Norm Frickey, DTM, Honored
District 26 Toastmasters Nominated for Diversity
Calendar of Events
News & Notes
Meet Newly-chartered RegMasters
In a Word: Proud
District 26 Wins in Las Vegas
In My Own Words
We’re on Our Way
The D26 Book Nook
Ball Jars to Stars Celebrates
Editor’s Musings
Norm Frickey, DTM represented District 26 in the Hall of Fame at the 80th Annual Toastmasters International Convention held at Bally’s in Las Vegas in August. He received the Excellence in Training Award for his work while lieutenant governor education and training 2010-11.
The award for achieving and exceeding Distinguished District Program goals in training and educational accomplishments signifies that District 26 successfully promoted outstanding educational programming in clubs during the 2010-2011 Toastmasters’ year.
"Thanks to all the members and clubs that made this happen. The time and effort training our people helps our clubs serve its members at the highest level. Toastmasters is not a one man or one woman show. We all did this together." _Norm Frickey DTM
BackEach year the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum recognizes a corporate and non-profit for outstanding achievement in three categories:
District 26 is honored to be nominated this year for Raising the Bar, which we are dedicated to doing as we strive to set the benchmark to which other Toastmasters districts will aspire. We are attempting to charter a bi-lingual club, meet the communication needs of military personnel at Buckley Air Force base and ensure our contest judges are certified.
Winners will be announced in October.
BackIt’s that time of year to head over to a TM contest where the speakers are the best you’ll ever hear!
Check the Google calendar on the D26 web site for a comprehensive list of contest dates and locations as well as available test speakers.
NOV 11-12
Crown Plaza Hotel
Colorado Springs, CO
Belinda Corleyturnipseed, (303-671-2639) fundraising chairperson, is seeking cash donations, marketing materials (pens, notepads, fun stuff) or items of value for auction or raffle. Contact Connie Akins (303-912-4032.) for tax information, including a statement of our tax exempt status. Most companies require several weeks to a few months to organize a tax deductible contribution; therefore_ don’t delay, ask today.
If you would like to be a speaker/trainer for an educational presentation, contact Gayle Perron-Krawetz, conference education chair. Submit a bio and course description for a 45-minute session by September 9th.
Hopefully, many of you have been checking updates on our district web site and you know that we intend to add Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and YouTube. If you have a good video of a speaker in your club, get their permission and send the link to our web team. These are District 26-connected media that we are promoting, not TI links.
Remember that Twitter, like email, is so quick that we sometimes unintentionally propel things into cyberspace that cannot be retrieved. Take a deep breath before you tweet.
BackHere is our newest Toastmaster Club Charter Presentation. Janine Russell, a former Toastmaster with Rockyflats Toastmasters, organized this vibrant young group and they are up and running.
By the way – Active Network is the company that provides the registration system that we have used for our conferences in the past. We are now learning even more effective ways to use the system because the account representative is now a Toastmaster. Who better to understand our needs?
Norm Frickey, District Governor, Bea Macliz, Lt. Gov. of Education & Training, Hal Lunka Club Coach, Gayle Perron-Krawetz, Eastern Div. Governor & Tom Hobbs, Lt. Gov Marketing attended the Tuesday morning meeting to honor the group.
RegMasters # 1829090
Est: 6/1/2011
Active Network Office - Canyon Conference Room
4750 Walnut St, Ste 100
Boulder, CO
303-376-1805
Meeting Time: 7:30 - 8:30 AM
Tuesdays
Club Status: Membership eligibility criteria required - Contact club at Janine.russell@activenetwork.com
District 26 clubs are urged to update their web sites with the brand refresh. Send us a link and we’ll post your new image to the district web site.
BackWords cannot describe the way Words Take Flight Toastmasters members felt to receive their club charter only six months after forming. These Toastmasters are proud — of their accomplishments, their colleagues’ dedication and improvement, and the club’s overall progress. Pride has helped this group achieve success.
In January 2011, a fledgling group of co-workers from Air Academy Federal Credit Union (AAFCU) in Colorado Springs gathered in a conference room to discuss the formation of a professional speaking and leadership group. From that meeting, sprung a group of Toastmasters—ready to learn, ready to lead and ready to grow.
Though not yet chartered, Jo-Ann Moore, president of Words Take Flight Toastmasters Club, led a group of people willing to take the necessary leaps and bounds to take the new club to the next level – ultimate success.
