Nominations for Area A4 Governor, 2006-7

Greetings Area A4 Toastmasters,

My term as Area A4 Governor will be ending on June 30th, 2006 and we need to nominate someone to fill the role for the next (Toastmaster) year which runs from July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007.

If we can identify a candidate (or two or three), I would like to present them at the Area Leadership Council Meeting prior to the Area Spring Contest on March 29th. This way we can all be in agreement on the name that we present to the district as our next Area Governor.

Selecting the next Area Governor by the end of March will also give me a chance to help make the transition smoother and easier for them.

There is one other reason I want to find the next Area A4 Governor... I've been nominated for Division A Governor for next year. (This is a district level position which means that we need to keep track of the proxy vote forms that Toastmasters International sends to the clubs and submit them at the Spring Conference.)

Please send me your nominations (or the name of the person you would like to see as the next Area Governor). This year has been a great experience for me and I'm sure it will be for the next Area Governor as well.

Talk to you soon!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

(Plus, being a district officer or Area Governor is also one of the requirements toward your AL award and eventually DTM ! )

Dates for Area and Division Contests !

Here is the information on the Area A2 and Area A4 Spring Contests (we are having a joint area contest with A2 & A4).
Date: Wed. March 29th, 2006
Time: 7:30pm (contestants and judges should arrive around 7pm)
Host Club: WestConn Toastmasters
Location: Library at Wooster School, Danbury
Directions: Available at www.westconntoastmasters.org

Important Note: There will be a brief meeting of the Area A4 Leadership Council at 6:15pm on March 29th (prior to the Contest) to discuss plans for remainder of 2006 and ideas for the next Area Governor. Any current or past club officers in Area A4 are encouraged to attend and give their feedback on the direction of Area A4.

Division A Spring Contest:
Date: Wed. April 19th, 2006
Time: 7:30pm (contestants and judges should arrive around 7pm)
Host Club: WestConn Toastmasters
Location: Library at Wooster School, Danbury
Directions: Available at www.westconntoastmasters.org

Let me know if there are any questions (or if I missed anything.)

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Why would someone want to be an Area Governor?

Why would someone want to be an Area Governor?

Or, "who wants to take over the mess that I've started?"

Seriously though, it really is a great opportunity and I would highly recommend considering it as part of your Toastmaster experience. Whether or not you move on to other District offices is up to you, but I'm sure you will get alot out of the job.

And don't just take my word for it .... check out this link from District 57 (found it on the web).

http://toastmastersd57.com/New_Website/documents/benefits.pdf

Let me know if you are interested !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

2006 Regional Conference info ...

For anyone entering the international speech contest, this is where you will go after you win the district 53 contest (let's be optimistic!)
(For those that forgot, it goes... club >>> area >>> division >>> district >>> region >>> intl.)

2006 Region VII Conference - Believe It! And Achieve It!
Hosted By: District 46, “Experience the Difference”
The Date: June 16-17, 2006
The Place: Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center
2 Meadowlands Plaza, East Rutherford, New Jersey
The Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center is conveniently located eight miles from Midtown Manhattan (NYC). Nestled in the heart of the Meadowlands area, we are also only 15 minutes from Newark Liberty Airport (EWR).

MAKE YOUR ROOM RESERVATIONS NOW -
Call the Sheraton Meadowlands Room Reservations by 5:00pm, May 26, 2006 for the Special Toastmasters Room Rate of $129.00 plus tax per night single/double occupancy (subject to availability). Call directly 1-800-325-3535 (Must mention Toastmasters International to guarantee the quoted rate).

For more on-line information about the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel, visit their web site
at http://www.Sheraton.com/meadowlands/ When booking on-line please use Code 795D5

Conference Chair: International Director, Rodger D. Baker, DTM <Mrbear1@erols.com>
Co-Conference Chair: Rose Martino-Gerhard, DTM, PDG46 <Rmartino-gerhard@juno.com>
Educational Chair: Neal Gerhard, DTM, PDG46 <Nealpdg46@verizon.net>
Note: Coming soon, Conference Registration Form, Educational Programs, & Conference Agenda. Look for updates on the District 46 Web Site - http://www.46toast.org

New Club Web Sites in Area A4!

