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Region 1__Serving Colorado, Wyoming and Western Nebraska

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE Volume 41 , Issue 9

March 2014

D ISTRICT 26 D IALOGUE

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Calendar of Events 2

News & Notes 2

703 Gallons 3

District 26 Marketing Activities 3

Lance Miller Wows TLIs 4

Get Guests 5

Emphasize Strong v. Weak Words 6

Contests Expand Experience 6

A Toastmaster's Perspective on an NSA Meeting

7

Absolutely Articulate Celebrates Five Year Anniversary

7

Sometimes It’s About Learning… 8

Another Success Story 8

Building Enthusiastic Leaders at the D26 Spring Conference

9

Musings from the Editor 10

Find a club

The District 26 Dialogue is published monthly to keep the members informed about events in the district and to present educational and motivational material to help in the maintenance of clubs and the service to our members. Unsolicited articles are encouraged. Submissions should be newsworthy, informative, thought-provoking and of district-wide appeal. Include web links if available. For more details go to http://d26Toastmasters.org/WP/news-events/district-26-dialogue/.

Pass it on!

Let the rest of your club know the March

Dialogue is available.

W ell, not exactly. Rather, it was Don “Big

Jim” Ravioli, played by Tom Hobbs, who

was the unlucky character murdered at a

Murder Mystery party and pot luck hosted by

Gates to Excellence on the evening of February

1st, 2014. With a Roaring 20‘s theme, “Murder at

the Four Deuces” gave the members of Gates to

Excellence and their guests an opportunity to

dress up as gangsters, molls, flappers, corrupt

politicians, and many other interesting characters.

There was plenty of bribery and back stabbing

going on throughout the evening as members

attempted to solve the murder of “Big Jim”, while

trying to keep their secrets from other characters.

Baroness Ravioli, played by Dianne Sundet, had

the unfortunate luck to also be murdered during

the evening.

While the evening was fun for everyone, it was

also an opportunity to practice many of the skills

we have learned while in Toastmasters. Dressing

up in character gave us an opportunity to practice

vocal variety and to use body language in creative

ways. Tuning in to the conversations of other

characters allowed us to practice our listening

skills, and answering the probing questions from

other characters was like answering Table Topic

questions.

Awards were given to Niki Konkoly (“Donna

Wannabe”) for Best Costume, Tom Hobbs (“Don

‘Big Jim’ Ravioli”) for Best Performer, and Gordon

Muschett (“Congressman Toosteal”) for the

character who acquired the most money. Super

Sleuth certificates were given to Tom Hobbs

(reincarnated as “Mayor Bumpkin”) and Area

Governor Pam Hertzog (“Vicky Ravioli”), for solving

the murder of “Big Jim”, and to Gordon Muschett

for solving the murder of Baroness Ravioli.

Interested in hosting your own murder mystery

party? Here are some resources to ensure your

party is the bees knees:

Tips for Hosting your Own Murder Mystery Game:

http://www.great-murder-mystery-games.com/

party-tips.html

Murder Mystery Rules, Guidelines, Tips, & Tricks:

http://www.host-a-murder.com/guidelines.html

Dinner and a Murder (vender where we purchased

“Murder at the Four Deuces”)

http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/

Googling “murder mystery kits” also brings up an

amazing number of resources.

DISTRICT GOVERNOR MURDERED! By Darrell Houghton CC/CL, VPE at Gates to Excellence

Left to right: Dianne Sundet (Baroness Ravioli), Gordon Muschett (Congressman Darrin Toosteal), Darrell

Houghton (Don Wannabe), Donna Pollack (Vanessa Crooner), Svetla Kavakova (Rebecca Ravioli), Ray Mohr

(Capo “Toto” Tequila), Niki Konkoly (Donna Wannabe), Pam Hertzog (Vicky Ravioli), Tom Hobbs (Don “Big Jim”

Ravioli/Mayor “Big Bill” Bumpkin), Jenny Powers (Carrie Crooner-Ravioli), David Sargent (Al Capone), Deborah

Uriel (Inspector Neville “The Nose” Nutella)

Page 2 Volume 41 , Issue 9

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

SCH E D U LE O F E VE NT S

Mar 1 – District Officer

Training and OPEN HOUSE

Mar 1 – District Executive

Committee Meeting

(following training)

