Communication of Ideas
By Douglas A. Bowers ACS, ALB Founder’s District Treasurer

I am an unapologetic advocate for the power of ideas. They have been the currency of our development as a civilization. They have served to create life in us. Consider these four ideas, which have proven to be the most powerful ideas in the last 1000 years of man’s civilization.

In 1200 A.D. it became accepted that people had rights and status apart from those of the King. The ideas in the Magna Charta where to find their way into our Declaration of Independence.

Recall the idea that words could be cheaply printed and distributed to anyone who could read or be read to. Guttenberg’s idea of movable type gave life to the Renaissance.

Consider the idea of the transistor that has made all modern electronics possible and allowed businesses to flourish. Consider how much less would be the color of our lives without that idea.

Think of how radically life has changed in just the last twenty years with the idea of being able to electronically send a paper to a college around the world for them to review and comment on, Berners-Lee and the internet.

It's All About Them

By Richard Daugherty, DTM

When I began my education in public speaking with Toastmasters International back in 1999, it was all about me. What skills could I gain? What confidence could I build? What fears could I conquer? This was to be expected. Nearly everyone who begins a course of study is doing so with self interest as the driving force.

What happened not too far along in the course of my studies was not expected. I came to realize that in fact it's not all about me.

Initially, my education involved overcoming stage fright and building basic speaking skills. Becoming comfortable and working closely with a small group of like-minded people on a weekly basis slowly but surely helped me in both of these areas.

Added to the mix were basic leadership skills - helping to conduct meetings and holding various club officer positions. I learned the basics of project management and delegation, and was moderately successful at this without too much pain. I had established a comfort level and was settled in for the long haul.

The unexpected part in all of this began one evening when a very experienced Toastmaster from our district visited our club. She spoke with me after our meeting, and based on her observation of my skills suggested that I take on a leadership role outside of the club environment. After my initial objections were addressed, I warmed to the idea, thinking to myself about how much more important I would be – again placing self at the forefront.

What counts most with Meryl Streep?

You can count on the same thing in Toastmasters

By Dr. Frances Jordan Stein, DTM

 On Academy Awards night, February 26, 2012, Meryl Streep accepted her third Oscar, for her role in The Iron Lady. She said “The thing that counts the most for me is the friendships and the love…the old friends and the new friends…and the sheer joy we have shared working together.”

Yes, Meryl, I have the same feeling about Toastmasters. Working with my fellow Toastmasters, sharing tasks together, we are greater than any of us apart. In gratitude, I marvel: Where else could we benefit from the self- development that comes from “stage time,” without the team effort giving us an audience who listens and applauds, an evaluator who provides feedback, a timer who measures and keeps us concise, a teller who collects and counts award votes, a grammarian who comments on language usage, an ah-counter who tracks word fillers, a Sgt. at Arms who creates the room environment and manages supplies, a Toastmaster who conducts the show, a VP of Education who administrates the logistics of role assignments for manual exercises, and a core of generous individuals willing to serve as our officers and lead us on our educational journey.

The list of valued friendships gets fuller, as we extend our activity beyond our club, serving as Area Governors, Division Governors, District Chairs and Officers, contest volunteers, participants in the Leadership and Communication Education (LACE) training, and attendees at Spring and Fall District Conferences.

A favorite camaraderie bonus of Toastmasters is the Constructive Hanging Around Time (CHAT) that takes place following Toastmaster events. It involves fellow Toastmasters who are eager to hang out after working together in meetings, contests, trainings, workshops, new club demos, and conferences. Way beyond public speaking and leadership is the worthwhile experience of brainstorming, sharing ideas and getting to know each other while breaking bread together and feeling that warm sense of wellbeing that comes from fellowship.

There is a German word that describes what happens during CHAT. It is called “gemutlichkeit,” and it refers to warm cordiality and congeniality.

Meryl Streep calls it “the sheer joy we share working together.” Thank you, Meryl, for saying it so simply and clearly. It is what counts most with me in Toastmasters: the friendships and love and the sheer joy we share working together.