Written By:
Saul Rosenberg
The Joburg chapter Meeting took place on Aug 21st 2025 at the Wanderers Golf Club. Our speakers were Robin Banks, Penni Cox and Steve Johnston. The evening looked at what it takes to show up with confidence, clarity and credibility. Whether you’re delivering a keynote, running a workshop, running a workshop, or having a high stakes conversation, how think and how you speak matter more than ever.
Mandy Herold was the MC introduced the group. She introduced the speakers.
Penni Cox and Steve Johnston
Penni Cox is called the Flying Psychologist, an expert cheese sauce maker. She has worked with adolescents and the UN secretary general. Steve has delivered thousands of talks around the world. Steve’s message is all about the power of personal contribution. Steve was a springbok boyscout.
Penni spoke her time living in New York. Steve spoke about when we look at our professional speaking opportunities, we build with a scaffolding. Starts out with someone who wants to deliver the building. On a construction you have to a plan and vision.
The people Penni works with, there is normally a discussion around boundaries. Emotional boundaries, work boundaries. If I don’t know where my boundaries are how does anyone else know about them.
Take note of anger. There are choices we make. Steve says assertiveness is an important aspect of negotiating with the speaking community. Contracting in the service industry. Assertiveness brings us to the point to then go out and deliver, be assertive.
Assertiveness is part of a well-balanced recipe. Clarity, communication of thoughts, active listening of and respect. Confidence. Assertiveness is about holding out position, and walking away with our dignity it tact. We try to engage. We don’t actively listen. Active listening is about listening. Emotion is critical. We have to be able to keep our emotions in check.
You have rights as a speaker. Many of these relate to us a speakers. First right is to be an expert or a specialist. You have right to stand up and say I am a specialist. You the right offer your expertise as a service. I want to help people learn how to write books for example. In negotiating that contract, you have to say I am the captain of my ship. Important to understand your triggers.
You have the right of the speaker to change your mind. We must be prepared, he talks about the giver and the taker. Truthfully, “Penni thinks we are a bit of givers and takers”.
Robin Banks
Robin started with an anecdote about Melbourne. He then took the crowd through a clapping escercise.
He teaches a program called Mind Power. What he loved about reading John’s book. Knowledge is power. He did the Mind Power course in 1989 with John Kehoe. If you go to the gym for 30 minutes a day it will radically change your life. The world is going through a radical amount of change at the moment. The old way of being doesn’t work anymore.
Robin said, everything is in question and tuff at the moment. We want to raise the standard. We want to be outstanding. Testing my abilities. Would you agree which is better, good or great. If you do a good job in 2025 its not as effective as being excellent. Robin shared an anecdote about Usain Bolt, and Karl Marx, and Nike.
He told another anecdote about the Olympics. Coming first, second and third all get something. The person who comes fourth gets nothing. If you don’t show up you get nothing. If you can train your brain to know what you want. The more you focus on what you don’t want the more you get it. He said it’s important to have affirmative statements that you give to yourself. Train your brain.
What was the best advice that you were ever given. It came from a 16 year old boy. A boy with down syndrome. Reminding people to be awesome. People keep talking about the things they don’t want. Try affirmative statements that are about the things you want.
