Meeting Report Tuesday 28th July Reporter Trevor Dymond President Therese welcomed everyone and acknowledged the land on which we met and Frank proposed the toast. We welcomed visitor Rhys Williams as well as guest speaker Katia Loisel. Frank introduced Katia, who talked about the body language and human connections. Katia talked about the challenges presented by COVID around human communication, particularly non-verbal communication such as handshakes and facial expressions with our masks on. Katia shared a story about walking her dog and her dog behaving differently when she wore her masks and hid her facial expressions. Our non-verbal skills are very important, and we can train ourselves to “trust our gut” about people. We are born to recognise and interpret these cues. Katia explained that it may be more difficult to connect and build trust in the current environment because of the importance of our non-verbal communications. We therefore need to tweak our approach and rely more on other non-verbal cues such as our body language. Katia talked about her development from being an “introverted extrovert” to being able to connect with people. Someone once told her that she came across as aloof and a snob, and Katia decided to change her life. One of the first things Katia changed was to make eye contact and smile with every person she met. Katia talked about the anxiety you may feel when you are peaking and you’re trying to build trust, and we can come across as inauthentic, and it blocks our ability to build trust. One thing you can do is perform a mental checklist of your body language, and ask, would you approach you? If so, there are some things you can change immediately: - Shoulders back
- Stand tall
- Stand open
- Uncross arms legs and feet and remove other barriers like a bag
- Make eye contact and smile
What can we do? Can’t use handshakes, proximity, facial expressions, so increase amount of time you spend with someone. Follow up with a video call where you can be un-masked. Slow down, focus on the other person. Katia answered a few questions and Frank thanked her for her fantastic presentation. Allan reminded everyone about the trivia night on 31 July. Brett introduced his mask made by his niece Tash Jones, $20 washable and reusable. Link here: Neville reminded everyone about the Ambulance Victoria Leaders Mentoring Program, which is about to commence its third year. 17 Rotarians from 11 clubs working with a mentee. Rob talked about Club fundraising and using some of the funds members are saving through online meetings, to support a project. Voluntary participation. Please transfer to the Club’s bank account if you wish to participate: RCM Bank Details BSB 033-000 Account 791085 Rohan talked about the Hope for the Future Scholarships. Scholarships go to students supported by Concern Australia, for school supplies, camps and other extra-curricular activities. The program is aimed to keep children engaged in school and to maximise their opportunities as adults. Inquisition: Peter Duras Pocket Positives: David Laurie talked about ABC News item regarding youngest Rotary President in Stawell. Therese’s announcements: In Bulletin: Link to Homeland movie – fundraiser | 
