Finding a Voice for your Club Newsletter

This article by award-winning editor Rhys Davies is available on the Toastmasters International website -- check it out!

Last August, I was fortunate to accept the Top Five District Newsletter Award on stage in Washington, D.C. during the 75th International Convention. As editor, I was elated to see that Toastmasters International recognized the hard work of my editorial team, and I was very grateful to have benefited by a supportive district team in the production of the newsletter. Further, it felt great to help the district fulfill its mission and vision through the newsletter, while connecting with a lot of members in each issue.

The thrill was about more than just the award though, it was about the experience I had as a newsletter editor. District Governor Troy Wruck encouraged me to develop a new format and layout for the newsletter. For my High Performance Leadership project, I created a mission and vision for the newsletter, recruited my team, created an action strategy and plan and led the newsletter team. I sold the idea to our district team, who in turn promoted the newsletter to our members. Last year, this vision became reality.

As great as it was to win the award last summer, I realize many clubs experience difficulties with creating a newsletter. There is often a steep learning curve when getting started, and creating one requires patience, direction and time. For novice editors who do not have the assistance of a mentor and little knowledge of available resources, producing a newsletter can be quite taxing.

I think most members don’t question the benefits of a club newsletter and/or Web site. Clubs that regularly produce newsletters usually achieve their Distinguished Club Program (DCP) goals with greater success. Members are also inspired whenever they see their achievement recognized in print, and they can stay in the loop with the newsletter if they miss meetings. The real challenge seems to be getting set up. So, how do you get started?

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Dreamcatchers to be Featured in The Toastmaster Magazine

Originally published 41-4 May 2007

Submitted by Kim Forster

The Dreamcatchers have celebrated two years in Red Deer, and now they will be profiled in an upcoming edition of The Toastmaster magazine.

The Dreamcatchers Toastmasters Club is like any other Toastmaster Club with one difference. 81% of its founding members have a developmental disability like Down’s Syndrome, Autism and other conditions causing cognitive and physical impairments.

The club has added support for developing assistive aids to help individuals with their speeches and other club duties.

With these supports, the 30+ members of the club have overcome many challenges and are giving speeches in pursuit of their educational goals.

The Dreamcatchers Club is a result of a partnership with Red Deer’s Sun- rise Toastmasters Club and Cosmos Rehabilitation Society, an organization which supports people with disabilities.

Cosmos developed an initiative involving people with disabilities making presentations and needed a way to train its presenters in public speaking. Sunrise Toastmasters Club decided to support Cosmos by providing them with a Speech Craft Course. Once the course was finished, the participants decided they wanted their own club. The Dreamcatchers Club was chartered in April 2005.

District 42 Celebrated in Toastmaster's District Newsletter

Originally published 41-4 May 2007

Reprinted from April, 2007 Toastmasters International's District Newsletter, "Great Ideas from Districts!", Page Three

DISTRICT 42’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE wanted to better understand whether or not they were meeting member needs in their district. Since the district faces some unique challenges, targeted focus group sessions seemed like the best strategy.

The leaders facilitated focus groups of 10- 12 randomly selected members that may or may not have been club officers. Participants were asked a series of questions that were collectively discussed as a group, covering such areas as, membership and training, amongst others. The district was ultimately trying to get at what members valued in District 42 and identify opportunities to enhance program and service offerings to its members.

The focus group experience allowed District 42 leaders to better understand those things that are working well, those that are not and identify future opportunities for improvement. The district is working on a communication strategy to ensure members understand the focus group findings and identifying a plan to integrate enhancement opportunities into long-term district goals to provide more value to their members.

How is your district handling challenging situations? What about district successes? Are you doing something different that’s working well and want to share it with fellow district leaders? We’d love to hear from you and include it in an upcoming District Newsletter. Simply email your district stories to districts@toastmasters.org for consideration!

April 2007 District Newsletter: http://209.97.192.123/NEWS_Items/Apr2007DNL.pdf

Toastmasters is Great for All Stages of Life!

Originally published 41-3 Feb 2007

by Harvey Taphorn, Divsion J Governor

Around 55 hearty Division J’ers attended TLI (Toastmaster Learning Institute) on Saturday January 27. With the combined efforts of Divisions C & G, we had about 130 in attendance. Even tight security (downtown office building on a Saturday) couldn’t keep the determined Toastmasters away.

I presented one session and during it with about 60 Toastmasters in one room, I ran an exercise with the following question (I’ve altered the question to make sense being read, as it was done live). What would make a new-member-prospect, not want to join? I know many clubs will be promoting bring a guest meetings in the near future, so I believe the information I received from the question was timely. I received 16 responses. The top six (via voting from the room of 60 Toastmasters) are…

• Seeing no-shows for club duties (e.g. speaker, Toastmaster, etc. does not arrive).
• Not welcomed when arrived (first time).
• Meeting poorly organized.
• Getting/finding info from a website.
• If they received special treatment during their first visit, their second (or third, etc.) visit has no one paying much attention to them.
• Not really knowing what the club offers.

This information allows you fellow Toastmasters, to instantly help out with the top three. If you have a duty, make sure you are there or have a substitute lined up. Make sure any strange faces are welcomed “warmly” and provided guidance throughout their observations of the meeting. And make sure your meetings are top notch. We shouldn’t be running our meetings like Table Topics and running everything while thinking on our feet. We should be running our meetings like a speech during a competition, being prepared and practiced. If “all” of us focus on those three, our new-member- prospects will be seeing something they want to get involved with.

