, feel that they too lost
someone close to them in the early hours of Sunday morning. It
is a more remarkable tribute to Diana then I can ever hope to
offer to her today. Diana was the very essence of compassion,
of duty, of style, of beauty. All over the world she was the symbol
of selfless humanity. A standard bearer for the rights of the truly
downtrodden. A truly British girl who transcended nationality.
Someone with a natural ability who was classless, and who
proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue
to generate her particular brand of magic. It is a point to
remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the
greatest was this: a girl given the name of the ancient goddess
of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the
modern age. Diana whose beauty was both internal and
external, will never be extinguished from our minds”.
I visited Althorp, the Spencer family estate, during a trip to the
U.K., and brought home a special silk-bound commemorative
copy of Earl Spencer’s speech, which I treasure deeply. I laid
flowers on Diana’s grave on the island, where Nelson Mandela
too, laid a wreath. I will always remember this truly moving
experience.
Anne Keeling, Editor
FOCUS: Advancing speakers through learning, innovation and fun: by pushing, prodding
and poking individuals beyond their comfort zone and through interactive workshops, to
expand their speaking ability
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 1
President’s August Message
Focus Advanced
Toastmasters
Greetings!
2012/2013 Committee
President:
Phil Keeling ATMG, CL
VP Education:
Alison Lavick DTM
0406 999 944
VP Membership:
Graham Blandy DTM
VP Public Relations:
Anne Keeling ATMG, CL
Secretary:
Marianne Moore CC
Treasurer:
Cheryl Keane DTM
Sergeant-At-Arms:
Margaret Donaghy ACB;
ALB
Webmaster:
Michael Barca CC
Focus meetings:
3rd and 5th Thursdays each
month,
6:45pm for 7.00pm at
Roseville Memorial Club,
64 Pacific Highway,
Roseville
Optional to socialize in the
bistro from 6pm
The mission of a Toastmasters
club is to provide a mutually
supportive and positive learning
environment in which every
individual member has the
opportunity to develop oral
communication and leadership
skills, which in turn foster self
confidence and personal growth.
When I joined Toastmasters, in my icebreaker speech I said: “I am here because
I want to learn to speak as well as I can write”. Well, thirteen years on and
that process is still underway, because as my speaking ability goes on
improving with practice, this also keeps my writing skills ahead of my vocal
abilities! The Japanese have a word for it - “kaizen”, coming from the
ideographs “change” and “virtue”, translating as “continuous improvement”.
Now this not only applies in a personal sense, where I strive to be better at
what I do, whatever it is, but in a community perspective as well. Kaizen
identifies a group of methods for making work process improvements, relying
on the input of the whole team. I see this manifested in Focus Advanced
already. This brings me to my second statement about joining Toastmasters: “I
am here to speak and not to lead”. So I experienced many furrowed eyebrows
witnessing the increasing emphasis on leadership becoming enshrined in
Toastmasters philosophy ... until another Japanese moment - “kensho” - a flash
of realization - when I perceived the intertwined nature of speaking well to a
group of people and exhibiting leadership qualities in that very process. By
learning within the Toastmasters’ framework and using this learning to
develop how we present ourselves confidently, and our ideas clearly and
persuasively, we exhibit the qualities that make others want to follow us … to
follow our example. Now I know not only “Where Leaders are Made”, I know
“how leaders are made”. My dear Focus Advanced members, this is our
“kaizen”.
Phil Keeling
Message from the Newsletter Editor
Welcome to the second issue of our club newsletter. The response to the first
edition of “Staying in Focus” had been overwhelming. “A superb piece of
journalism!”, “Exceptional Newsletter”, “Looks like a great program running
which means many happy members”, “a first class publication”, “an
outstanding achievement”. Well done with the feedback! Let us know of
anything else you want in the newsletter, and please send in your own
contributions (points for improvement?) – they are most welcome. We will
continue to educate, motivate and inform our readers, and provide a mutually
supportive and positive, caring environment, and with your help include
specific tips for helping member Toastmasters achieve their goals and become
better speakers, leaders, and people.
Anne Keeling
Editor
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 2
Focus Advanced Toastmasters Program to Year End
Aug 16
Club Humorous and Table Topics Contests
Please notify Laurel of your intentions!
Laurel Holterman DTM
Aug 30
Interpersonal Networking
Naomi Rosenthal ACS CL
Sept 20
Club Charter Party
Alison Lavick DTM/Phil Keeling
Oct 18
Influence & Speaking to Persuade
Phil Keeling ATMG CL
Nov 15
Humour
Iain Gorry ACB CL
Nov 29
Writing a Quality Speech
Alison Lavick DTM
Dec 20
Year End Celebration
Laurel Holterman DTM
[email protected]
Up and Coming Events

