Hello from our new member

My name is Lacey Garrett, and I am currently working for NW Natural in our Marketing Department. I have worked for NW Natural for the passed 6 years and have had the opportunity to work in a many different departments. My current role at NW Natural is managing a program offered to our customers called Service Solutions.

I attended the University of Utah on a full ride scholarship for swimming and received my associated degree in Marketing and then transferred to Portland State receiving my Bachelors’ Degree in Graphic Design.

When I am not working I enjoy spending time with nieces and nephew. I also enjoy going to the gym, hiking, and taking spinning classes at the gym. When time allows I also spend time volunteering for the Special Olympics and at the Hands on of Portland.

With this experience I am hoping to gain better public speaking skills and also be more confident when speaking. I tend to get very nervous and laugh when I speak. I hope through this I can break those habits. I am very excited and ready to dive in!

Our Open House meeting is coming up: Wednesday, April 27th at 12:05 pm

How we doin’? (Part 1)

Tip of the Week:  Every good organization, large, tiny, or in between, has a system to determine if it is meeting its standards for success.  Toastmasters is no different.  Toastmasters International has developed the Distinguished Club Plan (DCP), a series of 10 goals that clubs may use to gauge their progress and whether they are meeting the goals of their members.  Six of the ten goals are tied to the Toastmasters Educational program, two are tied to club membership growth, one is related to officer training, and one is related to administrative goals.

Clubs are asked to meet at least five of the ten DCP goals to reach the respected “Distinguished Club Status” over the course of a Toastmasters year (July through June).  If a club meets 7 or 8 goals, they reach “Select Distinguished Club” status.  And reaching 9-10 goals gives a club the coveted “President’s Distinguished Club” status. Our club receives a ribbon for our banner – which we will reveal next week!!! – each year we earn Distinguished Club status.  Electric Toasters has met or exceeded Distinguished Club status the last two years.  A recent history of Electric Toasters Distinguished Club status is below.

In Electric Toasters, the club President and VP-Education are tasked with tracking our member’s progress toward their own goals and collectively as they relate to the DCP. As of now, Electric Toasters has met six of the ten DCP goals.  If we stopped now, we would be recognized as a Distinguished Club.  However, we have another three goals squarely in sight, so we have a good chance to become a President’s Distinguished Club for the first time since 2004! 

We have another method to determine our success as a club – I will write about that in next week’s “Tip of the Week.”  Below is a summary of Electric Toasters DCP goals and our status towards meeting them.

Electric Toasters 2010-2011 Distinguished Club Program Status

Goal #1 – Two CC’s.  Status – Close to meeting.  Sarah Mammen received her CC award; Laurel Vallarta is three speeches away from her CC.

Goal #2 – Two More CC’s.  Status – Likely will not meet.  Ania Osinska-Bulloff is the only other person within striking distance of receiving a CC award.

Goal #3 – One AC Advanced.  Status – Have met.  Carrie Henderson received her ACB.

Goal #4 – One More AC Advanced.  Status – Close to meeting.  Chris Trappe is two speeches away from her ACB.

Goal #5 – One AL Advanced.  Status – Have met.  Jason Kent received his ALB.

Goal #6 – One More AL Advanced.  Status – Close to meeting.  Craig Jones is one speech away from his ALB.

Goal #7 – Four New Members.  Status – Have met.  Mike Fajen, Steve Wilcox, Jake Haas, and Amy Van Camp are new members since July 1, 2010.

Goal #8 – Four More New Members.  Status – Have met.  Sean Byram, Jackie Scherer, Chris Trappe, and Stephen Connor are also new members.

Goal #9 – Minimum of Four Club Officers Trained During Each Of Two Training Periods.  Status – Have met. 

Goal #10 – One Membership Renewal Report Submitted On Time AND One Club Officer List Submitted On Time.  Status – Have met. 

