January 10, 2023
- Spotlight on Area Director Lisa Howard
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- Nominate New Leaders!
- You Can Still Attend Officer Training
Lisa Howard Launches Game That Promotes Toastmasters
by Anna Donahue
Lisa joined Toastmasters about 12 years ago and her favorite part was always Table Topics. At a family holiday party she came up with the idea to use Table Topics as a way to get her teenage relatives to share more about what’s new in their lives. For extra incentive Lisa donated a $50 gift card that went into a drawing.
Lisa called it “The Speech Game.” The kids loved the game and it became a big hit as the kids started engaging and trying to outdo each other. After a few years of watching the game evolve, she realized the value this had for developing speaking skills.
“I think this experience taught these kids something valuable as they were learning to speak in front of a group. For example, we had one niece who was just a mouse and hardly ever talked but after doing this for a few years she joined a collegiate debate club.”
The event eventually became “The Speech Party” that everyone looked forward to and attended. Then, in 2021 Lisa realized the importance of getting this game into the hands of other families. She also has an ultimate goal of seeing Toastmasters accept this item into their inventory of resources. She worked with her 3 sons to put the physical board game together and create a package.
Writing the instructions for the game was the most challenging aspect. Lisa was discouraged about it and at a standstill when she met Toastmaster Robyn Schopp, another Area Director. They got to talking about the Find Your Voice game and Robyn said, “game instruction was my thesis in college. I’d like to help you and I’m also a graphic designer.” Lisa was thrilled to have Robyn’s help and together they were able to link everything they had done and bring the game to final production, ready to sell.
“I want it to be seen as a club building tool. I always talk about Toastmasters when promoting the game. Toastmasters is so much fun. “I want it be seen as a fun opportunity to get a taste of impromptu speaking and introduce Toastmasters in a playful game environment.”
The game is designed for anyone 10 years old and older. There are extra challenges that can be added to the game and Lisa is adding expansion packs for events like bridal showers, retirement parties, graduations, birthdays, etc.
Check out the website to get more information about FIND YOUR VOICE.
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Now is the Time to Nominate New Leaders for 2023-24
by Lisa Waalkes, 3-time Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), Past District Governor, 2022 Toastmasters International Presidential Citation Recipient
The time has come for us to nominate District Leaders for the 2023-2024 year. The elected positions are the District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, and 4 Division Directors. In order to be nominated you must meet the following qualifications at the time of taking office: Read More Here and Nominate!
Questions? Contact Kim Lynn at pqd@62toast.com
Check out the D62 Website HERE.
Add Your Club Special Events to the Calendar by filling out the Add an Event form under the Calendar tab.
NEW CLEARY CLUB IS NOW MEETING PLEASE JOIN US!
January 12 starting at 6:30 PM
District 62 Club President of the Year
Introducing Dennis Jacobs
In 2010, Dennis Jacobs was doing safety and health seminars. He wanted to improve his speaking skills. A friend recommended Toastmasters. Dennis attended several meetings and felt that the concepts Toastmasters taught of better speaking and leadership skills was right for him.
Fast-forward to today. Dennis is a member of Southwest Michigan Advanced Toastmasters (SWAT) and has held every officer position except for Sergeant-at-Arms. He received mentoring from such Toastmasters as Avar Laws-Wright and Laura St. Louis, and is currently the club President.
“As President, I like to give club officers the room to do things on their own,” Dennis remarked in a recent interview. He feels that as President his job is not so much to lead as to help the officers to lead by themselves.
The Toastmasters Experience
As for the Toastmasters experience, Dennis noted that the most valuable part of a club meeting agenda is Table Topics. “How to present is probably the single most important skill you can have,” he said. “It’s as simple as how to talk to people when you meet them either for the first time or in the grocery store.” He also remarked that Roberts Rules of Order is more than just a few simple rules to run meetings. “It forces people to be polite.”
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