Theresa Spralling, DTM

District Governor

Continued on Page 7

By Theresa Spralling, DTMDistrict 14 Governor

They made us laughed until the tearsstreamed down our faces during the District14 Humorous Speech contest. Claiming thetitle of the Most Humorous Speaker in the

District in 2009 was Martin Birkbeck ofDivision J. Second place was claimed byLouis Holston of Division H and third placeby Emily Osbourne of Division A. FromCheerios to carburetors to the inner life of a

Toastmaster, these speakers had us institches.

Imagine giving a speech and receiving, notone but 10 evaluations! Evaluation contesttarget speaker Latrice Ross gave aninspirational speech, “If You Knew…” Then,

Humorous Speech Contest : Louis Holston (Second), District

Governor Theresa Spralling, Martin Birkbeck (First), Emily

Osbourne (Third)

—Photo Courtesy of Denina Hood

Continued on Page 2

www.gatoastmasters.

H a p p y N e w Y e a r

Happy Holidays fellowToastmasters! It is that timeof the year when we turn ourfocus toward the customs,tradit ions and celebrationsthat make this a wonderfuland memorable time for usall. The concepts ofGratitude, Giving and Goal-Setting come to life during theholidays, but these conceptsremain relevant for us

throughout the Toastmasters

year.

Gratitude – While I personallybelieve that everyday isworthy of Thanksgiving, weparticularly set our minds tofocus on gratitude whenNovember approaches. Thisyear, my role as DistrictGovernor affords me manynew opportunit ies to showgratitude for this wonderfulorganization and the amazingpeople who are committed

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9A Q U A R T E R L Y P U B L IC A T I O NV O L U M E 1 0 , IS S UE 4

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

F A L L C O N FE R E N C EP H O T O S

2 , 7

8

D I S T R I C TO F F I C E R SC O L U M N S

3

S T E V I E S A I D S O 5

H O W T O G E T T OD T M W I T H A F U L L

P L A T E

4

N E W C L U B

C O R N E R

6

1 0 L E S S O N S I N1 0 Y E A R S A S

A T O A S T M A S T E R

5

SP E C IAL P O IN TS O FI N T E R E S T:

More Photos from Fall

Conference

Evaluation Contest Winners: Dick McCoppin (Third), Jon Stallings

(Second) and David Wynn (First)

—Photo Courtesy of Barbara Wallace

A n d t h e W i n n e r s A r e . . .

Page 2T H E G E O R G I A G A V E L

F a l l C o n f e r e n c e P h o t o G a l l e r y

New DTMs honored at the Hall

of Fame Luncheon. Shown

with District Governor Theresa

Spralling: Rene Atkins,

Venecia Bowers, Gloria

Bradford, Luis

Camacho,,Sherman Elliot,

Cathie Fields, Mark Justice,

Jon Martindale, Lana

McFarlane, Tonya Moore,

Sandes Murphy, Valerie

Murphy, Sandra Strozier, Lina

Surianto and Mark Tidrow.

— Photo courtesy of Barbara Wallace

she received 10 thoughtful evaluations. Winner of 2009Evaluation Contest was David Wynn of Division G. Second

A n d t h e W i n n e r s A r e … ( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 1 )

“Death” Takes on a Greater Fear than Himself—Photo Courtesy of Denina Hood

“Mama” Prize Winner in Costume Contest—Photo Courtesy of Barbara Wallace

place winner was Jon Stallings of Division H. Third placewinner was Dick McCoppin of Division F.

I N V E ST I N Y O U RP E R SO NA L D E V E L O P M E NT

— N O O N E EL S E W I L L

D O I T F O R Y O U

Roy Ganga, DTMLT. Governor Education & Training

Quality Meetings = Quality Clubs

(QM=QC)

Continued on Page 6 Continued on Page 7 Continued on Page 6

It’s not often that I get to witness some-thing phenomenal and when I do, the ex-citement lingers. Recently, I had the privi-lege of seeing the skies of Florida light upas the space shuttle was launched. What a

breathtaking moment for me.