Electric Toasters Distinguished Club History

President's Distinguished Club - the highest level of recognition available. The club met the membership prerequisite and achieved at least nine of the 10 goals. 2003-2004 Select Distinguished Club - the club met the membership prerequisite and achieved seven or eight of the 10 goals. 2004-2005 2005-2006 2009-2010 Distinguished Club - the club met the membership prerequisite and achieved at least five of the 10 goals. 2008-2009

By Jason Kent, VP Education

Tip of the Week: Armchair Evaluations

That perforated sheet of paper we get every week isn’t just for voting for Best Speaker and such! One of the great things about Toastmasters is the instant feedback, because we can improve as speakers only when we learn what our strengths and our weaknesses are!  I encourage everyone to use the sheets to write a little note of encouragement to the prepared speaker and/or Toastmaster after their speeches.  Let the speaker know what they did right and should continue doing, and/or let them know one thing that they should work on for next time. You can hand the little slip of paper to the speaker after the meeting…we also are talking about getting tiny little buckets to pass around for the Armchair Evaluations!

Published by Jason Kent, VP Education

The Evaluation Contest Results

The Evaluation Contest featured Peter Pincetl with his speech "The Bus is Leaving" and three contestants: Kerry Dugan, Jason Kent and Steve Wilcox. Three different styles of presentation and one great speech, as Jeff Brooks stated. Kerry was upbeat and specific, Jason analytical and clear, Steve positive and courageous - it was only his second evaluation! Thank you for stepping in on the fly, Steve, and thank you to all the contestants for a real evaluation treat, thank you to judges, contest chairs and leaders.

Second place was granted to Jason Kent - congrats! The winner of our club contest is Kerry Dugan and he will be participating in the next level of the Evaluation Contest. Asked why is it worth it to participate, Kerry said he loves competing and it's like being a horse waiting and itching for its race. You practice and improve during meetings and every contest is a test of what you've gained, learned and practiced so far.

We will keep you posted as soon as we know any set dates for the next level and will continue to keep our fingers crossed for Kerry. I want to join Jeff in encouraging everyone to look out for those dates and come with spouses, partners, family and friends to support our club's winner and hear the winners from other clubs. It's an incredible experience not only for us, Toastmasters, but anyone really, which allows us to take away a few things for our speaking, business and life experiences.

By Ania Osińska-Bulloff, VP Public Relations

Our New Member, Jackie Scherer, says hi!

Hello, my name is Jackie Scherer, and I am a User Experience Designer for Viewpoint Construction Software.  I work to design software and other digital environments for optimal performance and experience.  My professional background includes user interface design and development, graphic design, marketing, and project management. 

User Experience Design is a new field with its own set of language.  Sometimes the concepts in UX Design can be difficult to explain, but it has become increasingly relevant in our lives in the Smartphone Era.  I need to be able to convey the importance of good design in simple terms to a variety of audiences – from engineers to business people.  I hope Toastmasters can better prepare me to quickly gather and deliver my thoughts in a impactful and compelling way.

My main creative outlet outside of work is singing and songwriting.  (I would describe my style as “Soulful Nu Jazz”).  My athletic side enjoys skiing, yoga, and running.  I have spent most of my life in the Portland area.  I got my Bachelors’ Degree in Graphic Design at Western State College in a small town called Gunnison, Colorado.  I ended up there because of my competitive skiing background.  Gunnison is nearby Crested Butte, a world class ski resort where I skied up to four days a week, and I was crazy enough to compete in the US Extreme Freeskiing Championships.  I’m still an adrenaline junkie, but I’ve mellowed out since then!

By Jackie Scherer

Tip of the Week: Why we time...

For many people, time seems to “get away” from us while we’re speaking.  Toastmasters can help that from happening!  Since Ralph C. Smedley founded Toastmasters in 1924, meeting segments and roles have been timed.  Smedley’s reasoning was that speakers needed to be held accountable to stay on time.  That sentiment was eventually put to use for all speaking roles in a Toastmaster’s meeting.  It helps us get all of our crowded agenda in to that short hour between 12 Noon and 1 PM!  Before a meeting starts, the Timer should get together with the General Evaluator to confirm the times of the speeches – most are 5-7 minutes long, but there are several exceptions (the Ice Breaker speech is 4-6 minutes, and most of the Advanced Communication Manuals include speeches with vastly differing lengths).  And the Timer’s Report should include the target time for each speaker as well as the actual time.

By Jason Kent, VP Education