Reaching a high level of Competent Leadership

When the Dream Big campaign kicked off last fall, six Afterburners committed to earning their first Competent Leader award. All six of those members have now reached their goal, nearly two months before the district's deadline:

Jodie Sanders	November 18
Dámaris Thorn	January 4
Joyce King	January 21
Gary Chiu	February 14
Linda Coleman	March 23
Steven Timmons	March 23

Two of them describe their CL experiences and offer advice and encouragement for those who are still working on, or have not started their CL manuals.

Perfecting my pitch

Gary Chiu

The Leadership Track requires Toastmasters to serve in a multitude of roles in order to obtain the CL, and has encouraged me to “stretch” myself and my abilities to the fullest. Without the CL, I would probably never have had the opportunity to “pound the pavement” soliciting food and beverage donations for a Humorous Speech contest last year. Through this process, not only did I discover that the manager at Jamba Juice is willing to dress up in a banana suit and make fruit smoothies for future Toastmaster events, but I had an opportunity to practice delivering quick but concise “Sales Pitches” as I went door-to-door downtown. That last skill is extremely helpful in day-to-day activities to promote your ideas to supervisors or other persons of influence; the information about the banana suit causes me nightmares.

My advice for those still working toward your CL: Make every opportunity count. Determine what activities you can participate in for credit, and get someone to sign off when you’ve completed that activity. Toastmasters provides an abundance of valuable opportunities, and a bit of initiative and creativity on your part will not only fulfill the requirement, but allow you to learn something about yourself in the process. Don’t pass up the chance to learn how to expand your learning circle!

Gary Chiu, CC, CL

Gaining confidence in myself

Linda Coleman

It's been a challenging but wonderful experience. At the very beginning I didn’t take it seriously enough, because it looked like too much to accomplish. Once I committed to complete the manual for the “Dream Big” contest, it was on. On a regular basis Jodie Sanders and Steven Timmons always offered their help, ensuring I stayed on task. When I realized their commitment to me, I got on board with the concept of “Growth” and began the journey.

Completing role after role caused me to gain confidence in myself as a leader and a communicator. I stepped out of my shell. The most difficult but the most meaningful accomplishments were in Project 8 [Motivating People] and the roles as General Evaluator. Please understand, I have not arrived, but I am a work in progress and so are you. Completing your “Competent Leader” while you work on your “Competent Communicator” may seem difficult, but it’s not. I encourage you to “JUST DO IT” (swish!!).

Linda Coleman, CC, CL

Area 12 Contest just happened to be significant

LaShawn

March 26, 2011 was a very significant day in the lives of LaShawn Carter, Linda Coleman, Steven Timmons and Afterburners around the world. What happened?

Have you ever heard this statement? There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. If you’re wondering what happened, you missed the Area Contest on March 26!

LaShawn Carter won the Table Topics Contest, Linda Coleman won second place in the International Speech Contest, Steven Timmons was Contest Master, and Afterburners won the Area 12 Spirit Stick. To win the Spirit Stick, our club had the most participation at the contest. Finally, four of our officers were named Outstanding Officers — Joyce King, VP Membership; Jodie Sanders, VP Public Relations; Steven Timmons, Secretary; and Gary Chiu, Sergeant at Arms.

Way to go, Afterburners, you made this a memorable experience!

Linda Coleman

Afterburners inspires another guest to become a new member

Congratulations to John Bacon on his first outing as Toastmaster! He overcame several absences and filled all the roles before the meeting began. Thanks to everyone who took on extra responsibilities to ensure the meeting ran smoothly. And what a meeting it was! Five speakers gave us presentations that included music, poetry, storytelling, tips on teaching and reaching children, and keeping a positive outlook.

One man in attendance with us for the first time, Bill Erwin, decided to change his life for the better. His company is trying to organize a Toastmasters club at work, but things aren't happening quickly enough for Bill. He decided to join another club (that just happens to meet in the same building where he works) and on the very first visit, he submitted his application and dues for Afterburners. Bill had some experience with the still-formulating meetings at his job that showed him how to fulfill some of the roles. Several people with opportunities were unable to make our meeting last night, but Bill stepped right in when asked to present the Pledge of Allegiance and inspiration. With a willing volunteer spirit like that, voting him in at the end of the meeting was a no-brainer!

Additional guests last night included Bill's nephew Michael Erwin and a co-worker of Teresa Wilburn, Cherry Weaver. They had good things to say about Afterburners and how comfortable they felt, despite their misgivings about public speaking. We hope they come back again to see how Afterburners can help them overcome any fear!

Tammy Bailey

A brand-new Afterburner enjoys the Silver Jubilee celebration

Dawn Mercer

The Club had been talking about the Jubilee since I started going to meetings and I knew that would be the best way to get to know folks better (other than the weekly meetings); so I volunteered to bring a dish to share.

The Tuesday meeting before the event, I was (enthusiastically) jumped on by Brenda as to what time I could be at Bobby Bragan Hall on Sunday. My response was, “What time do you need me there!?” Being military has always led me to be first in the trenches (so to speak). Once I arrived early to help set up the event, I was put to work immediately and felt right at ease getting this event to come together. The Afterburners support system was well in action.

Toastmaster geeks confer

From watching Ryan trying not blow up his face (more than once) with the inflation of the balloons, to seeing a gaggle of men (Mike, Aaron, Gary) trying to figure out how to get the slide show to work (for an hour), to all of us ladies prepping food and tables for the lovely spread, I knew this was going to be a fun-filled event.

Once the distinguished guests arrived and the festivities began, I was nothing short of “in awe.” These guests (Distinguished Toastmasters and above), did not fall short of any expectation of greatness that I had envisioned when it was their turn to say a few words. The “testimonials” that Brenda had added into the program left a lasting impression on me. Not only did I get to listen to the  dignitaries and guests but I also heard from our own club members!  I am getting to know you all much better. I am looking forward to my first “educational retreat”!

President Tammy and

another new ribbon!

Two newer members, LaShawn and Holly, gave great speeches. They are very inspirational. Second chances and Confidence (respectively) were their messages, and I found meaning in both.

The food, the people, the respect and the support that was prevalent at the event is why I feel this club is the one for me!

And I had no idea that we had two banners!!!!!! We ran out of space for all the ribbons on one banner?!

Dawn Mercer


P.S. See more photos on the Afterburners website.

Speech contest is all about life

The International Speech Contest was one of my most exciting times since being a part of Toastmasters. I really didn't know what to expect, since I've never partaken of this kind of event before. But the five speakers (George Arndt, Linda Coleman, Ryan Gallagher, Dámaris Thorn and Rose Timmons) showed us what giving a speech is all about.

If you happened to be a judge, and all of the speakers presented first class speeches, then you had no choice but to pick the best subject matter; and even that could be a hard call. For instance, George talked about appreciating life; Linda spoke on the things that would make you have a successful life; Ryan talked on not taking life and our loved ones for granted; Dámaris spoke on life's small appreciative gifts; and Rose on why in life do we pay for bottled water when tap water is cheaper and sometimes better.

Do you see my point? All of these subjects were worthy of attention, and the speakers delivered their messages well. But in this life we have winners and losers. First place went to Linda; 2nd to George; and 3rd to Ryan. Congratulations to all of the speakers.

Phillip Silas