Why DEMO?

By: Michelle Woodley, CC, ALB
Area 65 Director 2015–2016


It was April 27, 2016 in North Dallas, Texas. It was unusually cool for a Spring day in Texas; only 88 degrees. You know by now the temperatures are above 90 degrees. But enough about the weather.

I jumped in my car and headed to Addison for my first DEMO meeting. What possessed me to do that? Actually there were several reasons:

Helps you get out of your comfort zone:  I am celebrating my 8-year anniversary with my home club. While I love my club and enjoy meeting with them every week, I have become very comfortable. The meetings are nowhere near stale nor boring, but I have become comfortable. Even though I’ve been in Toastmasters for several years and have been very involved in the organization this year, I have to be honest with you…I was nervous to attend this DEMO meeting. I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to attend the meeting. For me, Toastmasters is about pushing your boundaries and getting out of your comfort zone. Attending the DEMO meeting, allowed me to step out of that zone.

Meet current Toastmasters:  I was Area Director, and therefore, very involved in Toastmasters. I have met a lot of Toastmasters. And at this DEMO meeting, I managed to meet even more current Toastmasters, including a Toastmaster whose husband and mother worked at my current employer. It truly is a small world.

Meet new people and watch them experience Toastmasters for the first time:  Attending a DEMO meeting is a great networking opportunity to meet new people due to a great organization. There were Human Resources representatives and civic servants (firemen and policemen) at the meeting, all eager to learn about Toastmasters and what the organization has to offer.

You’re one step closer to getting that snazzy Booster Award Pin:  Need I say more?

Knowing you may be part of the next BIG THING:  If the attendees of that DEMO meeting are able to get 20 members and charter immediately or later down the line, you can have that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you were a part of the start of a new club! 

What’s better than that? Maybe the free lunch that was served to all attendees. Mmmm…nope…the warm fuzzy feeling is much better. 

Mentoring

By Carol DeLatte, DTM

Mentoring is an important component of Toastmasters. Studies have shown that Toastmasters with a mentor will stay with the program longer than those without a mentor. Every new Toastmaster should be assigned a mentor by the time they receive their New Member packet from Toastmasters International.

But, where do you begin, if you’ve never been a mentor before? Here is a primer to get you started:

·         Arrange for a meeting with the new Toastmaster. This could be over a cup of coffee or even in a conference room for those in corporate clubs. Plan on about 30 minutes for the introductory meeting. You (and/or your mentee) will need a CC manual and a CL manual.

·         Share a bit of your background with the mentee

• How you got started in Toastmasters
• What benefits it has had for you (less crutch words, increased confidence, etc.)
• What manual or goal you’re currently working on
• Share your enthusiasm for assisting them

·         See if the mentee has any goals in mind yet … it’s okay if they don’t …

·         Talk about the Ice Breaker speech. Break it down for them… it’s like doing 3 Table Topics in a row. They’ll share 3 things with the audience, usually something about themselves. Some ideas:

• Where did they grow up?
• What brought them to the Dallas, TX area (if they grew up elsewhere)
•  Family dynamics – the family they grew up with or the family they’ve created
• Favorite sport(s)
•  Hobbies/pastimes
• Their career
• Maybe even what they hope to glean from their Toastmasters journey

·         Explain that they only need to talk about each of the 3 topics for 1 ½–2 minutes each (much like responding as a Table Topics Speaker).

·        Speeches 2, 3, and 4 can be more in-depth speeches about the 3 topics they talked about in their Ice Breaker… still topics they are very familiar with, only now they will be able to talk more about it. Break each of these speeches into 3 topics each, and by the time they get past these 4 speeches, they will have almost half the CC manual done!

They may not be ready for the Ice Breaker just yet, and that’s okay. Pull out the CL manual and explain that by participating in the meetings, they will get credit for that, too. But keep encouraging them to get past that first speech!

The most important thing is that they know you will be there for them and believe in them and their potential. Sit next to them in meetings, and try to schedule regular meetings about once a month. Offer to listen to their speeches as they practice so they can be better prepared and more confident when delivering the speeches.

Mentoring really is a win-win relationship. Embrace it, and watch new Toastmasters blossom! It’s very rewarding.

Toastmasters Helping Toastmasters program is ON!

by: Mei Lin ACB, ALB, Area 32 Director

I am a pretty lucky girl: my Toastmasters journey has been an awesome growing experience. Why? Because of fellow Toastmasters members!  I have had many mentors in my Toastmasters journey. I shine because of them! How about you?

1.  Timing is everything

To take advantage of the Toastmasters Helping Toastmasters Program (THT Program), simply take the opportunity to be an awesome Toastmaster by helping other Toastmasters members and clubs.  There are a lot of new and smaller clubs out there. They need to be shown how to properly conduct a Toastmasters meeting and to understand how to maximize their Toastmasters journey. By sharing your experience, you can help them. A supportive Toastmaster, like you, can give them a lift!

