Re: Charter for Cartus Magnus !

IT'S OFFICIAL !

CHECK OUT THE Toastmasters International website:

http://www.toastmasters.org/dpr/dprReports.asp?r=4&d=53

Congratulations to Cartus Magnus Toastmasters !

And a BIG THANKS to all the people who helped get them started !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Regional Conference Info

For immediate release to all Toastmasters

The International Speech contests have been completed at the Division level and will proceed to District 53 Conference on May 13th in Wallingford, CT. Next month, the International contest climbs a level higher to the Region 7 Conference on June 16-17th in East Rutherford, NJ. Region 7 information is included in this email message.

The International Speech competition culminates at the Toastmasters International Convention. The convention will be held in August 2006 in Washington, DC and at that convention, 10 speakers representing 8 Regions and 2 "overseas" contestants will vie for the title of
"World Champion of Public Speaking."

2006 Region VII Conference
Hosted By: District 46
The Date: June 16-17, 2006
Website for the Region VII Conference: http://r7conf.tripod.com/
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/ and to book a room on-line go to the Hotel web link for the 2006 Region VII Toastmaster Intl.

Conference Registration: Discounts apply if your Registration form is complete and postmarked by May 22, 2006. The Conference Registration Form is online at http://www.geocities.com/distinguished_29/registration2006.pdf

Preliminary Conference Agenda:
Meet and greet Immediate Past President of Toastmasters International, Jon Greiner, DTM

Friday: Educational Workshops, Social Hour, Fun Night and Dinner; Humorous Showcase (See the top Humorous Speakers from Region VII)

Saturday: Past District Governors (PDG) Breakfast, Educational Seminars and Workshops, Communication and Leadership Awards Luncheon, Region VII Business Meeting, Banquet & International Speech Contest (semi-finals) Area & Division Governor Training and District Treasurer & PRO Training Candidates Corner (Greet the candidates for International Director)

Educational Programs:

• "Energize, Educate, and Entertain Your Audience" by Ed Tate, ATMB, Toastmasters International 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking
  
• "Evaluate with Excellence" by Jim Heeren, DTM, PDG-45
  
• "Developing Your Leadership Skills in Toastmasters" by Jim Kokocki, DTM - Past International Director 2002-2004
  
• "YOU Can Make A Difference - The Power Of The Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program" by Heike Estey, DTM
  
• "What Every Trainer Should Know-"A Train The Trainer" Workshop" by Sandy Schussel, CTM
  
• "Goal Setting: Finding the Direct Line from Point A to point B" by Catina Payne, ATM-S/CL
  
• "Leadership and You" by Fran Gedra Greene, DTM Past International Director
  
• “Using Improv Techniques to Help You Become a Better Speaker” by The World Class Indifference Improv Comedy Team

Region VII Conference Chairs:
Conference Chair: International Director, Rodger D. Baker, DTM
Co-Conference Chair: Rose Martino-Gerhard, DTM, PDG46
Educational Chair: Neal Gerhard, DTM, PDG46

Look for updates on the Region VII Conference Web Site - http://r7conf.tripod.com/

Fwd: Double Digit New Member Growth

Congratulations to WestConn Toastmasters .... 11 new members

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roger Brown <rogerbrown@mac.com>
Date: Apr 24, 2006 12:56 AM
Subject: Double Digit New Member Growth

Based on the Mid-April 2006 Performance Report

The AVERAGE TOASTMASTER CLUB has added 6.5 NEW Members Since Jul 1, 2005

The following list Recognizes Clubs in District 53 that have

DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH in NEW Members! Congratulations!

Please Tell Us. How Do You Do It?

What is Your Secret To Successful Growth?

AREA CLUB # CLUB NAME NEW MEMBERS Since July 1, 2005

D3 865 Greater Stamford 33 <--- WOW !!

C3 7135 Thames River 24

C6 3940 Valley-Shore 15

E3 5177 Blue Chip Toasters 14

A1 315 IBM Poughkeepsie Spmakers 13

B1 6613 One State Street Toast 13

B2 9617 CIGNA Lunchtime 13

D1 1628 Brass City 13

D4 8762 Cheshire 13

A2 7386 BI 12

B1 2532 Travelers Noontime 12

F1 542 Bethlehem 12

F2 6560 Lunchtime 12

F4 6983 North Atlantic 12

A3 9315 Orange County 11

A4 599 West-Conn 11

B4 3523 West Hartford 11

C5 5908 Aetna Middletown 11

D2 820 Yale 11

D5 9286 Unilever 11

F1 764383 NYISO 11

F2 1716 Saintly Speakers 11

A5 5614 Arlington Rotary Toast 10

B2 6601 Talcott View 10

B4 2908 Stag 10

C1 3176 Energy 10

C5 8340 Middlesex County 10

D1 8270 Torrington 10

D5 608696 Toastmasts at the Towers 10

F2 3863 Patroon 10

F4 7379 Thorobred 10

What goes into a good speech?

