Marshwinds Toastmasters is a speaking and leadership organization where you learn by doing . Marshwinds Toastmasters meet in at The Marsh on 15000 Minnetonka Blvd. Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345 on Thursdays at 9:15am. Come experience our uniquely honoring and welcoming atmosphere.
Welcome to Marshwinds Toastmasters!
Our diverse group offers a uniquely welcoming and supportive atmosphere. We have all levels of speaking from beginner to professional and emerging leaders to present and former district officers, business and community leaders.
Bloggers, Blogists? Oh, I'm not sure, this is all so new. It has been over a year since I started the blog for Marshwinds Toastmasters and I plan to turn over the reigns of the blog to someone new when we start our new fiscal year in July.
Some you of may know I spend way too much time on the internet and that time keeps increasing. But this is not about me. It is about your personal and professional growth. What might you experience as a blog master or blog reporter? For starters, this is Marshwinds Toastmasters, so you will get tons of praise. But more so, you will grow.
As a blog master, you will coordinate the blog. This involves:
Asking for articles and pictures from members
Editing & posting articles
Redesigning elements of the blog if needed
As a blog reporter, you would not have responsibility for the operation of the blog, but would instead:
contribute stories, pictures, and video to the blog.
This might be a one time, occasional, or regular contribution.
Do you like to write, take pictures, or short videos? Are you excited about Marshwinds Toastmasters in Minnetonka and want to share our message with the world? Do you want to increase your media skills and learn public relations and marketing?
If any of the above describe you, then you will want to contact me today!
It was a great pleasure to be the Toastmaster today! Betty Liedtke gave a great speech, Make Your Dreams Come True, and I gave a speech on the theme of the day: Networking Online - Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter . . . What's it all about?
Sandy Ryan led a table topics session with the theme of social networking. Marlene Geyen led our evaluation program with great helpers Tom Schmid, Dr. Michael Kennedy, Larry Everett, and Pamela Rediger.We had a returning guest, Lee, who bravely participated and did a fine job in Table Topics.Betty was selected as Toastmaster of the Day.
To get signed up for linkedin, go to www.linkedin.com. If you are already a member, please go to the search box in the top right of the screen while logged in and select Search Groups. Enter District 6 and press Search. Here, you can request to join a Linkedin group for our Toastmasters District. You have to be a Toastmaster, so if you are not, please join immediately! Groups online help you focus your interaction on people with similar interests.
Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter are affiliated neither with Toastmasters nor Marshwinds Toastmasters. Please make your own informed decision about whether you wish to sign up and participate. Congratulations go to Larry Everett for earning his Advanced Communicator Silver! What a wonderful accomplishment!
Sandy reminded us that the TELI is coming up on February 14th, so get your registrations in. Sandy offered to mail them in if you give them to her. NO excuses, now! Remember Betty is speaking, so it is a no-brainer that you should go.
How do you encourage your club members to get involved beyond the club? There are many opportunities to expand and renew your involvement in Toastmasters including: conferences, speech competitions, district offices, club coaching (mentoring, sponsorship), and district speakers bureaus. What if the newsletter announcements and emails are not working beyond involving the “usual suspects?”
We explored that very question at Marshwinds Toastmasters Club No. 7179 in Minnetonka, Minnesota. We have a good base of “beyond the club” involvement history with speech contestants, presentations at district and regional events, and we have seven members that have held district offices. But we want to do even better. To facilitate the discussion, I held a workshop as project number five of the Advanced Communication Manual, The Discussion Leader.
First, we discussed the benefits of involvement beyond the club. The benefits of involvement beyond the club include: making friends, learning, best practices from other clubs, breaking out of habits, increasing attendance at club due to fresh ideas, networking, and sharing your ideas. Now that you know why to encourage involvement beyond the club, we need to answer the question of how.
We discussed a number of great ideas for encouraging involvement: personally inviting people, asking for support for your activities as an area governor, speech contestant, etc., giving speeches about your experience (our members have given reports on the International Conference), bringing in a guest speaker to talk about opportunities, finding out the members’ interests, and having a competition for visiting other clubs. At the end of the brainstorming session, it was time to choose which form of promoting involvement beyond the club is most effective.
We quickly arrived at a consensus that the personal invitation was most effective, so we decided to dig into the topic further. What makes an effective personal invitation?
