Two opportunities for Officer Training... Jan.11 & 12.

There will be another (secondary?) opportunity for Officer Training,
in addition to the training session
hosted by Socially Speaking
onWednesday, January 11, 7:30pm-9pm, at their meeting place:
Socially Speaking Toastmasters Club
Congregational Church of Brookfield
160 Whisconier Road, Intersection of Routes 25 & 133
Brookfield, CT 06804


(see email below from Karin von Kanel, Div.A Governor)

Dear Club Presidents,
The second Division A officers training session will take place on
Thursday, January 12,
5:30pm-7:30pm,
in the classroom of theERSOB State Office Building,
4 Burnett Boulevard,Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

Attention: Everybody needs to be there by 5:30 or the guard is making rounds.

Also, Jean Shanahan needs a list ofattendees prior to the meeting for the guard.

Please forward this information to your club officer teams and let me know who will attend which training session.

Thanks to Jean Shanahan for organizing the room!

Happy New Year!
Best regards,
Karin von Känel

Now is the Time for PR !!!!!

I got the following email from Roger Brown with some good points for building membership in the new year !

In an email dated Tue, 27 12 2005, Roger Brown <rogerbrown@mac.com> writes:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO ALL TOASTMASTERS AND
TOASTMASTER CLUB LEADERS (VPM, VPPR)

January is an excellent time to launch a membership building program. Some people make New Year's Resolutions and others simply say - "After the hectic holidays - I'll get organized."

I'm betting that many curious potential members would be most willing to join Toastmasters in January. But we must ACT NOW!

If you or your Club is going to catch the wave of New Year's Resolutions, you need to get the posters placed before the public eye! You need to let people know that your Club is meeting in January and guests are welcomed!

Plan ahead - get the name of Toastmasters before the public eye and ear. Newspapers, radio, TV, etc. need a certain lead time. It is time for the VPM and VPPR and their standing committees to get the plans into action.

Be resolved! And if your Club has a public web site, make sure that it is up to date ... clearly indicating that your Club is alive, meeting in January, and welcoming guests.

Consider the definition of resolution...
\Res`o*lu"tion\ (-l?"sh?n), n.
1. The act, operation, or process of resolving. Specifically: (a) The act of separating a compound into its elements or component parts. (b) The act of analyzing a complex notion, or solving a vexed question>or difficult problem.
2. The state of being resolved, settled, or determined; firmness; steadiness; constancy; determination. Be it with resolution then to fight. --Shak.
3. That which is resolved or determined; a settled purpose; determination. Specifically: A formal expression of the opinion or will of an official body or a public assembly, adopted by vote; as, a legislative resolution; the resolutions of a public meeting.

Distinguished Club Program (DCP) Reports available

It is amazing (amazingly good) that all of the clubs in Area A4 have a shot at a Distinguished Club Award !

I have printed out the current standings for each club so they can see where they stand and I will be emailing the reports (in PDF format) to each club presidents in the next week or so.

Some quick observations .... all clubs could benefit from at least a couple CL awards! I'm working on mine and I am amazed at how easy it will be to attain. If you are a club officer participating in the DCP with your club, all you need to do is a couple of modules (i.e. speeches) from either the Successful Club or Leadership Excellence Series.

Send me an email or leave a comment if there are any questions !

Happy Holidays !

Dave Wheeler

Seth Godin Workshop ... January 26, 2006 !

Seth Godin, one of the world's greatest marketing minds and the author of The Idea Virus, Purple Cow, The Big Moo and a fabulous blog is offering a one day seminar / workshop where you can learn and interact both with him as well as fellow attendees!

(He is also offering a $100 referral fee, so if you sign up please tell him that you heard it from Dave Wheeler's blog, AreaA4 Toastmasters at www.areaA4.blogspot.com . Thanks.)

Click here to learn more !

Dave

Link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/12/the_new_whitebo.html

High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project

One of the requirements for the Toastmasters Advanced Leader award is a "High Performance Leadership" project.

There is a Toastmaster manual for a HPL project and, briefly, it consists of the following 5 steps:
1) Learn about Leadership & choose your Guidance Committee*
2) Choose an objective, define your vision/mission/values and give a speech on them*
3) Recruit your team and make a plan for the project*
4) Work the plan and overcome obstacles*
5) Give a speech to present your results*
* You meet with your guidance committee at each stage to assess how the project is going and what you are learning.

My Area A4 HPL project has been taking shape over the past few months, I will use this blog to tell everyone about each of the components of the project as well as any ideas that might come up from the team. (Volunteers still needed!)

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Fast Start Package for post-CTM Toastmasters !

I found that it was not as easy as it could be to get started on the road to awards and achievements after the CTM, so I created the ATM Fast Start Package.

