Powertalking December 2016 by POWERtaking e-magazine

POWERtalking Issue 31 | December 2016 www.powertalkinternational.com

POWER talking ... coaching in effective speaking

In This Issue

3 - President’s Message by Christine Endo, ITC President 4 - From the Editors - December 2016 Marilyn Robinson and Marijke Slager 5 - Don’t Restrict the Club Delegate by Wyn Bowler 6 - Becoming Your Own Boss by Marilyn Robinson 7 - Delegate to Council by Eleonore Pertold 8 - Accreditation: Fire or Ice? by Kay Shewfelt Boyd 9- The Region Treasurer by Colin Gray 10 - Organizing Thoughts by Enid Bastien

Photo on front cover from pixabay.com

12 - Reflections on Being President by Heidi Lachs

Graphic on p. 3 designed by Freepik

13 - Are You the One? Thoughts on Becoming a Mentor by Uta Kraus 14 - When Can I Expect an Email Reply? by Kazuyo Sugitani 15 - A Member of the Region Board by Aðalheiður Rúnarsdóttir

Photo on p. 4 taken by Aðalheiður Rúnarsdóttir Graphic on p. 5 designed by Alekksall / Freepik Graphic on back cover designed by Ibrandify / Freepik

PUBLICATION GUIDELINES POWERtalking e-magazine is published quarterly: March, June, September, December. All submissions are made to the Editorial committee and once accepted become the property of ITC.

Articles of between 500-700 words should be of particular interest to members and the mission of the organization.

Very much in demand are articles that have educational value for members.

Authors must submit a portrait photo of themselves as a seperate jpg or png file, together with, preferably, a 20-50 word profile of their credentials.

Write-ups on installations, anniversaries, charters and contests have limited interest and are rarely published.

Photographs must be submitted separately in their original format and size, not in Word or PDF documents.

President’s Message - by Christine Endo, ITC President

As I, and other members here in the United States, look back over Thanksgiving week (last Thursday in November), we may have given thanks for our ITC POWERtalk training. I’m sure the rest of you from around our international world also give thanks, for without the training we would not have developed the skills or knowledge we have today. Part of the growth and skills developed through our training program comes from accepting leadership roles. Your ITC Board of Directors has accepted the challenge of leadership. Have you? Look at the skills you will develop in return for accepting a leadership role in your club, your council, your region, or at international levels:

• Time Management. How often do we hear someone say, “Oh, how I wish there were more hours in the day!” Leadership roles can help us develop those skills that teach us to use our time more efficiently. Through leadership we learn time management and our lives become better organized. • Delegation. Most of us today, find our life so full and busy that it might be considered almost impossible to do everything ourselves. So, how do we get others to help us accomplish all the things that seem needing to be done? Delegate is the simple answer—we must get others to help share in the workload. Through leadership, we gain the skills to see what can be delegated, to whom, how, and when. • Personal Image. We all want to present ourselves to others so that they think the best of us. By accepting a leadership role in ITC, we place ourselves in the position of interacting with others. We learn to work with people who may be very different from who we are; we learn to become part of a team; we learn to become team leaders.

• Communication. What a frightening place the world must be to those who are unable to communicate effectively. Without the ability to communicate, we would be unable to express our feelings, our needs, or our thoughts to others. ITC prides itself in training its members to communicate well with others, and leadership roles enhance greatly our ability to communicate.

As we move into the holiday season on a universal scale, on behalf of your International Board of Directors, I wish each of you a Joyous Holiday. And, as the year winds to a close, I hope you are all able to look back over the past eleven months and congratulate yourselves on leadership roles you have taken, accomplishments achieved, and goals reached. May the upcoming new year bring happiness and leadership joys to all.

