Toastmasters – Local “Outliers” Chapter Invites Guests and New Members The Rule of Rules

Rules give direction to our lives and keep chaos in check. Some rules are more useful by building skills that support us for a lifetime. Communications is one of those skill areas. Learning the rules of effective speaking builds our creativity, delivery, and the connections between us.
In my career I learned the rules necessary to work for large corporations like AT&T, Hughes Aircraft, Computer Sciences Corporation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 20th Century Fox Studios. I added the rules of the systems that I managed for them, and my success was recognized and rewarded.
Alternatively, my husband was a surfer as a teenager, and a rebel. However, even he accepted the need for some rules, like not hopping on a wave that another surfer was already riding. He went on to learn the rules of various Trades: swimming pool servicing, roofing, machining, woodworking, commercial fishing. He found his true calling when he learned the rules of the shotgun shooting sports Skeet and Trap and became a licensed gunsmith. He learned the rules so well that he instructed and coached others. His communication skills peaked when he took teams of American shooters to competitions in the U.S., France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and England.
It was when he began to perform in exhibition that he stretched the rules of the game. He shot the clay targets with the shotgun at the hip, then with the gun held behind his back, over his head, even upside down. He wrote articles and ultimately hosted a cable show called “Starshot”. His main rules became: assess what was necessary for safety, define the possible, envision the impossible. With success he added to the list: be bold, surpass the conventional, add flair and showmanship. The audience rewarded him with applause, and he was featured twice on the TV show “That’s Incredible”.
Toastmasters invites you to learn and grow your communication skills. Our local chapter is called the Outliers and our meeting agenda offers you the training, friendly support, and practice to build your speaking skills. Speech assignments are 5 to 7 minutes on a topic of your choice. We meet 6:30pm to 8:00pm via Zoom on the 2nd, 4thand 5th (when there is one) Thursdays of each month. Mentoring is available. To attend as our guest call or e-mail our VP of Education Tom Iland on 661-313-3323 or tom@thomasiland.com. Find us at www.toastmasters.org, on Instagram at theoutlierstoastmasters_club, and on Meetup at https://www.meetup.com/Santa-Clarita-Outliers-Toastmasters-Club. Let’s talk!