TLI or Not TLI - It's Not Even a Question

In a prior post I mentioned how Toastmasters deadlines stay constant each year.  Pick any month, and there is some task or event that needs to be done.  In June/July and again in December/January, it's TLI time.

TLI?

When I first became a club officer in 1994, it was simply referred to as "Club Officer Training".  Sometime in the early 2000's, Toastmasters International designed a reboot.  Officer Training was now called TLI, or Toastmasters Leadership Institute.  What's the difference?  Well, ... plenty.

Many non-officer members believed that "Officer Training" was just for officers.  But it really was for any interested club member.  Hence, the name change.  The summer sessions focus on each club officer role, with specific training geared toward each role.  But one does not need to be an officer to attend.  Maybe you're thinking of being the club secretary next year.  There's nothing wrong with picking up a little knowledge this year.  Plus, there are general sessions that provide valuable information on topics such as club environment and improving individual leadership skills.

We are now in the mid-winter TLI period.  The focus on these sessions is more devoted to taking the club's temperature.  How are we doing?  Are we progressing toward accomplishing our DCP goals by the end of the year?  What can "we" do ("we" = all club members) to help members and the club achieve their goals?

It seems to be a perennial challenge to get club offiers & other members to attend the mid-winter TLI.  In our Wisconsin climate, the weather is definitely a factor.  There are those that say they will learn nothing new.  I've always found that, while the topics or topics may be familiar, there are always ideas that spring forth that I've never considered.  It's amazing what energy and synergy occur when Toastmasters get together.

Here in Madison, the next & last TLI session is on Saturday January 28 from 9:00 - Noon.  All Toastmaster officers & interested members owe it to themselves & their clubs to attend. 

Get re-energized!  Move into the latter half of the Toastmasters year with a strong purpose!  We can all become distinguished Toastmasters who are members of Distinguished Toastmaster clubs.

Speech Contest Season is Upon Us

Spend any length of time in Toastmasters and you find repetition.  The same monthly deadlines are there year after year.  February & March?  Why, it's spring contest season!

In Toastmasters, spring means the International Speech Contest.  The granddaddy of all speech contests.  Our club has set Monday March 5, 2012 as its club International Speech Contest.  What is it?  Contestants prepare an original 5 - 7 minute speech on a topic of their choosing.  Most contestants select topics of a motivational or inspirational nature.  A new look at the human condition.  The rules state that a contestant must be a paid member (naturally) and have completed at least 6 manual speeches.  This contest runs up through all levels of the Toastmasters hierarchy.  A contestant who keeps winning could eventually find themselves on stage at the World Championship of Public Speaking, which is held every August (there's that repetition again) at the Toastmasters International Convention.

But that's not the only contest.  Our club is in District 35, which is the state of Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan.  Our District is also conducting a Table Topics Contest.  Any club member can compete; there is no minimum speech requirement.  Every contestant in a given contest is asked the same question, and the judges determine who gave the best one- to two-minute response.  Our club will be holding its Table Topics Contest on Monday February 19.

Toastmasters literature says that contests are an important part of the overall program.  "They provide an opportunity for Toastmasters to gain speaking experience, as well as an opportunity for other Toastmasters to learn by observing proficient speakers."  (From page 4 of the 2012 Contest Rulebook.)

I've competed in a few contests over the years, and I've always found them to be a great time and a wonderful learning experience.  And no, I've never won the World Championship.  The only time I competed in the International Contest I won at the club level but then lost at the Area level.  I gained a great respect and awe of the speakers who did win and moved up to the next level.

Step outside your comfort zone!  Challenge yourself to take that next step in your communication development!  Compete in a contest -- it's another opportunity to share your voice with the world.

Eastside Madison Toastmasters!

Who are we?  We are a Toastmasters club in Madison, WI  (actually, Monona, WI to be more precise).  I've been a member of this club since 2004, and a Toastmasters member since October 1992.

My name is Jim, and throughout this blog adventure I will be joined by other members of this club.  We will share our Toastmasters experiences & adventures.  If you live or work on the east side of Madison, please feel free to join us for a meeting.  Our club website is at http://1366.toastmastersclubs.org/.  If you live elsewhere, the good news is that there is probably a Toastmasters club near your home or work.  Toastmasters International's website is www.toastmasters.org.

I guess the best place to start is "why are you still a member after 19 years?  Haven't you learned to speak by now?"  Good question.  As we all know, one never stops learning.  Am I a better speaker now than in 1992?  I believe so.  I believe so strongly.

But I still have room to improve.

I owe so much to Toastmasters.  I am able to speak in front of groups of any size.  I still get those pesky butterflies in my stomach, but now I'm their master - instead of the other way around.  I make them fly in wonderful formations.  I also took advantage of the leadership skills one can learn, and not only have held officer roles at the district level, but these skills have helped at work.  You see, I'm one of those pesky computer programmers.  We usually like talking with our mouse, but now I can talk to my mouse, my keyboard, co-workers, directors, and vice-presidents.

Why join Toastmasters?

I think the best response is a line of dialogue from the Academy Award-winning film "The King's Speech".  In case you haven't seen it (and I do recommend it), the story follows Prince Albert, soon-to-be King George VI.  The king has a severe stammer and his wife hires a speech therapist named Lionel Logue to help the king.  Prior to the coronation, both men are in Westminster Abbey where the king is rehearsing his dialogue for this momentous event.  Logue begins to irritate the king and refuses to listen to him.  The following exchange occurs:

King George VI: Listen to me. Listen to me!
Lionel Logue: Listen to you? By what right?
King George VI: By divine right if you must, I am your king.
Lionel Logue: No you're not, you told me so yourself. You didn't want it. Why should I waste my time listening?
King George VI: Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice!

That final line sums up the movie -- and why anyone would want to join Toastmasters.  No matter who we are - King, President, CEO, computer programmer - we all have a voice.  We all have something to say.  With our voices we can entertain, inspire, cajole, instruct, empathize, argue, amuse, flirt, euologize, or sympathize. 

Toastmasters can help you find your voice and shape it.  It can give you the confidence to be heard - at home, school, work, in the world.  Find your voice.  Discover your passion.  Shape your world.