Happy Holidays

From the Editors - December 2016 - by Marijke Slager, Div. III VP and Marilyn Robinson, ITC Secretary What a rewarding assignment this is, to serve as co-editors for POWERtalking magazine.Feedback from you, the members, has been so helpful to our team.You asked if we could have articles on the duties of officers in our organization. Experienced officers promptly responded to our invitation to share their experiences and they have offered ideas for newer members and those who are embarking on leadership roles within the organization.They have reflected on the fears and trepidations they felt when they were first approached to serve. But they have been quick to describe their personal growth

from taking on the challenge and how the learning has benefitted them in their lives. What a testimony to the value of our training program! Again, we welcome your suggestions and your submissions, for they help us make the magazine better and speak to the readers interests. Thanks to those who have submitted articles for this issue. Material for the next issue should be sent before 15. February 2017. As Christmas\holiday season\New Year approaches, your Editorial Team wishes every member all the best for the season. Take time to reflect on the many things you have to be grateful for this past year as you look ahead to 2017 and the opportunities that await. The year end brings no greater pleasure than the opportunity to express to you, Season’s Greetings and Good Wishes. Our hope is that the lights and the sounds of the season bless your lives like never before.

POWERtalking Magazine Editorial Committee Members Co-editor Marijke Slager slalom@home.nl Division III Co-editor Marilyn Robinson Division II

marrobins@mymts.net

Member Geraldine Lightfoot Division II

gerryvl@thot.net

Member Aðalheiður Rúnarsdóttir Division III

adalheidur.runarsdottir@gmail.com

Member Kazuyo Sugitani Division IV

kksugi@nifty.com

Don’t Restrict the Club Delegate - by Wyn Bowler, ITC Parliamentarian 2015-2017

Recently I came across a club speech I gave after attending my first ITC convention – 1985 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The speech was about my parliamentary learning experience at the convention. One of the things I learned was don’t lock your delegate into a given vote. During my years of attending ITC meetings, I have seen how important it is that a club not tell their delegate how to vote. This is important at all levels – council, region, and international. Debate an issue ITC is a deliberative organization. That is, we debate an issue in the name of the entire organization while in a room together, then make a decision. (RONR, pages 1–2.) A club should discuss the proposed amendments and the candidates for office at a higher level so that their delegate knows how the club members think and feel about an issue. But, the club should not tell the delegate that they must vote a certain way. Not locking in how their delegate votes is in a club’s – and ITC’s -- best interest. At the 1985 ITC convention, an issue came up that showed the importance of this. A new name was needed for the ITC magazine. The name proposed by the ITC board was “Forum.” The assembly learned that “Forum” was also the name of a men’s magazine; not a name that we wanted to be associated with. Some delegates had been instructed by their club to vote for “Forum,” so no matter what information came forward during debate, and no matter what other names were proposed, these delegates had to vote for “Forum.” For the delegates who had to vote for the name “Forum,” being able to vote for another name would have been much better, both for their club and for the organization.

Debates at convention Debate on the ITC convention floor brings out the international flavor of the organization. Not all clubs are run the same way. The delegates on the convention floor hear of differences and can vote for the good of the organization overall. Also, during the convention, members get to interact with candidates for office rather than just seeing a person on paper. What do other members say about the candidates that they personally know? These in-person interactions could change your mind about who the better candidate is. Does your club have a HAWC? If your club has a HAWC delegate, tell them as much as you can about how the club they will represent feels about the business that will be discussed at the convention. Then, as with a delegate who is a member of your club, let them listen to the debate and then vote. The club has the right to ask their delegate how they voted on each proposed amendment, on the election of officers, and on any new business. Ask your delegate why he/she voted as she/he did. How else will you know if you want that delegate to represent the club in the future? Let your delegate vote according to his/her best judgement If your club hasn’t always done so, I hope that in the future, you let your delegate vote as she/he sees what is the best for the club and for the organization after listening to the discutions and debates on the issue and talking with members from around the world. Trust your delegate to make the right choice.