Over the next six months, the group grew to include non-AAFCU employees and each member completed their icebreaker speech at minimum—with some members completing up to their sixth speech!
“With each visiting Toastmasters veteran, Words Take Flight received accolades for the amazing achievements by all its members.”
In June, their dream came to fruition. Words Take Flight received their club charter! After being told that some clubs collapse under the pressure to attract new members, with some remaining unchartered for years, this group rose to the challenge with which they were presented.
On September 9, 2011, Words Take Flight will hold their Charter Ceremony at AAFCU in Colorado Springs. Employees of Air Academy’s senior management team, along with area Toastmasters leaders, will be there to witness the presentation of the club’s charter certificate and a demonstration meeting, including speeches by two of the club’s members and a group speech presented by all Words Take Flight Toastmasters.
With heads and hearts that are big and open, Words Take Flight Toastmasters have their eyes on the prize — hoping to achieve the title of “President’s Distinguished Club” by June 2012.
Visit the Words Take Flight website Club Calendar for more details, or contact Beth Wade, vice president of public relations at bwade@aafcu.com. This is an open event; however, RSVPs are required.
BackAugust 17, 2011. The Grand Ballroom, Bally’s, Las Vegas, Nevada, site of Toastmasters’ 80th Annual International Convention. The Opening Ceremonies Parade of Flags from every country in the world where a Toastmasters club is chartered. AWESOME!
The announcer’s voice declared, "Presenting the flag of Angola," and the parade began, each of the 116 country’s flags was proudly carried by a Toastmaster from their country. If a Toastmaster was not present from a country, a flag bearer volunteer proudly carried that flag.
By the time the International Toastmasters’ President’s flag of her country, Canada, along with the Toastmasters’ International flag was presented, the 2,000 plus Toastmasters had applauded each country’s colors. Then “presenting the flag of the United States of America” brought a roar of approval. For many of us standing for these flags, it would be the highlight of the conference.
After the previous three days of training and planning, district officers from all over the world joined their members in this the kick-off ceremony which truly set an international tone of celebration. Many members of District 26 expressed an emotional response to the atmosphere of pride in an organization that flourishes across national boundaries.
The Toastmasters’ newly-branded logo emblazoned the jumbotron as spotlights played over the celebrants. Following the antics of stand-up comic Dan Nainan, the motivational keynote address by Dave Logan, author of Tribal Leadership, offered insightful observations about innovation and the process of change and growth.
Other highlights included the 2011 Golden Gavel Award, Toastmasters’ highest honor to a non-Toastmaster, conferred upon author, lecturer, Robin Sharma for his accomplishments in leadership and culture awareness.
During the Hall of Fame, District Governor Norm Frickey accepted the “Excellence in Education and Training Award” on behalf of District 26 for successfully promoting outstanding educational programming in clubs.
Attendees took advantage of the many communication and leadership educational sessions. Their options included a presentation by D26’s own Byron Embry, "Leadership Assassination: There is a Hit Man Out for Your Character."
During the annual business meeting delegates from around the world carrying 17,808 ballots (District 26 represented 104 clubs) elected next year’s International President Michael Natoro and International Directors including James Sultan from Region 1.
Saturday featured the top nine international speech contestants vying to become the World Champion of Public Speaking with the 2011 title going to Jock Elliot of Bongaree, Queensland, Australia.
The evening finale brought Toastmasters together to “dine and dance in elegance at an extravagant closing event, the International President’s Dinner Dance and installation of officers.
But the real finale took place in a small conference room on the second floor where the 20-year tradition of Irish storytelling and sing along epitomized Toastmasters’ true international flavor. Songs and stories flavored by the performers’ accent entertained.
Then someone sang "Happy Birthday" to Dan Rex, Toastmasters International Executive Director. The small crowd listened in delight as one by one participants saluted Dan by singing happy birthday in 17 different languages.
District 26 Toastmasters in Attendance Included:
I attended a modest meeting of club officers the other day where the club president said she was thinking about nominating me to be the unofficial club coach. I got a kick out of the comment because the theme of our previous week’s meeting was “Advice”. As flattered as I was, I couldn’t help thinking I tend to give to darn much advice.