One of the blogs that I read on a regular basis (for business most) is "Creating Passionate Users" by Kathy Sierra and today she had an interesting post about "Cognitive seduction (a Typology of User Experience Pleasures)". In other words, "what turns on your brain?"

As I read this post, I began to realize that the items she listed could be applied to a Toastmasters speech as well since you want to connect to (and hopefully excite) the brains of your audience!

Kathy lists the following, "Typology of Cognitive Pleasures (in no particular order)
1. Discovery - User experience as exploration of new territory
2. Challenge - User experience as obstacles to overcome, goals lying just beyond current skill and knowledge levels
3. Narrative - User experience as story arc (user on hero's journey) and character identification
4. Self-expression - User experience as self-discovery and creativity
5. Social framework - User experience as an opportunity for interaction/fellowship with others
6. Cognitive Arousal - User experience as brain teaser
7. Thrill - User experience as risk-taking with a safety net
8. Sensation - User experience as sensory stimulation
9. Triumph - User experience as opportunity to kick ass
10. Flow - User experience as opportunity for complete concentration, extreme focus, lack of self-awareness
11. Accomplishment - User experience as opportunity for productivity and success
12. Fantasy - User experience as alternate reality
13. Learning - User experience as opportunity for growth and improvement

If you read through this list you will see lots of concepts that can improve the quality of your speeches... especially if it is a Tall Tale or a story.

What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

International winners at the Division A Toastmasters Speech Contest hosted by WestConn Toastmasters, April 19th, 2006.

Photo session for contestants in the Division A Toastmasters Spring Contest on April 19th, 2006.

Tall Tales winners for Division A Speech Contest held at Wooster School Library on April 19th, 2006.

Upcoming Events ... Division A Contest and Speech Building Workshop

The Division A Spring Speech Contests will be held on Wed. April 19th at the Wooster School Library. These contests are hosted by WestConn Toastmasters and Contestants should arrive at 7pm with the contest meeting starting at 7:30pm.

Also, Socially Speaking Toastmasters is having a Speech Building Workshop on Wed. April 26th at 8pm. This free workshop is being offered to the general public (to help build membership) and other Toastmasters are welcome to attend. All attendees will leave with at least one speech "under their belts"! Contact Pete Lane at 860-350-2669 or via email at SociallySpeakingTM@yahoo.com . Space is limited, so please sign up soon.

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

Add some Humor Power to your speeches ...

I came across John Kinde's blog and thought it could be useful to Toastmasters looking to add some humor to their speeches !

Check it out !
http://www.humorpower.com/blog/2006/04/41-tips-for-writing-funny-lines/

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6 (for only 2.5 more months)
Candidate for Division A Governor, 2006-7

Area A4 Silent Auction Results !

The Silent Auction that was held at the Area A4 Spring Speech Contest was a HUGE SUCCESS !

I was hoping to raise at least $100 to purchase some Toastmasters materials that could be shared within the area and we ended up raising $390 dollars !

Thanks to everyone who donated items for the auction as well as the people who bid on them!

A Special Thanks to Kevin Wortman, who donated $150.00 to help out the effort !
The text of the note that he sent along with his donation speaks for itself:

Dave,
You mentioned that you were looking to raise $100 for the Area. I
wanted to make this a little easier for you. It is a very small token for
the enormous benefit I've received from TM and its members. I would not be
as successful as I am today without TM. Please use these monies for the
Area and/or Club materials you need. I can't even begin to pay back
the benefits and advantages TM has provided me. I am happy to be able to
help your effort in any way that I can.
Best regards,
Kevin

Stay tuned to this blog for a complete list of materials that we will be purchasing. (So far, Area A4 has an overhead projector, the complete "Better Speaker Series" and a number of the modules in the "Successful Club Series" and "Leadership Excellence Series".)

Area A4 Contest results !

Area A4 had our Spring contest on Wed., March 29th in conjunction with Area A2 and the results are as follows:

Area A4 - International Speech
1st place: Rob Ferrucci
1st runner-up: Croix Sather

Area A4 - Tall Tales
1st place: Croix Sather
1st runner-up: Elizabeth Smith

Area A2 - International
1st place: Walter Beveridge
1st runner-up: David Alexander

Area A2 - Tall Tales (contestants included: Dan Malinak, Phil Sarnak and Dan Legg).
I do not have the names of the winners in my notes and will rely on Rosanne D'Ausilio, Area A2 Governor, to provide them to the Division Governor.

Overall it was a great meeting and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves !

Hope to see y'all at the Division A contest at Wooster School on Wed. April 19th !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Club Officer Election Process ...

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION TO ALL CLUB OFFICERS

*** _Club Elections in May_ ***
Appoint a nominating committee NOW !

In May, all clubs must elect annual officers serving from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, or semi-
annual officers serving from July 1, 2006, through December 31, 2006. Semiannual terms are an option
available only to clubs that meet weekly.

TIMELINE FOR ELECTION PROCESS:
1) NOW ... Appoint a nominating committee (see club constitution). http://www.toastmasters.org/pdfs/210c.pdf
The committee should be chaired by the immediate past president or most recent past president available.
Appoint your nominating committee NOW !

