The Pulsebeat is a quarterly newsletter published for District 15 Toastmasters.

District Governor Recap
by Susan Baer, DTM
District 15 Governor

Greetings District 15 Members,
Before I step down from office in a few short weeks, I want you to know that District 15 is alive and well. We have Discovered Our Potential this year with Simply Amazing results.

Susan Baer, DTM, District 15 Governor

We had great area and division contests and two super conferences. The International President Johnny Uy and his wife visited Salt Lake City in the fall. I had the honor of attending area and division contests, many TLIs and a charter party this year. During that time, I met many wonderful Toastmasters members throughout the district. District 15 is strong, thanks to supportive and dedicated members. We have great leaders who are helping members and clubs meet their goals while learning and having fun.

The leadership role is one of learning, growing and having fun while you make friends in the district and throughout the region for life. I would like each and every one of you to think about stretching your comfort zone and take on a leadership role. It will change your life. My membership in Toastmasters has helped me accomplish and do things I never thought I could do.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your district governor this year. Thank you for your help, support, and friendship throughout the year.

Let’s continue to Discover Your Potential for the next few weeks and together we will accomplish your goals!

Best wishes,

Susan Baer, DTM
District 15 Governor
Discover Your Potential

Discovering Your Potential – Powering up Your Potential
What a Simply Amazing Experience!
by Deborah Whitman, District 15 PRO
Capitol Club, Boise

The District 15 Spring Conference, Power up Your Potential, was a blast. District 15 Governor Susan Baer was full of it... enthusiasm that is! As she greeted everyone and shared her excitement, our “motors were revved up” for the upcoming conference events. Toastmasters everywhere were smiling, laughing and having a great time!

My first time to attend Friday Fun Night left a lasting impression. Outstanding Rose Johnson-Tsosie was in charge and crafted a great show. All I can say about it is, WOW! Toastmasters really know how to “shovel it in”.

Morning came quickly and we headed down to the opening session led by a zesty Denise Elbert, ATM-S. Club banners were paraded around the conference room led by Doug Stuart, ATM. Keynote speaker Dr. Vincent Kituku, ATM, CSP, inspired us with “Turn Your Toastmasters Lessons into a Rewarding Life”.

Educational sessions started next. What a difficult task of choosing which one to attend. Just look at the list of speakers and topics!

• Session 1
• Dr. Vincent Kituku ATM, CSP — How to Speak and Get Paid
• Jinks Dabney DTM (2) — Five Power Tools

• Session 2
• Elsa Tolman ACB — Dream Boards on Steroids
• Dr. Leslie Reynolds-Benns CC — Getting Rid of Psychic Clutter

• Session 3
• Rebecca Guevara ATM-B — Write Your Book: Writer’s guide to combining creativity & project planning.
• Tevis Thompson DTM (3) — Moments of Truth: The Ultimate Club Building Tool

Brenda Caine, DTM, was a marvelous Toastmaster for the Evaluation Contest. What a line up of contestants; Heidi Cook, Dave Garbrecht, Lynn Heward and Kirk Johnson. Congratulations to first place winner, Heidi Cook.

Salt Lake County Mayor, Peter Corroon, received The Communication and Leadership Award from Toastmasters. His work as a leader to foster open, honest and ethical government, has not gone un-noticed. Toastmaster Marion Gorder headed up this before dinner portion of the conference splendidly.

Drum rolls please...a real highlight of any conference, the International Speech contest. Nancy McLeod, ACB, was flawless as Toastmaster for this event. Her drops of humor, which seemed to happen naturally, were delightful!

Contestants Robert Bentley, Karl Johnson, Blake McDaniel and Sharon Sheranian were all fabulous speakers. It must have been a very difficult decision to choose just one first place winner. But the judges completed the task and Robert Bentley stood in first place.

It’s not an easy task organizing a conference. Thank you to everyone who worked so diligently to bring together another fabulous District 15 Spring Conference!

Building Confidence Through Leadership
by Annette Manning, CC/CL
Div. A-Area 12 Governor

Annette Manning reflects on her past year as the Area 12 Governor and the rewards of personal growth from her experience.

Have you ever had a dream in which you were trying to get somewhere, whether it was climbing to a second floor or going down a slide...and suddenly, obstacles would appear? Various things would materialize and prevent you from making it to your goal? No matter how hard you struggled, you would find something blocking your way. I’ve had recurring dreams like this all of my life. It doesn’t take a dream expert to realize that I felt I was not achieving my goals.