* It must be personal, i.e., from you to another individual – this is more effective because it causes the person to think about it more and makes the invitee feel welcome. Also, someone they know will be there, so it is not as intimidating to try something new. If I had not been personally invited to be an area governor, I would not have considered volunteering for the role at 22 years of age. That invitation and my decision to accept gave me valuable experience and confidence I would not have otherwise had.
* It should be specific. The invitation for an event that will occur at a particular time and place will be more effective because it is a call to action. "We would like you to join us at the district six conference on October 25th" Ever had someone say “we should have lunch sometime”? It is too vague, unless someone sets date, it will never happen. So what happens if they cannot make it? Find out what they are interested in and make a note to talk to them the next time an opportunity comes up they might enjoy.
* It should be convenient. Make it as easy as possible for the person to get involved. "We are already driving down and would you like to share a ride with us?" Marshwinds has been recognized twice recently for high attendance at the District 6 TELI (Toastmasters Education and Leadership Institute). I helped the club achieve this by offering to mail in the registration of any member that brings it to the club. Not paying forty-two cents in postage, nor having to address an envelope is a more powerful motivator than one might think.
* Tailor the message to the invitee. What is in it for them? Knowing the person’s interests will help you tailor the message to the person. I know a person who wants to be an area governor next year, so he was invited to play a role at an area contest to be better prepared for the position. Look over the educational sessions at a conference to see if they match up with a member’s goals and interests. They may be willing to get involved to support you. Ask for members’ support in your beyond the club involvement.
* Share the experience. Give speeches, write articles, and make announcements about the opportunities and benefits of involvement beyond the club. "I went to a conference, picked up great tips and made new friends." As Craig Harrison said in VPPR: When You Promote It, They Will Come! in the October 2008 Toastmaster, talking about benefits you have received is the “most powerful endorsement.”
You have probably caught on by now that these tips can be easily modified for use in inviting prospective members. Should you have any doubts about the effectiveness of personal invitations, think about what it takes to get you involved. What works in your experience?
In addition to the workshop discussion at Toastmasters, I also did a survey for a church that included questions about volunteer involvement. You will not be surprised to find that personal invitations, rather than announcements in the bulletin are the most effective way to get people involved. Other strategies can work and do support personal invitations. However, nothing works better. Set a goal today to personally invite at least one member to participate beyond the club.
Our very own Betty Liedtke, Distinguished Toastmaster, is presenting Find Your Buried Treasure- The Treasure Map is Toastmasters at the TELI (Toastmasters Education & Leadership Institute) on February 14th. You are not going to want to miss this special event. Come IMMEDIATELY after the officer training ends to get a seat as sessions can fill up quickly.
Here's more (as if you needed it):
Learn to use your toastmasters skills to: Recognize and utilize yourtalents and skills; Find and nurture the best in yourself and others;Strengthen your networking relationships; Improve your self-worth andself-esteem; Enhance teamwork, creativity and problem solving.
Registration is open for the February 14th TELI. What is the TELI (Toastmasters Education & Leadership Institute)?
The TELI is a gathering of Toastmasters where you get to hear helpful presentations on communication, leadership, and club building. The 2005 World Champion of speaking Lance Miller will be the keynote. Officers and future officers can be trained. Fun will be had by all. Network, make new friends and exchange ideas with people from other clubs.
Several Marshwinds Toastmasters members have had the honor of presenting at TELIs as well as district and regional events. St. Valentine's day this year will be no exception. One of our members will be presenting. Stay tuned to find out more.
Come share the love with Toastmasters! Register today, either online or via mail in form. Credit card options are available via online.
Even though it was cold this morning it was bright and sunny, and it was a warm meeting with 8 individuals present. There were 4 members, one guest who became a member at the close of the meeting, and three other guests. The theme for today’s meeting was – “Smile – it’s still winter time in Minnesota”.
Members attending – Larry Everett, Dr. Shaun Jamison, Dr. Michael Kennedy, and Pamela Rediger.
Returning Guests – Betty Peterson and she joined Marsh Winds TM at close of meeting; Lee and Leslie.
New Guest – Tom
Dr. Michael Kennedy gave an advance speech Speaking to Inform – title “The Art of Eating a Mango” – demonstration included the proper way to cut/slice a mango.
