January 2022 Shout Out Newsletter
Discover what District 48 members are up to this month!
The Shout Out Newsletter is all about the members of District 48. It’s the who, what, where and when of members’ activities.
If you have an idea or you just want to Shout Out to the editor, click the button!
Table of Contents
Member Spotlight
Community Outreach
Speech Contestant Stories
Club Photos
Club Photo Contest
Editor: District 48 Public Relations Manager
It’s all about our members!
Member Spotlight
From Shy to Confident
A story of developing leadership skills by Patti Hansen
When I joined Toastmasters 10 years ago, I could not have foreseen the improvements I would have in my work and home life. My life is exponentially better because I am a Toastmaster.
I work in the free dental clinic of a local homeless shelter. One of my duties includes mentoring the dental hygiene students from St. Petersburg College who come to clean teeth at the shelter. Our patients can be extremely difficult to treat. Some of them are veterans suffering from PTSD. Others include disadvantaged people who have never been to the dentist before.
What have I learned at Toastmasters that I have applied here? I learned that mentoring people is a necessary step in the learning process. I remember when I was an insecure dental hygiene student and that just using some verbal reassurance and positive feedback can be so beneficial. So, when I mentor the students, I practice the skills I learned while evaluating speeches; being gentle but still effective in my point of view.
I have also learned how to efficiently and succinctly describe procedures that they are learning as well as patient education. Patient education is 75% of our job and with poor communication skills, the patient suffers. I try to be as descriptive as possible in my mentoring about home care.
Another area of my work requires me to train our staff of 55 on how to handle and dispose of bio-medical waste. This is hands-on training, as well as a 20-minute presentation. Without the skills I’ve developed through Toastmasters, I never would have been able to do a presentation to a room full of people! Because of my improved speaking skills, I have the confidence to be a more effective leader at work. I feel the authority in my voice when I speak to them. My listening skills have improved, my vocabulary too with the word of the day as a grammarian.
My personal life is better too, and I credit Toastmasters for it! I am confident in conversations with my friends. I am not the shy, quiet Patti I used to be!
Patti Hansen is a member of Dunedin Toastmasters and Clearwater Community Toastmasters. She recently earned her Distinguished Toastmaster award. To find a Toastmasters Club near you, visit www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club.
Community Outreach
Jenell Dolan is a dedicated volunteer United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee
United Way Worldwide believes all have a stake in each other's success, all benefit when a child succeeds in school, when someone finds a job that sustains a family, or when more people get quality, affordable health care.
The United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties is a volunteer organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all people in their community. All of the money raised stays right here in their community making it a better place to live and work.
They bring people and organizations together to create powerful partnerships that address issues and solve problems.
United Way’s expertise is in uniting the community, problem-solving, and driving collective action to amplify the power of the individual.
Speech Contestant Stories
By Crystal Berner, DTM
Competing is all about growth. Notice how I didn’t say that “winning is all about growth.”
As most of us know, Toastmasters is a safe, fun environment to set communication/leadership goals, and of course, see them achieved or even exceeded. When I started in Toastmasters in February 2012, I had no idea how much I would grow as a speaker and as a person. I joined Toastmasters along with my boyfriend at the time (Shawn Purvis) as a fun activity we could do together. Shawn had been in Toastmasters for years and had recently won the District International Speech Contest. His passion and drive for competing was inspiring to me. Somehow, I just knew that Toastmasters was a place for me!
We joined Palm Harbor Toastmasters and quickly acclimated to the “best club in the whole universe” (as one of our members’ likes to say). Somehow, joining a group of professional, goal-setting individuals felt like the right step for me. I didn’t really struggle with public speaking, per-se. Being an Elementary School teacher, I regularly sing with and speak to large groups of 5-11 year olds on a daily basis.
But Toastmasters offered a chance to build a new set of skills: speaking in front of my peers. It has always been a dream of mine to become a professor at a University and teach TEACHERS! Somehow, I knew even in 2012, that Toastmasters would be an important step towards accomplishing that dream.
I went through the CC and CL manuals within the 1st year of membership, but really enjoyed when I started exploring the advanced manuals (with projects that related to real-life speaking opportunities).
Just a few years into my Toastmasters journey, I had a friend from Church mention that she had noticed something changed about me. That I seemed more confident somehow. She later discovered that I was a member of a Toastmasters Club and was immediately convinced that she herself had to join the organization!
I started competing in Table Topics and Evaluation contests fairly early on as well. There is something so exciting about contest season that is hard to describe. A fire is lit deep inside that pushes me outside of anything comfortable and ignites the drive to compete. I enjoy Table Topics and Evaluations; always have. And they seem to come easily to me. Something about NOT preparing your answers ahead of time that is very invigorating.
Where I have grown the most, though, is in competing in Humorous and International Speech contests. Prepared speeches have not ever been my forte. I have absolutely no problem being funny off-the-cuff, but as soon as I have to prepare certain lines to make an audience laugh, I’m lost. When attempting to write an International Speech, I have always struggled with clarity. Having a point or message that is open enough to be relatable, but also specific enough to be memorable. It’s tough for me.
But you know what? I still compete. Competing is all about growth. Starting with what you know and seeing how much you have to learn along the way. Speech contests are a journey, a trek into the unknown. And the destination is not about getting 1st place–it’s about seeing how far you’ve come when you look back at the road you’ve travelled.
I have set so many communication and leadership goals for myself over the last 9 years. Most of the time, I not only meet those goals, but I extend further than I ever thought was possible. And the beauty of Toastmasters? I’m not doing it alone. So many people have helped support me through every step of the way. To those Toastmasters, I am forever grateful.
I am in the process of applying to return to school, again, to pursue my Doctorate of Music Education. I know that so many people who I have met through Toastmasters, have helped me achieve this ultimate goal. One step closer towards teaching TEACHERS. Competing is all about growth. Notice how I didn’t say that “winning is all about growth.”
Club Photos
Every club has its own culture… Show off your club’s vibe. Put your club in a frame!
The photo editor frequents social media and randomly selects photos posted on club Facebook pages.
The more photos your club posts on Facebook, the more likely you are to see your club in a frame!
Club Photo Contest
Every month the editor chooses a winning photograph.
Here’s how it works. You can either leave it up to the editor to find a winning photo on Facebook or you can submit photos via the District 48 website. Click the button below and use the “Submit it Here” button on the blog page.