Kevin Wilson – Supporting and Reporting

Whether it’s somebody finishing their first speech manual to those, receiving their Distinguished Toastmaster awards or some success in between, there are few places that can improve speaking and leadership skills as much as joining and staying active in Toastmasters. Just ask any longtime member.

But the skills learned at Toastmasters can make you a better writer. Just ask Kevin Wilson, ACS, AL.

Wilson, 37, has been an employee of Clovis Media Inc. (or its various company names) since 2000. He joined Toastmasters in the middle of 2012, and was seven months later named the company’s employee of the year. Coworkers noted his ability to handle tasks large and small, while always willing to help

“I honestly thought there were years I was doing better work,” Wilson said, “but I think people were inclined to support me because Toastmasters taught me how to support others.”

A more recent test of Toastmasters skills came just before he began his term as Area 65 governor for District 23.

A company was looking to put a trio of renewable energy plants in Clovis. They spoke well, they had a promising product, and the city commission seemed on board. An ordinance was introduced, and would likely be approved at the next meeting two weeks later.

A few days later, Kevin got a call from an old friend in Lubbock, who worked in a different field of media.

“He saw our story on the city commission meeting, and often does pieces on regional items of interest,” Wilson said. “He picked up my story, and decided to see what the area should expect.”

But the research was creating more questions than it answered. He could find various news releases about the company over the previous 12 years, but couldn’t find anything about finished plants or jobs created.

“He asked me if I could apply some journalistic methods to see if I found the same thing,” Wilson said.

This would put the time management skills to the test. The clock was ticking on the city commission meeting, where the item was likely to be approved. However, Wilson also had prior committments the next week, and would have to finish such a story within 96 hours.

Without the skills he’d learned in ‘Toastmasters, Wilson figures he would have not finished the story at all, or rushed through a story with glaring mistakes.

He developed a plan for writing the story, with a timeline for who he needed to call. Talk to a person too early and you won’t have all of the supporting research. Talk to a person too late, and there’s a chance people will know your call is coming, and coordinate answers for a positive spin.

“Throughout the process,” Wilson said, “I kept in touch with my friend, who took an interest in the story and supplied me with other information he’d discovered. I also knew to keep my editors in the loop, so they knew to plan for a large story in Sunday’s edition.”

By the end of the week, the story was complete. All necessary parties were reached, some going back as far as 12 years when the company put out its first press release about an ethanol plant. In three previous cities, the company had made big splashes with news releases and promises of jobs. But interviews with the people in each city said nothing came to fruition. He also talked to the local economic development director and the owners of the company.

“We had a very long phone conversation, and I was grateful for the time they gave me,” Wilson said. “Each plant that didn’t go through, they gave me a reason, from a bad economy to some onerous regulations. I told them I would try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but also said, ‘You’re 0-for-3, and it’s hard for me to shake that.’”

The story was finished on time, and Wilson began his week away from the office — including officer training that weekend in Lubbock.

The story had an impact on readers and the city commission. The commission tabled the request, saying there was more work to be done on the matter. Eventually, the commission approved the request, but not without input from a more-informed public.

A few months later, Wilson’s efforts were recognized the the Association Press and New Mexico Press Association. He was awarded his classification’s first-place award for investigative reporting. It wasn’t his first time winning an investigative reporting story, but it was the first time he was the only credited byline.

“I wanted to send my friend the award, as he pushed me to complete the story,” Wilson said. “He declined the plaque, so I sent him a picture with his name on it. I took the Post-It note off later, and hung it up with the others.”

Wilson has received numerous honors over his time, including more than two dozen first-place awards and a run of four consecutive wins for best columns.

But Toastmasters has helped him in the aftermath of columns with divisive opinions, he said.

“I penned a recent column, and was awoken with a text message from an administrator central to the column,” Wilson said. “I know people aren’t going to tell me, ‘Thanks, Kevin, for showing me the error in my ways; here’s $20.’ I have to be ready for when people disagree with me, and to be ready to stand my ground without being disagreeable. I credit Toastmasters for that, as well.”