True SRTM Pride!!

Stone Road Toastmasters is proud of all of its members...current and past...new and old (or, should I say, "experienced")...and especially proud of the extremely supportive atmosphere that borders on a type of "family away from home" feeling.

And it is with immense pride that SRTM acknowledges a member that has recently brought attention to both herself and the club...attention not only from Guelph Toastmaster clubs, but from those in the surrounding cities as well...attention in (what I consider) one of the most flattering forms - that of stomach-clutching, tear popping, gut-rumbling LAUGHTER!

Marion has had us laughing all the way from our club, over to Area 62, and on to Division W, with her hysterically witty and insightful Humour Contest speech! A huge HIP! HIP! HOORAY!! to Marion for her wonderful and impressive accomplishments throughout these rounds of contests! A huge offer of thanks to all of our SRTM Fall 2008 Club Contest contestants and volunteers, without whom the contest could not have been held! And a huge group hug to all of those SRTM members that showed up at the Area and Division contests to cheer on Marion, our very own Humour Contest champion! (Marion shown holding her trophy in the photo above [at left] at the Area 62 contest, alongside Neelu [Chief Judge] and Glen [Area 62 Governor]).

Fellow Toastmasters, let's follow Marion's lead and keep the laughter coming!

Proudly,
Mina McCluskey, President
Stone Road Toastmasters

Check out these Testimonials about Toastmasters!

(source: Toastmasters International website)

Hear from people whose lives were changed by the Toastmasters program! The following testimonials are less than 1 minute each, and are organized by topic. Click on one or more of the topics that resonate with you, and see how the speaker has benefitted in this area from the Toastmasters program (and how you could, too!):

Ned: Toastmasters Changed My Life
Erika: Evaluations Helped Me
Eduardo: Practice, Practice, Practice!
Jaya: Building Confidence
Dionne: Supportive Environment
Wendy: Overcoming Shyness
Trisha: Getting Past Fear
Collin: Self Improvement
Elizabeth: Becoming a Leader
Hannah: Personal Growth
Sheila: Work Presentations
Sarah: Impromptu Speaking

Tip of the Week: Setting Goals!

(courtesy Gary Jones, DTM, President, Grand River Toastmasters)

The Toastmaster year runs from July 1st till June 30th of each year. Each new Toastmaster year offers us the opportunity to sit down and do some thinking about what we'd like to accomplish in the coming 12 months. We can ask ourselves "What does my Toastmaster experience look like as of June 30th of the coming year"?

This is an opportunity to sit with our Mentor or another club member, establish speech goals and set other personal goals.

Ask yourself:

How many speeches will I complete by June 30th?
What roles will I commit to?
Will I organize a club event?
Will I attend other Toastmaster Club meetings?
Will I attend the Fall and / or Spring Conferences?
Will I compete in a Club contest?
Will I complete my CL manual?
Will I mentor a new Member?
Will I contribute to the Club Website?

It is possible to "Begin with the end in mind" as writer Stephen R. Covey suggests.

Once you establish these personal goals it is important to write them down. Share them with your Mentor and perhaps another club member. Submit these to the VP of Education so that the VP of Ed may schedule you as required to meet your goals.

This exercise in goal setting can be a useful system that not only enhances your Toastmaster experience but assists with goals outside of Toastmasters. If you have any questions about setting realistic achievable goals please meet with your Mentor or one of your Club Officers.

Tip of the Week: The Power of the CL Manual!

(courtesy Gary Jones, President, Grand River Toastmasters)

In July 2006 Toastmasters launched a new Manual to further enhance the Toastmaster Program. The Competent Leadership Manual is now an intricate part of the Toastmaster jourmey and should be an intricate part of each Toastmaster meeting. As you may know I have completed this manual three times and am a huge advocate of the manual!

You might ask why would someone do this manual repeatedly or perhaps why would someone do this manual at all? The answer is simple! This manual provides the glue to each meeting. It facilitates discussion between the person conducting the designated role and the person providing feedback. It engages those who may not have a role at the meeting. It ensures that the roles are being conducted effectively and that any areas of growth may be addressed.

For instance, imagine Fred is the Timer at the weekly meeting. Perhaps Fred has in the past been forgetting some aspects of this role. The person giving the feedback can use this interaction to highlight the aspects of the role that Fred did well and can offer suggestions where Fred may do the role even better In the future Fred will be able to pass on this advice to new members. The overall result is a stronger more effective weekly meeting.

Some of the projects in the manual are conducted outside the Club environment. For instance a member may want to organize a club picnic or special event. You will see in Project ten of the manual a section where this activity can be used towards completion of the CL designation.

The manual also offers a vehicle for Mentors to challenge Mentees to complete a task or role. The guidelines and content of each project in the manual provides valuable information on various aspects of Leadership The feedback questions gives precise areas to help the participant develop.

I would encourage all members new and experienced to use the manual at each meeting!

"Perspectives" - Toastmasters Tip of the Week

(courtesy Gary Jones, President, Grand River Toastmasters)

This week's Tip is.....

Building and Maintaining a Strong Club.

It has been said that it takes 6 to 8 months to get a new club up and running and 6 to 8 meetings to kill a vibrant club. Why is this?

A Toastmaster's meeting must always be a safe space to experience. This means that each participant is experiencing a role or activity that is not overwhelming or too far out of their comfort zone,

We have seen some members distance themselves from meetings and sometimes drop out due to the expectations fellow members place on them.

For instance we once had a member who joined as they wanted to build up their confidence level. They were comfortable doing timer, invocation and such roles. When performing these roles everyone who witnesses the results were blown away by how well they conducted themselves.

The group response was to encourage the person to start doing speeches and other roles as soon as possible. What they didn't know was that the person's Mentor was actively working to maintain the person in the club. They were dealing with the Fight or Flight response the person was struggling with.

This new member actually left the club as it was easier to quit than to stand upon to the group pressure to move ahead.

Let's always allow room for appropriate involvement. Let us leave the filling of roles to the VP of Education so that the dynamics of member growth can be a safe and pleasurable experience for one and all.