Home » All Posts » May 2018 Newsletter

Keep your foot on the gas

You have two months left: Make a strong finish!

Elect your club officers for 2018-2019 in May. Your club’s nominating committee, usually headed by the club’s Immediate Past President, should have already initiated conversations with members about serving as a club officer for next year. The Club Leadership Handbook received at the beginning of this year indicates that club elections should be held the first meeting in May.

Part of the impetus behind this is that the Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) sessions can be held for next year as early as June 1 of this Toastmasters year. If you do not have your officers elected by the time the first TLI session is held, this limits future opportunities that your officers have to attend training. We all want to ensure that everyone has access to training to better understand how to do their roles.

If you are ready to deliver speeches for your educational goals, you may find additional speech slots available at other clubs. Oak Creek and Toastmasters in Control member David Gagliano visited Riverview and delivered his final speech for his ACB.

Once you have elected new officers I ask that you do two things: First, e-mail the names and contact information of your new officers to your Area Director. They can pass this information along so the appropriate individuals can be invited to TLI. Second, please review your club’s contact information in Club Central to make sure that information is correct so the new Club Leadership Handbooks get delivered to the correct address.

Start planning for next year. Thinking ahead, I try to have an idea of what educational goals I want to accomplish in the following year. I do my best to share this with my club officers (especially the VP Education) so appropriate planning can be done towards the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) goals. (Admittedly, this can be challenging for those of us in multiple clubs.) May and June are excellent times to determine overall goals and start working on the Club Success Plan for next year. Early planning should help avoid the scrambling many clubs experience in May and June in pursuit of Distinguished status before year end..

With these guideposts, you will dash through June 30 with a smile on your face and ready to run the race again for 2018-2019.

I appreciate the hard work all of the clubs in District 35 have done so far this year, enjoy the current successes of 16 Distinguished Clubs and look for many more in May and June.

Are you ready to beat the clock?

Meeting guests and welcoming them as club members is gratifying, isn’t it? Add five new, dual or reinstated members between May 1 and June 30 to win the Beat the Clock membership building ribbon. How?

The membership drive runs from May 1 through June 30.
In order to qualify for the award, the club must add and process payments for five new, dual or reinstated members.
Transfer members are NOT counted towards this award.
New members do not count before May 1 or after June 30.
Payment must be processed by Toastmasters International by June 30. Members added in Club Central by June 30 with payment processed on July 1 will not be eligible.
Membership start date must be before June 30. Members added by June 30 but with July 1 as membership start date will not qualify for this award, even if payment is completed before June 30.
Payments can be done through credit card or wire transfer. Once payment is completed, please review the club membership roster to see that the newly added member’s name is present.
If your club is doing a wire transfer for payment for any of these members, please ensure that the payment reaches Toastmasters International well ahead of June 30 so the amount gets credited into your club account with Toastmasters International and then credited against the individual. As June is very busy due to year end processing, it is best to complete the wire transfer by June 15.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best Regards,

Rozaline Janci

Club Growth Director

Six months already?

Pathways Orientation Coming to a Close

The month of May wraps up the official term for our District’s team of Pathways Guides and Ambassadors. Together they delivered more than 125 in-person presentations, conducted more than 180 virtual support sessions, and shared their expertise and insights during every winter officer training session and the Fall Conference. Their final scheduled appearance takes place during the Spring Convention – visit them in the Marketplace and join me in thanking our team!

Guides

Angela Graham

Craig Carpenter

Jeff McRaven

Jesse Franklin

Judy Bauer

Kathy Shine

Kelly Huttelmaier

Kimberly Thomas

Kris Pool

Lori Geddes

Steve Wittmann

Tina Palmgren

Tom Carlson

Tom Gust

Ambassadors

Kyna Shnayderman

Scott Kazin

Sierk Oudemans

The Skrauss

Theresa Flynn

Wendy Benkowski

Ambassadors Scott & Kyna with Guides Lori and Kris, as they use their Pathways rollout as their High Performance Leadership project.