Becoming Your Own Boss - by Marilyn Robinson, AC, ITC Secretary 2015-2017

Recently, I read an article about how to become your own boss that provided numerous strategies and tips for those who aspire to start their own business. As I read the article, I thought that the strategies identified for embarking on self employment, relate to managing our own success. Each of us has the power to be our “own boss” whether we choose to be self-employed, work for an organization, volunteer in our communities or manage our homes. We are in charge of our success. What does it mean to “be your own boss”? Let’s start with managing your “business”. Your business is you. You need to run the “business of you” like any other business. Build a reputation for reliability, promptness, being the person who “gets things done”?

you need it and you don’t waste time trying to find the materials you need. Keep a record of tasks, assignments, due dates and update these regularly as you complete tasks or projects. Prioritize your tasks and plan your time Set your priorities and plan the time to work on projects. Considering using a “50 minute hour”. Work for 50 minutes then take a ten minute break to do something that takes your mind away from the work at hand. That way, you come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next task. Recent research suggests the importance of taking breaks and doing some exercises such as a walk outdoors, pulling weeds in your garden, doing some stretches. Apparently, these activities refresh your brain and help make you more productive. Try to keep to a “five hour day”. Varying assignments and tasks, knowing that the ‘work’ will end after 5 hours helps to keep you focussed and productive. The message is: to be a good “boss” of yourself, care for your “self”.

Take time to learn to control your schedule. This means using a calendar and writing down each commitment you make. Determine the time required to successfully complete each activity. Allow sufficient time to travel to an appointment to ensure that you arrive at least five minutes prior to the appointed time. Do you have reading or research or materials to prepare before the commitment? If so, ensure that you allocate time to do the necessary preparation. Then, gather all required materials to take with you, e.g. notebook, pen, documents, calendar.

Practice good customer service That means responding to people who phone, email, write or try to reach you. Respond promptly to phone calls, emails and requests. Allocate time at the end of the day to review emails rather than responding to each as it arrives as that can be very distracting and interfere with your productivity. When you do this, you can priorize requests and respond accordingly. Some require research or other preparation and may take time to address. It’s easy to send a reply that assures the contact that you have received their request and when you will be able to respond to it.

Keep a “1-31” file. Each file is the day of the month. Put anything in the file of the day e.g. 15th, that you will need to work on an assignment such as papers, documents, anything that relates to the work to be done. Keep an electronic 1-31 file as well and merge the two “1-31’s” when it is the day to work on a project, go to a meeting, etc. That helps to ensure that you have everything needed when

Learn to market yourself It’s okay to let people know about your accomplishments whether it’s your boss, community organizations or others with whom you interact. Build your network by attending networking events, joining and participating in organizations, having current, professional business cards. Dress in a way that showcases “you” as a successful person.

Keep current with latest developments in your chosen field. This may include attending courses, seminars, webinars that will help you keep your knowledge and skills current. Maintain a positive outlook There are always “ups and downs” in life, but learn to accept these and keep focussed on your goals. You are the only one who can manage

your success. Continue to take charge of you. If you work outside the home, your employer will be impressed with your accomplishments. Any organization with which you volunteer will be thrilled at your contribution. You will have the pride of accomplishments. Remember to reward yourself for your achievements. Enjoy being your own “boss”!

Delegate to Council

- by Eleonore Pertold, Council 2, Danube/Trends

ITC is an international organisation divided into regions that encompass all councils within its boundaries. A Council consists of clubs within a specific geographic area and the individual Club is the basic component of ITC. The Club’s Delegate to Council is an important elected office that should not be underestimated. It is very important to have a club member who links the CLUB and COUNCIL levels, this being for the benefit of both. Club and council delegate In general, the duties of a delegate are: • Attend all club and council meetings • Vote at the council meeting according to the club’s decision/direction. • Act for the benefit of the club and council • Study the predecessor’s files and use the pre-decessor’s experience when things are unclear. • Acquire basic knowledge of Parliamentary procedure. • Write clear and precise reports to be presented to club members. This may sound easy, but please take it all seriously. The delegate can achieve so much for the benefit

of the club and council. The delegate promotes the council meeting with enthusiasm and willpower, persuades the members to attend and enjoy the experience of a day full of new impressions, friendship and “edutainment” – education and fun. Travelling together might also increase the friendly atmosphere in your club. And as a delegate it is a good feeling to have club members by your side. The more members attending a meeting the bigger the success of the meeting and the delegate can contribute a lot to this success. What can a delegate do for your club? The delegate to council brings new ideas from council back to the club. Ask the programme chairman to integrate something new into the programme and present it to your members. The delegate might bring a good club idea to the council meetings. Other clubs might pick this up, grateful for new items on their programmes. The delegate’s report is precise, short, clear A delegate’s report only includes answers to the where, when, what and how many present of the council meeting’s business meeting. Keep the report to essentials, avoid boring the club members when the report is presented during the club business meeting. This is the best way to keep the club members interested in council affairs. Consider the club’s interest in Council matters to be the delegate’s duty and make it a success story. For more and detailed information regarding the duties of a council delegate there is an officer guide available, email: kurtpertold@tele2.at

Accreditation: Fire or Ice?

