So far, with help from Karen and Ray, I have accomplished these goals, and will try to continue doing so throughout my term.

Even though we have a Public Relations Committee, public relations is every member's business. It requires the support and involvement of every Club member. Our PR program begins with our Club meetings, and is based on the good work our Club does. Well-planned, well-organized and well-conducted meetings provide a solid foundation for good public relations. When non-members are present, they are our Club's public. What they see, hear and feel at the meeting will determine their response to our Club and to each of us.¹ We are fortunate to have dedicated members (like Ray and Karen) who take the time and effort to help our Club achieve its mission. And we have each of you, who can play a key role in PR by posting our Club flyers, and by spreading the word about our Club to your friends and neighbors. Just think of all the benefits they will get by joining Notable Northgaters!

1 Acknowledgments to Let the World Know, Ó 1999 by Toastmasters International.

MEMBERSHIP BUILDING

Do you remember the first time you visited a Toastmasters meeting? Did you find the proceedings a bit confusing? Was it difficult to keep all those roles straight? And although all the Club members were friendly and happy to answer your questions, maybe it wasn't until you got home that it occurred to you what you should have asked: How much is it to join? What do I get for my money? What kind of help will I receive in getting started? How will I know what to talk about? How often does the Club meet? What is Toastmasters anyway?

To help answer these and other questions, we started handing out blue guest folders to our visitors a few months ago. The information in the folders helps familiarize the guest with Toastmasters in general and our Club in particular. The content of the guest folders includes:

1. An information sheet on our Club and a typical meeting schedule.
2. The last few Club newsletters to give the guest a feel for the personality of our Club.
3. A Toastmaster magazine.
4. An official, glossy brochure from Toastmasters International.
5. An application with instructions on how to fill it out and applicable fees.

Filling out the application continues to be confusing. What's confusing is that there are three different fees to pay and two of them differ according to the month of the year the person joins. Luckily for us, Gabriela Remow, CTM has created a handout (included in the guest packet) that greatly simplifies this process for us. As long as we know what month we're in, it should be easy to fill in those blanks.

These blue guest folders are located in the front of the file carton. If both Eric and I are absent, remember that we are all members of the membership committee. If you are seated next to a visitor, please make sure he or she has a guest folder (and offer to help fill out the application after the meeting!). Checks are made out to Notable Northgaters and given to our Treasurer, Michael Suver.

Guest folders are just one of many ways we help our visitors make the important decision to join Toastmasters.

The three newest members of our Club are a diverse group of women who have their own, unique reasons for joining Toastmasters.

Marta Boyle joined Toastmasters to improve her writing skills and to feel more comfortable speaking in front of groups. "After checking on the Internet, I found groups that matched my schedule," says Marta. "I visited two clubs. Notable Northgaters felt very accepting and supportive from the very first visit. I’m looking forward to getting to know the people better and exploring the personal growth Toastmasters may create within me."

Born in Seattle and raised in Bellevue, Marta owns a housecleaning business where she manages employees, talks with clients and does a lot of behind-the-scene tasks. She’s married to Cal and has two cats and one dog. She enjoys listening to music, talking with girlfriends, singing in her church choir and walking.

Julie Wicklund learned about Notable Northgaters through her colleague, Eric Thompson. She works with him at the Washington State Department of Health as an epidemiologist, a disease detective. "I’m excited to be part of Notable Northgaters," says Julie. "I joined the Club to become a more confident and relaxed speaker."

Julie grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis and moved to Seattle a year ago for her husband’s residency program. She enjoys exercising their one-year-old Black Lab mix, playing tennis, making scrapbooks and cards, watching Vikings football and exploring Washington.

Michelle Rupp met Gabriela Remow, VP Public Relations, at Northgate Chamber of Commerce’s first meeting. "I had just had an extensive conversation about Toastmasters with an inactive member and reiterated my desire to find a club," says Michelle. "Gabriela was there and now I’m here."