Another phenomenal experience is seeingfirsthand the members of District 14 work-ing together in their respective clubs toensure that quality meetings are offered,thereby guaranteeing an equitable returnon their Toastmasters investment, to en-

hance their personal growth and success.

This is what I term “Accountability in Ac-tion” because you, the members of thisincredible organization, have stepped up tothe plate and taken accountability for yourpersonal development. In tough economictimes, we are forced to make choices andcan easily loose focus on what is impor-tant. While many organizations around theworld are downsizing because of the eco-nomic climate, Toastmasters Internationalis growing; thousands of people are takingadvantage of our organization’s programsto enhance their communication skills. For85 years, the Toastmasters program hasproven to be highly successful, helpingindividuals around the world become confi-dent, more effective speakers and leaders.It can make the difference between havinga promising future and being left behind.Don’t procrastinate. Invest in your per-sonal development; no one else will do it

for you.

The leaders of the clubs in District 14 arecommitted to keeping their clubs healthyand successful. The first step is ensuringthey have the knowledge and tools needed,

Why Public Relations is important not to

just any club, but to every club.

To many non-Toastmasters, we are anenigma. If you ask a prospective memberwhat Toastmasters is about before theyattend their first meeting, their impressionswill range from a social drinking club tolearning how to bake bread – and all thingsin between. Perhaps we need to do a bet-

ter job of getting our message out there.

That’s where a good public relations cam-paign is critical. Aside from clearing up anymisconceptions about the purpose of a TMclub, a good campaign along with the helpof the club’s VP of Public Relations (VPPR),can increase membership, boost membermorale, and improve member retention.Did you notice how it said “the help of theVPPR”? That’s because every member hasa shared responsibility in getting our mes-

sage out there.

Here are four basic ways that your club can

create some buzz:

1. Make sure that the information on theToastma sters International website isaccurate. If you do nothing else, dothis. Don’t dismiss this by say ing thatyou haven’t changed your club ’s meet-ing location , date and time since youopened. What about t he conta ct infor -mation? Is the ema il add ress andphone number correct? More impor-tantly, is the person(s) responsib le foranswering elect ronic inquiries orphone calls ava ilable or at least qu ickto respond? Test how n imble yourclub is by sending an ema il or cal ling

the contact number .

P O N D E R I NG S O FT H E P R O

W H A T ’ S NE W I NM A R K E T I NG

QM = QC: Building a Successful Club

“How do we become a successful club?” Myfellow Toastmasters, of all leadershipquestions that I’ve been asked in my fewyears as a district officer, this one tops thechart. It is asked by new clubs, by strugglingclubs and by successful clubs that havecome to understand that sustaining successis actually more difficult than achievingsuccess itself.

I wish I could say I found the answer throughmuch meditation and seeking the wisdom ofthe ancients. As it sometimes happens, theanswer we seek has been in front of us forso long we didn’t even realize it. Aftervisiting a number of successful clubs, it hitme that the success of these clubs lay not inthe big events they hold periodically, theeloquence of their speakers or theabundance of district officers as members.The secret to the success of these clubs layin the simple things they did at each andevery meeting.

Fellow Toastmasters, Quality Meetings =Quality Clubs (QM=QC.) I can stop right hereand let you figure out the rest; there are nocomplex strategies needed. Your ability todevelop a club culture that focuses on“Quality Meetings” each time you meet willdetermine the enduring success of yourclub. Consistent “Quality Meetings” will takea club of 6 members to 20, a club of 12 to25 and will keep a club of 30 always abovecharter strength regardless of how manymembers it loses. There is something about“Quality” that is attractive and appealing tomost.

Page 3

Luis Camacho, DTMPublic Relations Officer

Kene Iloenyosi, DTMLT. Governor Marketing

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

Page 4

Lana McFarlane, DTM

If you’re wondering how toachieve DTM with a full plate,just ask Lana McFarlane oneof District 14’s newest DTMs.With a demanding job andfamily life, and while providinginspirational leadership toother Toastmasters, she stillmanaged to achieve her DTMaward.