Mar 1 – Remind clubs to

submit membership dues

renewals online

Mar 3 – 43 Minute District

Leadership Conference

Call 1st Mondays

Mar 31 – Talk up

Toastmasters membership

contest ends

See the district calendar

for more details

March 2014

NEWS & NOTES

This does not constitute an endorsement by

Toastmasters International nor District 26

Toastmasters. It does, however, get my

personal endorsement. You might consider

using it for recruitment. — GSS

Joe added the following to his article on

page 8:

What can you do? I hope this encourages

you to

#1 enroll in How to Speak for Fun and Profit

Seminar where you get 400 groups who

need speakers every week

#2 Join Toastmasters near your home

#3 Remember you can count your talks in

the community towards your CC as long as

you bring an evaluator with you.

GO GO!

By enrolling in How to Speak for Fun and

Profit www.SabahSpeaks.com and joining

Toastmasters www.Toastmasters.org Joe

Sabah will pay your Toastmaster dues for 6

months (up to $50).

Celebrating 10 years or

more in March!

Colorado Springs Toastmasters Club, 555 –

66 yrs.

Cheyenne Toastmasters Club, 798 – 64 yrs.

Pueblo Toastmasters Club, 795 – 64 yrs.

Skyline Club, 1038 – 62 yrs.

Earlybird Club, 1268 – 61 yrs.

Front Range Toastmasters Club, 2668 –

56 yrs.

Toast Of Inverness Club, 4128 – 34 yrs.

Sunshine Valley Club, 4469 – 33 yrs.

Downtown Speakeasy Club, 7312 – 25 yrs.

Loquacious Lunch Bunch Toastmasters Club,

7329 – 25 yrs.

Pathfinder Club, 8593 – 22 yrs.

Lodo Toastmasters Club, 9839 – 20 yrs.

Toast & Jam Club, 4558 – 16 yrs.

TLC Club, 7028 – 16 yrs.

Evening Stars Club, 7448 – 11 yrs.

Toastmasters at Memorial Hospital Club,

644254 – 10 yrs.

Please see the D26 website for a

complete list.

Area Contest Schedule

Mar 15 – S2 International Speech and Table

Topics Contests

Mar 15 – E6 & E7 International and Table Topics

Speech Contests

Mar 20 – S5 International Speech & Table Topics

Contest

Mar 21 – F2 & F4 International and Table Topics

Contest

Mar 22 – E4 and 5 International and Table Top-

ics Speech Contests

Mar 22 – F1 International Speech and Table

Topics Contests

Mar 22 – S6 International Speech and Table

Topics Contest

Mar 23 – S 1, 3 & 4 International Speech and

Table Topics Contests

Mar 29 – N3 International Speech and Table

Topics Contest

Mar 29 – F5 International and Table Topics

Speech Contest

Mar 29 – F6 International and Table Topics

Speech Contest

Mar 29 – M3, M4 International Speech and Table

Topics Contest

Mar 29 – E1,2, & 3 International and Table Top-

ics Speech Contests

Distr ict 26 Dia logue Page 3

703 GALLONS Tom Hobbs, DTM District 26 Governor

“Uncle Tom, We need More!” My 4 year old

niece just kept saying it over and over and

over till the whole park knew it. The harder I

pushed the higher she went on the swing.

She was determined to make it high above

the sky. You too can make it high in the sky

when you ask for just a little more.

Karen knew how to ask for just a little more

of anything. If she reached just a little farther

she could get the cookies on the counter.

Just stand on her tiptoes and she could reach

the light switch. Each time she reached the

rewards were clear. All it took was just a little

more.

With her big eyes her excitement was easy to

see. When she needed just a little more

reach she would wiggle and she laughed. And

soon someone would come help.

The day we made soap bubbles in the park

was awesome. Not the little ones but the

really big ones made with a hula hoop. The

bubbles were so big you could stand in them.

This did take a lot of water and soap in a big

tub. The more we made the more people in

the park came to watch. The crowd was

excited as she got more excited. As we

laughed and she squealed more people

came. I didn’t know when she would have

had enough. More Uncle Tom, more she

shouted. She counted how many we made.

Well in her own way of counting that is. 100.

More. 500. More 600. Finally 700 seemed to

satisfy her. The soap was almost out and I

used the last I had to fill the tub. We got 1

more big bubble. Then she and the crowd

begged for maybe 1 more bubble. We tipped

the tub to get the very last of the soap. 1

more bubble was made.