The night before I went to my first DEC training as Area Governor, I had another dream. This time there was in front of me a chasm that I knew I had to cross. But something was different...there was someone else with me who had to cross too. Somehow, I knew exactly where the ladder was to make it down and safely across, and I gladly showed them. On the other side there was a structure that I knew I had to go into. Instead of finding it shrinking around me once I stepped inside, however, I found myself magically transported (remember the transporter from Star Trek?) to a wonderful place filled with fun gadgets. I woke up with such a sense of optimism.

As my term as Area Governor draws to a close, I have so many good memories of crossing chasms — of helping others when they had questions, and encouraging them when troubles arose. The old saying that, by helping others, you help yourself, has never had greater meaning to me. What a privilege it has been to serve as Area Governor this year, and next year as I take on more responsibility, I’m looking forward to having many more marvelous dreams — and dreams come true!

District 15 Award Nominations
by Susan Baer, DTM
District 15 Governor

In the past, District 15 has recognized individuals and clubs for their contributions to the district at Spring Conference. This year we are waiting until the year is complete to determine the winners. The winners will be presented at Fall Conference.

We are asking you to nominate members and clubs for the following awards:

• Club President of the Year
• Club Officer of the Year
• Club of the Year
• Club Bulletin of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Right Track Award
• Toastmaster of the Year
• Area Governor of the Year
• Division Governor of the Year

You might be wondering what some of the awards mean. Please visit the district website at http://www.speaktosucceed.org to find the complete description of each award.

Send the name and explanation of why this individual or club should receive the award to baer.susannull@gmail.com.

I look forward to receiving many nominations for each award.

The Journey of a Contestant
by Heidi Cook
CTM/CL Pioneer Club

“The first place winner for the District 15 Evaluation contest is Heidi Cook.” That announcement was the highlight of my first District 15 conference. Actually, it was my first Toastmasters conference of any sort, period.

I joined Toastmasters in 2003, two years after becoming blind. I needed some social interaction after also losing my job. It is very easy for me to be a hermit. Fortunately, Dana Ard, my vocational counselor at the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ICBVI), was a Toastmaster and had a friend who offered me a ride to her club, Pioneer. So began my introduction to Toastmasters. I liked the people, and having a ride made a big difference.

Heidi Cook, CTM, is the Pioneer Club President

I am still not sure if I was adventurous or crazy, but I competed in my first contest just a few months after joining Pioneer Toastmasters. I gave my third speech as my club contest speech, in competition against an experienced member. I thought, “I don’t have a chance, so this will just be great practice.” Surprise, surprise! The experienced member went over time so I won by default. My fourth Toastmasters speech was given at the Area Humorous contest in 2003. Again, I did not think I had a chance, and again I was surprised. I took second. Not bad for someone who had given only four speeches in Toastmasters!

To tell the truth, though, I already had some speaking experience. I was church treasurer and had been giving yearly treasurer’s reports to the congregational meetings. They were always stress-filled events, as all I ever had to give was very bad news. I kept waiting for the tomatoes to start flying. Fortunately, Toastmasters was not nearly as intimidating, as I was not giving bad news and the people enjoyed my speeches. My fellow members actually clapped afterwards, even when I felt like I had “bombed”. Best of all, I received suggestions on how to improve my speaking.

The support and encouragement of the club members made it easy for me to achieve my CTM and CL awards. I am now working on my ACB award. I also received support, encouragement and training when the club asked me to be Sergeant-at-Arms and Secretary.

Then they needed someone to be President. I had never held such a high office before, and had my doubts because Toastmasters International does not have the officer’s manuals in an impaired-accessible format. Thanks to help from the ICBVI staff, however, I was able to get all the club officer manuals recorded on a CD. This helped me out a lot. If there are other blind or visually impaired persons considering an office at club level, just email me at hcooknull@mybluelight.com if you would like the manuals on CD. I will gladly mail you a copy.

Well, it has been an exciting and challenging time of learning. I am completing a year as President and look forward to serving my club and area in other roles.

I would encourage all Toastmasters to participate in contests. Even if you are a new member, being in a contest is a great experience and who knows, you might go farther than you think!

High5! for Jack C. High Toastmasters Club
by Susan Plude, VP Public Relations

We’ve been working hard on attaining our Distinguished Club Award. Blake McDaniel and Susan Plude earned the Advanced Communicator Bronze Awards and our new members are working hard on their Competent Communicator Award.The Area 21 SpeechContest was held on March 30, 2007. Blake McDaniel won 1st place for International and Mike Nelson won 1st place for Evaluation. The Division B contest was held on April 21, 2007. Blake McDaniel, again, took 1st place, and Mike Nelson brought home 2nd place in their individual speech and evaluation competitions. They’ve increased our visibility within the Toastmasters family and have been terrific in representing our Club. We are “raising the bar” and working hard to exceed our old goals and make new ones this session!

