Tip of the Week: Leaders Wanted!

Each year we get to elect a new group of officers of the Electric Toasters.  The time is fast approaching!  We will have our election in early June and the first meeting of the new officers later on in June.  Start thinking today about what your role could be in setting the direction of the Electric Toasters in the next year! 

From the Toastmasters International website, here is a brief description of the officer roles.  Please contact Ania Osinska-Bulloff to “throw your hat in the ring” and help lead our club!

President
As president, you are responsible for providing the supportive club environment members need to fulfill their self-development goals, making sure that members benefit from the Toastmasters educational program, and helping the club recruit new members and retain current ones.

Vice President Education
As vice president education, you are responsible for providing and maintaining the positive environment and the programs through which members can learn and grow. If you do your job well, your club will have satisfied members and will continue to grow.

Vice President Membership
As vice president membership, you are responsible for building membership and ensuring a strong membership base by satisfying the needs of all members. Your efforts contribute to the success of the club.

Vice President Public Relations
As vice president public relations, you are responsible for coordinating an active public relations and publicity program. Your job is vital to the growth and success of the club; your efforts help to attract new members.

Secretary
As secretary, you are responsible for keeping clear and accurate records of club business, including membership records and correspondence with Toastmasters International’s World Headquarters and others.

Treasurer
As treasurer, you are responsible for keeping clear and accurate financial records of club business and for seeing that the club remains financially stable.

Sergeant at Arms
As the sergeant at arms, you are responsible for maintaining club properties, arranging the meeting room and welcoming members and guests at each meeting.

Letter from our Area 71 Governor, Jeff Brooks

Area 71 Presidents and VP Eds – I want to personally thank each of you and your respective clubs for making last night’s contest a success.  We had seven Area 71 contestants and a lively group of supporters.  Our judges were from other areas and they all commented how well attended and “fun” our contest was.  Success is not one person but the group working together, so again thank you.

Please recognize the individual contestants at your next TM meeting:

• Howard Cutler, Mike Fajen and John Rockwood gave tremendous speaking performances.  John (Howard if John is not able to attend) will represent Area 71 at the Division contest April 5^th at Good Sam Hospital.

• Caroline Harris Crowne, Cody Eliot, Rebecca Rapple and Emily Wilson each brought their own mix of passion and personality to their evaluation delivery.   Cody (Rebecca if Cody is not able to attend) will represent Area 71 at the Division contest April 5th at Good Sam Hospital.

Lastly, I would like to especially thank those contestants who participated for the first time.  It takes special courage and guts to leave the comfort zone your club and step up to the front of an unfamiliar room the first time.  For me this is what makes all the effort that goes into these events worthwhile.

Thank you!

Jeff / Area 71 Governor

PS. Let’s bring the Area 71 enthusiasm to support the  Area 71 contestants at the Division contest April 5th.  Spread the word……………… :)

Electric Toasters International Speech Contest Results!

 

Craig Jones won our Electric Toasters International Speech Contest and Mike Fajen won second prize today. The winner will compete in the Area International Speech Contest this Monday, 3/19, and has the potential to advance to the Division and District Contests, as well as the Semifinal and Final International Speech Contests which will be held at the Toastmasters International Convention in August in Orlando, Florida. Doesn't warm Florida sound fantastic right now?! Fingers crossed for our contestants and many thanks to all who competed and organized the contest!

Would you like to hear some incredibly inspirational speeches from other speakers, spot the future International Speech Champion, get ideas for your new speech or evaluation, and watch different delivery techniques? Then be sure to come to the Area International Contest on Monday, 3/19 (6:30 pm, 6:00 pm - speakers and judges)  at Terwilliger Plaza. Especially since Electric Toasters' very own Area Governor, Jeff Brooks, will be running the show and two ET members, Rebecca Rapple and Craig Jones, will be competing in the Evaluation and Speech pieces of  the contest!

What a show! Electric Toasters Speech Evaluation Contest

Great turnout and oh, so many evaluation contestants! We heard a phenomenal speech by Ryan Avery from Portland Timbers and five contestants delivered really thorough feedback in their stellar evaluations last Wednesday. Hats off to all of them for their courage, great analytical skills, and sharp eyes and ears to give valuable feedback to Ryan.

There has to be a winner, though, and in this year’s contest first prize went to Rebecca Rapple and second prize went to Angela Mohoney. Rebecca will be competing at the next level of the Evaluation Contest on Monday, March 19th at Terwilliger Plaza. I hope to see you all there!

Our contestants, Toastmaster Craig Jones and Speaker, Ryan Avery (speaking)

Table of judges and spectators

All the contestants meeting

Meet our new VP of Public Relations: Jeff Brooks!

 

I realize this picture is a little outdated (it's end of February!) but it tells so much about our new VP of PR. Make sure to have a chat with him next time you see him, to see what I mean ;-)

Here's a better one:

Enjoying a first place trophy, after a 28 mile mountain trail endurance run this past October!

You can read more about Jeff here.

Thanks for taking the role, Jeff!

Tip of the Week: Expand your horizons and be a contest chair!

For our upcoming contests, we will need a lot of roles to be filled.  No role is more important than the Contest Chair.  Over the past couple of years, the contest chair role has been filled by the same one or two people.  This time around, let’s give someone else a chance!  The role is not that complicated, and you will have lots of help.  If you’ve seen a contest before, you are qualified!  You also get credit for a project in your Competent Leadership Manual (and we’re ALL working in the Leadership manual, right?? ;-)  Also, since the International Speech Contest on March 14 is for members that have completed 6 or more manual speeches, if you haven’t reached this threshold yet you would be perfect for this role!  Please contact Jason to volunteer for this important and gratifying role.

Tip of the Week: Our #2 asset?

Our club’s #1 asset is YOU – our members!  But what is our second best asset? That would be our ALMOST new members – our guests!  The old saying goes strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. At Electric Toasters, guests are ET Members that haven’t joined yet. When you see a member, introduce yourself with a smile!  You don’t need to strike up a conversation and talk about religion and politics, but just be a friendly face and welcome them genuinely to the club. See that they sign the guestbook and get a name card filled out. Be available to answer any questions they might have about the club, or find an officer that could answer more specific questions. If we do this consistently, odds are our guests will become members AND friends in due time.