After we left she looked at me and said, “If

we had just 1 more we would have had the

best day ever.”

She often referred to the time when, “We

almost had the best day ever. If we only could

have had 703 gallons of soap bubbles.” I

knew it was not the soap but the enthusiasm

we generated that drew the large crowd into

the park. They cheered us both on.

As she is no longer with us, I strive for the

Best Day Ever. My desire is to wish everyone

703 gallons of enthusiasm.

Many members of District 26 Toastmasters

have wondered why I encourage people to

bring 703 gallons of enthusiasm to their

meetings and events. Now you know the rest

of the story.

DISTRICT 26 MARKETING ACTIVITIES Deborah Frauenfelder, DTM, Lt. Governor Marketing

Students, students, students were

everywhere on a cold Colorado winter day

then the Metropolitan State University (MSU)

Toastmasters club on the Auraria Campus

held their Kickoff meeting. We had a small

but dedicated audience with a diverse

background attend the meeting on 2/4/14.

Their second meeting attracted the attention

of our District Governor, Tom Hobbs, who

attended to evaluate a fantastic icebreaker.

Since MSU Toastmasters meets on the

Aurora Campus, they are forming an open

community club – which means anyone can

attend the meetings. While, they are focusing

on attracting MSU students, students from

the Community College of Denver, and

Colorado University – Denver are welcome to

attend the meetings and join the club. MSU

Toastmasters meets the 1st, 3rd and 5th

Tuesdays at 12:30 to 1:45 in the Tivoli

student union building. If you would like to

visit, or join the club, please contact Tyler

Antikainen at

MSUDenverToastmasters@gmail.com for the

room schedule. The club will charter once

they have 20+ members (17 of which must

be new Toastmasters). Thus, this club will

soon need 2 mentors.

The Department of Energy kickoff meeting is

scheduled for 2/26/14 in Golden, CO. Two

mentors are needed to help this club which

will charter soon after their kickoff meeting.

Send requests to mentor either of these new

clubs to Deborah Frauenfelder at

LGM1314@D26Toastmasters.org.

Thank you District 26 Toastmasters for

continuing to market Toastmasters within

your communities!

Page 4 Volume 41 , Issue 9

“The Dynamics

of

Club Leadership”

Building Champion Members, Club Officers, and Clubs was 2005

World Champion of Public Speaking Lance Miller’s theme at 5 TLI

(Toastmaster Leadership Institutes (TLI) January 24 to 28, 2014 in

Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Edwards

and his visit to Cloud Nine Club officers in Aspen. His Champion

message centered on 3 areas: Club Officer Teams, Club Success

Strategies and Marketing.

CLUB OFFICER TEAM leading as a TEAM is the key to a successful

Club. He explained the way each officer touches the member and how

club officer functions work together to build the club success. One

suggestion is to complete as much of a new member application as

possible in advance including the amount due for the month so it is

fast and simple to sign the member up.

CLUB SUCCESS centers on delivering what the members want. His

club dropped to 5 members and then grew to 96 and 4th in the world.

He said surveys reveal the top 2 reasons members keep coming back

is the fun of the meeting and the friendships. His club then began to

deliver fun and friendship along with the program of each member

completing an educational level each year. They have extra meetings

and potlucks to get the members the speeches and camaraderie they

want.

MARKETING ideas included Social Media, Special events and

Speechcraft. His #1 tip is sending emails about each meeting to the

clubs email list comprised of everyone who ever visited or expressed

interest. It is remarkable how many members the list brings – even

after 2 or 12 years. The list is king. Does you club have one and use

it?

Let us know your secrets to club success!

LANCE MILLER WOWS TLIS Linda Rhea, DTM Lt. Governor Education & Training

Distr ict 26 Dia logue Page 5

GET GUESTS Maura Thompson, CC, CL Public Relations Officer

It’s a fact. Your Club can’t grow without

guests. To get guests, you have to get the

word out about your Club. What is the

quickest and easiest way to get word out and

guests into your club? Invite them via

Facebook. Facebook (FB) is an excellent way

to reach out to a large number of people and

creating an account is both FREE and EASY.

Here is how easy it can be:

1. Find someone in your Club who is

already a regular Facebooker (this helps

keeping posts up to date since they are

on anyway).

