Page 6 - Voices.June.2016final

can inspire someone to say, “I can do that.”
In District 7 the three awards are a combination
of any three different educational awards, excluding
the High Performance Leadership Award.
In the past six months I have seen a ripple effect.
People wear their pins to meetings. They refer to
themselves as Triple Crown Achiever. People email
me to say they earned their Triple Crown Award or
they will be earning it soon. They want to know if
there will be a pin for them at TLI in June. People
love public recognition.
Did you know we have members in District 7 who
have earned over 30 Competent Communicator
Awards? That’s a lot of framed certifi-
cates to hang on a wall. Is there a world
record for the most CC Awards earned?
Will someone from our District set the
first world record? More likely they
believe there is no endpoint to what
they can learn. I’m guessing they want
to make sure members have the oppor-
tunity to improve their evaluation skills
by providing them a manual speech to
evaluate. Whatever the reason, there
are Toastmasters who continue to earn
awards.
I mentioned the Distinguished
Toastmaster Award, DTM for short, as
the granddaddy award of them all. It is the highest
honor bestowed upon a Toastmaster. When people
ask me what a DTM is I reply, “Its equivalent to
the Eagle Scout Award.” Most
people know it takes a lot to
be an Eagle Scout, and few
achieve the rank. My son is
an Eagle Scout. I have earned
two DTM awards. I feel it is a
fair comparison. Compared
to our numbers, few can call
themselves Distinguished
Toastmasters.
Why do some people
choose to go the extra mile
to earn these awards? Perhaps
it’s about their personal
legacy or the prestige. I’m
guessing there’s at least a little bit of both. The
major component is the journey. Along the way to
becoming a DTM you will stand before an audience
to deliver your message 50 times. You will share
6 Volume 2 Issue 12 - JUNE 2016
your knowledge, sharpen your speaking skills
and push yourself along the way. You will go
out of your comfort zone. There is no growth in
the comfort zone. Your leadership skills will be
tested, tried and refined. You will be a mentor,
coach and friend. It may take you 3 years or 20
years. You will serve as a role model. If you are
lucky other members will say, “I want to be just
like him/her when I grow up.”
I will never forget the day I walked across
the stage to receive my DTM medallion. I felt
like it was an Olympic Gold Medal being placed
around my neck by Rose Wellman. My son, the
Eagle Scout, was in the audience.
My home club was whooping and
hollering. I was hugged by dozens
of Distinguished Toastmasters
who had gone before me. They
welcomed me into their ranks.
The feeling is indescribable. This
fall I will earn my 3rd DTM award.
Why earn multiple DTM awards?
I think it can best be summed up
by Scott Stevenson, past District
7 Governor, as he accepted his 5th
DTM. “The road from CC/CL
to DTM is a wonderful learning
experience and well worth the
effort. Even though I have made this journey
several times, each time has been an adventure
in learning and has been a memorable experi-
ence! When I arrive at my destination (DTM),
I always look forward to starting the journey
again!”
Setting goals to earn awards will help you get
the most out of your Toastmasters experience.
July 1st is the first day of the new Toastmasters
year. What are your goals? What will you
achieve this year? What awards will you earn?
Leanna Lindquist is the current Program Quality
Director and 2016-17 District Director-Elect. She
is a member of 4 clubs Marylhurst, Feedbackers,
Daylighters, and Patriot Talkers. She is also serving
as a club officer and club coach.