One Community Many Voices District 7 Toastmasters June 2017 Page EDITORIAL What if... by Phyllis A. Harmon, DTM Editor/Publisher In a workshop recently, I learned that you can influence your audience by focusing your energy and pushing it outwards. The further out you mentally push it, the wider the net and the greater the change that occurs. This notion intrigues me. Have you ever walked into a room, and “felt” or intuited what just occurred before you came through the door? Is it just observation that fed you that information or something more arcane? Years ago, quantum mechanics researchers discovered that at the subatomic level there were no absolutes. Whatever you desired to see, was what you found—that just by looking at something with intent created the outcome you desired. This discovery threw the researchers into a quandary. Nothing could be pinned down and studied like a bug under glass. Replication, the standard for proving anything, was impossible. At the same time, other researchers discovered that we were all connected at the subatomic level—plants, animals, humans—all creatures great and small. Which is why I’m intrigued by the notion that we can influence a room, conference hall, auditorium—actually any space—through focus and intent. I keep thinking that if one person can influence the energy in a room full of people, what could we accomplish if we joined forces? If everyone focused with intent on a desired outcome? I believe we could change the world. If every member of every club pushed positive energy into every meeting, we would attract new members like bees to honey. Retention would no longer be an issue as members would only leave under duress. For a couple of years, I’ve felt that the energy level in the District was depressed, as if something was weighing us down. But now I know I can change that, one room, conference hall, or auditorium at a time. Starting today, I am focusing with intent on pushing positive energy into the world. I invite you to join me in this new adventure. Together we can be the change we want to see in the world. Publisher Phyllis Harmon, DTM Associate Publisher Brenda Parsons, ACS, ALS Senior Editor Phyllis Harmon, DTM Associate Editors Leanna Lindquist, DTM Donna Stark, DTM John Rodke, DTM Layout/Design Phyllis Harmon, DTM Curtis Low 2016-17 Officers District Director Leanna Lindquist, DTM Program Quality Director Donna Stark, DTM Club Growth Director John Rodke, DTM Finance Manager Jill Ward, ACB, ALB Administrative Manager Rodger Cook, ACB, ALB Public Relations Manager Phyllis Harmon, DTM Voices! is published monthly by District 7 Toastmasters. First issue published August 2014. Submit articles or contact contributors at voices@d7toastmasters.org TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL 2 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Toastmasters for Nonprofit Professionals Your message matters. Whether you are addressing your board, donors, or volunteers, what you say and how you say it contributes to the success of your organization. Toastmasters for Nonprofit Professionals is focused on helping you craft and polish your message for maximum impact while learning how to lead and influence your stakeholders. Join us as we launch a club focused on you, the Nonprofit Professional. When Join Us! Every Wednesday 7:00-8:30 am Where Lines for Life 5100 SW Macadam. #400 Portland, OR 97239 Overcome your fear of speaking before an audience, and train your butterflies to fly in formation. Toastmasters provides a safe environment where you can practice your next presentation and get quality feedback on how to take your speech to the next level. RSVP Appreciated davidw@linesforlife.org ( 971 ) 244-4637 CONTENTS EDITORIAL What if... Toastmasters Leadership Institute June 3,2017 - A Day in Review COVER STORY On Serving the Members of District 7 by Leanna Lindquist, DTM AS I SEE IT All I Really Need to Know in Life I Learned in Toastmasters by Leanna Lindquist DTM District Director FROM THE DESK Time Flies Like an Arrow by Donna Stark, DTM Program Quality Director FROM THE DESK The Final Lap byjohn Rodke, DTM Club Growth Director JOURNEYS Meet the Talented David Freedman by Brinn Hemmingson, ACB, CL Leadership - Quick and Dirty Self Analysis byjoel Conarton, ACB, ALB Learning Vocal Variation by Hlbbah Khan Mentoring for Success by Lyle Schellenberg, ACG, ALB Division B Director-Elect D7 Toastmasters Takes to the Airwaves by Lorna Dobberstein, ACB, CL Just Say ... Yes! by Alan Svehaug, ACG 4 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 8 ft V n is 7 6 SUCCESSFUL CLUB How to Create a Successful Club - Be Distinguished or Bust! byjanet Cerasin, ACG, Old CL TELL ME A STORY There is Still Time to be Great! by Charles Shambry, CC Are you committed to being extraordinary? 33 Who's Afraid of the Big Bad HPL? by Marvin Walker, ACB, ALB 40 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS HONORING EDUCATIONAL AWARDS 45 TRIPLE CROWN AWARDS From Podcaster to Toastmasters by Emily Halnon HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MAY CLUBS Congratulations to Be Extraordinary Pin recipients League of Extraordinary Toastmasters Road to Presidents Distinguished 49 JUNE-JULY CALENDAR VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 5 On Serving the Members of District 7 by Leanna Lindquist, DTM—District Director Serving as a member of the District 7 Trio is both a privilege and a challenge. Opportunities to serve and support are there for the taking. Sometimes the road is bumpy and filled with potholes. Other times, the wind is at your back, the road is smooth, and everything works out as planned. But no matter what challenges drop out of the sky or what successes are celebrated, the experience is unforgettable. At the end of her third year in the Trio, District Director Leanna Lindquist, shares her thoughts in an open letter to the members of District 7 Toastmasters. [Editor] May 2016, the current Directors met for the first time. We trained for our roles. We bonded. We set our goal for year end as Presidents Distinguished District—a stretch goal for us. It meant more members earning awards. More new members. More new clubs. In other words, loads of Distinguished clubs, 70 to be exact. Our year started with a dedicated team nicknamed “The Dream Team”. Clubs were chartered early. Officers attended TLI. We were off to a great start. October 1st dues went up by $9. It may not have seemed like a lot, but it had a negative effect on our membership numbers. By the end of 2016, two of our Division Directors had resigned, leaving vacancies in hard-to-fill divisions. The