Gems

Division G Newsletter January 2013, Volume 2, Issue 1

Highlights In this edition:

Spice up Your Leadership Style Movie Speak Show Time Concordia Clubs Open House McGill Clubs All Alumni Night My HPL Reflections

Spice Up Your Leadership Style

Heather Sterling-Marriott, ACB, CL Recently for my friends birthday, we went Salsa dancing to celebrate the occasion. Having done competitive Latin dance for many years in my early 20s, this opportunity was a delightful return to my memory lane. One of my favourite features is observing and experiencing the roles of leadership that are integral to a successful choreography on the dance floor. Typically, in partnership dancing leading is done by the man, and following by the woman. Leading is an abstract theory in partner dancing. It goes beyond the techniques that can be learned in the classroom setting. It is more about the attitude that is emitted from the core of the body. Thus when leading is done with character, personality, confidence and respect, both the leader and follower can be in their best element. On the dance floor, the partners I appreciate most are those who make dancing an easy, enchanting and effortless expression. It is more than the solid frame of his shoulders, directional tilt of the pelvis and the rhythm of his steps to sense the artistic expression of moving canvas that we paint on. It is his keen capacity to create either large explorative movements or smaller intricate ones, and moments to allow freedom for free styling footwork. It is also his response to my playful nature.

Now what does this have to do with being a Toastmaster leader? Many things! How would partners and teammates describe your leadership style? Is it a pleasant, rewarding and relevant experience? Is there adequate balance between the vision of the big picture and attention to detailed tasks and action steps? Do you consider the value of each teammate to factor into decisions made on behalf of the team? Do you clarify objectives but delegate effectively so that creative expression can be credited to various individual contributors? At the end of the day, whether you are already in a leadership position or aspire to be some day, the first question to ask: would you want to follow YOU? That could be a good litmus test. In the process of analysis you will highlight your strengths and manage your weaknesses. You will attain clarity in what you have to offer and what you stand to gain from your experience. With conscious self-mastery of who you are as a leader, you are more available to be of productive service to your team and those that you serve in whatever context. This is when building projects that deliver missions of grandeur can blossom to their full potential. In the repertoire of programs from Toastmasters, the High Performance Leadership (HPL) program is a tool for exploring this dimension with all the support resources that you can surround yourself with for ultimate success as a leader. I believe each Toastmaster who truly wants to amplify his or her leadership skills to the next level; this program is a great place to start. AS you awaken the genie within you to start off 2013, I suggest making your Leadership

for High Performance one of your goals. This is what the world truly needs more than ever. You can accomplish all of this in your educational program, because Toastmasters is where leaders are made.

It is Movie Time See You There!

ONE DATE ONLY - Showtime for Montreal Sunday, February 10 , 2013 at 1:00 p.m. (Doors open at 12:00 p.m.) Cinema du Parc 3575 Avenue du Parc, Montral, QC Entrance fee: $5.00 per person ENGLISH ONLY - Official trailer: http://speakthemovie.com/ Come, bring a friend and you'll find the movie eye-opening, entertaining, and uplifting. RSVP your seat by sending an email to: SPEAKtheMovieMONTREAL@gmail.com
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My HPL Reflections Concordia Open House

Are you looking for a better you? Are you looking to improve your career prospects for 2013? Perhaps build your self-confidence, or to become a better leader or communicator. Well look no further. Come to our FREE info-session to be held on th January 28 , from 6pm to 8pm in Room H-760, in the Hall Building on 1455 Blvd. de Maisonneuve O. th Located on the 7 floor across from the elevator. You will learn various skills such as; mastering job interviews, preparing a wedding toast, providing feedback, organizing an event, express your ideas with confidence and leading a team. For more information, please call: Emilio Morales at 514-501-0511, email: president.concordiatm@gmail.com or Visit our website: Makram de Freige, ACS, ALB Area 63 Governor The High Performance Leadership (HPL) program consists of a project that the DTM candidate must complete as part of the requirements of the Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) level, and such project can be almost anything as long as it remains ethical and as the candidate plays the role of a leader. For five months I have worked through my HPL that I completed at my work in an engineering firm. The challenges were numerous but so were the rewards. The benefits of the HPL are that you can finally apply the leadership skills that you have acquired through previous Toastmasters training. The HPL is the lab where you can apply your communication and leadership skills in a real life situation. You can discover your main strengths and weaknesses. In my case, for example, I realized that my main strength was to give well-defined and specific instructions to my subordinates so that they could easily understand what to do and how to proceed. I also took the time to explain to each person why I need him / her in my project. My main weakness, however, was to remain calm when being in frustrating or ambiguous situations, or when my colleagues were not responding to my instructions. The main challenges you will face are the following: maintaining excellent relationships with colleagues, accepting the fact that some people may not agree with you, and finally accepting the fact that things appear obvious to you, may not necessarily be the same to your colleagues. To sum up, you can consider that the HPL shed a light on your ability to apply leadership and communication skills in real life projects. The challenges are big but so are the rewards, the biggest award would be a great sense of achievement by the end of project.

McGill Alumni Night

Whether you are an existing member of McGill club, a guest, or a visitor from another club, YOU are invited to join us at McGill Toastmasters Alumni Night. This is an open house event which will allow all who are interested in public speaking to hear from and interact with our successful alumni. We hope that this event will provide all with inspiration and motivation to continue on the Toastmasters journey in the New Year! Refreshments will be provided. Contact VP Membership to secure a guest seat if you wish to attend. Where: 688 Sherbrooke Street W. Room 1041 (McGill Metro) When: Tuesday, January 29 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
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Who: Everyone, especially McGill Club Alumni Website: http://mcgilltoastmasters.ca/

www.concordia.toastmastersclubs.org

The 6 dimensions of leadership explored in the HPL project: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Vision & values Direction Persuasion Support Development Appreciation

Editor: Angela Toastmasters Club)

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(McGill

Please send your feedback, comments and creative ideas for future issues to: membership@mcgilltoastmasters.ca Thanks for reading and sharing!