Speak Easy
Official Newsletter
Encinitas/Solana Beach Toastmasters
Club 1532 (Area 18/District 5)

 
 
January/February 2001 (Volume 19, Issue 1)
The mission of Toastmasters is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

For more information, please see: www.toastmasters.org
 
The Encinitas /Solana Beach Toastmasters club meets every Thursday at 7:00 PM at Villa Encinitas, Second Floor, 504 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas, California. 

For more information, call our VP Membership, Bethany Murray (760) 943-0900.  Or visit our web site www.esbtoast.com.
Contents
1. President’s Message
2. New Officers Take Charge
3. Meet Our New Members
4. Awards and Milestones
5. Calendar Of Events
6. From the Editor

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." —Helen Keller


1. President's Message
     By Mark Rivest, CL, ATM-Silver
     The Toastmasters program's strongest feature is learning by doing. The skills of communication, leadership and listening are used in every meeting. Unfortunately many times we fail to take full advantage of the opportunities for growth. Have you ever been asked a question in Table Topics, and have to ask for the question to be repeated? This is a common problem and demonstrates a lack of concentration. In the Toastmasters environment no damage is done. But what if it was your boss asking a question at work? You can imagine that some damage could be done--in some cases you could lose your job. By CONCENTRATING and LISTENING in Table Topics and during the entire meeting, you'll be able to give yourself an edge that will help in all aspects of life.
     Another example in Toastmasters that translate into the real world are club officer positions. Some members think of these positions as a burden and do only the minimum required. A better approach would be to use these positions to experiment with techniques that could be directly translated to your paying job. For example, the Vice President of Membership could use new sales closing methods in bringing in new members. This will have direct applications for any type of sales job. Use the Toastmasters experience to its fullest potential; remember it's learning by doing. If you're not doing, you're not learning.

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2. New Officers Take Charge
     By Sorel Norlin
     In mid-November of last year Club Elections were held to vote for a new slate of Club Officers to lead the Solana Beach/Encinitas Toastmasters. On January 4, 2001 our Area Governor, Debra Simpson, visited our meeting to induct the new officers for the current term. As of January 1, 2001 the members listed below are now serving in the following officer positions:
     Mark Rivest - President
     Sorel Norlin - Vice President of Education
     Bethany Murray - Vice President of Membership
     Doug McGetchin - Vice President of Public Relations
     Joanne Moran - Secretary
     Larry Knight - Treasurer
     Robert Tharp - Sergeant at Arms
     As the outgoing officers hand over the torch of leadership, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the officers who served the club so well in the previous term. Thanks to all of them for their hard work and contributions, making our club a continued success:
     Myrna Alzaga - President
     Mark Rivest - Vice President of Education
     Paula Silverfarb - Vice President of Membership
     JoAnne Moran - Vice President of Public Relations
     Susan Cowan - Secretary
     Larry Knight - Treasurer
     Dee Marie Fisher - Sergeant at Arms
     The descriptions of each Club Officer position below are provided to help everyone understand how each Officer's roles and responsibilities impacts our Club and its success. In addition, it will help us understand who the best person is to call when we have specific questions!  Club offices (and their rank within the club) are as follows:
     * President - chairs meetings and supervises all other officers.
     * Vice President Education - schedules meeting assignments and works with members to see that their needs are met.
     * Vice President Membership - runs club membership drive and also works to keep members satisfied and happy.
     * Vice President Public Relations - makes sure club meeting listings appear in the media, publishes the club newsletter.
     * Secretary - sends correspondence on behalf of the club, keeps club records and minutes.
     * Treasurer - handles financial affairs, such as dues and purchases.
     * Sergeant of Arms - sets up meeting room, packs materials away, and greets guests.
     Club Officer positions are a great way to help the club succeed and to gain meaningful leadership experience that can be applied to all areas of your life. Start thinking now about taking a role next term, starting July 1, 2001 !!       -¤-

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3. Meet Our New Members

     Bethany Murray says:
     I have been a past member of other Toastmasters clubs years ago but have never completed more than two speeches. This time I am committed to completing 10 speeches within the first year. When I wanted to find a local club, I went to the search engine, Google.com and typed in Toastmasters. It took me right there! I am a psychotherapist by profession. My hobbies include web page designing, desktop publishing, learning public speaking, scuba diving, cliff jumping and dating in the New Millennium--the equivalent to white water canoeing!

     Robert Tharp, our Sergeant-at-Arms, says:
     I learned of Toastmasters through my father, as he was a member years ago. He used to go on CNBC and would practice with Toastmasters all the time. One of the members started a company on public speaking that trained speakers. My father Dr. Van K. Tharpis now a professional trader. He is known for his trading/coaching. He makes a nice income from seminars. He gets 100 people in a seminar, spends about $15,000 for advertising and hotel, and charges all the attendees $3000 for three days. You do the math. He does one or 2 of these a month.
     I'm starting Toastmasters to get into the spotlight now with my trading. I'd like to start doing some seminars. I just want to be a well polished speaker. I've already been asked to speak for a few different groups. I'm the featured speaker in April for DaytradersUSA in Orange County. This is a two hour talk in front of 400 people.
     I'm a professional trader. I make my living daytrading stocks. For fun I surf, snowboard, and lift weights.
     I've got such a great smile......but you know that already :)

     David Applegate says:
     I heard of Toastmasters from a friend of a friend. The San Diego Toastmasters listing in the phone booth gave me the phone number of our club. I'm here to gain skill and confidence as a public speaker. I teach Spanish and reading at the elementary school level. My hobbies are surfing, fishing, and gardening. My wonderful family includes my wife and two sons aged three and five.

     The club also welcomes Mary Barron (perhaps we’ll get to hear more about her in the next issue).

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4. Awards and Milestones

     In December 2000, Gwenda Humpherys achieved her CTM (Certified Toastmasters award, for completing the ten speeches in the basic manual) after about ten years and joining three clubs. She says:
    "I was encouraged to go to Toastmasters by a consultant who had contracted with a company where I worked many years ago. I had ‘ah ah ahs’ galore and I was doing a lot of training at the time.  Through the years, by attending Toastmasters, I now feel much more comfortable speaking in public. It has been a delight to have people come up at an event where there are many speakers to tell me that I was a great speaker and ask me what had I studied. Then I tell them about Toastmasters.  My last speech, called "Why do we Tell the Same Story?" took me a long time to put into words; it was my near-death experience. The skills I developed and the encouragement of the members helped me complete my CTM. I am now venturing out with new activities and will no longer be able to be active member. I do plan on returning to the club for a visit now and then. I wish to thank everyone in the club for the years of encouragement and the help this achievement gave me."
     The club wishes Gwenda well and wants her to know she is welcome back anytime. -¤-

     Do you have a success story to share? Send it to the Speak Easy editor: [email protected].

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5. Calendar of Events

February 1 Treasurer (Larry Knight) starts collecting dues
February 15 Club Evaluation Contest
February 22 Club Speech Contest
March 2 (Friday) Area 18 International Speech and Evaluation Contests
March 31 District Five membership Building Contest ends
May 26 District Five Spring Conference

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6. From the Editor
     Please contact the editor (Doug McGetchin, Club VP Public Relations ([email protected]; (858) 558-3717)) if you notice newspaper calendars or "things to do" columns in which I can advertise our club. Also, if you see any local newspaper articles or media about Toastmasters, please forward them as well. Thank you! -¤-

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