DCP — The Road to Distinction
by Michael Rusnack, DTM
District 15 LGET

Michael Rusnack, DTM
District 15 LGET

It’s human nature to desire praise and recognition. For many of us, it’s what motivates us to step up again and again. As a Club, your recognition comes from the successful completion of the Distinguished Club Plan. Whether the executive board or members, all are responsible for the success of the Club. For this effort, each member shares in the glory of Club Distinction. They can proudly observe that ribbon on the Club banner.

As an executive board, it is incumbent on you to review your DCP performance. This can be accomplished easily and on line. Below is the link; simply enter your Club number when prompted.

http://ecommerce.toastmasters.org/reports/dcp.cfm

This report will show the DCP status which includes CCs, ACs, Leadership Awards, Member Growth, etc.

Equally as important is the member roster available on the TI website as well. Below is the link to accomplish this. You will need your Club Number and Password.

https://ecommerce.toastmasters.org/timssnet/login/tnt_login.cfm

With these two reports, you can determine your Club’s Road to Distinction. Here’s a suggested check-list:

1. Ensure all the members on the member roster are current. On the right margin, members will show Active or Graced. Our goal is to see all members Active.
2. The DCP report shows the number of members as BASE and Current. Base refers to the number of members from the close of business last year. To be eligible for a Distinguished Status, you must have 5 more members than last year or 20 members, whichever is less.
3. Look to see that you received credit for all your members.
4. Determine if you just need one or two more members.
5. On the bottom of the DCP status report, your points will be summarized. To be distinguished, your Club must have 5 or more points.
6. Don’t stop at 5; work to achieve a higher level of distinction by achieving additional DCP points with education awards.

This simple process can help you attain the recognition that your Club deserves. Don’t let this past year’s hard work go unrecognized because one member was not recorded properly or one education credit was not entered.

Put Some “White Space” in Your Speeches
by Peggy M. Jordan
Capitol Club, Boise

As a professional content writer and writing coach, I continually remind myself and my clients to “write like you talk,” meaning: make it genuine and conversational. The classic test of whether a written piece works is to read it out loud and see how it sounds, running it past your ears as well as your eyes.

Peggy M. Jordan applies professional writing techniques to speaking.

As a rookie Toastmaster, I’m a fast talker who tries to squeeze a lot of material into those 5- to 7-minute speaking slots. I have to work hard on pacing myself, speaking slowly, remembering to breathe, and sticking to my script rather than rambling on and on. And it recently occurred to me that just as “writing like you talk” can bring life to the written word, my fledgling speeches would be much improved if I applied the same techniques to speaking that I use in writing.

Writers to make their documents easier to read and understand through the judicious use of what’s known as “white space,” the blank parts of a printed page or Website page. White space between blocks of text rests the eye, gives the reader a chance to assimilate what’s come so far, and alerts them that a new topic or idea is coming up. Think of it as breathing room.

In public speaking, the verbal equivalent of white space is silence. So for this speech, instead of just trying to remember to add pauses, I designed them into the script.

After whittling down the first draft into something workable, I formatted it just as I would if it were brochure copy or an article. I gave it a headline and subheadings in bold, contrasting fonts. The opening was its own paragraph; followed by white space. My three main points came next in a bulleted list, followed again by several blank lines. Then, each bullet point became a subhead for the information supporting it. After a nice restful helping of more white space, I added the conclusion, again surrounded by its own restful, serene moat of space.

Just looking at it made me relax. Instead of my usual scribbled notes in tiny handwriting all squeezed tightly onto one or two index cards—I had what looked less like a lecture and more like poetry.

To practice, at first I read the speech from the page, timing my pauses according to the amount of white space as it came up. Once I had it down somewhat, I moved the page to the floor so that I couldn’t actually read the words but I could still follow the design for cues about where to pause. Amazingly, the same pauses that would help keep a listener from getting overwhelmed or lost were keeping me from getting overwhelmed or lost.

When I delivered the speech, I pictured the clean, spacious clarity of that page in my mind’s eye. I was silent for the white space, emphatic with the headlines (as if I were speaking in bold font), and used body language to convey the indentations and margins. The best part? I never ran out of breath. Thanks to the white space in my “picture” of the speech, both speaker and audience had room to breathe and time to understand. And thanks to Toastmasters, this writer took another step toward becoming a better speaker.

