What we offer you
- Membership of a professional organisation for women
- A regular hour of fun self-development
- A variety of interactive meeting styles, seminars, workshops and games that help develop communication skills.
- Experience in committee roles that easily transfer to positions in social and sporting clubs, business and community organisations.
- Guidance and encouragement from experienced mentors.
- Meetings once or twice a month for just one hour at a moderate cost – both time effective and value for money.
- Enjoy optional workshops and weekends away in your own state and elsewhere in Australia.
- The choice of participating in our planning and administration at group, state or national level & helping set the future direction of the organisation.
- Opportunities to undertake a self-paced Competency Training program and attain a nationally recognised certificate from our partner Registered Training Organisation.
Improve your ability to:
- Appear confident in any situation.
- Express what you are thinking.
- Think quickly & clearly on your feet.
- Actively participate in team or committee meetings.
- Give presentations that inform, entertain & persuade.
- Run meetings effectively & democratically.
What to expect at a meeting
Groups of women meet for one hour once or twice a month. A minimum of time is spent on administration, the aim of the meetings is for members to practice prepared & impromptu speeches, participate in workshops, gain experience in chairing meetings, role-play decision-making sessions & generally to gain confidence in communicating.
Each group has a slightly different “personality” as the topics and emphasis on activities depends on the needs of the group members. Visitors may attend two or three meetings before deciding whether to join. On joining, new members are given a kit that provides information on preparing presentations and running meetings.
A different member runs the group meetings each time and others are rostered to present prepared speeches. After the meetings there is often a networking and social session.
A typical meeting agenda would include:
1. Opening
The person running the meeting announces the start and briefly introduces the members present. She asks each visitor to introduce herself by name and perhaps why she came along.
She also explains to all present that a Penguin Club meeting is a role play environment for participants to learn about meeting procedure, chairmanship & speechmaking. After business items we move on to activities. She announces the type of meeting, formal, informal or board room style, plus any rules for the meeting.
2. Business items
This includes any apologies for absence, correspondence from the secretary, and any announcements and reports.
3. Impromptu activity/ icebreaker
The first activity is usually a quick fun activity in which everyone can participate. The person running the meeting explains the activity & states what members will learn/ gain from the activity.
4. Speaking program
One or two members will have prepared a speech, presentation or workshop on a pre-determined topic.
5. Workshop/ activity/ tutorial
A five to 10 minute interactive session where members will learn a specific skill or technique related to making a presentation, running a meeting or decision-making.
6. Decision-making activity
Role-play of a formal motion, consensus decision or discussion reaching a decision, usually on a fun topic.
7. Feedback session
An accredited critic assesses the meeting providing feedback to all participants, offering praise and encouragement together with a challenge for improvement.
8. Wind-up and close
This includes question time, any final business and the invitation to the next meeting.
Member competency training program
With the member competency training program, women can now attain a nationally recognised certificate that can be listed on their CV as hard evidence of what they have learned in the Club. The program particularly benefits women who are unable to undertake training in the workforce either because they are not in the workforce or because their employer does not offer such training.
Through our Club women can become competent in the units make a presentation, organise meetings, manage meetings, produce text from notes, and prepare and process financial business documents.
We work within the Vocational Education and Training system in partnership with Work & Training, a Registered Training Organisation. It is this partnership that enables members to gain the certificates that are recognised nationally and in New Zealand.
Do I have to undertake competency training?
Not at all, working to attain a competency certificate through a formal training plan is entirely optional. However such a certificate does look good on your resume.
What exactly is the certificate?
The certificate lists the units successfully undertaken through the Penguin Club. These units are part of Certificate III and above in a variety of Training Packages. A member could continue studies outside the Club to gain the full certificate or a diploma.
So how is the training conducted?
Workshops and practice sessions are held at group meetings and also at the Regional meetings held in March & August. In addition there are learning materials to be read and activities to be undertaken in the trainee’s own time. Each trainee builds a portfolio of evidence to prove competence in the unit. Importantly all the training is self-paced so each person can fit it in with their life-style.
