"Helping YOU Take Center Stage"!

“The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it”. Elaine Agather In August 2007, I attended my first Toastmasters International Convention in Phoenix Arizona as a “First Timer”. An amazing experience moving beyond my District 31, Region Vii and into the International Toastmasters world!! I met other District Leaders, International Directors, Toastmasters members, Professional Speakers, hearing moving speeches from W Mithchell and Barbara D’Angelis. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be". Ralph Waldo Emerson AND although there are MANY favorite meet and greets at the Convention – My especially “in Awe” moment was when I took photos with first leading lady – past International President, Helen Blanchard, DTM – who has an amazing story about how women were not allowed to be in Toastmasters until the 1970’s and Helen had to “pretend she was a male and went by the name...

SHARING MY TOASTMASTER’S STORY (Part III) By, Sherri Raftery, DTM “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do”. Eleanor Roosevelt POPPING THE QUESTION! It was January 2006 during a Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) Training of Toastmaster Club Officers and the 2005-2006 Lt. Governor of Marketing, Bo Bennett, DTM took me into another room and “POPPED THE QUESTION”! Not that question (!)…but a question that I was not thinking of even asking myself…Bo and I sat next to one another on a table and he said “Sherri what do you think about being nominated for the 2007-2008 Lt. Governor of Marketing”? I will always recall my response “Me…Bo…Do you think I (that is a Capital I) could do it…?” as I smiled (actually I couldn’t stop smiling!). Bo also plugged this “District Opportunities” leadership position with “...they’ll send you on trips to trainings and conferences…OK ...

SHARING MY TOASTMASTERS STORY – (Part II) By Sherri Raftery, DTM “TO LEAD IS TO SERVE” Dr. Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters District Opportunities Come Calling !! In April 2006, I received a phone call from the District 31 2006-2007 District Governor, Debra Cartier, DTM who asked me if I would be “interested in “Tapping Into Toastmasters” (which was her District theme) and serve as the A-2 Area Governor overseeing five Toastmasters Clubs on the North Shore of Boston”. The clubs included my ”HOME CLUB” - Rumney Marsh Club # 8431, Leading Speakers (Advanced) Club # 7275, North Shore Toastmasters Club # 3908, The Back Talk Club # 9906, and the Toastmasters Club of Beverly Club # 735541 – (which has redistricted to Area A-1 for the 2007-2008 year). Deb explained I would be making “Area Visits” to these clubs twice a year, as well as organizing the A-2 Humorous and International Speech Contests. Another plug was that I would be able to complete two advanced manuals from all the speaki...

SHARING MY TOASTMASTER’S STORY! (Part I) By, Sherri Raftery, DTM "Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." Earl Nightingale After three years of being a Toastmaster – joined February 2005, and after three District Governors with three different themes, I earned my Distinguished Toastmaster Award (DTM) which is the “highest recognition in both the Communication and Leadership Tracks”! How did I do it? First let me add that as the District 31 2007-2008 Lt. Governor of Marketing, one of my Monthly Membership Building Contests is “SHARE YOUR TOASTMASTERS STORY”. Members from District 31 - which covers eastern Massachusetts and the entire state of Rhode Island send me their own personal Toastmasters Stories about how Toastmasters has changed or enhanced their own lives. (Yes, I got this idea from the Toastmasters Mag...

DISTINGUISHED TOASTMASTER AWARD! “Distinguished Toastmaster is the Highest Recognition a Member May Receive” Toastmasters International http://www.toastmasters.org/ I am a Distinguished Toastmaster - DTM !! I knew it was coming because I submitted my Distinguished Toastmaster Award Application which is the final step on the journey to becoming a “Distinguished Toastmaster” DTM and it posted on the District Performance Website on February 14, 2008 (a nice celebration date - since I joined Toastmasters in three years ago February 2005!). My Supervisor at work, Hermelinda Murrell received the letter first from Toastmasters that states I am a "Distinguished Toastmaster". Then I received an email from Toastmasters International that a “package” will be mailed to me within 14 days. My initial thought was that it would be a "certificate" like the many other certificates I have I received for all my other educational and leadership awards from Toastmasters International....

I GOT THE LEAD PART! "I love singing, and I came to absolutely adore it in the later part of my career". Julie Andrews In January 2007 I posted that I was in a musical production " From Broadway to Hollywood" with my Daughter Sabrina and that we would be performing it again to help with a fundraiser on March 7, 2008 which is FRIDAY! The woman who was the lead in two of the songs decided not to be in this fundraiser show! SSOOOO I got the lead part in the opening – we open the show with “Lullaby of Broadway” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qITsRZ2vrWs and I am the lead in our closing song “Applause”!! http://video.aol.com/video-detail/applause-broadway-song-applause/1569599265 I was soooo surprised last night during rehearsal that the Director, Leo Nicole and Musical Director Nancy Lemoine agreed that I am the lead for those two numbers! I am SO overjoyed! And the best part was when I was done performing Sabrina came over to me back stage and gave me a gentle hug a...

“We are a group of people brought together to do things we could not do alone.” 2006-2007 Toastmasters International President, Johnny Uy, DTM ===== Last night Mary and I presented at Gibbs College on Newbury Street in Boston, MA. I thought we both ROCKED!! We were asked by the Instructor, Cheryl Dorsey to help the students with their Oral/Interpersonal Communications Course - with their "GROUP PRESENTATIONS" helping them with ways feel comfortable as a "group" and speaking in front of the class. Mary and I did research and we offered many constructive tips and tricks. We started off with an ICE BREAKER - we had them write their name, major and a hobby/achievement/sport on an index cards, had them pair off and the go to the front of the room and read the other persons card. We had them take their personality tests because this will come in handy when they work in groups - especially with stregnths and weaknesses. http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp ...