Finding Your Voice : Leadership, Confidence & Communication

speaker-0: All right, everyone, we are back again for another episode of Dine and Dish. And today's show, I'm bringing it back to old school. ⁓ I have such an amazing guest coming on. I know I say this every week, but I just love my people.

And the show that we have today is all about communication and public speaking and leadership and empowerment and everything that I stand for. And I'm gonna just jump right into the show this week because my guest and I have known each other ⁓ my god, I think thirty years, maybe twenty nine years, and our kids were best friends and now our kids are adults and they're doing their thing. And with further ado, my friend Gus, are you here with me today? speaker-1: Yes, I am.

How are you, Michelle? speaker-0: Hi, guys. It's been so long, and I'm so glad we're doing this. And for everybody listening, I have to tell you, you know, we've known each other for so long in the dance world.

And it's so interesting because we're going to talk today about leadership and confidence and growth and communication. And our kids learned all that through dance. And I say it all the time that. Dance is such a great platform because it teaches young kids and young girls and boys to get up on stage and do their thing and feel good about themselves and perform and be confident and grow.

And now we're gonna talk about it on a leadership level for adults and young adults to really get up there and do their thing. And you know, who best to talk about this but Gus. She holds such a an important role. She just got a big promotion.

So I'm gonna let her Tell you about it and talk all about Toastmaster. So, Gus, welcome to Dine and Dish and so good to see you. I want to give you a big virtual hug. speaker-1: Mm.

Good to be here. speaker-0: Yeah. Why don't you open up and tell everybody about you and who you are and what you're doing and then we can get into our show and talk about empowerment and and public speaking. speaker-1: So wonderful.

Well, hello everyone. My name is Augusta Ennis. And as Michelle shared, we've known each other forever. speaker-0: We're not giving away our age, guys.

We've known each other. No. Not that long. speaker-1: That we will not do today.

So I am a Toastmaster. I am with District 36, which is located in the DMV area, the DC, Virginia, Maryland area. We have over 140 clubs in my district. And my role with District 36 is the program quality director.

And you might ask, what is that? What is that? speaker-0: Right, right. speaker-1: So, as the program quality director, my job is to make sure that our members are gaining great experience at the club levels.

They're being educated. They're participating in contests. I am training those officers that oversee their clubs. I'm also training those division directors or area directors that are boots on the ground to ensure that the members are receiving great experience as well as the clubs thriving.

So that is my job with Toastmasters International. speaker-0: Wow. Well, you know, you hold such an important role, but something big just happened this weekend. ⁓ so why don't you let everybody know you got a new promotion?

I sure this week speaker-1: Did weekend I became the inaugural district director for District 220? What does that mean? Well, glad you asked. District 220.

District 220 is a new district that's formed within again the district Virginia, Maryland area. It took District 27 as well as my district. 36 and brought them together to form one district. Now many years ago, many years ago, district twenty-seven spun off of thirty-six.

So what Toastmasters International has done in this year is to bring districts that have under 100 clubs and merge them with those that are above a hundred. My district thirty-six is above a hundred, twenty-seven is under. 100 at a time. So this is to streamline the process a little bit more, get a little bit more range within the area, and provide additional support where some certain areas we weren't able to reach.

So this is a good thing for both districts coming together. And we're super excited. We're really super excited because we're uniting, we're becoming one district, one team, and one goal in mind, and that is success. For all our members.

speaker-0: That's amazing. So for those listening that are not familiar with Toastmasters, ⁓ why don't you talk about what it is and why why it matters and and what you're doing for the members. speaker-1: Absolutely. So Toastmasters International is a global nonprofit organization that helps people become more confident in speaking and become better leaders.

So what it what it does is it's a special hands on type environment where you learn by doing. You have to actually do. So it's a supportive environment and it matters because communication impacts everyone, all of our lives. So when When you are a Toastmaster, it's an opportunity where you can find your voice.

Yes. So you don't just become a better speaker. ⁓ you become more effective leader as well as professional, a contributor to any form of communication or in various communities. So that's what Toastmasters has done for us.

And one thing else I need to add, Toastmasters has been around for over a hundred years. One hundred years. Yes. And Ralph Smedley was the gentleman that founded Postmasters International in California years ago.

To help those that are shy and need to step up in leadership and just become a little bit more confident communicators. speaker-0: Wow. So what an amazing platform for ⁓ everybody. So talk to me about how do you how did you get involved?

What drew you here? How did you get started? I didn't even know you did this. I mean, I've known you for so long.

And when you reached out to me, I said, Wow, I didn't I had no idea you had this type of role. So what drew you to being such a big personality with Toastmasters and how did you get involved here? Okay. speaker-1: This is going to probably surprise you, Michelle, because of the length of our relationship.