2. Create a FB account. You can either

make it a Group or a Page. The main

difference is control of who sees what is

on the page and who can post to it. Read

more here

https://www.facebook.com/

help/155275634539412

2.5 Keep it branded! http://

www.toastmasters.org/logos

3. Be sure to add photos of your club

members and TAG them. This allows

member’s friends to see the photo and

follow it back to the Cub FB page and

widens the Club’s audience. Read more

here

https://www.facebook.com/help/12497

0597582337?sr=1&sid=01GlXwFYxTuK

dAe8g

4. You can share all kinds of information on

the Club page, upcoming Club meeting

info like speakers and evaluators,

announcements from previous Club

meeting, Club Ribbon winners (include

photos and TAG), Club and District

Contest info, Conference, TLI

information, Distinguished Club status,

special events like Picnics and Bowling

gatherings, Club member’s

accomplishments like CC, CL, ABL etc.,

the list goes on and on.

5. Send an email to your Club members

(with link to the FB page) inviting Club

members to join the Club’s new page.

Read more here

https://www.facebook.com/help/17433

3482624856?sr=4&sid=0I2S8WuEN03

DZtXIp

Questions? Go to

https://www.facebook.com/help/

CONGRATULATIONS!! YOUR CLUB NOW HAS A

FACEBOOK PAGE!

Here is the easy invite part

1. Always create an Event for your Club

meetings, include all pertinent

information like date, time and location.

Link a map or use a photo (and TAG it)

Read more here

https://www.facebook.com/help/18571

6894811068?sr=4&sid=0dQouYzEBcD

Fgiy0k

2. Invite people to attend. Read more here

https://www.facebook.com/help/21385

1145302199?sr=7&sid=0x7w4XPZVDg

SDqrP9

3. During the announcement portion of

each meeting encourage your Club

members to RSVP to the next Meeting

Event AND to invite at least 5 friends to

attend the meeting. It only takes 2-3

minutes for them to do.

Count the Guests

Lance Miller pointed out it took 8 invites from

his co-worker before he attended a meeting,

so while you might not see immediate results,

imagine how many guests you could get after

4 months if 15 of you members invite 5

people each, that is 75 invites per meeting!!

Lastly

Please be sure to “LIKE” District 26 Facebook

page for other ideas on the types of things to

be shared

https://www.facebook.com/D26Toastmaster

s

Also email me pro1314@d26leaders.org an

invite to your Facebook page so I can “LIKE”

it.

See you on Facebook!

Colorado Springs Toastmasters Leadership Institute

Page 6 Volume 41 , Issue 9

Feedback is a great benefit of our

Toastmasters experience. We learn from our

peers and exchange supporting comments to

empower us to grow. While listening to others

speak, we discover we share things we do

well and identify things that interfere with our

message. This allows us to work on improving

our presenting style.

As one who loves language and the spoken

work, I find that speakers often get in front of

a room, and they do a Jekyll & Hyde

transformation. They go from 'member' mode

to 'presenter' mode. By that, I mean they stop

using their natural, conversational voice and

put on "the speaker" voice. Their words are

noticeably different in tone, rate and pattern.

To sound more official, or maybe because of

nerves, speakers fall into this trap. They,

place the emphasis on the wrong words,

syllables and phrases in their text. Instead of

sounding more important, they only sound

awkward.

Let me give you an example with this simple

sentence: "The man and the woman met

another couple at a recent conference."

In normal conversation, we would emphasize

the nouns and verbs. In grammar, (you do

remember your grammar?) that would be the

subject, or the actor; the predicate, or the

action; and the object, the thing or person

acted upon.

In presenter mode, the emphasize is oddly

with helper words; the articles, adjectives,

conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs.

While these are important parts of speech,

they generally should not be stressed when

speaking.

Let me highlight words in the above sentence

to make this clearer.

Here is the sentence in conversational mode:

"The man and the woman met another couple

at a recent conference." If you take out all the

other words, you can still get the message.

who: man-woman; what: met; whom: couple;

where: conference. Man-woman met couple

conference.

Here it is again in presenter mode: "The man

and the woman met another couple at a

recent conference."

Take out the other words and you get: the-

and-the-another-a-recent.

I know you have heard this, I hear it all too

often. Which sounds more artificial to you?

Which conveys a better meaning?

If you don't want to sound awkward, formal,

pedantic or weird when you speak, just

remember that public speaking is just a

conversation between you and a room full of

people, one person at a time. Please use your

conversational voice and chat with each

person in the room.