Little did she know that whenshe joined Toastmasters in2003, that she would serve inseveral club officer roles in-cluding Sergeant-at-Arms, VPof Education and President.Not only is she serving cur-rently as her club’s Club Sec-retary, she is also serving asthe 2009-2010 District ClubExtension Chair.

Along her journey to DTM,Lana took the leap to serve asArea Governor. She thoughtshe would barely make itthrough that year. She notonly survived, she wasawarded Area Governor of theYear for 2006-2007! This waswhile she juggled her area

club visits, a hectic workschedule, her daughter’sband practices and workingon her own educationalgoals.

Thanks to the advice of an-other DTM who paved theway — Roy Ganga, DTM, ourcurrent Lt. Governor of Edu-cation and Training. Roytaught Lana that Leadershipdoesn’t mean “Do it all your-self-ship!” While Lana didnot find this an easy lessonto learn, she took it to heartand became an expert ontime management as well.

Back when Lana first joinedHealthy Voice Toastmasters,achieving the DTM was thefurthest thought from hermind! She init ially didn’teven want to serve as Ser-geant-at-Arms and had notyet even heard of Area Gov-ernor. But “Who knew?” asLana would say? She cameto the realization thatachieving DTM was withinher grasp once she saw that

two of the founding mem-bers of her club -- RoyGanga and Tonya Horne –achieved their DTM awards.All Lana needed to do wasstay focused and follow theToastmasters educationalprogram.

As Division G Governor,Lana inspired her team ofArea Governors to lead theirareas to success. She alsoworked diligently on hereducational goals. WhenLana lost some momentumtoward DTM, she was en-couraged by the commit-ment and dedication of thenew clubs she helped Char-ter. Serving as club mentorand sponsor, reinvigoratedher toward her quest. Twoof her new clubs GraingerVoices in Action and Toast-masters at the Paddocksachieved Presidents Distin-guished Club status duringtheir first years.

H o w t o G e t t o D T M w i t h a F u l l P l a t e

Leadership

Doesn’t Mean “Do

It All Yourself-

ship!”

— Roy Ganga, DTM

and devoted to our District’s success. Iam humbled by the service thatvolunteers consistently contribute. I aminspired by the teamwork that keeps usmoving forward. And I am grateful forthe opportunity to commit myself togreater levels of service to you our

members.

Giving – The Christmas, Hanukkah andKwanzaa seasons highlight the spirit ofgiving and sharing. We as Toastmastersare able to make giving and sharing ayear round event. Each Toastmastersmeeting provides us with theopportunity to share our thoughts,stories and experiences in preparedspeeches. We offer our impromptuopinions during Table Topics. We

bestow the gift of encouragement andfeedback during the evaluation port ionof the meeting. These gifts enableongoing growth for our members andclubs as we come together to carry out

the Toastmasters mission.

Goal-Setting – Wecap off the holidayseason by focusingon the New Yearand the

opportunity for new starts and newbeginnings. Personally, we reconnectwith the goals that shape our families,our health, our finances, and otherimportant aspects of life. At the clublevel, we revisit the Distinguished ClubProgram (DCP) goals that clearly spellout the progress that our clubs aspire to

each year. At the District level, weconstantly monitor the performance ofDistrict 14 to see where we currentlystand and how we can make significantprogress for the remaining six months

of the Toastmasters year.

So as we embark on the very pivotalmid-point of our Toastmasters year, Iencourage you to use the 2009 holidayseason to focus on Gratitude, Givingand Goal-Setting in ways you never havebefore. Be grateful for your role inToastmasters. Realize the gift that youhave to offer to others. Commit yourselfto achieve bigger and better things aswe transition into 2010. I wish a safe,happy and enjoyable new year for youand yours. Continue to be Empowered to

Succeed.

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R … ( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 1 )

— Adapted from the Hall of Fame luncheon Bio submitted by LanaMcFarlane. Margaret May also contributed to this piece.

