Columbia Toastmasters Club #4492

So many times I have been discouraged and disappointed with myself and others on the journey. Most of those situations have occurred when I placed expectations of myself and others too high.

It is usually because somewhere along the way I subtracted the human factor. I forgot that perfection is rarely realized especially when we measure others by our standards.

Individuals can and will make mistakes. People will fall short of our expectations and we will fall short of the expectations of others.

Forgiveness begins first with acknowledging our own shortcomings and imperfections. It takes humility and the ability to laugh at ourselves for the unwise choices we have made from time to time. If we can begin with ourselves, forgiving others is easier.

The problem that many members of Toastmasters encounter is that it is forgotten that our club is a laboratory. It is suppose to be a safe and friendly environment in which mistakes can be made without real life consequence.

These mistakes will be made more in club leadership than that of presentations because there are so many variables in leadership that can produce errors in judgment. But that is how we learn. That is what Toastmasters is all about. It is about learning from our mistakes as well as observations of mistakes made by others.

Some mistakes were made recently that have discouraged some of our members. Membership has fallen because of those mistakes. I am very disappointed to see this because all of you have so much potential.

If you are among this group I am speaking about, please take a moment and think about your overall Toastmaster experience. I'm sure your gains outweigh mistakes. Further, I ask you to consider what you learned from your mistakes.

Second, I ask you to have faith in the knowledge that we all have learned from the mistakes that have been made and more than likely those mistakes will not be repeated.

Last, remember why you joined Toastmasters in the first place. You joined to either improve your public speaking, interpersonal or leadership skills. Consider how far you have come since you first joined the club. Remember that it is your journey, and a journey that was worth the effort.

We all deserve second chances to reach for goals when first efforts fall short. We should be willing to likewise give others the opportunity.

Next week I hope to see many of the faces that were not present for my presentation on Tuesday night. I will come committed to helping you become the speaker or leader you aspire to be. I will treat you with courtesy and respect. I will listen to your efforts and give you honest evaluation and feedback. I will keep the Toastmaster's promise to you as a fellow member of Toastmasters International. Let us REACH together for the next level of excellence in our lives.

The sky is the limit for the polished authentic version of you. Toastmasters has been helping people craft and polish their image since 1924. Come see for yourself.

Why practice public speaking? You can increase your personal power AND your empathy!

We always welcome new guests. Join us anytime! We meet Tuesday 5:45 - 7:15 p.m at St. Luke United Methodist Church, 204 E. Ash St., Columbia, MO 65203.

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ERIN TUCKER SET TO PATTERN EVALUATORS

Erin Tucker, president of the Columbia Toastmasters Club will serve as pattern speaker for the 2014 Heartland Division Evaluation Contest tomorrow. The contest is a part of many events during the Toastmasters International Heartland Division Awards Dinner & International Speech Contest at St. Luke United Methodist Church (204 E Ash) in Columbia Missouri. The dinner and contest are a celebration of "Effective Communication & Leadership Day" in Columbia Missouri. The free program and dinner will begin at 3:30pm and the general public is welcome to attend.

A pattern speaker is an opportunity to showcase a person believed to be among the best public speakers in a toastmaster club, area, division or district. They provide the intellectual fodder for contestants to measure in the speech evaluation competition.

The Toastmasters International Evaluation Contest encourages development of evaluation skills and recognizes the best and recognizes the best public speaking evaluators as encouragement to all. It provides an opportunity for others to learn by observing the more proficient evaluators who have benefited from the Toastmasters International program. Contestants in divisional competitions have won or placed in at least two lower levels of the organization to qualify and represent their Areas and local clubs very best speech evaluators. The winner of Saturday's contest will compete in the district finals May 29th in St. Louis Missouri.

Ms. Tucker is relatively new to the Toastmasters International program with less than one year in the organization. She is currently working towards a competent communicator certification of skills developed in public speaking. As co-chair for the 2015 Heartland Division Awards Dinner & International Speech Contest, Ms. Tucker is also being evaluated for her leadership skills on Saturday for education credit in the Toastmasters International Competent Leader Program.

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

District 8 Area 7 Governor Lorie Kaplan will be Chief Judge this Saturday for the District 8 Division E Evaluation and International Speech Contest finals. These contests will be held this Saturday at St. Luke United Methodist Church (204 E Ash) in Columbia Missouri. Contests will immediately follow an awards dinner that begins at 3:30pm.

Kaplan will lead a team of judges and functionaries selected from among experienced members of Toastmasters International from throughout central north/south Missouri. These judges will determine who will advance to the district finals May 29th in St. Louis Missouri.

Lorie Kaplan is a member and former president of the Columbia Toastmasters Club in Columbia Missouri. As Area Governor shen is responsible for the oversight of five Toastmaster clubs in Columbia, Fulton and Jefferson City Missouri. A member of Toastmasters International since 2011 Ms. Kaplan holds a Toastmasters International Advanced Leader-Bronze certification for skills in leadership she has developed through the toastmaster program. She is employed as director of the eMINT program on at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Ms. Kaplan was 2013-2014 recipient of the Division E Omer Roberts Memorial Award which recognizes a member in the division as Toastmaster of the Year.