Outstanding Vice President of Public Relations of the Year

What does your community know about your Club? If they know nothing, then how can they find you? Although it is every member's responsibility to spread the word about Toastmasters, your club's Vice President of Public Relations has the challenge of preparing various media to promote your club. For the 2010-2011 term, District 84's Public Relations Officer, Nancy Hoehn, DTM presented many challenges to all VPPRs, including club poster design, preparing a newsletter, participating in social media websites, press releases, holding an open house, completing 3 of 17 projects to promote your club and attending Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI).

Nancy Hoehn & Gloria Grehl

Many of our District's 200 clubs actively participated in the challenges, yet one in particular truly stood out. The discretionary award created for 2010-2011 to recognize the Outstanding Vice President of Public Relations of the Year, was awarded to Gloria Grehl, DTM, a member of Vista Toastmasters Club.

Gloria's relentless pursuit of excellence while showing sincere pride in her club was evident in the quality of her club's newsletter and her many postings to Facebook, Twitter and her club's website. In addition, because of her eye for detail, Gloria was selected to proof our District's newsletter “The SunTalker.”

2010-2011 PRO Nancy Hoehn presented Gloria the District's award at the Vista Club's Holiday party held at “Put a Cork In It” restaurant in December 2011. Congratulations Gloria for your dedicated contributions to your club and our District!

Meet Linton McClain, Division A Governor

by Paul Peterzell, Reporter’s Chair, District 84

Linton McClain

When you first meet Linton McClain, Division A Governor, you might be surprised by his rise to success, given all the obstacles that were in his way. You will meet someone who was undeterred to reach for great success at work and in Toastmasters in spite of a hardly typical upbringing. His story is quite inspiring.

“As a youth, my family moved around quite a bit. My father was always between jobs and needed to make income for a household of 9 children. There was never enough income,” explained Linton.

During the summer breaks, Linton would chop wood for cooking and heat since they were poor and all of the children had to contribute so they could survive. They even had to fetch water from neighbors for drinking, cooking, and bathing. This experience taught young Linton some valuable lessons.

“In life you must learn to utilize your resources, and if you do not have them, you must go out and find them.” Linton emphasized.

At 17 Linton joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school. He saw people he served with lose their lives and learned some valuable lessons about life. He would be 22 years old and only had military experience. Yet he was determined to make it in the world with limited experience. Having an interest in physical fitness and desiring to
help others achieve their fitness goals, Linton became a personal trainer at a local gym. He was very dedicated and passionate as a trainer and saw potential in this new-found career.

“I enjoyed what I did in every aspect.” Linton said. In September 2006 Linton’s mother died suddenly of a massive heart attack and he was determined to honor his birth by using his God given talents. In 2008 he started his own personal training business.

This is where Toastmasters comes in. One of his clients suggested he join Toastmasters. In 2009, he joined Baywood Toastmasters. Shortly after joining, he held various positions including club secretary, President, and then Area Governor. From Area Governor he became Division A Governor. On September 12, 2011, he received
his DTM designation.

Linton credits Toastmasters as helping him develop leadership skills to help his business grow. He has been featured in Jacksonville magazine and has numerous newspapers articles written about him.

“Toastmasters taught me that we are all given many opportunities in life, unfortunately, we often see them as obstacles. I am glad I took advantage of the many Toastmasters opportunities available.”

Linton surely has accomplished much in his life and Toastmasters has helped him in many areas of his life. District 84 is indeed fortunate to have Linton as a Division Governor and he serves as a fine example for many others in the organization.

Toastmasters Resolutions: How Will You Grow in 2012?

by Mary Carol Holbert, ACS, D84 Public Relations Officer

Mary Carol Holbert, ACS

This year, I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution for the first time in ages – one I intend to keep. My Resolution is Toastmasters-related, which means it’s about growth as a speaker, leader, and person.

You read it here first: I resolve to complete my DTM by our District 84 Spring Conference in May. I’m sharing it with you, because you’ve all played a role in my journey.

You know the African proverb about how it takes a village to raise a child? The one Hilary Clinton made popular around the globe? If you think about new Toastmasters coming into our organization, seeking growth as communicators and leaders, it’s but a slight leap to propose it takes a Village of Toastmasters to raise another Toastmaster.

We may find our Village within our own club, or we may find a bigger Village of Toastmasters across District 84, or even around the globe, but that support network is available for any member of our ‘family’. My journey started in the nurturing arms of OMNI Toastmasters, but as I ventured further into our Toastmasters’ arena, members from across District 84 have become vital role-players in my Village, helping me learn and grow.

How will you grow in 2012? Will this be the year you get your Competent Communicator Award? Perhaps it’s the year you finally give your Ice Breaker speech – opening up the possibility for so much more achievement in the future!

Do you need help to accomplish your goals? Look to your own Village of Toastmasters!

Have you been assigned a mentor? Don’t be hesitant about asking for assistance – your Village wants you to succeed. Bear this in mind: by mentoring, other club members are fulfilling their own leadership and communication requirements. By helping one another, multiple goals are met.

Perhaps this is the year you finish your Competent Leader Manual. When the next contest period comes up, dare to step up and volunteer as a Contest Master. Run or help organize a membership campaign or membership contest. Mentor a new or existing member. Chair or help organize a club special event. Chair or help organize a public relations campaign for your club. Stepping into any of these roles will help complete your CL projects, as well as provide an invaluable Leadership growth opportunity. Your Toastmaster Village will be there to support your efforts. They are in your corner!

Remember to bring your CL manual to your meetings, and have another member evaluate your role performance so you get credit toward completion of your Competent Leader requirements. You’ll be surprised how quickly you will complete most projects, simply through filling normal meeting roles.

If you’ve obtained your CC and/or your CL, what is next for you? There are advanced manuals that address almost any area you might be interested in pursuing. Check out all the different Advanced Communication manuals on the Toastmasters web site (click here):

If you’re not sure what you need to do to reach your next level Communication or Leadership educational award, there are Award Requirements listed in the back of each Toastmasters International Manual. Additionally, you will find those requirements here:

Leadership Track: (click here)

Communication Track: (click here)

Which Advanced Educational Award are you aiming for in 2012? What will you need to complete to get there? How can your Toastmasters Village help you achieve your goal?

Vice-President of Education at your club

• Be sure to let your VPE know what your educational goal is, so you can be scheduled to speak or fill roles you need to meet your educational requirements

Area Governor / Division Governor

• Do you need to sponsor or mentor a club, or serve a term as a district officer? Let your club officers and your Area Governor know you are interested. District 84 is always looking for Toastmasters who are willing to work with new clubs, or serve Toastmasters on a District level. Your Area and Division Governors can make sure that the District leadership is aware of your interest.

Your Club & Beyond

• Perhaps you are interested in completing a High Performance Leadership Project in 2012. It might be chairing a contest, or planning a special event. It could be a community project, or a special project to benefit your club – the beauty of the HPL is that you get to design any project you want to complete. The HPL is a marvelous growth vehicle, teaching how to design and lead a project from inception through completion and review. Your Toastmasters’ Village will bethere to listen to your plan, to serve on your guidance committee, to hear your results, and discover what you learned in the process.
• 2012 may be when you conduct a presentation from the Success/Leadership or the Success/Communication Series, or perhaps a Youth Leadership program as one of your final steps toward attaining your Advanced Communication Gold Award level.

Other Clubs

• Remember you can speak at other clubs to complete your projects! Many times speaking slots go unfilled – a guest speaker is often appreciated, adding excitement and interest to a club meeting. Speaking in front of a new audience is an excellent learning experience – one that can prepare us to speak in front of anyone.

2012 is here. How will you choose to grow as a leader, a speaker, or a Toastmaster in the New Year?

What educational goal will you set for 2012? How can your Toastmasters Village help
you reach your growth potential?

I wish you a wonderful 2012, filled with happiness and success. I promise to support you in your quest to develop your leadership and communication skills, and hope you will make the same promise to one another.

