Results of Area Contests 2023

District 53 and the webmaster have received the following results from Area-level contests in the International Speech and Tall Tales Speech contests:

Area Level Results: International

Division ADivision BDivision CDivision DDivision E
-1Area 11
Greg Hirshorn
Area 21
Chad Betz
Area 31
Donna Plein
Area 41
1st – Philip Pape
2nd – Martha Danielewics
Area 51
1st – Craig Moore
2nd – Frank Palmeri
3rd – Susanne McHale Corrigan
-2Area 12
Jeff Bradbury
Area 22
Heather Skaanning
Area 32
No Contestant
Area 42
Rose Day
Area 52
Nancy Baum Delain
-3Area 13
Oscar Romero
Area 23
Ann Canfield
Area 33
Chris Chessaro
Area 43
1st – John Michaliszyn
2nd – Sarita Patel
Area 53
1st – Linda Salzer
2nd – Jennifer Demarco
-4Area 14
No contestant
Area 24
Megan Scribner
Area 34
William Caro
Area 44
No contestant
Area 54
1st – David Kolman
2nd – Jesse Schechter
-5Area 15
Angel Mary
Area 25
Michael Whitehouse
Area 35
No Contestant
– N/AArea 55
1st – Terry Goodemote
2nd – Selvaraj Nagamuthu

Area Level Results: Tall Tales

Division ADivision BDivision CDivision DDivision E
-1Area 11
Poona Hassija
Area 21
Tom Farrelly
Area 31
Zita Bodonyi
Area 41
Yvette Fredericks
Area 51
1st – Roderick Rattlecat Kerrigan
2nd – Sudharsan Ramarao
-2Area 12
Cheryn Morgenstern
Area 22
No Contestant
Area 32
Saicharan Sirangi
Area 42
Chelsea Rule
Area 52
Linda Gingold Seaman
-3Area 13
Chris Connor
Area 23
Christine Austin
Area 33
Kevin Haven
Area 43
Michelle DeDominicis
Area 53
LeLe Luan
-4Area 14
Christina LaPerie
Area 24
Jack Cunningham
Area 34
Divanny Pena
Area 44
1st – Denise F. Mock
2nd – Gabriela Michaliszyn
Area 54
Jim Brooks
-5Area 15
No Contestant
Area 25
Larry Zaccaro
Area 36
Joseph Carfago
– N/A Area 55
No Contestant

Much Ado About Dues

A name bag graphic that has the Toastmasters International logo and has the text "Membership Renewals Are Due"

It’s that time again, Toastmasters!

Spring dues are coming up fast and we all know how critical this renewal period is.

If your club has its eyes set on DCP awards, this spring cycle is your key success.

Here are some quick tips to help your club achieve its membership goals this Toastmasters year:

#1 Track Attendance

Don’t wait until April to start chasing your members! Anytime someone misses more than two meetings in a row without communication, check in. Use their preferred method of communication to follow up and give a friendly “how’s it going? we miss you!”

#2 Plan Ahead

Start NOW. Have your executive committee / officer team review your clubs roster. Who is likely to renew? Who is at risk of dropping out? Talk with club members before things get down to the wire and spend a little extra time with the at-risk members. Better yet, do a mini-Moments-of-Truth-type check in with each individual, build rapport, and start gathering information and ideas to improve the club and keep your members excited to continue.

Phone with a speech bubble over it that shows phone, email, and text symbols

#3 Use All Communication Channels

Don’t rely on email alone to remind the club about dues. Give a ring on the phone, send a friendly text, and make announcements at club meetings. You can start with group emails/texts, but plan to follow up with individuals sooner rather than later.

#4 Involve All Officers

The Treasurer takes the lead on dues, but they shouldn’t have to go it alone. All officers can split the task of contacting members individually. Your club VPM should be in charge of keeping attendance and following up with MIA members and your President should be talking up the club and making announcements about dues in meetings.

#5 Get Members Excited!

A Toastmaster receiving an award at a Toastmaster's meeting

This is the time of year to pull out all the stops to excite members and remind them of the value of their accomplishments. Strategically place beneficial, educational, and fun events right before renewals. Some examples could include:

  • Social events
  • Special guest speakers
  • Open Houses
  • Themed meetings
  • Awards presentations (take is serious and celebrate club achievements, or make it fun and create your own Dundie awards!)

Remember, the District is here to help you and your club succeed. Do not hesitate to reach out to your Area Director or other District leaders with any questions or concerns you may have!

Seminar on Community Forums

The Division E Public Relations Team is excited to announce that we are hosting a seminar on  how to use AmericanTowns.com and NextDoor.com to publicize your Toastmasters Club and help gain new members. Lisa Morahan, of the Saratoga Turf Talkers Toastmasters Club will demonstrate how to use AmericanTowns.com to share press releases with local media outlets (such as the Times Union, Saratogian, etc) and how to get the word out about your club on NextDoor.com!  Expected duration of the seminar is approximately 45 minutes.  Zoom meeting information is below.