Still, I knew by her tone that she was sincere (one of her many good qualities). Then another member (who happens to be a very gracious person) echoed the sentiment. A third one, who broke away from an important job to attend the meeting, nodded her head. It was all so heart-felt that a small tear visited my right eye.
Anyway, all of this got me to thinking.
Imagine, two sets of two women each, who all go to the same restaurant once per week. Let’s call the first duo the Fair Team. The other couple will be the Investor Team.
Every week, when the tab comes, the members of the Fair Team inspect the bill and each one pays exactly what she owes, nothing less, nothing more. It’s exactly fair. They are judicious, appropriate and content.
The Investor team started off doing the same thing, but eventually one of the ladies paid the entire bill for her team. The next week she did the same thing, then again. After several such episodes, the other woman was so touched by her friend’s kindness and generosity she wanted to repay the favor, so she picked up the tab for both of them.
Over time, they randomly bought each other’s lunch at whim. They did not take turns because that would be too structured, an exercise in fairness, rather than a gesture borne out of kindness and appreciation. After about a year, the two women unknowingly picked up the bill roughly the same number of times and were therefore essentially even.
By that time, everybody on both teams had paid out about the same amount of money, and they all got in return the same number of meals; only there was one difference__the Fair Team did everything they were supposed to do and received everything they could reasonably expect, but nothing more. It was bland, cut and dry, devoid of emotion.
In the alternative, the other team invested in each other because they genuinely wanted to show each other how much they meant to each other. As a result, they spent half their time enjoying free meals and the other half of the time enjoying the pleasure of generosity and caring and connecting to their partner. It was like an enormous interest payment for their investment in each other. Oddly, it cost them nothing more than the first group, but they got so much more in return.
If you are wondering what all this has to do with Toastmasters, I think a good club is like that investment team, only to a much greater degree. It may be true that I have some coaching or mentoring ability, but as we saw in the first paragraph, all members add valuable traits, experiences and knowledge to the mix. But unlike the Investor ladies, our club has over 20 members. Therefore, if I can invest a little time in my Toastmasters friends and enjoy a 20-to-1 return, I’d be crazy not to.
Albert Einstein is credited with saying, "Compound Interest is the Eighth Wonder of the World." Most Toastmasters know exactly what he meant.
Now, you’ll have to excuse me; I have to go find my clipboard and whistle.
Inspired by Dave Thyfault, the Dialogue will now include a first-person account of up to 600 words on a Toastmasters-related experience. The column title will be IN MY OWN WORDS. You are asked to include a title for your article and please proofread before submission as we will not be editing. We want to hear from you!
BackAugust was an exceptional month as D26 leaders dealt with the challenges of the Toastmasters International brand refresh. Numerous district leaders attended the conference in Las Vegas and the web team was chomping at the bit in anticipation of the release of the new logo and brand elements. When we gained access to the virtual web portal we began to “brand’ our new district web site. This is a time-consuming endeavor as, for the most part, we’re learning on the job. Images have to be downloaded and resized, content has to be verified, we have to work out some kinks and updating the calendar is an ongoing task.
Webmaster Jonathan Sterner built the site and Alex Pyle, as web administrator, has diligently ensured things run smoothly. After patiently waiting three years, Julia K. Davis’ vision for D26 has become a reality. I’m privileged to work with such an AWESOME TEAM!
We’re slightly off our time schedule this month. Gordon Savage did not get a full week to post the Dialogue, Hugh Curley’s new speakers bureau web pages are not up yet and, if I have overlooked an article you submitted, I apologize and ask that you bring it to my attention.
BackOne of the most rewarding aspects of attending a District TLI or a district conference is the networking opportunities they provide. You meet so many interesting and incredible Toastmasters. Another rewarding aspect of attending those two events is that the district book store is at both. When you put those opportunities together you get what is commonly called in the marketing world, “added value”.
I am not sure who first coined the phrase but I do know that whoever did coin the phrase was suggesting that organizations and businesses look at how they could better market employee or member benefits.
The focal point was mostly internal in the beginning; an attempt to revitalize and emphasize the benefits of belonging to or working for a specific businesses or organization.
So – what does that mean? When you attend any district sponsored event you are among a myriad of Toastmasters with diverse interests, backgrounds, and experiences that add value to your attendance and networking efforts. When you attend any district sponsored event you are also afforded an opportunity to review resources, books, manuals, promotional items, etc. first hand as a tangible item, not a picture on-line.