2) Last meeting in April: Nominating committee reports to the club.

3) First meeting in May: The nominating committee report is presented to the club. If the nominating committee
has no report at the last meeting in April, postpone the election until one week after the meeting at which
the report is given.

Call for nominations from the floor. Nominations and elections begin with the president and proceed in
descending order. Remember: A quorum (51 percent of active members) is needed to conduct business (including
electing officers). Proxies or absentee ballots are not allowed at the club level. Members must be active
and present to vote.

4) Tell International. Don’t forget to fill out a club and officer information form online immediately following your election so the
correct officers will receive every important mailing. Go to www.toastmasters.org. The link is in the
“Club Business” section on the home page. Or, your club may submit the club and officer information form by
mail or fax, instead.

Guest Blogger ... Ann Bloch, "What Makes a Club a Toastmasters Club?"

What Makes a Club a Toastmasters Club?
by Ann Bloch

At the District officers meeting a week ago, three Area Govs mentioned visiting clubs that were “doing their own thing” and not necessarily “doing it the TM way.”

Since then, I’ve pondered what that means: the TM way.

The steps to run a club and a meeting are proven -- they work. If your club is thriving, tell others via these messages what’s worked for you. If your club is not yet thriving, ask yourselves whether you’re using the tried methods.

Sometimes, motivation means just being honest among ourselves.

Following is a message from the president of a once-vibrant club in Division E that recently folded after 10 years. Poet's Seat is no more.

Thinking back, I am not certain just when things changed; however, I can speculate. For much of its history, Poet's Seat had at least a core groupof members who followed the club by-laws, thus maintaining the club as a trueToastmasters club. Gradually, these people left, leaving the club in the hands of people who did not care about rules, formalities, or rituals. I recall my first board meeting as club president. I decided to make membership (retention and building) the focus of my term. However, when I started the meeting by citing some of the by-laws re: membership, the other officers jumped down my throat.

They were not interested in being part of a club which was like a country club -- a private association where new members had to be voted in or existing members could be asked to leave. The others were for a casual, informal club with no rules, which anyone could join.

There were consequences to that approach. People joined who had no commitment to the Toastmasters program. Guests, of which we did have a fair number, rarely joined. Some guests expressed a desire for a more formal setting. In the end, a sizeable portion of our membership were people with little or no commitment to the educational program.

Without commitment,there was no desire to try to keep the club going. I feel sad about the demise of Poet's Seat. I am keeping the banner as a memento.

***Part of the response to him from the LT. Gov of Mktg:
Reports also indicate that only one officer was trained. We know from experience that there's a direct correlation between officers trained and club health.

Question to ask yourself: How do you feel about the president’s message? How does your club feel about “voting in” members? (I’ve never been in a club that did that or that really asked for a commitment. Maybe we should.)

Do your officers know their roles? If not, get your AG to review them. Poet’s Seat apparently had enough guests to flourish. Why didn’t they join? What a missed opportunity!

As we enter the final quarter of the TM year, ask your club members the one thing they can point out to change that would make a difference. Let me know what’s working so that it can be shared among clubs.

Ann Bloch,
Assistant to Club Coach Chair
Ann Bloch Communications
73 Birchwood Lane,
Lenox MA 01240 USA
413-637-0958 / Fax 413-637-4757
http://www.annbloch.com/ / annbloch@vgernet.net

Failing With Toastmasters .... in a good way

Steve Pavlina is a Toastmaster in Las Vegas who has a blog (that I just found) and I think he brings up a key attribute of Toastmasters in this post.

He says that Toastmasters is a great place "for making mistakes and taking risks". In fact, he adds that "The supportive atmosphere of Toastmasters allows me to experiment well beyond the edges of what I’ve had the opportunity to do in front of other audiences."

Steve explains that he has learned that it is "actually less risky to to take risks" and that the "safe path" is often the boring path.

If we take some risks, we stretch our abilities and we also make for more interesting meetings (so everybody wins!). I hope everyone is stretching ... especially the members participating in the Spring Speech Contests!

Stretch ....

Dave

More Time For Toastmasters ....

I came across the blog post (see link below) and just had to pass it along ...

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser-part-ii/

Steve Pavlina talks about "how to be an early riser" and, more inportantly, what it has done for him ....

Why get up early? I’d say the main reason is that you’ll have a lot more time to do things that are more interesting than sleeping.

Again, I’ve gained about 10-15 hours per week doing this. That extra time is very noticeable. By 6:30am, I’ve already exercised, showered, had breakfast, and I’m at my desk ready to go to work. I can put in a lot of hours each day of productive work, and I’m usually done with work by 5:00 pm (and that includes personal “work” like email, paying bills, picking up daughter from preschool, etc). This gives me 5-6 hours of discretionary time every evening for family, leisure activities, Toastmasters, reading, journaling, etc. And best of all, I still have energy during this time. Having time for everything that’s important to me makes me feel very balanced, relaxed, and optimistic.