And when I tell you this story, you're going to go wow. speaker-0: Okay. speaker-1: Jolyn, you know our friend Jolan. Yes.

So Jolan had cataract surgery about ten years ago, because that's how long I've been a Toastmasters now. She had cataract surgery. And she always talked about this club that she belonged to in Laurel. And due to the surgery, she could not drive.

So she says, Gus, can you take me to my meeting? Of course. I'm your friend. I will take you.

speaker-0: ⁓ Of course. speaker-1: Took her to the meeting twice, sat in my car. Her club president comes and knocks on my door in a second time and said, Young lady, you've been coming out here with Joanne and you're sitting out here in your vehicle. And I said to her, I'm dropping her off and I'm taking advantage of no kids, no work, no phone call.

speaker-0: Okay. It's quiet time. speaker-1: So I'm taking advantage of that. So she said, Get out your car and get in this building.

So I got out of the car, went inside, and I was amazed, Michelle. I got hooked. And what I saw in that room were individuals that gave prepared speeches. They responded to impromptu messages.

So took various So I fell in love and I stayed and I've been there since, thanks to Joeln. speaker-0: Wow, I had no idea. And Jo Lynde was involved here or she just a member going to the was she also involved in leadership? speaker-1: ⁓ yes.

⁓ yes. Yes. She took on various roles from vice president of public relations to vice president of membership. Yes, she was a big deal.

speaker-0: What had ⁓ had no idea. But I I have to tell you, I actually ran into her daughter. So, you know, here we go back into the dance world. I'm gonna dive for a minute.

So I'm at a dance competition and you know her granddaughter dances now. So, you know, of course, her daughter, who danced with our daughters, is there at the dance competition. So she comes in, she runs up, she's like, ⁓ Michelle, she gives me this big hug. I'm like, ⁓ what are you doing here?

And she's like The baby's dancing. I'm like, what do you mean the baby? Okay, her baby is the same age as my baby. So she's like, Well, you know, I'm the youngest one in the room.

And I was like, Well, I'm the oldest one in the room. So we have something in coming. And so we were laughing. It was so good catching up and seeing everybody.

And I saw Jen Lynn and I was like, Well, what a small world. You know, it's like coming full circle again, you know, with all the kids and going back through all the dance world and dance competitions. I'm sure you probably don't miss it, but I'm doing it again. speaker-1: Enjoy.

⁓ speaker-0: I know, I know. So let's jump in and talk about some of the pillars of Toastmasters, because I mean, you know, obviously they're the four C's, but let's talk just about the power of communication and and leadership skills and building confidence. And, you know, I obviously am gonna be presenting and and doing one of your sessions in May. And I I have to tell you I've been working on my presentation and my speech and very carefully putting together what I want to put out there and what I want to educate and what how I want to inspire and motivate.

But let's talk about what Toastmasters stands for and touch on the four pillars and you know why it's so important for public speaking. Because I mean, you know, public speaking scares the heck out of everybody. It's like the one greatest fear, right? That everybody has.

It's like, ⁓ my God, I got to get in front of the room. So talk to me about the power of communication and what you bring to the table with that skill and and education. speaker-1: Absolutely. So the four pillars of Toastmasters is integrity.

It's also respect, service, and excellence. Okay. So those four pillars are the core values that define what Toastmasters experience is about. So these pillars shape how members grow and how the clubs operate.

So for example, integrity. I think it speaks for itself. So integrity is the foundation, right? Of any relationship to start with.

But you have to have a level of integrity in order to function with others, be in the same space with others, lead others, as well as follow. So that's that was the first one that Toastmasters put together. And it comes with a level of respect. If we cannot respect each other, why are we trying to work together?

You should be able to respect me giving your feedback. I should be able to receive feedback as well. Now, sometimes my feedback may not be great or receptive to you, but it's coming from the heart and I'm doing it with integrity because I'm trying to help you grow. And likewise.

Okay. So that's the first pillar, integrity. Respect is the second one. And that creates A safe place.

It's supposed to help create a safe place for every member, every participant. It's supportive, is a place where I can come in. If I mess up, it's okay. So there should be me.

And they're listening to me and they're valuing what I am putting in as a member of the club or a leader of the club. So there's risks that you take. But at the end of the day, we want to grow without judgment. So that's where the respect portion of one of those four pillars come in place.

Then service, my favorite part. I am a servant person by heart. You know, Toastmasters, as we know, is a volunteer-led organization. So everyone that's a member of a Toastmaster, or even in the leadership role at my level, we're volunteers.

So this is service. This is service. This is where we grow. This is where we learn a little bit more of what it takes to function in our roles.

Whether we're running a meeting, whether we're mentoring someone or leading district, this is our level of service to Toastmasters International. So this is how we contribute. We succeed and grow through service. Then the fourth one's excellence.