As you make eye contact during your speech,

you are communicating with that one person

for the moment. As you move your eyes to the

next person, you continue your conversation

with the new person. By the time you finish,

you will have related with everyone. And that

is why eye contact is so important for

speakers.

If you are speaking in your club, you already

know your fellow members. You already have

conversations when you meet. Just continue

your conversation when you rise to speak.

If you are speaking to a new group, meet with

as many people as you can before you speak.

That way you will have friends in the room

you can make eye contact with and converse

with during your talk. We do that with guests

to our club, and it works when we are the

guest, too.

Make a considered effort to be yourself.

Connect with people as a speaker in a

natural, conversational speech pattern, just

as would on the phone or when sharing a

drink with a friend. Do not try to be something

else. It is inauthentic.

Your audience will appreciate that you are

communicating with them, not at them. Most

importantly, your message will be heard and

you will be remembered for your ease and

warmth. That cannot be emphasized enough.

————————————————————————————--

Mitch Krayton is a Distinguished Toastmaster

and member for more the 26 years. He is

currently serving as VP PR for Evening Stars

Advanced Toastmasters Club 7448. He is in

the travel business and has been active in

District 26 since moving to Colorado in 2012.

EMPHASIZE STRONG V. WEAK WORDS Mitch Krayton, DTM Evening Stars 7448

CONTESTS EXPAND EXPERIENCE Linda Rhea, DTM Lt. Governor Education & Training

Even if you do not want to be a contestant we need you

at Area, Division and District Contests. Here is what is in

it for you:

Timers get a chance to focus on the speakers from

great seats.

Counters get the inside scoop as they count ballots.

Sergeant-at-Arms helps Table Topics Contestants make

great entrances.

Judges get a chance to study speeches from a different

perspective.

Registration and Refreshment team get to meet & greet

soooo many people.

Audience gets to hear amazing speeches.

Contact your Area Governor or Linda Rhea to volunteer

for 1 or more contests near you!

I don’t know what your future will be, but I do know those

of us who will be happy are those who are serving oth-

ers, to paraphrase M3 Area Governor Mike Hayden

Distr ict 26 Dia logue Page 7

I attended my first National Speakers

Association of Colorado (NSAColorado.org)

meeting on Friday, 7 Feb 2014. I saw a few

familiar faces, and many new ones. Like

Toastmasters meetings and events, everyone

was warm and welcoming. Unlike our

meetings and gatherings, the focus clearly

differed. In this group, speaking means

income. To these professionals, stage

presence, their message, and their delivery

all matter for their livelihoods.

Some Toastmasters may naturally gravitate

to the NSA as a next step in their professional

development. With the Winter Olympics

getting underway on the date of this meeting,

an athletic analogy comes to mind. Attending

regular toastmasters meetings keeps you in

shape for public speaking, i.e., thinking on

your feet, preparing presentations, and

conducting meetings. If you aspire to more

than just fitness, then you will have the

ambition train for competition. Not everyone

who trains to compete makes the Olympic

team, but they definitely play on higher level,

and can even make a living as a professional

athlete. Which best describes you? Fitness

buff or aspiring olympian?

Regardless of your aspirations, you might

appreciate a few nuggets of wisdom gleaned

from this stimulating meeting. Robert McKee,

who wrote the popular book, "Story" attended

virtually via Skype. Michael Grinder (rhymes

with tinder) gave us an enthralling lesson,

including activities, in on-stage body

language.

Firstly, I must confess my affinity for data.

Even so, I hear from multiple sources,

including both of these speakers, that the

most effective persuasion comes from

stories. This meeting added more data points

to push me even more towards stories. See? I

can't help it! I think I will compromise by

"smuggling data into my speeches,"

strategically tucking compelling numbers in

between emotional stories.

Another point firmly emphasized by both

speakers at this meeting has to do with the

dichotomy of positive and negative. We all

recognize the power of positivity in our lives,

our relationships, and our speeches, right? Of

course! This doesn't mean you must eschew

all negativity. On the contrary, you cannot

move an audience with positivity alone. It

takes a contrast between utopia and tragic

circumstances to move people. You must get

your audience to feel the down side of the

problem to lift them to the maximum

exhilaration of your solution.