Check out the whole post .... I think it will give you some ideas !

Wide AWAKE !
Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Silent Auction at Area Contest ... taking shape!

I have received the first donation for the silent auction to be held at the Area Contest March 29th, 2006 ....

From WestConn Toastmaster's own published author, Carmine Coco De Young:

"I'll happily donate two [items]. I still have to get the other items, but they should value $25.00 each. You can download a picture of the book for ages 8 to 12, titled A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, at Amazon.com (click here) , and the book for infants, titled Mealtime Prayers : Thoughts and Readings for Mealtimes (Board book) at Amazon.com (click here)
Thanks to Carmine for the donation !

Don't forget to bring their check books (or cash) to the Area Contest so you can bid on some of these items!

More info to follow soon !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Reward for Distinguished Clubs !!!!

This was discussed at the District 53 Executive Committee meeting last Saturday and it looks like we will have at least a couple clubs in the running for the REWARD !

Tony Lombardi enjoys his TableTopic question on the life of a hobo !

Bala K. and Beth H. discuss their upcoming speeches at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Carmine Coco de Young presents the TableTopics session at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Croix Sather and Walt Rygielski talk about speech ideas Anne Swartout presents club business at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Dave Wheeler shows WHAT NOT TO DO when giving a presentation using an overhead projector. Dave gave his speech at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Anne Swartout presents club business at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Jim Buzak presents his 1 to 2 minute TableTopic speech on the hobo lifestyle at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Lee S. and Bala K. share a "dual" Tabletopic question on the theme of "hobo's" at the Feb.1st meeting of WestConn Toastmasters in Danbury, CT. WestConn Toastmasters meets the first and third Wed. of each month in the Wooster School Library.

Spring Club Contest Results coming in ....

From Barnum Square Toastmasters:
The winners of our speech contests are the following:
Tall Tales...Pat Wilson-Perkins and Liz Smith.
International...Marsha Scott and Linda Porto.

From WestConn Toastmasters:
The winners of our speech contests are the following:
Tall Tales... Anne Swartout and Croix Sather.
International... Rob Ferrucci and Croix Sather.

From Socially Speaking Toastmasters:
Tall Tales... Peter Lane and Tony Lombardi

Our newest club in Area A4, Cendant Toastmasters (a new name is being finalized):
International... Roberto Vale and Maureen Walsh

The deadline for club contests is March 19th and the Area Contest will be held on March 29th at the Wooster School Library in Danbury CT (hosted by WestConn Toastmasters). Contestants should arrive around 7pm for briefings.

Speak Up!

Dave Wheeler

re: Tele-Conference interview is with Willie Jolley

Attached below is an email from our District 53 Governor Paul Young (via our Division A Governor, Karin Von Kaenel) that offers a free tele-seminar for public speakers. Check out the emails below for more details and please pass it along to your members!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

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

Dear Area Governors,

would you please forward ask the club Presidents in your areas to make sure their club members know about this event.

This is an email that was posted on the D53 mailing list, which anybody can subscribe to by going to http://district53toastmasters.org/ and clicking on the purple Yahoo button.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Karin

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

"Paul Young" <paulyoung53@cox.net> Sent by: d53toastmasters@yahoogroups.com 03/10/2006 07:45 PM Please respond to d53toastmasters@yahoogroups.com

To <d53toastmasters@yahoogroups.com> cc "'Will Ryan'" <will53@shawenon.com>, <johnl53@cox.net>, "'Rich Couture,DTM'" <Rich53@cox.net>, "Thibodeau, Normand " <Normand.Thibodeau@htsco.com>, "Sandra Van Hoesen" <areavisit@yahoo.com>, "Hathaway, Shelly L" <Shelly.L.Hathaway@pfizer.com>, Karin von Kaenel/Watson/IBM@IBMUS, "Sharon Willis" <sharonwillis2@yahoo.com>, "Susan Troupe" <Susan.troupe@snet.net> Subject [d53toastmasters] Doug Comstock Interviews Willie Jolley

Fellow Toastmasters,

Doug Comstock recently said, ?Wouldn't it be great to get a daily,
weekly or monthly infusion of high content ideas like we got
at the World Champions Night to help each of us with our speaking. ?

To that end...

He is beginning Tele-Seminar Secrets for Public Speakers.

His first Tele-Conference interview is with
Willie Jolley on Wednesday March 15, at 11:00 AM EST.

If you are not familiar with Mr. Jolley you can visit his
website at http://www.WillieJolley.com

Willie is considered by Toastmasters International as:
"One of the Top 5 Outstanding Speakers in The World".

This limited event will be "FREE" to all Toastmasters.

Not all that would like to attend will be able to. Here's Why.

The event is limited to the first 200 seats as the fee to
rent more lines than that is cost prohibitive and I am bearing
all costs for the event.

If you think you would like to attend or know someone
else that might benefit..

Just copy and paste (DO NOT FORWARD) again
copy and paste this link into a new email and
send it out.

