The duties of the Secretary are simple, but important. They include taking minutes at both the regular weekly meetings of Notable Northgaters and at the monthly meeting of the Executive Committee, keeping a current roster of members, ordering supplies from the Toastmasters Supply Catalog or elsewhere, providing current name tags, maintaining other files and correspondence, and doing related tasks.

I took on this role after hearing an inspiring pitch from Theresa Collier about the rewards of being a Club officer. (Remember the joint speech by Theresa, Sheila, and Mary Ann in June?) Because I was fairly new to Toastmasters and had a new job as well as the usual other demands of life, it made sense to me to try a less complex job initially. It turns out to have been a good choice. I recommend the Secretary's job as a good way to participate in the leadership of Notable Northgaters without being overwhelmed.

I have been a member of Notable Northgaters for approximately nine months and enjoy the meetings and the formidable challenge of improving my public speaking skills. One of the things that made a very favorable impression on me from my very first meeting was that the members were so attentive. Everyone listened to one another. This alone was reason to come back.

I also admire the openness of those who share their personal experiences, some of which are traumatic. It is particularly brave to give an Ice Breaker speech which concerns experiences which are private and very emotional. At times it seems the tears are nearly as close to the surface as the laughter that is so frequent at our meetings.

Recently, in fact, I watched a movie at home with a relative. I found the movie long – very long, pointless, and not the least bit funny. It occurred to me then that everyone in Notable Northgaters is funnier than the star of the movie. Not only that but our meetings are shorter, better organized and a whole lot more entertaining.

We can make contributions to Toastmasters in many ways. One way I can contribute to this job and to the Club is to dream up and implement faster and easier ways to do my duties as Secretary. For example, maintaining the Club’s roster was becoming rather time-consuming with frequent changes in membership, jobs, phone numbers and email addresses. I was printing lots of copies and the leftovers became obsolete almost overnight. It occurred to me that if we posted the roster on www.eGroups.com, I could keep it current and members could print it anytime they wished. The Executive Committee agreed to the change.

A current challenge is finding a better way to prepare the name cards. In the past, it has involved buying rolls of heavy manila paper, cutting the paper to size, preparing name labels in the computer, printing them, cutting them to size, gluing the name tags to the heavy paper, folding the heavy paper, and bringing the new name cards to the meeting. The word "tedious" does not do justice to this task. I’ve mulled over and discarded lots of alternatives. I am working on something promising now and hope to share the fruits of my labor very soon.

Such small improvements may not make the world a dramatically better place, but I enjoy the effort as well as the results. And with all the time I save, I can work on my next speech.

Part I

Theresa Collier, CTM, VP Membership

A few weeks ago I presented a Successful Club Module on "Getting New Members for Our Club". I think some people initially thought it an odd choice as we have a very healthy membership right now. In fact, our current roster of 27 members is the largest in our 11-year history as a Club. For the benefit of those who missed my presentation, I'll tell you what I did to illustrate the need for getting new members. I asked anyone who had been in the Club for less than two years to raise his or her hand. Out of the 17 in attendance, 14 hands went up. If we had stopped our recruiting efforts two years ago, there would have been only three of us there that evening!

The main reason we need to constantly add new members is that people leave the Club. I've belonged to Notable Northgaters for four years and have seen many people come and go. Several people started new jobs and our meeting time no longer worked for them. A few people moved and a few others left due to family obligations. Others had gotten what they needed from Toastmasters and decided to move on. Toastmasters International states that the average member stays for 18 months.

Attrition is the number one reason for getting new members, but there are other reasons, too. New members bring new energy and enthusiasm to the Club. It's fun to get to know new members; I think we all look forward to hearing Ice Breaker speeches. New members increase our pool of potential officers. It is often difficult to find members to volunteer their time and energy to help the Club run efficiently. The more members we have, the more likely we can fill these vital positions. Our Club also benefits from the new influx of dues that keeps our treasury healthy. In the past few years, we have been able to purchase an easel, an overhead projector, a new stopwatch, a clock, and all the paper supplies needed for our weekly meetings.

I hope you now have a better understanding of why we are constantly looking for new members. Next month, I'll talk about actions each of us can take to help us maintain a healthy membership.

Gina Coluccio and Lisa Smith are a rare breed. They are sisters who get along. According to Gina, "One of the best things about Toastmasters is spending quality time with my wonderful sister, Lisa."

It was Lisa who told her about Notable Northgaters. "I invited myself to join Lisa at her first Toastmasters meeting, and that was one of the better decisions I have made in my life," says Gina.

"I knew if I joined Toastmasters, this was the club I wanted to be in," says Lisa. "Everyone was so welcoming and friendly from the very beginning. It means a lot to a visitor, especially when you are hesitant about being there in the first place."

The sisters are Seattleites, born and raised in the Emerald City. Gina works at the UW School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery. She manages the General Surgery residency-training program. Lisa just started a job at Lakeside School in August. She works in the Admissions Office coordinating the applicant process. "I really enjoy working in an academic environment, it’s a nice change for me and it’s fun to be around kids," she adds.