One more nugget of wisdom to share from

this meeting came from Michael Grinder, who

characterized personalities as either cats or

dogs. In short, cats thrive on tension & risk

whereas dogs prefer routine & tranquility.

Each of us identifies more with one or the

other; this viewpoint helps us understand our

audiences better. The dogs in the audience

listen without judgment, magnanimously

desiring success for us as speakers. It takes

more to impress the cats; our delivery must

demonstrate intelligence. We can achieve

this through strategic use of pauses

coordinated with gestures. This will please

the cats, and the dogs won't mind that we've

employed a sophisticated skill.

If you consider yourself more of a

professional speaker more so than simply

one who stays in speaking shape, I highly

recommend attending one of the NSA's

monthly events.

A TOASTMASTER'S PERSPECTIVE ON AN NSA MEETING: Terri Larsen Speakers’ Bureau Chair

The Absolutely Articulate Toastmasters Club #1272692 recently cele-

brated its Year Five Anniversary as a thriving president’s distin-

guished club at the Garden Plaza of Aurora, 14221 E. Evans. Con-

sistent with their club motto – “Lift As You Climb,” Club President

Betty Funderburke stated “Our club is made up of the right people to

run a successful, diverse business club.” Guest speaker, JOE SABAH,

co-founder of the National Speakers Association-Colorado Chapter

and 2009 Toastmasters International District 26 “Communication &

Leadership Award Recipient” opened the meeting with a brief walk

down memory lane concerning Co-Founders & Sisters BETTY FUN-

DERBURKE, DTM and ELINORA REYNOLDS, DTM. Notorious for al-

ways encouraging others to stand up, speak out and do more, Sabah

reminded Toastmasters and guests that we are all children of God

and are therefore, powerful beyond measure. Sabah concluded his

Speech of Inspiration by using his popular tagline – “You don’t have

to be good to start – you have to start to be good!” At the end of this

historic meeting, Toastmaster BEATRICE BRUNO dedicated a song

and toast to the Absolutely Articulate Club. Beatrice Bruno (also

known as “Drill Sergeant Of Life”) is a 15-year Active Duty Army Veter-

an, author, mentor, counselor and ordained Gospel Minister. As cov-

ered in her books, Bruno has found that people from all walks of life

have the same need: to get over self and get out of their own way so

they can get what they want out of life. Toastmaster MONICA BROWN,

CC was commended for coordinating activities for the club’s anniver-

sary program.

ABSOLUTELY ARTICULATE CELEBRATES FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY Elinora Reynolds, DTM VP Education/Co-Founder Absolutely Articulate

Betty Funderburke, Joe Sabah, and Elinora Reynolds

Page 8 Volume 41 , Issue 9

ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY Joe Sabah Co-Founder NSA Colorado

SOMETIMES IT’S ABOUT LEARNING… Chris Mortenson, ACS, ALB (still) VP PR, UCCS Toastmasters

Not About Getting Credit

What are your Toastmasters goals? How

important is it to you that you reach them? I

used to believe working on goals was critical

to moving forward and without them you will

not learn or grow. Experience taught me that

isn’t always true.

Within my first year I had my CC and CL, and

by 2 ½ years I had my ACS and ALB… then

life happened.

I lived in Colorado working for the US Air

Force in June ’09 when I was handpicked for

a 6-month assignment in California. When I

returned home, I was chosen to deploy to Iraq

for a year; Surprise! Soon after coming home

I retired from the Air Force and landed a job

commuting to Canada weekly as a consultant

to an oil company.

Each of these moves halted any progress

towards my DTM, but I always kept involved

with Toastmasters however I could. In

California I found a club on base and visited

as often as possible. I gave evaluations and

spoke a few times too. And in Baghdad I was

shocked to find struggling Toastmasters club

on the US Embassy, which was walking

distance. I helped that club as I could for a

few months until I was reassigned across

town. In Canada I hooked up with the oil

company’s brand new closed club. I started

visiting as a guest, but soon they realized I

had much more experience than they did, so

they let me join. I informally mentored them

for a year-and-a-half.

So in the last 4 ½ years I haven’t moved any

closer to my goal of DTM, but so what? I

stayed involved with Toastmasters helping

clubs and staying active whenever and

however I could. Now I can say I have been a

part of clubs in several countries, open clubs

and closed clubs, and new and old clubs. I

may not have the title DTM but I have grown

as a speaker, evaluator, club mentor and as

a person.

