A Few Words on The New Designations in
Toastmasters International Education Program

There are two distinctly different but complementary tracks in Toastmasters progression, the Leadership Track and the Communication Track, and both have recently been renamed. Each track starts with a basic manual outlining a set of ten projects. At the end of the basic manual, you receive an official designation that you may use, and you may elect to have a letter sent to your employer regarding your newly acheived designation! The CMT is now known as the 'CC' or Competent Communicator designation and the leadership track gives you a 'CL' or Compentent Leader designation upon completion.

Once you have finished the basic manual, you can continue to improve your communication and leadership skills by working through the advanced manuals. Each advanced step along the way gives you a different designation and a different set of skills. All the building blocks work towards the coveted Distinguished Toastmaster Designation.

The Toastmasters we spoke to, however, are more concerned with what they learn from a set of manuals, practice and of course, the invaluable feedback of fellow Toastmasters. Members appreciate the learning and development that comes from the usual 25 personalized, written evaluations of each of their presentations, as well as the verbal evaluation that is delivered immediately, during the meeting.

"I've become a more confident communicator, relying less on those verbal crutches that so clutter our conversations. I've also been able to talk to co-workers in a more constructive, less judgmental fashion; more direct communications with others;

"Benefits in my TM designation? When I think of that question I think that if I put a CTM behind my name I would receive some recognition by the rest of the world. I haven't found that. For me it has been a journey of personal growth and learning. I have also made good friends and enjoy the supportive nature of the TM environment."

the evaluator today said i had too many facts and not enough emotion. he asked me beforehand if i had any personal stories in there and his evaluation then focused on THAT. i thought asking the audience to raise their hands if they were persuaded was a gr8 way to check the project objectives. he thought not everyone put up their hand, but i didn't notice WHO held out!

Q. how anti-kl-actual nature can a work get???

- one person said i was doing that question thing at the end of some of my statements. someone else suggested i wasn't dressed appropriately. someone else would have liked to hear more about the sources. someone called me kimmy-pot-pie, and said she was definitely on my super-hero sign up sheet by the end. someone else said less BUSH/USA and more Canadian content would have ensured that the audience didn't distance themselves from the problem. someone else said i need more eye contact and more vocal variety. the self-admitted right wing said she was convinced "you have come up with articulate, intelligent and workable solutions to our global issues"
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Just wanted to e-add a brief rebuttal to one of your evalutaor's comments, tho this might not be TM etiquette. I thought you *did *give a personal example to illustrate your point when you said you'd actually changed topics bc of what LM had said and the urgency of the message. Anyway, as usual it was an excellent presentation. Congratulations and Thank you!

of COURSE i am going to make the listening skills suggestion. how ELSE will he improve as a speaker if the evaluator doesn't provide honest feedback?!

(luckily, we can do it by phone and i don't have to drive in)

Project #9 Go Vegan = A New Call for Climate Change?

I have always been considered an outspoken feminist. In my family, and in many of the “old boys clubs” that I have experienced professionally. My little sister teaches the Introduction to Women’s Issues at the University of Chicago while putting the finishing touches on her phd from one of the finest Philosophy Departments in North America -- and I think it would be fair to say that I was her first mentor as a feminist!

Fellow Toastmasters,

Recently I listened to Xiao’s radio show on CFRU on environmental issues. He interviewed the first woman in the House of Commons, Lynn MacDonald and the discussion was clear and intelligent and full of impact. One of the points she made has really stuck with me. She said climate change is a MORAL issue. And, she positions environmental issues as social justice issues. And, she really got my attention when she said that concentrating on women’s rights right now is essentially ridiculous because it needs to take a back seat to ENVIRONMENTAL matters, because otherwise we are simply fighting for equality in mortality rates.

I heard on the CBC Tuesday morning that in the last 30 years we have destroyed 30% of earth’s biodiversity. And that by the year 2050 we will need two of our planet’s worth of natural resources in order for our species to continue to survive. Does anyone have an extra earth for us?

While life expectancy and standards of living have increased for many earthlings, the pressures of our ever increasing populations on FINITE natural resources create a huge problem for us.

Just consider that no more renewable fresh water is available today than existed at the dawn of human civilization. Global demand for water has tripled since the 1950s, while the supply of fresh drinking water has been reduced by consumption, waste and contamination. Half a billion people live in water-stressed or water-scarce countries, and by 2025 that number will grow to three billion.

The world population has doubled in the last forty years. And, we continue to increase those numbers at ever increasing speed! The world population is currently about 6.5 billion and growing by another 76 million people per year. According to the UN the planet will add another 2.6 billion people by 2050. Every 11 seconds another person is added to the US population, and thus shows a population growth rate comparable to that of China. I read that "Leaders must come up with intelligent, creative, inventive measures to discourage births." meanwhile what Bush has actually done is put a person AGAINST birth control in charge of the American Food and Drug Administration.