Gina says there have been many advantages of sharing her Wednesday nights at Toastmasters with her sister. "I’ve enjoyed working on roles together, helping each other critique speeches before presenting them to the Club, and sharing the Sergeant-At-Arms responsibilities. On days when only one of us can come to the meeting, we can always count on the other person to take care of room set-up, etc! I will always have special memories of ‘Wednesday nights with Lisa’".

"The admiration is mutual," says Lisa. "I really enjoy having Gina in the same club. It allows us to see each other once a week, and to get additional feed back from one another, which has helped me improve speeches, evaluations, etc. It’s nice when I’m preparing for a role and if I have questions or concerns, I can always turn to her. She’s been a great help to me and I can’t imagine not having her in the same club!"

In her spare time, Gina enjoys traveling, gardening, working out, cooking, movies, reading and spending time with family and friends.

Lisa and her husband Craig have two children, Blake who is five years old and McKenna who is three. Lisa loves to read, go for walks, and spend time with family and friends. "I also love to learn different styles of painting. I’ve sponge painted, painted using a feather duster and I painted stripes last year in my daughter’s room! I’m always interested in learning a new technique," she adds.

KAREN WEBER-MILLSTEIN

Fred Coutts, 12/1998.

Congratulations, Julie Wicklund and Marta Boyle, for presenting your Ice Breaker speeches on 11/15 and 11/29!

Madeleine Kolb

My memory of my first Toastmasters meeting is vivid. Excited but just a bit apprehensive, I walked into the meeting room. My anxiety was allayed almost immediately, however, when I saw the genial smiling face of Fred Coutts, then Notable Northgaters’ Sergeant-at-Arms. And when Fred spoke, welcoming me to the meeting, I thought I heard a trace of Boston¾ where I had lived for many years—in his voice. I started to relax.

Fred approaches everything with great gusto. He particularly enjoys his work, Toastmasters, skiing, and golf, not necessarily in that order. He laughs easily and often, relishing the many humorous moments in a typical meeting.

Fred joined Toastmasters a year and a half ago to feel more comfortable with public speaking and to become a better speaker. He says that he has seen "amazing transformations in speaking abilities" in Notable Northgaters and feels he is becoming a much better speaker himself. Fred credits the encouragement and support of the members for much of his improvement. He, in turn, provides encouragement and support as mentor to Les Thornley and Gina Coluccio, and is quick to compliment other speakers on a job well done. A side-benefit of Toastmasters, adds Fred, is becoming a better writer by preparing speeches.

That slight accent I heard when I first spoke to Fred is a remnant of growing up in Dorchester, a part of Boston. The oldest of six children, he attended Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the country.

Fred went to college at Northeastern University in Boston, earning a degree in finance. One of his most memorable experiences, in fact, occurred at a financial institution. Walking to the subway one day, he passed a bank with a large window just as a robbery was in progress. Two men, posted outside as lookouts; thought that Fred had seen what was going on inside. As he was passing by, one of them stuck a brown sawed-off shotgun against Fred’s stomach and pushed him inside the bank. Once inside, Fred was pushed against a wall, this time with a gun in his back. The scene was chaotic; people were lying on the floor, and Fred could hear people screaming.

The bank robbers made Fred lie on the floor with the others and keep his head down. It was—says Fred—"just like in the movies!" Suddenly he heard a loud boom as a red-dye bomb in one of the money bags went off. The startled robbers took off, leaving the money bag behind. The police arrived shortly thereafter and took statements from Fred and other witnesses.

Later, after graduating from college, Fred began work in corporate finance. After a stint in Boston, he moved to Dallas where he worked for four years. Then Fred took a risk that others often fantasize about—he took six months off and played golf every single day. After this hiatus and completely tired of corporate work, Fred began doing financial consulting. About five years ago, he moved to Seattle to take a consulting job.

Fred now runs his own finance company, helping individuals and businesses with cash solutions they cannot get from traditional lenders. His business serves a nation-wide clientele through his Web site, www.fredcoutts.com. An advantage of running his own business is that Fred can work out of an office at his home on Queen Anne Hill. His wife, a graphic artist, works at home also.

Currently serving as our Club’s Vice President Education, Fred sees one of his key responsibilities as keeping our meetings fun. He’s certainly doing an excellent job of it.

Gabriela Remow, CTM

Or was it "Open, Broccoli"? Or "Open, Barley"? As you may recall from the Arabian Nights and Ali Baba, this was once a question with life and death significance. For us, it’s a question of getting our meetings off on the right foot. How do we open our meetings?

There are no instructions in our Communication and Leadership manual for the role of opener. But the opener plays a vital part in a meeting’s success.

When I was new in the Club, the opener was my very first meeting role. More experienced members told me I should talk for about a minute on a topic related to the theme of the week. I found something relevant in a magazine, practiced reading it while timing myself, and then read it to the Club. I was nervous, but it went well, and the other members said I did a good job.

As time went by, I continued to do the same whenever I was opener. But then I had an awakening. I arrived late to a meeting when I was the opener. The Toastmaster was energized and the meeting was proceeding full speed ahead. I read my piece, and I could feel the momentum of the meeting decline as everyone had to sit through my reading. I realized then that reading something aloud was not a way to help me improve my public speaking skills; nor was it a way to help the Club have its most effective meeting.