I hope to see every D84 Toastmaster’s name listed on one or more educational awards this coming year. With help from my Village,

I hope to see my own on the DTM list this May!

"C" stands for Challengers in DIVISION C

by Division C Governor, Elon Horsham, ACS

Elon Horsham, ACS

As we approach the end of the first half of the year, Division C, otherwise known as the “Challengers” continue to meet and overcome all challenges put before them.

With one of the district goals for this year in starting new clubs, I am pleased to announce that our division as started 3 new clubs. One has already chartered (Clermont Toastmasters)thanks to the special efforts of Area 31 Governor Marjorie Benjamin, and two more, (Wells Fargo and FAMU Toastmasters) due to be chartered in January.

The success of this division in starting new clubs promises to continue into the New Year. Three more new clubs are already in the pipeline to form with two of them already confirming the dates for their kick off meeting thanks to the efforts of Area 34 Governor Andy Brown.

Division C Area Governors have certainly stepped up to their challenges and they all deserve special thanks for their dedication to the cause of preserving and making this division special.

All Speakers Should Avoid These Groups

by Fred Haley, DTM

Fred Haley, DTM

Your audience wants you to succeed. They want you to do well so that they can be entertained, informed and inspired. Your self-confidence grows. As you become more confident, you build credibility.

Then you are introduced to three groups. You believe they will bring your speeches to a higher level. You expect a stronger connection with your audience.

It is not working, but you don’t notice it at first. You start losing credibility. Before you realize, audiences are enjoying your presentation, but are not convinced. Your message is not connecting. Your confidence is disappearing. You feel that you are regressing.

Looking back, you recognize you were focusing on these three groups too much. Your problem started then. It was subtle. It felt good. It felt right. But it was going all wrong.

What happened?

Groups to Avoid

Can you uncover the reasons? What were those groups? What did they do?

These groups are not organizations, associations or businesses. I am referring to words - categories of phrases that can easily seep into your presentations. You think that they add strength to your message. They do not.

Let me introduce you to: the EXCUSABLES, the CONDITIONALS, and the INCREDIBLES. These phrases and comments are common to many speeches: common, but harmful.

EXCUSABLES: Your first goal as a speaker is get the audience to trust you. They should believe that you believe in your message.

You are excited as you walk to the lectern. You think that, to gain their trust, you should be totally honest. So you tell them the truth, basically saying, “Please excuse me if I don’t meet all your expectations:

• BUT, this is my first time.”
• BUT, I am not an expert.”
• BUT, I am just learning.”
• I may be wrong, but. .”

A few of you might say, “Maybe it’s the blonde in me.”

What did you just say? Essentially, “I am not ready to talk to you.” If you are not ready, then why should we listen to you? Come back when you are ready.

These phrases are often uttered out of nervousness. You make excuses. Your audiences do not want to hear excuses. Sure, they will be polite. They will listen. But they will not accept you or your message.

What should you have said? NOTHING! You do not have to apologize.
EXCUSABLES group. Keep those thoughts and that self-doubt to yourself.

CONDITIONALS: You want your audience to trust in what you say. They must believe that you know your subject, and your information is correct. So why do you begin your report with conditional comments?

• I think that . . .
• In my opinion . . .
• As I understand, . . .

You set provisional stipulations in case you were wrong. You say them because you start do doubt yourself. What if there is an exception? What if you missed something?

What are you saying? “I am not sure if what I am saying is true.” Your audiences do not want to hear that you are not sure what you are talking about. It should be fact. You should convince them that you are certain.

What should you have said? NOTHING EXTRA! You do not need to qualify your comments. Avoid the CONDITIONAL statements. Do your proper research. At least make it sound that you believe what you are saying. Don’t say, “I think that the sky is blue.” Just say, “The sky is blue.” Express full confidence.

INCREDIBLES: You want the audience to accept your message. You are excited. To add emphasis so that the audience will be fully convinced, you make a descriptive commentary to your facts and points, as:

• This is the best (worst) ever . . .
• Absolutely perfect.
• It is unlike any other.

What are you saying? By exaggerating your point to the extreme, the audience automatically starts to question them, and you. You make it harder for the audience to believe you. You have lost credibility.

