Page 28 - Voices April 2018

FIELD NOTES

Toastmasters: Your

Creativity Playground

Tana Franko, IP1, CC

Think back to being a kid. Recall the joyous, and increase your boldness.
carefree feeling of running out into a school Experts say that creativity even

playground. You survey the landscape, looking sharpens the brain, which can help
for what to do first. Maybe you’ll get on a merry- minimize the effects of aging on
go-round with others—or swing by yourself—or mental function.
form an alliance with one or two kids and start How can you get started

a friendly battle with another group. There may with your creativity
be some basic playground rules, but they are the playground? John Steinbeck
last thing on your mind. After all, rules are so said, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple
often seen as stifling creativity and fun. and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon

In Toastmasters, we work on projects to you have a dozen.”
improve our speaking and leadership skills, and Here are four places to look for inspiration:
help others to do the same. But how often do you 1. Go online. Almost every Toastmasters club
use the safety of your club meeting to run wild has a web site, and they’re all different.

and test the limits of your creativity? On the Bloomsbury Speakers club’s site,
Treating your club like a playground—a I found an innovative idea–they have
creativity playground—can help engage guests their own role called “Harkmaster”–whose
and new members. It can give long-standing main purpose is to “encourage effective

members a newfound sense of enjoyment, and listening.” The Harkmaster takes notes
keep meetings from getting stale when the club during the meeting and devises questions
isn’t in a growth stage. to test the audience’s listening skills,
Putting creativity into action is also rewarding correct answers with a small

personally enriching. Being seen as an “idea prize (candy for example).
person” is a valuable job skill no matter what 2. Visit another Toastmasters Club. I’ve
you do for a living—especially coupled with the visited clubs in California, Washington,
communication and leadership skills that can and Hawai’i. I’ll never forget the

help you present your ideas without stepping on exuberance of an evaluator in San Jose
toes. Creativity is a life skill that can make you who really demonstrated vocal variety by
a better problem solver, connect you to others, nearly shouting! I used it as inspiration to
write a speech where I got out from behind

28 ONE COMMUNITY