Riding the W. A. V. E.

Saturday’s first in person TLI since December 2019 was one event I was taking advantage of attending. Overall it was a great experience and it was nice to see everyone again. A few of us met up in July in the same venue for the DTM gala when those of us who couldn’t run the gauntlet due to the COVID 19 pandemic were able to do so. However there were no fire alarms to interrupt us this time.

As we walked in the door to register, we got our program and were provided with leis. The theme for this summer TLI was “Riding the W. A. V. E. “. I must have missed the memo when I saw other attendees decked out in their Hawaiian prints. No problem though, as I have my own style and was representing the Rock with my Slippery Rock windbreaker and my red top underneath

Breakfast consisted of pastries as well as coffee and tea. WCCC always provides well for us when we hold our club officer trainings there. We recognized our dignataries including our soon to be past district director Bob Johnson. With these last three years serving in the District Trio plus one year serving as Division Director, its been a marvelous four year run for Bob.

Our program had its usual club officer sessions as well as another session which was led by both Sharon Joseph (Laurel Highlands Toastmasters club president and incoming Vice President Education) and Catherine McCarron (incoming Division D Director). They both took turns at leading the sessions. One was Club Officer Tools and the other was Best Practices for Engaging Prospective Members.

Now let’s get into detail on what was behind the W. A. V. E.

W-Wow: Creating Club Quality (led by past Division A Director and incoming Club Growth Director Dr Marci Antion)

A-Achieve: Leading the Team to Success (led by past District 18 Director Dr. Elizabeth Carter)

V-Value: Moments of Truth (led by TLI chair and incoming Area 34 Director Lorie Regas)

E-Engage: Building on Achievement (led by current and soon to be Immediate Past District Director Bob Johnson)

Here’s some takeaways from those four sessions.

Wow: The importance of the club experience and what having members who are engaged and immersed in that experience can do for you. Also the values of Toastmasters. Those are Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence.

Achieve: You don’t want to set SMART goals, you want to set SMALL goals. Delegate or, Split up the work; Make this part of your development; Ask for help; Learn about your members; and, Leave it better than you found it. The people you asking for help and delegating the work to are your incoming replacements.

What does success look like to you?

Value: The importance of conducting the Moments of Truth annually. The best time to do this exercise is early in the Toastmasters year. Lorie talked about who handled certain parts of the MOT in her club. First impressions and membership strength responsibilities went to the Vice President Membership; Membership Orientation and Achievement Recognition were put on the Vice President Education; and, Fellowship, Variety, Communication and Program Planning was delegated to the Immediate Past President.

Engage: Bob asked the audience to discuss their best and worst customer experiences. One bad review can ruin a reputation you worked for years to build. We are responsible as the executives of these clubs to provide a sparkling club experience that will have our guests coming back and even inviting other guests who will in turn become prospective club members.

When we took our break, it was like our surfboard stretch. When we went to our sessions, we were surfing to them. I really liked the theme for this TLI a lot. Lunch consisted of picnic food (hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, potato salad, condiments including relsh, ketchup, and mustard). We chatted about what the best part of this club officer training was. I finally got to meet Adie Kurtanich (Club Growth Director incoming) and she complemented me on the blog and my fashion sense (my gender nonconformity and dressing non traditional is staying despite rumors of its demise; it’s brought me far too much success at this point for me to give it up now). I made plans with Bob for an upcoming Cranberry High Noon visit in July or August. I’ll also make a visit in December. I made plans to speak at Laurel Highlands for their last meeting of the year.

I’ll highlight my visit to Laurel Highlands in the next blog post later on this evening. Pictures will be posted as well.