- by Kay Shewfelt Boyd, SC, Maple Leaf Club, Manitoba Council at Large

Are we on fire or slowly freezing? If we view Accreditation as the warm and fuzzy feeling of accomplishment experienced when we win the race, climb the mountain or achieve our next goal, what are we waiting for when it comes to submitting accreditation assignments to ITC? I’ve done it all. What do I need to prove? Some ITC Members may say “I’ve done it all. Why should I do it again? What do I need to prove? It’s a lot of work” etc. Is that setting a positive example for newer members? Is that promoting our wonderful program of leadership and building speaking excellence? When did you last do a speech or present an education feature or workshop at your club? Was it evaluated for accreditation recognition? Think about doing it again at another level in the organization – council, region, even ITC convention. Become a shining example for others to follow. We attend meetings to grow and learn. The reason many of us have continuted as members of POWERtalk is to mentor and watch the growth of new and less experienced members. If we want to see membership growth within clubs, we need to be showing good practices and building productive programs at every meeting. A club without growth and structure becomes a social gathering, not a hub of learning. How can I grow in the accreditation program? I firmly believe that a growing club is a club that

continues to provide incentive to growth. Growth in Topics of the Day, toasts, evaluation is not enough if each accomplishment floats off into the ether. Record it! Have your club Accreditation Chairman sign it and be sure to keep your record. This is called “building credentials” for each member. Print a copy of the accreditation level you are working on. Put it in a plastic folder at the front of your meeting binder. Be aware of what you need to do to complete your level. Talk to your club program chairman about the assignment(s) you need to complete. Ask if these can be scheduled soon at a regular meeting. Then, prepare and complete your required assignments. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your meeting programs become a point of competition for members wanting to complete assignments? Wouldn’t people become more excited about getting their accreditation level completed? Sign up to do a workshop at the next conference. Offer to be an evaluator. Volunteer to take on an executive position and watch how quickly you achieve the Accreditation levels. Material for assignments and Master Manual Do you need help finding the material? Generally each club has a Master Manual hard copy somewhere. If not I would suggest printing one for the club so that people can see the guidelines for assignments. It’s easy to take a picture of a page or two from your club’s copy of the Master Manual with the assignment requirements. Better still, print it from the POWERtalk website. Most accreditation assignments can be found in Section 3 of the Master Manual. Evaluations for many assignments are found within the chapter you are working on. All members should be able to complete the requirements for the first three levels of the Accreditation Program. Make a pledge to yourself today to complete your accreditation requirements and submit them to the International Committee for recognition.

The Region Treasurer - by Colin Gray, Great Britain Region

Being elected to serve as treasurer may be your first Region board position. The main thing to remember is that you’re a member of a board; you’re not on your own. So, if you become Region Treasurer, at the first opportunity, sit down with your new Region colleagues to find out what needs to be done and when. In par-ticular, find what support the Region President will want from you over the coming year.

discussions at board level about things that were good ideas but would cost a few pounds more than we had in the budget. Dare we risk a £50 overspend on the printing budget? Luckily, this misguided, penny wise, pound foolish approach seems to have disappeared now. Remind clubs to provide a list of members The hardest part of the job is, I am sorry to say, getting clubs to provide a list of members along with contact information such as email addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers. This seems to be regarded as unnecessary by all too many clubs, but without it Region is operating in the dark.