We must serve in excellence. We must learn in excellence. So that's about continuous improvement. I want to better myself.

I want to do things in excellence. I want to challenge myself. I want to strive and to get better. In order to do that, there has to be excellence.

And that has to be understood. It's not perfection, but it's an attempt, it's a progress and growth in the midst of that. So So the nutshell, those four pillars, integrity builds trust, would you say? Respect creates safety, service develops leaders, and excellence drives growth.

So all of that together, all those four pillars together, they create an environment where people can truly find and strengthen their voices. It's a safe place. speaker-0: Well, well. So obviously you've been doing this.

You saw when you started with Joanne over 10 years ago. What changes have you seen? There's been probably so many changes in the program from growth and in growth of membership, growth of training, growth of speakers and present presenters. So talk to me a little bit about what changes you've seen in the program and what changes you've seen in people going through the program.

Because I'm sure you've seen examples of ⁓ you know. people coming in and being so ser scared to speak and building confidence. And then now they're out there speaking for Toastmasters and getting up on stage and presenting. So let's talk through what changes you've seen over the years with the program.

speaker-1: Absolutely. Absolutely. I believe the first major change I saw was during COVID. We went from in-person meetings where we're looking at each other, standing in front of each other, to the wonderful Brady Bunch view of Zoom, whatever, Teams, you name it.

speaker-0: It's on Zoom. speaker-1: It's on zoo. And guess what? That was a great experience either way because we're saving time.

We could actually be driving right now. So COVID was really a good thing in a sense from this perspective. But that's a change. That was one of the major changes that I noticed.

But in terms of members, I have seen members come to Toastmasters. Fear. You know, they're scared. You know, most of them come down with fear.

But fear of judgment, fear of making mistakes, things like that, you know, or fear of not being good enough. None of us are perfect. And again, I said it earlier, Toastmasters is a safe place, especially within your club level. Each club has their own club.

So over time, I've seen people come, I've seen people go, I've seen government clubs as of recent, ⁓ you know, the with the Doge situation, we've lost a lot of clubs during this time because we have clubs, government clubs that meet during noon time, whereas their agencies cover their membership fees. So because of Doge. Many members were lost, clubs were closed because they were informed that they were no longer able to hold meetings during their lunchtime. So those clubs that are still thriving that were formerly government clubs have changed from government to community clubs, which is a wonderful thing.

So instead of having meetings at lunchtime, they're having meetings the evenings, five, six, seven, you name it, via Zoom or A library that's willing to take a chance with them. So that's another change. But I've also seen very afraid, that's what I call very afraid members come in and give their icebreaker. And maybe we could talk about icebreaker later, but they came in and give their icebreaker introduction of themselves, which is like a four to six minute speech, come in and are now able to give speeches that are 12 minutes, 20 minutes.

With comfort, with no fear. It's so natural now. And that started from that small introduction of who you are in a good number of projects that Toastmasters allows us to work with and present at the end of those projects to where they are at the comfort level. So fear w initially could also be lack of exposure, but through this format and practice The sky's the limit.

speaker-0: Mm-hmm. That's the truth. That's the truth. So you brought up COVID.

Every show that I've done for the last year, I've been doing this show a year now. Can't even believe it's been a year. And every week we do an episode and I've talked so many different topics. And COVID always comes up.

COVID has just changed everybody's role, everybody's business. Some for the good, some for the worst. But you know what? It's changed how we do business.

It changes how we think. ⁓ I do agree. Zoom has made so many more people comfortable with communication, speaking. ⁓ it's made it easier for people to network and reach out, ⁓ be more connected.

⁓ you know, for the restaurant business, it wasn't so good, but for leadership roles, it's good. So we're gonna talk more about COVID and AI as we get further into the show, but you brought up icebreaker. So Why we're on that topic and before we jump into memberships and member experience, so you talked about icebreakers. And this is a great time to jump right into that and talk about, you know, what they are, why we use them, and the best practice to to execute them, to make, you know, a a proper leadership role and a and just an opening for a speech.

So why don't we jump in there and talk about that? speaker-1: Absolutely. An icebreaker speech is an introduction of yourself to the club. You want your new club, your new family to get to know you.

And chances are you are nervous and shy, palms sweating. So this is the reason why we start off with the icebreaker because it's short. And who knows best about you than you, right? So with that, you still have to follow the project as designed by Toastmasters International.

And that is by ordering your speech. You know, do you have the introduction, the body, and the conclusion? Yes. So in the icebreaker, you're going to give us a few things about you that we don't know.

And at the end, you're evaluating and giving certain feedback, certain amount of feedback as to how you could better that speech the next time you present any moving forward. So Icebreaker is your first speech. You are assigned a mentor that's going to guide you through your projects at least the first one or two levels. And there's so much to share share here because there are levels also of those various speeches.

