Love is Neither BlackNor White, YellowNor BrownLove is AllLove does notDiscriminateSuch as hateLove isBoundlessTimelessSelflessMajesticPowerfulCourageousInfiniteLoveHeals woundsMends heartsForgivesGivesNourishesThe SoulLove isGod in ActionGod is LoveHe created usIn His ImageThen we areLoveAnd free toLoveThose whomHe has created!Love Is Love!Marlene M. Bryan1/14/14
“New Year, New You,” exclaimed Maria as we both walked through the parking lot to our cars. I had shared with her that we needed to come up with a theme for the Toastmasters Leadership Institute. Every six months, Toastmasters International mandates that at least four of the seven club officers in each club (over 14,000 clubs world wide) in the organization should receive leadership training. This training is called Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI). It is not an easy task to pull together a training session for the amount of people that required training. We wanted a theme that would attract folks to sign up for the event.
As the Division Governor of Division A, one of my duties is to ensure that the officers receive this training. Currently, there are over twenty clubs in the division and this equate to a minimum of eighty officers. I enlisted Maria’s assistant in coaching our newly appointed TLI chair, Carmen, with organizing the event. Maria had previously done this and I thought it would be great to have her share her knowledge with Carmen. It was a way to help Carmen develop her leadership skills while helping Maria develop her coaching skills. I am happy to say, “Mission accomplished. “
These two women collaborated with each other on the theme; they came up with great ideas for memorbilia for the attendees to purchase, special raffles, and much more. They visited the venue to ensure that the facility will accommodate all the workshops, the space for the sponsors and for the food. They enlisted the aide of many people to cover registration, hospitality, facilitators, etc. During the planning stages, they conducted conference calls with the major coordinators and kept me updated with their progress. When they needed my assistance, they pulled me in to help guide them when necessary.
I learned a lot during this process as well:
Learn to delegate and not take everything on myself
Assign the tasks to someone that you know has the potential to grow
Provide this person with a partner that can coach him/her through the assignments
Give him/her the power to be creative
Encourage him/her along the way
Recognize him/her for a job well done and allow him/her to shine
The event was a great success! We had over 200 attendees. The presenters, facilitators, club officers and guests gave rave reviews of the event. My mentor, Norman, who has been a Toastmasters for twenty-seven years, came up to me and said it was one of the best TLI he has ever attended. I was beaming like a proud mom for Carmen and Maria. As I read through the evaluations of the workshops and the event, I realized that the theme was perfect. Many of the respondents stated that the presenters, the keynote speaker and the event impacted them in a positive way. They learned new things and left with great ideas for themselves and their club members. What can you do to become a New You in the New Year?
She waved to me across the room as she timidly entered. Her winning smile was in place as she approached me. I called her name excitedly “Phyllis” as we hugged. Phyllis is one of six hundred members of the Toastmasters in Division A, the division I oversee as the Division Governor. Phyllis came to see me at the District 47 leadership meeting in order to give me money to pay for her registration for the upcoming District Fall Conference.
I was so happy to see her because I was impressed at her resolve to ensure that she attends the conference. You see, Phyllis does not drive; neither does she have Internet access at home. Whenever, there is event in the District, Phyllis finds and gives me the money for the event. Then I get online and get her registered. Phyllis determination to attend these events always impresses me.
I think about the people who have easy access to transportation and Internet service, yet make excuses why they cannot attend these events. Phyllis sees beyond her inconvenience and recognizes the value of learning new speaking techniques and leadership skills at these conferences. She is willing to invest in her growth despite her challenges. Phyllis’ steadfastness also reminds me that you get what you put into anything you do or relationship you are a part of. She is an inspiration to me to keep doing my best for every member of Division A.
One of the definitions of resolve is “firm determination to do something.” Phyllis shows that she is determine to succeed in any condition! Thank you Phyllis for teaching me to not let any obstacle keep me from reaching my destination or living my purpose!
Recently, Alicia Rodriguez, Director of Employer Relations at the University of Miami, invited me to be the keynote speaker at the university’s Diversity Networking Night event. The goal of the event was to engage a diverse group of students and alumni of various backgrounds with potential employers. My task was to provide them with tips for successful networking and job interviewing skills.I was honored to be the keynote speaker at this event. I love being able to share information with the students at my Alma Mater and to give back some of the wonderful folks at the University of Miami.
I worked with Maria Tomaino, Associate Director Events & Marketing within the Toppel Career Center, to ensure that the material I was sharing met the goals of the center. She was very professional and so energetic and I was impressed by her diligence in getting everything organized in order to produce a high quality experience for the participants. At the event, Maria was on hand to welcome me and provided me with the information and the equipment I needed to present to the attendees. She was such a great support to me.
The presentation went well. There were over 150 people in attendance. The students and alumni had fun performing the networking exercises as well as the demo job interview session. Many of them approached me after the event to thank me for giving them new ideas about successful networking and how to conduct themselves in a job interview. I was very impressed by the entire occasion, Maria and her team as well as the enthusiasm of the students/alums. I walked away feeling more blessed by them and their positive attitude for the future. Kudos to the Toppel Center team for hosting another wonderful career affair.
“Invest in the human soul. Who knows it may be a diamond in the rough.”
Mary McLeod Bethune
Using your skills to help others grow and increase their self-worth increases your value to them. They will know that you care about them and their success and your carat value will become larger in their mind. Increasing your diamond carat value means applying all your skills and knowledge in a purposeful way.
Enjoy “Shine Bright Like a Diamond” by Rihanna: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpKyPS1Qeqs]
Love is
Neither Black
Nor White, Yellow
Nor Brown
Love is All
Love does not
Discriminate
Such as hate
Love is
Boundless
Timeless
Selfless
Majestic
Powerful
Courageous
Infinite
Love
Heals wounds
Mends hearts
Forgives
Gives
Nourishes
The Soul
Love is
God in Action
God is Love
He created us
In His Image
Then we are
Love
And free to
Love
Those whom
He has created!
Love Is Love!
Marlene M. Bryan
1/14/14