Worse still is the fact that The US has 5% of the world's population but accounts for nearly a quarter of global emissions. What polluters!

Who has seen the Al Gore thing, An Inconvenient Truth??
While his opponent in the election has been battling to secure more oil for corporate profit and the conveniences of consumers, Gore has been touring with a multi-media lecture warning of the perils of global warming. Our society acts like oil and gas are infinite or renewable but it is in fact a one time gift of nature that we extract. Furthermore, the burning of said fossil fuels causes global warming – melting the polar ice cap and changing the effect of the sun on the earth’s surface. I learned from a Toastmaster’s presentation in Kitchener that Canada committed to reduce our emission levels by 6% (at the Kyoto planet saving agreement meeting) and we have actually increased by 20% and while we continue to INCREASE needs. And apparently the US won't even SIGN the Kyoto agreement?

In the last 50 years, cropland has been signifcantly reduced, and as many as 400 million people are at risk of starvation because of crop failure. Meanwhile,Britain will face flooding through increased rainfall and parts of the coastline could be washed away by rising seas.

This is the impact of short sighted corporate greed. These are just some of the incredibly unhealthy global consequences. THE HUMAN RACE IS GOING DOWN FAST.

Where is our Superhero to remedy our world destruction???

YOU MUST BECOME A SUPERHERO!!!

Do you believe me that saving the environment is a top priority?

Superheros, sustainability is the practice of conservation that allows people enough resources through their life and the lives of future generations.

Sustainability is possible by conserving energy, materials, resources, by innovating new technologies, and by ensuring that the number of births is low enough so that there is enough to go around.

I have some sustainability to suggestions:

1) I think it is smart to eat less meat. I have seen the pie charts that show how much more economically effective it is for humans to eat grains and vegetables directly, rather than growing them to feed to animals we then slaughter for meat.. The average American consumes 20 times as much in natural resources as the average African. And I read research that showed currently, a total of 3,265 pounds of agricultural products are produced annually to feed each American, while China's food supply averages only 1,029 pounds/capita/year.

2) Take up the challenge to reduce and clean up your own energy use. Make spiritual choices to reduce, reuse, recycle. Look for clean, renewable energy sources! Personally I want to drive a hybrid, and live closer to where I work

3) Lynn MacDonald suggested we rethink our values and ensure we use our vote, for the environment. She stressed in that radio show that we must Intervene For Good, and insist that politicians are held accountable and that corporations are also forced to act responsibly towards FUTURE populations as well as those that don’t have a voice. Remember how once slavery was acceptable? It was economically disadvantegeous to stop the practice, but to continue in that way was WRONG! Now we need to take up the social justice issue of fighting for the environment. For ourselves, and for the future of our species.

I hope I have persuaded you to take some constructive actions in this regard, starting today.

sources:
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/10/12/meat/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_vegetarianism
http://www.alternet.org/story/12162/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/famine/story/0,12128,865087,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/famine/story/0,12128,865087,00.html
http://www.vegsource.com/articles/pimentel_resources.htm
http://www.overpopulation.org/impact.html

involve audience! the value of such workshops is ALSO in the opinions and ideas of participants who can share knowledge and experience and perspective, but in this workshop audience involvement was not pre-incorporated into the schedule, and not listened to. develop your LISTENING skills! also, it is hard to absorb info for long periods without interaction of some sort. too much of an info dump, not enough facilitation for learning.

let's make a deal
says the sharp suited guy who seems pleased to have me evaluate him at an impending business skills workshop/career transition training recruiter presentation:
"you do a speech at my club and i'll do one at yours."

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the table topics evaluator was very succinct in providing me feedback "very humourous" she said. i meant to use the word of the day "paucity" but forgot.
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this club "welcomes members from within and outside Clarica/Sun Life organization" and keeps folders for members in a file drawer, and tracks role participation with draws for prizes, and gives out extra certificates and awards. the district something or other was there asking for judges at the humour contest. their name cards show their project progression and past/completed meeting and club roles. they give new guests an incredibly well branded portfolio of materials. i thanked them on a personal note for providing information on the new designations that i have been unable obtain in my own club, even though i have been asked to do a write up about the changes for the newsletter.

Yes, you can do outside speeches. You can do up to two speeches per level outside the club. You would need to arrange for a Toastmaster evaluator to listen to the speech, complete the evaluation and give you oral feedback.

I congratulate you on seeking out an outside audience.

I'm confident that you will learn a lot from the experience.