Sourcer-Ers Toastmasters News

In this Issue

Sourcer-Ers shows its Mettle in the Fall Contest Season
“What Toastmasters Has Done for Me” – Featuring Charles Ashley
Status and Achievements: Distinguished Club Program
Out of the Toastmaster Box – Featuring Don Vacca
Editorial: What Kind of Toastmaster are You?

 

Sourcer-Ers shows its Mettle in the Fall Contest Season

The value of competition is something that is not lost on Toastmasters, and certainly not lost on the Sourcer-Ers Toastmasters club. David Brooks, the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking (winner of the International Speech Contest for that year) made the assertion that doing one Area level speech (the first level outside of the club) is equivalent in value to an enormous amount of time of speaking at the club level, and succeeding to move to and present at higher levels gives an even greater return on the investment. Darren LaCroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, and a speaking coach familiar to many of the members, calls contest speaking a “fast track” to becoming a more accomplished speaker.

For the fall season, two contests are traditional: the Evaluation Contest (where contestants compete and are judged on their evaluations of a “target” speaker) and the Humorous Speech Contest, which is just that — a five to seven minute speech intended to be as funny as possible.

For the club, the fall 2008 contest season started off with a bang with the club contest, Monday, September 8. In Evaluation, club members Charli Douglass, Ron Legere, and Richard Puckett showcased their critiquing skills on a very good impromptu speech provided by fellow club member Stormie Andrews. In Humorous, Daniel Brenton and Sofia Falke went into the breech and, not surprisingly, over the edge.

The winners of Evaluation, Ron Legere, and of Humorous, Daniel Brenton, represented the club at the Area D4 Contest, October 4. Ron was up against David Schnell Davis of UNLV Toastmasters, Ed Lira of Blue Ovals, and Gene Quitmeyer of Colorado River Toastmasters, evaluating a speech from Yucca Mountaineers Toastmasters member Lance Lewis. Humorous was represented by all clubs in the Area — Derek Allen of Speak Easy, Bill Engelmann of TNT, Michael Gordon of UNLV Toastmasters, Steve Peacock of Blue Ovals, and Barry Terwilliger of Colorado River Toastmasters .

Sourcer-Ers (and Area D4) was represented at the Division D contest Saturday, October 18 by Daniel Brenton in Humorous, and the Area was represented in Evaluation by Gene Quitmeyer.

Fellow Sourcer-Ers member Bill Parker, representing Good News Toastmasters, came away from the contest with “hardware” (a trophy) by taking third place.

It was a tough contest, and the comment was heard from many in attendance that they were pleased they weren’t in the position of having to judge it.

The winners of Division D, Pam Wilson in Evaluation (representing Area D3 club Schoolhouse Toasters) and Colin Saunders in Humorous (representing Area D3 club Jackpot Speakers) both went on to win at the District 33 Fall Conference on November 7-9.

As the winner of the District Humorous contest, Colin has the opportunity to present his speech at the Region 2 Conference Humorous Showcase in the spring of 2009.

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“What Toastmasters Has Done for Me”

A new regular feature of the newsletter, this first edition of What Toastmasters Has Done for Me is penned by Competent Communicator and current club Sergeant at Arms Charles Ashley.

Here’s what Charles has to say about his Toastmaster experience:

The reason I joined Toastmasters was to overcome my fear of public speaking. I had a very bad experience in college where I gave an oral report in front of 20 or so fellow students. I did not research my topic well enough and I did not practice the report at all. I did a horrible job and I was terrified to do any more public speaking. It became a phobia for me and I did everything I could to avoid situations where I had to speak in front of groups.

Eventually I would find myself in a position at work where speaking in front of an audience is mandatory. With the advice from a previous professor I decided to check out Toastmasters to confront my phobia. The first call I made was to Sherrie Parker who immediately made me feel comfortable about attending a meeting.

The group at Sourcer-Ers was so welcoming I decided to come back.

Since joining I have noticed a significant increase in my speaking confidence at work. I used to dread going into work on Tuesday and Friday mornings because there was always a sales meeting with the entire staff of 15 people. Now I can comfortably interact and participate in meetings. I feel that because I am better at interacting in front of groups I have been given opportunities I would have otherwise not had a chance at.

I’m still working toward becoming a better speaker, but every time I speak at Toastmasters and at work I feel my confidence grow. I owe it all to Toastmasters.

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Status and Achievements: Distinguished Club Program

The Distinguished Club Program is ToastMasters Internationals path to success for not only maintaining vibrant and successful clubs, but encouraging member educational development in the framework of their Toastmaster experience. Sourcer-Ers has a history of success in this program, and is well on its way to continuing this performance for the 2008-2009 Toastmaster year.

There are ten possible goals, and the number of those achieved earns the club one of three distinctions, as broken out below:

1. Five out of the ten goals: Distinguished Club
2. 
Seven out of the ten goals: Select Distinguished Club

3. Nine out of the ten goals: President’s Distinguished Club

Our Vice President of Education, Terri Norris, tell us that the club was just awarded with the Early Bird Recognition for achieving 2 CC’s (Competent Communicators), and one CL (Competent Leader).  The club also has had over 7 new members within this year, and the number is growing.

For the 2007-2008 year, our club accomplished 9 out of the ten goals, putting us in the category of “President’s Distinguished,” a mark of excellent educational performance.

Currently we are at four out of the ten goals (see the Nov. 07, 2008 Report image below).

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Out of the Toastmaster Box

Out of the Toastmaster Box spotlights members of Sourcer-Ers who have used their Toastmaster experience in the non-Toastmaster world.

Featured today is new member Don Vacca. Don noted to the club when he joined that his goal was to become comfortable in speaking to large audiences, in preparation for an upcoming event.

Q. You have recently been using your Toastmaster skills in a very visible way outside of the Toastmaster world.  Tell us what you’ve been doing.

I have been combining what I have learned through Toastmasters with what I have learned from the book, Be Heard Now! (by Lee Glickstein) and have been giving inspirational talks at a couple of local churches.  I was also honored to be one of the keynote speakers at the Crystal Portal Conference at the Cashman center in late September.

Q. How has your Toastmaster experience been helpful to you in doing this?

Toastmasters has helped me overcome my fear of public speaking that I had for 57 years.  It was really as simple as doing my ice-breaker speech. I come to find that there is a thin line between fear and excitement, and I now realize that I was excited all these years …

Q. What was your experience of presenting at the conference?

The conference was amazing, although the crowd was not as large as expected. To be center stage in such a pristine setting was incredible. As the curtain opened and I walked out and faced this incredible setting, I was a little nervous and I looked out at the audience. I took a deep breathe and had and amazing simple, easy, funny and inspiring talk with the audience.

Whether it was 1500 or one person, it did not matter. It felt so comfortable.

I had an outline of my talk in my head and I noticed how easy it was to add to it and to improvise.  I found myself at ease, wanting more. It was like I finally found what I love to do.  I hated to stop.

I am so grateful that an organization such as Toastmasters was able to open that part of who I am.

Q. You have “pulled back” a bit from Toastmasters to focus on career goals.  What kind of speaking might we be seeing from you in the future?

This is a great question.  Recently I have incurred large losses in my income which has changed my life in ways I would not have expected. Besides the obvious lifestyle change, I have incorporated my work (The Work of Byron Katie) to accept these losses and that was actually a very smooth transition.  Also I have been very involved with ACN, the video phone company, and see this as a way of regaining my losses in a short time.

Here is the amazing part: as I become more successful in ACN I find myself standing in front of larger crowds, making presentations and answering questions.

In the future I intend to incorporate my work and ACN together and help inspire people to be successful financially and also feel good about being themselves. I will be attending Toastmasters to help grow my speaking abilities and to, of course, try it out on all of you to get your valuable feedback.

Q. Do you have a website or some other way for those who may be interested in your speaking can contact you?

Here are two websites of mine, one is for being a financial success and the other is for being a success as a person.