Larry Everett gave an impromptu speech for Advanced Communicator Silver credit (had done a number of previous impromptu speeches but did not maintain previous records). Topics from the audience included the selected topic by our guest, Leslie – Health Food. Larry spoke on the healthy lifestyle of eating healthy foods along with diet and exercise, and the fact that Larry and his wife joined Jenny Craig weight loss program about 15 months, ago and joined the YMCA about 18 months ago for exercise.
Larry and Michael shared the award for Toastmaster of the Day. Congratulations!
The theme for this Thursday's meeting is “Smile – It’s still winter time in Minnesota”. Bring stories about how you have fun in the winter time in Minnesota.
Betty Peterson will be joining our club this date. Betty has been a visitor with us for a few months, and now will start on her journey to success with Toastmasters.
This is the time of year that I would go winter camping at a national scout camp about 24 miles north east of Ely, MN more than a few years ago. This was a winter survival training event for the older scouts and dads. I went on this camping trip three times – 1975, 1976, and 1977. And yes, the weather temp was cold. One year down to minus 40 below, another year minus 30 below, and the last year down to minus 25 below. It got warmer each year.
Brave the weather with a smile, come to learn, share, and to support Betty on her first official meeting!
At our last meeting, the topic of becoming more popular (in your writing) was highlighted by our guest speaker, Gary Gilson. Our theme this week builds off the idea of popularity... What would make you feel more popular with yourself this New Year? In other words, how can you say "Yes" more often to your BEST, your HIGHEST self?
Come join in to ponder your popularity! We are in need of two evaluators, an Ah Counter and a Grammarian. Please log on and sign up and, well, you'll be popular with ME!
As Chair of District 6 Toastmasters Youth Leadership, I am delighted to make you aware of several current opportunities for adult Toastmasters to coordinate Toastmasters International Youth Leadership Programs in our district. Serving as Coordinator of a TI Youth Leadership Program meets one of the criteria for Advanced Communicator–Gold achievement level. It also serves to engage you with some of the most delightful and creative beings on our planet!
Three YLP groups are scheduled to begin January 29th, coming up very quickly.
Interested Toastmasters, please contact me directly:
Jean Keating
email: descending_dove@msn.com
cell: 952 270 0622
The TI Youth Leadership Program is designed as a 6 to 8 session Toastmasters program focused on speaker and leadership fundamentals, very similar to the adult Toastmasters program but with a simplified learning agenda. To qualify as YLP Coordinator, an adult Toastmaster must have completed six basic speech projects and also be a current Toastmaster in good standing with a Toastmasters club who sponsors them. I can provide sample YLP Coordinator and Participant guides so a Toastmaster saying Yes to these opportunities can be off and running.
Need Toastmasters to serve these offerings:
HOME SCHOOL GROUP in W. St. Paul
3 YLP Coordinators needed
Thursday mornings, roughly biweekly,
January 29th through April 30th.
Three separate groups, as follows:
Grade 8 and up: 9 to 10:30 am
Grades 5 to 7: 10 to 11 am
Grades 2 to 4: 9 to 10 am
Location:
Riverview Baptist Church
14 Moreland Avenue
W. St. Paul, MN 55118
MINNETONKA MIDDLE SCHOOL EAST
1 YLP Coordinator needed One weekday (to be selected), at end of school day, about 4 pm Anticipated February start
One group of students in Grade levels 6 to 8
Location:
Hwy 101 and Lake St. Extension
Minnetonka MN
HENNEPIN COUNTY HOME SCHOOL 1 YLP Coordinator
January or February start, not firm yet
Location: 14300 County Road 62
Minnetonka MN 55345
HENNEPIN COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION 1 YLP Coordinator
January or February start, not firm yet
Location:
510 Park Ave S.
Minneapolis MN 55415
More opportunities are in the wings, so let me know if you want me to keep you apprised of future TI Youth Leadership Program offerings!
Of course, Toastmasters are welcome to create Youth Leadership Program opportunities in your own communities! Let me now if you need additional support!
Please plan to provide a summary report of your program offering to District 6 Toastmasters using our website Contact form feature (Select Youth Leadership or Public Relations), so that District 6 Toastmasters can acknowledge your contributions! Key elements to report are contained in page 5 of the document, “TI Youth Leadership Program: Overview & Key Design Features”. Please contact me for a copy.