The link below will give you a PDF file that lays out all the requirements and resources that you need to start earning advanced Toastmaster awards!

Dave Wheeler's ATM / CL Fast Start Package !

Please let me know what you think of it and if you have any suggestions to improve it !

Speak UP !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Area A4 Speaking Opportunities !!!

There are a couple clubs in Area A4 that are low on members and I have set up a speaking schedule to bring experienced Toastmasters into these clubs. This will give other Toastmasters in the area an opportunity to "stretch their wings" beyond their own club while also giving the host club a boost from seeing advanced speakers "in action" !

The schedule will be posted here as soon as I get it finished, but for planning purposes the 4th Wed or Thursday nights are when I have openings. Socially Speaking will be running a SpeechCraft workshop series starting March 8th and we are looking for speakers to help us with that program as well.

I will also post suggested modules and topics that will be of interest to the clubs as well as giving guest speakers an opportunity to complete modules or speeches towards their ATM or CL designations.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions !

Speak up!
Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Pictures from District 53 Fall Conference !!!

D53 Fall '05 Conference Candids Candid shots from the District 53 Fall Conference held in Stamford, Connecticut on November 5, 2005. Photos by Don Logie, DTM
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerbrown/toast/PhotoAlbum20.html

World Class Indifference Comedy Improv
"Using Improv Techniques to Help You Become A Better Speaker" presented by World Class Indifference Comedy Improv Group. Photos by Don Logie, DTM
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerbrown/toast/PhotoAlbum24.html

Humorous and TT Speech Contest photos taken by Don Logie, DTM at the Fall Conference in Stamford, CT on November 5, 2005
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerbrown/toast/PhotoAlbum23.html

D53 Fall Conference Educational Seminars Fall Conference held on November 5, 2005 at the Holiday Inn in Stamford, Connecticut. Photos taken by Don Logie, DTM
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerbrown/toast/PhotoAlbum21.html

D53 Hall of Fame Awards: Toastmaster Recognitions at the Fall Conference held in Stamford, CT on November 5, 2005. Photos taken by Don Logie, DTM
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerbrown/toast/PhotoAlbum22.html

Area A4 President's Council - meeting notes

I'm finally getting around to publishing the meeting notes for the Area A4 President's Council meeting that was held back in September when we had the Area A4 Fall Speech Contest at Wooster School.

The suggestions / discussion topics included:

• Things outside the clubs" to help socialize more
• A lack of protocol has been seen in some clubs, such as the Word of the Day or the transfer at the lectern. One suggestion was to have members visit other clubs to see protocols in action, e.g. WestConn or Barnum Square
• Need to get members to conferences. This can have a strong impact on a member's Toastmasters experience because they learn more about what Toastmasters has to offer. Another suggestion was to bring success stories [from the conferences] back to the clubs and share them with members.
• An Advanced Toastmasters Club was suggested. It could be set up for ATM-S or ATM-G or higher members. It would be expected that these members would stay in their original clubs as well. It could also be a "dinner club" like Henry Hudson club. Possible meeting places - Danbury Holiday Inn? Unclear how many potential members there would be for such a club. DW to follow up to gauge interest.
• Trade TableTopics masters between clubs. This would make the TableTopics more interesting while giving members a different challenge (and an improved Toastmasters Experience).

Please let me know what you think of the ideas or if you have any of your own. We look forward to working with you to improve the Toastmasters Experience for all members.

Best regards,

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Spring Conference Date set... May 13, 2006

The District 53 Spring Conference will be held on Saturday, May 13th, 2006 in Wallingford, CT.

This is a fairly short drive from Area A4 and this conference will include the Tall Tales and International Speech Contests.

Hope to see you all there !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Bruce Cornwell of WestConn Club wins TableTopics at District !

Bruce Cornwell of WestConn Toastmasters, WON the TableTopics contest at the District 53 Fall Conference on Saturday, Nov.5, 2005.

I wish I could have seen it, but I spoke to alot of people at the Toastmasters dinner at the Fall Conference on Saturday night and they all said that he did a GREAT JOB in the TableTopics contest ! (Actually, the most common comment I heard was, "He nailed it!")

Congratulations to Bruce on winning ! We are all very proud of your accomplishment and we look forward to hearing more about the contest experience !

Way to Go !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Updated TableTopics Strategy Workshop Handout !

We ran the TableTopics Strategy Workshop this Wednesday evening at Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. If you know anyone in the Brookfield, CT area that is interested in Toastmasters, this is certainly a great club to join !

The evening was alot of fun and we went the the updated TableTopics Strategy Workshop Handout (click here to download a copy). We also used the handouts from the post on TableTopics Strategies back in September (see below).

Let us know what you think of the workshop by leaving us a comment !!!!

Speak UP !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

"Official" Area Club Visits Soon !

