Page 34 - 2018 July Voices

LEANNA LISTENS

Dennis Hills & Ronda Holdridge
Interview with

Dad & Daughter

Leanna Lindquist, DTM

If you have attended District 7 events then you have most
likely met Ronda and Dennis. Ronda Holdridge joined
Toastmasters thirteen years ago. Her Dad, Dennis Hills,

rejoined in December, 2012. They belong to Columbian Club and Articulators Toastmasters, the club they
started. Ronda represented District 7 at the 2013 semifinals of the World Championship of Public Speaking.
They sat down for an hour interview a couple weeks ago. Below is an excerpt from that conversation.

Leanna: Dennis, why did you join Toastmasters? Leanna: What made you two decide that you were
going to pursue your Distinguished Toastmaster

Dennis: It was Ronda’s insistence that I do Awards?
something. She kept dragging me to meetings to
hear her speeches and dragging me to contests. Ronda: It was before Dad became area director.
Finally, she talked me into doing table topics, We had done so many projects and manuals,

even though I was just a guest. Then they decided and gotten so far along that once dad was ready
as a group that I needed to join Columbian to be an area director I thought okay, I need to
Toastmasters and they browbeat me into joining. follow suit because we weren’t that far off. He
I’m sticking to my story too. could pave the way. I knew it would be easier if

he was an area director before me then he could
Leanna: Ronda why did you join? tell me what to do.

Ronda: Dad was in Toastmasters when I was Dennis: She used it to her advantage too. I waited

in high school and I remembered that. When I to send in my High Performance Leadership
took over as Sales Director for Ticor I told my Project because somebody insisted that we should
manager that there was an organization that wait and do it together. And I didn’t know if I
could help me and my self-confidence. She was going to live that long but apparently I did.

agreed and paid for me to join Toastmasters
because it made me more valuable as a sales (Ronda has completed her year as Area Director.
director to be able to effectively communicate. At the time of the interview she was meeting with her
I couldn’t imagine doing my job without it. Guidance Committee to sign off her High Performance

34 ONE COMMUNITY