When I first met Lauralee Norris, I thought she was a high school student. That was about two years ago when I was a guest at Yaquina Toastmasters Club in Newport, Oregon. It was obvious Lauralee was an integral part of the club. She joined in 2015 while taking an online public speaking class. She was required to film her speeches and present them to an audience of five or more. Her dad, Brian, suggested she give her speeches at his Toastmasters club. This was a match made in heaven for Lauralee, and it turns out for her club too. She completed the first four speeches in her Competent Communicator Manual while taking the class.
Her father’s job took the family from Portland, Oregon to Newport in 2014. Lauralee is the youngest of four girls, and the only one still at home. She enjoys singing in her school* choir and
is taking private guitar lessons. She was part of the NASA Team for the solar eclipse.And, she does
Toastmasters. A lot of Toastmasters. Lauralee received her Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree to go to Oregon State University from Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC). This program has allowed her to earn guaranteed transferable credits to Oregon State University (OSU). At the age of twenty, Lauralee is a junior in college. She is enrolled online with OSU for finance courses. She is also enrolled at OCCC for her electives. Between the two part-time enrollments, she is a
full-time student. Her goal is a Business Marketing Degree. Passing the Series 66 exam (The Uniform Combined State Law Examination also called the Series 66 exam is designed to qualify candidates as both securities agents and investment adviser representatives) will allow her to register as an investment adviser representative. By enrolling in both programs and living at home, it makes college affordable. Clearly Lauralee is planning ahead for her financial security.
This is Lauralee’s second year as VP Public Relations. She keeps up the club’s Facebook Page which reaches 3000 through shares and likes. She posts regularly on the District 7 Facebook Group. She maintains the club website, YouTube channel, and Google+. Lauralee shared, “People from across the country come to our blog just for what we have about Pathways.” Her efforts have been
responsible for club members being on the radio and write-ups in the newspaper (which required her to learn to write press releases). Lauralee has helped Yaquina Toastmasters be well known in Newport.
Yaquina has become a hybrid club thanks to Lauralee and her expertise with the Zoom online platform. The club currently has 5 online members. One is a wildland firefighter who has tried to find a permanent club for years. He is never in one location more than three months at a time. After visiting the club, he joined as an online member. The club has members from Wisconsin, Nebraska, and London. Some joined because of her YouTube videos. They wanted to start Pathways right away and not wait for it to roll out in their own Districts. The club uses a Google spreadsheet to sign up for roles. A local member travels for work and is able to stay active in the club using Zoom. Soon they will welcome a member from the Galapagos. Being a hybrid club has been a boost to the club’s membership numbers. Their lighthearted meetings, that help people get over the fear of public speaking, attract new members to the club. Professionals are joining to improve their speaking skills, to become better trainers, and to speak to the media. The club has a long history of coaching the Newport Loyalty Days & Sea Fair Festival princesses with their speeches. They are vying for scholarships based on the speeches they give. By the way, the club has earned 10 goals.
When Yaquina Toastmasters held a meeting for Rotary, Lauralee served as Topicsmaster. One of the attendees, a business owner, was impressed wth how she handled her portion of the meeting. After seeing all that Lauralee does as the VP Public Relations, she called her in for an interview. Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group hired her to manage their public relations and social media. Bateman Funeral Home, Affordable Burial and Cremation hired her to manage their website and social media. She credits Toastmasters as the reason for learning how. Toastmasters also helped with her role as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Club president. And, it helped her complete her communication classes. “I am confident talking to others.” she says. “I feel comfortable leading other people.” Lauralee believes in the education program and likes the variety of speeches she can give. Lauralee loves teaching. To help orient new members in her club, she created a 5-7 minute speech on how to fill out a Competent Leader Manual. Her love for teaching inspired her to become a Pathways Guide. She completed her Pathways training for clubs in District 7. She will be training online clubs. Members of her club have completed levels 1-5. She likes the relevancy of Pathways. Innovative Planning is her Path. She is in level 3. Lauralee is looking forward to other new paths, especially Storytelling, which is one she has heard will be coming in the future. Lauralee will finish her Advanced Communicator Gold before she goes further in Pathways. Her High Performance Leadership Project is a *public relations campaign that finishes this month. She will easily wrap up the three required speeches. Her last requirement to earn her DTM, in the traditional program, is to start a new club. She is already working on it. I don’t know for sure, but my guess is Lauralee is the youngest Toastmaster in District 7. I am sure she will be our youngest Distinguished Toastmaster. Lauralee wisely tapped into what Toastmasters has to offer. I predict when she graduates and applies for a job she will be head and shoulders above all her competitors. She is confident and articulate. She will go far.
*corrected for accuracy
As Seen On Voices!
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