Note to Area A4 Club Presidents,

How is this Toastmaster year (2005-6) shaping up for your club?

While I have been to a number of club meetings already and saw most of you at least once, I still need to, as Area A4 Governor, make "official" club visits and fill out the form for Toastmasters International. (I say "official" in parenthesis since I prefer to keep things less formal and more relaxed.) The deadline for submitting written forms to Toastmasters International is Oct.31st, but we have until the end of November if we submit the information online (which is what I'm going to do).

Just so that you have a preview of the form that we need to fill out, I've scanned it into PDF format (click here to download). If you take a look at it, you will see that it is a little different from past years in that it is organized along the lines of the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) guidelines. Since many of you are working toward making your clubs Distinguished, the form should be a simple review of your progress. The form will also help me make sure that I am providing you with the information and support that you need.

Please let me know if there are any questions or if there is a specific club meeting that you would like me to attend in the coming couple weeks.

See you soon !

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

WestConn Toastmasters win Smedley Award !!

Congratulations to Bruce Cornwell and all of the officers and members of WestConn Toastmasters for winning the Smedley Award !

The Smedley Award is named after the founder of Toastmasters and is given to any club who adds 5 or more new members from August 1 – September 30 ! (See copy of the email from District Governor Paul Young below)

We will have to see what we can do to spread the membership building to other clubs !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

********************************

District Officers,

It is my pleasure to announce the clubs in District 53 that have won the Smedley Award for adding 5 or more new members to their club from August 1 – September 30;

F1 542 Bethlehem Club - 6
A4 599 West-Conn Club - 5
D2 820 Yale Toastmasters Club - 7
D3 865 Greater Stamford Toastmasters - 9
D1 1628 Brass City Club - 7
B4 2908 Stag Club - 5
C1 3176 Energy Club - 7
A2 7386 BI Club - 7
C6 9213 Rose City Club - 7
F1 764383 NYISO Club – 6

Paul Young DTM
MIND THE GAP
District 53 Governor

Division A Contest Results !!!! (from an Area A4 perspective)

The general consensus was that it was definitely a FUN evening!

Bruce Cornwell did GREAT and was the first runner-up in the TableTopics contest. On top of that, the winner of the TableTopics contest won't be able to attend the District level contest, so Bruce gets to move on to the next level !!!!!!

The next level of the TableTopics contest is in the morning at the Fall Conference on Sat., Nov. 5th and unfortunately I have a previous commitment that morning and won't be able to get there until the afternoon. Hopefully we can get some other members there to support Bruce !

In addition, the Humorous speech contest was won by Belle Garafola from Barnum Square Toastmasters, so Area A4 will be well represented at the District contests! (The "home court advantage" from hosting the Area and the Division contests must have worked!)

See you at the Fall Conference !

Webinar ... of interest to Toastmasters????

I came across an online seminar (or "webinar") put on by WebEx.com that may be of interest to my fellow Toastmasters...

Event:
Speak and Get Results: Maximizing Your Impact During Webcasts

Date and Time:
Wednesday, October 19, 20051:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -04:00, New York)

Panelist(s) Info:
Danny Slomoff, PhD, Senior Coach and Consultant, Speakeasy

Duration: 1 hour

Description:

You may be an effective communicator, but let's face it, the playing field is changing. Talking -- and doing it well -- is tougher when you're not actually there to connect with your listeners. In this session, we'll cover concepts and tools to help you translate your presentations from a "live" situation to a "virtual" one. Attend if:

• Time and cost constraints are changing the way you have to communicate -- without changing the expectation for results.
• You're spending more and more time trying to drive those results through webcasts, online meetings, and telephone conferences.
• Making an impact when you speak is important!

The link below is kind of long ....
https://webexevents.webex.com/webexevents/mywebex/epmainframe.php?rlink=https%3A%2F%2Fwebexevents.webex.com%2Fwebexevents%2Fonstage%2Fmainframe.php%3Fmainurl%3D%2Fwebexevents%2Fonstage%2Ftool%2Fevent%2Fevent_detail.php%3FEventID%3D277395895%26FirstEnter%3D1%26GuestTimeZone%3D%26SourceId%3Dmp104&Rnd2929=0.5480342311637003

If this link does not work for you, try visiting www.webex.com.

Please feel free to forward this email to other Toastmasters who you feel might be interested in attending. I do not know if there is a limit on the number of people who can attend and, as far as I can tell from signing up myself, it is FREE.

I am also investigating whether or not we might be able to incorporate this type of communication medium for a Toastmasters meeting. So if anyone is interested in learning more about this (or the establishment of an "Advanced Communications" Toastmasters club... preferrably in Greater Danbury area], please send me an email.

Best regards,

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Division A Contest ----> Wed. Oct. 19 !!!

