Thank you!

A very special word of thanks is due to several Afterburners for their help last night. When we arrived for the meeting, our regular room was anything but ready. There were only a few chairs, and no tables at all! Everyone sprang into action to make it happen. Philip Silas, Antoinette Silas, Aaron Robinson, Linda Coleman, Mike Kelly, Bill Erwin, Steven Timmons and Rose Timmons carted tables and chairs from their storage places to our proper room arrangement in no time at all. What could have been a stressful situation was quickly wrangled into something we could find somewhat amusing.

Thanks, everyone!

Changing your TI membership profile

Did you know you can update your membership profile on the Toastmasters International website? Just go to http://www.toastmasters.org/Members.aspx and log in. (If you have never logged in, the site will help you with that.)

Then click on "My Profile" in the black bar at the very top. You can change the usual things like username, password, contact information, name and address. You can also see your membership history: awards received, offices held, and so forth. A cool new feature of this part is that education awards earned after February 14, 2011 may be expanded to view supporting details.

Try it! Of course, if you change any of your profile information like a phone number or email address, be sure to notify the club as well. If you have any difficulty getting logged in, call the club's web guru Jodie Sanders who will be happy to step you through the process.

Eight speakers showcased in speech-a-thon

Best Speaker Saraí Garcia

From all over the county, near and far, we came. Some of us spoke. All of us listened. We had Dawn tell us about her life, as she criss-crossed the country (“East or West”). Ron gave us some valuable tips on how to hold down a job, especially pertinent in these tough times. Phillip told the tale of a young sports prodigy he had the privilege of knowing in “Possum.” Teresa took a relaxed approach in a lawn chair and told us about the decline of the drive-in movie theatres over the years. We were patriotically inspired by DTM Pat Quick with her speech “Old Glory.” We were equally inspired by Hunter Allen (wearing his Birkenstocks!) as he spoke about his new start-up business venture.

Saraí Garcia gave us a strict lesson in child rearing, and how punishment can and should be used judiciously. And Gary Chiu brought the night to a close by giving us an overview of conflict, and some possible resolution steps.

The evening concluded as we went to the polls, and resoundingly elected Saraí “Best Speaker.” The lovely Saraí then brandished her wooden paddle and sent us straight to bed with no dinner.

Gary Chiu

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