Successful Club Web Site Builds Members -part 3
by Dick Stucki, District 15 “Techie Coach”
Precision Speakers, SLC, UT

In the last newsletter we looked at the more aspects of artistic creating your new club website. Now, let’s look at how to develop dynamic content, provide easy navigation, and promote your website.

Dick Stucki, ACS, ALB
Area 51 Governor
“The Techie Coach” e-mail him at
DickStuckinull@comcast.net
or call him at (801) 485-3154.

• Dynamic content. A website with dynamic, or constantly changing content is one that will keep users coming back for more. Discussion boards, chat rooms, tips of the day, and anything that will make your website different tomorrow than it is today will draw viewers.

  Our website is continually updated with member information, discussion boards, duty rosters, and more.

• Interactivity. Websites are capable of being so much more than on-line brochures. Take advantage of the tremendous power of the Internet and embrace some of the technology that will help you attract and maintain visitors.

  We have implemented tools so our website can be a “self-serve” site for our members. Some of these tools include file download area, duty roster, interactive goal setting, club calendar, and an FAQ tool.

• Navigation. Make your menus as clear and descriptive as possible. Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for and, most of all, make it easy for visitors to take action.

  All of our navigation is on the left-hand side of every page. This is accomplished by using header and footer files, and simply including them on every page.

Promote. Once your site is created and tested, it is time to get the word out. Promotion is not a one day event; it is usually a continual process that lasts as long as the website itself. Promotion is a key ingredient to the website success formula. When you launch a website, you are essentially competing with billions of other websites. How are people going to find your website? There are entire books written on this subject alone. My advice: think creatively. You may find greater success promoting your website off-line than you will on-line.

One of the biggest mistakes made by website owners is wasting time and money by lowering their prices, redesigning their website, and rewriting their copy, when in fact they really need to be getting more traffic to their site. The next time you feel your problem is with your prices, design, or copy, think about the boy who setup the lemonade stand in his garage over one mile away from the street.

Our website is listed on toastmasters.org, where it counts the most. In addition, we promote the site heavily locally and on all member and prospective member material, and on all emails and correspondence.

Maintain. Very few websites run themselves completely. In fact, I am not aware of any that do. There is always some manual intervention needed to keep a website running effectively, which requires either your time or money.

• Automation. Begin by automating as much as possible. If it costs some money to have a script developed to automate tasks, which will save you hours per week, then it is most likely worth it. Think long-term.

  The tools created for our site allow the site to almost run by itself. It is highly automated with our webmaster (me) required only to make occasional changes in the content—and even then the changes can all be done easily through the web browser.

• Support. If you have visitors, the chances are they will come with questions. For unique questions that cannot be answered by an auto-responder or on a FAQ, or to accommodate your visitors that like to work only with real people, you will need to have a support system in place. This can be as simple as an e-mail address that you respond to, or as complex as an international support department with a sophisticated intranet back-end. Take care of your visitors and they will take care of you.
• Security. If you have a good web host provider, security should not be a major issue. However, you should still be careful with sending passwords, credit cards, and other personal information through non-secure connections. Always change your passwords on a regular basis.

And there you have it! To paraphrase in four short words: Plan, Create, Promote, and Maintain. Each step is equally as important as the others and vital in the success of any website. A successful website is the result of a good idea from a successful thinker. To most creators, a website is a very personal thing that they take pride in maintaining and sharing with the world. Create a website and at the very least, enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with the creation. And your club will reap the benefits of having a great website!

Seniors Excel in Toastmasters
by Lisa Roman
Moab Toastmasters

Our club is lucky to have members of varying ages- from twenty-somethings to octogenarians. I’m somewhere in the middle, and find that our diversity in ages adds to my enjoyment of the club. Recently we wished one of our charter members a happy “big 8-oh”, which caused me to ponder what motivates our seniors to keep coming back, to create speeches, evaluate, participate, practice new words, and everything else that we do.

Our oldest members, all men, don’t appear to suffer from any of the mental decline experienced by many. On the contrary, their minds are lively and alert, their presentations entertaining and organized, their speech clear and varied. Not only have they avoided decline, they learn and improve as the weeks go by, and they are always there, constituting the backbone of our club.

I started wondering if other clubs have older members, if there are “senior” clubs, and what the attraction of such a demanding hobby would be. Retirees don’t have employers urging them to participate; their wives might want them out of the house once a week, but their motivation had to be something more. Obviously, these guys are getting something valuable from Toastmasters.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association website (www.alz.org), “mental decline as you age appears to be largely due to altered connections among brain cells. But research has found that keeping the brain active seems to increase its vitality and may build its reserves of brain cells and connections.” The Association recommends keeping your brain active through curiosity, reading, writing, attending lectures, plays and classes and doing memory exercises. They also recommended staying socially active- joining bridge or square dancing clubs or other social groups.