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Michelle spent her childhood in Greeley, Colorado and moved to Seattle during high school. She graduated from Roosevelt High. She owns an insurance brokerage firm, Nowogroski Rupp Insurance Group, located at Northgate.

Michelle joined Toastmasters to become more skillful at the discipline of organizing her thoughts and being concise. "I would love to be a really interesting, articulate speaker," says Michelle. In her spare time, she likes to read, walk, sing, give parties, cook, travel and hang out with friends and family.

Welcome to the Club, Marta, Julie and Michelle!

Michelle Rupp, 11/00 – Welcome Michelle, & congratulations on your 11/8/00 Ice Breaker!

Toastmasters is like an iceberg. What you see at the weekly meeting is just a small fraction of what goes on below the surface. My first hint of this activity below the surface came when I became Secretary of our Club in July. Then on November 4, when I attended the District 2 Conference, I had another view of the layers and levels of Toastmasters.

The conference was an all-day affair at the Microsoft Executive Conference Center in Redmond. It was an inspired choice of locations: roomy, comfortable, and well equipped. The conference started early, dealing with District 2 business first. A series of seminars was offered between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. I attended "Better Speaking Through Technology," presented by Microsoft employee Frank Thomas. He did an excellent job of presenting the basics and some of the nifty advanced features of PowerPointÒ . The wide applicability of this technology appeals to me. Not only would PowerPoint work well for certain speeches in Toastmasters, but it could be extremely useful at work.

A highlight of the conference was the lunch break. We were privileged to watch a tape of Bob Opple’s inspiring speech that took third place at the recent International Speech Contest in Miami. His speech assessed how he was doing at this point in his life. He demonstrated a range of emotions from humor to his grief at the death this year of his 29-year-old daughter. Bob was very open and genuine as he talked about how devastating her death had been for the whole family but how after a period of grieving, he and his wife Chris realized that they needed to go on with their lives, with each other and their two girls.

Bob also spoke to the group at lunch, describing what was involved in preparing for and giving his talk. He said that people often tell him what a good "natural" speaker he is. He gives them an aw-shucks smile and says, "Thank you," but his message to us was that the way you become a natural speaker is practice, practice and more practice.

The afternoon session involved some basic acting theory and exercises. Giving a speech is a performance. Public speakers, actors and other performers are often plagued by some of the same nemeses—stage fright, projecting one’s voice, moving in a natural way, even just "trying not to look stupid." The director of the Crossroads Youth Theater in Bellevue, James McClain, has a fascinating concept—that anyone who auditions should get a part, even if it means re-working a play to fit the number of people who try out. Mr. McClain and others from the theater group demonstrated breathing, voice, and relaxation exercises—which he called "putting tools in your toolbox."

The conference was a great success. I left thinking that there’s so much to learn, so little time.

One highlight of the District 2 Toastmasters 2000 Fall Conference, held in Redmond on November 4, was the keynote speech of Bob Opple, ATM-G. After the showing of a video of his performance at the Toastmasters International 2000 Speech Contest, Bob shared his insights into the speech contest process and gave the audience tips for becoming a winning speaker. Among these hints:

Follow these suggestions and you’ll be sure to learn something as you compete. Who knows - you just might get the gold!

"What is a hanger-backer?" you might ask. It is someone like me, who has belonged to the Club for six months or so, and still manages to avoid taking on any leadership roles. Please read on if you think this might be you. Perhaps you’ll be able to relate as I share my own experience.

I’m sure there are as many reasons for being a hanger-backer as there are people: too shy, not enough time, or just plain unsure of one’s own capabilities. I try to be honest with myself about why I hang back. I think it’s because I’ve been "promoted" into leadership positions before, and feel a little gun-shy. In my previous experience as president of an environmental organization, as a conference organizer and participant in neighborhood politics, I’ve had my share of negative experiences (as well as positive ones, of course). Too often, volunteers who take on leadership roles get burned out, are disillusioned with the results, or feel overwhelmed by the responsibility. Each of the above has happened to me.