New Year brought more challenges. Club Growth Director Cathy French was forced to resign for health reasons. We found a great replacement in John Rodke, the Division B Director. Without training, John came onboard to finish the term. We then needed to find a Division Director replacement for him. Snowapocalypse caused us to postpone TLI by two weeks. With only a couple of weeks left for training we were not able to make up the numbers. Along the way several Area Directors resigned or were unable to complete their duties. We were challenged. Every year we seem to lose a few clubs. Some are expected, and need to go. Others are a surprise. Every time a club is lost a new one needs to charter just to stay even. We have lost 6 such clubs this year. Below: 2016-17 District Executive Council at Directors Training May 21, 2016 ISSUE 1 It’s always a struggle to grow the number of Distinguished Clubs to meet our goals. While we have many clubs that are Distinguished or better year after year, we also have many clubs that don’t come close. Either they don’t have the membership numbers or they don’t earn awards. For some clubs it is both because they don’t participate in the Distinguished Club Program. This is sad. Members aren’t taking advantage of what the program has to offer. These clubs are often self-isolated from the rest of the District. They don’t participate in TLI, conferences or contests. Toastmasters has been around for 93 years because the program works. Modified or fragmented versions don’t. When members realize they aren’t getting the bang for their buck they are gone. The numbers dwindle and the few remaining members give up. L to R: Leanna Lindquist, Jim Kokochi, IPIP Lest you think our entire year has been one of doom and gloom let me share our successes. To date we have chartered 10 clubs. Paperwork is going in for three more. Several clubs are edging closer to the charter number of 20. Four kick-off meetings for new clubs are scheduled. It’s been a great year for starting new clubs. We reinstituted online calls with our Directors this year. Area Directors are the link between the District and the clubs. We wanted them to be armed with all the information they needed to help our clubs be successful. This is one way we stayed connected with them. Winter Webinars were held to provide members with resources to help themselves and their clubs. We held two conferences and two TLIs. Contests were held all over the District. Be Extraordinary pins were created. Members were given the opportunity to nomi¬ nate others who went above and beyond for Toastmasters. Voices! continued with monthly editions from our editor Phyllis Harmon. My hat is off to her for the hours and hours of work she puts into each issue. When I look back at the first issue and compare it with the latest I marvel at the growth in Phyllis’ skills. Thank you to all our contributing writers. Without you there would be no magazine. It provides a wealth of information at no cost to our members. By the way, it is read by a worldwide audience. Radio spots debuted in the Portland/ Vancouver area on June 5th. They will run for 3 weeks. We have documentation that they are bringing potential new members to our clubs. As I write this, our numbers are not where I would like them to be. The good news is there is still time to change that. 8 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 It’s not over until June 30th, the last day of the Toastmaster year. June is the month for miracles. Club officers were contacted to let them know how close they are to Distinguished—88 clubs were identified as close. Right now clubs are scrambling to sign up one more member, or turn in one more award. Everyone helps. Check your manuals; you may be closer than you think. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as your Lt. Governor Marketing, your Program Quality Director, and now your District Director. It has been a journey such as I could not have imagined. What I L to R: Leanna Lindquist, Cathy French, Donna Stark have learned could fill a book. I have made lifelong friendships. My greatest pleasure has come from watching members grow and clubs become strong. My take away from the past 6 years in District Leadership: Toastmasters Changes Lives. July 1st a new Trio will take the helm and lead District 7 into Pathways. It will be a year of change, challenges and opportunity. Best of luck to District Director, Donna Stark; Program Quality Director, John Rodke; Club Growth Director, Emilie Taylor; and all our District Leaders. You have our support. L to R: Leanna Lindquist, John Rodke, Donna Stark L to R: John Rodke, Emilie Taylor, Dennis Hill,Eldred Brown, Rodger Cook, Leanna Lindquist, David Shehorn VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 9 FEEDBACKERS Evaluations Workshop Club Beaverton Activities Center 12500 SW Allen Blvd Beaverton, Oregon Eva/uatL. YOUR Way ons 7:30-9:15pm Join Us Every 2nd Wednesday 10 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 AS I SEE IT... Most of what I really need to know about leadership and communication I learned in Toastmasters. It wasn’t what I read in books. It was what I did and observed every week in my club meetings. These are the things I learned: • The first 30 seconds of a speech are the most important • When the red light comes on, wrap it up. • Table Topics helps you think quickly and clearly on your feet • Integrity Matters • Flexibility • Avoid "Death by Power Point" • Opportunities are there, take advantage of them • Don't read slides • Maintain good eye contact with the audience • Don't apologize • The Power of the Pause • Prepare, practice, perform • DCP - Documentation Changes People • Speak more, improve more • Respect • Tell stories, it connects you with the audience • Don't close your speech with "thank you" • The number of members is critical to the success of a club • Get out of your comfort zone if you want to change • DTM - Develop, Train, Mentor • Lead by example • Create a Foundational Phrase • You can inspire, but you can't motivate • End with a powerful closing • Excellence • Toastmasters is family • I am competing with myself • Give specific and actionable feedback • Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance • Keep your eye on the goal • Servant Leadership • Not everyone fulfills their obligations • Creativity is rewarded • Applause is encouraging and supportive • Some wonder about you if you belong to more than one club Everything you need to know is in there somewhere, do your best, show respect and serve others. Think what a better world it would be if we all listened to one another. Paused to reflect. Provided useful feedback that made a difference. Lived a life of integrity and paid attention to red lights. ■THSWffiltlS,, Leadership JED LIGHT TMSTWHTEISi _ MU OF THE PAUSE TOASTMASTERS DTM DTH|., : RESPECT TQKTIKSItl FiimiLirv, .. FIHIIIUTY RESPECT red irciiT OPPORTUNITIES "MR JES VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 11 FROM THE DESK Time Flies Like an Arrow by Donna Stark, DTM—Program Quality Director When I was a child, it seemed like a year was a really, REALLY, long time. Youth and naivete kept me from realizing what a precious commodity time is. Now older and wiser, this month I’ve reflected on how quickly grandchild #3 went from toddler to high school graduate. I accumulated yet another birthday (seriously—they must come twice a year now). And we’re approaching the end of a Toastmasters year that seems like it just started. Yes, time flies. It’s been a productive and fulfilling year that I can best describe as a whirlwind of activity. The August International Convention, in hot and humid Washington D.C., confirmed for me that Toastmasters is a truly international organization. It was an invigorating experience to networkwith and learn from other leaders from around the globe. I’m a big fan of Patricia Fripp, and I was thrilled to have her as our Fall Conference keynote speaker. Dashing through Target with her in search of a couple of last-minute items was a bonus! I conducted my first webinar presentation. But by far my favorite aspect of this past year has been the opportunity to get know more Toastmasters in District 7. We are an international organization, but there’s no place like home. The year isn’t over yet. I’ve heard from several of you that you are working to finish up manuals and projects to submit for awards before Good for you! Check with other clubs in your area and see if they’re looking for a guest speaker. It really is win-win—they get to hear a new speaker, and you get to experience a new audience! The club setting is the heart and soul of the organization, yet there are lots of opportunities to grow outside of the club setting. Whether it’s an area or division contest, TLI, a conference, or the convention (BC or BUST!), I encourage you to explore outside-the-club opportunities. I hope when you reflect on your year, you feel you learned, you grew, and you had fun. And as you look ahead to next year, remember that time flies like an arrow— and fruit flies like a banana. TUlj Trtv &lct-fal&f\Wn&cL, and (aaW in tA& pCL&t, bat &CWhX tJ/xirtfh pW~Cpl£A& p)JWA£M€& tcW- Ml&b! Dr. Seuss 12 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 FROM THE DESK The Final Lap by John Rodke, DTM—Club Growth Director We are in the final lap of this year’s amazing race. Members everywhere are putting in that last sprint of energy to gain a few more members, meeting with gusto to bring clubs back to life, and submitting digital stacks of charter paperwork. I am extremely proud of the efforts of the members of this District. Thank you! You are making our members matter, and delivering outstanding value to them! TLI was a blast. The early training session was planned to give maximum opportunity for officers and members to be trained before they start their roles, so they will thrive in the upcoming year. Three takeaways that stuck with me were: 1. Three deep leadership. Recruit two assis¬ tants to empower for next year. Delegate to make your life easier. (Especially VPE!) 2. Use fear as a tool for success. 3. Pathways is an opportunity for growth with minimal differences to the existing program. Treat it like more advanced manuals. You have options for your success. A huge thank you for the volunteers who made this event a success. You Rock!!!! Makeup Training is being scheduled. Check the D7 calendar for an event near you. You can attend any makeup training in the world and get credit for your club. I highly encourage you to do so, and bring non-officers too! This gives them the look behind the veil to see the bigger picture of Toastmasters and what it can do for them. If there is no way for you to attend, please reach out to your Area Director to arrange training. If you are provided the tools to do a task, it is much easier to succeed with it. TLI is a wisdom and actionable leadership and communication tool extravaganza! Breathe Deep. Seek Peace. Share Storie/. It has been my honor to serve as your Club Growth Director. I have grown more as a Toastmaster in the last six months, than I have in the last six years. For those who know me, I push hard in Toastmasters, and in life. This role has taught me how to ride the chaos wave. This knowledge has improved every aspect of my life. I highly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, and into your growth zone, by stepping into leadership. You will transcend yourself... Don’t forget to elect 2017-2018 club officers and update your officers list with Toastmasters International by June 30, 2017 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 13 ji JOURNEYS Meet the Talented David Freedman by Brinn Hemmingson, ACG, CL I watched David Freedman compete in the International Speech Contest this year, and realized, here was a very unusual speaker! Why? No facial expression. “I have a very rare congenital neurological disorder called Moebius syndrome. Simply put, the cranial nerves that control facial and eye movement didn’t develop properly, which left me with a bilateral facial paralysis.” “I still have a wide variety of interests and talents which include being a trained singer, actor, writer, and of course public speaker via Toastmasters. Oddly enough, I sing quite well with at times even clearer diction than my regular speaking voice. I am a trained countertenor with a 2.5 octave range.” “A good friend recommended Toastmasters. I thought it might help with improving some of my acting skills. Indeed, Toastmasters is the only group I’ve ever joined that allows me to make use of all of my skills in a wide variety of ways, not the least of which is preparing my speeches and keeping up my acting skills. Toastmasters has helped my speaking skills by forcing me to slow down and consider more carefully how I convey the message in my speeches, among other things.” David has been a member of Babble-On Toastmasters since November 2013. He was recently elected to be the Sergeant-at-Arms of the club. Davis says, “I believe that Toastmasters has given me greater confidence to be a leader on a personal and professional level. It’s also been invaluable in helping me to develop skills in giving speeches that I can use in acting