Hawkesbury Division Club Officer Training, Chatswood, Dougherty Community Centre,
7 Victor St, Chatswood, (parking opposite is 2 hours only, then pay) Thursday 9th August, 7:00pm10:00pm.

Hawkesbury Division Club Officer Training Bankstown Sports Club, Greenfield Pde,
Bankstown, (plenty of free parking) Sunday 26th August, 1:00pm-4:00pm (final first round training).

Toastmasters International Convention 2012, Orlando, Florida, August 15- 18, at the Hilton
Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. The International Convention features a keynote presentation, skillbuilding seminars and speech contest semifinals which culminate in the World Championship of
Public Speaking. Info at: http://www.toastmasters.org/members/convention.aspx

Area 34 Humorous and Table Topics Contests, Wednesday 5th September, 6:30pm at Club
Willoughby, 26 Crabbes Ave., Willoughby (parking)

Hawkesbury Division Humorous and Table Topics Contest, Saturday 22nd September (details
TBA).

District 70 Humorous and Table Topics Contest Finals and Semi-Annual Conference –
Saturday/Sunday November 3-4, Pit Complex, Mount Panorama, Bathurst. For info and to register,
visit: http://event.d70toastmasters.org.au Accommodation at Rydges Mount Panorama, 1 Conrod
Straight. Early Bird Registration ends September 30.

Toastmasters International Convention 2013, Cincinnati, Ohio, August 21-24, 2013. Lots of
activities in this early American town. Barrack for the Cincinnati Reds!

Toastmasters International Convention 2014, Kuala Lumpur: August 20-23, 2014. For the first
time in Toastmasters' history, the International Convention will be hosted outside North America.
After an extensive selection process, Kuala Lumpur will be the site for the 2014 convention. More
than 30% of all Toastmasters now live outside North America, with the greatest area of membership
growth in Southeast Asia. Sydney to Kuala Lumpur takes about 7½ hours by air, via most major
airlines operating in the region. Hotels are plentiful. Good shopping at the local markets.
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 3
How Emotional Intelligence (EI) can help
when giving or receiving feedback in evaluations
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers
suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn
characteristic. Since 1990, Peter Salove and John D. Mayer have been the leading researchers on
emotional intelligence. In their influential article "Emotional lntelligence," they defined emotional
intelligence as, "the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others'
feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking
and actions" (1990).
The Victorian Law Institute Journal recently included an interesting commentary of EI, which read
in part as follows:
“According to psychologist David Goleman, emotional intelligence is made of five areas of competency:
self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Research has suggested that EI is
twice as important as either intellect or expertise in predicting performance. Leaders with high EI are able
to inspire, motivate, train and influence others, understand their needs, respond to them appropriately,
sense how to provide appropriate and constructive feedback, and ultimately get the best out of them.
Those with EI are also generally more likely to display integrity, conscientiousness, flexibility, comfort with
ambiguity and change, teamwork skills, and the ability to effectively deal with difficult people. They are
also more adept in analysing what people are saying and reading between the lines, taking on feedback
and improving themselves, anticipating and recognising others' needs and negotiating and resolving
disagreements”.
Life is like an airport, you have to clear the runway in order to let new ideas fly in.
“Listen” and “silent” use the same letters.
The speaker sows and the listener reaps.
Friends are like angels who help us to our feet when our wings have forgotten how to fly.
CHECK YOUR QUOTES
Prevent your speech from losing credibility!
Many phrases we use are often misquotes from Shakespeare and other traditional sayings, and people
do not realise they have made mistakes. Top misquoted phrases include:




The 14th century phrase “on tenter hooks” which derives from a wooden frame on which wet
clothes were hung out to dry is often mistaken as “on tender hooks”.
“One fell swoop”, which was originally uttered by MacDuff in Shakespeare’s MacBeth is frequently
mistakenly repeated as “one foul swoop”, or even “one fowl swoop”.
“A damp squib”, a term for a 19th century explosive mining device which turned out to be a dud, is
often mispronounced as “damp squid”.
“Find a pin and pick it up” is the first line of a poem in “The Real Mother Goose” book of nursery
rhymes, is now misquoted as “find a penny and pick it up”.
There are many more:
Incorrect
Nip it in the butt
Champing at the bit
A mute point
Adverse to
To the manor born
Donkey’s years
Money is the root of all evil
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Correct
nip it in the bud
chomping at the bit
a moot point
averse to
to the manner born
donkey’s ears
the love of money is the root of all evil.
Page 4
Never Knew – Did you?
(Never be stuck for a Table Topics answer)
Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove
to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink
into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he
would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?
A: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which
produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer 'in the limelight' was the centre of attention.
Q: Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?
A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest
cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.
Q: In golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?
A: When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she
loved the Scots game 'golf.' So he had the first course outside Scotland built for her enjoyment. To
make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a
military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot, and when returned to Scotland (not a very good
idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day'
and the Scots changed it into ‘caddie’.
Book Review
The Essential Dictionary
of Quotations
Ahoy there Commodores,
Captains and Sailors!
(A Must for Every Toastmaster)
This
publication
is
an
indispensable reference for
your speaking and writing
needs. It contains over 4,000
classic and contemporary
quotations in an easy-to-use
format,
e.g.
alphabetical
order of categories and
identification of author. The
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
of Quotations is a collection
of quotations on a wide
variety of topics that have traditionally engaged the
human imagination – topics such as anger; beauty;
birth; death; life; love; money; power, and truth. It is full
of quotables from notables, helping you to find the
perfect saying for every occasion.
“The person who knows “how” will always have a job. The
person who knows “why” will always be his boss”.
Diane Ravitch, (1985)
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
In commemoration of the centenary of the
Titanic, Dural Toastmasters proudly
presents the best ever yet Dural Lifeboat
Debate.
Guests will be welcomed on board the
HMS Dural on Friday 31 August 2012.
To secure a berth for you and your friends
please email:
[email protected]
with the name, club (if applicable) and
email of each passenger.
VPEs, if your club would like compete
please email us straight away, there is
space for 10 contestants only, so get in
fast! You may like to hold your own club
level debate to choose your contestant.
See you there!
The HMS Dural Crew
Page 5
.
THE EULOGY
Notes have been adapted by Alison Lavick from
‘Speaking Well’ by Peggy Noonan
A eulogy isn't for the departed and it isn't for you;
it is for the grieving people in the pews.
Be serious but not sombre, and be sincere
Eulogies are like toasts and tributes in that they are an appreciation of a human being. The difference, of
course, is that the human being honored is gone and you are speaking not to him but to his grieving and
sorrowful relatives and friends. Another difference is that you, too, are grieving - you were close to the
departed, which is why you have been asked to speak.
A eulogy is not the proper place to show your ambivalence about how the recently departed made his money or
treated his mother. It is the place to consider and highlight his obvious virtues -- humor, warmth, steadfastness,
courage -- and illustrate them if you can through anecdotes or word pictures.
"The first time I met him he was sitting under a tree with his ankles crossed, reading a book of poetry. It
was finals week at Penn State, but unlike the rest of us he was the picture of ease. I found in forty years