Frankly, I was worried when I first joined Toastmasters that extra demands on my time beyond the weekly roles would become my exit cue. As the calls for officers and other tasks (like being an evaluator in Area contests) came around, I slunk deeper in my chair. But I kept my eyes and ears open – after all Toastmasters seemed so friendly and forgiving – to see if this situation might be different. Whew – no one was kicking me out for not stepping up to the plate. People still talked to me. And I came to realize that Toastmasters really is different. First of all, it was OK for me to say "no." For some of us who are always trying to please, this is an important skill to learn. Secondly, the people who were taking on the leadership roles seemed to be staying sane and happy (at least it looks that way!). The Club is so well organized and the division of duties so equitable, that no one person is unfairly burdened with responsibility. People appear to be having fun while reaping the benefits of making the Club a success. Really, this is all I ever wanted from a leadership role.

A great feature of Toastmasters is that members are allowed to grow at their own pace. For me, right now, just realizing that I don’t have to be in the lead for a change is an important step for my individual growth. As our International President JoAnna McWilliams noted in the September 2000 issue of The Toastmaster, Ralph Smedley (Toastmasters founder) said, "ours is the only organization in the world dedicated to the individual." Ultimately, it is this philosophy that provides the greatest benefit to society as a whole -- because it is the fully realized individual who has the most to offer.

So, if you see someone who is a "hanger-backer," don’t judge him too harshly: his day to shine may be around the corner. And for those who are hanger-backers like me, keep your eyes and ears open. Leadership in Toastmasters might be all you hoped it could be.

Did you ever play the game Green Light, Red Light when you were a kid? Green meant run as fast you could to the goal and red light meant stop. In Toastmasters, we use green, yellow and red lights to cue our speakers on where they are in the time frame of their speech.

At speech contests, there are two timers. They turn on the green light when the minimum time is reached during the speech. They leave it on until midway between the minimum and maximum time, then turn it off and turn on the yellow light. They leave the yellow light on until the maximum time is reached, and then they turn it off and turn on the red light. The red light remains lit until the speaker finishes speaking. From the time the green light comes on, one of the three lights remains continuously lit until the speaker is finished.

Why should it be done like this? I can think of three good reasons.

(1) If the timer turns on a light and then turns it off after a few seconds, the speaker may wonder, "Which light was that he just turned off? Which light will be next?" This is distracting for the speaker. Leaving the light on solves this problem.

(2) If the timer doesn’t leave the light on until the next light, the speaker is pressured to look quickly at the light as soon as it comes on. This can distract the speaker and take away from the flow of her speech, her eye contact and her body language. It also draws the attention of the audience away from the speech, to the lights. There is no need to pressure speakers like this – they should be free to look at and take note of the light at leisure, naturally in the course of the speech. Leaving the light on solves this problem.

(3) For these and other reasons, a quick turning off of the light can distract speakers. I witnessed a speaker who was obviously distracted by a light flashing off early. He lost his place in the speech and had to pause for several long seconds to recover his thoughts. Again, leaving the light on solves this problem.

So in conclusion, let us try to emulate the timers at speech contests, who leave the lights on from the minimum speech time until the speaker is finished. We can do this for speeches, table topics, and evaluations. This will help our speakers to avoid distraction, and will help our Club to help us improve our skills.

The Club voted unanimously to accept Julie Wicklund as a new member. She was duly sworn in to the Club by President Ray Roman, CTM. The Club also voted to provide half scholarships for Madeleine Kolb and Kay Lee to attend the District 2 Fall Conference on Nov 4^th.

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

Those present were Ray Roman, CTM, (President), Fred Coutts (VP Education), Gabriela Remow, CTM, (VP PR), Madeleine Kolb (Secretary), Michael Suver (Treasurer), and Gina Coluccio (Sgt-at-Arms). The Committee voted to approve the minutes of the 9/6/00 and 10/4/00 Executive Committee meetings. The officers updated the Club Success Plan (see the right column of this page). Madeleine will make Club rosters available online, with paper copies for those who request them. Some miscellaneous items were briefly discussed and the meeting was adjourned.