and other vocations.” One reason he joined was because, he didn’t initially feel comfortable leading other people. Now, he could take the initiative more readily when the situation arose. If you want to help conquer your fear of public speaking and gain additional skills, Toastmasters is the place for you. You will also absorb a lot of information about leadership and different speech styles. “I’m still feeling the impact, but right now, to my great surprise, I’ve been asked to take on more leadership responsibilities both in and outside of my club. We’ll see where that leads. Now if only I could figure out how to use my Toastmasters experience to get more television and film roles. Maybe someone could contact George Clooney for me? He used to be a member of Toastmasters. Just a thought...;) OnA uaAa tyCUnA bty chAe/tfwrhinxjy o&&tacle& poM£M£A (JnA Only. ivAicIlv cart OAeAearne acLAehMb^. Albert Schweitzer 14 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Distinguished Club Program: Bringing Home the Gold Clubs must either have 20 members or a net growth of at least five new members as ofJune 30. Transfer members do not count toward this total until their membership has been paid and is current in their new club. President's Distinguished 10 Goals Capital Toastmasters Club Feedbackers New Horizons Toastmasters Club Toastmasters For Speaking Professionals Sporty Speakers 9 Goals Babble-On Toastmasters Club Civil Tongues Club Clackamas County Toastmasters Gresham Toastmasters Club Marylhurst Toastmasters McMinnville Toastmasters Redmond Area Toastmasters Silicon Forest Club Swan Island Toastmasters University of Oregon Club Vancouver Toastmasters Club Wallmasters International Club West Beaverton Club Distinguished Downtown Public Speakers Club MultCo Toasties Sherwood Town Criers Club Speakeasy Toastmasters Sunrise Toastmasters Club #1492 Talk-In-Tel Select Distinguished Audacious Orators Banfield Barkers Clackamas Stepping Stones Tm Club Eco Voices Toastmasters Electric Toasters Club Flying Toasters Club Nano-Mated Speakers Noon Talkers Politically Speaking Professionally Speaking Toast to US Toasting Excellence Club Yawn Patrol Club VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Station Changes Toastmasters Leadership Institute June 3,2017 - A Day in Review VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 "Got some solid ideas on things to work on, even though I've done a lot of reading about the basics of VP PR already. The book that Phyllis gave out was fantastic." "Learned a lot, more than I expected!" District 7 Masters] District 7 fra masters VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Wt CKN mr Toastmasters fjS inguished District & 2014 ' 15 ^4^- ' oaders Are Joel had the attendees actively partici¬ pate. This made it more rentable and educational." "All of the speakers Adele, Scott and Michelle did a great job! I am looking forward to the roll-out and new changes of "Pathways". "This topic was right up my alley, and the fact that Michelle has so much experience in this area and was able to relate it got me very energized about the idea." Everyone Check in here All seven officers from Feedbackers & Marylhurst attended TLI Key*: Magnetic Influent Leadership - Quick and Dirty Self Analysis byjoel Conarton, ACB, ALB In this last article of a five-part series on leadership, the author provides tools to determine your leadership style. Previous articles in this series can be found in the December 2016 - March 2017 issues of Voices! Non-Profit Corporate w W Musing Moseying Mentoring Monitoring Maneuvering Muscling ership anagement You are considered a Monitoring type manager The Quick and Dirty There is a philosophy that everyone makes things as easy or as difficult as they wish. Self-Analysis is one of the areas someone can spend time reading many books, and leaving with no answers, or do a simple analysis that points in the general direction. This Self- Analysis is the latter; looking at a few key aspects, and coming to a quick general conclusion. The aspects will be revealed after the analysis so as not to sway your results. The Analysis For this analysis, you just need to answer one six-part question: When you make a request of others, what is their initial gut response MOST of the time?” 5. Do they listen carefully, ask very specific questions, and then wait to be left alone to get back to their work? You are viewed as a Maneuvering manager 6. Do they say, “OK”, ask for odd details, and then move off? You are generally a Muscling manager 1. Do they typically look for ways to accom¬ plish what you have asked for and provide constructive feedback utilizing their skills and abilities? You are likely a Musing type Leader 2. Do they let you know what they are doing and either; honestly, let you know where they and the project are at; or make requests of you to assist in guiding or accomplishing the task(s)? You are probably a Moseying style Leader 3. Do they let you know what they are doing, where they are at, and ask your advice on the best ways to proceed? You are developing great Mentoring skills 4. Do they let you know where the project is at and any deviation from the last update, or what others maybe saying; followed by a pause waiting for your next question? Series Theme? Throughout this series, it has been stressed that your leadership is judged by others in times of crisis, or stress. Fair or unfair, this is the reality of the process. The idiosyncrasy here is that although you are judged in those few moments, most of the reactions to you, day to day, are based on those occurrences. Thus, you can find the reality of the crisis situation in the day to day interactions. The Aspects The theme above, using the reactions of others, is the first aspect to why this quick Self- Analysis works. Two other key aspects used in the Self-Analysis are: • Obviousness: It is likely this seems obvious, and yet, it is the obvious that most often is correct, and if not managed, what tends to bite us when we least expect it. • ITonesty with yourself: With all 18 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Self-Analysis, you can get your answer then change your mind’s eye to fit the result you want. That is true of all tools, easier with a quick question. Choosing what level you are at! This leadership series presented the levels as increasing levels; this increase is not to say one level makes one person better than another. It is about the higher levels making one able to effectively manage, engage, and inspire a greater number of people. A Muser has many people working to get ideas accomplished through