University of Life
Did you ever think of Toastmasters as a University?
I do, to me it is the University of Life since it
teaches the two most significant factors for success,
communication and leadership. There are no greater
keys to personal or professional growth than these
skills.
Each club is like a class. It has its leaders, style
and personality. As good as any individual club is,
remember it is just one of 8,600 clubs. Just as you
couldn't take one class and consider it a University
education, it is equally as meaningful to partake of
the various opportunities "our" university offers.
Your club dues make you a member of an International
organization entitling you to visit other clubs where
you will be welcomed as part of the Toastmaster
family. This means while you travel for vacation or
business you can meet and mingle with the natives and
have a good time while learning. In fact, you don't
even have to leave home to visit other clubs — there
are numerous clubs close by for you to stop in at.
Taking advantage of this opportunity will not only be
an enriching experience for you and the club you
visit, but also for the other members of your home
club.
Twice a year, summer and winter, District 46 (which
has 166 clubs) holds training for club officers. Twice
a year, fall and spring, the District holds contests.
These begin at the club level and go to Area, Division
and District. Attendance for these events are
mandatory to enhance and enrich the total Toastmaster
experience. Here, we have the opportunity to listen to
the best of our District, share with others who can
offer their perspective to situations we may be
struggling with and support the members of our larger
community.
For the computer literate, there is a plethora of
information and sharing from the four corners of the
world. Browse thought the following pages:
Toastmasters International, at:
http://www.toastmasters.org
Region VII (NE coast from Canada to N. VA.) at:
http://members.aol.com/region7tm
District 46, NYC, LI, Westchester, and Northern NJ at:
http://www.district46.org
Blue Ribbon the gateway to Toastmaster Heaven at:
https://www.angelfire.com/ny/BlueRibbonTM
The newsgroup at: alt.org.toastmasters or
http://www.deja.com
July 1 is the beginning of a new Toastmaster year.
The District 46 motto this year is "People Building
People." What goal have you set for yourself and your
growth? If the answer is "none," remember the saying,
"if you don't know where you are going, how will you
know when you get there?" Better yet, consider the
words of long time Toastmaster and Professional
Speaker, Bill Hodges, "if you get all you can get out
of Toastmasters, you will never get out to
Toastmasters."
Written by Paula Horwitz, DTM
Blue Ribbon Toastmasters 2081-46
July 1999
If you wish to reprint this,
please contact me at: brtm@rocketmail.com
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