Bill Finds Friends, Fun and Great Speeches at Conference

I was reluctant to attend my first Toastmasters conference. I tried to visualize what it would be like, where I would sit, and imagined myself in the middle of it . . . all by myself.

What I didn't realize, was that there would be friendly, familiar faces at the check-in booth. I didn't consider the sponsored sessions, the awesome stories, and motivational messages I would hear.

I made the mistake of missing out on the Friday night experience, which was unavoidable in my case, due to a calendar impossibly full of obligations.

As I heard about all the fun I missed, I imagined myself smiling widely in the middle of the group, breathing in what must've been a spectacle.

Bill didn't miss ALL the fun!
(Saturday night at Friends at the Forum)

I saw the Friday night photos during the luncheon, and was thankful I hadn't missed this event as I heard Dale Hansen speak.

I believe Toastmasters made me better aware of the subtleties of his hilarious rant . . . the timing, the vocal variety, movement, and the over-the-top style that I yearned to understand and dissect in between my side-stitched laughing.

Now, I can have a greater appreciation for those all-important words I need to watch for whenever I'm prioritizing my calendar . . . "Save the Date!"

Bill Erwin

Phillip's "Awesome" Conference Experience

Phillip is presented with the Outstanding Sergeant at Arms Award
for District 25 at the Awards Luncheon

My Spring Conference experience was awesome. I really did not know what to expect, besides hearing the speech contest, which was great. However, my  favorite part of the afternoon was partaking in the different educational sessions. I got so much out of the two sessions that my wife and I chose. The lunch was great; but during lunch, awards were presented, and I received Outstanding Sergeant At Arms. A simply "awesome" day.

Phillip Silas

It's in YOUR hands!

Some of you know I finally traded in my trusty Jeep Wrangler for a "grown-up car," a sporty little Lexus convertible. It's been an absolute kick to drive! The other day, however, I had a frightening moment in it.

I was stuck in construction traffic on 377 near Cresson. A flatbed 18-wheeler was in front of me, and another large truck was behind me as we slowly crept up an incline. I will never know whether the driver in front of me wasn't paying attention or if he just forgot his truck was on a hill, but suddenly I looked up to see that huge 18-wheeler drifting BACKWARDS towards me!

I was trapped. I couldn't turn left or right, and because of the truck behind me, I couldn't back up, either. In a state of utter panic, picturing what the impact would do to my new car, I honked my horn wildly. Maybe the driver in front of me heard it, or maybe he realized his vehicle was drifting, but thankfully he hit his brakes and stopped about a parking space away from my front end.

I was shaking all over, and for quite some time afterwards, but it got me thinking about things.

Many events in our life are outside of our control. Companies downsize us, significant others leave us, credit card companies inexplicably reduce our available credit, trucks drift backwards towards us. Absolutely none of that is within our control, and we have to respond as best we can. One thing that IS within our control is our future. We can decide how to improve ourselves, and at what pace.

Toastmasters is the only communication and leadership program I know that allows its participants to pace themselves and learn at whatever speed they find acceptable. We have mentors to help keep us on track. We have countless opportunities to participate and experiment. We have evaluations so we know exactly what we're doing well so we can repeat that success, and exactly what needs to be improved so we can address that as well. Even the destiny of the club as a whole rests in the hands of the individual members!

Next Tuesday we will elect officers to oversee the future of Afterburners for the next six months, July through December. It's crucial that each & every member attend that election so we can have a quorum to conduct the business of the club, but also to ensure that every voice is heard and every vote counts.

Don't sit idly and wait for that truck to back up into you. Honk your horn! Raise your voice! Be an active participant in your own future and in the future of Afterburners Club 6191. If you haven't been to a meeting in awhile, rest assured we have missed you and would love to see you again. Tuesday May 15 is the perfect time to tighten your grip on your own future, and the future of the club. After all, it's in YOUR hands!

Experience the Excitement and Suspense of the Brown Bag Meeting!

The notorious Brown Bagger!

Guess who tried to fool us on our “April Fool’s Bagger” meeting? If you weren’t there last Tuesday, April 3, you would not know.

Like many other Toastmasters clubs in District 25, Afterburners always soars high when it comes to providing quality, enjoyable, educational meetings; and to make it a fun evening, our VP Education Steven Timmons, also known as the “Brown Bagger,” actually wore a brown bag on his head.

We created our agenda just before the meeting started. As we came in, each of us drew a role from a brown bag and everyone did a fine job, including myself as the Toastmaster! Hope you don’t think that I’m such a fool, because I know for a fact that all the speakers delivered a 5-7 minute off-the-cuff speech and only had 30 seconds after the time they drew the topic to prepare. As far as we know, this has never happened in Afterburners history; plus, our illustrious Club President Jodie Sanders told us a very short but remarkably hilarious joke.

Here’s what some of our speakers thought about their experience:

Tom Brents: When Steven Timmons asked if I would participate, my first reaction was "Wow, in my 30+ years as a Toastmaster, I have never done this." The next thought was, "I am very confident about my speeches when well-prepared, how will this turn out?" Next, I knew that if I had a framework to organize my speech, probably I could succeed. And that’s the way it turned out. I would like to do it again sometime.

Gary Chiu: "They always say that one should do what one fears most.” Whoever came up with this axiom most likely did not have to reach into a brown bag containing slips of paper with random subjects written on them, and to speak for a minimum of 5 minutes on said subject in front of 20 critiquing Toastmasters. No notes. No Google. No way!

I drew "What would the World be like without Chocolate?" Slowly, cautiously, I talked about my hazy recollection of the history of chocolate. I gathered a bit more confidence discussing how the holidays would be all messed up due to the absence of the brown stuff. I concluded with how all of us need to march up Capitol Hill to ensure Congress does not take away our chocolate privileges, for we are the 99%!

It is truly a "rush" when the green light finally flickers on and the realization dawns that I've just spoken for five entire minutes on a completely random topic. Ah, how sweet that is!

Ryan Gallagher: Part of the challenge I wanted was having something I wouldn't ordinarily select to speak on, so this fulfilled my expectation. The second most important thing I learned is the necessity of implementing some sort of organizational structure to your speech, impromptu or not. The first most important thing I learned was that I’m not afraid of getting up there and making a fool of myself  — the possibility to crash and burn was very real but thankfully it didn't happen, though I would have had a good time no matter what.

Tammy Bailey graciously led the Table Topics about April Fools’ Day and first-timer guest Ingrid won the ribbon. Our friend Teresa Wilburn was also present and evaluated a speech! Gary took home the ribbon as the best speaker and Jodie Sanders won best evaluator.

Finally, I just received my Competent Leadership award and I hold the rights to brag about what happened that night! Next time, make sure you come to our special meetings because you never know what you might be missing.

Rose Timmons, CC, CL

An Unexpected Blessing

I joined Afterburners a few months ago and have been delighted everday thereafter. At my first meeting, Tammy Bailey did an evaluation. The impression on me was immediate and intense. At that moment I wanted to take Tammy with me, but she wouldn't go so I had to join the club. I recognized having a trained observer to evaluate my presentation skills would be of tremendous value.

I have on occasion made presentations, but had little valuable feedback. I knew how much thoughtful evaluations would help me. What was an unexpected blessing was the support and caring of the group. Now after only a few months into the experience, what I have learned is much broader than I had ever anticipated. Leadership skills were not on my list of desired learning. After a few weeks I saw the need to develop leadership skills. I volunteer for most anything (sometimes not doing a great job) but the group is very supportive and I enjoy the learning opportunities.

Jim Hummel, CC