Eight Ways to LOSE New Members

1. Let visitors sit alone and don’t bother them.

2. Have no guest packets on hand to give out.

3. Have an Ah-Bell or clicker and use it freely.

4. Put your visitors on the spot by asking “would you like to participate in Table Topics?”

5. The Timer should mention that a speaker will be "disqualified" if the target time is not met.

6. Have a lengthy Grammarian report that focuses mainly on insignificant errors.

7. Have a boring meeting. Then allow the meeting to go over time.

8. Ask them to “come back and visit as often as you like.”

Training as a Team Is the Best Way to Go

District 25 believes in the old saying "the team that trains together, works well together."

OK, maybe that saying isn't very old, but it's true!

Our TLI General Sessions are designed to benefit club teams, officers from the same club, attending and sitting together. (Yes, you could take notes and report back, but it's not the same as when everyone hears the same thing at the same time and can participate in team discussion.)

At the winter officer trainings, we have a special incentive for your officer team to attend training together.

If four or more officers from your club attend on the SAME training date, each will receive a FREE Competent Communication manual!

Did I hear you say you don't need a CC manual?

• If you have finished your CC, start another one for next year's DCP goals.
• Pass it on to another member who needs it.
• Put it in your club's supplies, to be available when needed. (A single CC manual costs $8, so this will save club funds.)

Already signed up for training and want to change your date? Just send a note to events@d25toastmasters.org. Then register again on the TLI page for the date you want.

Another little bonus: Every officer who attends training will get the desirable and popular "Where Leaders Are Made" magnet! 

Facts and Myths About the Competent Leadership Manual

Many of you who have attended officer training this summer took home a brand-new Competent Leadership (CL) manual as part of our "Take Your Team to Training" incentive.

If you are starting that new manual or need to finish an old one, here are some tips on doing it the right way.

How to finish your CL manual in a timely manner:

• Bring your manual to EVERY meeting, even if you do not have an assigned role, in case you are called upon at the last minute.
• Keep track of what you’ve done. Mark off each role for which you have been evaluated on the Project Completion Record page (usually in the back, unless you have an older manual). 
• You are not required to complete every role in every project, or do the projects in strict sequence. Some only require you to “complete 2 of 3” for example. When a project is complete, have your VP education initial it. 
• Plan ahead for the roles that may take longer or are hard to come by (chair or mentor, for example). Consult with your VP education about how to complete these. Volunteer for the roles you need.

What you may NOT do in the CL manual:

• Get credit for more than one leadership role in a single meeting. If you are both the ah-counter and a speech evaluator, you’ll need to choose only one for a leadership evaluation.
• Ask to be evaluated after you have already performed your role. The leadership evaluator should be asked beforehand so he or she can observe you in action and write comments that are meaningful.
• Check off roles and projects retroactively from information in old agendas or scheduling software. The whole point of the manual is for you to benefit from real-time, on-the-spot evaluations.
• Get credit for roles performed outside the club such as area or division contest helpers. The CL manual is for club meeting roles and activities. (The one exception is Project 9, HPL Guidance Committee Member.)

Take Your Team to Training!

District 25 believes in the old saying "the team that trains together, works well together."

OK, maybe that saying isn't very old, but it's true!

Our TLI General Sessions are designed to benefit club teams, officers from the same club, attending and sitting together. (Yes, you could take notes and report back, but it's not the same as when everyone hears the same thing at the same time and can participate in team discussion.)

At this summer's officer trainings, we have a special incentive for your officer team to attend training together.

If four or more officers from your club attend on the SAME training date, each will receive a FREE Competent Leadership manual!

Did I hear you say you don't need a CL manual?

• If you have finished your CL, start another one for next year's DCP goals.
• Pass it on to another member who needs it.
• Put it in your club's supplies, to be available when needed. (A single CL manual costs $8, so this will save club funds.)

Already signed up for training and want to change your date? Just send a note to events@d25toastmasters.org. Then register again on the TLI page for the date you want.

Another little bonus: Every officer who attends training will get the desirable and popular "Ask Me About Toastmasters" button! 

World Champions Score Again!

David Brooks, 1990 World Champion

What a priviledge to be able to work with David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking and Jock Elliott, 2011 World Champion of Public Speaking in order to bring a special event to the members of both District 25 and District 50. These two World Champions graciously arranged to fly in from New York City for one unforgettable evening just to address the nearly 200 members present at the event.