Stock up with receipt books and pens A visit to your local stationers is always a good idea. Stock up with receipt books, analysis books, red pens, green pens, anything that Duty calls will make your life easier. This is money well Usually, you will be expected to produce a budget spent, because the basis of being a successful for the year, collect Region dues from clubs, Treasurer is to write down immediately any attend board meetings and, finally, to produce money you receive and any money you pay out. the annual accounts for your year in office. The Provided this is done promptly, you will be on a best thing is to begin by drawing up a timetable good foundation. Get plenty of file folders, too, so of the dates by which these tasks Colin was an accountant for 41 that you can keep your invoices must be done. Secondly, contact and bank statements where they years. Unfortunately, he only all club treasurers and collect can be easily found. discovered ITC in the latter the club and any other dues Today there are plenty of part of his career. because an accounant who can stand up and computer based accounting from them as soon as possible. speak well in public and answer packages available. Being This sounds like a statement questions from an audience, is something of a dinosaur, I never of the obvious, but they will a rare creature. The benefits of be busy people, and if it is not really warmed to them, but the being a POWERtalk member are done quickly it can be easily consensus is that they are a more than simply giving one a overlooked. useful tool for the busy treasurer. boost on one’s career path. Today, Colin is very much enjoying

Prepare a budget Back in the day an accountant his retirement in North East As far as preparing a budget would stand at his desk England. He feels it’s a great goes, the best thing is to liaise privilege & pleasure to be asked When I first started out, there to pass on his views on what with the outgoing treasurer. Was were people not much older being Region Treasurer involves. last year’s budget sufficient? than myself who remembered Are there any items which are when an accountant did not sit no longer required? Are there any items which at a desk, he stood at one. If his back began were not needed last year but which will be this to ache, he would have a high legged stool on year? I recommend using last year’s figures as which to sit for a few minutes! Exactly as in “A a starting point rather than starting completely Christmas Carol”. Amazing! Yet, today, research from scratch. Once the budget is completed, is suggesting that it`s better for your health to remember that it is a tool to help Region, not stand at your computer and desk. Well, that`s a an end in itself. In the past, I remember long discussion for another time!

Organizing Thoughts - by Enid Bastien, SC, POWERtalk International, North Bay Region How do you organize your thoughts? Do you write notes down on paper with the most important point at the top or can you do this in your head? For myself, I like to write everything down and I leave the list handy so I can add to it, delete as items are completed, reorganize priorities, redefine activities as necessary at different times. Organizing a speech Now … let’s apply this technique to organizing a speech. Suppose your neighbour, best friend, sister or cousin is so mad at City Council about some action or other that she wants to make a presentation at a Council meeting and asks you to help her prepare it. You agree to brainstorm with her because this is your friend or family member. But you emphasize that you’re not agreeing to anything more, just to tossing ideas around. Eventually these thoughts and ideas will become a speech with a main idea and several supporting points. Who, what, when, where, why and how What are the questions that you need to ask in order to organize your thoughts on almost any subject? When you read your newspaper or listen to a TV announcer reporting on an accident or incident, you will note that the writer or speaker has to answer at least four of the following questions very quickly and concisely to grab our attention: who, what, when, where, why and how. Let’s go back to that presentation your friend wants to make at City Council. Ask those six questions:

What? –Define the issue that is of concern. State it clearly and concisely, like the subject of any speech you prepare at your club meetings. Who? –Identify those who are affected by this concern/issue. Those present at the meeting

may include the city councillors, other citizens like you who have a concern and perhaps even members of the media When? –You will present on date that this item is on the city council agenda and within the time that you are allotted. In your presentation, you should refer to the urgency of this issue and when you think action should be taken. Where? –You will be presenting at council chambers. Your presentation should include information about the location of the issue you are addressing. Why? –As a concerned citizen, you believe this is an issue that City Council needs to be aware of. You may also have support from others in your community who share this concern or are affected by it and should reference how the community has been engaged in this issue. How? –Put your ITC skills to use, speaking with confidence and authority, stating a call to action, identifying the suggestions you have for improvement or ways to address the concern. Have you realized how beneficial those directional words are, and how they quickly get you onto the right track? Can these questions help in everyday live? So let’s consider whether or not these key words … what, who, when, where, why and how … can help in our everyday lives.

