A word from President Dan

Time flies so fast, life becomes a blur. It seems like yesterday we started the club and now we have taken wings. Our awesome members are the wind beneath our wings.

Our website www.toastmasterswhitbypros.org is really turning out to be a big benefit to our club as a communications tool. As members make sure you go to the Members area and sign up as a site member and there you will find the agenda, the contact list and the role/duties descriptions. It is super easy and you will love the ease of checking in to see what your role for this week is and what roles and themes are coming.

All our newsletters are posted on our website for reference.

I have never belonged to a club or organization where the members used the word “Love” so often. That has become our reality. We love our club.

This week’s meeting was awesome; we had a special Table Topics where everyone got to participate. Mitchell Notarangelo was Table Topics Master and turned us all into philosophers.

We were successful in getting everyone to buy-in to the fact that Robert’s Rules of Order is an important part of having a successful club. We are on a TidBit approach to getting everyone up to speed on proper business session conduct. Just a little bit of sugar helps the lessons go down.

A couple of members asked me, why was the last meeting turn out smaller than usual. A very good question that is best explained by the following info provided in the Toastmasters International (TI) Club Training Manual…

Membership Growth:

Membership turnover is unavoidable as members move, change jobs, or encounter other situations that take them away from the club. A club must continually strive to bring in new members to combat this natural turnover, to provide a stronger leadership base, and to bring a flow of fresh new ideas and personalities. At year-end (June 30), a club should have at least 20 members OR a net growth of at least five new members.

This is exactly what happens sometimes. For instance, our next meeting will have a large turnout, based on what the members are telling me about their schedules and a bunch of people recovering from colds and flu.

Am I worried about our numbers? Absolutely not! But I now recognize just how many things can keep members away. So; based on lessons learned we will go for the 30 members that we used to think was too many.

We currently have 24 members and a few more pending, so we are in good shape. We just can’t rest on our laurels.

The bottom line here is that we have a healthy membership who demonstrate how much they love our awesome club.

Your executive is committed to continue to follow Toastmasters International Values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence.

Dan
dan.white@taxauditsolutions.com

Update from Education Director, Julie

Hello everyone, this week we answer some questions about evaluations. Evaluating is front and centre of a Toastmasters Club. it is equally important to give and receive feedback. As members work on their skills the club grows in experience and expertise!

Can an evaluator require a member to repeat a project?

You might wonder, is this possible if I didn’t meet all of the project objectives? The answer is No. Evaluators are simply individuals offering their opinions and perceptions of a speech or performance. If a speech does not meet project objectives, an evaluator should point out what the speaker did well and also point out the areas where the speaker could improve, as in a normal evaluation. The evaluator could then suggest, in private, that the speaker repeat the project. Ultimately, the member must decide if the evaluator’s opinion is valid and if a speech project should be repeated.

If a speaker wants more time for a speech than given, can he revise the time with the vice president education’s approval?

The answer is No. One of the lessons to be practiced in speech training is that of expressing a thought within a specific time. Timing is treated the same as any other project objective. For example, if one of the objectives of a project speech is to use gestures effectively and the member focuses instead on vocal variety, the member has not met the objective and the evaluator should point this out. The same is true if the time for a speech is five to seven minutes and the member speaks for eight minutes. The evaluator should point out that the speech length requirement was not
met.

Can the vice president education (VPE) refuse to approve a member’s level completion or Project Completion Record if the VPE believes the member could have performed better?

The answer is No. The Toastmasters program is self-motivated and self-paced. If a member chooses not to do their best when completing projects, that is their choice. Although the VPE certainly can encourage the member to do better, the VPE does not have the authority to refuse to approve the level completion or Project Completion Record. Keep in mind, too, that people’s natural abilities vary. For example, one person may devote 10-12 hours preparing a speech and struggle with meeting project objectives or not meet them at all. However, that person did the best they could. Another member working on the same project may devote only one to two hours of preparation and meet all of the objectives with ease. The VPE should be sensitive to this.

If a member’s Table Topics speech went overtime, can they still be included when the club votes for Best Table Topics?

The answer is “No,” it is important that we learn to be conscious of time.

Can guests to the club participate in voting for Best Table Topics Speaker of the meeting?

This recognition is optional so each club is free to decide who is permitted to vote. in our club, we welcome guests to vote for best Table Topics Speaker.

Cheers,
Julie