Page 3 - October 2019

Soft Skills

You can Phyllis A. Harmon, DTM

Editor/Publisher
change lives to tow me home from a ‘quick’ round trip to Tacoma, Washignton. It

I was sitting on the side of the freeway recently waiting for AAA

had been a perfect day. Everything had gone according to plan, and
I was cruising home looking forward to a relaxing evening. Thirty-

five miles from the Oregon border, the car threw a hissy fit and died.
I could have panicked but I didn’t. I called AAA, the mechanic, and
the car rental agency. Then I contacted the people who were expectng
my return. They were amazed that I had everything under control.
Their advice on what to do and how to proceed was appreciated but

unnecessary.
My Toastmasters training had kicked in just when I needed it. We
learn to be flexible and stay in control when life tosses grenades our

direction. Who hasn’t walked into a meeting where the key players
failed to attend. What do we always do? We step in, get organized, and EDITORIAL
get the job done. Easy Peasy.
While I was waiting for the tow truck, I thought about what I had
learned as a Toastmaster. Who knew that flexibility and control under

pressure would end up being important skills that day. So my challenge
to you is to think about what you’ve learned during your Toastmasers
journey. Make a list—you may be surprised by what you discover! I

know I certainly was.

Volume 6 Issue 1 July 2019 Monthly Columnists 2019-20 Officers Administrative Manager
Publisher B. Lee Coyne, ATMS District Director Paul Fanning, DTM
Phyllis Harmon, DTM Cate Arnold, DTM Emilie Taylor, DTM
Dottie Love, DTM Public Relations Manager
Associate Publisher Eldred Brown Program Quality Director Kathleen Tully, DTM
Brenda Parsons, ACS, ALS Emilie Taylor, DTM PJ Kleffner, DTM
Harvey Schowe, DTM Voices! is published monthly by District 7
Senior Editor Club Growth Director Toastmasters. First issue published August
Phyllis Harmon, DTM James Dent, DTM Eldred Brown, DTM 2014. Submit articles or contact us at
James Wantz, DTM voices@d7toastmasters.org
Associate Editor Leanna Lindquist, DTM Finance Manager
Leanna Lindquist, DTM Michelle Alba-Lim, DTM Karen Semprevivo, DTM
Paul Fanning, DTM

VOICES! | OCTOBER 2019 3