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As the title implies, my job is to maintain a healthy Club membership. Lucky for me, with our dynamic and well-run meetings, that hasn't been a problem for quite some time. According to Toastmasters International (TI), "20" is the magic number. We've maintained a membership of over 20 for a few years now. The other goal from TI is to add one member per month. This is because even in a great Club such as ours, people leave due to job changes, geographical moves and other life changes. New members bring new energy and ideas to the Club. Currently, we have 24 members and about half of us have been in the Club more than a year. A large part of my job takes place outside the weekly meetings. I receive two to four calls or emails per week from people wanting information about our meetings. I enjoy explaining our educational program and telling them about the fun we have at Notable Northgaters. I try to alleviate their fears that a Toastmasters meeting will be an anxiety-producing experience. I let them know that they do not have to participate but can if they desire. It's very rewarding to talk to someone on the phone, then meet him at the meeting, sign him up and watch his progress as he proceeds through the manual. At the Club meeting, my job is to greet the guests before the meeting, and afterwards answer any questions and then invite them to join. If they decide to join, I help them fill out the applications and collect their dues. Then I promptly hand over the check and application to the treasurer, who will send it to TI. Recently, Eric Thompson volunteered to fill in for me when I can't make it to a meeting (thank you, Eric!). I feel it is really important to have a backup so that a prospective member does not leave a meeting without being invited to join. One of my newer duties is to have one of the current members chat with a guest before the meeting so that he or she can introduce the guest to the Club. We started that at our recent demonstration meeting and it went well. TI advises that I should have a "Membership Committee". I consider every member of the Club to be part of my unofficial committee. By being friendly to guests and making them feel comfortable, each of you are helping to build membership. Many of you also have brought friends to meetings. Did you know that TI recognizes members who actively promote Toastmasters to others? If you sponsor 5 new members within a year, you will receive a special Toastmasters pin. One of my goals for the year is to achieve the Competent Leader Award. So far I have completed three of the requirements: serving as an officer, attending officer training, and taking part in our "Club Success Plan". All I have left to do is give two of the module speeches in the "Successful Club" series. My other goal for this year is to complete requirements for my ATM-B award. I have finished the "Professional Salesperson" manual and have one speech left to do in "Speaking to Inform." Being the VP of Membership is a lot of work but is also very rewarding. I hope each person reading this will consider serving as VP Membership in the future.
Eighty-eight needed, only four show up A Report on District Training Sat., Sep. 16, 2000, 8:30-11 a.m. GABRIELA REMOW, CTM I woke up at 8:30 a.m. on this gray Saturday morning, and realized it was time for the first ever District 2 Club Sponsor/Mentor Training. Running late, I arrived at about 9 a.m. at the venue, Bellevue City Hall. I didn’t know what to expect, since our manual does not define "Club Sponsor" or "Club Mentor," although it does refer to these titles when listing the requirements for earning the Advanced Leader award. I missed the opening address by Larry Hussey, the District Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training. I heard a presentation by Steven Kennedy, the Lieutenant Governor of Marketing, on "How to Start a Company Club." Past District Governor Bruce Meaker presented "How to Start a Community Club." He mentioned "The Sizzle" – why people join. His list included more effective public speaking, reduced anxiety, quicker thinking, greater confidence, increased self esteem, increased personal power, increased competitive ability, and increased happiness – "quality of life stuff they can’t get anywhere else," he said. And then current District Governor Jerry Weltner presented "The How’s of Being a Club Sponsor or Mentor." He repeatedly emphasized a point I liked – "Always have fun." He urged Club Sponsors and Mentors to set high standards (such as, all officers attend training, and every speech a manual speech). He also urged us to lead by example, with aggressive personal goals. And he said to work the program, and the program will work for you. The manuals have already been worked out and prepared by Toastmasters, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A Club Sponsor works to get a new Club formed and chartered. A Club Mentor attends the meetings of that Club for 6-12 months, to help them along and show them the way. Toastmasters recommends having 2 Club Sponsors and 2 Club Mentors for each new Club. There are currently 110 Clubs in District 2, with 4-7 new Clubs forming each year. At present, there are twenty-two new Clubs in various stages of formation that have not yet been chartered. So, in order for each of those Clubs to have 2 Sponsors and 2 Mentors, eighty-eight Toastmasters volunteers are needed. Why should you do this? You will have the opportunity to use the communication and leadership skills that you have acquired through participation in Toastmasters. You will be recognized as a person who gets things done. You will have the opportunity to make new contacts which could open the door The training wrapped up promptly. Of the eighty-eight people needed, only 4 showed up for training (in addition to the 4 presenters). So there’s plenty of opportunity for you to get involved. Contact me if you’d like more information. Some of this information is from How to Build a Toastmasters Club, © 1994 by Toastmasters International.
