Page 5 - 2016 April Voices

Who Inspires You?
by Susan Ellsworth, DTM
At the 1988 Toastmasters International
Convention, the Golden Gavel recipient retired
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper said, “It’s easier to
apologize than it is to get permission.”
She inspired me.
In August 2002, Policy 2.2b Club Minimum
Requirement: “Regular meetings are conducted
in person” was enacted.
On August 26, 2006 a news writer referring
to attendees at the International Convention said
“They meet and greet, guffaw, nod heads of salt-
and-pepper hair and do the real communicating
with their hands.” The writer went on to say
that “The average age in the room might be 65.
Toastmasters is not cool.”
She inspired me.
On September 5, I
sent a letter to World
Headquarters asking
for their perspective on
online meetings. The
Board indicated they’d
had a “good discussion”
about “distance learning” Firebirds Collective
during its August meeting Members
My offer to help with the
process was not necessary at that point. Not
cool.
However, that letter inspired me.
In January 2009 I was in a Club Officer
Training session. A member asked if it was
acceptable to evaluate a pre-recorded manual
speech on YouTube. The immediate past District
Governor stood up and said it was against
Toastmasters policy. Not cool.
She inspired me.
I sent an email to the trainer and the past
District Governor. It reflected my belief that
the movement toward online clubs would come
from the Toastmasters members’ community.
On January 30 2009 I received a warning
letter from the International President saying
that some members had complained about my
email. What I had said was against policy. Any
further action on my part of that sort would
Volume 2 Issue 10 - APRIL 2016
further action on my
part would result in
severe consequences.
Not cool.
She inspired me.
I apologized. I also wrote that Helen
Blanchard—the first female International
President and Evelyn Jay Burgay—the first
female World Champion of Public Speaking—
had each joined Toastmasters before policy
officially allowed women into Toastmasters.
In April 2013 I was invited to participate
in an online staff study group. The group had
been told not to advertise its presence and not
to add members to its current group. Not cool.
That restriction inspired me.
I discovered other online clubs. I wrote
posts about online clubs. I recruited likely
members. On August 11 2013 I was invited
to participate in my first 100% online
Toastmasters meeting.
Was someone
turning something
around? Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
By March 20, 2015
divergent values and
leadership styles were
not working well
together. A team of
eight—later known
as the Firebirds Collective—formed the
core of a multi-national group of advanced
Toastmasters dedicated to meeting 100%
online. Soon others were brought into the
group. In July 2015, members wrote and
sent six white papers related to the online
Toastmasters experience to the entire Board of
Directors and senior World Headquarters staff.
In February 2016, the Toastmasters
International Board of Directors reversed the
earlier Policy 2.2.b. In its minutes, the Board
said:
“1. The Board reviewed a proposal to allow
online-only clubs to charter; this represents
the second phase of the organization’s online
strategy. In Phase 1, established in August 2015,
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