Tri-Parish Toastmasters Club Gray, Louisiana

6/17/20

 

Serendipity is what I would call it.  Steve and I were slated to visit a club in Arkansas today but a last-minute email told Steve that their meeting was cancelled due to “a series of unforeseeable events.”  With great herculean swiftness, Steve contacted the president of Tri-Parish in Louisiana and asked if we could join his club that would be starting in less than an hour.  President, Eddie contacted us almost immediately expressing deep gratitude that we would be joining his club.  He asked if we would be willing to fill roles because, as it turned, out a few members would be out that meeting and they were very shorthanded.

 

Tri Parish has six members and poor Eddie carried the bulk of the roles. He served as Toastmaster of the Day, Timer, Table Topics Master and General Evaluator.  There were three members who gave their ice breakers (turns out all three are co-workers of Eddie’s) and then Maria, Steve and I served as evaluators for those three icebreakers.  You would not think a meeting with only seven  in attendance would run smoothly but in this case you would be wrong.  It was a very successful meeting.  Eddie ran the meeting “as if they had 20 members” and that made all the difference.  The meeting was fun and energetic.  I enjoyed that meeting better than I do some meetings that have many more people in attendance.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see how his Table Topics session was conducted.  In our club we use the HARDR method in answering table topic questions.  The respondent can answer (H)umorously; (A)void the question and talk about something else; (R) edirect question to someone else to answer; (D)irectly answer the question(which most all do); and (R)everse and ask the Table Topics <aster to answer the question.  In my travels of 30+ states so far, my club is the only I have seen do this.  In all the other clubs we've attended, everyone answers the question directly.  No other options given.  Except…now Tri-Parish.  As the new member, Samantha, was struggling to come up with an impromptu answer Eddie told her she could deflect the question and talk about something else or pass on the question.  This is a variation of what we do at our club.  I felt a kinship between clubs.

 

Eddie expressed gratitude over and over towards us for stepping in and saving their meeting by our willingness to serve a needed role.  He even sent a thank-you email after the meeting was over.  When we first arrived at the meeting, he asked if we were there because we had to give so many speeches by the end of June  like so many Toastmasters at this time are doing.  He said he could squeeze us in to speak if we were.  However, when we said no, we were just there to visit but can help in any way needed, a sigh of relief came out of his mouth.  That made me think of so many Toastmasters traveling to other clubs just to give speeches, just to help themselves “over the finish line,” to get a number of speeches completed but giving no thought to the club they are visiting and what they need.  Maybe we need to be more mindful of that.  Eddie made us feel like superheroes and his gratitude was palpable.

 

I encourage anyone looking for a club to visit or join to consider Tri Parish Toastmasters.  Such an upbeat welcoming club.  I hope people find this gem of a club and their numbers increase.  They have a lot to offer members and members can help this club as they grow.