Don’t Just "Be Yourself" "While your public speaking should be in keeping with your own style and personality, you have to be more than your usual self. You really can’t just speak in a conversational manner and keep your audience’s attention. Remember, in a speech situation, you’re the whole show, and you have to be livelier and more animated than usual."
Congratulations to Club Members! Special congratulations are in order for Eric Thompson, who took the incredibly courageous step of performing his Ice Breaker speech as part of our humorous speech contest on Sep. 27, and he did an outstanding job! Great work, Eric! Congratulations are also due to Kay Lee, who performed her Ice Breaker speech at our Oct. 4th meeting. She did wonderfully, and even won the Toast of the Day from our grammarian Eric. And we also have to thank and congratulate our Club Treasurer, Michael Suver, who helped our Club earn a point in the Distinguished Club Program by collecting membership dues so the Semiannual membership report could be sent to TI on time (see page 4 for more on the Club Success Plan). We welcome Marta Boyle as our newest Club member. Congratulations, Marta, on taking the bold step of joining Toastmasters. We will be here to encourage you as you seek to accomplish your goals. Also, congratulations are due to Chaz Simmons, who delivered his best speech yet in our humorous speech contest on Sep. 27. The whole Club was in stitches as Chaz repeatedly asked us throughout his speech, "You know what they say, don’t you?" and we all answered, "No, what!" Great work, Chaz!
Meeting Awards & Reports
Great job, everyone! Keep up the good work! Membership Anniversaries: Humorous Speech Contest Wows Them in Maple Leaf RAY ROMAN, CTM The annual humorous speech contest for Areas 21 and 23 was held at the Maple Leaf Evangelical Church on Saturday afternoon, September 30th. About 20 people gathered in the basement of the church to watch the contestants, the victors of their respective Club speech contests, vie for a chance to represent their Areas in the Division B speech contest to be held on October 14. The contest for Area 21 (Seattle, Lynnwood, Monroe) featured only one speaker. Twila Meeker (of Extraordinaires Club) told an entertaining story about the "Thelma and Louise"-like adventure she and her girlfriend once had transporting a piece of heavy equipment from Provo, Utah to Oregon in the back of a mud-colored, "butt-ugly" El Camino along roads inhabited by meddlesome troopers, friendly truckers and no-tell motels. Three speakers took the stage in the Area 23 contest: Doug Cullen (of TV Toastmasters), Alida Schuyler (of Chamber Club) and our own Gabriela Remow. Doug's speech, "Survivor," poked fun at the rigors and perils of "surviving" the ten speeches needed to attain the Competent Toastmaster award. Alida's talk, "The Cow That Fell in a Well," related how she once had to rescue a prize cow that, uh. . . . In "Toastmasters and Policemen," Gabriela gave her offbeat account of how the police, Toastmasters, a video store and two nearly identical freak auto accidents were all meaningfully (?) connected to each other. A fourth speaker from Area 23, Emert Browning (of Lake City Club), could not participate due to late arrival. The results were as follows. Area 21 had no winner because although Twila Meeker was unopposed, she exceeded the official time limit and was disqualified. (In a speech contest, when the red light goes on, SIT DOWN.) In our own Area 23, Alida Schuyler took first place and Doug Cullen placed second. Commenting on the results, Gabriela said, "Well, every time I compete, I learn a little bit more. There’s always next year." The next step after the Division B humorous speech contest (held on October 14) will be the District 2 contest on November 4th at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond. See you there! Note: Ray Roman, CTM, and Kay Lee served on the contest judging team as counters. Kudos, Ray and Kay!
Six Small Changes Can Improve Presentation 1. The most important step you can take to feel in control of your presentation and the audience is to be thoroughly familiar with the content of your presentation. You should rehearse your presentation repeatedly. It helps to speak from notes, rather than a script. Speaking from notes will allow you to talk more conversationally than when you are reading a script. You should look down to grab the next note then focus most of your attention on the audience during the presentation. 2. Instead of scanning the audience as you speak, pick out one person or a small group of people and deliver a full sentence or paragraph in that direction. This helps the audience feel included and puts you in control. 3. Step out from behind the lectern occasionally to connect with the audience and maintain control. If you are using a microphone, ask for clip-on lavaliere so that it will move with you. 4. What do you do with your hands? Use gestures to turn your nervousness in a constructive direction. Always keep your hands apart so you do not play with a ring or wring your hands. Also, keep your hands out of your pockets and avoid putting them behind your back in the "hostage" position. One simple technique is to stand with one hand resting gently on the text or notes and use the other to gesture or rest at waist level. You can use both hands to gesture for a more emphatic point. 5. Never flip the page over – this tells the audience you’re reading to them rather than communicating with them. To change a page in your script, slide the page to one side as you move toward the audience to make a point. You’ll end up with your pages stacked in reverse order. Disguise the page turn with your movement toward the audience or gesture with the other hand. 6. Vary the pace of your speaking pattern. The biggest mistake people make is delivering their presentation at a constant speed, cadence and volume. For the audience, it’s as if they are looking at a newspaper page that has no headlines, no illustration and no bold type – just one gray page. It’s your task to put in the bold type and emphasis. Adapted from "Six small changes can improve presentation" by Stephen F. Friedman and published in the Puget Sound Business Journal, August 25-31, 2000.