But Icebreaker is an introduction of yourself so that your fellow club members can get to know you, getting your feet wet. It's literally throw you out there. Go say something about yourself. Yeah.

speaker-0: So guys, let's jump. I mean, obviously an icebreaker. I say this all the time. We were in, we were just in LA.

I was out for I was on the the Mario show on the mic with Mario. And ⁓ I was speaking with another presentation, you know, somebody that was ⁓ presenting. And she was so nervous and she kept saying, you know, how do you do this? How are you so confident?

You get up and you're not nervous, your palms aren't sweating. And I said, you know what? The you're talking about yourself. You can't screw up, you know.

There's it's not like you have to memorize a topic. You know, you're there to talk about yourself and inspire people because you're doing amazing things. So if you're doing amazing things and you're talking about topics that you're so passionate about and you love, it should come easy. You know, so you can't get nervous about yourself.

So just get up there and and tell people what you do and who you are and inspire them to wanna to follow with you, you know. So, you know, an ice creaker is so important because it not only introduces and opens up your speech and the show, but it just engages and gets people to engage and connect with you and and get them excited about what comes next, right? speaker-1: That's that's actually true. That's absolutely true.

speaker-0: So let's talk about your last role before you move into your big district leadership role. ⁓ you know, the program quality director role is so important because your job is all about experience. And I want to tie it a little bit into hospitality for a minute because that's my role. You know, the hostess with the most us.

You know, my role is when somebody comes into a restaurant, you're there to make sure they have the best experience, you know, whether it's dining, whether it's Communication, whether it's just a wow experience, they're getting engaged, they're having an anniversary, and they're there to share with you. And and that was kind of your role as the program quality director, to to make sure the members' experience was great. Training, education, engagement, all these great words. So talk to me about that and how you made sure that happened and how you kept the quality of the program and the integrity of Toastmaster's mission.

And ⁓ and what they stand for alive. speaker-1: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So as the program quality director, as I stated earlier, is to ensure a good member experience.

We want everyone that walks through every club's door to have a great experience. Now, as you know, just like restaurant, if that member does not get a good experience, are we gonna see that person again? No. Probably not.

And and that's the same for the restaurant. They will not be coming back if they did not have a good experience. I have to ensure that clubs are delivering excellent value meetings to their members, as well as well run meetings, strong evaluations, because when you give a speech you have to get an evaluation. That's what good feedback is about.

And speaker-0: Yeah. ⁓ no, are you gonna evaluate me too? speaker-1: Okay. So we have to have to have engaging speakers, which I know you are.

That's why I was like, ⁓ let's get Michelle. She is engaging. She is animated. This is going to be I am so excited.

Okay. I know I'm jumping ahead, but I'm excited about you coming to our conference. So excited about that. But speaker-0: I know.

I've I've actually had people actually say to me, I can't believe you're speaking and can I come watch? And I'm like, I think you can. I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna have Dust on the show and I'm gonna ask her at the end how we could get, you know, ⁓ you can r enroll, you can get stu whether whether you wanna sign up totally for the program or you just wanna attend this one conference.

So at the end we'll talk about that. But I've actually had a few people. Sure, no problem. Wow, you're gonna do this?

This is exciting. speaker-1: Yes, no problem. Yeah, but you know, again, in my role, I just don't want the member to just complete a speech, right? At the end of the day, we want to make sure that the what they did was effective and they know how effective it was.

If it wasn't so effective, we're going to help them by giving them feedback on how to make it more effective next time. You mentioned the hospitality environment and I kind of initi initiated said a few things about that earlier. It's important. This communication involved.

How you approach me when I enter your restaurant and sit down, we're we're communicating from the time I come through that door. When you open up that menu, offer me what's what you have on men on on the menu for the day, we're communicating, but your delivery is important. So whether you're working in the Fortune 500, somebody's office or at a restaurant, even at the gym. Communication is very important to the members, to the guests.

So the way you deliver, the way you approach those individuals is going to make a lasting impact on them for their experience and towards your personal growth. Because if you're not growing, if you're not learning from the experience that's around you based on those that you're interacting with, if you're not growing, then why are you doing this? So it's important. So we We do this so that we can grow, we become better leaders, better communicators.

When people say public speaking, I think some people take that loosely. We're all public speakers. We speak to folks all the time. Folks we know, folks that we do not know.

So when members leave each meeting feeling that, wow, that was great, they feel valued. And that's what we want from my office as program quality director. We want each person to feel valued. And I'm sure from the restaurant perspective, you want your guests to feel the same so that they will return.

speaker-0: Yeah, for sure, for sure. So now you're stepping into a whole nother leadership position. And we talked just a few moments in the beginning about the district director level and strategic leadership and what your vision for your new district is in order to execute leadership at a whole new scale. So what I want you to talk about now is what challenges are gonna come at your level.