Do you remember your Icebreaker speech? Do you remember your Icebreaker Speech Evaluator?  How about your first time being the Toastmaster of a meeting? You definitely remember those! Now it’s time for you to shine and polish those new Toastmasters. Provide them the positive and constructive feedback that makes them stronger and help them to conquer their stage fright. Timing is everything!

Go ahead! Start now!

2.  What can I do?

The THT Program was designed by the District 50 Club Growth Team. They are working hard (like minions!) and look out for the best interests of all clubs. They initiate demo meetings, host open houses, and find mentors and coaches. They unite as a team to visit small clubs, and they try to help even when we don’t realize it.

The question to ask is “What do you want to do?”

Here are some super easy things you can do starting right now!

• Participate in Demo meetings
• Celebrate Club Open House events—yours and others clubs!
• Be a Mentor and coach
• Visit small clubs to encourage them
• Write an inspirational article for the District 50 Club Growth Blog

You don’t know who needs help? I'll be happy to give you our club growth director’s cell phone. Wait!—I should probably give you his e-mail address instead. (He answers e-mails like a peregrine falcon.) He works 24 hours without a doubt.

What are you waiting for? 

3.  YOU are the one!

The truth is that I doubt myself a lot. I wonder a lot.  Sometimes I tell myself that there are so many “better” or “more experienced” Toastmasters out there. Do they really need me?

Yes!

Yes!

You are the one.

You are the one!

Words can’t express the joy I feel when I give!

The power of giving to others is something you can’t describe, something you can’t touch, but definitely something you can feel and will remember for a very long time.

When I look back over this past 12 months—my first year being involved in Toastmasters—I know I will never forget the meetings I've been a part of. Thank you to all Toastmasters who are there for me, for my club, and for Area 32. 

Now it's your turn. You are the one for the next Toastmaster to remember and appreciate.

Welcome to our Open House!

Welcome to our House…that is our Open House!  We are lingering on the edge of festival season when the summer gives way to crisp, cool air.  Why not celebrate the changing seasons with a party?   Everyone loves a gathering with lively conversation.   This is where Toastmasters are at their best.  Toss in a table of tasty treats and you have the makings of a Toastmasters event to remember.   A plethora of themes are available this time of year with everything from Football to Carnivals to Pumpkin everything.

  

An Open House is more than a tool to attract new members.  It is a gala for your fellow club members to spotlight skills they have attained during regular meetings.   Invite your friends to see what Toastmasters is and demonstrate how our organization can open new doors for them.  The club can also celebrate educational awards members have completed.   Recognition for those goals is much sweeter when they are shared with friends and family. 

Toastmasters are creative.  We wouldn’t be surprised if you are already thinking of ideas to use at your club’s event.  Once a theme is chosen you might be wondering, “Where do we start?”  Don’t worry, there is a guide you can use for hosting a successful event and includes checklists to make it easy.   You come up with the  party and we will help you plan it!  If you would like a copy of the package, email me at openhouse@d50toastmasters.org.

If you are still not sure about hosting an Open House event, let me add some more amazing incentives.  Every club who hosts an event is eligible to WIN a gift card!   Qualifying for our MONTHLY drawing is simple:  send me or Manhal Shukayr pictures of your Open House event, a copy of the event agenda, and you are in!  We will draw from the qualified entries on the 10th of each month & announce our BIG WINNER on District 50’s Facebook page.   If you have had your eye on one of our nifty D50 lapel pins, this is one event to get you closer to wearing one of your own!  Most of all, your Club Growth team is committed to your club having a memorable year filled with fun!   We look forward to celebrating your club’s success!

 With warmest wishes,

Rena Tackett

Open House Chair

District 50 Toastmasters

Demonstration Meeting Best Practices

The information for this article came from notes taken during club growth director training.  The session was presented on August 10, 2015 by David McCallister, DTM, PID.

Demo meetings are the first glimpse that most people get of Toastmasters in operation. It is critical that they be well planned and well executed. That doesn’t happen by accident. You must prepare before you arrive for that demo meeting. Work with the sponsors or the contacts at the company or community to determine who needs to attend the meeting. This is especially important when working in a corporate environment. You want to build a demo team that matches the organization and their core values. If possible, you would also like to have mentors already assigned and they should match up well with the organization.

Choose an experienced speaker for this meeting. Your goal is to showcase the skills that can be learned. You also want experienced people to server as Toastmaster, General Evaluator, and Table Topics Master. Again, you want to showcase the skills that can be learned in Toastmasters.

Once you have assembled your team, have a practice session. Not only should each team member know how to perform their role, each member should also know how to fill out charter paperwork, especially form 3, the charter application form.

The recommended best practices for demo meetings are as follow:

1.  20 to 25 minute demo meeting. This will give time for 1 speech, two Table Topics speakers and 1 evaluation.
2.  Find out something about the guests. This can lead to interesting Table Topic questions.  The Table Topics Master should talk to guests before the meeting and find out in advance who might be willing to answer questions. Explain the Table Topics process, and maybe even give them the question in advance. This will ease their concerns. Other guests don’t need to know you pre-selected the participants, and it does show that anyone can answer Table Topics.
3.  Don’t over-use the acronyms, CC, CL, DTM, etc. Always use the full terms. Remember, these guests are new to Toastmasters and haven’t learned the language yet.