I personally find it very difficult to pay attention to someone reading a long passage. Instead of opening the meeting with something that gets us off on the right foot, a reading can slow things down and drain energy from the room -- especially since the opener comes at the moment when we are all keyed up to enjoy having the meeting unfold. A reading can make us feel like kids at school assembly being made to listen carefully when the jungle gym beckons.

Of course, for new members, reading aloud may be a big step forward, and should be applauded. But after we’ve been members awhile, we are ready for more of a challenge. Consider a comparison between table topics and the opener. We each become accustomed to answering surprise questions off the cuff for a minute or so. If we can do that during table topics, without reading and without preparation, then shouldn’t we be able to prepare a one-minute talk for the opener? (Preparing includes practicing and using good delivery techniques.) By preparing for the opener, and doing it without reading, we improve our own public speaking skills and we help our Club have better meetings.

A good opener can be the highlight of a meeting. So let’s strive to open our meetings as best we can. Open, Sesame!

MADELEINE KOLB

The Club voted unanimously to accept Carina Sauerzopf as a new member. She was duly sworn in to the Club by President Ray Roman, CTM.

There are ten goals in the Distinguished Club Program. A Toastmasters Club that attains five of the goals becomes a Distinguished Club. Achieving seven goals earns the status of Select Distinguished Club. And nine goals achieved means the Club is a President’s Distinguished Club. We are aiming to achieve all ten goals this year (see our Club Success Plan on this page).

Last year, our Club accomplished six of the ten goals, warranting a Distinguished Club Award. There are approximately 112 Clubs in our District (District 2). Here is the breakdown of the awards for last year (July 1999-June 2000).

We were one of the eight Clubs in the first category, which achieved Distinguished status. So, in other words, our Club was one of only 19 Clubs (out of the 112 or so in the District) who pulled off the feat of making this list. We are among the elite. So let’s pat ourselves on the back!

But we’re not going to sit on our laurels and be satisfied with past exploits. This year, we are aiming higher. We have set our sights on all ten goals, and they are within our grasp. Our District Governor, Jerry Weltner, has urged us to celebrate and to party as we achieve each of the goals in our Club Success Plan. If we’re not having fun, he says, we’re not doing it right! When we complete our ninth goal and earn President’s Distinguished Club status, he wants to be invited to our party, and he promises to attend. So let’s keep up our good work and set a new standard of excellence for ourselves!

GABRIELA REMOW, CTM

Deborah Ferber

A few months ago, Bob Goldberg, ATM-B, gave a speech and wrote an article about Personality Temperaments (find it at www.notablenorthgaters.org/news/htm). He presented it as a way to understand and assist the various styles and goals of our fellow Toastmasters. I wondered how this theory might apply to our own Club. You'll have to bear with me: this kind of activity is right up my "Idealist" alley (my type is motivated to see others reach their full potential). I decided to interview people who had taken the test and profile them for our newsletter. So far, I have interviewed two members of the "old guard" and hope to find newer members to interview for the next newsletter. (If you want to find out your personality temperament, see www.keirsey.com -- the quiz takes five minutes to fill out and then you'll know your temperament - it's fun!)

Sheila Dixon, ATM, fits the "Idealist" temperament. According to the Keirsey model, an Idealist is an "identity-seeking personality" who highly values meaningful relationships. She says that what she enjoys the most about the Club is the camaraderie and getting to know people. "It's always refreshing when a new person joins and you find out about their background and see how they develop." Now that she's been with Toastmasters for 10 years, what does Sheila hope to gain from the Club? "Last year being President of the Club was a highlight. Now I hope to continue with the program and hope people will support me in whatever I choose to do."

Karl Zimonyi, ATM-B, is rumored to be a "Rational" type. Rationals are a "knowledge-seeking personality . . . highly skilled in strategic analysis." What does he enjoy most about TM? "The spirit of Toastmasters and the ways the mission statement are put into practice. Also the relief and the feeling of accomplishment after a well-delivered speech." All phases of preparing a speech, especially refining the draft until it meets the requirements of the speech manual or his own purpose is satisfying to Karl. What Karl hopes to gain from the Club is the ability to deliver speeches in a style his audience will enjoy and remember for a while.

Like any theory, the Personality Temperament model is just a tool. It is useful to the extent that it can help guide us in meeting people's needs. I look forward to hearing from anyone who is interested in being interviewed for the next article.

Dec. 16^th, District-wide Club Officer Training, 9:00am to 12:00 noon, North Seattle Community College, College Center Bldg, Room 2153, 2nd Floor, Coordinated Studies Hall, 9600 College Way N, Seattle.

Dec. 20^th, regular Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 27^th, regular Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 3^rd, regular Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 9^th, newsletter deadline.

Jan. 10^th, regular Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 13^th, Second Chance District-wide Officer Training, 9:00 – 11:00 am

Fairview Church, 79th NE and Roosevelt, Seattle. Parking one block north on 79th.

Jan. 15^th, next newsletter publication date.

Notable Northgaters #6949

July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2001

Updated 12/14/2000