|
Frequently Asked Questions: Under
Construction Before I attend a meeting Where
is Gilbert Toastmasters currently meeting?
We are
currently meeting at the Gilbert Park Center. This is the small building located
just east of the Gilbert Community Center building at the corners of Bruce and
Oak streets northeast of the intersection of Elliot and Gilbert Roads. Long-time
residents of Gilbert may know this building as the original Gilbert public library.
For more information, click on the "Meeting Info" button in the menu
bar to the left. Do I need a special invitation
to attend a meeting? / What do I have to do before I visit?
Consider
this your special invitation: We'd love to have you visit sometime! We don't need
any advance notice of your plans to visit. However if you would like to let us
know so that we can keep an eye out for you, or if you have any further questions,
click on the "email us" button in the menu bar to the left. Is
there a dress code?
Not officially. Traditionally
individuals with some of the higher functions, such as Toastmaster, Topicsmaster,
or General Evaluator (see descriptions of functionaries),
as well as the officers, choose to dress nicely to give meetings a more formal
feel. Also speakers may select their clothing based on the speech material. For
example, one of our members gave a speech on fly fishing and she came dressed
in fishing gear. The remainder of the membership, as well as guests, are encouraged
to come in whatever makes them most comfortable. Is
this a networking organization?
Toastmasters Clubs were created
for members to improve in the areas of communication and leadership and networking
is not actively promoted by the organization itself. However, members may choose
to utilize the club for networking to the best of their abilities. Occasionally
there are individuals who are members of more than one club for the purpose of
getting to know more people. It is also not uncommon to find fellow members who
are willing to put in a good word for someone looking for a job and even occasionally
to offer a job to another member. Are there other
clubs around?
Absolutely. If for any reason at all you visit Gilbert
Toastmasters and decide that yes, Toastmasters is something you would like to
persue but not at the Gilbert Club, there are many others around. Perhaps Gilbert
does not meet your needs as far as day and time or location, there is a good chance
there is another club that would better suit your needs. Although we would love
for you to join our club, we prefer for you find another club that would meet
your needs rather than have you not be involved at all. Feel free to shop around
and visit as many different clubs as you like as many times as you like; there
is no obligation ever. For information on other clubs in the area, visit the District
3 website or the Toastmasters International website (click
on the "Links" button in the menu bar to the left).
About
a meeting Why are meetings run the
way they are?
Toastmasters clubs utilize parliamentary
preceedings. There are multiple reasons for this. One reason is that it gives
meetings an air of professionalism which appeals to many, particularly businessmen
and women. Also, knowlege of parliamentary preceedings can help these businessmen
and women conduct more effective business meetings at work. And another reason
is that each person knows their job and this allows for smoothly conducted meetings.
How does everyone know what they're
supposed to be doing?
One of the most important individuals to
a Toastmasters Club is the Vice President of Education (VPE). This individual
prepares a schedule in advance of meetings by assigning roles to various people.
When a person joins a Toastmaster Club, s/he is added to the club roster and the
VPE will begin including that person as soon as possible. Gilbert has the tradition
of scheduling new members for their first speech, called the Icebreaker (just
what it sounds like - a speech where we get the chance to know the new member),
as soon as possible. After that they are scheduled for minor functions first,
then progressively more important functions. At any time the member may inform
the VPE if s/he feels that the pace is either too quick or too slow and the VPE
can adjust accordingly.
At any point, a member may choose to have an assigned
mentor. All new members are encouraged to acquire a mentor. Mentors are more experienced
Toastmasters who are able to give guidance. If a member ever has a question of
any kind, the mentor should be able to answer it, as should any of the officers.
View the current schedule. Read up on functionaries.
What's the difference between a functionary and
an officer?
Functionaries are positions that need to be filled
on a weekly basis and are assigned by the Vice President of Education. They are
based on a rotating schedule (click here to view current
schedule) to allow members to have as many different speaking experiences as possible.
Each function has specific goals. For a description of these functions, click
here.
Officers are elected by a quorum of the membership on a semi-annual
basis and they serve six-month terms which begin January 1st and July 1st. There
are seven officers: President, Vice President of Education
(VPE), Vice President of Membership (VPM), Vice President of Public Relations
(VPPR), Treasurer, Secretary and Sergeat-at-arms. Additionally, the Immediate
Past President serves as mentor to the current president and chairs the nominating
committee for the next elections. Each office has its own specific set of goals
and responsibilities. Members are encouraged to run for an office at any time
to get to know fellow members as well as to promote personal leadership skills.
How come you always shake hands and address each
other as Mister/Madam functionary?
Toastmasters
clubs are run using formal introductions and greetings to promote professionalism
during our meetings, which easily rubs off into our professional lives. What
are the awards (Best Tabletopics, Evaluator, Speaker and Vicki Treciak Spirit
Award) for?