yet their own teams. A Muscler needs to overlook every aspect of all work, and thus has limited scope of influence. The point of all this? Choose what level you want to be at! Act on the traits that make up that level, not only in day-to-day actions, but in times of stress and crisis. Joel Conarton, Area 65 Director, is owner of Catalystis LLC, where he coordinates consultants, coaches and service providers to provide greater results for all types of organizations. * Catalystis Storymasters Thursdays 6:30-8:00 pm Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Stanley Family Conference Ctr, Rm 20 9205 SW Barnes Road Portland, Oregon 'V TU* cA na cpieateA paufeA an (J/ua OGAiA (Aon Libba Bray, The Diviners Jain uA cmcL tfeaAn ta tell tjffuA AttPUj; Tell Me A Story Tuesdays 7:00-8:00 pm Standard TV & Applance 5240 SE 82nd Avenue Portland, OR 97266 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 19 Future Learning Vocal Variation by Hibbah Khan In the beginning, I was like “I don’t need Toastmasters, I already took communication classes and I like public speaking.” This was my first year as a member of the club. However, this was not my first year going to the club. I used to come at first because my brother was a member. I hadn’t come often, but ever since my mom took on the responsibility of being a coach, I came more regularly. My first reason for joining is because my mom forced me to, but I found I have another reason for coming: turns out I needed to work on my delivery. The first speech I gave was the icebreaker. I went fast, but I wasn’t nervous. When the evaluator gave me improvements, he said that I needed to move around the stage and vary my voice more. If I were to give this speech a grade, it would be a C. Not so great. My second speech was about horseback riding. In Toastmasters, we had a workshop for how to organize your speech. I used this tactic to organize my speech. I think I had good organization because of this workshop. My improvements were still to move around and vary my voice. If I were to give this speech a grade, it would have to be a B. Moving on up! For my third speech, I gave a speech I had already done. One time for a competition and this second time for Toastmasters. In the competition, I did not put an intro in, I just went straight to the story. A week before I gave this speech for Toastmasters, I worked with a coach to help me make an intro and revise the other paragraphs. The day I gave the speech at Toastmasters, I felt confident. Since I was the only one who gave a speech, everyone gave me an evaluation. Talk about intense! I heard the same feedback as my previous speeches, including my favorite: voice variation. When I spoke some people in the audience thought I was nervous because of my lack of voice variation. I heard my own voice variation, but they did not. Overall I would give this speech a B+. Getting better, but still not there. My fourth speech was the best out of all of my speeches because I had help right from the start. Not only did the coach help me, but my brother kind of helped me too. He gave me some ideas for my intro¬ duction. When I was giving the speech, I had to skip many things because I spoke for too long. At least I wasn’t going too fast! My only improvement that I was given, was to move around the stage more. No more comments about voice variation! I think I work harder than most people because I have a problem in my cerebellum which effects my coordination and speech. This means my voice can sound monotone. It takes extra effort for my voice to have the variation that other people do. Toastmasters has helped me by making me work on my voice variation and delivery for my speech. If I had known how much Toastmasters would help me, I wouldn’t have complained so much in the beginning. Future Stars Gavel Club, is a youth communication and leadership club administered by Toastmasters International, helping the young people of today become the great leaders of tomorrow! The club is open to all middle school and high school aged kids. It gives them the opportunity to become better listeners, thinkers, speakers and leaders. The club meets weekly during the school year every Saturday from 10:30am-12:00pm at 4115 SW160th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97007 in the first room in the portal. To learn more about Future Stars or to visit the club, pleas contact Coach Humaira at futurestarspdx@gmail.com. Visitors are encouraged to visit the club and see for themselves why Future Stars should be part of their educational journey. 20 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Mentoring For Success by Lyle Schellenberg, ACG, ALB, Division B Director-Elect Does your club have a formal mentoring plan? By “formal” I mean one that is written and can be given to the mentor to help them understand their role. If it is written rather than carved in stone, you can update it very easily as new thoughts come to mind or in cases where the process changes (as they will as the new Pathways program rolls out). Mentoring is much more than just helping the new member or existing member with three speeches. Below is the Bootstrappers Mentor Checklist. Feel free to modify as you see fit. Email me at lyleschell@comcast.net if you would like me to email you the Word document or download the pdf file here . The Mentor Role WHAT - A Toastmasters Mentor is an experienced club member who assists newer members in understanding the TMI programs and meeting their goals. The Mentor is a role model, coach and confidante who offers knowledge, insight, perspective and wisdom based on their experience. WHY - The satisfaction of its members is based on the ultimate health, growth and stability of a club. Having a formal mentor program helps the club and its members by: 1. Combating fear of the unknown 2. Providing support and encouragement 3. Adding a personal touch 4. Clarifying goals and objectives HOW - The mentor and mentee should have an initial meeting to discuss the mentee’s reasons for joining Toastmasters and his/her communication and leadership goals. Once they agree upon the best method of communicating, the mentor should be available for at least 15 minutes a week (as needed) to answer any questions or provide feedback and assistance on speeches and any other Toastmaster role. Lyle Schellenberg joined Toastmasters in 2011. He is currently serving Bootstrappers as club president. Additionally, he is serving as the 2016-17 Division C Director and is the incoming 2017-18 Division B Director. TU ke&t uMty a rtienioA can phepaJie anotflveA tecule/b Ls hr expoAe kim oa ke/v