If this link is not active when you receive it just
copy and paste it into your browser window.

http://audiopostcard-003.com/X.asp?3601073X2050

Once you fill in your email address on the postcard
at the link above a Confirmation Email for Registration
will be emailed to you to tell you if you were are one
of the lucky 200.

Thank You Doug,


Paul Young DTM
MIND THE GAP
District 53 Governor
http://www.district53toastmasters.org/
w (860) 368-6716
h (860) 659-1409

Socially Speaking - upcoming activities !

Below are my notes from the Socially Speaking meeting on Wed. Feb.22nd including all the ideas we had for the "Communications Workshop" meeting. I think this meeting will be a good test of our ability to promote Socially Speaking and it won't be as difficult to organize as a full multi-session Speechcraft. (Plus we already assigned all the key roles!)

Let me know if I missed anything ....

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING Socially Speaking MEETINGS:
Everyone is invited !! We have plenty of room !

March 22 - Socially Speaking meeting
Theme: All Things Green (since it is near St.Patrick's day)
Other business:
- Review printed Flyers for Communications Workshop (4/26)
- DW to send around electronic version prior to this meeting for everyone's review and ideas.
- Assign someone to send emails to former guests and past members to let them know about the Workshop meeting
- Followup on cable TV and newspaper contacts

March 29 - Area Contests (hosted by WestConn TM)

April 5 - WestConn TM meeting

April 12 - Socially Speaking TM meeting
Theme: "About Our Club...The history of Socially Speaking Toastmasters"
[This should give us lots of great material for the web site as well as help us better define the mission of the club for the future ... based on the great things that Socially Speaking has done in the past and can do again!)

April 19 - Division A Contests (Hosted by WestConn TM)

April 26 - Communications Workshop Meeting at Socially Speaking Toastmasters
Toastmaster: Anne Swartout
"Selecting Your Topic" by Don
"Know Your Audience" by Pete
"Sample Icebreaker" by Dave W.
"Workshop Session" to help everyone in attendence build a speech - Hosted by Anne S.
[Speechcraft books will be available to purchase if we have guests that want to participate. We should probably have a CTM manual and copies of the IceBreaker Speech available if any guests want to jump right into membership.]

This workshop will give us an opportunity to try out our Public Relations and Marketing ideas on a smaller scale than a Speechcraft. Some of the ideas discussed included:
- Flyers
- Public Relations with the local paper
- article on Socially Speaking? (who will contact?)
- Cable TV listing (what format do we need to submit our listing?)
- Emails (to past guests and former members)
- Web site (to tie it all together)

Let me know if I forgot anything!

Dave W.

Seth Godin's Presentation Idea ... Needs Toastmasters!

I have to start out by saying that I am a big fan of author, Seth Godin. His books on marketing, "The Idea Virus", "The Purple Cow" and "The Big Moo" have all helped me immensely in my "day job" as Marketing Manager for a Fortune 200 company.

But today... Seth really missed the mark!

Today, Seth put a post on his blog about his idea for a way for people to move away from giving BAD POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS.

Ever since my early warning shot about Powerpoint, I've noticed an increasing tide of writing about:
a. how much people hate giving presentations
b. how bad they are at it

He offered the following from a book that he read:

Part of what Andy points out is that presentations to groups of 50 or more are usually done by people who aren't comfortable doing them, and they're not usually very well received.

Seth goes on to suggest a way to jump right to the Q&A section and bypass the whole presentation! This is not necessarily a bad idea, but it completely misses the BIG PICTURE!

If you want to impress your boss, your client or advance your career, you need to develop your presentation skills! Looking for tips that will get you OUT OF the presentation might work once in a while, but it won't work all the time!

This is why professionals everywhere should be busting down the doors to get into Toastmasters clubs ! Toastmasters is clearly the best kept secret in the personal development field! And the best value too !

I know Seth lives in Westchester County, NY so if he reads this maybe he will visit one of our clubs! Like all professionals looking to improve their presentation, communications and leadership skills, he is always welcome at a Toastmasters club!

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

How To Tell A Great Story....

I came across this book and thought that it might help some of you who are entering the Tall Tales contests ....

"How To Tell A Great Story" ($29.95)

I have not purchased this book, but I would be interested to hear if someone else does !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

Toastmasters Contestant on Google Video ...

Anne Swartout found the following videos and forwarded them to my attention:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-424662407496130579&q=mike+dooley

[Mike Dooley gives a great contest speech.]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5767026924697006060&q=mike+dooley

[Mike Dooley with another great contest speech!]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3739541134936183657&q=mike+dooley

Another Mike Dooley Contest speech!

Great examples for your own contest efforts!

Dave Wheeler

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.