T H E G E O R G I A G A V E L

Page 5

What a difference a decade makes! Ijoined Toastmasters in September 1999looking for a way to overcome shyness,introversion and social anxiety. Ten yearslater, I have not only overcome my battlewith timidity, but I have also cultivatedcommunication skills, enhanced my leader-ship abilities and accumulated a wealth oflife lessons that have forever changed theway I see the world. My top ten list of Toast-

masters Life Lessons are outlined below:

1. “There is a speech around every cor-ner of life”. You don’t have to look farto find a topic for your next speechproject. I have learned to just openmy eyes to the humorous, enlighten-ing, inspiring and amazing moments

around me.

2. “It will work if you work it.” You have to“work” the program. I have learnedthat you will only go as far as yourcommitment and diligence will take

you.

3. “I am glad you asked that question . ..” As an introvert in an extrovertedworld, I learned how to hold my own insocial and business settings through

Table Topics.

4. “Every club “ain’t” for every body”.Each Toastmasters club is unique.Visit at least three clubs to experiencethe variety and diversity that our clubs

provide.

5. “Showing Up is 70% of Success”.Members who show up consistently atclub meetings, conventions, and con-tests walk away with the inspirationthey need to stay involved and enjoy

more of what the program has to offer.

6. “Dare to Soar”. Past District GovernorLee Holliday’s theme still rings in myears when I step out into new andunchartered territories. Every Toast-masters experience gives us all anopportunity to soar to new heights.

Are you flying yet?

7. “Beware of the Company You Keep” --In order to be our best, we must sur-

round ourselves with the best. Toast-masters members are some of themost talented, diligent, and dedicated

individuals you can find.

8. “If you love what you do, you will neverwork a day in your life”. There is acontingent of folks in District 14whose passion and commitment toToastmasters always shines. If youtruly love what you do, it does not feel

like work.

9. “Evaluations should add value”. Be-fore giving your next evaluation, besure that there is value in the feed-back you are providing. Through prac-tice, I have learned to provide a bal-ance of compliments, constructivefeedback and encouragement to moti-

vate speakers.

10. “Butterflies never go away”. After 10years of public speaking, I am con-vinced that the butterflies in my bellywill never go away. I consider themmy friends and keep talking until they

start to fly in formation.

T e n L e s s o n s i n T e n Y e a r s a s a T o a s t m a s t e r

By Twanda Mickle, DTM

“If it is not one thing it is another, every time I turn around thereis something else rearing it’s ugly head to prevent me fromhaving a “good” day. I wondered what if anything could make itbetter?” Have you ever felt this way? Wonder how Toastmas-

ters can help?

Glad you asked. Toastmasters is a network of individuals thatare seeking to become better communicators, leaders, or pro-fessional speakers. As a member of Toastmasters you aresurrounded by people in various industries who are talented

and have connections of their own.

This is the time to speak out, time to shine, time to showcasewhat you have. In addition to attending the meetings and intro-ducing yourself to the other members, this year I personal chal-lenge you to volunteer your time at Toastmaster District 14events. Volunteering is a wonderful way to share your gifts,

meet others, and best of all network.

You neverknow who you might meet or who is looking to meetyou. This could lead to a new job, abusiness idea or partner, or betteryet a new friend. Get out there and

chat it up.. Stevie said so.

S t e v i e S a i d S o —T h o u g h t s f r o m t h eV o l u n t e e r C h a i r

By Stevie Peterson

Fellow Toastmasters,It is that time of year where district elections will be heldon May 8th, 2010 during our business meeting at ourSpring Conference which will be located at the Hyatt Re-

gency Savannah, Georgia.

There are leadership opportunities available for the fol-

lowing positions:

District Governor- Elected position

Lt Governor Education & Training- Elected position Lt Governor Marketing- Elected position Division Governor- Elected Position Public Relations Officer- Appointed

Secretary- Appointed Treasurer- Appointed Area Governor- Appointed

Nominations close on March 6, 2010. Please contactCindy Cannon, DTM, IPDG for more information:

cindy@gmgweb.com

INTERESTED IN BEING A LEADERFOR OUR DISTRICT? CALL FORNOMINATIONS

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

Page 6W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

which involves attending Club Officerstraining twice a year. Over 80% of District14 clubs had 4 or more Officers trained atthe Summer Toastmasters LeadershipInstitute (TLI). For the upcoming OfficersTraining at our January TLI, we are expect-ing 100% of the clubs to have 4 or moreofficers trained. Start planning now.Trained club officers result in more satis-fied members, more exciting club meet-ings, more new members, more Distin-

guished Clubs and a stronger District 14.

As District 14 Toastmasters, it is your re-sponsibility to make sure your club meet-ings is run effectively, thereby providing youthe opportunity to participate, as well as toensure your club officers are held account-able for attaining the club goals as outlinesin Distinguished Club Program (DCP). An-other of your accountability is to always

bring your toastmasters tools(Communication manual and Leadershipmanual) with you to every meeting, andensure your educational accomplishmentsare submitted on time, in order to be recog-nized for your achievements. At the recentFall Conference, fourteen of your fellowToastmasters were recognized for achiev-ing the Triple Crown Educational Award,each receiving a prestigious Trophy fortheir accomplishments. You can be thenext to earn one of these trophies, whichwill be presented at the 2010 Spring Con-

ference in Savannah.

I am looking forward to welcoming all ofyou to historic Savannah when Division Bhosts the 2010 SPRING CONFERENCE onMay 7-8, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Sa-vannah on the historic Riverfront. Bringyour family and friends and enjoy true

Southern Hospitality. Packages and eventsare being planned to include your non-Toastmaster family and friends. To be avolunteer at the Spring conference, pleasecontact Debbie Rauers, Spring Conference

Chair at drauers@aol.com.

Empower yourself to succeed by reassess-ing your plans and see if you are on trackto realizing the goals you have set for your-self. Look at where you are currently andwhere youplan to be.It’s time toclose thegap andchallengeyourself tobe thebest you

can be.

P O ND E R I NG S O F T H E P R O … ( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 3 )

2. Do you have a website? Just like inreal estate, it’s al l about location , lo -cation, location . If you ’re club’s noton the web, chances are prospe ctivemembers wi ll pa ss your club and go tothe one that is on the internet (for afree website go to http://

www.freetoasthost .org/)

3. If you’re an open club , where are youadvertising? Is there an office com-plex nearby? Chances are the co m-plex wil l have a newsletter (free re -source) and a newsletter editor that’sALWAYS looking for art icle s and mate-rial to put in there. Ask them to placea sma ll ad for your club , and sub mit

articles regu larly about what ’s goingon in your meetings, or me mberachievement s. If you belong to a co m-pany or closed club, be sure to postflyers on company bulletin boardsalong with any kind of corporate com-

municat ion.

4. Now that you’ve got them interested ,be sure you have some materials onhand for when they visit . There a replenty of free bro chures on the TI web-site (http://www. toastm asters.org/Mai nMenuCateg ories/Shop/Marketi ngToastmas ters/

FreeMaterials.aspx)

And those are just the basics. For moreadvanced ways of creating a stir, try sub-mitting articles to local newspapers or ra-dio stations. Contact your Mayor about aproclamation designating a Toastmastersday, week or month. Have your club adopta stretch of highway or a local road. Theseand other ideas can be found on TI’s web-site (http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/OfficerResources/ClubOfficerResources/ClubOfficerRoles/VicePresidentPublicRelations.aspx).

Working through the club VPPR, we can getour message heard – after all, we have thebest messengers!