During the closing portion of the meeting, make it valuable to the guests to charter now. The first 20, or more, members are charter members, a very special honor. Appeal to that sense of accomplishment and of being in on the ground floor. This will help those guests become members.

Emphasize the self-improvement and confidence building aspects of Toastmasters. This is what the program actually does. The side benefit of self-improvement and self-confidence is becoming a better speaker and leader. Some guests are not there to be better speakers or leaders, but everyone is interested in self-improvement and self-confidence.

Some other best practices and ideas include:

1.  Call it a Toastmasters program, not a Toastmaster demo meeting. This is an easier sell to HR staff at the corporate level.
2.  Hand out materials at the end of the meeting. Before the meeting, place the agenda and a charter application at each seat. Brochures can be picked up by guests on the way out if they are interested. This allows guests to fully experience the meeting rather than be distracted by the brochure. This practice will also give the demo team a better feeling for how many are truly interested, based on the number of brochures that are taken after the meeting. Make sure you are using the appropriate brochures; there are several and they are designed for different audiences.
3.  Ask if they are ready to make the commitment toward self-improvement. By answering “yes” to that question, guests are in a better frame of mind to join, right then. Again, emphasize self-improvement over public speaking and leadership.

For many, a demo meeting is their first introduction to Toastmasters. Plan well, practice well, and present well and success rate in chartering new clubs will reflect your efforts.

Why Should I be a Club Coach?

Why Should I be a Club Coach?

by Robi Ley, DTM

There is a need in our District for Club Coaches, and many members are not even aware there is such a thing. Many clubs are not aware they can ask for one and get help getting their struggling club back on track. This is sad. It’s sad because it means the needs of our members are not being met. If our members’ needs are not being met, we as Toastmasters are not living up to our Toastmasters promise we all made when we joined.

What exactly is a Club Coach? Exactly what it sounds like. It’s an individual who goes into a struggling club and offers them guidance, advice, and encouragement to get back on a growth track. Did you ever play a sport? What did your coach do for you? He or she evaluated what you were already doing and let you know if you were performing well or needed some additional practice. They helped you identify your skills, your strengths, and your areas for improvement. So it is with a Club Coach.

The first step in coaching is the evaluation. There is a Toastmasters module called “Moments of Truth.” This is an evaluation tool a coach can use to help identify the skills, strengths, and opportunities that exist in a club. The club gets valuable information and the coach, who delivers the module, gets credit toward either their ACS or their ALB.

Once these areas have been identified, the coach meets with the club officers and together, they devise an action plan to address the areas that need improvement. The coach offers suggestions, provides information, and directs the officers to appropriate resources, but the officers and the club members are the ones who execute the action plan. Again, think of the role of a coach on a sports team. The coach does not run the plays. That is for the players to do. The club coach does not execute the action plan. That is for the club to do. The coach encourages and guides.

Back to the question; why should I, or you, be a club coach? As Toastmasters, we promised to support our clubs, and support our fellow members. Look on the back of a membership application and you’ll find “A Toastmasters Promise.” If you read it, it doesn’t just apply to your home club. It applies across the board of your club, area, division, and district. It’s also one of the requirements to fulfill the ALS award, which is just steps away from the DTM.

What does being a club coach really do for you though? How will it help you outside of Toastmasters? Simple answer; team building skills. Acting as a club coach gives you real, practical experience in working with a struggling team and building it back into a growing, vibrant, productive environment. If you’ve ever been in a management position, you’ve probably faced the problem of a struggling team. If you haven’t yet, you likely will. Where better to get the experience you need and hone the skills you need? Better yet, you get those skills in a place where it won’t cost you your job if you don’t succeed. Toastmasters offers you the best proving ground in the world for developing, building, and perfecting your leadership skills. A safe environment with all the tools and encouragement you need to succeed. It doesn’t get better than that.

Being a club coach is a rewarding, beneficial experience that helps you grow as a leader and brings life and excitement back to a struggling club. You help the club, you help yourself. I call that a win/win.

Contact me at clubcoach@d50toastmasters.org and let’s get you started on the road to being a club coach.

Open House Plan begins with the Open House Team

by P. Tran, DTM

An Open House Plan begins with the assembly of an OH! (Open House!) Team. Club officers mentor and encourage fellow club members to take on organizer and support roles. The OH! Team Chair, who leads the planning for the monthly open house events, can turn this leadership opportunity into a High Performance Leadership (HPL) project, which is one of the requirements for the Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) award. Members of the OH! Team earn Competent Leader (CL) credits for helping and organizing the monthly open house events. Having every club member participate in the monthly open house preparations fosters club camaraderie and pride. As you develop your Club Success Plan for this term, motivate your members to be a part of the OH! Team.

Your Area and Division Directors can provide information and additional support. Contact them to inaugurate your OH! Team today!

Check back for more OH! Team ideas.