Dentist … no problem there … this tooth is aching and has done so for the last week. Doctor … this appointment needs more info. Your doctor needs to understand your problem, when it first started, where in the body this is happening, and how you’re feeling. You need to know what she or he will do about it. I expect by now you’re realizing the importance of being organized and that you’re already quite good at it. You consciously or sub-consciously use this method over and over again, applying one or more of the prompts to keep you on track: What, who, when, where, why and how. Can I use the method for all kinds of tasks? Let’s consider another area where organizing your thoughts is helpful. Do you remember when

you were a child and your Mother told you to write a letter to Grandma and thank her for your birthday or Christmas gift? You likely said you don’t know how. So mom said to start with your thanks and tell grandma how much you liked this gift, tell her what you’ve been doing lately, what’s happening at school, the new puppy, and so on. Your Mother was using key prompts whether she realized it or not. Remember these questions when you’re writing letters or notes to friends and relatives. They want to know how you are, what you’ve done, when and where you have done things, who you were with. Even if I have to return an item to the store? Now let’s look at another way in which being organized can help in our day-to-day lives, and why taking advantage of opportunities is so important. Consider the following situation. You purchase an item of clothing at a local store and when you

get home, you notice that there is a noticeable flaw in it. You decide to return the item but feel hesitant at confronting the store manager. Use those six questions to help organize your thoughts and prepare your presentation to the store manager. When you are comfortable with your preparation, you walk confidently into the store, confront the manager with the problem and hold your ground until it’s rectified to your satisfaction. Your advance preparation will pay off! The importance of being organized So, a few questions, some answers, lots of suggestions, and likely a multitude of new ideas about organizing your thoughts, whether for speech or letter writing, or in other daily-living circumstances. How well do you now think you might be organized? I’m sure you’re now very willing to help your friend with that presentation to City Council … in fact, you might even be ready and able to do a presentation yourself! Happy thought organizing, everyone.

CHARTING THE COURSE 1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting. 2. Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile. 3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of their own name. 4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly. 5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do were a genuine pleasure. 6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can like everybody if you try. 7. Be generous with praise. And be cautious with criticism. 8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. It will be appreciated. 9. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others. There are three sides to a controversy: yours, the other person’s and the right one. 10. Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

Reflections on Being President - by Heidi Lachs, Europe ‘92 Region President 2003

When I was asked to let my name stand for Region President I luckily did not get around to reading the Manual for Job Descriptions. At that time it might have scared me. Only recently I browsed through the one for president which is very thick. I thought: “Thank heaven I now know it is not as bad as it looks.” Actually the job description manual is certainly a big help for a new officer, but its volume could scare a candidate and make her/him reluctant to take on this job.

Rules of Order, because people will expect us to answer their questions, to be a sort of “Know all”. Regulations and bylaws and the experience of what was previously done usually will help us, too. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

Therefore, upon reflecting back on my term and the wonderful experience I had, I want to write about the many items which make this assignment attractive.

“Yes, I can!” Even though 13 years have passed since I was Region President, I still consider this time as my prime time. Why?

The Honor and the Challenge First of all, it is a big honor to be Region president. You are respected in your position and you will always have helping hands, when necessary. Everyone is so supportive. Celebrities from our organization will contact you and you will meet local politicians when you prepare your Region conference. You will be liked because you have the opportunity to help others and make them happy. People will feel good in a friendly atmosphere which you can create.

I surprised myself what I was capable of, what I dared to do, if forced to, how flexible I could be and how determined. It demanded courage to speak in front of a larger public than usual, especially for a shy person like me. That I made the decisions was also frightening and cost me great effort at the beginning of my term. I succeeded to overcome both and sometimes I said to myself “Wow - you have hidden talents!!’’ Slogans like ”Yes I can “ helped me to increase my self-esteem.

Certainly it is a great challenge and it needs all our experience gained in prior offices and jobs. No one will ask you do this assignment, if you have not worked in different offices and have not shown that you are ready to work for our organization.

What I have gained was not only good for ITC, my family also profited. l am now able to say what I think in a friendly way and to evaluate without hurting. Believe me, that is very useful in dealing with your children.