of knowing him that that first sight revealed his essential style - an easiness about life, a comfortableness
with it, a sense that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff and that most of it is small stuff.”
A gentle humor is appropriate and can lift people out of the moment — laughter leavens sorrow … but the
comedy territory is obviously limited.
The eulogy that is the most famous speech of the 1990s is the breathtaking address of Earl Spencer at the
funeral of his sister Diana, the Princess of Wales: I think that so far it is the only great speech of the 1990s,
because in it he said serious things in an unforgettable way -- and the whole world was watching. They say
he made his nephews, the Princes William and Harry, uncomfortable, but the princes are reported by those
on the scene to have been the only members of the royal family who applauded.
How would you like to have the kind of brother who stood up for you so, who stood alone to speak truth to
power in front of a few billion people? He spoke what he felt and thought was the truth and he seemed to be
doing it without care for consequences, always an interesting thing to see and a moving and unusual one too.
Spencer did not try to be eloquent, he didn't pull out the emotional stops, he did not try to make his listeners
cry. He tried instead to make them think about the nature of "the irreplaceable Diana." He clearly decided his
remarks had a task -- to capture her, to consider the meaning of her life and death.
He attempted to tell the truth as he saw it, clearly. But when you tell the truth clearly, without flourish, directly
and it is a truth worth hearing -- chances are you will be very eloquent indeed.
And because he spoke at a moment of such high drama, and with the whole world watching, Earl Spencer
gave, on September 6, 1997, what is so far the one great and unforgettable speech of the 1990s.
Here is a little of the text with the writer’s commentary on it:
I stand before you today, the representative of a family in grief, in a country in mourning, before
a world in shock.
Right away you know you are in good rhetorical hands, with the balance of phrasing and the building up
from the small (family) to the larger (country) to the largest (world). The fact that it is concise – not a
word is wasted - signals the seriousness to come.
We are all united, not only in our desire to pay our respects to Diana, but rather in our need to
do so, because such was her extraordinary appeal that the tens of millions of people taking part
in this service all over the world via television and radio, who never actually met her, feel that
they too lost someone close to them in the early hours of Sunday morning.
That sentence is difficult to say, but he said it.
It is a more remarkable tribute to Diana then I can ever hope to offer to her today.
And so it continued ….
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 6
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Happy Toastmasters Anniversary to:
Erica Jankus, CC, CL – joined 1/8/2005
Chris Daly, ACS, CL – joined 1/8/2006
Jo Spiegelhauer, ACB, ALB – joined 1/8/2008
Happy August Birthday to:
Chris Daly, ACS, CL
Cheryl Keane, DTM
Focus Advanced Member Profiles
Martin Griffith ACB/ALB, Area 34 Governor
How long have you been a Toastmaster? I joined Hornsby Toastmasters in 1999 after my fifth speech
dropped out for six years before rejoining St Ives Club in 2007.
What motivates you to stay in Toastmasters? What so effectively motivates me to stay in
Toastmasters is the smiling faces of so many supportive members, the learning environment and the
enjoyable meetings.
What is your greatest achievement so far in Toastmasters? My greatest achievement must be when
after stepping out of my comfort zone last year into the role of President at St Ives Club and trying my
best to emulate the previous three inspiring Presidents, Jeremy Hammond, Joshua Rasco and Adrienne
McLean, the St Ives members and Club achieved Presidents Distinguished Club in 2011-2012.
What is your favourite book/movie/music? I am inspired when I read, so I keep an old fashioned hard
copy library of perhaps two hundred titles. My favourite book(s) in which I find pure enjoyment reading, is
the five volume set. The History of the English Speaking People, written by the 1953 Nobel Prize in
Literature winner Winston S. Churchill.
Margaret Donaghy, ACB/ALB, Area 8 Governor
Home Club: Bon Appetit
How long have you been a Toastmaster? When I was a baby Toastmaster, I joined Dee Why RSL
Toastmasters mid 2004. I then heard about dinner clubs which sounded like a lot of fun, so I joined
Northern Beaches for a short time. I wanted to spread my wings further afield so in 2007, I joined Bon
