Are you "Linked In"?

The Spring Conference is now on Linked IN !

Date: 5/03/2010
Subject: LinkedIn Event: District 53 Toastmasters Spring 2010 Conference
Roger H Brown found District 53 Toastmasters Spring 2010 Conference on LinkedIn Events and thought you might be interested in going!

http://events.linkedin.com/District-53-Toastmasters-Spring-2010/pub/311315

District 53 Toastmasters Spring 2010 Conference
Sat, May 22
St. Thomas Seminary Conference Facility, Bloomfield, CT, US

Spring Conference 2010...

The Early Bird Deadline is May 1st... so get your registration sent in (or register online at http://www.district53toastmasters.org/).

Check out the video by the conference team...




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmc9tFp7Qi8

Promote Your Club online ... and earn $ towards Spring Conference!

Subject:
Promote Your Club online ... and earn $ towards Spring Conference!

Greetings District 53 Toastmasters !

The D53 Sr.Team (Karin, Marsha and myself) have been thinking about what types of actions would help clubs boost membership and one key area that we see many clubs missing is their "Online Presence".

Over the past few years we have improved the number of clubs who have web sites (which definitely helps) but few are taking advantage of some of the other PR avenues online such as Craigslist or Backpage.

Here is the BIG NEWS....
To encourage clubs to place their meeting information online, we have created a way for each club in district 53 to get a $5 discount toward registration at the upcoming D53 Spring Conference on April 25th by putting their meeting information on just 3 sites.

We have created a half-page, double-sided flyer with more details, including step-by-step directions that can be downloaded by clicking here or the link below.http://www.notewordy.com/PDFs/SprintProgram09-OnlinePR_half-pg-flyer.pdf

Only one discount per club will be awarded so be sure to get your club listed online soon and send an email with your links to the address in the flyer. Submissions for the discount are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Our goal is to increase the visibility of every local Toastmasters club in our district (while also encouraging them to attend the Spring conference). The timing of this promotion should also help clubs increase membership as they enter the next "Sprint Program" in February & March ( Talk Up Toastmasters).

What about Closed Clubs?
We thought about that too. Since closed clubs can only draw from a particular company it does not make sense for them to put their meeting info. on these 3 internet sites... but we have a related idea for how they could earn a $5 discount to the Spring Conference as well. Details about this addition to the Online Promo will be announced on Jan.26.

We look forward to seeing many new guests at your Toastmasters club in the next couple months !

Let me know if you have any questions.

Dave Wheeler
D53 LGM, 2008-9
Be The Change You Want To See !

Call for Spring Conference Keynote and C&L Award Recommendations

From:
Nathan.B.Jaycox [at] dom.com

Subject:
Call for Spring Conference Keynote and C&L Award Recommendations

Hello All District 53 officers and volunteers!

First, I hope you all are having a good New Year so far and have come back refreshed instead of stressed from the holidays!

Second, we are looking for recommendations for a Keynote Speaker for the District 53 Spring Conference on April 25th, 2008. If any of you know of someone, please email me to pass along their name and a little bit about them.
IMPORTANT: Once the recommendations are received, the conference committee will decide who to extend the invitation to based on a number of different factors. Do not extend the invitation to them yourselves!

Third, we are also looking for recommendations for a high profile
individual working in the communications area (but is not a Toastmaster), preferably from the Division C geographical territory, that could be considered for the annual District 53 Communications and Leadership Award that will also be given out at the District 53 Spring Conference on April 25th, 2008. If any of you know of someone, please email me their name and a little bit about them.

Thank you so much for your help.

Sincerely,

Nathan Jaycox
District 53 Conference Tri-Chair
Millstone Toastmasters Club

Spring Conference Pictures....

Division A's own, Carmine Coco De Young became known as "The Chicken Lady" thanks to her excellent Tall Tale speech at the Spring '08 conference.

Carmine is shown being interviewed on stage prior to the announcement of the Tall Tales contest winners.