Cause I mean, everybody needs to have some kind of tie back. you know, to what challenges there are at every level, right? So, you know, you have every level you're at, whether it's speaking, leadership, program director, there's always going to be some kind of challenge you have to overcome. And it's showing up and it's embracing that challenge and learning from it to move to the next level.

So talk to me now about what that challenge is going to be at your new level and your new position that you're going to well. speaker-1: Thanks for that question, Michelle. The challenges, yes, they will come. But from going from program quality director, where I was my responsibility was to make sure that the members are receiving great experience from personal to club.

My main responsibility as the district director is to manage the district. I have to manage the district. I am managing my trio. There's trio members.

There's the Director as well as the club growth. So I have to manage those individuals and beyond. I have division directors, area directors, club officers, area and on down. So I have to manage, I have to make sure that the district is meeting its goal.

Similar to work, when you put the business plan together, when we start, we have a marketing plan, we have a club success plan, a district success plan. So my team and will have to put together a district success plan. What's going to make us successful? What would we deem is successful?

Such as all club officers trained, such as my area directors are visiting the clubs to make sure the clubs are doing well and see what they need. I have to measure those things. And if they're not happening, then I need to make sure that we're get back on track to make sure that happens because that's the goal. So This new role truly, yes, it's it's exciting.

It it is exciting, but I have to make sure that when when the club members at the end of the term, they need to feel that we made a lasting impact on them. And that is the main goal from my perspective. Make sure there's a lasting impact on the people that we serve. So through Toastmasters Toastmasters International.

⁓ I've seen firsthand how finding your voice ⁓ can change everything. So with the ability to help our members build confidence, grow their leadership skills, and even help them with the direction of the path that they're looking to go in life, that's important. If I'm not able to help our members reach those goals, then somehow somewhere I missed something. I may not have failed, but I missed something.

But I have a team. Team that works with me. So if I missed it, that's because I probably didn't get it. And I need to go back to those team members in order to get back on track.

speaker-0: Yeah. So I want to cut you off just for one minute because you you mentioned so many important things. You you talked about how to measure success, ⁓ how to look at whether you're effective and you're efficient, because we say that all the time, you know, if you want a good leader, you have to have something to measure that leader. ⁓ and then let's jump right into leadership lessons and growth and the difference between A leader versus a manager versus a mentor and how we look at personal growth.

Because I mean, that's so important for everybody. I mean, everybody has a goal. I mean, you know me, I'm a very goal, ⁓ I'm a very strong personality. I know that's shocking to you.

But, you know, you have to set goals and you have to have clarity and you have to know where you want to go. And then from there, you have to know how to get there. So, you know, it's finding the right mentor, the right leader, the right manager. So talk to me about.

You know what leadership means to you? What are strong qualities between the two? And what really separates a good leader from a great That is a good. speaker-1: Those are some good questions, madam toastmaster.

I think you can just come on. He just come on become a become a member. We could start a club called the Restaurant Diva Toast. speaker-0: I know.

See, I'm gonna be there. Not only gonna help with this session, but I'm gonna stay on and I'm gonna be a part of your your continued membership and I'm gonna keep coming to these meetings. See you only have me one audience if he's stuck with me ⁓ speaker-1: So to answer your question about good leader, I I've I feel that let's put it this way I've seen that good leader can get things done. They can get things done.

And this is not because you're on the screen, but I you remember, I saw you, I remember that we're not going to go there right now. I know I'm speaker-0: I'm like, let's go. speaker-1: Yes, yes. Michelle is a great leader.

So leaders get things done. Leaders, because they are building along the way. So that's the difference. Good leaders get things done.

Great leaders build along the way. Okay. But great leaders are intentional about developing others. So if I am quote unquote your leader, your mentor, if I'm not developing you.

Along the if I'm not seeing progress, then my job is not really getting done. And likewise, if I'm not being developed myself, then there's a problem. There's a problem, if that makes sense. So, so we're focused.

Great leaves are focused on people, you know, so that so that they can become a little bit better. But if we do that by empowering them, we do it by listening to them. We do that by creating space for them to be able to step into leadership. So that in the long run, we would like for them to have that new growth experience so that they can position.

So they're positioned to help others grow. So if I help you, you know, each one, reach one. If I help you, hopefully you'll be able to reach somebody else and help them move to that next level. Yeah.

So we have to be intentional. We have to be very intentional about what we do. speaker-0: Yeah. So what advice would you give somebody that's stepping into leadership for the first time?

You know, you've been doing it, I've been doing it, you know, somebody comes to you and says, Gus, you know, you're such a great inspiration to me and you inspire me to want to do more. And I just took on the SIG leadership role. What advice would you give them if it's their first time? You know, how are they gonna come right out of the gate and and lead with intention?

