RECAP: August 15th MEETING OF B&P TOASTMASTERS

Hello Everyone:

The lazy, hazy days of summer effect was evident at high noon last Friday when one looked around Joe’s meeting room. The unspoken question was: “Where is everyone?” Just before apoplexy set in a late rally filled the tables and the final head count was 19, including five guests, two “para-” members (more about para in a moment), Inge Geiger and David Borden; first-timer Linda Tucker; and second-timers Terry Coutinho and Uli Chapa.

              We interrupt this message for breaking news. August is club contest month at Business & Professional Toastmasters. This Friday, 8/22 will be Evaluation Contest and Friday, 8/29 will be Tall Tales Contest. As we go to press, the Evaluation contestants are: Jason Meek, Clair Geiger, Frank Suarez, Helen Hunter, and Kathy Moore. So far, Tall Tales contestants are: Jedi Knight, Dave Cornell; Texas Old Timer, Mel Mountjoy; Debonair Frank Suarez; Jet Setter Helen Hunter; Mr. One-Word, Ed Dylla; and the irrepressible Aunt Mabel, aka Kathy Moore.

You can still enter either contest. Contact Pat Hopper or David Bamberger for details.

Back to this “para” business that Wordmaster Pat Hopper brought with her in the form of “para-Olympics” which described organized athletic contests, such as Special Olympics. Para is a prefix meaning, among other things, “similar to; resembling.” Thus, para-Olympics ranks as the gold medal winner for most erudite word put before the club in 2008.

After the word of the day everything seemed easy. TMOD David Bamberger introduced General Evaluator Jason Meek who unilaterally dispensed with the Listener then introduced the members of his team, Timer, Ed Dylla; Ah Counter, Ajani Abdul-Khaliq; and Grammarian, Stella Park.

Then it was time for the speakers and first to the front of the room was birthday girl, Deborah Borden. Yes, it really was her birthday. She said she might cry but she didn’t. Instead, she went through the ways one can think of age, e.g., chronological, spiritual, mental, emotional (she left out her chakras), and the life lessons inherent in each of these components. Her born-on date was 8/15/45, formerly known as VJ Day a historic moment that inspired her father to choose “Victoria Japanesa” as her given name. He was later overruled by Deborah’s mother.

Next up, Kathy Moore. Her persuasive speech, “Membership is Everybody’s Business” covered membership goals and how B&P can once again have a roster of 45 like we had for so many years. Currently we are at 33 members and Kathy offered four simple techniques for us to embrace. 1. Bring a guest. 2. Put your old Toastmaster magazines in your doctor’s waiting room. Affix a label with contact information for B&P. 3. Put out meeting flyers at your work or apartment house. The upcoming Tall Tales Contest offers an opportunity to advertise B&P on a flyer. 4. Contact former members whom you miss. Invite them to return. Kathy is VP-Membership this session and she will be glad to help you with these and other ideas.

The last speaker was “Lefty” Clair Geiger who’s speech from the advanced communication manual, Communicating on Television, was anything but left. The object of his assignment was to prepare a controversial TV editorial of 4 – 6 minutes. Clair chose the subject of public prayer and came squarely down on the side of tradition. He supported a renewed commitment to public prayer and drew material from historical documents. A Q & A session followed with impromptu questions from Kathy Moore, Ed Dylla and Helen Hunter.

While the evaluators were writing and rehearsing, Table Topics Master Mel Mountjoy surveyed the room and concluded that everyone was fair game. So Grammarian Stella Park got up and defended public school uniforms. Albert Gallatin offered his response to high gas prices: he’d rolled out his old car and left the van in the garage. Evaluator Ed Bierschenk took both sides of the bikini car wash issue recently in the news then nonchalantly asked where it was as if he didn’t know. Pat Hopper asked, “What’s a reverse mortgage?” and Ajani Abdul-Khaliq considered light rail a viable public transportation option.

It was General Evaluator Jason Meek’s turn and he called upon evaluators Elaine Miller, resplendent in lei and Hawaiian garb, to critique Deborah; Helen Hunter to analyze Kathy; and Ed Bierschenk to review Clair.

Time was running down and presiding officer, Kathy Moore, announced the winners for the day. Table Topics went to, uh… I didn’t write down who won. Sorry. Best Evaluator was Ed Bierschenk and birthday-girl Deborah Borden won Best Speaker. The Norris Yates Spirit Stick was missing along with last week’s winner, Jan Davis, so we’ll have to wait another week for that one. Just another reason to be at Joe’s this Friday for another terrific soiree.

My High Performance Leadership Project

If you are new to the Toastmaster’s scene, a High Performance Leadership Project is an activity you must complete to earn the Advanced Leader designation and ultimately Distinguished Toastmaster.  This article is the speech I presented upon completion of my HPL on August 1, 2008. 

The Power of Ideas: Part II/ Creative Thinking Workshop

 

The most fascinating aspect of leadership for me is human resource development.  I love helping people develop new skills.  In particular, I love teaching.  That is why I chose my High Performance Leadership Project:  The Creative Thinking Workshop. 

 

For the purposes of the HPL, Toastmasters defines the objective as:  the overall desired result and the subparts as goals.  My objective was to teach as many clubs as I could how to use “The Power of Ideas” workshop from the Success Communications Series, Part II.  My project included three goals.

 

One goal was to show how to use it with non-Toastmaster groups as a marketing tool.  I believed non-Toastmaster managers would see the workshop’s usefulness as a management development tool. 