Carmine is shown accepting her trophy for 2nd runner-up in the Tall Tales contest from (l-r) Marsha Kiley (LGM), Karin von Kaenel (LGET) and Will Ryan, district Governor.

Doug Comstock, winner of the Tall Tales contest, accepts his award from the Sr. Team.

Doug's speech featured a story about a homemade helicopter ... and lots of humor !

District 53 elects next year's team...

At the District 53 business meeting yesterday, the following were elected...

Div. A Governor, 2008-9, Alison Easton

Lt.Gov.-Marketing, 2008-9, Dave Wheeler

Lt.Gov.- Educ.& Training, 08-09,
Marsha Kiley

District Governor, '08-09,
Karin von Kaenel

There may also be an additional Division Governor with a connection to Div.A... but more on that once it is confirmed!

In contest news....
Div. A's Carmine Coco De Young took home 2nd runner-up in the Tall Tales contest behind Bill Miranda (Div.D) and winner Doug Comstock (Div.B).

In the International Speech Contest, Nana Danso won 1st place against some strong competition. Nana will now move on to the Regional Contest in Maryland (near Washington, DC) on June 27-28. Click here for registration materials! (Be sure to request the less-expensive $105/night room rate... NOT the TM rate of $135 if you call for a hotel reservation.)

Special note... 3 people from this year's Div.A "Battle of the Border" event took home trophies. Carmine (Tall Tales), Bill Miranda (Tall Tales) and Marv Cross (2nd Runner-up Intl.). In addition, Nana would have been at the Battle of the Border... but he had schedule his speech at another club's meeting which conflicted with the rescheduled BotB. So we almost had 4 winners... I will have to see how Cassandra (from Div.G, D46) did in her contest!

Special thanks to the Spring '08 Conference team for an excellent, well-run event.

The "I [heart] Toastmasters" bumper stickers were a nice touch too ... if you look closely in the picture above you can see it in the back window of my car!
(More Pictures coming soon!)

Starting to think about the next conference?

Have all the club and area contests got you thinking about the upcoming Spring Conference?



Barbara Neumann of the IBM Poughkeepsie Speechmakers club sent us some photos from the Fall '07 Conference (hosted by Division A) they are posted here to remind us of all the fun we had !

Thanks Barbara !!

Pictures (from top)...


Photo 1: Registration Chair Janice Parker at the registration table.


Photo 2: (l-r) Ozgur Turkmen (Area A3 Governor), Dave Wheeler (Div.A Governor), Janice Parker (Area A5 Governor & Registration Chair)








Photo 3: (l-r) Croix Sather (conference emcee aka "Mr.Energy"), Will Ryan (District 53 Governor), Susanna Opper




Photo 4: (below - right):
Kristin Nicholson giving her evening presentation on the main stage.




Photo 5 (below):




(l-r) Deanna Dunn, Patrick Meaney, Kristin Nicholson (Intl. Director), Barbara Neumann on stage in front of the "Dare to Believe" logo!











Higher resolution versions of these photos can be downloaded by clicking the "Photo #" (linked text) above.


Photo hosting provided by http://www.notewordy.com/

Division A Contest Schedule of Events

Spring Schedule of Contests in Div.A....

Area A5 Contest will be held at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday 4/1

Ulrich Conference Room in Dyson Building,

Contest starts shortly after Area A1 contest. Contact your area governor for estimated

start time or just show up at 6pm and be there for both contests!

Area A4 Contest will be held at the Stony Hill Firehouse in Bethel, CT on Tuesday 4/1
59 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801 (click here for a map.)

Contestants, Judges & other roles at 6pm for briefings

Contest starts at 7pm

Area A3 Contest will be held at the Gardnertown (NY) United Methodist Church on Tues. 4/1,
7pm contestants, judges & other roles, 7:30 start
(also hosting the Div.A contest... see below for address)

Area A2 Contest will be held at Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel NY.
Hosted by Putnam Speaks Toastmasters on Wed. April 2nd.
7pm contestants, judges & other roles, 7:30 start

Area A1 Contest will be held at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday 4/1

Ulrich Conference Room in Dyson Building,

Contestants, Judges & other roles at 6:00 p.m.