Toastmasters clubs strive to acknowledge
excellence and accomplishment and our weekly awards reflect that. The Best Tabletopics
award goes to the tabletopics participant who best answers his/her question in
an interesting and coherent way. The Best Evaluator award goes to the individual
who provides the most constructive evaluation containing both positive attributes
of the speech and a couple challenges for improvement on the speaker's next presentation.
The Best Speaker award goes to the individual who best achieves his/her project
goals. The Vicki Treciak Spirit Award recipient is selected
by the General Evaluator of the evening and goes to the individual whom the GE
feels added an extra "spark" to the meeting and otherwise displays club
spirit. Why did a beginning speaker
get more votes for Best Speaker than a more experienced, better speaker?
The Best Speaker award criteria is designed to allow for this. The award, as mentioned
above, is given to the individual who best meets his/her project goals. Because
of this, the award is not necessarily given to an individual many may consider
to be the "better speaker" or to a more experienced speaker. Why
did one speaker receive a standing ovation and not the others?
Gilbert
Toastmasters has a tradition of giving a standing ovation to individuals who accomplish
milestones. We define milestones as significant events including induction of
new members into the club, completion of the initial "Icebreaker" speech,
and the attaining of Toastmaster designations (CC, AC, DTM, CL, AL - see "Toastmasters
Love Acronyms" for more details).
About
membership
Do I have to join right
away?
We encourage individuals to visit as many
times as they want, and visit as many different clubs as they want and join only
when they feel comfortable doing so. If you know ahead of time that you are ready
to join or have visited once already and are ready to join, feel free to print
and fill out the membership application now: Click here
for membership application. Is there
a membership fee?
Yes. There is a one-time new member
fee of $20.00, and a biannual fee of $60.00, which is prorated for new members.
This membership fee may be tax-deductible. Ask any member and we will tell you
this fee is well worth the benefits of the program. If this membership fee would
cause financial hardship, please talk to an officer about it and we will work
something out with you. It is not our desire to see anyone with a genuine desire
to partcipate not be able to do so for financial reasons. Our dues go toward operating
costs on the international level as well as the club level, and to cover the fee
to rent our meeting facility. Why
should I join Toastmasters? / What's in it for me?
You
are invited to check the following web pages for answers to these questions: What's
In It For Me? and Members Testimonies. Why
do people have to be taken out of the room and discussed/voted in, before they
can officially join?
The simple answer to this
question is that it is required by our Gilbert Toastmasters Club Constitution
and by Toastmasters International. We find it an excellent opportunity to make
the inductee feel special by realizing that we actually want them to be a part
of our club, badly enough to vote them in! In addition, it is an opportunity to
give the new member a warm welcome to the club in the form of a standing ovation
when they are brought back into the room. I
travel quite a bit and wouldn't be able to make it to meetings each week. Can
I still become a member?
Absolutely. In fact, we have several members
who travel quite a bit and only attend when they are in town. You will still be
able to benefit from the program as long as you put your best effort into it when
you are able to attend, and take advantage of these times by participating as
much as possible. We recommend travelers always have a pocket speech ready to
present in the event a scheduled speaker is unable to make it that evening. That
way, you will be able to jump in there and give your speech. Also, keeping in
close contact with the Vice President of Education (who makes up the schedule)
and keeping her advised of the days you will be attending meetings will be important
in ensuring you have the opportunity to participate regularly.
Having just
read all of that, you do need to know that the quality of the weekly meetings
depends quite a bit on regular member attendance and participation. When you join
a Toastmasters club, you are making a promise to the club -- the
Toastmaster's Promise -- which includes the commitment to attend regularly
and put in the best effort to prepare for your function for the evening. Club
meetings are maximized when not only all functionaries are present to fulfill
their function and speakers are well-prepared for their speech, but when there
are additional members there to greet guests, applaud speakers, and add energy
to the club meeting. Individuals who travel regularly can easily find a place
in our club and benefit from the Toastmasters program, but those who are able
to commit to attending regularly will receive the most benefit and will contribute
the most to the already high quality of Gilbert Toastmasters. What
if I only want to learn to speak and not be involved in the leadership programs?
One of the great things about the Toastmasters program
(as well as a challenge of it) is that you get out of the program what you put
into it. If your goal is only speech improvement, you need not pursue leadership
roles. Of course, we encourage everyone to expand their experience base and skills
by participating as leaders, but it is not a requirement of the program. The program
has two tracks - the communication track and the leadership track. There is some
overlapping of the two tracks, and both tracks are required for the highest Toastmasters
distinction (DTM - click here for more information),
but it is up to the individual how much effort will be put into one or the other
tracks. Additionally, working your way through the leadership track also benefits
our club as a whole by helping us meet club goals set by Toastmasters International
(see right column of "Events/Programs" page) and contributing to the
quality and variety of our leadership. Who
makes up the schedule every week?
The schedule
is made up 3-4 weeks in advance by one of our officers,
the Vice President of Education. How
will I know what I'm supposed to do?