When life changes your plans, sometimes you

have to change your goals and turn obstacles

into opportunities. I still want that elusive

DTM, but my timeline is flexible. I’m back in

Colorado now, looking for a local job. If I get

one… DTM, here I come. If not, I’ll find a local

club, and I’ll help however I can.

Once upon a time there was a girl name

Debra. She came into my life on Mother's

Day 2004. (I came home from rehab

after a stroke. She has helped me for 10

years.)

When I handed her the telephone, she

said, "Not me! I'm afraid of the tele-

phone."

Fast forward to 2005 she overcame the

fear because I gave her a telephone

script which started with "Could you help

me please?"

For the past 8 years Debra makes over

1,000 phone calls a year updating my

databases … And can't wait to make her

next call.

For over 8 years I have been encourag-

ing Debra to join Toastmasters.

"Yeah, yeah ...one of these days." she

would say. Finally in January 2013 she

joined Toastmasters South Suburban

Club AND the rest in history.

On Tuesday, January 28, 2014 she gave

her 10th talk to receive her Competent

Communicator award. HERE'S HOW SHE

DID IT! WOW!

Debra gave a talk for the Malley Center,

a retirement village in Englewood. She

gave not a 7 minute talk. But rather 60

minutes. And Debra spoke to a standing

room audience of 45 people. They paid

her $100.00.

Of course she invited a Toastmaster

evaluator to evaluate her talk and got

credit for CC #10.

Joe Sabah

303-722-7200

email Joe@JoeSabah.com

www.JoeSabah.com

Debra Johnson

720-922-3458

debgetsitdone@hotmail.com

Distr ict 26 Dia logue Page 9

Building Enthusiastic Leaders at the D26 Spring Conference

District 26 is hard at work planning a fabulous Spring Conference set for May 16 & 17 at the beautiful Embassy Suites Conference Center in Loveland, Colorado. Conferences are a great time to recharge those Toastmaster batteries and connect with friends & Toastmasters you've not seen in a while.

Been there, done that... you say? Ahh, not so fast ... I say!

Time honored tradition certainly has its place at the Conference... this year we are infusing special touches to add a bit of Vibrancy. You'll see notices, reminders and "Save The Date" memo's, Please pencil these dates into your

calendar, plan ahead... plan early and Plan To Join Us at the D26 Spring Conference. EVERYTHING you need to know is listed here...

Conference Dates Friday May 16 (5P-9P) A SPECIAL night you're sure to remember!

Saturday May 17 (8A-10P) Keynote & training by the inspirational Mark Brown, Two Contests, A Community Leadership Luncheon, Educational Sessions and a beautiful evening Banquet. Of course, there are also a D26 Business Meeting, Awards & NEW District Leadership induction too!

Early Early Bird deadline: *March 20th Early Bird deadline: ENDS May 7th

This year you will have 2 opportunities to SAVE $$$ *plan early & save more! You will find ALL the registration details at: www.d26toastmasters.org

The Conference Hotel is offering Special room Rates ... Stay the night and relax!

Speaker Proposals for Educational break-out sessions: OPEN NOW through March 15th*.

Download the proposal form from www.d26toastmasters.org : Speaker Tab & follow the instructions

D26 Got Talent? Stage Experience, singer/dancer? Comedian, Impersonator, Magician?

Maybe it is your profession, maybe it's your passion... Share your Talent with us!

Drop us a note at: Proposals@D26toastmasters.org through March 15th.

Want to Sponsor an event? Your own Company or the one you work for…

We have a program to fit EVERY Budget...

Gain exposure through D26 from Wyoming to Nebraska to the entire State of Colorado!

Support the Silent Auction! We'd love your support this year… This fund raising program provides a FUN way to contribute to the overall success of the event. Members look forward to bidding on items...and pick up their PRIZE with a smile on their face! SO many ways to help... Donate a Gift basket, basket with a special theme: sports, relaxation, food or drink, event tickets, the Sky's the limit! Be creative, be crafty! Prizes awarded for Best Basket, most bids! Watch for more information coming soon…

*District Officer Candidates and District Contest Contestants should not speak at the conference educational sessions.