hr otkeA f LCnxi in Co new- memiLe/v • Sbccct a new- c/ai • £jOm On G-WGJlcL VieAqa LaideAA aJte ciated On (Jag- nmOwinQ- pOG£& 28 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 PLEDGE - I'm Committed to Being Extraordinary Name Club Recruit a Member New Club CC AC B/S/G CL AL B/S/ DTM Abraham Chandy New Horizons • • Adele O'Neal Toasting Excellence • • Alan John PMI Portland Tsmtrs • • Alexis Mason Clark Cnty, Lders Edge, Thrill of the Quill • • • ACS • • Allan Edinger McMinnville • CC • Allison Bennett Tsmtrs for Speaking Prof CC ACG DTM Amber McMurry Multco Toasties • CC • Anne Machalek Siuslaw Tale Spinners • • CC S-DTM Barbara Coleman Tower Tsmtrs CC • Barbara Wade Noon Talkers • • ALB Becky Holm Roseburg, WOW • • Beth Ann Fischberg Babble-On Bill Martin Communicators Plus • • Bob Leach Babble - On • Bob Smith Clackamas StpgStones • • S-DTM Brenda Bryan Storymasters • • • Brice Elmer Storymasters • • • • Brinn Hemmingson Portland Progressives • Brian Setzler Eco Voices • • Cari Corbet-Owen Vancouver Tsmtrs • CL Carley Meuchel Clark County • Carmil Ritchey Clackamas Stpg Stones CC • Carol Wagar Gorge Windbags • S • Cate Arnold Silicon Forest • • • • • Cathy French Siuslaw Tale Spinners • • CC S-DTM Chapin Zakrzewski Swan Island • Cleon Cox Wallmasters • • CC • Daniel Flood Jeffrson State, University • • • • • Dave Mason Clark County, Lders Edge • • Dave Shehorn Clark County • s • • David Crockett Redmond • • • David Jamieson Beachtown • • David Johnson Fortunate 500 • CC • Dawnette Hale Swan Island Tstmrs • CC G CL Dee Cort Redmond Area Tsmtrs • Diane Flansberg Beachtown • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 29 PLEDGE - I'm Committed to Being Extraordinary Name Club Recruit a Member New Club CC AC B/S/G CL AL B/S/ DTM Donna Stark Downtown Public Speakers • • • Doug Whitmore New Horizons • Eldred Brown Babble - On • • CC • • Emilie Taylor Milwaukie Talkies • • CC S-G CL S-DTM Eric Grigsby Patriot Talkers • CC Eric Winger Feedbackers • CC Erik Bergman WE Toasted • CC • • • Faye Phillips 5442 Highnooners - Bend • • • Gabrielle Proust New Horizons • • • Gary Schmidt Clackamas Stpg Stones • • Ginger Killion Daylighters • • CC G • Gloria Cox New Horizons • Gloria Crockett Redmond CC CL Gordon Zimmerman Marylhurst • CC • Harvey Showe Blue Ox G B-S-DTM Jaime Zenter • Jay Mittal Noontime • • Jill Ward Wallmasters S • Jim Daniel WOW, Roseburg • • Joe Harper New Horizons • Joe Anthony Liberty Talkers • • CC • B John Rodke Yawn Patrol, University Club • CC B-G CL • Karen A. Semprevivo Blue Ox • S • B Ken Harris Yawn Patrol • Kimberly Burdon Corvallis • • • Larry West Grants Pass Tsmtrs • S-G CL B-S Leanna Lindquist Marylhurst • CC S CL B-S-DTM LeRoy Nollette Newbertg • Linda Bard Tsmtrs for Speaking Prof • Linda Cox Newberg • • Linda Potter A-dec Tsmtrs • • • Lisa Hutton Marylhurst • • Lisa Schupp Toast of Corvallis • CL Lisa White Multco Toasties • • • Lorri Andersen Daylighters • • • Lucas Murphy Downtown Public Spkrs • • 30 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 PLEDGE - I'm Committed to Being Extraordinary Name Club Recruit a Member New Club CC AC B/S/G CL AL B/S/ DTM Lyle Schellenberg Bootstrappers cc CL B Mary Canton New Horizons • • Maureen Adams-Hegwood Redmond Area Tsmtrs • • • Michael Daily New Horizons • Michel Singleton Keizer Communicators • • • Michelle Alba-Lim Roseburg Tsmtrs • • • • • • Mike Rogers Noontime • • • Mitch McDonald Marylhurst cc • Nina Smith Clack-Orators cc • CL • Pam Gundrum Marylhurst • • • Pam Mills Oregon City • • • • Pat Lynch Highnooners, Bend • • • Patrick Locke Early Words • • • • • • Patrick Tuohy West Beaverton cc CL Paul Fanning Downtown Lunchbunch cc B Paula McDermid Jefferson State • • Phyllis A Harmon Wallmasters • cc G • DTM Poppy Olson Toast of Corvallis • Raynette Yoshida Marylhurst • S • Scott Salazar Bootstrappers • Scott Stevenson Mentors of Focus • cc CL Stephanie Magoulas Noon Talkers • • • Steve Smith Redmond Area • • Susan Baer Noon Talkers • • Susan Bender Phelps TM for Speaking Prof • CL B Susan Strayer Advisors • Sue Unger Clackamas County • Syrena Glade Passport to Leadership • • • Tanya Myers Sporty Speakers B Ted J Takamura Marylhurst Tsmtrs S Terri Brewer Gresham • cc • Terry Harrell Transtoasters • • Tom Knapp Liberty Talkers • • B B Make a Pledge VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 31 From Podcaster to Toastmasters by Emily Halnon A podcast was my breaking point. My friend is the host of a popular show and invited me to be a guest. My initial reaction was that I would rather plunge headfirst into Indiana Jones’s snake pit than engage in extemporaneous conversation for thousands of listeners, but I didn’t want to be a bad friend, so I said yes. Reluctantly. This particular friendship started online and continues to function primarily over the internet. We live across the country and never get to meet for coffee or talk on the phone, it’s all twitter and hashtags and texts, where she finds me hilarious and articulate. But those are my safe spaces. Where I can carefully craft all of my thoughts and sentences before putting them out in the world. You can’t do that on a podcast. Or around a conference table. Or in front of a crowd. Those are paralyzing spaces. The podcast was a disaster. At least according to the judge and jury in my head. I chased our recording session with a sleepless night where I tirelessly beat myself up for everything I said wrong, or didn’t say, or could have said better. I composed a small novel in my head outlining a very compelling counterargument—against myself. When I got out of bed the next morning, and realized I might struggle to find a publishing house that would print my internal diatribe—or a single human interested in reading it—I finally vocalized the insecurity that had been plaguing me for years. “My confidence is shot. I can’t speak in public. And by ‘public’, I mean a Skype conversation for a stupid podcast. Or in front of a small handful of colleagues. And certainly not with a large audience. The disconnect between my written and verbal storytelling is as vast as Antarctica.” “Have you heard of Toastmasters?” was my confidant’s response. I hadn’t. Or I might have mustered up the courage to attend my first meeting years ago. This is why asking for help should probably not be my last resort as frequently as it is. It turns out, when you actually ask, you shall often receive really good help in return. I went to my first meeting that very week. I didn’t sleep much that night either. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this mysterious Toastmasters thing but I was certain it would be uncomfortable. My inaugural foray with a local club was as terrifying as I knew it would be. My armpits were as damp as the Pacific Northwest, my face was flushed to the shade of a tomato for most of the 90 minutes, and my stomach earned its spot on the Team USA gymnastics squad with an extended stream of somersaults during the round of introductions. 32 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 But there was a little piece of me that liked the meeting amidst all of the terror. Or at least trusted that it would deliver on its promise to build my confidence and help instill communication and leadership skills. I had faith that it would get better. The veteran members told a glorious and compelling story. Confidence seeped from their pores. They masterfully assumed the spotlight in our small classroom and spoke with self-assured poise and passion. They were engaging, they were hilarious, they inspired me. If this was a byproduct of the Toastmasters journey, I was willing to suffer through some discomfort along the way. I strongly believe some of our most meaningful growth happens when we embrace our fears and do the most uncomfortable things. I suspected Toastmasters would corroborate this belief and result in incredibly rewarding growth. I returned the next week to inch my way a little further down that scary and uncomfortable road. I signed up for my first meeting role, which was simultaneously awful and not nearly as bad as I feared. That has been a recurring theme of my Toastmasters experience. Every role I’ve assumed and every speech or evaluation I’ve delivered has been scary, but manageable. Toastmasters has helped show me that I can maneuver the spaces I found so paralyzing. That’s how conquering fear works, right? The only way out is through. When we expose ourselves to our fears, we learn how to navigate them. My armpits still spew sweat, my stomach still hosts an army of butterflies. But it keeps getting better. It is easier to find my voice and to stand up - both in front of our encouraging entourage of Toastmasters and outside of that safe space. In a mere two months, Toastmasters has done wonders for my confidence and for my excitement to speak up. It has led to small, but mighty, victories - in our weekly meeting and in life. When all eyes and ears are on me, my heart beats a little slower than it used to and my stream of words is faster and stronger. My podcasting friend emailed me again last week to ask if I’d be willing to record another episode with her. This time around, a conversation sounded way more appealing than reptiles. My response was not reluctant. It was enthusiastic. “Heck yes,” I said. Emily Halnonjoined Yawn Patrol in April 2017. She labels herself as a Communications Professional, Campaign Strategist, and Running Addict. She was featured as one of Fitness Magazine’s “Fit Bloggers We Love” Highlighted by Washingtonian as one of “5 Triathlete Bloggers to Know in Washington” Nominated as one of SHAPE magazine’s Top 20 Running Blogs Run Washington’s “Best Running Blog” Runner’s World Twitterati “Funny Runner”. Congratulations to Be Extraordinary Pin recipients — Abraham Alfaro, Janet Cerasin, Linda Cox, Peter DeGraff, Allan Edinger, Scott Fraser, Pam Gundrum, Dennis Hill, Ronda Holdridge, Ginger Killion, Jerry Kleffner, Beverly Li, Adele O'Neal, Katrina Rodriguez, Harvey Schowe, Connie Smith, Larry West BEQTMoromir WWWMSUIS VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 33 On the Road to Presidents Distinguished SCOP 6IOP SCOP SCOP 2 COP lcop o 1/ 15/2017 2/15/2017 3/15/2017 4/15/2017 5/13/2017 6/15/2017 Goat ■ diihs 15B 169 161 16B 170 1S7 ■ M6"1K r S r D 3197 3335 4029 5957 6259 6406 7201 ■ Dbtirgubhed 17 26 37 57 i-V t Altu VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 Is Your Passport Current? Join us for the 2017 Toastmasters International Convention in Vancouver, BC August 23-26, 2017 Getting Educated about Educational Paths by Ken Coomes, ACB, CL Everyone wants to know about the new Educational Program, Pathways. Some people are anxious about the change, others eagerly await the roll-out. Let me share a perspective on what’s coming, relating it to what we have now. Today the Toastmasters International program offers two “pathways” - Communication, and Leadership. You may have heard of them as “tracks.” Each is a path, or pathway, as well. One from your Ice Breaker through Advanced Communicator Gold. The other pathway from your first achievement in the Competent Leadership Manual through Advanced Leader Silver. Combined they offer a road map from joining Toastmasters through achieving the acclaimed Distinguished Toastmaster, or DTM, designation. Along the way you can achieve seven (7) acknowledged awards before becoming a DTM: CC, ACB, ACS, ACG, CL, ALB and ALS. Pathways offers ten (10) “pathways. Motivational Strategies Presentation Mastery Leadership Development Innovative Planning Visionary Communication Strategic Relationships Dynamic Leadership Persuasive Influence Effective Coaching Team Collaboration And each of those has five (5) levels of accomplishment: Mastering Fundamentals, Learning Your Style, Increasing Knowledge, Building Skills and Demonstrating Expertise. This means at least ten (5) acknowledged awards (Level 5 in each pathway), possibly fifty (50), each level of each pathway! How many Toastmasters Clubs do you attend? How often do you give a speech? Today’s educational program takes ten (10) speeches to achieve the Competent Communicator Award. It requires ten (10) more speeches, 5 in each of two Advanced Speaking Manuals, to achieve the Advanced Communicator Bronze Award. Twelve (12) speeches after attaining ACB a member might earn the Advanced Communicator Silver Award. This assumes ten (10) more advanced speeches, five (5) from each of two (2) more Advanced Manuals, AND any two (2) presentations from The Better Speaker Series and/or The Successful Club Series. In order to gain the Advanced Communicator, Gold Award, a Toastmaster must complete eleven (11) more speeches, again five (5) each from two (2) more Advanced Speaking manuals, and a presentation from the Success/Leadership Series, Success/Communication Series, or Youth Leadership. To earn ACG the Toastmaster must also coach a new member through the first three (3) speech projects. Since we can’t give two speeches simultaneously, only the coaching may be done in parallel with the other achievements on the Communications Track. If you give a speech a week, it would take a minimum of 43 weeks to complete this track. In a twenty- member club, with two speeches scheduled/ week and an