Diversity USA and Socially Speaking now have club web pages!

Congratulations!

Check out their sites at:

http://diversityusa.freetoasthost.com

and

http://sociallyspeaking.freetoasthost.com/

Tall Tale Example # 2 ... Birth of a Legend !

Here is another example of a Tall Tale. This is one that I used to win our club contest and then lost (due to being over the allotted time) at the Area Contest.

Title: Birth of a legend !
by Dave Wheeler, WestConn Toastmasters, Club 599

[pause]

The rain came down in sheets. It pelted the window of Santa Ana Memorial Hospital and clouds darkened the sky. Lightning struck so close that it seemed like it was inside the room. The thunder roared and in the next second a baby boy was born. The clouds parted and a rainbow appeared.

It was October 1, 1924 when Charles T. Masters was brought into the lives of his parents, Mr. A.T. Masters and Ms. Ima Mentor. Charles was delivered by none other than Dr. Ralph Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters International.

When the doctor held up the newborn boy and slapped his bottom, he did not cry out like a normal baby. Instead he said, “Thank you Doctor, Father, fellow babies and of course, honored mother.”

As he grew, he was drawn to public speaking.

As a toddler living in Santa Ana, California, he would listen at the door of the speakers club meetings and when they came out for a break, he would sell them hot, crispy bread as a snack. This is how Charles T. Masters got his nickname, “Toast”. From then on he was know as Charles “Toast” Masters.

Conflict / Challenge:
Of course, Toast’s life was not without hardships. His mother died when he was 3 and a few years later, his father married a strict, older woman with dark red hair named. Adelai T. Bronze. After the wedding, Mrs. A. T. Masters-Bronze, as she was now know, proceeded to take over the Masters household and make life very tough for Toast.

Adie really did not like seeing Toast happy. Every time he would talk, she would lock him in his room and tell him to be quiet. Toast had to whisper speeches that he wrote so his stepmother would not hear him .... like “I have a dream”.

Toast had to figure out other ways to speak so that his stepmother would not punish him. One way was to work parts of a speech into everyday conversations. At dinner, his stepmother would say, “Pass the potatoes!” to which Toast would reply, “I regret that I have but one potato to give for my family.”

He looked for any opportunity to speak.

When he went to school, he was selected to give the morning announcements ... “The first part of the school day will include impromptu speaking in the hallways, while the second third of the school day will included prepared works. The last third of the school day we will get our report cards and evaluations.”

His voice was so passionate and emotionally compelling that every time he did the announcements the school nurse’s office would end up with at least 2 or 3 girls that had swooned at the sound of his voice. Eventually the nurse figured out that on days that Toast was speaking she had to stock up on smelling salts!

Toast studied hard and was selected Valedictorian of his high school class. As graduation approached, he would practice his valedictory speech underwater in the pool so that his stepmother would not hear him. “Thank you principal LaffMaster, “

When graduation day came, Toast strode up to the stage. He gave such a stirring commencement speech about his struggles growing up … becoming a good student, a great speaker and a solid citizen … that the ceremony had to be stopped so people could get extra tissues to wipe away the tears in their eyes.

His stepmother was the only one at graduation who did not weep from the speech. She held it all in and the pressure inside her head turned her hair completely white by the end of his speech. From that point on, she was know as Mrs. A.T. Masters – Silver.


Of course you know how this story ends ....

Toast went on to found Speaking clubs around the world and win contests in every category imaginable.

He passed away a couple years ago, but the legend of “Toast” Masters says that, when the moon is full, like it is tonight, and there is a speech contest going on, like we have here tonight, his spirit will enter the room and place a dollar bill in the pocket of the contestant that he feels should win.