Zoom Meeting Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82421023155?pwd=WWNOREFBR1IxRnhYQk9La0RENFplUT09

Meeting ID: 824 2102 3155
Passcode: 787497

District Conference Schedule announced

The District Conference “Springboard into Action” has announced the line-up of presenters and workshop sessions for the District 53 Annual Conference on May 6, 2023. The full line-up and schedule can be viewed here.

To register for the Conference, use this link.

Call to Annual Business Meeting: April 2023

Notice of the Annual Business Meeting of Toastmaster District 53 is Coming Soon!

Watch this space


About the District Council Annual Business Meeting

The District Council, consists of the District Director as presiding officer, plus the District Program Quality Director (PQD), the District Club Growth Director (CGD), the District Public Relations Manager (PRM), the District Finance Manager (DFM), and District Administrative Manager (DAM), plus the five Division Directors (DVDs) and the Area Directors (ADs) of District 53, plus the President (PRES) and Vice President of Education (VPE)of each club in good standing in the District.

The District Council holds two meetings a year: one before September 30 to finalize and approve the annual budget; and the Annual Business Meeting in April or May, to elect officers for the program year beginning on July 1. Quorum is one-third of the Club Presidents and Vice Presidents of Education. A majority of the votes cast is required to pass most motions.

In the event that any business is transacted at a District Council meeting when a quorum is not present, the action shall be deemed as valid as if a quorum were present if it is thereafter expressly approved. Approval can be granted by affirmative vote of a majority of the Member Clubs in the District on the basis of two (2) votes per club in writing, personally, by mail, fax, e-mail, electronic transmission, or by any other reasonable means. 

Proxies for District Council meetings are not permitted. The Club President and/or Vice President Education of any member club may vote on behalf of the club as its representative. Either club officer may carry the club’s two (2) votes or each of these club officers may carry one (1) vote, as determined by the club membership. The representative from any Member Club in good standing is entitled to a maximum of two (2) votes. District Executive Committee members are entitled to one (1) vote and may cast up to two (2) additional votes as a Club President and/or Vice President Education.

October 2022 DC Business Meeting Results

These are “at a glance” business meeting minutes. The draft of the formal minutes will be presented as part of the meeting package for the May 2023 District 53 Business Meeting, and if approved will become formal minutes.

Need Club Officer Training? Check These Out

You can attend a Club Officer Training in another Toastmasters District.  If you do, be sure to post your training date and the District attended at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlternateCOT.  We will reach out to the other district to validate your training attendance.  We can’t guarantee your club will get training credit unless you post your attendance in this AlternateCOT log.

Listed below are several opportunities that we selected because they are all online and have a format similar to what we use in District 53.  All times listed have been adjusted to EST.

DateTimeHost DistrictRegistration Link
Mon, 01-30-239:30-11:00pmDistrict 1 (CA)Register
Sat, 02-04-2310:00am-2:00pmDistrict 27 (VA, DC, MD)Register
Mon, 02-06-239:30-11:00pmDistrict 1 (CA)Register
Sat, 02-11-2310:00am-NoonDistrict 46 (NY)Register
Sat, 02-11-2312:30pm-2:30pmDistrict 46 (NY)Register
Sun, 02-12-232:00pm-4:00pmDistrict 36 (DC, MD)Register
Wed 02-15-236:00pm-9:00pmDistrict 10 (OH)Register
Wed, 02-15-239:00pm-12:00amDistrict 57 (CA)Register
Wed, 02-16-236:00pm-8:30 pmDistrict 10 (OH)Register
Sat, 02-18-2310:00am-1:00pmDistrict 14 (GA)Register
Sat, 02-18-2311:45am-3:00pmDistrict 39 (CA)Register
Tue, 02-21-239:00-11:00pmDistrict 101 (CA)Register
Wed, 02-23-236:00-9:00pmDistrict 10 (OH)Register
Thu, 02-23-239:00pm-12:00amDistrict 57 (CA)Register
Sat, 02-25-2311:00am-1:00pmDistrict 36 (DC, MD)Register
Sat, 02-25-2312:00noon-2:00pmDistrict 101 (CA)Register
Tue, 02-28-237:00-9:30pmDistrict 83 (NY, NJ)Register

Joe Grondin, our Keynote!

Joe Grondin, DTM AS, in round black eyeglasses, a gray charcoal suit with a pink shirt and a pink-and-gray paisley tie, holding a microphone, smiling broadly, and standing in front of a blue-and-pink curtain with several indistinct national flags behind him at the 2017 Toastmasters International Convention.
Joe Grondin, DTM AS
Keynote Speaker at District 53’s Annual Conference

 Joe Grondin, DTM, AS is a retired educator and is now, with the guidance of his Toastmaster family, fulfilling his dream of being an international inspirational speaker. He is the author of the books “Living in Harmony With Our Children” and “Speak to Reach” and has been asked to speak throughout North America on these topics.   

Joe has been busy traveling the globe to pursue his passions. Destinations include Malaysia, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas to participate in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking. Having qualified seven times for the world championships, he has successfully placed in the top 10 on two occasions. Joe is a three-time TEDx speaker and earned the prestigious Accredited Speaker designation from Toastmasters International in 2017 becoming one of 90 people in the world who hold this distinction. Joe does admit that his biggest accomplishment is getting hugs from his grandchildren.