even rotation among the members, it would take 430 weeks to deliver 43 speeches. Obviously speaking outside the club, belonging to more than one club, and/or competing are all ways to shorten the timeline for completing the Communications Track. The minimum number of roles to fill in the Competent Leadership (CL) manual is twenty-one (21), twenty-two (22) if you take the two-role option to complete the Team Building Project. These can be done more quickly than delivering the speeches. In Projects 1-5 and 7 the roles are all those typically filled during a regular Toastmasters Club meeting. It takes more time to complete Project 6, Organization and Delegation. Project 9, Mentoring, falls outside the normal meeting roles also, but maybe done in parallel with other project activities. The CL Award is relatively easy to achieve in a year, or even less. To earn Advanced Leader Bronze a Toastmaster must serve six (6) months as a club officer, participating in District-sponsored club officer training while serving. There is also a 36 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 requirement to conduct any two presentations from The Successful Club Series and/or The Leadership Excellence Program. Advancing to Advanced Leader Silver means serving a year as a district officer. There is also a requirement to complete the High Performance Leadership (HPL) program. This may take a while, but is often done while serving as a District Officer. Serving successfully as a Club sponsor, mentor or coach depends on a Club within your geographical and schedule constraints requiring your help, your providing the assistance, AND the club succeeding. Again, this is often done while serving as a District Officer. So in as little as eighteen (18) or twenty-four (24) months, many Toastmasters are able to complete the Leadership Track successfully. When the Pathways program rolls out in our District (currently scheduled in pencil for 9/15/2017 for District 7), members will be able to choose educational awards from the current program, the Pathways program, or any combination. Members who join after Pathways rolls out may only choose the Pathways awards. Two (2) years after the final global Pathways roll-out, approximately three (3) years from this fall, all educational awards will be earned through Pathways. For those members who have achieved Competent Communicator (CC), Competent Leader (CL) or both, or any level of awards beyond those, it will be entirely possible to earn all awards up to and including Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) through the current system only, if desired. The following diagram depicts the current pathways, with some approximate ranges of the time required to achieve each award. The time frames offered make the following assumptions: • Membership in one Toastmasters Club • Club membership of 20 in that one Club • Weekly Club meetings • Two prepared speeches per meeting • Even rotation of speaking assignments among members Participating in contests (which usually involves extra practice), speaking outside your home Club and joining more than one Toastmasters Club are all ways to shorten the time required to achieve these educational awards. I’m excited and eager for the new Pathways program to launch. I hope you are, as well. Irrespective of your feelings about it (and as more and more information becomes available it is entirely possible those feelings may change), I encourage each of you to determine your goals in Toastmasters, and to pursue them rigorously. VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12JUNE, 2017 37 Who's Afraid of the Big Bad HPL? by Marvin Walker, ACB, ALB Once upon a time there were three little pigs who went out into the big wide world. It was a scary place to be alone. Then they heard a radio commercial about Toastmasters International. The first little pig said, “I couldn’t go there. They’ll make me give speeches and that is scarier than being alone.” He wandered off into a very large woods never to be heard of again. There are rumors that he met a hunny-loving bear, an owl, and a Tigger, but we can’t substantiate that. The second little pig joined a Toastmasters club and found that frankly he could give some speeches. He did some tasks at meetings as well. However, when he got his Competent Communcation (CC) and Competent Leader (CL) manuals done there were those other books out there, the Advanced Manuals. He was rewarded in The Entertaining Speaker for being a real ham. Yes, he nibbled around the edges, but there was this big bad scary manual hiding out there. Some of the long-time members would not even utter its name, HPL. That stood for High Performance Leadership (or Horrible, Hideous Hairy) manual. It is only 5 Parts and 2 speeches, but don’t be lured in. It will huff and puff and blow your chinny chin chin hairs off. Be content with the Bronze levels. The third little pig joined a Toastmasters club, too. He learned how to speak without being a boar. He got involved in various meeting roles. The stopwatch was challenging with a hoof. He noticed that there were other members in his club that had DTM on their nametags. That meant that they had faced down the big bad HPL and survived. He formed a HPL team, picked a great project, and now is a DTM. “Don’t get stuck in the Bronze Age”, he called out as he ran off to his job as a truffle hunter. When I asked some of the long-timed accomplished Toastmasters which manuals they enjoyed the most they often mentioned The Entertaining Speaker or Specialty Speeches. When I asked about the most difficult or challenging manuals, it is usually the HPL (High Performance Leadership). It must be completed for the ALS or DTM levels. Let’s examine why a manual with only 5 Parts and 2 speeches is so feared. The manual lets the Toastmaster develop their own project either within Toastmasters or in the scary outside world. When Dr. Smedley conceived the idea that became Toastmasters he had in mind the equipping of individuals with those speaking and leadership skills that would enhance all aspects of their lives. My home club decided we needed to produce more DTM’s in the next year, so our VP-Education took a show of hands. She next ordered a small supply of HPL packets. Soon there will be several members joining me with a LDREXC after their names. In the future Pathways will offer you HPL or Speechcraft or Youth Leadership Program as alternate paths. The good news is you can take them all!!! Marvin Walker joined Newberg Toastmasters in 2015. He is currently serving as Sergeant-at-Arms for Newberg Toastmasters. (AMljat C&riCfiTAs dnw t