Preparation for Office We always should be aware, that being a board member is a permanent learning process and we should be open to everything. We have to dig into amendments, study the bylaws and Robert’s

I, for instance, was club president three times and Council president two times before I took over the top assignment as Region president! Those previous positions were invaluable in assuming the role of Region President. It was a great job, believe me! But I did not feel like that when I got elected. I had butterflies in my stomach. I never actively aspired to get this office. Quite the contrary. But I knew that someone has to do it and many friends promised to support me. So I reluctantly agreed. I am so thankful to my friends for encouraging me and supporting me.

Sunset in the Lake The crown of a Region presidency is the Region Conference. To prepare it is a good exercise in team work. I was afraid that we would not make ends meet financially and was always looking for bargains to keep the expenses low.

But everything went fine. Even now, 13 years later, people come up to me and tell me, that they remember with pleasure our Region Conference in Rust. The weather was fine, the program very interesting, but not too tightly scheduled and everyone was well prepared. When I asked the conference participants, a few weeks after it was over, what was their strongest impression, most of them answered: The sunset in the Lake!

I must confess, that this I had not arranged personally. But that everyone was happy was a really good feeling, let me tell you, that I will enjoy for a long time! When I look back, I realize that I would not like to miss my year as Region president. I can only sincerely recommend to our capable and experienced members to give it a try. They will not regret it.

Are You the One? Thoughts on Becoming a Mentor

- by Uta Kraus, 1st Vice President, Europe ‘92 Region, member of International Mentoring Committee In recent years there has been a remarkable rise in interest in mentoring, not only within ITC, but worldwide in global business. According to a survey questioning the 500 “first placed companies” named in “Fortune” Magazine, all confirmed that Mentoring belongs to the management skills like leadership ability, financing, controlling, administration and languages, to name a few. ITC – POWERtalk has been a leader in this regard, including Mentoring in it’s program, positioning it on the same level of importance as Education, Accreditation, Evaluation, PREM and so on. The difference is, though, that for all aforementioned offices, the officers are named, whereas mentoring is voluntary. Hopefully, all clubs find enough volunteers for this important task. Before you join the league of voluntary mentors, be sure not to mix up mentoring with coaching. Coaching, a term that comes from sports, sets the direction for the interaction with the learner and provides feedback, while mentoring is usually voluntary and the mentor shares knowledge and experience, networks and contacts with the protégé (mentee). Warm collegiality in guidance is evident!!! Before you decide to take on the assignment of mentor, there are a few questions you should consider: • Do you want to share your knowledge and experience? • Do you enjoy encouraging and motivating others?

• Do you want to contribute to other people’s growth and success? • Are you ready to invest your time in mentoring on a regular basis? • Might it collide with or contribute to your own interests? • and - of course - what experience can you offer to a protégé (mentee)? You are a good candidate to be a mentor if you: • • • •

Have a high attendance at club meetings Have language proficiency Are good at motivating others Have held offices in the Club.

The above are some of the prerequisites for this responsible mission! The International Committee for Mentoring encourages a 100 % participation in this Program and I am sure it cannot be difficult to reach this goal! Finally, here is an acronym for what mentors do, coined in 2004 by David Clutterbuck, an academic who studied Mentoring Relationships: • • • • • •

Manage the relationship Encourage Nurture Teach Offer mutual respect Respond to the learner’s needs

Lots of success to all who are engaging or are going to engage themselves in this task and good luck to all protégés (mentees) with their mentors!

When Can I Expect an Email reply? - by Kazuyo Sugitani, Japan Region

Do you check your email before you do anything else in the morning and is it the last thing you look at before you go to bed? If so, you are not alone. We are living in the society where we can’t live without email both officially and personally. Are you satisfied with the responses you get to your emails? Do you get them in a timely manner or do you wait and wait and finally become impatient? I often wonder why there is such a delay in receiving a reply. It concerns me and I ask myself why is it taking so long? Did they receive it? Did it end up in their junk mail folder? And so it goes. I can invent many reasons for the lack of response while I try to be patient while realizing everyone has reasons for not being able to respond in a reasonable time. A prompt reply I’m sure many of you feel as I do, so happy to receive a reply acknowledging the email was received with an indication when you can expect a reply for something that requires more thought and/or research. A prompt reply with some explanation or a direction as to when you may expect a thorough answer is always appreciated and helps you to plan how you will proceed with a project or assignment. If you don’t receive a prompt reply or an acknowledgement that your e-mail was received, how long do you think you should wait before emailing again? You don’t want to seem desperate …

Waiting for an email reply seems to be a common occurrence in this day and age of email reliance. We look for contextual clues to why a response may be taking longer than usual, and decide when we should follow up the email.