The Division A contest is in New York state this time !

DAY/DATE: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
TIME: Contestants, Judges & Roles at 7:00pm
Contest starts at 7:30pm
PLACE: Gardnertown United Methodist Church
1191 Union Ave., Newburgh, NY 12550
(click the linked text above for a map)

Next...

Battle of the Border 2 - The return of District 46 April 24th
Div.A winners & runner-ups compete against other Divisions and even contestants from another District in this repeat of last year's great event!
Date: Thursday, April 24th in the "Big ROOM" at the Ridgefield (CT)
Library with stage, lights & sound system to create a
"District-level" contest atmosphere!
Time: Contestants & role players arrive at 7pm, contest starts shortly after.

Culminating in ...
District 53 Spring Conference & Contests! May 17th
The Delaney House, Holyoke, MA
Sat. May 17th, 2008
more info. on the conference - click here !
Keep an eye on the Div.A blog for more details about a bus trip to the conference from Div.A - http://www.areaa4.blogspot.com/

Please keep in mind that this year, clubs in areas with 4 or fewer clubs can send TWO contestants to the area for each contest (4 contestants total). And, since all clubs in Div.A have 4 or fewer... more members get to experience the excitement of taking your club speech to the area level !

And don't forget about the trophies .... it would be great if there were no leftover trophies this contest season ! Please encourage all your members to consider a contest speech!

Dave Wheeler
Div.A Governor, 2006-8

Possible Bus Trip from Div. A to Spring Conference !

Greetings A-Team !

Did you enjoy the Fall conference? Do you know of any members that heard about it but regretted not being able to attend?

What if there was a way that they didn't have to drive all the way to Holyoke, MA to attend the upcoming Spring conference on May 17th?

Mike LaFountain (over in Area A3) has offered to put together a bus trip to the Spring Conference (assuming we have enough interest).

The trip would include transportation from Div.A, an overnight stay at a hotel near the conference on Friday night and transportation back at the end of the conference (late Sat.night).

His initial investigation was that the hotels closest to the conference were rather expensive ($180/night?) so he is hoping to find something "close enough" ... but more reasonably priced. (If he has a whole bus load... we might be able to get a group discount!)

He estimates that the overall trip price (not including conference registration) would be around $150-200 and given the price of gas and hotels, that sounds like a pretty good deal.

Which brings me to my request ... Please send an email to your Division or Area Governor to let us know how many people from your club are definitely interested in participating in this bus trip?

Please leave your comments on this blog and we will total them up and give Mike a number to work with by March 15th.

If you have ever carpooled to a Toastmasters event, I'm sure you know that the ride can be as much fun as the event !

If there are any questions... please me know.

Thanks,

Dave Wheeler

Div.A Governor, 2006-8

On Fri, Feb 22, 2008 at 11:35 PM,

Michael LaFountain wrote:

Dave,

Regarding the bus trip to Holyoke, can you please enquire of the other Division A clubs (I don't have all of the emails) and ask for ballpark numbers?

I'd like to have an idea by say March 15th at the latest. No one will need to commit until I get exact prices. I'm estimating that transportaion and lodging will run between $150 and $200. I was thinking maybe you could
ask the Area Governors to ask their Clubs and then get back to you, then you can get back to me.

I think we should make an effort to show them how good Division A is.

Mike

Mark Your Calendar....Spring D53 Conference!

Don't miss the District 53 Spring 2008 Conference!
Featuring the International and Tall Tales Speech Contests
and District Officer elections!

When: Saturday, May 17, 2008

Where: The Delaney House

3 Country Club Rd.
Holyoke, MA 01040

Phone: (413) 532-1800

Adjacent hotel accommodations at the Country Inn & Suites in Holyoke, MA for out-of-town or over-night guests.

Economical hotel accommodations are available at the Clarion Hotel in West Springfield, MA.

Reservations must be made before April 16, 2008.