As you take advantage of the opportunity afforded to you at the bookstore you find that you enter into conversations with other Toastmasters about the materials. As you converse, share, compare and evaluate you realize that you have just experienced the “added value” of being a Toastmaster in District 26.
This is just one way that the district book store provides “added value” to district events. Many of the conversations entered into during a browse around the bookstore turn into long term relationships. They become focused on mentoring and supporting each other.
These conversations are the catalyst for another dimension of “added value” for you. They inspire new ideas for offerings in the bookstore and they complete the circle of reward for attending those events. We learn from the educational component of the event, we grow from the networking opportunity, we are nurtured by the camaraderie, and we find assurance and follow through in the offerings available at the bookstore. "Added value", what a concept!
The next time you are at a district event, take advantage of the opportunity to engage in the bookstore experience. You won’t be disappointed!
Niki Moore, DTM, manages the book store and is also co-chair of the club coach program, southern division.
BackBall Jars to Stars, a corporate club formed at Ball Aerospace in 2004, was once a thriving Toastmasters Club. However, over the years, membership waned. By early 2011, they had dropped to 12. Company layoffs took a toll in addition to normal attrition.
The core of determined members sought help from Betty Chavira, the district coaching chairperson. It was fate which brought a member of Ball Jars to Stars and a willing club coach together at Betty’s club coaching session at the Toastmasters Leadership Institute in January of 2011. With Betty’s matchmaking and helpful guidance, the club began a five-month process that would become a remarkable success story.
Club officers Joe Girard, Dave Gutow, Kathleen Schulz, Mark vonBokern, and Kym Wootton teamed up with their new club coach, Gayle Perron-Krawetz, to set plans in motion for Ball Jars to Stars to become a Distinguished Club. Two members diligently worked to complete their Competent Communicators; giving more than one speech per month.
The club, with input from the coach and officers became a community club, agreed to meet weekly instead of bi-weekly, changed the day of the week they met, and as if that were not enough, they changed their meeting location. Two Toastmasters from Speak with Ease came in to present Successful Club Series modules and another member of that club distributed flyers to local businesses advertising the club as part of a Competent Leader project.
Within two months of the major re-vamping that was undertaken, Ball Jars to Stars has gone from 12 to 27 members! They give standing ovations for ice breaker speeches and implemented a mentoring program. The once struggling club is back on track and came into the station on June 30th as a Distinguished Club! What began as a hopeful plan for a struggling club, ended as a true success story!
Read more in the Club Coach Weekly published by District 8.
Norm Frickey had it right in his comment about receiving recognition at the International Convention, “We all did this together.” Toastmasters is a team effort. That effort starts at the club level. In fact, it’s part of the club mission statement. A mutually supportive environment requires that the members of the club – the team – work together to achieve their goals. That mutual support isn’t limited to positive feedback for a speech.
We support each other by performing meeting roles, by taking on club offices and going to training for those offices, by organizing club events such as membership campaigns, by helping out with speechcraft or youth leadership, …. The list goes on and on. The key element of mutual support is that we all participate.
Granted, not everyone can contribute as much. Life gets in the way. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” Work, family, friends and other responsibilities may keep us from meetings or interfere with preparation at times. Likewise, We don’t all have the same skills and talents. We can only contribute within our capabilities and situations.
That said, we do have a responsibility to do our part. We not only need to “repay” the support other members give us as best we can, but we owe it to ourselves to learn by supporting others. We learn leadership by taking responsibility to serve our fellow members. We learn communication skills not only by being a speaker but also by taking on the other roles – even audience member – that come our way.
Ask yourself what you are doing to support your club. Then ask yourself what could you be doing to support your club. Finally, make up your mind to do something about it. After all, it’s a team effort. Be an active part of the team.
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.
~H.E. Luccock
Publisher / Governor
Norman Frickey, DTM
Home: 303-833-0567
Cell: 303-775-1106
Email: dg1112@d26leaders.org
Editor
Gordon S. Savage, DTM
36923 Forest Trail
Elizabeth, CO 80107-8126
Phone: 303-646-0547
Email: gordonsavage@msn.com
Public Relations
Layout & design
Contributing Editor
Carol A. Harris, ACB
Email: pro1112@d26leaders.org