Just to make sure we are all "on the same page", the schedule for the Division A contest will be the same as the Area A2/A4 contest:

Division A Fall Contests:
Date: Wednesday, October 19th, 2005
Location: Wooster School Library, Danbury CT
Hosted by WestConn Toastmasters, club 599

Schedule:
Contestant Briefings: starting at 6:45pm
Contest Meeting: starts at 7:30pm

We look forward to a GREAT EVENING of exciting TableTopics and a slew of funny Humorous speeches !

Speak UP !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Great Source (catalog) for Ideas ...

I just got a catalog in the mail and I am like most of you .... I rarely get excited about a new catalog... but yesterday I got one that was different !

It is from Trainers Warehouse and their web site it www.trainerswarehouse.com .

In particular, they have a neat set of timing lights (click here to see them) that might be of use to a Toastmasters club ! They also have lots of books with group activities / games which look like they could be both educational and FUN ! (always a good combination!)

If you have any experience with this company, please let me know how they are. I am putting a number of the items on my Christmas List !

Speak Up !

Dave Wheeler

Area A4 & A2 Fall Contest Meeting !

Area A4 (and Area A2) Fall Contest was held Wed. Sept.28, 2005. The UPDATED* winners were ....

Area A2
TableTopics
1st place: David Alexander
1st runner-up: Ann Germinaro

Humorous Speech
1st place: David Alexander, Putnam Speaks, club 4839, Speech title: MRI: Magnetic Resonance or Medieval Torture"
1st runner-up: Siva Kuchibhotla, BI Toastmasters, club 7386, Speech title: "My Daydream"

Area A4
TableTopics
1st place: Bruce Cornwell
1st runner-up: Kevin Wortman

Humorous Speech
1st place: Belle Garafola, Barnum Square Toastmasters, club 1701, Speech title: "My Seventh Road Test"
1st runner-up: Tom Shaw, Barnum Square Toastmasters, club 1701, Speech title: "I would die for you, but..."

* UPDATED Friday, Sept.30 - There was a mixup when I typed in this post. I had swapped Area A2 and A4 Humorous winners. The results posted here now match the results announced at the contest meeting.

Special Thanks to all the participants, role players, judges and other contestants.
Other contestants included:
Area A2: Daisy Rodriguez (TT), Ed Rinde (TT & Humorous), David Holschlag (Humorous)
Area A4: Eva Agolli (TT), Karin Benedict (TT)

Looking ahead to the Spring Contests:
WestConn Club Contest, tentative date: March 15 (club deadline:Mar.19)
Area A4 Contest: possible dates: March 22 or 29 (Area deadline:Apr. 8)
Division A Contest: possible dates include April 12, 19 or 26 (Div. deadline:Apr.29)

Presentation Ideas ....

I came across the following ideas that you can use for presentations ....

The Takahashi Method:
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/living_large_ta.html

The [Guy] Kawasaki Method:
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/the_kawasaki_me.html
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/guy_kawasaki_pr.html

General Ideas on Powerpoint slides:
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html

You may notice that they all come from the blog "Presentation Zen" (good catch... you get one brownie point) but I should also tell you where I found out about this blog... on the blog of the marketing master, Seth Godin (see here).

Speak UP!
Dave Wheeler

TableTopics Strategies - using your head to speak on your feet

How can you be prepared to speak without preparation or warning?

Sounds like a classic "no win" situation doesn't it? Or at least an oxymoron.

But if you are a Toastmaster, then you know that there are a number of tactics that you can use as well as skills for impromptu speaking that can be developed.

The following material was presented to WestConn Toastmasters, Club 599, on Sept. 21, 2005 and is a "work-in-progress" (which means that you should not take my word for it, you should try it out and, of course, your comments and suggestions are highly encouraged).

As a Toastmaster district officer, I am not able to participate in the Fall Contests as a Contestant (I am participating as an organizer, contest master and in many other ways). The problem is that I REALLY enjoy the contest process. I find that I am able to stretch my speaking skills beyond their normal capabilities through competition and it is downright exhilarating to win ! (and a pretty exciting "learning experience" if you don't win).

So, instead of competing, I developed this workshop for TableTopic Strategies. The handout will be available on the web (click here for PDF version) and there are a number of references at the bottom of this page that are worth reading.

There are 4 things you need to be successful at TableTopics:
Strategy and Practice, Practice, Practice.

Regular Toastmasters meetings and contests take care of the practice, but there is very little training on the topic of strategy. If you have been with a Toastmaster club for any length of time you have probably learned the "basic" strategies ....
- The Freeze. Say next to nothing until the green light goes on and your time threshold is met.
- The Answer. Simply answer the question. (Usually this creates about two sentences and leaves about 45 seconds left to fill... see also "The Freeze")
- The Redirect. Simply answer another question more to your liking. (This makes it much easier, but for contests and in the true sense of TableTopics it is not usually very satisfying for the audience or the speaker.)