What should you have said? Be reasonable in your qualifiers. Avoid making your points INCREDIBLE (not credible at all). You can underscore your points without advancing to the superlatives.

Be Prepared

To gain your audience’s trust and confidence in your message, craft your words carefully. Avoid those groups that will erode the connection with your audiences: the EXCUSABLES, the CONDITIONALS, and the INCREDIBLES. Your credibility and your confidence depend on it.

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Fred Haley, DTM, published author and speaker, has been a member of Toastmasters for over 12 years. Fred has earned two Distinguished Toastmasters awards. His home club is Beaches Area Toastmasters, #2862, Jacksonville FL Contact Fred at Fred@Toastmentor.com.

"A" for Adventure

by Division Governor Linton McClain, DTM

Linton McClain, DTM

What is most exciting about Division A is the adventure in the Division. The discovery of a path anew within the Division has been an amazing journey. As we started the new Toastmasters year with ambition and energy, the leadership team within Division A understood their mission. The mission to ensure each Toastmaster was able to receive exactly what they needed from their clubs. We have started with the fundamentals; excitement, fun, education, and opportunities. They seem to work in any situation.

During these next 6 months, Division A is focused on taking each member on their very own “Toastmasters Adventure”. We want our members to get out of their clubs and meet other Toastmasters. We are doing this by utilizing the Club Ambassador Program. With an ample number of participants, we are spreading excitement and energy from club to club and to each Area. Division A wants their members to know that Toastmasters is an adventure they want to experience to the max.

As we have started to spark this adventure, we are keeping our members plugged in with pictures, videos, and slideshow of events happening around the Division. We want to keep our members involved and excited to be a part of something great. This is our main goal. Social Media has helped us out tremendously in this area with the use of Facebook and Youtube. These outlets give each member the opportunity to stay in tune with the buzz in the Division.

To further encourage members to reach higher, we have identified members within Division A willing to assist with professional speaking engagements. After establishing a professional speaker program within the Division, we realize we were able to provide a unique opportunity for our clubs. Having guest speakers come in to any of our clubs was a great way to spice up the agenda and attract new guests and members. We want the city of Jacksonville searching for the excitement Division A has to offer.

We chose this path because we realized our members wanted more from the Toastmasters program. They wanted excitement, enthusiasm, and opportunities. By continuing to encourage, motivate, and challenge our members, we are able to do just that. Providing a fertile environment for growth and development is the mission of any leader and the mission of Division A. We are looking forward taking Division A to the next level in the coming months. Let the adventure begin!

Sixteen Things I Saw, Heard and Felt at First Bahamas Branch Toastmasters Club 1600

by Dr. Lorraine Haataia, DTM

On September 15, I found myself standing in front of a room full of men pounding their fists on tables in a synchronous rhythm, giving me a drumbeat standing ovation before I ever said a word. The audience was alert and electric. As I positioned myself at the lectern, the pounding continued. I was so energized that I began to dance from my shoulders up. It was the best welcome I’ve ever been given as a speaker!

Over the years I’ve been a member of several different Toastmasters clubs in Oregon and Florida, and I’ve visited countless other clubs across the United States. Every time I visit a club, I learn something new. After all these years, I’ve come to expect that I’ll take away one or two unique ideas that I might apply sometime, somewhere. So that’s what I assumed when I when my husband and I visited Club 1600 (www.Club1600.org) on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. Boy was I wrong! I got two ideas in the first two minutes! By the end of the meeting, I had dozens. Rather than write these ideas in a statement form, I felt it would work better to put them in the form of questions that you, my fellow Toastmasters, could share and act upon in your own clubs.

This was our first time in The Bahamas and on this trip my husband and I did a few other things for the first time. When I challenge myself to try new things, not only do I learn, but I sometimes discover amazing things that spark my creativity and interests. That's why I was inspired to speak on the topic of "The Last Time You Did Something for the First Time." Check out this “first time” presentation I gave on that day, and you'll get a sample of the energy that exudes from Club 1600.