Toastmasters naturally fits these recommendations, providing the opportunity to keep one’s brain lively through exploring topics, researching, writing and memorizing speeches, and actively listening to and evaluating presentations. A meeting is also quite a social event- we enjoy each other’s company and lots of laughter in sharing our stories and stumbling through table topics. In addition, the Toastmasters program closely follows well-known theories of adult learning which show that adults are motivated by opportunities for social interactions, personal improvement, and by the novelty and stimulation of learning itself.

Wow! That means that Toastmasters actually helps seniors keep building those brain cells and connections, and steer clear of mental decline. I see these benefits clearly in every meeting in the entertaining, organized, well-written and researched presentations of our senior members. I know these fellows are active in other things as well and keep busy with activities that build lots of brain cells. They are a delight to know, and I hope they’re around for a very long time. I love these guys! And I hope the kids in their twenties love me, because I plan to be around Toastmasters for a long time!

The Collateral Effect of Toastmasters
by Levi Abrams, ATM-B
Hill Climbers Div. B-Area 24 Governor

A few weeks ago I saw a State Department job advertisement for civil servants to work with the Iraqi government in Baghdad. Embedded in an Iraqi ministry, competent American workers will coach the Iraqis in implementing a functional, pluralistic government.

Levi Abrams, ATM-B

This is history-making stuff, I thought. But would I have what it takes to do this kind of work? Apart from being uncommonly brave, applicants for this job would have to be exceptional Americans. Must-haves would be: leadership to exchange ideas in a diverse group, a focused mental agility, and an informed passion for democratic institutions. To sum it up, they would be like us: Toastmasters.

Looking around your clubs, there are probably as many members lined up for this job as there are clamoring for your Area Governors’ slots. But I’m convinced that some of the same civic and communications skills we practice can have a collateral effect in Iraq. The civic effect Toastmasters creates in 90 countries is the same effect the State Department is trying to create for Iraqi civil servants. This effect is our imperative to keep doing what we do:

• Toastmasters are the type of leaders needed to “get the job done.” We are uniquely poised to exchange ideas in diverse groups like an Iraqi ministry. Why? It’s because we practice listening. It’s because knowing our audience is our intuitive first step as we prepare meetings and presentations. It’s because coaching and mentoring is the desired end-state for most of us. Our hypothetical Toastmasters in Baghdad will have progressed in the leadership program to comport themselves responsibly, fostering supportive communication to work through tough issues.
• Toastmasters cultivate mental agility and rare communication discipline. Think of the time spent marshaling your ideas toward a convincing conclusion; the effort spent refining the delivery for even basic manual speeches. We adhere to a repetitive and strengthening process that gives us confidence and expands our awareness. This core competency is most likely just what the State Department is looking for to get the Iraqis up to speed and us out of Iraq.
• Toastmasters revere our democratic traditions. Our meetings aren’t structured for merely for effectiveness. They’re steeped in customs harking back to the Magna Carta. They refine the art of oration appreciated since the days of the Roman Forum. They promote parliamentary procedures at work in democracies everywhere. We stateside Toastmasters take the lectern and savor the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion.

Sobered to see these freedoms at risk in places like Russia, Venezuela and Iraq, we realize our membership dues aren’t so expensive.

If I seem melodramatic here, it’s only because I’m afraid of a world where the civic mindedness I just described isn’t a priority anymore–where the State Department comes up short of applicants who can make a case for democracy.

Toastmasters make the world a better place.

I just checked the job announcement and it looks like it’s closed. It appears they already have enough qualified applicants. But will they always?

Confessions of a Bee
by Steven Chercewich
Club USANA, SLC, UT

Steve Chercewich shares lessons he learned from contest participation.

During the last few months I have had the good luck (i.e. the grace, the guts,or the courage) to step up to the plate and enter my first ever International Speech competition. Having been in Toastmasters for only about six months, and having completed only 5 speeches during that time, I was amazed that I won our club competition.

Well, I wasn’t really THAT surprised, as I won it more or less by raising my hand and saying "I'll go." However, the next month I participated in the area contest, and I really did win that one. From there, I moved on to the district event. Here is where the story gets interesting. I lost. Badly. However, I thought for sure I was going to win. Everyone at work told me so! Supercharged with over-confidence, I swaggered into the event.

As I said, I lost. Badly.