It seems many people have enjoyed the “four stages of life” picture I received. But how does it apply to Toastmasters? Well anyone in Stages 3 or 4 is eligible for Toastmasters. Anyone in Stage 2 is eligible for a YLP (Youth Leadership Program). And anyone in Stage 1, is a budding future Toastmaster!!! So don’t turn your back on anyone; anyone and everyone is a prospect. Happy Hunting but more importantly Happy Farming. It’s one thing to find a new member (hunting), but you need to nurture (farming) that member to help them AND YOU grow. Cheers!!!

A Camrose Perspective on the Fall Conference

Originally published 41-3 Feb 2007

Submitted by Karen Lewis, VP Public Relations, Camrose Toastmasters

The Toastmasters conference was an unforgettable event. New friendships were made and memories formed that will last a lifetime. Organizers clearly put a great deal of effort into the conference, their efforts were not lost on those who attended.

Friday evening several meet and greet events were held. People were encouraged to participate, whether it was visiting while having a few drinks or participating in a session designed to meet other conference participants. It was all in good fun.

The weekend was filled with lectures from skilled speakers. Darren Lacroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, was a highlight for me with his speech on humor. The opportunity to listen to Darren on two occasions was worth the price of admission. Some of his suggestions were quite useful. He recommended using the same speech several times when completing the CC manual. He urged all toastmasters to forgo the use of notes when giving any one of their 10 speeches. Practice makes perfect. Your best speeches will come without the use of notes. I’ve followed his advice and found he was absolutely correct.

Darren also suggested competing. Competition forces us to step up to another level. He reminded us there are no losers in the competitions because we all learn and become better speakers because we competed. The end result is irrelevant, the journey traveled is always most important. I also spent a few minutes alone with Darren to ask a few questions about his career and public speaking in general. I was so amazed with some of his advice I immediately became a member of his Champions Edge Club. Visit his website at www.humor411.com for more information.

The weekend also saw the Humorous and Table Topics District contests. The Humorous speech contest was an extremely close competition and provided an opportunity for everyone attending to learn how to deliver a great humorous speech. The Table Topics contest was also very entertaining. The question was, “How has art, culture and recreational activity enhanced your life?” While most contestants answered the question in a logical sequence, the winner clearly stood out by seizing the moment, using his body in an outstanding manner to get his point across.

The weekend was successful in keeping everyone busy, entertained and uplifted. I highly recommend attending at least one conference each year to see what other clubs are doing and how to really stretch your wings as a speaker.

Sitting Tall in the Saddle: A First-Timer’s Account of the 2006 Fall Convention

Originally published 41-3 Feb 2007

By Patricia Rijavec, President, Fun Speakers #3146, Edmonton, Alberta

I had, perhaps, suffered too many saddle sores from endless power point read-alongs in my days of wrangling to believe in the anticipation the old hands of our club were sharing about the District 42 Fall Conference.

Of course, this could only come from a firsttimer, someone who has yet a lot to learn about how much Toastmaster’s can offer. So little ol’ green horn gets on the bus in Edmonton chartered by the Excell-Orator Club (who intended that pun?) and was immediately struck by the open, friendly conference goers. It must be a common trait to all Toastmasters as it was never so easy to meet, strike up conversation and connect with people; even dignitaries and guest speakers were down-home friendly. “It makes ya feel kinda soulsome and roundy.” is how Festus Haggen from Gunsmoke would have put it.

It was, above all, the people that made the event successful on all fronts: the well-run event, the warm atmosphere and a very rich program. The calibre of experience, talent and commitment each speaker brought was truly inspiring, from all the contestants of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests to the key note, Darren Lacroix. I am sure many conference-goers left, like me, dog-tired from riding the long trail, loaded with heavy packs of new ideas and techniques but that much more able to tackle whatever lays ahead.

As I rode off into the sunset, my eyes set on the Spring Convention in Regina, I again heard Festus: “You learn a thing a day, you store up smart.” Thanks to all those who lent a hand in making the District 42 Fall Convention, Pioneering in Excellence, such a success.

District 42 Enters the Podcast World with the Toastcast!

Originally published 41-3 Feb 2007

Division D Governor Greg Gazin has pioneered the Toastcast, featuring news and stories from members of District 42.

Members of District 42 and Toastmasters will be able to visit the Toastcast site and listen to the interviews led by Gazin.

District Governor Mona Cooley kicked off the Toastcast with her District 42 message, "Lead with Purpose, Communicate with Confidence". Edmonton Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) coordinator Alice Elliott shared her message about promoting the TLI program in Edmonton.

The appeal of podcasts is the ability to download them onto your computer and transfer them onto your MP3 or Apple iPod player. While the Toastcast is not yet a true Podcast, members can still listen online, and download the audio files. Better yet, members may record their own Toastmasters-related broadcast or interview, and upload them to the Toastcast website.

Greg Gazin's life outside of Toastmasters is living the identity of Gadget Guy. As Gadget Guy, Greg reviews the latest electronic and computer technology on the CANOE website and Sun newspaper chain.

In the meantime though, Greg invites you to check out the Toastcast. Check out the District 42 online Toastcast: http://toastcaster.podbean.com/