My web site for helping people and doing workshops … PeaceBeIn.com.

And my web site for ACN, the video phone company, can be found here.

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Editorial: What Kind of Toastmaster are You?

I have not spent an enormous amount of time in the Toastmaster organization — I joined originally in late 2002, stepped away in 2006, and rejoined a few months ago — but it is my observation, having attended and participated in many contests and conferences and having been the member of three clubs (so far), that there are basically three kinds of Toastmasters.

1. The ones who use the organization at a social outlet;
2. The ones who have embraced the organization as a Way Of Life; and –
3. The ones who approach the organization as a Means To An End.

To “show my hand” here, I will freely admit that I my interest in the organization leans heavily toward the third category. However, I will have to say in all honesty that I don’t look purely at the organization as a means to an end. The majority of my friends are Toastmasters, and when I enter into a speaking situation outside of Toastmasters I tend to apply “the Toastmaster Way” to it. I admit, then, that all three “attitudes” flavor my life as a Toastmaster.

Let me clarify Category Two at bit. I see the folks who fall mostly in this category as people who do in fact gravitate toward living, eating, and sleeping a Toastmaster life, and begin to substitute it for life in the Real World. I suspect there are a number of possible reasons for this, but I won’t attempt to speculate. I have seen a similar phenomenon in science fiction fandom and in the Society for Creative Anachronism (the “medievalists” who you will encounter at Renaissance Fairs), and I suspect you’ll find a similar pattern in reenactment groups.

Please note: it may be easy to interpret that I am speaking about those who have taken the leadership path, possibly having gone so far as to go “up the chairs,” toward District level positions, and wind up investing an enormous amount of personal time and energy to this end. If this is the impression, this is not my intent. I do not mean this at all. Those who see the value of the organization and do their level best to think and act in terms of the best interests of the members and the organization are doing an invaluable service.

I will say that the folks who live predominantly in this second category baffle me a bit. Here’s why.

Back in 2004 I did well for myself in the contest arena, and managed to win Division C Humorous, and was bound for the District 33 stage. Something happened to me about two weeks before the contest I hadn’t anticipated.

I lost interest.

I started piecing together why shortly after the contest itself, with a morning workshop conducted by the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking, Ed Tate. Early in that workshop Ed said that everyone listening to him had more public speaking ability than the majority of people making a living as public speakers.

What had caused me to lose interest is that I knew, at some level, that I should be “out there” (in the non-Toastmaster world) applying it, because it was obvious I had a level of ability in working with an audience. Not that I couldn’t learn more, but I had reached a level where I knew I had something to work with.

I have finally taken my first all-too-tentative steps toward doing just this. Recently I was the guest speaker at a church in Henderson, and will be speaking at others soon.

I am not a Darren LaCroix, or a World Champion of Public Speaking, or an Accredited Speaker, or even a DTM — I didn’t even place at my last Division contest. But I’m using the skills I learned as a Toastmaster, and I am gradually making my presence felt in a larger world.

There are people who characterize the Toastmaster organization as a service organization. This is close, but not the complete picture. The Toastmaster organization, in this humble editor’s opinion, is a self-service organization. We don’t do outreach like the Eagles and Kiwanis, we don’t sell Christmas trees and help with food drives as an organization. What we really do is help people help themselves in learning communication and leadership skills.

I feel that people who become Toastmasters do, or did at the outset, want to improve themselves at some level.

My perplexity with the folks in what I called Category Two above is basically this: if the skills we learn as Toastmasters are not applied outside of the Toastmaster arena, then what is the point?

Aren’t we then hiding our light under a bushel?

I am reminded of the Biblical Parable of the Talents, though it is not my place to suggest that we either use our talents (ability) or we lose them (it).

But I will suggest that to not use one’s ability somehow in the non-Toastmaster world is a waste of the effort it took to acquire the talents to begin with.

What kind of Toastmaster are you?

My hope is that you are a bold risk-taker, wanting to take what you can from this experience and use it to stand out in the world.

I hope I do that, too.

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