Sometimes you will see a speaker who has advanced beyond the basics. Usually these speakers are 1) well polished, upbeat and relaxed (good delivery on all their speeches - prepared or impromptu), 2) have a wide variety of experiences, knowledge or opinions at their fingertips (easily accessible for any question and 3) can weave a related story and/or make a relevant point based on the table topics question. These advanced speakers have 3 of the strongest tools in their "TableTopics Toolbox".

The key to impromptu speaking is preparation, not just practice. At this point, read through the handout and reference materials and focus on ideas that you want to add to your TableTopics Toolbox!

Handout:
Dave Wheeler's TableTopics Strategies

Reference Materials / Links:
http://www.indoindians.com/tips/survival.htm

Impromptu Strategies
courtesy of www.toastmastersbarrie.org (no longer on their site for some reason)

http://trl-toastmasters.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=267

Club level Contests progress ....

I've heard from a number of clubs in area A4 and it looks like the TableTopics contest will be well represented. A number of clubs are not submitting the full 2 contestants for the Humorous Speech Contest which means an easier road for those that do make it !

Also, Area A2 (who will be participating with us at the Area contest on Sept. 28th) sounds like they are sending a strong contingent to the contest!

It is shaping up to be a great Fall Contest season !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

It is official. Dues increase starting Oct.1

I was just informed that there is a dues increase starting Oct.1 for Toastmasters International. You can read more about the details at:
https://www.toastmasters.org/fupload/media/DuesIncreaseFAQ.pdf

or on the Toastmasters International Home page (scroll down for more info):
https://www.toastmasters.org/

I'm still getting more information, so as soon as I have all the details I will let you know.

(Please keep in mind the value that Toastmasters provides compared to any other alternative... and remind others in your clubs when the dues increase is announced.)

More info soon,

Dave Wheeler

Division A Officer Training Session - Fall 2005 !

Walter Beveridge displays club scheduler software after the Division A officer training session held August 24th in Carmel, NY.

Humorous Speech Contest - Rules & Judging

I've had some people ask about the rules for a Humorous Speech Contest, so I figured I would provide some links that I found useful. Let me know if there are any questions or if you see something that is incorrect.
Speak Up!
Dave Wheeler

Links for Humorous Speech Contest:

http://www.toastofchicago.org/hsrules.htm

http://www.d4tm.org/D4_Events/contest_forms/Humor_Contest_Rules.pdf

Sample Scoring Ballet for Humorous Speech (to give you some insight into how you will be judged):
http://www.district53toastmasters.org/ContestScoring.html#humorous


District 53 Overview of the Contest Schedules & other details:
http://www.district53toastmasters.org/contests.html

Checklists and other documents (useful for anyone running a contest):
http://www.toastmasters-d56.org/doccenter.asp?c=contests

LAST CHANCE Toastmasters Fall Officer Training (Area A4)

I spoke to Anne (President of Socially Speaking Toastmasters) and she has graciously agreed to host the "Last Chance" Fall Officers Training session tomorrow, Wed. August 31, at 8pm in the Brookfield Congregational Church*, Fellowship Hall. This is where Socially Speaking holds their regular meetings and they have agreed to a combined "officer training" / meeting format that should get everyone out by 9:30pm at the very latest.

This will also be an opportunity for some of us to visit another club and meet fellow toastmasters in the area while also picking up some ideas to make your club more fun and more interesting!

I'm looking forward to a great training session and I hope to see you there!

Best Regards,

Dave Wheeler

* Click HERE for a PDF document showing a MapQuest map of the meeting location. Free reader software can be downloaded at www.adobe.com if needed. Please let me know if there are any questions.

Division A Officer Training session successful !

Area A4 was well represented at the Division A Officer Training session by 4 officers from Barnum Square and 2 from WestConn. There were lots of great ideas thrown out at this meeting (and unfortunately I wrote them down on the flip chart and did not take them with me to post here).

We have until August 31st to train at least 4 officers from each club and I will make myself available to train clubs early next week if needed.
Speak UP!
Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Picture from TLI !

Bruce Cornwell with District 53 Governor Paul Young
at Toastmaster Leadership Institute
on Saturday, August 6, 2005

Successful TLI and another opportunity for Training

Toastmasters Leadership Institute was a success for those who attended Saturday August 6th.

I saw Cynthia Slater from Diversity USA and Bruce Cornwell of WestConn Toastmasters there and they both seemed to be enjoying the experience. In fact, Bruce met Paul Young, District 53 Governor 2005-6 and I will upload the picture to this blog soon.

If you missed this training opportunity, there is another one on Wed., August 24th at Guideposts. Hope to see you there!