Without going into the really embarrassing details, I discovered two very important factors which caused me to lose, and I'll share them briefly. First, I had poor eye contact. Eye contact is important! Please remember that meeting the eyes of someone for one or two seconds DOES NOT COUNT. Find an audience member, lock eyes with them and talk for at least ten seconds (maybe even twenty!) to that single person. Then move on to the next victim...umm...audience member.

In my mind's eye, with the aid of hindsight, I realize that I looked much like a lost bee, buzzing around the stage flitting from person to person, trying to maintain eye contact at all times with everyone I could possibly find. To add more to the bee effect, I also discovered that different rooms have different acoustics. Who knew?

Problems begin like this: Every week I go to my own meeting and give speeches to friends, co-workers, and other acquaintances, always in the same room. After having done that often enough, my voice got locked in to that size arena. When it came time for competition, instead of finding myself within four concrete walls, I was suddenly on a small stage with a glass background looking outside. Did I mention the arena was about twice the size of the classroom I'm used to? That was not good. Apparently, the judges like to sit in the back row. Apparently also, the judges like to be able to hear what you have to say! Strange concept, I know.

So if you take anything away from my losing, know that managing your eyes, voice and body, and trying out new places to speak BEFORE you find yourself in a competition, are good things to do if you want to become a better speaker. As for myself, I will be back next year, not as a buzzing little bee flitting from eye to eye, but more the snarling wolf. Speaking loudly, and holding eye contact with my prey!

Growing with Purpose!
More Clubs with More Members Staying Active Longer
by Lamont Snarr, DTM
District 15 LGM

As members and leaders at all levels you make serving in District 15 a most rewarding experience. As Lt. Governor Marketing, my primary charge is two-fold: expand the network of clubs, and build membership. Of course this is not something “I” do but rather the entire district membership as a team does, and has done this year. Here are some highlights:

New Club Building
Perhaps the only thing more exciting than new members is entirely new clubs, and six great new clubs have chartered this year (as of June 1, 2007). Welcome to the District 15 family:

• Club 961025 Boise Bible College Toastmasters, Boise ID
• Club 1013123 Universal Toastmasters, Murray UT
• Club 1014607 MTC Toastmasters, Centerville UT
• Club 1013270 XanGo Toastmasters, Lehi UT
• Club 1025917 Voices of Experience, Midvale UT
• Club 1034178 Vocal Adventures, Salt Lake City UT

Each new club represents substantial team effort to get from idea to charter. Sponsors lead the charge getting the club to chartered status. Additionally mentors are assigned to guide the club through its first six months. Club sponsors and mentors receive recognition from Toastmasters International and earn credit toward their Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) award. Thank you to all who made these clubs possible!

Membership Building Awareness of Toastmasters is growing!
Many clubs report that their primary source of new members is visitors who find them on the Internet. Current club contact information on TI’s website is critical! Club websites also need to be kept current so visitors to the site become visitors to the club.

Recommended is www.freetoasthost.org, a free and effective way to have a club website.

Membership drives help inspire growth.
During the DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL membership promotion, October 1 through January 3, twenty clubs added four or more new members and were awarded a select ribbon at Spring Conference. The district saw 102 new members join during that promotion!

May 1 to June 30 is time to BEAT THE CLOCK: This is your club's last run at building membership. Finish the year with a BANG!

District 15 is sponsoring a club membership contest that will help that cause. When a club adds three additional members or more (including renewals or transfers) between May 1 and June 30, 2007, the club will receive a $5.00 gift certificate per new member to spend on items in the TI catalog. We will track your progress and in July, send you your gift certificate to help you purchase supplies to support your club. Start today by inviting one guest to your club meeting. It could change their life.

INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION: District 15 is sweetening the pot with a drawing for one of three digital cameras! For every member you bring in from May 1 to June 15, 2007, you will receive two chances in the drawing. For every member you bring in from June 16 to June 30, 2007, you will receive one chance in the drawing.

Entering the contest is easy. Simply send your name and the name of the new member to baer.susannull@gmail.com

One more way to Discover Your Potential is to take the Ice-Breaker Challenge. Just as giving your first speech may be a bit scary, so can opening up to share Toastmasters. Every member is challenged to “break-the-ice” by successfully inviting and bringing one guest to a club meeting. Reward: a new level of personal confidence, and potential new members.

Education Achievements Abound
by Michael Rusnack, DTM
District 15 LGET

Last month, the Top 3 leaders posed a challenge to the members:
Achieve -

• 50 Leadership awards
• 75 Advanced Communicator awards
• 100 Competent Communicator awards

A drawing from the entries will earn the winning Clubs Toastmaster Store dollars. The challenge continues as we have not yet achieved the goals in all three categories.