Even though their term is coming to an end, there are still tasks to do to ensure a quality experience with Pathways. We invite each member to:

Review the Navigator. Share it with new members to help them learn how our Toastmasters program is designed to help them grow.
Create your universal profile including uploading a photo within Base Camp (Base Camp Managers should upload a photo, too!)
Take your personal assessment and select your learning path (review the catalog of and other resources if needed – posted at http://creamcity.toastmastersclubs.org/Pathways.html)
Become familiar with all the evaluation tools available for immediate download within Base Camp
Spend some time viewing the tutorials built into Base Camp
After you hold a leadership role in a meeting (e.g., Timer, Grammarian, Toastmaster, etc.), document the date inside of Base Camp (click on gear in upper right corner and select “My Account”)
Remember to complete both the “Before” and “After” assessments and click “Submit” for every project
Encourage visitors to view the dynamic new projects, Base Camp features, and Ice Breaker, which are available for preview at https://www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview

On behalf of our team, I wish you all a wonderful, customized learning experience with these newly developed educational materials called Pathways.

Kathy Shine, DTM

Chief Ambassador

Sabres cut cake and celebrate charter success

Sabre Speakers held their charter party on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. District Director Keith Cumiskey, DTM, presented them with their club banner and certificates for all charter members The large seminar room was filled with members, dignitaries and guests.

The club has already seen some success.

“Even in the short time we have been chartered as a chapter, noticeable improvement has been experienced in all participants,” said Club Sponsor Scott Dell.

Club President Rory Karch is a charter member, even helping recruit others for the beginning of the club.

“Once we started having meetings, we had to make decisions on to expand the meetings. Most clubs meet twice a month, but with our numbers we decided to go to weekly meetings so everyone can get their speeches and roles in. We now have a great solid core group that support each other and help them grow with their abilities,” he said.

The club is not resting on its early successes; it is poised for growth.

“In addition, this was advertised as an Open House and there were at least eight guests, three of which indicated their intention to join Sabre Speakers, “ said Kris Pool.

“There were great questions from guests with confident and insightful answers from members,” said Dell.

“Already Sabre Speakers is making a commitment to Toastmasters. Special officer training was scheduled with the District in November and they are on track to becoming a Distinguished Club by the end of June 2018. A new member participated in the E1 Area International Speech Contest and placed third (and it was only her second speech). Members are visiting other clubs for ideas, attending officer training in other divisions, and plan to attend the Spring Convention. I’m excited for the future of Sabre Speakers!” said Pool.

The club chartered last September, and it is moving forward towards Distinguished status. Sabre Speakers are only two goals and one member away.

Champion Chatters hits one over the fence

with a unique and successful open house!

Direct Supply Champion Chatters brought a fabulous baseball experience into their open house – including hot dogs, running bases and music – and everybody won! The event succeeded in multiple ways, from informing potential new members, recruiting management champions and putting leadership skills to real world use.

Club Vice President Public Relations Susan Brushafer described the diamond:

The on deck circle had club information and a sign up for a door prize.
First base was learning about Table Topics and trying impromptu speaking.
Second base was a Pathways overview.
Third base was information about Toastmasters International.
Back at home plate guests enjoyed some great cookout food: brats hot dogs and chips.

The combination of theme and active stations allowed guests to ask questions and learn different elements of Champion Chatters – from the education program to trying Table Topics. Handouts rounded out the information.

“In the Club’s book of wins, the 2018 Spring Open House easily won the Commissioners Trophy for ‘best Open House’ since the Club’s 2006 charter!” said Brushafer.

One important statistic from this afternoon is that the event attracted some managers and corporate leaders. Developing these relationships and finding managers who support Toastmasters can be key to a corporate club’s success. As one example, Brushafer invited someone up her report ladder; he attended, and quickly supported the club.

“[H]e sent a follow-up email to all leaders at Direct Supply encouraging them to take a look at our Toastmasters Club and the Pathways Education Program. This same leader sent a similar email before the Open House, endorsing the Club and encouraging them and their teams to drop by,” she said.

“Attracting new members in a fun and exciting way allowed the club to open up and be vulnerable to new members asking questions and engaging in a different way,” said Sami TeRonde, VP-Membership.