There are several
resources at your disposal. First is the officers. We are available to answer
questions at any time; we are here to serve our members. Second is the weekly
schedule, which tells us what our functions are up to a month in advance for easy
preparation. Third is this website. The webmaster strives to put as much information
on this website as possible for the convenience of members (as well as visitors).
Finally, new members are assigned a mentor (if the new member would like one).
A mentor is an experienced member whose job it will be to guide new members through
the first three speeches, provide tips and encouragement, and answer any questions
that come up. New: you may also check out
the New Member Resource page for a few tips. We have
also started holding monthly New Member Orientation classes on the third Thursdays
of the month. Visitors are welcome to attend - please send us an email by clicking
on "Email Us" to let us know your plans to attend. About
speeches and speaking If I join,
am I "forced" to give a speech right away? / How soon do I have to do
a speech?
Generally the Vice President of Education
(VPE) schedules new members to present their Ice-breaker speeches (the first speech
in the Competent Communicator Manual) for the first available speaking position,
usually 4-5 weeks later. However, if a new member feels s/he will not be ready
by that point, s/he need only inform the VPE to hold off for a while. Again, the
Toastmasters program progresses at the individual's pace. How
do I know when I will speak? How often?
The schedule
lists (generally) three speakers per meeting up to four weeks in advance so there
is ample time to check who is scheduled to speak when. Since Gilbert has a membership
base of over 30, opportunity to present a prepared speech generally comes up every
few months or so. To increase chances to speak, members may opt to be included
on the "On The Spot" speakers list. These speakers are the first to
be contacted when a scheduled speaker must back out for some reason and a replacement
speaker found with little advance notice. Members may also choose to join other
clubs for the purpose of speaking more frequently. How
will I know what to talk about?
New members will
be issued the "Competent Communicator" manual, which contains 10 basic-level
speech projects. The first project, the Ice-breaker, is the only project where
the topic is dictated (the new member is to introduce him-/herself to the club).
Topics for the remaining 9 speeches are up to the member and for the most part
some aspect of the individual's life fits perfectly with each of the projects.
Careers, family, hobbies, and trips (among other things), make excellent speech
topics. Mentors can also be utilized for topic suggestions. What
are the manuals for and what's in them? (coming soon) For
info on Advanced Communication Manuals, please visit Toastmasters International's
website for brief descriptions of the manuals at the following address: http://www.toastmasters.org/fupload/media/Adv.Comm.Prog.pdf How
long does it usually take to get the manual and other educational materials?
(coming soon)
About the Toastmasters Organization Where
did Toastmasters come from?
Toastmasters was founded in 1924 by
Dr. Ralph C. Smedley in Santa Ana, California for the purpose of improving in
the areas of public speaking and presiding over meetings, all with the spirit
of fellowship. From there, other clubs were formed and a decade later the organization
became international with the founding of a club in British Columbia, Canada.
The organization has benefitted over three million men and women since its foundation.
Source: Toastmasters International Website. Click here for the
full story (link coming soon....sorry).
I
heard people referred to as "governor," does it mean Toastmasters are
involved in politics?
Yes and no. The term
"governor" refers to positions of leadership within the Toastmasters
organization. The leaders of the Districts, Divisions, and Areas are referred
to as governors. The individuals who serve as governors do so on a voluntary basis
(i.e. they are not paid for their service) and are elected to their positions
at the Division level and above (see the next question or click
here to see the Toastmasters structure). To make the process more interesting
and challenging, campaigning is encouraged. Therefore within the Toastmasters
organization there is some politics involved. However the organization is not
involved in politics outside the Toastmasters organization, such as with the government.
Of course ask any Toastmaster and they will tell you that the majority of politicians
desperately need the speaking skills taught in Toastmasters. What
do you mean by Area, Division and District?
Toastmasters
International is broken down into smaller segments. The International organization
is broken down into Regions. Gilbert Toastmasters is a part of Region III, which
includes much of the southwest. Regions are broken down into Districts. Gilbert
is a part of District 3, which primarily includes the State of Arizona. Districts
are broken down into Divisions. Gilbert is a part of Gila Division, which primarily
includes the east valley area. Divisions are broken down into Areas. Gilbert is
a part of Area G3, which primarily includes the Mesa area.
What do the acronyms mean? (Examples:
CTM, ATM, DTM, CL, AL, TI, TLI, CC, AC, etc)
Please
click here for the answer to this question, then hit
the "back" button on your browser to return to this page. Are
children allowed in Toastmasters Clubs?
Toastmasters
Clubs have a minimum age requirement of eighteen years. I
represent _______ company and would like to present a sales pitch/workshop to
your club members. Can I do this?
Gilbert Toastmasters'
weekly speaking slots are strictly reserved for club members and pre-arranged
speaker-swapping with members of other Toastmasters clubs. However if you are
interested in acquiring better speaking skills for yourself and subsequently for
your sales pitch, we'd love to have you become a member. Other
If you are a potential visitor or new or long-term member
and have any other questions (or to report typos or errors) please click
here to submit them. | 
