Page 10 - july 2022

COVER STORY
speech which I then see them incorporate in
their next speech. Some speakers, including
2012 World Champion of Public Speaking
Ryan Avery who was a member of Portland
Toastmasters, are extremely good at taking
advice and using it to greatly improve
their speech. There were often times when
Avery would practice a speech, he would get
feedback, and in his very next speech he
incorporated the feedback. This flexibility
to accept and incorporate feedback is one of
the most critical elements to being a great
speaker.
What is your vision for the District as the Program
Quality Director during 2022-2023?
I want to see District 7 become a resource
that others will look to for leadership. When
I look for answers to a certain situation, or
try to find resources to help with a project, I
am tired of having to find those answers and
resources on other Districts' websites. I want
to help ensure that we have those answers
and resources on our District website. The
Pathways Learning Center that Dave Bones
created is a great example, and a model for
what we could have on our District website.
We could have other learning centers like
that for open houses and special events,
corporate Club support, prison Club support,
contests, etc. Our members and Club officers
should see the District as the go to resource
for answers, and those answers should be
readily available.
10 ONE COMMUNITY
With our Education Chair Ayu Anantya
and Learning Labs Coordinator Matthew
Douglass we can expect to have some great
learning sessions that will focus on the needs
of particular Clubs. The goal is to bring
together Clubs that have similar issues that
they are working on, and help those Clubs
work together in finding solutions. These
sessions can also form the basis for developing
new content on the District website.
What incentives and recognition are you planning
for the year?
I try to be careful not to just reward the
Clubs that are already successful. Instead, I
want the District incentives to encourage and
support struggling Clubs to do those things
that will help them build and succeed. We
will want to encourage Clubs to do the things
that they should be doing, like officer training
and a Club success plan, but we also want to
encourage them to make real improvements.
I am hoping to launch a Club website contest
this year, to encourage and support Clubs
in having a strong online presence to bring
in guests and support members. We might
also do a "secret shopper" type of campaign
to have someone anonymously contact Clubs
to test how quickly they respond to guest
inquiries. For some fun, we will probably
have a scavenger hunt or bingo card type of
event. The idea behind it will be to encourage
members to engage with other Clubs and to
participate in District events.
DAve bones, DTM - club growth director
Why did you join Toastmasters?
In 2010, I joined Toastmasters. Originally,
it was to improve my skills giving a particular
business presentation. Interestingly, I had
heard about the organization months
earlier. However, seeing how little the cost
was compared to other training programs I
had investigated, I thought there were more
hidden fees. I called TI, and still was not
convinced that this really was the whole cost.
I am so glad that I gave it a chance, and have
not looked back since!
What has been your greatest Aha! Moment in
your Toastmasters journey so far? Why?:
I would say that there are two learning
milestones that stand out. One, is the ability
to offer speeches on more potentially abstract
philosophical concepts without losing my
audience. Prior to this, I really struggled to
connect.
However, when I learned to take the
context of my audience seriously this helped
dramatically. The second milestone is in
identifying my top value within Toastmasters,
which is community. I continue to do my best
to develop my understanding of this, now in
my role as D7 Club Growth Director.
What is your vision for the District as the Club
Growth Director during 2022-2023?
The values that I would love to see develop
this year are meaningful contribution,
thinking “outside the box,” support for teams
and members, as well as our common bond in
growth as fellow Toastmasters while having
fun in the process.
The developing vision at this point is one
where teams are formed based on passionate
members for a given purpose, and excitement
working together.
Regarding building new clubs, we really
want to expand this opportunity to all
Toastmasters. This includes extending the
invitation to contribute to Area and Division
Directors, as well as any member that is
passionate about expanding our valuable
Toastmasters community.
We are forming teams and leadership
for Club Extension, Club Coach support,
Chartering, Corporate clubs, and Demo
teams. I have some amazing volunteers so far.
VOICES! | JULY 2022 11