We look forward to seeing you there! For more conference information or to volunteer contact:

Co-Chair Lori High, F21314@D26Leaders.org Co-Chair Rhea Thompson, F41314@D26Leaders.org

Linda Rhea, LGET1314@D26Leaders.org

Page 10 Volume 41 , Issue 9

A B O U T T O A S T M A S T E R S D I S T R I C T 2 6 , R E G I O N 1

Our Mission

We strive to create a bond

among all the clubs of the

district by sharing our

experiences, resources, and

knowledge through an

interactive media.

Our goal is to make every

Toastmaster feel empowered,

appreciated and connected.

Please send your questions, tips, com-

ments, and articles to the editor, gordon-

savage@msn.com, by the 15th of each

month in order to appear in the next

issue. Visit the web site for submission

guidelines. All articles are subject to

editing to fit allotted space and submis-

sion does not guarantee publication.

District 26 Dialogue © 2014 All rights reserved.

Publisher / Governor

Tom Hobbs, DTM

Phone: 303-671-0469

Email: dg1314@d26leaders.org

Editor

Gordon S. Savage, DTM

36923 Forest Trail

Elizabeth, CO 80107-8126

Phone: 303-646-0547

E-mail: gordonsavage@msn.com

Public Relations Officer (PRO)

Maura Thompson, CC, CL

E-mail: pro1314@d26leaders.org

Title & Design

Carol A. Harris, ACB

E-mail: thewriteniche@aol.com

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

MU SI N GS FROM TH E ED I TOR G o r d o n S . S a v a g e , D T M

District 26 includes Colorado, the Eastern Slope of Wyoming, and the Nebraska panhandle. It was formed

in 1948, with Gordon Merrick serving as its first district governor.

Four past District 26 governors have risen to the international level:

Don Paape was international director, 1966 - 68 and international president 1972 -73. It was during his

term that women were first admitted to Toastmasters International. Watt Pye was district governor from

1969-70 and international director from 1970 -72; Dorothy Chapman served as district governor, 1989-90

and international director from 1990-92; and Beth Boaz was D26 governor from 1995-96 and internation-

al director, 1997-99. Marilyn Boland served as the first female District 26 governor in 1975 -76.

In 2000, Ed Tate, a member of Cherry Creek Toastmasters, won the World Championship of Public Speak-

ing. Ed is now the principal of a professional development firm that provides keynote and endnote presen-

tations, workshops, and other training.

In 2007, Rory Vaden, also a member of Cherry Creek Toastmasters, was the first runner-up in the World

Championship of Public Speaking. He has since co-founded a multi-million dollar public training company

and been featured on Oprah Radio with Dr. Oz and in SUCCESS™ Magazine.

Byron Embry of Pikes Peak Toastmasters was a major league baseball pitcher before he became a finalist

in the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2009. He later founded Closing Remarks and has be-

come a keynote speaker and author. Ian J. Humphrey of Simply Speaking was in Toastmasters little more

than a year when he progressed to the final round of the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2010.

Ian is now an inspirational speaker who reaches out to youth at risk. ▪

VISIT US at

d26Toastmasters.org/WP/

Club Social Functions Does your club hold social

functions? If not, you’re

missing a great opportunity to

draw your members together.

It doesn’t have to be a murder

mystery. You just need to get

together in an informal

atmosphere. Two of my clubs

combine business with

pleasure by having a potluck

followed by (or before) a light-

weight meeting. Other clubs

regularly have a get together

that is strictly social. How

about an Executive Committee

potluck? The whole club

should be invited to EC

meetings, you know.

Back when the Toastmaster of

the Year was tied to a point

system, one of my clubs held a

six month contest where the

speakers were based on the

points they had earned for the

speeches they had given. The

contest winner received a

trophy that they got to keep.

The get together was held at a

restaurant that club didn’t

normally meet in, and was

consistently well attended.

Another club I belonged to had

a regular Christmas get

together. It featured awards

for accomplishments over the

past year. Members were

recognized for everything from

achieving formal

communication awards to

bringing in the most guests. In

fact everyone got an award of

some kind.

Whatever you choose to do, it

needs an organizer and a

team to set it up. Guess what,

the Competent Leadership

manual has requirements for

club special events chairs and

workers: “Organization and

Delegation” and “Team

Building.” In other words social

events can be an opportunity

to both learn and pick up CL

credit.

Yes, it takes some planning

and effort, but it’s worth it. I

know, there are any number of

excuses for not doing it, but

that’s what they are, excuses.

Do you want a strong club or

not? If you do, stop making

excuses and start putting

together social functions. You

won’t regret it.