I am pleased to report that we over 60 Clubs have posted their members education awards. We have logged hundreds of awards from a like number of members. When the education goals are met the members from Club to District benefit. Education is the key measure of a member’s growth, both personally and as a leader.

To see your Club’s achievements compared to others in the District or just to see your name in print with the other achievers use the link below to the TI website:

Educational Achievements

In order to encourage and recognize multiple education awards the Triple Crown Award was introduced. This recognition encourages members to continue their education development immediately upon completion of one begin work on the next.

The second half recipients of the Triple Crown Award recipients include:

• Sharon Aaron
• Don Azevedo
• Erin Basta
• Alan Broderick
• Theresa Dimitt
• William Dimitt
• Judith Garzolini
• Renee Gushen
• Victor Hernandez
• David Manning
• Michael Rusnack
• Dustin Telford
• Duane Tolman
• Elsa Tolman

District 15 recognized three DTM awards at the Spring Conference. The recipients were:

• Sharon Aaron
• Don Azevedo
• Victor Hernandez (4th)

Congratulations to all the education award recipients for the 2006-07 Toastmaster Year; you truly have Discovered Your Potential.

Becoming a CTM: The 10 Year Plan!
by Cindy Eastman, CC
Capitol Club, Boise

So you think it took you a long time to achieve your CTM? Probably not, compared to me. This is my story, and I hope to inspire any of you who are feeling discouraged or embarrassed that it is taking you a while, to hang in there and keep going.

Cindy Eastman, CC, speaks from the Capitol Club

I might be the longest-running Toastmaster in history. It took me almost 10 years to finish those first 10 speeches! Why?

The first club I joined was in New Mexico and headed up by an eclectic group of 3 people. I seldom was put on the schedule (in fact, only one time, to give my Ice-Breaker), and I sat patiently for the next 3 years without giving another speech! That worked out beautifully for me, though, because I really did not want to speak. Finally, after three years or so, it did occur to me that I wasn’t getting a single thing out of that Toastmaster club, so I dropped out. Call me a slow learner!

After that, I took a break. Eventually I did join another group. They did their best to put me on the schedule, but they were a very large club with 40 members or more. This meant that a person’s “turn” did not come up very often. However, I managed to eke out another 2 speeches with them over a year’s time.

When I was “between” the two clubs mentioned above I visited a lot of different clubs, but since I was not a member, I never got put on the schedule. Again, this worked out well since I didn’t really want to speak in public. So, why did I even bother to join again here in Boise?

I think there are two basic reasons that I never completely gave up Toastmasters. The first is similar to the reason given by many others: In the world of business, I knew that I would be called on to speak in public, whether I wanted to or not. In fact, I anticipated being called upon to speak more and more frequently. The second reason, however, is probably not nearly as obvious or common among Toastmasters.

This second reason, one that is so important to me, is that I can remember back to a time in my early childhood when I had no voice at all. I lost my ability to speak for a time, and, once I regained my speech, I spoke in painful, slow stutters and stammers. This incident left a deep impression on me, and I am therefore determined, with the help of Toastmasters, to keep the gifts of speech and communication happy and active in my life. I never want to lose them again! Toastmasters gives me the opportunity to use that voice that I might have lost forever, and I will hang in there for as long as it takes to make the most of it – even if it takes another ten years! I encourage all of you, especially those who are on their own multi-year plans, to do the same. You have nothing to lose, and all the power of your own voices to gain.

Regional Conference – A Perfect Organ Masterpiece!
by Jennifer Christiano, ATM-B/CL

Dear Fellow Toastmasters,

Have you ever had the joy of listening to a real pipe organ? No, not one of those wimpy little instruments with only two small keyboards and a few pedals that we often encounter in small churches and cheesy entertainment venues. I mean a splendid, complex, full-throated, three keyboard instrument that boasts two additional keyboards of foot pedals, dozens of stops, and rank upon rank of magnificent, polished pipes that sing out in unabashed glory? A Mormon Tabernacle Choir sort of instrument?

I used to believe that there was nothing as awesomely stirring as the pipe organ bellowing out in full regalia, but I was recently proven wrong. I now know that there is one instrument that boasts a beauty and power to rival even the most complex pipe organ. When properly tuned and played to perfection by the mind, body and heart, this instrument will move you like no other can: it’s the human voice! At Regional conference, I was treated to a veritable symphony of spoken vocal music so powerful that it moved me to the same sublime levels as the finest live organ scores. Masterpieces of thought, insight, and heartfelt emotion woven together and played so skillfully on the human vocal instrument that they drew forth a veritable deluge of ideas, insights and emotions from every listener’s ears and soul.