Dave Wheeler

Free Web Site for Toastmaster clubs ....

If your club does not yet have a web site, you can get one for free through "FreeToastHost.com" (see link below):
http://www.freetoasthost.org/

WestConn Toastmaster has had a website for a number of years and have found that it provides a good impression of the club so that guests feel more comfortable about visiting.

I highly encourage clubs to think about a web site (especially since it is free) and I would be happy to work with you to make something you can be proud of !

Speak UP with Toastmasters!

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Fall Contest Schedules - Table Topics & Humorous

Fall Toastmasters Speech Contests:
Contests: Table Topics & Humorous

Club Contests: (club deadline:Sept.20)

• WestConn, September 7
• Barnum Square, September 13
• Socially Speaking, TBD
• Diversity USA, TBD

Area A4 Contest: Wed. Sept. 28

• To be hosted by WestConn Toastmasters at the Wooster School in Danbury
• Schedule: President's Council Meeting 6pm, Contest Briefings 6:45pm, Contest7:30pm
• Combined with Area A2 since their clubs are in Danbury/Brewster area

Division A Contest: October 19

• To be hosted by WestConn Toastmasters at the Wooster School in Danbury
• Schedule: TBD (evening)

For planning purposes, here are some proposed dates for Spring contests as well as the deadlines for completion:
Spring Contests: Tall Tales & International
Club deadline: Mar.19
Area deadline: Apr. 8
Division deadline: Apr.29

This year is shaping up to be an exciting one for Toastmasters and I appreciate all the support I've been given !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor

Comments Encouraged !!!

I'm not sure if anyone noticed that you can add comments to this blog ... by simply clicking on the comments link below each post.

Your comments can be read by other visitors and this way more ideas / suggestions can be explored among the group !

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Re: Toastmasters Leadership Institute Tips

Arnie,

Thanks for the great ideas! I'm definitely looking forward to TLI on Saturday!

I've also posted your ideas on my Area A4 blog at www.areaA4.blogspot.com so that other Toastmasters can benefit from your suggestions.

See you on Saturday!

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters District 53
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

************************************************
In an email dated 4/8/2005, "Arnie Grot" writes:

Dave:
One of the things a club officer registering for Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) said that would make her TLI experience a great one was "Leadership, Networking Examples and Opportunities."

Her request is one of the benefits of TLI on August 6 if you are open to it.

Toastmasters skills are built on practice. Training offers each member the opportunity to practice leading one very important person - yourself. I offer these two resources for your review to help you to build, practice and enhance your leadership and networking skills at TLI on Saturday.

Leadership -Prepare yourself to get the most from TLI by using this guide
Getting More Out of Toastmaster Conferences

Impromptu Networking (California Job Journal)
Tips on turning chance encounters into contacts.

It offers some networking tips that you can put to into practice networking at TLI.

A more in depth source on networking is "The Power of Meeting New People" by Debra Fine. I recommend reading it. There are many conversation leading questions that would make great Table Topics.

The best tip is to take the initiative and smile, say "Hi, my name is ___________" and extend your right hand in friendship and start conversations.

PLEASE WEAR YOUR TOASTMASTERS BADGE!

Minding the Gap to help train effective leaders in Toastmasters,

Arnie Grot, DTM
District 53 TLI Dean and Training Coordinator

Meeting Theme - PowerQuotes

Club 599's meeting theme on Wed., August 3rd, was "Power Quotes" and the following quotes were provided by the Toastmaster for the evening, Bala Krishnamurthy. They are also listed in the order of the meeting activities / roles so you can use the quotes as transitions for each part of the meeting.

Great work Bala !

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Meeting Theme: The POWER QUOTE

Opening:
Dr. Joyce Brothers:
Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.

'Flatter' guests

Role of the Timer:
Alan Lakein:
Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.

Role of the Aah counter:
Oliver Wendell Holmes:
Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.

Role of the Grammarian:
Mark Twain:
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightening bug.

Role of the Table Topics Master:
Eden Phillpotts:
The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

Role of the General Evaluator:
Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Introduce the Table topics Master:
William Blake:
In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.

TABLE TOPICS SECTION
Rabindranath Tagore:
You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.

Timer's report:
Josh Billings:
Time is like money, the less we have of it to spare the further we make it go.

Aah counter's report:
Dale Carnegie:
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.

Grammarian's report:
Ray Bradbury:
We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.


----------------------------------------- break ------------------------------------------

Speaker 1:
Andrew Jackson:
Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.

Speaker 2:
Lee Iacocca:
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.

Speaker 3:
Stephen King:
The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.

Timer's report:
Michael Althsuler:
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.

Aah counter's report:
Larry King:
I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.

Grammarian's report:
Jim Rohn:
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.