Spring Contest Update from District 53

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO ALL TOASTMASTER CLUB OFFICERS AND MEMBERS

The Spring 2006 Speech Contests for all Toastmaster Clubs and Areas in District 53
http://www.district53toastmasters.org/contests.html

Deadlines:
** March 19, 2006 - All Club Level International Speech and TallTales Contests Completed**
** April 8, 2006 - All Area Level International Speech and TallTales Contests Completed **

International Speech Contest
__Objective: Contestants will deliver an original speech with ameaningful and clear purpose or theme. The speaker will demonstrate outstanding speaking skills - proper speech development, effectiveness, and speech value. The speech can be on any topic; serious or with light humor; persuasive or purely entertaining.
Time: 5 - 7 minutes, +/- 30 seconds

International Speech Contest Rules http://www.toastmasters.org/fupload/media/IntlSpeechContestRules.pdf

International Speech Contest Scoring (Ballot Synopsis)http://www.district53toastmasters.org/ContestScoring.html#international__

Tall Tales Speech Contest
__Objective: The Tall Tale is an opportunity to be very creative, to exaggerate; to engage and excite the imagination of the audience. Very often, a tall tale is a story that uses irony, humor, and surprise twists. The speaker may stretch the truth and tell one of those "entertaining" campfire stories. The speaker's appearance, gestures, body language, expressions, should reinforce the story.
Time: 3 - 5 minutes, +/- 30 seconds

Tall TalesSpeech Contest Scoring (Ballot Synopsis)http://www.district53toastmasters.org/ContestScoring.html#talltales


Eligibility:
Any Toastmaster member in good standing, from a Club in good standing. For the International Speech Contest all contestants must have also completed at least 6 speeches in the Basic Communication and Leadership Program. {Exception: Club Members of any Club chartered after July 1, 2005 may compete with less than 6speeches completed.} For both contests, District Officers (DG,LGET, LGM, District Secretary and Treasurer, Area and Division Governors, Public Relations Officer and IPDG) are ineligible.

Yahoo! Groups Links<*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/d53toastmasters/

Online Toastmasters Jeopardy game ...

Try out the Online Toastmasters Jeopardy Game at the location below:

http://www.quia.com/cb/16037.html

If you have computer hitched to the internet and a projector for your computer, you could even use this as a part of your club meeting (or officer training?).

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

Online Speech Timers ...

I found this online speech timer which could be useful when you are practicing your speeches...

http://www.centraltoastmasters.org/timer.html

Unfortunately it does not capture your times so that you can see how far off your target you are. It also does not have many choices in terms of the different speech lengths.... but it is FREE (so I should stop complaining!)

As Rich Couture would say (our past District 53 Governor), "but wait there's more..."
I did another search and came up with this online time ....

http://www.angelfire.com/in2/club1169/timer.html

Again, it does not capture your times, but it does have more options for speech length ....

But wait there's more....

I searched deeper ... and the timer below lets you set the time and it keeps your time showing when you stop !

http://www.tmdivisiona.org/online_speech_timer.htm

But wait there's even MORE !

At the following link there are a couple of timer PROGRAMS that you can download.

http://members.shaw.ca/FriendshipTM/speech_timer.htm

Speech Timer 2 is very simple and you can set the timing lights for any speech length. It also holds your ending time until you reset or start over. I was not too thrilled with the color of the yellow "light" (it looked more like orange to me), but I'm probably getting too picky at this point.

Speech Timer 3 is pretty good and it even has a "meeting" mode which will produce a Timer's report! The downside is that you have to register to download it and if you don't get the free registration code, you can only use the software for 10 times.

Which one is the best???? You decide! (I also found a timer that works on my PDA... tune in to this blog in the future to see how it works out.)

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler

Another structure for evaluating speeches ...

I came across the sheet below that includes another type of structure that you might find helpful for evaluating speeches:

http://members.aol.com/cbttmclub/filecabinet/speakereval.htm

Let me know what you think !

(I would have used an Acronym to make the structure easier to remember, but that is just me.)

Speak Up!

Dave Wheeler

Area A4 Leadership Library .... starting now !

The following was sent as an email to the Club Presidents & VP-Education in Area A4 on Wed. Jan.25th:

Greeting Club Presidents & VP's,

As some of you may have heard, I've been promoting the Competent Leader (CL) award this Spring as one of the easiest and fastest awards that you can get in Toastmasters.

Getting CL's within your club will also help improve the quality of your club, but let's get back to the fun part.... getting the award!

In a nutshell, if
1) you are a club officer,
2) you went to officer training (I know everyone did at least once) and
3) you participate in your club's Distinguished Club Plan (I can help if you haven't done this yet...it's easy), ...

Then all you need to do is give two CL module speeches to your club!
That's it. How easy is that?

To support the "Push for CL's" in Area A4, I am starting the "Area A4 Leadership Library" of CL modules. I already have about 4 or 5 modules that I will be donating so that club officers in Area A4 can borrow them. (see the complete list of modules below this email)

I've also copied this email to a number of experienced Toastmasters (in the area and at the district level) to see if they have any OLD modules that they completed and might want to donate to the cause! If anyone in your club would like to donate a module, it would be appreciated as well!

Please let me know what you think about this idea and feel free to forward this email to other officers in your club.

Once I have gathered some more modules, I will post the list of available modules on the Area A4 blog website, www.areaA4.blogspot.com, so it can be accessed at any time.