Div. Area Club Charter Date Name Location

A 4 1289461 09/25/2009 Morrow Toastmasters Morrow

B 11 1297778 09/17/2009 Moody Talking Tigers Moody AFB

H 71 1304784 07/02/2009 MZ Toastmasters Atlanta

J 95 1341233 09/03/2009 Toastmasters R Toastmasters Snellville

J 91 1392185 09/25/2009 East Coast Toasters Norcross

H 72 1400363 10/28/2009 Club 1599 Atlanta

Congratulations to more than 100 new members and the following new clubs that have

joined District 14 Toastmasters Family since July 2009:

New Club Corner

I N V E S T I N Y O U R P E R S O NA L D E V E L O P M E NT . . . ( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 3 )

Photo courtesy of Denina Hood

Page 7

Calendar of Events

Q M = Q C … ( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 3 )

What Can I Do To Develop A “QualityMeeting” Culture? I’m glad you asked, I’llsuggest a few:

Make sure your meeting agenda is wellplanned and guides every participantthrough the meeting. This way, evenguests can follow the flow of themeeting.

The Toastmaster of the Day shouldalways have a meeting theme. This canbe as simple as providing facts, quotesor stories on a given topic through outthe meeting or as elaborate asdecorating your meeting space andencouraging members to wearcostumes. However simple or creative,just make sure people have fun.Remember that we learn best inmoments of enjoyment.

Vice President of Education should usea sign up sheet and encouragemembers to sign up at least 3 meetingsahead. Minimize last minute signups.

At least once every 2 months, an officershould give a speech that teaches theclub members something they can

apply to their Toastmaster experience.Modules from the Successful Clubseries or Better Club Series are greatspeeches to present to the club.

Teach club members how to give goodevaluations. This simple step is socritical because it is what really sellsthe benefit of the Toastmastersprogram to visiting guests. They listento the prepared speeches, but realizethat the feedback given during theevaluation is what helps membersgrow. A good evaluation always pointsout what the speaker did well, and atleast one area in which they canimprove. Commit to never say “I can’tfind any area for you to improve.” Yesyou can, just think hard enough or askthe person sitting next to you.

Stop telling guests that you are tryingto grow your club, and focus onmaking sure their experience is a goodone. Don’t sell them, show them. Getthem involved in table topics and askfor their feedback at the end of themeeting. Invite them to join to improvetheir communication skills not

because you want to grow your club.Focus on their needs, and you will meetyours.

There are a number of simple things wecan do, and I’m sure you can think of more.You don’t need money, or a fancy meetingenvironment. You just need a little bit ofthinking and a committed group of people tocreate a “Quality Club Environment.” The keyto building a successful club is in having“Quality Meetings.” With these simple thingsin place, I believe we can end our year withevery club at 20 or more members, andmake this a culture in each club.

Happy New Year! As we start a newdecade and new year, please remember thatyour purpose in life needs the skills youlearn at Toastmasters; practice givingtoasts, or telling stories, or motivatingfriends and family to strive for more in thecoming year. Yourcommunication skillgives life and light toyour dreams andgoals. Let it shine,and let it shinebrightly.

Month Event

January 23,

30

Toastmasters LeadershipInstitute

May 7-8 Spring Conference inSavannah

March 6 Nominations for DistrictLeaders close

International

Director Sal Asad

Speaking at Fall

Conference

— Photo courtesy of DeninaHood

Barbara Wallace & Kyle Mitchell

- Photo courtesy of Barbara Wallace

Alan Reyes Presents at Fall Conference— Photo Courtesy of Denina Hood

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

Roy Ganga and Cindy Cannon- Photo courtesy of Denina Hood

Georgia District 14

Publisher:

Theresa Spralling, DTM

theresaspralling@comcast.net

Public Relations Officer:

Luis Camacho

pro@toastmasters.org

Lead Editor:

Margaret May, DTM

gaveledi-

tor@gatoastmasters.org

Go Green:

green@gatoastmasters.org

The Mission of the District

The Mission of the District is to enhance the performanceand extend the network of clubs, thereby offering greaternumbers of people the opportunity to benefit from theToastmasters educational program by:

Focusing on the critical success as specified by thedistrict educational and membership goals.

Ensuring that each club effectively ful fills itsresponsibilities to its members.

Providing effective trai ning and leadership for club and

Fall Conference Photos courtesy of Denina Hood

Page 8W I N T E R 2 0 0 9