Penguin Crossing Guard Receives Top TI Award
Mohan Devarajulu, DTM, Earns Top Honor
Benefits of Serving as a Club Officer
Reflections of St. Patrick’s Day
Tom Hobbs was honored for earning his Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award at the Gates to Excellence club on Thursday, February 10, 2011.
You may have seen Tom around town speaking to youth groups and service clubs about his adventures of traveling and visiting Antarctica He has helped form Toastmasters clubs and educate judges for better speech contests throughout Colorado and Wyoming.
Some of you may remember him as the Man in the Hat, the Penguin Crossing Guard, or the Denver Division Governor.
Congratulations, Tom!
BackThe purpose of the Distinguished Toastmaster title is to recognize outstanding dedication to the values of Toastmasters International through participation at multiple levels of leadership and a commitment to the educational process of improving public speaking.
BackMohan Devarajulu exemplifies Toastmasters’ core values of integrity, dedication to excellence, service to its members, and respect for the individual. So it was with great honor that district leaders attended the ceremony on February 10, 2011 to recognize him as a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).
Mohan’s educational course started eight years ago and led him through the Competent Communicator manual followed by a variety of advanced speaking manuals.
His leadership experience began when he was elected club president in 2003, taking HP Rise ’n Shine to Select Distinguished. In 2006, Mohan served as the E3 area governor and led his clubs to Distinguished status. He has served in various club officer roles and is currently the vice president of education.
On his road to becoming a DTM, Mohan has been an ambassador of the HP Rise ’n Shine club and Toastmasters International through his service to the club and community.
In 2007, he coordinated and presented a 10-week Youth Leadership program to eight youths ages 10 to 14. In 2010, he organized and taught an educational class to adults on Parliamentary Procedures.
Throughout Mohan’s Toastmaster career, he has been a mentor and sponsor to various clubs and individuals in District 26 as well as internationally.
Congratulations, Mohan!
BackUnlike the evaluator, who may be subjective, the role of grammarian is objective and designed to instruct about precise rules of language. Doing so requires balance, trust, acceptance, and a willingness to learn.
Presumably, we join Toastmasters to become better speakers. If that is true of everyone, then we all invite constructive criticism trusting that our fellow members mean no harm and truly want to help us learn.
Balance is the tricky part. If a member consistently displays poor grammar, he/she needs help and we are doing them a disservice to let it slide because we feel we’ll overwhelm them with negativity. We must balance our feedback with encouragement and never pass on an opportunity to reinforce the positive.
If you have club members in need of improvement you can:
“Grammar is a piano I play by ear, all I know about grammar is its power.”
- Joan Didion
FYI: Elizabeth (Bette) Frick holds a Ph.D in English. Check out The Text Doctor for expert information on grammar and writing. Bette will receive her DTM on APR 2.
BackRecently, Wendy Towber, president of Timberline Toastmasters gave a thought-provoking and uplifting speech for her “Inspire Your Audience” project, the 10th and final project in the Competent Communicator manual.
In this talk she made a strong case for the benefits of becoming a club officer, using examples from her personal experiences.
Here are the main points of her speech:
In reviewing the meeting, the general evaluator praised Wendy for this speech and stated that she hadn’t contemplated seeking a club office in the 2011-2012 year until she heard the speech. She is now giving it serious consideration.
I believe that this member, who just joined a few months ago and has given one talk so far, will become an officer, in part due to Wendy’s powerful message.
“What are you doing in your club to inspire your newer members to get excited about taking on a club officer role?”
If you haven’t had one of your officers, especially your club president, give a speech like Wendy gave, it may be time to get that officer on the speaking schedule.
SPECIFIC BENEFITS (from TI website)
Leadership training
On Saturday, March 12, approximately 250,000 people stood along the parade route to watch the 49th Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Toastmasters International District 26 was well-represented and we celebrated the parade theme, “Forever Green”, by wearing a variety of green costumes or clothing.
Many parade spectators remarked as to either knowing about Toastmasters or receiving a Toastmasters flyer highlighting the Toastmasters goals, objectives, and mission.
The parade route passed in front of Coors Field to the raucous applause of the spectators in the reviewing stands. Was there a bit of elfin magic accompanying us through Lower Downtown? We all felt transformed and renewed by the spectators' warm reception to our entry.
BackIf you have not met Joyce Feustel, DTM, make a point of doing so at your first opportunity. As the former D26 club coach chair, Joyce has acquired a great deal of knowledge and personal experience that she continues to share in every possible venue.
Joyce recently made another valuable contribution to Club Coach Weekly. Her article addresses two issues facing every coached club and coach.
To answer these questions, Joyce draws upon her experience, the writings of Ralph Smedley, and contributions from Toastmasters on the Toastmasters International LinkedIn Discussion site.
John Murphy, DTM, District 8 club coach chair, highly recommends this article for any coach who wants to rebuild a club, and keep it healthy long after their coaching assignment ends.
This electronic newsletter is posted on the District 8 web site and is freely available to everyone. You’ll recognize names from D26 and the information is so relevant to all TMs that it’s recommended you add this site to your favorites.
My thanks to John Murphy, DTM, for reaching out to promote this informative article.
Carol A. Harris, ACB, D26 secretary.
What is the best effect to the business bottom line? A staff that communicates well with the customer (the monetary source) and the internal provider (the fellow staff members).
When a company recognizes this, the human resources department is empowered to educate the workforce to the best of their abilities. Using their budget to the best ad-vantage often includes a Toastmasters club for their employees, complementing other training while putting the individual’s skills into continuous development. This benefits both the com-pany and the individual.
