We had a club Toastmasters Board Meeting this morning. (Brief update: my term as Area 64 Governor has peacefully come to an end. Wanting to stay in the leadership loop of my club AND keep more time open for Project Simplify growth, I volunteered for the Treasurer position–easiest officer position available in my opinion.)

One of the issues that came up was the subject of announcements, which one board member felt was getting out of hand. “This is Toastmasters! Why are people making announcements about their yard sales and movies about Cuba?”

We tossed around some possibilities–one person suggested this, another person suggested that, some ideas were Totalitarian, some not–we were brainstorming! It was like the creative juices just started flowing at that early morning hour! Finally, one of the other board members asked, “Are these solutions appropriate for the situation?”

Brake! The entire discussion fell back to earth and rushed back to perspective. I found it funny how quickly we picked up the ball and RAN, and how quickly we went into solve-problem-in-any-manner-possible.

I so appreciate this wonderful group of people. One woman said, “Whoa, there!” and the others immediately switched gears. A simple solution popped right up, and we moved on.

Solution: it’s really less than a handful of people who are using “announcements” as an opportunity to share just about any subject. Talk with them individually, ask them to be monitor themselves (and then use the gavel if that doesn’t work–just kidding!!).