So what would be your advice for somebody brand new in this role? speaker-1: Yeah, that's a good question as well. I would say give yourself permission to grow into it. Don't go in thinking that instantly you're going to become a great leader.

Give yourself permission to grow into it. You don't have to be perfect on day one, you know, but start to follow. I'm not one. Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely. speaker-0: Perfect anyway. Look, I'm screwing off. speaker-1: Yeah, but d definitely, definitely they should focus on listening and building relationships and be consistent along the way.

You know, don't do great today and then you flop the next. It's like, what happened to that person? You know? Ask questions along the way.

Stay open to feedback. Ask for help. And don't be afraid to make mistakes. Again, like we just said, who's perfect?

Not one. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You know, so because all of this is part of the process of growth, learning, and becoming good leaders. So leadership is isn't proving yourself.

It's not really proving yourself, it's about improving yourself and bringing others along with you. So it's not an I thing. Yes, I could be a I, but let me bring others along the way with me. That's a good measure of a good leader.

If I can do well by you. and bring you along the way and then in turn you take what you've gained and help somebody else, I've done my job. Cause it's not about me. speaker-0: Right.

It's so true. Well, they always say there's no I and team, right? No I. No, it's not at all.

It's always no. And you know what? It's it's such a great feeling that you can see where somebody was and where they are because of you. You know, if if it's just a little tip that you gave them or some education or if it's confidence or, you know, it's just so empowering to watch somebody change their whole professional leadership.

career. And, you know, that's something I've done through the years. I've worked in retail, I've worked in restaurants, I've worked in the accounting world. I've worked in weight loss and I've worked so many different people on so many different levels and watched so many people come up with me, you know, from managers to regional managers to district level.

And so I agree with everything that you said. It's just, you know, everybody makes mistakes. I always say, you know, write the book and just don't do it again. Learn from them.

You know, exactly. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So right into hospitality because you know this whole show is about the restaurant business and hospitality. And I wanna talk about how your platform and Toastmasters really ⁓ can align with what I do and what value it can bring to somebody in the restaurant world and the restaurant team.

So, you know. speaker-1: Exactly. speaker-0: Talk about how somebody in my world can get involved with this program and and whether it's membership, whether it's just coming to a few workshops. So how can they get involved and what type of communication and programs can align back to my world, you know, and and the restaurant world?

speaker-1: Absolutely. So I'm glad you asked that question. And yes, this is a a restaurant based ⁓ podcast. But communication and hospitality really is the experience.

It is the experience. I remember when I visited a restaurant where food was great, but what stood out to me was how the server engaged with my husband and I. And you know Randy. So that's important.

Engagement is important. So, you know, the the the hostess the hostess was warm, attentive, and she communicated very clearly about everything, right? And from the menu recommendations that she offered to around what time or how long it's going to take for the food to come out. So that made us feel very valued.

Right. So on the flip side, if she didn't do that, if she offered poor communication, the experience would would not have been good. So that's what Toastmasters does. So there's an alignment there between what you do in the in the restaurant world, because it's still communication, to what Toastmasters does.

Communication, it educates. So regardless of the environment that you're working in. I mean, in Toastmasters, we have we have mechanics, we have business people like myself, we have store owners, we have programmers, you name it. All involve communication.

Communication is important in all areas. So from your area, especially, because you you're facing people every day, probably more than some programmers that I work with. So communication is very, very important. It you know, that's that's where that click happens, that's where that connection happens when that guest with that ⁓ family that's coming in to sit down and eat.

If your hostess is not put together with greeting that individual, while the guests, you know, may have a very bad experience. So it is important in hospitality. It communication can elevate or diminish someone's entire experience. So this is where Toastmasters comes in to help us with that, regardless of the field that we're in.

The projects that Toastmasters offers is across the board. It's for everybody. There are projects on leadership. There are projects on public speaking, of course, there are projects on how to make presentations, there are projects on how to run an online meeting like this.

Yes. And one of my favorite projects is a project that are completed my path, which involved a disruptive, disruptive members. Or in the restaurant world, a disruptive guest. And how do I handle that?

Do I go off the top? Or do I bring it down? Yes. So that's important.

Toastmasters teaches you how to handle those type situations as well. So it aligns. It aligns. I'm telling you, Michelle, we need a restaurant diva Toastmasters Club.

speaker-0: Hey, that sounds good to me. A restaurant de test master. So, you know, one thing that you said that really I couldn't agree more is that front door. You know, that that hostess at the front, that person that greets you, whether it's a concierge in the hotel world, you know, it's the first face of your business.

And if that that employee cannot communicate, articulate, ⁓ just elude that warmth and and support that brand, it it kills that whole dining experience. I mean, they are the first, what do they say? First impressions are the most important and the most lasting. And, you know, if they're not a good communicator, they're not warm at the door, you know, it just ruins, it just sets the whole tone for the rest of the evening.

So, and that's even with managers, like you said, you know, dealing with upset guests. You know, we always teach the leap, you know, listen, empathize, you know, apologize and and you know and thank at the end. You know, we always talk about all these different skills. But for someone to actually teach them and measure them and empower someone to actually learn them and use them, that's so powerful.

So, you know, when you asked me to get involved in this program and speak, I did I didn't even hesitate. I'm like, I'm free, yes. Because You know, it's something that it truly warms my heart and it's ⁓ aligned with. And I 100% support education and empowerment and, you know, taking people behind you and teaching them how they can be successful and own their voice and truly command a room and learn the proper body language and you know, just improve their overall presence.

You know, one thing I always say and ⁓ and you probably will agree with this, you don't dress for the role you want to be in. You show up for the role you want, not where you are now, but you show up. And, you know, that's one thing that I always did, you know, no matter, and you'll hear this in my story when I speak ⁓ at your ⁓ your weekend presentation in May. But one thing I always say is you have to show up.

You know, whether you're scared, it might not be the right role, it might be a job you just took and it's challenging, and you might go home every night and cry and say, ⁓ my god, did I make the right choice? But you know what? You show up the next day and you learn from it and you do better. And if it's not the right role, then you change it.

But if it is, then you fight for it. You know, and that's one thing I've always believed in. And that's why when, you know, you asked me to do this, I was like, Yes, I can do it. I can command a room.

I'll get up there and then you can measure me and you can score me, Gus, and tell me how I did. speaker-1: Listen, I will share the evaluation form with you before we start. speaker-0: Okay, sounds good. So let's jump before this show ends, because I mean this happens to me every week.

I, you know, we get to 45 minutes and I'm like, ⁓ it's over. We haven't even covered half the things I want to talk to you about. But before we get into my lightning round fun questions, tell me about the future of Toastmasters and how you're expanding your impact and how you're inspiring others and what this program looks like. Like in three years and four years and five years down the road.

So what do you see for the impact and the vision for the program? Wow. speaker-1: I see major growth. I see major growth.

You know, times are changing regardless profession that you're in. Communicate with others is very important. To be a good leader, great leader, you name it, communication is very, very important. So instead of being fearful of jumping into leadership.

or fearful of speaking in front of people, get some help. Toastmaster's there. Toastmaster's there. You know, members are learning.

Guests come in and sit down for a minute and just to see what this is about to gain some kind of insight as to what this is. And usually when you come in and try to gain that insight of what this is about, chances are you're staying because you see the benefits of how you can improve in such an environment. That you could take back to your workplace, you could take back to your home. And Toastmaster is not just for business, trust me.

Be able to communicate at home. This can help you with that as well. So Toastmaster is going to continue to influence others. It's going to continue to influence those that want to grow.

I see progress. That's very important. Progress. Not perfection, but progress across the board.

And that shifts everything. As far as I'm concerned, progress shifts everything for me. ⁓ but it also reminds me that every speech, every meeting that I have attended, or every leadership moment that I have taken part in during that journey, I don't have to get it all right at once, you know, but it just keeps improving me to improve. So that's what I see.

Continuous improvement, influence with others, encouragement, growth, communication, you name it. Toastmasters is here to stay. It's not going anywhere because we all need to know how to be able to function in various environments. You know, whether I am a a high ⁓ what what do you call that?

Someone that has a very high ⁓ temperament in terms of negative or whatever. Toastmasters knows how to bring you down some so that you're able to communicate with others. So I see continued progress in this organization. And people will come and people will continue to learn, people continue to grow.

Actually, while you're at our conference, I'm going to introduce you to the gentleman that was the nineteen ninety-nine of public speaking. This gentleman has a story to tell. His storytelling. He's gone all over the world speaking to various organizations, empowering others.

⁓ yeah, so that's what Toastmasters does. It just elevates you, takes you to that next level. Yes. speaker-0: Wow.

Wow. All right. Well, here's my lightning round fun questions. So here we go.

Yay. And you know what? I I can't wait to hear some of your answers. So before we before we do that though, I know your first speech.

Tell everybody how that went. Was it easy or did you just get up there and command the room? Because I know you have a big personality and you're always smiling and you're so warm. So I'm sure it probably was fine.

But tell us, was it good? Was it bad? You know, how was your first overall speech? speaker-1: I felt it was okay.

I I felt the first speech was okay. And it was about dance, believe it or not. You were part of that story, Jolyn and the others, and how we would, you know, Saturday morning and we're up in a car and we're gone. So I I shared with the club what I did.