Jock Elliott, 2011 World Champion

These two gentlemen shared inside tips on the Essentials of Effective Speaking, including a few gems for all to take away:

• Write your speech word for word in order to edit it.
• Use the Readability Statistics in MS Word to show you:
• what level your writing is
• word count, etc.
• Maintain a file of personal stories and file them by emotion for future use

David Brooks and Cindy Hinckley

Three lucky members won door prizes donated by Jock and David. Please consider taking advantage of future unexpected opportunities when they are offered. Chances like this special event enhance your Toastmasters journey as well as providing unforgettable moments.

Stay tuned for future opportunities!

Check out both David Brooks and Jock Elliott's websites for yourselves.

Resources:

http://davidbrookstexas.com/
http://www.davidbrookstexas.com/blog-azine/
http://www.davidbrookstexas.com/resources/
http://www.jockelliott.com/

What is an HPL Project Anyway?

Many Toastmasters find the Leadership Excellence Award (also known as the High Performance Leadership project) a huge stumbling block on the path to their Distinguished Toastmaster Award.

As stated on the Toastmasters International website:

High Performance Leadership

High Performance Leadership features five projects offering instruction and practice in such vital leadership areas as developing a vision, goal-setting and planning, developing plans and strategies, and team-building. It also gives you feedback on your leadership skills. The program may be completed within your Toastmasters club, area or district, and even within your company or community.Perhaps you would enjoy taking on a project for your club or district while serving as an officer or committee chairman. Or, if you are an employee or supervisor in a business organization, you could do a leadership project related to the needs of your organization. Other possibilities include projects for your community, church, an association or professional group, or some other organization. Your project can be almost anything, so long as it is legal, ethical, and socially responsible, and your activities are not represented as being endorsed by Toastmasters International. 

When can you start an HPL project? I would suggest anytime after completing your CC and CL. There is no need to wait for other awards to be earned.

What steps should you take?

• Order your materials from Toastmasters International
• Form your committee
• Come up with your project

These are the initial steps and can be done in any order. If you need direction please contact me at cindyhinckley@d25toastmasters.org and I will be happy to assist you.

Make Your Club Meeting a Golden Gavel Award Winner

Why are Golden Gavel meetings so special? They are quality meetings!

Your club can be a Golden Gavel winner by meeting certain requirements.

Clubs with well-run, lively, and educational meetings that meet the needs of their members earn the Golden Gavel Award. This award is recognized with a ribbon that can be added to the club banner.

The club must meet all of the following criteria:

• Members and guests are greeted warmly and enthusiastically.
• Meeting starts and adjourns on time.
• 15 or more club members must be present (clubs with fewer than 20 members must have 75% of members present).
• At least one non-Toastmaster guest is present.
• There is applause after every speaker - functionaries included.
• All speeches are MANUAL speeches.
• Evaluations are both specific and supportive.
• Participants are positively recognized and ribbons/rotating trophies are awarded.
• Members and guests have name tags/badges OR are provided with table tents with their names.
• Printed agendas are distributed and followed with 3 or fewer assignment changes to the agenda.
• Table Topics are interesting and/or fun - participants are able to speak the full time period.

Get your thinking caps on and start planning your club's Golden Gavel meeting today. Don't forget to invite guests to this special meeting, including your Area Governor or other District Leader to witness what a great job you did! Then your club can proudly display the Golden Gavel Ribbon on your club banner.

The Importance of Originality in Contest Speeches

Our spring contest season is approaching and clubs are preparing for their club contests. It is vital that all of our contestants know the importance of originality in their speeches and exactly what this means.

According to the 2014 Speech Contest Rulebook, page 6 section 4 Speech Subject and Preparation, "Contestants must prepare their own speeches, and each must be substantially original."

What does "substantially original" mean?

Twenty-five percent or less of the speech may be devoted to quoting, paraphrasing, or referencing another person's content. Any quoted, paraphrased, or referenced content must be so identified during the speech presentation.

Here are some examples of content that would not be original:

• Using anecdotes found in books or on the Internet. It is using someone else's content. 
• Borrowing characters, even though the plot line is new.
• Retelling historical events.

If a contestant has doubts about whether his or her speech meets the criteria for originality, I would suggest running it by several people to get their opinions before the contest.

The rules on originality apply to all types of contest speeches.