Careful thinkers and instant responders Some people are very serious and conscientious about writing a reply and take time to think about the content, while others reply instantly to acknowledge receipt of an email, and advise that a response or details will follow. The worst that can happen is to Never Receive a Reply. That leaves you wondering if the recipient might be disinterested in that email or maybe just forgot about your letter! Perhaps the recipient actually did not receive your email. I believe we are in an organization where we learn communications through various communication tools. Emailing is one of the tools and is taking a greater part of our lives. That’s why I would like to emphasize how important it is to learn the appropriate etiquette for replying to an email. A study of email responsiveness A 2003 paper published by Tyler & Tang (bit.ly/ Tyler-Tang) looked at the email-replying habits of a group of corporate users. The study of email responsiveness was conducted to understand how the timing of email responses conveys important information. Interviews and observations explored users’ perceptions of how they responded to email and formed expectations of others’ responses to them. The study identified ways in which users maintain and cultivate a responsiveness image for projecting expectations about their email response. What Tyler and Tang found was: • Most users check their email “constantly” • Users would try to project a responsiveness image. For example, sending a short reply if a complete reply might take longer than usual, intentionally delaying a reply to make themselves seem busy, or planning out timing strategies for email with read receipts. • Users would look at shared calendars or other means to estimate how long they should expect a reply • If an email was urgent, users often used voicemail as a way to bring attention to their email

• Emails were written differently, depending on how long of a delay was expected before a reply (especially if their recipients were in a faraway time zone) • Users would try to reciprocate email behaviors — responding quickly to people who responded quickly to them, and lowering their responsiveness to people who responded slowly to them in the past Based on past response times, users had a response expectation threshold for other users,

which was the amount of time in which they expected a response (most said 24 hours). There was also a later breakdown perception threshold — a time when they would follow up on the email by phone or with another, more urgent looking email. How is your email etiquette? Do you respond to emails you recive in a timely fashion? I hope this article will encourage you to look at ways you can improve your email etiquette.

A Member of the Region Board - by Aðalheiður Rúnarsdóttir, Iceland Region When I joined the ranks of POWERtalk the thought of holding office didn’t even cross my mind. I joined to practice my presentation skills and parliamentary knowledge. Little did I know that eight years later I would be serving my third term on the Iceland Region board. From 1st Vice President at club to region board After being a member for three years I was chosen as 1st Vice President at my Club, an office I held for two terms. It was a tough job for me because I had to become much more organized than I had ever been and had to learn to let go and delegate. The biggest obstacle for me though was to do things in a timely manner. Instead of leaving everything ‘till the last minute all the time I would have to prepare things in advance.

Up, up and away ... Since we don’t have Councils in Iceland Region and serving at Club level wasn’t enough for me any more I offered my name as Secretary at Region. I held the office for two terms and that experience was very educational for me and the best training I have ever had. The guidance from my fellow board members, and especially the Parliamentarians, is invaluable. Not only did I learn to be organized, prepared and work in a team, but the responsibility gave me self esteem and confidance I hadn’t had before and courage to word my opinions and speak my mind. ... over the rainbow and home again Today I am serving as Parliamentarian to my Region Board, an honor I am proud to have. In addition to that I perform the duties of the President Elect of Iceland Region. I would not have volunteered to take on those responsibilities without the experience and personal growth of serving as Secretary for two terms. Moreover I am part of the editorial committee of POWERtalking, where I am getting to know members on an international level and growing and learning even more!

Have you thought about taking on a more challenging role? Develop your skills by accepting a leadership role in your Club, Council or Region.

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