Joe is a “FEEL GOOD” type guy and takes any opportunity to sing and dance in public, much to the dismay of my family. The last time Joe did his song and dance in public his children ran for cover.

Joeis a proud Toastmaster and he believes that Toastmaster audiences are the best audiences in the world. It is truly an honour for Joe to present in front of his toastmaster family because it matters not where you are in your journey, you are dedicated to self-improvement so that you can make a difference in this world. Joe is hoping that in some small way he can help you on that journey.

Saturday Morning Keynote – “Developing Your Signature”

This session will focus on how to develop our unique signature voice and encourage you to develop your unique presentation style.

Saturday Afternoon Keynote – “Mrs. Elliott’s Lessons

Mrs. Elliott, Joe’s favourite teacher, taught him four lessons on leadership at a time he needed it the most. Toastmasters further helped Joe to hone those lessons. This presentation combines leadership with wellness and are lessons about finding what shines within us, finding the possibilities, finding the strength within, and finding the positive.


Bonus Workshop & Breakfast: (Separate registration)

“Speak to Reach”

This presentation surrounds Joe’s book about providing us with tools to help us to become proficient public speakers but also, through self-reflection, enabling us to speak from our hearts to reach any audience. To reach an audience means using our unique heart-connected voice to touch others in a way that inspires them to make a positive change.

Register for the conference!

FebFest: Next Level Toastmasters

Why did you join Toastmasters?

Our PRM, Mohan Padamati, asked this question at each of the Officer Training events this winter. It’s an important question, one we should revisit often to keep ourselves motivated and on track with our goals.

The answers were what you would expect: increase confidence presenting, networking, grow professional leadership skills, get better at public speaking, etc., etc.

What are you doing to push yourself towards your goals?

What are you doing to step outside your comfort zone?

How are you challenging yourself to grow?

This weekend I had the pleasure of participating in District 53’s FebFest Event and watching numerous brave Toastmasters take massive leaps in their journey. We all know how intimidating it can be to step up to the podium in our clubs. These speakers chose to stretch outside of their club bubble and walk onto a larger stage. And they did not disappoint.

The event consisted of three sessions:

  • 1pm Pecha-Kucha
  • 2pm Speech-a-thon
  • 3pm Table Topics Marathon
Pecha Kucha text image says 20 images by 20 seconds

The first session of the day was a Pecha-Kucha led by the wonderful Norm Thibodeau. If you’ve never seen this style of speech before, it is an amazing test of a speaker’s skills. A Pecha-Kucha consists of 20 slides set to display for 20 seconds each, resulting in a 6 minute and 40 second speech. The slides advance automatically and the speaker must time their speech to match their prepared slides. As a Toastmaster still fighting to get any speech under 7 minutes, I was quite impressed. There is little room for error and preparation is key to success.

The five Pecha-Kucha speakers were:

  • Russell Kenny
  • Vijaya Karunakar
  • Amy Chiu
  • Anthony Sariol
  • Norm Thibodeau

After the Pecha-Kucha, we moved on to the Speech-a-thon session led by yours truly. It was a privilege to take on the emcee role for this portion of the event. Each speech carried it’s own unique message, while also beautifully weaving together to offer us all motivation and powerful life lessons.

Image of a flower with the background of a blue sky and a gibbous moon

Sugan Kumar kicked things off sharing his experiences being on his death bed and fighting though a brain injury at a young age. He reminded us to face challenges with strength and practice gratitude for all of the blessings in our lives, because we never know when they will be taken away.

Ann Canfield‘s speech gave us action steps for how to show that gratitude towards others by seeking first to understand. She reminded us that curiosity and active listening moves us much faster towards solutions when there is tension and challenges.

Russell Kenny reminded us of the truth made famous by the Serenity Prayer: focus on what we can control, our own reasoned choices, and let go of that which we cannot control.

To bring the message home, Anthony Sariol inspired us to take action, to step up and do something with the opportunities we have been gifted.

Each speaker showed up for the day with their own unique speech and no collaboration. It was fascinating to watch it all come together into a beautiful message for us all.

To round out the afternoon, Thomas Farrelly led us all through a Table Topics Marathon, bringing compelling questions in a variety of areas. Everyone got a chance to participate and practice their impromptu speaking skills, including our District Director, John Hogan, and our Programs Quality Director, Patti Walters. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the leaders in our district, as well as fellow Toastmasters.

We all have our own unique reasons for joining Toastmasters, but each of us begin with a goal in mind. We want to become better, braver, bolder. We seek to expand our skills and our network. Personal growth and development is a challenging path to walk alone. Our District 53 leaders are hard at work creating opportunities, like FebFest, to allow space for us to blossom into powerful communicators and leadership.

SpringBoard into action - logo for 2023 Annual Conference

If you missed out on this awesome event, you’re in luck! There is an even bigger opportunity on the horizon.

Come join us at the District 53 Conference in Springfield on May 6th and surround yourself with like-minded people striving to achieve goals just like yours. Get all the details and register at: d53tm.org/district-conference/