Held on Wednesday, Oct. 24, the meeting was billed as the Northgate Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Luncheon. Mayor Paul Schell was the guest speaker. Captain Cindy Caldwell, commander of the North Precinct of the Seattle Police, and Deirdre Grace of the Department of Neighborhoods spoke to the 60 people in attendance. Linda Skurdal, Northgate Chamber executive director, hosted the luncheon. A state legislator was in attendance, as was Susan Park, publisher of Jet City Maven, who played a key role in organizing the Chamber. As the VP Public Relations, I represented Notable Northgaters and joined the Chamber on behalf of our Club – a decision approved by the Club two weeks earlier.

At the end of the meeting, I was asked to introduce myself. Of course I spoke about Toastmasters and our Club, including our Web site address. I wore my Toastmasters name badge. After the meeting I was approached by several people who were interested in learning more about Toastmasters, and I invited them to our meeting later that day. One of them, Michelle Rupp came and joined the Club!

Our VP Membership, Theresa Collier, CTM, has given me an article from the September 1996 Toastmaster magazine, which suggests that Club members attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings. The article says, "This is an opportunity to meet other business people in the community and exchange cards and information. Don’t forget to wear your Toastmasters pin or badge. Your Club will become better known, and individual Toastmasters will benefit from networking with other professionals."

On the Chamber membership application, the question is posed, "Why join a Chamber of Commerce?" Five reasons are listed.

	Networking The Chamber puts us in touch with people who may join our Club.
	Local Advocacy The Chamber provides us with information on issues that will impact this area of town. It also provides a voice for our concerns to be expressed.
	Referrals The Chamber receives many calls every month for recommendations on goods or services in our area. The Chamber refers the callers to Chamber members.
	Mentoring Meeting and exchanging ideas with other professionals in our area provides great opportunities for learning.
	Publicity The Chamber promotes its members. There are promotional opportunities, as well as Chamber newsletters and directories.

For Toastmasters, I would add the following benefits.

	Opportunity to practice public speaking skills.
	Opportunities for leadership.

For all these reasons, I urge you to take advantage of our Club’s membership in the Northgate Chamber and to attend Chamber meetings when you can. Don’t forget your Toastmasters name badge or pin! The next meeting is on this newsletter’s publication date, Nov. 15^th (see Upcoming Events, in the next column, for more info).

Upcoming Events

Nov. 15^th, Northgate Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, Noon. Northaven, Lower Level Dining Room, 11045 8^th Ave NE. Cost $10. 363-3287

Nov. 15^th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 22^nd, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 29^th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 6^th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 9^th, newsletter submission deadline.

Dec. 13^th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 15^th, next newsletter publication date.

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.

Club Success Plan
Notable Northgaters #6949
July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2001
Updated 11/1/2000

Goals	Who/When? (Blue = Done)
Two CTM's	Chaz (12/00)		Fred (1/01)
Two more CTM’s	Michael (3/01)		Madeleine (6/01)
One ATM	Theresa (1/01)		Backup: Sheila
One more ATM	Gabriela (2/01)
One CL	Theresa (12/00)		Backup: Sheila
One more CL	Gabriela (1/01)
Four new members	Kay (8/00), Eric (8/00), Marta (10/00), Julie (10/00)
Four more new members	Michelle (11/00)
Minimum of four Club officers trained during each of two training periods (both required)	First training period		Second training period
	Ray, Fred, Theresa, Gabriela 7/22/2000 Madeleine 8/00
One semiannual membership report and one Club officer list submitted on time	Membership report		Officer list
	Oct.	Apr.	Jun
	Ray 9/00		Sheila 6/00

NEWSLETTER STAFF

Publisher: Ray Roman, CTM, President

Editor: Gabriela Remow, CTM, VP PR