Page 31 - 2018 August Voices

LEANNA LISTENS

Gina Rone, DTM -

Making a Difference

Leanna Lindquist, DTM

Gina Rone joined Toastmasters in January 2005. She served as Division Director for District 15 in 2015.
Her Division included 26 clubs across 6 Areas in and around Boise, Idaho. She helped her Division reach
Presidents Distinguished status. Gina moved to Lakeview in 2015. Lakeview has a population of 2,321. It
is a three-hour drive to the nearest Toastmaster club.

What brought you to Toastmasters? Every day, all the time. I think that goes for

It was a New Year’s resolution. Those usually all of us unless you live in a cave by yourself.
don’t work well but in this case it was not a Daily interactions at work, at home, and wherever
difficult one to keep—and I’m still at it over else forces us to talk, listen, ask questions, or

13 years later. I remember seeing an ad for provide answers. Obviously, nowadays a lot
Toastmasters in the early 1990s for the first time of communication is done in writing as well.
when I lived in Tennessee. I laughed because I Personally, I find that Table Topics have helped
pictured people getting drunk, toasting each me tremendously, especially at work during daily

other at their weekly gatherings. Fast forward interactions. Just take a job interview for example
another decade and I overheard one of my - Table Topics on steroids. It’s the little things,
co-workers saying “I’ll be back after lunch, I’m however, that I’m grateful for, and that includes
going to a Toastmasters meeting”. I thought being more aware of my um’s, ah’s, and fillers.

wow, was she part of this drinking conspiracy?
At lunch time? Afterwards I asked her to tell me What makes your club unique?

more. She invited me but I never found the time A room full of men dressed in blue with a
and courage until a few years later. red logo on their clothing that states: Warner

Creek Correctional Facility makes my club
What is your profession? unique when I go to prison every Monday night.

I am the Forest Soil Scientist for the Fremont- The meeting of Smooth Talkers in Lakeview,
Winema National Forest in south-central Oregon is one of only a few non-religious services

Oregon. provided in this minimum security prison. For
2 ½ hours, we are all equal, we are Toastmasters.
How do you apply your Toastmaster skills There is a great underlying pride for many of
outside your club? the members, including myself, to be part of

32 ONE COMMUNITY