Speech Writing The Four Phases of Creativity The Four Phases of Creativity Writing a speech is not a mechanical act – it is a creative process. Thus, it requires time. We should always give ourselves plenty of time to write a speech, rather than rushing into it headlong. We must allow adequate time for the four phases of creativity.
These details stress the importance of allocating sufficient time for each phase. There’s a lot to be done when preparing a speech, and it takes time to do it well. So let’s take the time to prepare and deliver high quality speeches in our Club. The benefits are clear. Adapted from The Speaker’s Handbook: Fourth Edition by Jo Sprague and Douglas Stuart, Ó 1996 by Harcourt Brace & Company.
The Secretary’s Corner – Club BusinessMADELEINE KOLB Club Meeting 9/27/2000 The Club voted unanimously to accept Marta Boyle as a new member. Club Meeting 10/4/2000 Marta Boyle was duly sworn in to the Club by President Ray Roman, CTM. Executive Committee Meeting 10/4/2000 Those present were Ray Roman, CTM, (President), Fred Coutts (VP Education), Gabriela Remow, CTM, (VP PR), Madeleine Kolb (Secretary), Michael Suver (Treasurer), Gina Coluccio and Lisa Smith (Sgts-at-Arms). The Committee voted to approve the minutes of the 7/12/00 Executive Committee meeting. The officers updated the Club Success Plan (see the right column of this page). Michael reported on the state of the Club treasury (it’s in good shape), and reported that Lisa Youk and Claire Richards did not renew their memberships. Gabriela brought up the newly forming Northgate Chamber of Commerce, and suggested that our Club join (the annual cost is $30). The officers approved of this idea, and will ask the Club to vote on it at an upcoming meeting. Club Meeting 10/11/2000 The Club voted to join the Northgate Chamber of Commerce. Annual cost: $30.
Upcoming Events Oct. 18th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24th, Northgate Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Luncheon, Noon. Northaven, Lower Level Dining Room, 11045 8th Ave NE. Guest Speaker Mayor Schell. Cost $10. 363-3287 Oct. 25th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1st, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 4th, District 2 Fall Conference. Microsoft Executive Conference Center 16070 NE 36th Way Building #33 Redmond WA 98052 Prices: First Timers to a district conference: $75 Groups of 4 people from a Club: $75 per person Regular rate: $90 if paid by 10/15/2000 $100 at the door Contact: 425-825-5406 Nov. 8th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9th, newsletter submission deadline. Nov. 15th, regular Club meeting, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 15th, next newsletter publication date.
District 2 Fall Conference Nov. 4th – Be There! Theme: Over the Top The Fall Conference is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 4th, and will be held at the beautiful Microsoft Executive Conference Center. Prices and location information are in the "Upcoming Events" box in the left column of this page. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the Conference will last all day. Should we attend? Ray Roman, CTM and Club President, says, "Absolutely." He says, "It’s a good chance to learn a lot, from several series of talks. There are always good educational talks, and a chance to meet people, at District conferences. I’ve attended three of them, and I’ve found that they always have useful and inspiring talks." Ray says they have had three parallel tracks of programs, including speaker development, Club development, and leadership development – areas in which everyone can always learn to improve. In addition, Ray says, "That’s when they have the District 2 speech contest. The finalists from the five Divisions (A-E) compete for the District title. Since they’ve already won their Division speech contests, they always have excellent speeches. This time it will be the Humorous Speech Contest finalists, so it’s sure to be a funny evening." So, be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to expand your Toastmasters horizons and grow toward your goals!
Club Success Plan Notable Northgaters #6949
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Last Updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2001
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to career advancement. As the Sponsor or Mentor of a new Club, you will also gain eligibility toward the DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster) award, the ultimate recognition in Toastmasters.
From
Ray, Kay, & Gabriela at the Area Contest