Two organizations that are honoring their staff for their personal improvement while getting a great return on their investment (ROI) are Anadarko Oil Corporation in Denver and BNI of Denver, a business networking company.
Cheers to these newly charted clubs, members, and the companies each benefiting from Toastmasters.
BackYou’ve just completed a speech or leadership project, and your mind is awhirl with everything you wish you had done differently. STOP! Consider the language you are using with yourself. Are you being constructive and improvement oriented, or are you being down right mean? As Toastmasters it is just as important to learn to effectively evaluate ourselves as it is to evaluate others, but we tend to be encouraging when speaking to others while we beat ourselves up.
Get out of the loop of self-talk and use a formal evaluation approach with yourself:
Give yourself an evaluation with as much care as you would use with another Toastmaster member; remember it is your goal to learn and to get back out there for the next project.
Write down a few bullet points on a sticky-note and add it to the front of the project you’ll work on next. This way you can approach the next task from a place of learning.
By completing this process you may just find that the looping voice quiets down and you feel you’ve come to a more cohesive conclusion for your project.
Keep learning, keep growing!
BackI frequently ask others why they are in Toastmasters. The answers are almost predictable but most often unique to their individual goals, aspirations, and dreams. Becoming better communicators and leaders is important, but we should not forget our dreams. Most of us will find that circumstances have changed since the day we became a Toastmaster; new job, no job, moved, marriage, divorce, children, grandchildren, etc. While all these impact our lives, we should never forget or set aside our dreams -- never let them die.
Toastmasters provides support and training to develop the skills that will enable you to “Tackle Your Dreams.”
“Dreams are never destroyed by circumstances.
Our dreams are born in our hearts and minds.
It is only there that they can die.”
- Art E. Berg
IN MEMORY - Our condolences to the family and friends of Ron Wachenheim who passed away on February 27. Ron was a toastmaster for 21 years and at different times in the past 10 years he was an active member of Excelsior, Timberline, and Buffalo Toastmasters. Born in Jamaica, Queens, New York, he attended P.S. 82, P.S. 117, Richmond Hill H.S., and graduated from Regis College with a B.S. in Computer Science. Ron earned his M.A. in Computer Info Systems Management from Webster University and he also held two associates degrees; Computer Information Systems (AS) and Business (AA). He was employed by CDOT from 1977-2000. If you knew Ron and want to reach out, you may contact his longtime companion Janine Krizek (303-279-6162) or Joyce Feustel (303-570-9864). Ron Wacheheim will be remembered with respect and gratitude for his contributions to District 26.
BackLeaders think about the future at least 50% of the time. That’s why the Nominations Committee of Alan Swartz, Amy Krug, Bob Baxter, Betty Chavira, Boyce Logsdon, and Karen Kitzky spent a good deal of time looking for nominees for next year. Ultimately it is important for our organization and for many clubs.
That being said, here are the nominees for district offices next year that will be on the ballot at Spring Conference in May. There can still be nominees from the floor for any office provided they have met the qualifications for office.
Each club has two votes at the district conference; the president and VP education or a proxy. Be there at the district business meeting to ensure we have the very best leaders for District 26 next year.
Note – Any candidate wanting to submit a campaign article for the May District 26 Dialogue, please have the article to the editor by April 15. Limit your article to 200 words or less. If you want to submit a photo as well, keep in mind that it will be limited to about 1.35” in width; therefore, a head shot is your best choice.
BackMany toastmasters are members of multiple clubs, which means they receive duplicate magazines.
What do you do with your magazines?
One of the DCP goals is to increase your club’s membership by June 30 and the TI magazine can help you achieve that.
I challenge every club to collect a minimum of 15-20 magazines to be distributed as part of a membership drive.
Even magazines published years ago contain information that is new and informative to non-toastmasters.
TM magazines are the best marketing materials available:
So, as part of your spring cleaning, gather up all those Toastmasters magazines and take them to your next club meeting.
While you’re at the district conference in May, stop by the book store and pick up some brochures and other marketing materials. Write a page about your club history; include it’s origins and any outstanding achievements by the club or individual members.
Make your own promotional packets by purchasing folders at the $ store and inserting:
“Every action you take, every word you speak, every impression you leave, affects how others view your brand.”
– Steven Bradley
Our cover stories for this issue recognize two of the district members who have achieved their Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) awards. Among our candidates for district office, the two running for division governor acknowledge a goal of achieving a second DTM. What’s the big deal with DTMs anyway?
Whether you’re striving to achieve your own DTM or simply continuing your development, Toastmasters offers you plenty of opportunities.
You don’t have to stop when you earn your competent communicator or your competent leader. There’s a lot more to learn, and even when you’ve done it all, you can still improve. I’m on my seventh pass through the basic communication manual and my second pass through the advanced manuals, and I’m still learning.
One final thought, Distinguished Toastmaster is not an impossible task. You can do it. All it takes is a commitment to do the work, and more importantly taking one step after another.
So I challenge you, set your aim high. Go after your own Distinguished Toastmaster.
By the way, I’m working on my third.
Some people dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.
—Anonymous
Publisher / Governor
Julia K. Davis, DTM
Home: 303-833-0567
Cell: 303-775-1106
Email: dg1011@d26leaders.org
Editor
Gordon S. Savage, DTM
36923 Forest Trail
Elizabeth, CO 80107-8126
Phone: 303-646-0547
Email: gordonsavage@msn.com
Layout & design
Contributing Editor
Carol A. Harris, ACB
Email: sec1011@d26leaders.org
VP Public Relations
Gavin Kirton, DTM
Email: pro1011@d26leaders.org