[take out dollar]

Mr. Contest Master.

Tall Tales Contest example ... The Legend of C.T. Masters

With the Tall Tales contest coming up, I figured that some other Toastmasters might like to see an example. The speech below was one that I gave in 2004.

Title: My Lifelong Pursuit . . . in a 3-5 minute speech. or, "The Legend of C.T.Masters"
By: Dave Wheeler, WestConn Toastmasters, Club 599

Legend has it that there is an amazing speaker out there.

His BOOMING VOICE can rattle the walls and command his audience’s attention [pause] or he can pull you into his speech with a silky smooth whisper.

A speaker who can make his audience shiver by describing a snowball being put down your back
. . . make them sweat by describing the feeling of sun beaming down on the hot, humid August day.

As an evaluator of other speakers he is always PRECISE, CONCISE, and, simply put, oh so NICE.


I’ve spent ALL MY LIFE searching the ends of the earth for this elusive speaker and 5 years ago I came “this close” to finding him.

Records at various Toastmaster clubs showed that he had swam to Antartica, organized and mentored a new Toastmaster Club and was in the process of carving a fully functional seaplane out of ice for his trip back to civilization.

I immediately spent my life savings to charter a jet and fly to the South Pole but by the time I got there, he was gone.

All I found was some ice chips, a bunch of very well-spoken penguins, and . . . part of his name badge !

I was so close I could almost here the echos of his last speech! But now I had his initials, C. T. M.!

I just HAD to figure out how to find him and hear him speak.

Passion:
Further research found that he speaks with such PASSION and conviction that women, small children and some household pets have been know to get weak in the knees from the excitement.

Based on this ability to touch the hearts and souls of his audience, I knew he would eventually visit the T/M Club at the Mayo Clinic so I went there late last year.

Their club records indicated that he had visited them just two weeks before and his Table Topic speech was so PROFOUND and INCREDIBLE that a young lady passed out even before the yellow light came on.

Luckily, she was scheduled to have her appendix removed that day and when she awoke her appendix had been removed and she had saved $2000 on anesthesia!

I could not find in the club records whether or not C.T.M. performed the operation or just assisted.

Of course I was too late again, but I did find another piece of the puzzle.
He had signed the guest book!

Name:
He signed in as C. T. Masters. Some of the people told me that the C. stood for “Charlie”, others said “Cecil”. The native American Toastmasters called him “Cheveyo” while Swahili tribesmen T/M knew him as “Chumbalumba-ma-hatma-gooby”. His first name remains a mystery, but everyone agreed on what the “T” stood for . . . . . “Toast”.

C.T. “Toast” Masters. I know I was getting close !

Narrowed my search:
Now I’ve looked all over the world to find this elusive speaker and my research has narrowed down his whereabouts. He is definitely in the Northern Hemisphere . . . .In the NorthEast United States !

My search has also shown that often attends Contest meetings! . . . [look at map & Contest page]

He could be in this very room !

C.T. “Toast” Masters . . . Are you out there?

If you are out there . . . . I will find you !

Rob Ferrucci, one of the featured speakers of the evening, presents a leadership speech on Recruiting at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Tony Lombardi calls to order the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Dianne Smigala, one of the featured speakers for the evening, speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Bruce Cornwell speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Dave Wheeler, Area A4 Governor and Club Coach, speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Guests get a chance to try their speaking skills at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Don Loccoco, the TableTopics Master for the evening, checks his notes at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Croix Sather speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Anne Swartout speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.

Anne Foster, Club President and the Toastmaster for the evening's meeting, speaks at the January 25, 2006 meeting of Socially Speaking Toastmasters in Brookfield, CT. Socially Speaking Toastmasters meets on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the downstairs meeting room at the Brookfield Congregational Church, 160 Whisconier Rd., at the Intersection of Routes 25 and 133.