My Day with the RA

Linda Williams

Linda Williams, Region 3 Advisor, paid us a visit last month. A Region Advisor (RA) oversees several districts' worth of Toastmasters clubs, providing support and advice to district officers mostly by phone, but also making one visit in person each year.

Since these visits are so rare, it's important to make the most of the RA's time. Organizing the schedule was the responsibility of Lt. Governor Marketing Cindy Hinckley. Linda would be here on Friday and Saturday, October 18-19. The District Executive Committee (DEC) Meeting and the Marketing Workshop were already planned for Saturday. So Cindy arranged a varied lineup of meetings with clubs and corporate sponsors to keep us busy all day Friday.

Besides the RA and the LGM, the entourage also included the PRO (that's me, Jodie Sanders, Public Relations Officer). I was enlisted to drive the car, take pictures, and carry the luggage. Actually, there was no luggage to carry, but driving the car was a useful service that allowed the others to discuss district affairs without distractions. Lt. Governor Education and Training Marylee Mims joined us for the second half of the day.

The first stop was in west Fort Worth at PDX, Inc., the company that sponsors the PDX RxOrators. We met with club President Cindy Feneley and VP Education Mark Yarbro, along with three company executives who sponsor the club. The discussion centered on how the company has and can continue to support Toastmasters in their workplace.

Our next visit was to Medtronic, which sponsors the Savvy Sayers club at their Haltom City facility. One of the important duties of Region Advisors (and other International officers) is to present Corporate Awards, which are generally given to companies that sponsor multiple clubs (whether locally, nationally or internationally) and have a high profile in their community.

At a ceremony attended by more than 25 people, Linda Williams presented the Corporate Recognition Award to Medtronic. The beautiful crystal award was accepted by Bill Keighley, Manufacturing Director, who said "It's heavier than it looks!" as he held it.

Cindy Hinckley and Area 55 Governor Bret Hauser, both members of Savvy Sayers, also participated in the ceremony.

Others present were District Governor Dean Lampman, other Savvy Sayers members and their supervisors. I had an unexpected responsibility during Linda's speech — she handed me her Special Occasion Speeches manual and asked me to evaluate her!

Linda Williams, D25 officers and some of the Talk Blue crew!

Back on the road, we stopped to pick up Marylee Mims, then headed to IBM in Coppell for the noon meeting of Talk Blue. We had a great visit with the members and took on some meeting roles, too.

Talk Blue member Marcheta Gardner is working on chartering a new community club and she was able to discuss her progress on this endeavor with us after the meeting.

The last club visit of the day was at NEC Corporation in Irving where club president Amy Newman had arranged a meeting with herself and officers Lidia Boisson, John Heiser and Stacey Street. We discussed several issues of concern to a young, fast-growing club. Amy also provided drinks and yummy cookies which definitely saved my life because apparently RAs and Lt. Governors don't take time to eat lunch.

Our final stop was a nearby restaurant where we ordered an early dinner and reviewed our day. (I bravely took the opportunity to give Linda some verbal comments on her speech which she accepted graciously.) We were joined for a while by Dean Lampman, who had something to drink but no dinner. The server naturally thought Dean should get the check for the entire group; also naturally, this took Dean aback somewhat, but he coped well.

Back in the car, I delivered all my dignitaries to their destinations, and my day with the RA was over. For me, it was a most educational, exciting and enlightening experience. Also awfully alliterative, apparently.

Jodie Sanders
Public Relations Officer

Opportunities Are Waiting!

I would like to introduce our newest Marketing Team member, Dan Chisum, who has accepted the position of Club Support Chair. He will be in charge of Club Coaches and Helping Hands. Read more about these roles here.

Here is a list of opportunities for those ready to commit to giving back to others by serving as a Club Coach or as a member of a Helping Hands Team.