“When I think back to my first experience with Toastmasters three years ago, I was slightly intimidated to come and observe a meeting with so many eloquent speakers around me. The hope with an event like this is that it’s non-intimidating to those that might be battling anxiety around social settings or public speaking. It allows an opportunity to get people in the door that might not otherwise join,” she said, “and of course it didn’t hurt that we had snacks!”

The event itself gave members some great opportunities to try out skills they’ve been honing – as well as learning about famous Toastmasters flexibility. Members of the Open House Committee shared their thoughts:

“Speaking at one of the stations was made easier by the experience in Toastmasters. Knowing to slow down, and pick each word carefully is important when speaking to a large group” of eight people at a time, said Connor Gindt.

Andrea Leonard learned about Toastmasters flexibility that comes from confidence and experience: “One specific challenge we had to overcome was that I couldn’t get the grill started for the food and had minimal time to improvise. I was able to go to another building and get the food prepared and Sami stepped in to run my ‘station’ for the first few minutes which allowed me to get everything (including myself) together,” she said. “I don’t think anyone else really noticed so I think we pulled it off well!”

Club President Mike Jarmola helped track credit towards projects in the traditional Competent Leader workbook; the event would help meet some educational goals.

The experience could also create more future benefits than only numbers in the membership column; a major pinnacle of corporate clubs is how Toastmasters members improve connections and communications across departments and divisions, and the open house was evidence of this.

“Working with cross-functional teams is always important, especially at Direct Supply. Coordinating with people in different buildings, remote partners, etc. is always beneficial,” said Gindt.

Would You Rather

Write up a bunch of situations on folded pieces of paper. Optionally, choose to theme the situations for your club or meeting theme.

Serious Situations – Your car just crashed and you are stuck in the front seat.
Funny Situations – Your brand new phone just fell in a toilet.
Real Situations – You stand up to give a speech at a new club you just joined and your mind goes completely blank.
Fantasy Situations – You are Sir Knight, and you have just entered the tournament of Jesters. You’re not sure what to expect.
Themed Situations – (Easter) You are the Easter Bunny and have just discovered that all your eggs got stepped on by a local giant. (Christmas) Your sleigh malfunctions at 11:50 on Christmas Eve.

(Credit to Generally Speaking for the idea.)

We’re All in Sales

Each participant will select two scenario papers, read both out loud, pick which one they prefer and weave it into a table topics speech.

Add random items to a bag. The more random they are the better.

Things that work particularly well for this are items that have a purpose but one that is not easily devised. A great example of this is a paper crimper. You can show people what it does and they understand once you explain but before it is very cryptic.

Have your speakers draw an item out of the bag. Their goal is to sell the product they are holding to the audience whether they know its real purpose or not.

If you have an idea or have seen a unique Table Topics idea and want to be featured, send an e-mail to Kelly.Huttelmaier@gmail.com.

Kelly Huttelmaier

Division B Director

Talkers & Shakers = Stackers & Packers

The Club that Volunteers Together Stays Together!

Tim Griep, VPE of the US Bank Talkers & Shakers corporate club, decided to put his leadership skills to good use and give back to the community: He organized a volunteer event for his fellow club members. On Friday, April 6, nine members reported to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to use mind and muscle to sort palettes of food and other items. Members Dennis Berg, Barbara Judd, Kathy Glaser-Brown, Valerie Ebling, Bill Finnegan, Rozaline

Janci, Tim Griep, Christina Evans, and Barb Leis all participated.

After three hours of service, the group had sorted and stocked 11,621 pounds of donated product – 9,684 meals worth of food! Being able to work together as a team and accomplish so much provided the club with a huge sense of achievement. The opportunity to help make change in a community and work toward something positive was empowering.

During the post-sorting facility tour, one member noted that volunteering as a Toastmasters team took teamwork to a whole new level. While working to help others, the members had also helped themselves. Working together increased member commitment to the club, created memories for old and new members, and strengthened the fabric of the club.

Kathy Glaser-Brown

B1 Area Director, Immediate Past President Talkers and Shakers

This is not a typo:

Wycieczka do Polski

Recently, I traveled to Katowice, Poland on a business trip. While I was there, I took the opportunity to visit their English speaking Toastmaster club, Silesia Speech Masters. What better way to experience the culture in an environment that I could understand! Luckily it was only a 10-minute walk from my hotel.

I arrived and joined in the meeting. The meeting ran quite long compared to most of our meetings with lots of breaks for socializing and creating a friendly and welcoming environment. After a word of welcome from the President, the Toastmaster introduced the meeting theme, and everyone introduced their role for the meeting. I took the role of General Evaluator. There was also a completely new position that I had never seen before, Body Language Evaluator.

Then we had the Question of the Day. It’s a quick question that everyone in the room answers in a minute. The speaker for the evening was completing the Competent Communication manual speech #4, How to Say It. She spoke about the time she worked in Ireland and her love of the country. It was a perfect speech for a St. Patrick’s Day themed meeting.

We had a break after the speech with fingers for snacks – which I learned was what they call pretzel sticks. After the break, we had Table Topics. I tried my hand at one of them and the number I chose aligned to one about greening the city center of Katowice. I tried my best despite my lack of knowledge of local government and got some chuckles from the group. Finally, we had our speech evaluations, Table Topic evaluations, and reports.

When I mentioned that I was a Pathways Guide, they got very excited. They had rolled out Pathways in their District the week prior. I was invited back to the Polish-speaking club, Silesia Toastmasters, to speak to them about our experience with Pathways.

Two days later, my taxi dropped me off at ul. Wita Stwosza 7. I, not so confidently, walked into the building. Armed with my cell phone prominently displaying the Toastmasters logo, I showed it to the security guard at the front door and was pointed up the stairs with some explanation in Polish. Luckily, the room was bursting with noise and laughter, so it was easy to find.

The Meeting Theme was przygody górskie (mountain adventures) and the word of the day was chadzać (which means to go, but with some additional implications like to go to a place you go frequently.) I was not in Kansas anymore. However, I had been to enough Toastmaster meetings that I could follow along. There was a pytanie dnia (Question of the Day) about liking mountains (luckily someone translated) that I answered in English. This was followed by four speeches. Someone who worked at Rockwell Automation in Poland was sitting next to me, translating in small batches so I could follow things. Overall things were fascinating even with the small batches of understanding I had.

Right after the break, I was asked to speak to the group about Pathways. I had my very own translator and it was a very strange experience. Speak a sentence, wait, speak another sentence, wait. Keeping your train of thought and speech flow going is incredibly hard. It was a unique experience though that I wouldn’t have gotten any other way. After I talked, I did a brief Q/A session with fun questions like “Why haven’t they translated Pathways into Polish?” To which I have to tell Kathy Shine that she prepared us for a lot on Pathways, but not quite everything.

The meeting was wrapped up with Table Topics, evaluations, reports and feedback.

Afterward, a group of us went out for “the most famous soup in Poland.” I asked many questions about whether it was the rye soup that I knew was famous and got told no, but it was the most famous soup in Poland. When I asked what was in it, I was told it was the most famous soup on Poland. A bit leery of what I was going to be eating and imagining fish head soup with some sort of crazy unidentifiable lumps of local specialties I joined them. We went to Żurwnia. It did end up being the rye soup which had bacon and potatoes in it. It was delicious.

By stepping out of my comfort zone, Toastmasters provided a framework that I could have a unique experience in another culture and meet some awesome people. I can’t wait until I can go back and visit again.

Being brave is awesome.

-Kelly Huttelmaier

Division B Director

World Headquarters moves

by one time zone and up by one mile

In late April the Toastmasters.org site had many features offline while the helpful staff of World Headquarters boxed up the cumulative wisdom of almost 100 years to move to Denver; with the move comes some changes in contact information. Per their mailing:

As always, World Headquarters is ready to help whenever you have questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require assistance. Effective immediately, please send all mail and courier correspondence to:

Toastmasters International
9127 S. Jamaica Street, Suite 400
Englewood, CO 80112

The new phone number is +1 720-439-5050, and the fax number is +1 303-799-7753. While the current phone number is in operation through July 31, 2018, you may now use the new phone number anytime between 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday.