Ty Boyd
By Jill Santuccio
              
Legendary Charlotte radio personality Ty Boyd followed his successful on-air career at WBT with the founding in 1980 of the Excellence in Speaking Institute. He has trained and spoken in every state, plus 40 countries on five continents and has written three books. A noted speaker, he is held in the same esteem as Art Linkletter, Lou Holtz and Zig Ziglar.
 
He recalled speaking to the Rotary Club of Charlotte 40 years ago: "Some of you are still here, and some of you are still sitting in the same place," he quipped. He spoke of life having three acts: education, vocation and "the rest of your life" - and that people should retire "to" something rather than retiring "from" something.
 
His first lesson was to "power your purpose with passion," and that people who speak with true conviction are ultimately more successful. He tempered that perspective with the notion that some of the greatest passion can be expressed in silence. Successful leaders and businesspeople know that the conversation isn't about them; it's about the person they are talking with.
 
"Be a powerful listener" was Ty's second piece of advice. He explained the ASK acronym of his friend Dr. Manny Stiles. A stands for adopting the attitude of wanting to be a listener, S stands for mastering the skills of communication such as learning not to interrupt (which is so hard for most of us) and K is making sure that you have knowledge of the other party: their industry, their goals or whatever the case may be.
 
Ty's third point was that "being perfect is an imperfect objective." Instead of torturing ourselves to be perfect, effectiveness should be the objective. "Pursue excellence or be remarkable but don't strive to be perfect," he said. He rounded out this point with a philosophy employed by Kurt Kimball of the Compass Group: "if you don't show up for the preparation and practice, don't show up for the presentation."
 
His last missive was that "Intimacy is not just Victoria's Secret." He stressed that intimacy, primarily in the form of eye contact, produces better communication and, in turn, better relationships. "Do you trust someone who speaks to you wearing dark glasses? No." Thus, the lesson is to be sure you are looking someone in the eyes when you're speaking with them. Don't look them in the eyes long enough to make them uncomfortable, but be sure you are making the connection.
 
Prior to closing with the poem "The Touch of the Master's Hand," Ty reminded the group that what we should be searching for isn't perfection; rather it should be authenticity and "realness."
   
  
Head Table: Denise Hallett, Will Hadley, John Snyder, Jim Woodward, Bob Elliott, James Tolliver;
Invocation: BG Metzler;
Visitors & Guests: George Robinette; Song: Pam Jefsen; Piano: Thomas Moore; Photos: Bert Voswinkel

• Welcome new Rotarians: Dale Gillmore, sponsored by Pender McElroy, is a CPA and founding partner of Boatsman Gillmore & Associates. Contact Dale at dgillmore@boatsmangillmore.com; Ty Branam is sponsored by Charlie Bones. Ty is general manager and co-owner of ServiceMaster Cleaning Excellence and can be contacted at wecleanup@carolina.rr.com.
 
• Dr. Klaus Scharioth, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, will address the World Affairs Council at the Hilton Center City on September 22, 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Reservations can be made at 704-687-7762 or see Mike Hawley for additional information.
   
• Update on the grandchildren: Jim Barnhardt's son & his wife announce the birth of James Patrick Barnhardt on 9/9/08; Herb Harriss' son & his wife announce the birth of Alexander Johnston Harriss on 9/12/08.
 
• Steve Meckler was the winner in this week's "you write the caption" editorial cartoon. Steve was also named one of the Top Lawyers in Charlotte in the field of litigation by Business Leader magazine; Hope Haven's 'Taste of Hope' event will be held October 14th. See Alice Harrison for details; Tyler II Construction (Katie Tyler) is a winner of the 9 Who Care Award, sponsored by WSOC-TV; Carolina Legal Staffing (John Lassiter) was named as a top 100 small business in NC for 2008 by Business Leader magazine.
 
• Rotary Scholarship Golf Classic will be held at Cedarwood Country Club on October 7th. The tournament will replace the usual lunchtime Rotary meeting. Club members are invited to attend the BBQ and awards celebration that will begin around 5:00. Goody bag and auction items are still needed. Golfer names should be given to Sandy by September 30th.
  
• This year's Rotary Foundation Banquet will be a time of celebration, appreciation and inspiration. The event will be held on November 10th at the Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord Convention Center (just down from Concord Mills). Reception at 6:00; dinner at 7:00. Two special Rotarians will speak - Carolyn Jones holds the distinction of being the first female elected to the Foundation Board and comes all the way from Alaska to share her experience as a volunteer in Russia helping children affected by the Chernobyl disaster; Shai Tamari is a Rotary World Peace Fellow who is searching to find a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The cost is $40 per person. Contact Sandy if you are planning to attend.
   
• Drew Connor gave a very good presentation on his year-long exchange to Spain.