Appetit, gourmet club of Sydney’s North Shore and it was a lot of fun. As an intermediate level
Toastmaster, I have joined Focus Advanced Toastmasters to advance my skills. I am also a member of
Trainers by Design and Avalon Beach Toastmasters. All in all, I have been a Toastmaster for 8 years
and am currently a member of 4 clubs.
What is your greatest achievement so far in Toastmasters? I have yet to reach my greatest
achievement. A turning point was definitely conducting a Speechcraft course, a first, for Bon Appetit. I
am still working towards my greatest achievement. One highlight has been attending the International
Convention in Palms Desert in 2010 and in Las Vegas in 2011.
What is your favourite book/movie/music? My all time favourite movie is Charade with Audrey
Hepburn and Cary Grant, and involves espionage, mystery, murder and of course, romance. My
favourite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. My all time favourite music album is Carole King’s
Tapestry, which was the first album I ever bought in the form of a cassette when I was about 13.
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 7
Hawkesbury Division
Changeover Dinner
Thursday 28th June, 2012
Jo Speigelhauer
The Buzzy Bee Award
Margaret Donaghy
The Eager Beaver Award
Shirley Childs
The Hungry Chef’s Hat Award
Laurel Holterman
The Triple O Award
Naomi Rosenthal was the delightful MC who
facilitated the evening’s changeover of office
bearers.
Margaret Donaghy gave a warm welcome,
setting the stage for Greg Holterman to present
a Table Topics Session – “The Silliest Wedding
Ever Held”, starring Margaret as the bride and
Damien as the groom. Eddy van der Hout
hammed it up as the father of the bride who was
dragged along kicking and screaming at missing
the Wallabies game on TV; followed by Phil
Keeling, the ring-less best man; Sandeep
Mathur the groom’s brother and family joker;
Sally Foley-Lewis, maid of honour dishing the
dirt on her sister, the bride; Anne Keeling, the
over-the-top mother of the bride so excited to
see her daughter tie the knot; Laurel
Holterman, the groom’s aunt, not at all happy
about being seated so far from the top table;
Alison Lavick, the bride’s aunt who thinks she
is Elizabeth II and only uses the royal “we”; Iain
Gorry, the groom’s senile grandfather who has
no idea where he is; and Jo Speigelhauer, the
groom’s first wife, who is still the groom’s first
wife…..
Sandeep Mathur
The Prince Charming Prize
Eddy van der Hout
The Fast Eddy Award
Greg Holterman
The Rousing Bernie Award
Jo reviewed the past year’s achievements,
Sandeep led a toast to the outgoing team, and
Alison gave an inspiring plug for Focus
Advanced Toastmasters Club! Past Hawkesbury
Division Governor Iain Gorry presented awards
to his outgoing Area Team, and Shirley Childs
served up a hearty roast to everyone! Eddy
toasted the incoming team and Naomi closed
the meeting.
Naomi Rosenthal
Tell it like it is Award
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Meeting 21st June 2012
Members and Guests photo
Outgoing Area 34 Governor Naomi Rosenthal
discharged the Focus steering committee and
incoming Area 34 Governor Martin Griffith installed
the incoming 2012-2013 committee.
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 8
Beginners’ Speechcraft
Two Saturdays, 9:00am – 4:00pm (approx)
Club Willoughby
26 Crabbes Ave, North Willoughby
 September 15 & 29
 October 27 & November 10
 November 17 & December 1
Four Tuesdays, 6:45pm – 9:45pm
Club Willoughby
26 Crabbes Ave, North Willoughby
 October 9, 16, 23, 30
Investment $300
Contact: Alison Lavick at: [email protected], or on: 0406 99 99 44
Personnel 2012-2013
District 70 Governor – Jan Vecchio DTM
Hawkesbury Division Governor – Jo Spiegelhauer ACB/ALB
Area 34 Governor – Martin Griffith ACB/ALB
The Mission of Toastmasters
Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral
communication a worldwide reality.
Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of
speaking, listening, and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance
leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.
It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide
network of member clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to
benefit from its programs.
Staying in Focus
The views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policy of Toastmasters International nor Focus
Advanced Toastmasters Club. All care is taken to check details reproduced in these pages, but no responsibility is taken for
inaccuracies.
Editor: Anne Keeling, 0418-272-564, [email protected]
Publisher: Phil Keeling,0418-862-114, [email protected]
Website under construction
Focus Advanced Toastmasters
Page 9