 

A second goal was to show clubs how they could use “The Power of Ideas” in place of or in addition to the demo meeting to attract new members or to grow new clubs.  Members of all five participant clubs agreed it would be very useful and fun for this purpose.  In one Austin club, they play word games as part of their table topics program, so they liked the idea of doing this workshop to increase their creativity.

 

Finally, I believed the workshop would be an excellent method of teaching a valuable critical thinking skill to Toastmasters, namely, creative problem solving.

 

Toastmasters defines Vision as:  a mental image or concept of a desired outcome to be achieved.  The mission is:  a statement of how a leader intends to operate to achieve the mission.  And, Core Values as: the few critically important values necessary to accomplish the mission.

 

My vision was that the Creative Thinking Workshop would become an integral tool of every Toastmasters club.  My mission was to inspire participants to utilize the workshop.  The core values that I found important to the achievement of my mission were these.

 

1. Business people need to develop critical problem solving skills if they are to survive in the present economic circumstances.
2. Toastmasters is an excellent tool for human resource development.
3. The Power of Ideas Creativity workshop is an excellent tool for teaching people to develop their creativity.

 

My strategy to accomplish this Vision was (1). To elicit the aid of my HPL committee and fellow Toastmasters to find appropriate venues to present the project; and (2). To present at each of these venues.

 

In the HPL manual, I was asked to discuss any hurdles, obstacles or people problems I encountered along the way.  I can honestly say that this project went as smooth as silk.  (I wish the rest of my life flowed so easily!)

 

Immediately, I had five clubs, including my own.  Margaret Cathey got two clubs in Austin for me.  A club in Rockport contacted me.  And I worked with two clubs I was mentoring.  Steve Lockwood gave me an opportunity at TLI.  I presented at one of the non-Toastmaster classes I teach.  And, Doug Kelly gave me the Boerne/Spring Branch Chamber of Commerce, Project Leadership presentation.

 

Without exception, participants were enthusiastic about the project.  In Rockport, I was treated like a visiting dignitary!  Everyone participated fully.  In the Toastmaster groups, the problems centered on growing quality clubs, and we had excellent ideas that came from those exercises.  At the Chamber of Commerce, I used problems specific to their Project Leadership program.  They all commented on how practical the exercises were.

 

I found that the workshop worked whether it was presented to two people or 200, to Toastmasters or not, for 20 minutes or an hour.  It is a wonderful, crowd-attracting program to use at a TLI.

 

I believe this project was extremely successful based on my immediate feedback.  It remains to be seen how much more other clubs will use it now.  To continue to promote usage of the workshop, I intend to upload this speech to B&P’s new blog site and to encourage other Toastmasters to ask me about it.  I also intend to submit a shorter version of this speech as an article to Toastmaster’s Magazine.

 

I believe the reason for the success of the project was twofold.  First, it is very well designed by Dr. Karl Albrecht and is simple for anyone to use.  Second, it utilized my primary leadership skills: teaching, motivating and developing people.

 

My recommendation to future HPL participants is to find a project that you are passionate about like I did.  When you thoroughly love doing something, that enthusiasm is contagious.

 

Special thanks to my HPL committee:  Margaret Cathey, Doug Kelly and Steve Lockwood for their invaluable assistance.  And thanks to my club members who were the original participants in the workshop.

Kathy Moore is soon to be a Distinguished Toastmaster and was the District Public Relations officer for District 55 in 2007-2008.

The Joys of Mentoring

My name is Kathy Moore, ACS and 2007-08 District PRO, District 55.   I had the privilege of  being the mentor for the Marriott Warm-Hearted Authentic Culture Toastmaster’s Club this past year. 

 

I can truly say that the experience was once-in-a-lifetime.  First, as a club mentor, I was treated like royalty!  And, you know what they say, if you want to really learn something, teach it.  So, teaching a new club proper procedure really helped me learn it myself.  I got finished with Bronze and Silver much more quickly since I was attending Marriot meetings once or twice a month.  I got a great deal of practice in creative problem solving since the dynamics of a corporate club are much different than an open one.

 

To anyone considering becoming a club mentor, I highly recommend it.  The skills you will learn and develop, and the friends you will make, will last a lifetime.

 

Here are my tips for being a great club mentor:

 

Be open-minded.  Everything doesn’t have to be exactly the same way it is in your club.  So, be flexible.

 

Don’t be afraid to speak up!! That’s what you’re there for.  These mentees want to know what you think.

 

Encourage your mentees to do speeches that are meaningful for them.  In my case, I had a club filled with very busy hospitality industry managers.  I always encouraged them to use toastmasters to fine tune their training speeches and other corporate projects at Toastmasters.

 

Show your mentees the benefits of being a toastmaster, so that they really see how it will advance their careers.  One idea I stressed is this:  “If you are seen by your managers as an excellent communicator, it is likely that you will advance through the ranks more rapidly.”  Also, stress that they will learn how to run highly effective meetings.  Most meetings in corporate America are an obnoxious waste of time.

 

Be available.  Make sure your mentees know how and when to get in touch with you, by phone, by email.  Some may prefer to ask you questions in private.

 

Be very demonstrative with your praise.  A new club has a tendency to be very unsure of itself.  Keep telling them they are doing a good job.

 

Be sure to take on meeting roles (speaker, evaluator, grammarian) so your mentees can learn from your example.  Invite outside speakers and evaluators so they can learn from the examples of others.

 

Always make sure to ask them what else they need and to encourage them to call on you for advice.  Be warm and approachable.