Website:

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

Directions:

http://www.delaneyhouse.com/directions.htm

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Delaney+House+,&near=Holyoke,+MA

Host: Toastmasters of Division E

Michelle DeDominicis, DTM
Spring Conference Co-Chair
email: spr53conference@district53toastmasters.org

Frank Fassano, CC

Spring Conference Co-Chair
email: spr53conference@district53toastmasters.org

Mike Finn, ACG, CL

Division E Governor
email: divE53@district53toastmasters.org

The "baton" (or is it "snowball") is passed...

The Fall 07 Conference team officially (but reluctantly) passes the "baton" to the Spring 08 team.

If we can offer one word of advice... keep smiling!

Leading a conference is alot of fun (alot of work too) but it will go by fast and you will miss it when you are done.

You may have seen some of the videos that we had for the Fall conference and I did not want the Spring Conference team to feel left out so I created the video (see below).

Before you click on the video below, here is the "backstory" to the video...

The Fall 07 conference was over and the weather was getting cold.

With the first snowfall, Bruce Cornwell and Colleen Yarter (Fall Co-chairs) had to find something to fill the 80 hours per week they had put into the conference so they were building the traditional post-conference snowman.

(You will see that Bruce even gave it a red scarf ... he felt it looked like a conference volunteer.)

Conference Emcee & resident EnergyMeister, Croix Sather, stopped by to say that he enjoyed being the Toastmaster for the
conference that he wanted to do it again in the Spring.

[Editor's note: this part, like most of the "backstory" is fiction. I did not ask Croix but it makes for a good story.]

Bruce and Colleen disagreed and told him that he should give someone else a chance for "Stage Time, Stage Time, Stage Time".

Croix went off in a "Hrumpff"....

... now you are ready to click on the link below to see what kind of trouble Croix started (and what trouble he gets into) !

Click here !!!

To the Spring 08 team...Enjoy the process and we wish everyone a happy holiday season !

Dave Wheeler
Div.A Governor, 2006-8
(self-appointed Conference SmileMaster)

P.S. You may ask... Where was Dave during all this tomfoolery??? He is usually right in the middle of it ... well, who do you think was filming it!?!

Time to Register for District 53 Leadership Summit

From:
Roger Brown, D53 Webmaster and PDG
Date: Apr 18, 2007 12:35 PM

Subject:
Registration for District 53 Leadership Summit & Spring Conference

Toastmasters,

NOW is the time to register for the D53 annual Spring Conference.

2007 Leadership Summit ... Leveraging Your Speaking Advantage

May 19, 2007 * Sheraton Hartford Hotel, East Hartford, CT

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

__ Full Pass Registration - $85.00 - postmarked on or before May 5th

Includes: Continental Breakfast, All Educational Sessions, Tall Tales Speech Contest, Luncheon Buffet and C&L Award, International Director's Address, Dinner Banquet and International Speech Contest.

__ Day Pass Registration - $60.00 - postmarked on or before May 5th

Includes: Continental Breakfast, All Educational Sessions, Tall Tales Speech Contest, Luncheon Buffet and C&L Award, International Director's Address

__ Evening Pass Registration - $45.00 - postmarked on or before May 5th

Includes: Dinner Banquet and International Speech Contest.

Review the Spring 07 Leadership Summit Activities and Agenda

http://www.district53toastmasters.org/conferences3.html

Print and Complete your Registration Form for the Spring 2007 Leadership Summit

http://www.district53toastmasters.org/spr07registration.pdf

If necessary, download the latest version of Adobe Reader – Free.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Extra Incentive for Spring Conference....

This just in .... An EXTRA Incentive ....
The 1st 100 people who register for the Spring Conference will be entered in a drawing for a Box Set of David Brooks CD's!

David Brooks was the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking and has been a featured speaker at the "Night of Champions" events that have been held in District 53 !

Check out his website ... click here! He also has "Free Resources for Toastmasters"... check them out here!

Click here to register for the Spring Conference !
The early-bird registration price must be postmarked by April 1st !!!!