Contests are just around the corner. If you have never participated and want to learn more, consider going to various club contests. All contests take work and you can judge, do timing, and so forth. If you are hoping to compete but have never done so, again - it helps to see other club contests to give you an idea how it might proceed!

Celebration of Leadership

Dear District 7 Toastmasters!

There is a lot to celebrate with Toastmasters! On Saturday, September 17th at Frog Pond in Wilsonville, we will be having our annual Celebration of Leadership. All are welcome to attend. It'll be a fun day to recognize Toastmasters who have done so much to help other Toastmasters.

Do you know someone who serves at the district level and deserves an award? Check out the awards that we give out:

http://blog.d7toastmasters.org/nominations-call-for-2010-2011-district-awards

And nominate someone for their leadership in District 7 and Toastmasters. Please send your nominations to Cathey Armillas at pdg@d7toastmasters.org. They need to be received by September 1st.

Thank you, and see you at the Celebration of Leadership,

Cathey Armillas
Immediate Past District Governor
District 7 Toastmasters

D7 NETWORKING EVENT

D7 NETWORKING EVENT 
Don't miss the first D7 networking event of the new year!

District 7 Networking Events are a place where you can come to develop personally and as a Toastmaster. Meet new people outside of your club and interact with the District.

7/16/11, 8:00am - 12-noon
Frog Pond Church
6750 SW Boeckman Rd., Wilsonville, OR
Map and Directions

The theme for this event is: C.A.R.E. and Governors Training

Globally, 68% of Toastmasters don't renew because the people they deal with are indifferent to their needs. Research indicates that 20% of the new members you bring through the door will not renew.

Discover how you can beat the statistics by keeping your members happy, engaged, and eager to be your voice in the marketplace. Learn about the four pillars of internal marketing with Sunset Division Governor, Phyllis Harmon in her C.A.R.E. (Communication, Active engagement, Recognition, and Encouragement) training program.

Additional Governors training will be provided by Rose Wellman, LGET, who by the way promises NOT be stuck at the tarmac in another state! Rose will be covering how to access the District database, the District calendar, and how to find the elusive Toastmasters International reports. So bring your laptop if you like and those entire "how to" questions on any topic.

New Location Starting Tonight!

Guess What?  For those of you who are not aware, the location of the meeting is changing.  Effective tonight (7/7/2011) we'll be meeting at our new location.

Where: Transformational Voice™ Training Institute’s Studio #1
42 14 SE 12th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202

When: All Thursdays (except holidays or holiday-eves)
6:30-7:45 p.m.


Doors open at 6:00pm. Come early to mix and mingle. 
Near bus line #19


- Ebb, VP of PR

Congratulations Incoming Officers

Congratulations to the newly elected 2011-2012 Portland Progressives officers.The new board provides an excellent mix of experienced officers in new positions and talented first time officers.

These wonderful toastmasters are:

President:  Elaine DeLuca
VP Education:  Lydia Jane Hoover
VP Membership:  Sandra Wolicki
VP Public Relations:  Ebb Zlatnik
Secretary:  Ben Brady
Treasurer:  Heather Zeitzwolfe
Sgt. at Arms:  Christine Seed

Speech-a-Thon

 (click on flyer to view full size)

Speech-a-Thon 
May 22nd, 2011
12:30pm to 4:30pm at the Woodstock Library, 6008 SE 49th Avenue, Portland, 97206. 
Bus #19 stops right in front. 


Members of the Portland Progressive Toastmasters Club can participate by giving speeches and/or evaluating others. Sign up through our club's website roster. Guests may come to watch.

Russell's Ramblings - Fire Drill

I am amazed by the talent, leadership, depth, and flexibility of the membership. We had an opening in the roster for a speaker develop a few days before the meeting because Jeanne Boorn, who is an excellent speaker, had an educational commitment crop up unexpectedly.

Heather Zeitzwolfe, the toastmaster, sent the roster with a plea for a new first speaker. After a couple of hours of internal debate, I signed up. That meant giving up the evaluator role, which set in motion the possibility that Lydia Hoover, as reserve, might be called upon to step into that evaluator slot if no substitute evaluator could be found. That would have been a win-win situation because Lydia is an experienced toastmaster highly skilled at all the roles. That was Wednesday.

All was well until midday Thursday when both Heather and Marcia Spencer, who was scheduled as speaker 2, both emailed to say that they had family medical emergencies and would probably not be able to attend the meeting. The scheduled absences of three of our more experienced toastmasters (Christine Seed, Jim Robison, and Karen Semprevivo) narrowed the available talent pool considerably and limited the options to fill the roster.

I called Mary Reinard, our VP of Education, about 2 and left a message for her to call me. Mary was spending the afternoon with her grandson and returned my call about 5:35. Since she was scheduled to be table topics master, we discussed the possibility of eliminating both speeches and going to extended table topics. We decided that I would remain as first speaker, she would become toastmaster, print the agenda for the meeting, and after arriving for our 6:30 meeting somehow find someone to do a hot speech and a person to evaluate that speaker.

When I arrived at 6:05, Lydia had completely re-arranged the room by herself. As she began putting out the podium and timing equipment, she filled me in on the new configuration that the room had been left in and would have to be restored to. Mary arrived at 6:10 with the newly configured agendas.

A few minutes after that Alia Paloma came in. Mary asked if she could do a hot speech. Alia said she had one left and agreed. Now Mary had one role to fill. Several guests had already arrived and were watching the fill-the-roles drama. A few minutes before the meeting started at 6:30 Shane Jackson came in and sat down at the one empty seat around the table. Mary asked Shane if he would evaluate Alia. He agreed and the roster was full. All of the fires had finally been put out.

The new lineup was great. All of the regularly scheduled people performed their roles well. Mary lead the meeting smoothly as fill-in toastmaster and pointed out how Lydia as reserve had filled that role well by being ready to step in. Alia gave an entertaining hot speech about her mother. Shane focused on Alia's creative use of an ice breaker during his hot seat evaluation.

Congratulations to everyone on presenting a seamless meeting showcasing our considerable talents to our appreciative guests.

  -Russell Pike, Club President