Club Coaches:

• 4th Sunday, 6:30 pm - North Irving
• 2nd and 4th Tuesday, 1:00 pm - Grapevine
• Wednesdays, 4:05 - 5:05 pm - Arlington
• 1st and 3rd Saturday, 10:00 am - Lewisville
• Wednesdays, 12:05 pm - Southwest Fort Worth
• Alternate Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - North Irving
• Wednesday, Noon - Fort Worth - Near DFW Airport

Helping Hands:

• 1st and 3rd Wednesday, Noon, Northwest Fort Worth
• Wednesday, Noon, Fort Worth -  Near DFW Airport

If you are able to fill one of these roles, please contact Club Support at danchisum@d25toastmasters.org to volunteer.

Spreading the Word

Mariam Durrani is taking full advantage of winning our Region 3 Advisor Linda Williams' personal Toastmasters cup at the Marketing workshop. She is talking up Toastmasters to her teammates and supervisor.

The teammate Mariam carpools with took this picture after learning how Mariam won it.

A supervisor commented on the "new addition" to her mug collection, but then noticed there was only one mug on Mariam's desk. When asked where the collection was, Mariam stated, "the mug collection is just that... a collection. Toastmasters is a path for speaking and leadership which I endorse." The supervisor smiled and nodded.

It is great to know that Mariam is doing her part to build "A Toastmasters Field of Dreams."

Brink's Demo Is a Jewel of a Meeting

District 25's Marketing Team presented one of their solid-gold demo meetings at Brink's U.S. headquarters in Coppell on Friday, Oct 11th.

Nineteen potential Brink's Toastmasters attended the meeting led by Club Extension Chair Michael Sheridan.

Michael Weinmann, a member of the Off the Cuff club and a Brink's employee, arranged for the meeting and gave the Ice Breaker speech. Kathryn Burkhart of the Michael's Craft Masters club gave the Advanced speech.

Three Brink's employees did not hesitate to step up for Timer and to answer the Table Topics questions in great style.

Also assisting with meeting roles were Ted Martin of Keller Communicators, Lt. Governor Marketing Cindy Hinckley, District Governor Dean Lampman, and Public Relations Officer Jodie Sanders.

All the Brink's folks were friendly, enthusiastic, and asked lots of questions. We expect them to join District 25 very soon, and you can take that prediction to the bank.

Jodie Sanders
Public Relations Officer
jodiesanders@d25toastmasters.org

Build It and They Will Come!

Are you looking for some ideas for membership growth to achieve your club’s Toastmaster field of dreams?

Come to our next D25 Marketing Workshop on Saturday, October 19th from 1-3 pm. Our Region Advisor Linda Williams will be leading the training.
 
In this interactive session you will explore ways to get more members for your club. Membership building is a year-round activity, not just a seasonal effort.

Location and registration information is on the D25 website.

Build the dream!

Build the field!

• Build the team
• Build your strategy
• Everyone gets to play
• Prepare for the big game

And when you do, they will come!

Don't Hesitate, Be A Charter Member of The Evaluators Club!!

We can all benefit from enhanced Evaluation skills. There is a wonderful opportunity to be a charter member of a brand new Advanced Club in District 25 named "The Evaluators." Karen Platts is a member of Metrocrest Toastmasters and is leading the effort to form this new club. Potential members should have attained the CC/CL designation.

The focus of this new club will be to develop more effective evaluations by providing feedback to the speech evaluators as well as to the speakers. These additional evaluations will incorporate meaningful and invaluable observations to enhance evaluation skills.

We want to charter immediately so please contact Karen for further details on submitting your application.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. The location is First United Methodist Church, 2201 E. Hebron Pkwy, Carrollton, TX 75010. Contact Karen at 214-643-6547 or TMkdplatts7@gmail.com.

Mansfield Sunrise Plans a Triple Play Day

Mansfield Sunrise has big plans for Monday, September 9. They will begin the day with an Open House for their regular 7:00 a.m. Monday meeting at the Mansfield Public Library, 104 South Wisteria Street, Mansfield, TX 76063.  You are encouraged to arrive at 6:45 a.m. to get a name tag and get settled before the meeting begins.

Later in the day there are two additional opportunities to hear special speakers and experience Toastmasters. See the flyer below for details.

Janet Horton
VP Public Relations
Mansfield SunriseToastmasters
817-584-2307