So that's that was my icebreaker. What you know, I get up with the kids, we have costumes, we have to speaker-0: Well speaker-1: Pay for this, we have to take him to classes and things of that sort. But that speech taught me a lesson. I knew all that I did.

I knew all that we, you know, what we did during that time. But to put it out in front of people that I did not know, it was challenging. I got through it. No one knew except for Jolene, 'cause she was in the room.

The heiress that I messed up, only she knew. ⁓ but nobody has new, no one cares because that's my story. Because some of the things I wanted to say, some of the gestures I may have wanted to make, things of some some of those things I was not able to deliver as well as I wanted to. But that was the first time.

But trust me, by the time I got to my third speech, I was ready. speaker-0: You nailed it. All right. One word to describe a great leader.

speaker-1: A great leader is patient. A great leader is patient, patient, patient. speaker-0: That's a great ⁓ yes. Yes, yes.

I agree. You have to be so patient. speaker-1: That's the one word. speaker-0: What's the best advice you've ever received?

speaker-1: The best advice I have received is Practice and do not beat yourself up. Practice and do not beat yourself up. So the other thing I meant to share with you is I think we kind of talked about a little bit. Toastmasters, we assign mentors to our members.

So if you join the club, you get a mentor right away. And that mentor is going to help you walk through. So my mentor taught me that. Practice, be patient, don't beat yourself up.

That's a great leader. And that particular mentor and I are still friend up till today, after ten years. And sometimes when I have questions or I'm stuck on certain areas, I go to her. Hey, Kate, what's going on?

You know. And ⁓ and and she helps me. So yes. So yes.

Definitely don't beat yourself up. Practice. Be patient. It's okay.

Progress is not perfection. That's actually what she says. speaker-0: ⁓ I like that. speaker-1: Yes.

Progress is not perfection. Yeah. And that shifted everything for me, Michelle. It really did.

It just reminded me that every speech, every meeting that I attended, every leadership moment that I've taken part in is part of my journey. Yes, progress is not perfection. I don't have to get it all right. I just have to keep improving.

speaker-0: Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, for everybody listening, here we go again.

Another show is ending and I need to bring Gus back because Gus, I don't even think I got through half my questions of all the great things that we need to catch up on. So we need to talk offline and have coffee and catch up and really hear about what our kids are doing and great things that everything that we instilled in our children to do what we're doing today. So we gotta catch up there. But for everybody listening, you know DMs are always open.

You can find me at restaurantdeva.com. I'd love to hear from you and we're always looking for new ideas and topics for the show. And Gus, before we go, you need to let everybody know where to find you and how we can get involved in your amazing program.

speaker-1: Absolutely. District thirty six dot org. That is our website. District thirty six dot org.

And if you want to email me, here's the initials P as in Paul for program, QS in quality, D as in director, PQD program quality director at district.org. speaker-0: Yeah. And one last thing, let everybody know about this amazing program that we're doing together in May.

I'm gonna start posting about it. I'm gonna put up the the the memo that you gave me, the the actual presentation for the flyer so we can start marketing it. But why don't you just give a a two second overview of what that program is, what it's gonna offer, the date. So if anybody wants to join us, look at C Me and look at ⁓ so why don't you ⁓ talk a minute about ⁓ the upcoming event?

speaker-1: Absolutely. So our event is on May fifteenth to May 16th. We're becoming District 220 as of July 1st. So it will be at the Rockville Hilton Hotel in Rockville.

And it's also on our website. And it's also on the flyer that Michelle's going to be sharing. So come on down, grab a ticket. We are looking for sponsors if you want to sponsor.

We're looking for people to donate because we want to have ⁓ silent auctions. So whatever you can do to support our district conference, we welcome you. Come on down. speaker-0: Well, you heard it from guys.

Another amazing episode of Dine and Dish. This will be airing next week. And for everyone listening, you know your voice is your most powerful tool. And I say it all the time.

You can it can hurt you, it can make you, it can break you, but you gotta use it with purpose. And you know, I I tell my kids this and your network is your net worth and your voice is your most powerful tool. So as long as you use those two together, you can the sky's the limit. You can be the next leader, the next president.

I mean, you can do whatever you want to do. But you heard it from Gus. What a great program. There's great leadership tools.

There's great events to attend. And we hope to see you in May. And Gus, it was so good to catch up with you. Virtual hug, kisses, and ⁓ let's get together soon.

Thank you so much for being a guest. And I can't wait to be one of your your present presenters and mentors and I hope to stay involved in the program. I'm so glad that you invited me. Looking forward to it.

It means the world to me that you reached out and I thank you for being on my show. speaker-1: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

This has been wonderful. speaker-0: Thank you again, Gus. Thanks. Talk to you soon.

Thank you.