Jennifer Christiano, Pulsebeat Editor reports from the Region 1 Conference

I confess that the music I heard at Regional so stirred me that I actually missed about half of the conference. I experienced such a rush of inspired ideas and “Aha’s” from the fabulous speakers I did hear, that I felt compelled to race back to my room and capture all of my thoughts and ideas before I lost even a single one. What a high! I justified my decision to skip some of the presentations (I apologize to you, dear readers and presenters), by explaining to myself that I was actually accomplishing the highest levels of what the planners had intended – I was learning, and putting what I had learned into practice – immediately! Tell me – to what better use could the conference time ultimately be put?

For those of you unable to attend, I’m sad to report that you missed an absolutely unparalleled opportunity to bear witness to some of the most extraordinary and amazing spoken music that you might ever hear. From the falling-out-of-your-seat-with-laughter humor, to the highest-level practical advice from world-class speaking professionals, to the gloriously touching personal stories of growth and triumph from the International Speech competitors, this conference was a showcase of the highest caliber of speaking excellence. It was in every way worth the cost and effort to attend.

The humor showcase alone was almost worth the trip. Featuring the winners of the Regional humor competitions, it was the perfect Friday night cap. Among the offerings were “Be a Dog”, one husband’s amusing look at the tricks that got him into – and back out of – the marital doghouse; “How to Ride the Bus”, a hysterically funny primer on how to survive commuting on public transportation; and “Talkin’ Loud With Something to Say”, a comical examination of the consequences of having an ample vocal apparatus and no shame in using it, presented by our own District 15 humorous speech winner Nancy McLeod. I can honestly say that I have not laughed so hard in ages, and, judging by the reactions in the room around me, I’m guessing that may have been true of most of the rest of the audience as well.

The International Speech Competition commenced after the Saturday night banquet, and featured eight moving presentations on such themes as “Who Are You Trying To Impress?”, “Just Stand Up”, and “What’s Your Problem?”. The winning speech, by Robert Killen, was a true story of alternating humor and poignancy surrounding a grandfather’s last words passed to the grandson at his bedside. Yes, there were a few discreet sniffles and moist eyes being dabbed during the contest, but we all understood.

The evening and the conference itself literally reached a crescendo when Jana Barnhill, DTM and Second VP of Toastmasters International, explained how she learned a lesson about allowing others find their own voices from... a ceramic frog! (If you were not there, you’ll just have to wonder about that one!) Let me tell you, as a group, the International Speech competitors and International Officers put on a performance that would rival any live stage or theater production cast by any group of professional theosophists anywhere. The emotional lift going around the room as they spoke was almost palpable. I have never felt so proud to be a Toastmaster, or so inspired to push harder in my own speaking career.

Alas, however, all good things must come to an end, as I realized while “lying in” and lazing around before my departure on Sunday morning. So, what did I like best? I’m not sure. Between the theatrical performances and mini speech coaching sessions by Patricia Fripp, the inspirational “how to” instruction by Robert Decker, the competitions, and the breakout sessions, I was rather overwhelmed. Like the notes on a sheet of music, each part blended into a harmony that was much more powerful even than any one session could have been alone. Truly, this was one remarkable conference.

Last but not least, I mustn’t overlook the musical contributions of the conference organizers, who did a terrific job of keeping everything running harmoniously despite a considerable number of problems and curve balls thrown by a not-terribly-organized hotel staff. I had the accidental luck of witnessing how the various committees covered for a variety of schedule changes and unexpected issues caused by late registrations, unanticipated costs, and other things. They all pulled together in true Toastmaster style, and I’m sure that most of the other attendees never noticed anything amiss. “Sour notes” were not allowed, and smooth sailing prevailed. My kudos to the conference planning teams. I wish such resounding success to next year’s Regional conference planners!

Well, fellow Toastmasters, this was my assessment of this year’s regional conference, and also my last article to you as the Editor of The Pulsebeat. I must say that serving all of you as Editor has been a richly rewarding experience, and I am so very, very pleased to see that so many of you have felt inspired to contribute to the newsletter over the past two years. The response to calls for articles for this last issue in particular was overwhelming! I take it as a sign that you are pleased with the tone and nature of this publication, and I therefore consider mine to have been a job well done. I sincerely hope, on behalf of the entire production team, that you are all happy with the new electronic format, and that you will all consider contributing to The Pulsebeat in the future. Please give a big show of support to the incoming editorial and District officer team, and let us all keep making Simply Amazing music together!

Sincerely,

Your humble Pulsebeat editor,

Jennifer Christiano ATM-B/CL
Capitol Club, Boise, Idaho