Hope to hear from you soon !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6
(I finished my CL just last month. It was easy!)

The modules for the CL award include:

SUCCESSFUL CLUB SERIES:
Moments of Truth
Finding New Members for Your Club
Evaluate to Motivate
Closing The Sale
Creating the Best Club Climate
Meeting Roles and Responsibilities
Mentoring
Keeping the Commitment
Going Beyond Our Club
How to Be A Distinguished Club

LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE SERIES:
Building a Team
Delegate to Empower
Developing a Mission
Giving Effective Feedback
Goal Setting and Planning
Motivating People
Resolving Conflict
Service and Leadership
The Leader as a Coach
The Visionary Leader
Values and Leadership

P.S. If you can't wait, you can always buy the modules at www.toastmasters.org (most are less than $5).

Call for C&L Award Nominations

From Paul Young, District 53 Governor:

Fellow Toastmasters,
It is time for the selection process to begin for the annual District 53 Communications and Leadership Award. The purpose of the C&L award is;

§ To recognize individuals outside of Toastmasters whose efforts positively impact the local community through their leadership abilities and their use of public speaking skills;
§ To encourage Toastmaster support of and pride in the local community;
§ To promote the Vision of Toastmasters International.

The award will be presented during the District 53 Spring Conference. The award recipient will be notified of his/her selection no later than 21 days prior to the award presentation. The award recipient will be required to present a 5-10 minute acceptance speech at the time of the Award Ceremony/Presentation.


Only individuals may be nominated.
The nominee cannot be a member of any Toastmasters club. (Only non-members will be considered.)
Nominees should demonstrate involvement in programs and activities that benefit the community in which they live/work. These individuals should display leadership, initiative, creativity, and dedication. They should demonstrate the successful use of public speaking skills in their endeavors. Through their participation, they should inspire others to get involved and make a difference in the lives of others.
Any member in good standing of a District 53 club may submit one candidate for nomination.
The nominating member must submit, in writing, a narrative describing the nominee’s work and/or achievements, providing a detailed explanation of why this individual should receive the award.
The narrative may include, but is not limited to, the following information:
Outstanding service performed {such as, extraordinary contribution to an organization of issue; a single particular notable accomplishment, etc}
Leadership quality – demonstrate ability to motivate and inspire others to accomplish a specific goal or objective.

SUBMITTING NOMINEES

Nominations must be submitted by March 31, 2006 to team53@district53toastmasters.org or in writing to District 53 Toastmasters 83 Thompson Street South Glastonbury, CT 06073. The C&L award panel consists of Will Ryan, DTM, John Lynch, DTM and Paul Young, DTM

Paul Young DTM
MIND THE GAP
District 53 Governor
w (860) 368-6716
h (860) 659-1409

Spring Contest Dates set !!!!

The dates for the Spring contests (Tall Tales & International) have been set !

Area A4 Contest Night:
Wednesday, March 29, 2006 7:30 PM.
Area Leader Council Meeting 6:45 pm
Location: Wooster School Library, Danbury CT (hosted by WestConn Toastmasters)

Division A Contest Night:
Wednesday, April 19, 2006, 7:30 PM.
Location: Wooster School Library, Danbury CT (hosted by WestConn Toastmasters)

I also have the following club dates:
WestConn Toastmasters Club Contest Night:
Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 8 PM

Please mark your calendars and start your contest speeches !

Also, remember to find a manual speech for your contest speeches so you get credit toward your next award !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Guy blogs Toastmasters ... !!!!!!

I guess my comment on his blog (and my post here) brought Toastmasters to Guy Kawasaki's attention ! See his followup post at the link below:

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/addendum_to_how.html

I knew there was a reason that he was one of my favorite authors !

Speak UP!

Dave

Speaking tips from two greats ... Guy Kawasaki & Steve Jobs !

Below is a link to Guy Kawasaki's blog post which features some of his tips for public speaking!

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/how_to_get_a_st.html

Guy is one of my favorite authors (Art of the Start is his most recent effort) and I highly recommend him for people interested in marketing or business in general.

He references another source (click here) which describes Steve Job's keynote addresses and all the preparation that goes into them. There are plenty of lessons that we can learn from this article (and many Toastmasters suggestions that you will recognize as well).

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
D53, Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

Benefits of Hindsight ...

Guy Kawasaki has only been blogging for 10 days and he is already one of my favorite blogs ... This post has the full text of his "graduation / keynote speech". Check it out !

HPL project ... Step 2 = Objective / Vision / Mission / Values

Step 2 of the High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project is:
Define your Objective / Vision / Mission / Values .... and give a speech on them.

For this step, I found it more helpful to jump around and build up to the Vision.

My first ideas for an Objective included the following:
- A new, advanced Toastmasters club (actually an idea offered by Edina Sobeleski of Barnum Square Toastmasters and former Area A4 governor)
- blog for Area A4 (probably not a "big" enough challenge)
- Council of area A4 leaders to assist in "cross-pollination" within area to leverage strengths between clubs while offsetting any weaknesses.
(this process is P.14 in the HPL manual for those of you following along at home)


Before I decide on a project, I think it is important to make sure that we have shared values, especially when it comes to Toastmasters. Here are some Values that I think are important for Toastmasters Clubs. Let me know if these "values" make sense to you !!!