Introduce the General Evaluator:
Winston Churchill:
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

EVALUATION SECTION
Oliver Wendell Holmes:
It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.

OTHER BUSINESS

Meeting Conclusion:
H. Jackson Brown:
Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein (and ToastMasters).

Toastmasters Smedley Award... PR opportunity

Area A4 Club Officers...

The email below from District 53 looks like something that might be of interest for your VP of public relations.

Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help (or if you would like to coordinate some PR between all the area clubs to get more publicity).

Best regards,
Dave Wheeler
Your Toastmasters Area A4 Governor 2005-6
blog: www.areaa4.blogspot.com

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Subj: Day One: Toastmaster's Smedley Award
Date: 1/8/2005 2:40:40 pm GMT Daylight time
From: Roger Brown rogerbrown@mac.com

Toastmasters Smedley Award.
The organization of the first Toastmasters club by Ralph C. Smedley in October 1924 did not make global – or even local – headlines. But your club can make Toastmasters’ anniversary a newsworthy event.

Commemorate the start of the first Toastmasters club by adding five new members to your club during the months of August and September, and your club will receive the commemorative Smedley Award banner ribbon to celebrate its success.

Then promote the occasion. Send a photo of your meeting (action shot, not staged) along with 250-500 words about your club and its upcoming events to local newspapers. Most community and business park newspapers welcome local news.

After the headlines, you’ll be surprised – guests will walk into your next meeting and apply for
membership.

http://www.district53toastmasters.org/marketing.html

Ideas for new Toastmasters Club(s) in Danbury Area

Below are a series of emails between Dave Wheeler and Edina Soboleski, former Area A4 Governor and member of Barnum Square Toastmasters, about some ideas for potential new Toastermasters clubs for Area A4 .

As with all "email strings", it is best if you start reading them from the bottom and work your way up, message by message.

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From: Dave Wheeler Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005
To: "Edina Soboleski" Subject: Re: Toastmasters

Edina,
I'm not exactly sure how we would find a list of DTM, ATM-S & ATM-G, but I will see if I can get the information from the district and I will let you know what I find out!
Dave

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In an email dated 7/25/2005, "Edina Soboleski" writes:

Dave, You can post it. I don't have a problem with ATM-S but I think that it has to be kept to a real tough standard because after you get your DTM there is not as much motivation but we still need to speak & be evaluated or we lose our skills.

Is there any way of determining how many DTM, ATM-G & ATM-S, we have in the area - not Toastmasters definition of area, a radius of x # of miles. It might be an opportunity to get old Toastmasters to return. I've been working on virtual Chapters in another association that I belong to for about 7 - 8 years. I think it's a great idea but I couldn't seem to get it off the ground. I couldn't find a large corp. who would support me with the technology.
Edina
Interim Service Executives
Source For Temporary Service Professionals

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From: Dave Wheeler Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005
To: "Edina Soboleski" Subject: Re: Toastmasters

Edina,
Yes, I expect any new club would count toward the numbers (assuming it got over 20 members). Do you think there are enough ATM-G in the Danbury area to create a full-fledged club? Maybe if ATM-S were included ...as "probational members" perhaps... there could be a larger pool of potential members.

Another idea I've been kicking around (which may or may not be related) is to create a "virtual club" which would have [at least some of] their meetings via conference calls and web video hookups. This would help the members learn a new communication medium which is becoming more common in the corporate world.

I ran the virtual club idea past Toastmasters International (via Rich Couture, past District 53 governor) and they said that a club would still require [at least some form of] "in person" meetings. Our Division Governor this year (Karin) works for IBM so we might have some help with the technology.

I'm not sure if this idea overlaps with the ATM-G club idea, but it seems like both ideas could be most attractive to advanced toastmasters.

What do you think? Would you mind if I post your idea (via a transcript of this email) to my web log to see if we can get comments from others?
Best Regards,
Dave Wheeler

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In an email dated 7/24/2005 "Edina Soboleski" writes:

Dave,
Does an advanced(name?) club count towards your numbers? There are a few of us who would like a club for ATM-G's, if we have enough in the Area. We talked about meeting monthly at the Holiday Inn in Danbury.
What do you think?
Edina
Interim Service Executives
Source For Temporary Service Professionals

The Leadership Vector (Toastmaster speech by DW)

I gave the speech on The Leadership Vector on July 6th and wrote about it on my other blog, Write On!, which is located here:
http://theshot92.blogspot.com/2005/07/leadership-vector.html

Hopefully this is of interest to my fellow Toastmasters !

Speak Up!

Dave Wheeler

High Performance Leadership & President's Council Started

Finally, I signed up my first mentor for HPL (WestConn's immediate past president, Lee Steuber) and mentioned the idea of a "President's Council" for Area A4.