To me, the most important part of a successful Toastmaster club is exciting, enthusiastic and interesting meetings. When the excitement, enthusiasm and variety / interesting content goes down at club meetings, guests do not become members, members don't renew and Toastmasters stops.

The way to a healthy Toastmasters club starts with good meetings ....

a) Better speakers leads to better meetings

b) Better meetings means more ethusiasm

c) More enthusiasm leads to more participation
(by both current members and guests who become new members)

d) Participation means more speakers, more leadership development and
more learning

e) Learning leads to better speakers ....

and the cycle reinforces itself (back up to step a.)

Within this cycle, there is plenty of room for everyone's own personal style and creativity, but this is the general way that I've seen healthy clubs survive and thrive. What do you think? Leave me a comment below.


Based on these values, I have decided on Idea # 3 as my Objective !

Council of area A4 leaders to assist in "cross-pollination" within area to
leverage strengths between clubs while offsetting any weaknesses.

With this objective, I developed some ideas that would fit into my Vision of what this council of leaders would look like and what value it would provide. (P.24 of HPL manual)

• Group of club leaders and skilled speakers
• great examples to other TM
• Opportunities for advanced speakers to speak in new venues
• Oppty for TM's to meet TM in other clubs
• Opptys for TM's to share their enthusiasm
• Faster achievement of awards (especially advanced awards)
• Better learning experience (especially for clubs that struggle for members)
• Take the excitement of the Area Contest and spread it out to all clubs, throughout the year.
• More DTM's in Area A4 (now only ....1?)
• A council would also help in the recruiting the next Area Governor
  Top 10 reasons to be the next area A4 Governor are...
  1) there will be a "system" in place that would make the transition easier
  2) team A4 already established and a blog setup and running
  3) coach / mentor available (DW)
  4) great support / training from District
  5) meet new people, try new things
  6) one step closer to AL award (holding a district office is part of the AL award)
  7) get to run the area contests
  8) Impressive title (if you can find anyone who is impressed by that sort of thing)
  9) Learn more about Toastmasters
  10) STRETCH beyond your comfort zone .... with lots of support and
  encouragement along the way !

This vision helped me come up with ideas for the Mission of my HPL . . .
(P. 25 in the HPL manual)
The Establishment of an Area A4 Leadership & Advanced Speaker Council
- Perpetual --> membership from club officers (current and past) and advanced TM.
- Adds Value to clubs in area
- Helps make club meetings more interesting and exciting !!
- Gives more speaking opportunities
- Faster Awards
- Meet New People
- Improve all clubs by spreading the strengths and offsetting the weaknesses of all the clubs in the area.

Based on this, the [draft] Mission of my HPL is ...
Our mission is to establish an ongoing, perpetual Area A4 Council made up of club officers and advanced speakers / leaders. This council, in conjunction with the area governor, will arrange cross-club speaking opportunities, events, workshops and other activities that will leverage the leadership and speaking strengths within the area.

This will be the draft mission until I review it with my Guidance Committee on Wed. 1/4/06. Check back here for future entries on what they say !

Speak UP!

Dave Wheeler
Area Governor, 2005-6

Happy New Year ! What are your resolutions?

New Year's Resolutions.....

The beginning of the year always seems like a good time for reflection on where you are and where you want to go.

The cold hard truth? If you do the same in 2005, you will probably get the same results in 2006 as you did in 2005.

What do you want to change in 2006?

What challenges do you want to tackle?

Will you improve your speaking skills through Toastmasters?

How about your leadership skills? (Did you know that Toastmasters also has a leadership skills program?)

Any ideas for things that the Area could do differently in 2006?

We would love to hear what you think ! Please leave a comment here !

Happy New Year !

Dave Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6
Founder of www.NoteWordy.com

Dave's AreaA4 High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project

As I outline in a post back on Dec.14, 2005, the HPL project is part of the Advanced Leader award and is broken out into the following 5 Easy(?) 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.

Step 1 ....
Learn About Leadership.... done. This process was started at the first training session that District 53 had for the new officers back in June(?) of 2005. Ute Brinkman gave us a good push down the HPL road at that meeting and the district provided the manuals too! (One of the fringe benefits of becoming an Area Governor in case anyone is interested for 2006-7).

Guidance Committee ... almost done.
Since I am going to be giving my speeches to WestConn Toastmasters, I am going to ask a number of members there to be on my Guidance Committee. I have already gotten commitment from one of WestConn's past presidents, Lee Steuber, and I will be asking others this week.

As you will see, the project will involve all the clubs in the area and I will be looking for input (and guidance) from all the club officers but I figured that having all of the guidance committee in one spot on a regular basis will make it easier to schedule meetings.

Check back to this blog to see how things progress on Step 2 !

D.Wheeler
Area A4 Governor, 2005-6

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