WestConn's current and past presidents both felt that such a council would help bring the clubs in the area closer together (and make it easier for people to branch out and attend other clubs to get a broader Toastmasters experience).

Area A4 Update - Area/Div.Contest planning, TLI & blog promotion

Here is a quick update from Area A4...

I met (informally) with the officers of WestConn Toastmasters at their meeting last night (7-20-05). They are open to hosting the Area contest as well as the Division Contest and I will post the dates once their president, Bruce Cornwell, confirms availability with Wooster School (where the club meets).

I promoted attendance at Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) in Hartford on August 6th and got a fairly positive reaction. I will follow up with an email next week as a reminder.

Finally, I mentioned this blog (as a tool for communication with all the clubs in Area A4 ). It can be accessed via the web at www.AreaA4.blogspot.com (as you probably know if you are reading these words). The blog is a combination of Toastmaster details and things of interest to me (as a Toastmaster). I encourage everyone to let me know what you think. (You can even add comments online .... see link below this post.)

That's it for now.

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor

Division A Officers Training, Wed.Aug.24, 7-9pm

The Division A officers training will take place on Wednesday, August 24, 7pm-9pm, at Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel, NY 10512

Guideposts is the meetings place of the Putnam Speaks club.

Directions can be found on Putnam Speaks' website: http://putnamspeaks.freetoasthost.com/directions.html

Also planning to attend is Will Ryan, a DTM and Lt. Governor - Marketing for District 53 Toastmasters. I've met him at the executive team meeting and area governor training and he brings plenty of enthusiasm and experience to Toastmasters.

Where do we go from here?

Ever wonder what is your own personal "next level"? What is going to happen next in your life?

I read a blog recently (link here) that got me thinking about how this idea applies to Toastmasters and, in particular, why having a "next level" keeps the Toastmaster experience fun!

For a Toastmaster, there are many such turning points or "next levels".

In the beginning of your Toastmaster experience the "next level" is pretty obvious. For example, if you are a guest visiting a Toastmaster club, the next level is membership. If you've just joined, the next level is your first speech, "The IceBreaker". From there you can progress at your own speed through the CTM manual (CTM ="Competent ToastMaster").

As you get to the end of the manual you come to a decision point. Do you work on an advanced manual and your ATM designation ("Advanced ToastMaster") or do you serve as an officer of your club and develop your leadership skills (and move toward achieving your CL designation for "Competent Leader")? You could even go back and re-do the CTM speeches again to improve your skills.

Your options expand as you progress in Toastmasters. You can work toward advanced designations (ATM-Silver, DTM which is Distinguished ToastMaster), serve in various officer roles, serve as part of the District ToastMaster team (as Area Governor, Division Governor, District Officer) or volunteer to organize various ToastMaster events such as the Toastmaster Leadership Institute (training) or a Speechathon.

The opportunities are nearly endless ... and I haven't even begun to talk about the speech contests and the incredible experience you get from participating.

I hope you are thinking about what you want to get out of Toastmasters and what "the next level" means to you! Reach out for your next challenge and Toastmasters will make it worth your while !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor
Greater Danbury, CT
District 53

Serving the following Toastmaster clubs: (click on the names for further information)
Barnum Square Toastmasters, Bethel, CT
WestConn Toastmasters, Danbury, CT (meetings at Wooster School Library)
Diversity USA, downtown Danbury
Socially Speaking, Brookfield, CT

Welcome to Toastmasters Area A4 of District 53 !

Greetings !

This blog is being set up by Dave Wheeler for all the Toastmaster clubs in Area A4.

For those of you that are not familar with blogs (or weblogs as they are also known), a blog is like a cross between a web page and newspaper or personal journal. Many people use blogs as a personal journal or diary while other people use it more like a series of articles or a regular column in a newspaper. This blog is intended to be like a column ... that also provides news and information (also like a newspaper).

A blog does not have to cost anything since there are a number of free host companies. This blog is hosted by blogger.com which is part of Google.

A blog is also very easy to use. You can sign in to blogger.com, set up a blog and be posting in a matter of minutes with the simple, menu driven website. You can also blog via email by simply writing your "post" in an email and sending it to the appropriate address (the address is found in the "Settings" section once you've signed in at blogger.com).

I hope this blog will help improve the communications within Area A4 as well as improve the connection our clubs have with District 53 as well as Division A.

Let me know if there are any questions !

I can be reached via email at theshot92@aol.com !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Toastmasters Area A4 Governor
Greater Danbury, CT
District 53

Serving the following Toastmaster clubs: (click on the names for further information)
Barnum Square Toastmasters, Bethel, CT
WestConn Toastmasters, Danbury, CT (meetings at Wooster School Library)
Diversity USA, downtown Danbury
Socially Speaking, Brookfield, CT