Tag: 2023-2024

February Update from the DD

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Hello District Members,

Can you believe that it is February already?  I hope that the New Year is treating you all well… but this is a busy time of year for everyone, and Toastmasters is no exception!

Our second round of Officer Training is just about to wrap up: If you haven’t attended you can join us on 19 February 2024.  If you are an officer, please make attempt to attend a training.  It is proven clubs are more successful when their officers attend training. You do not need to be an officer to join us.  These sessions are open to all.

Speaking of training… your District trio — Bettyann Peck, Mohan Padamati, and I — attended District Leaders Training the last weekend in January in Dallas, TX!  We spent all day Saturday and Sunday working together, and with others across the world, strategizing to have a successful second half of the year! We brainstormed about membership retention, new members, hybrid meetings and business meetings. We had discussions around accountability and reviewed our plans to help YOU achieve success. We even had a snowball fight!  I am including a few pictures of our weekend.  See if you can find your leaders in the group picture.

Many District leaders from around the United States, together in one room
Bettyann Peck, Mohan Padamati, Patti Walter in Dallas, TX
District Trio with Stefano McGee (ID for region 9), Radhi Spear (International President-Elect), Lynda Starr (Region 9 Advisor)

On top of coordinating training, your PQD Bettyann Peck is working with David Freedman and Richard Peck to bring you a great Annual Conference in May.  “Breaking Barriers”. We are fortunate to have Accredited Speaker Sheryl Roush DTM, as our keynote speaker!

All of our Club and Area Level Contests are now over. My thanks to our Area Directors who did a great job recruiting functionaries and judges; a number of people applied their participation in these events toward completion of Pathways goals, too! In all, twenty-three Areas held live, in-person contests, sometimes in conjunction with other Areas — What a great feat! This has not happened since January 2019, before COVID. You can find Area Contest results posted here.

The next step is our Division Contests.  Our Division Directors have found facilities to hold their division contests, and a schedule is available here. I hope that you will be able to attend one or two of them.  We have some great speakers in our district; I am sure they would love your support. Also, there are many judge and functionary roles that still need to be filled out. Contact your Division Director through their pages (A – B – C – D – E) for more information. 

A special thank you to our Chief Judge, Beth VanKempen who has been diligently review all material and ensuring that our Area and District Directors had the proper scripts and paperwork available.  Thanks Beth, we appreciate all the time you put into this position.

Our CGD, Mohan Padamati is also busy creating a great team of people to support him with establishing new clubs, and club coaching.  

I also would like to take a minute to thank some of your other district team on a great job that they are doing.  Eleni Solar has taken on the challenge of being Audit Committee chair. She is working with her team and our District Finance Manager Glendalys Ramos to make sure our finances are all in tack. Our Technical Team, consisting of Public Relations Manager Zachary Fisk and webmaster Andrew B. Watt DTM, work daily to make sure you as members are informed of what is going on in our district and all around us.  Thank you Zach for updating the newsletter and for keeping it and our Facebook site up-to-date.   Andrew thank you for you quick turnaround to get things posted on the website and also keeping the pages looking fresh.

My special thanks go out to to Immediate Past District Director John J. Hogan DTM for creating and leading the District Leadership Committee by looking for and interviewing candidates to serve as elected district officers for 2024-2025. for next year.  It is not to late for anyone who is thinking of taking a leadership position to apply.  Is this your next hardest thing???  Information on this can be found here, or reach out to John if you have any questions. 

I have always said it takes a village and we have a very special villager, that keeps the Sr. Team on point. He makes sure all our deadlines are met; he does all the pre-work to get our business meetings running smoothly; and he also assists with every district Zoom meeting we have:  Norm Thibodeau DTM , thank you for your countless hours you donate to help us all.

The team is looking forward to ending the season strong.  Reach out if we can assist you in  any way.

Most Sincerely,
Patti Walter DTM
District Director 2023-2024

January Update

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Greetings Division C Area Directors, Officers, and Club Members,

It’s now halfway through the Toastmasters year.  I am proud of our five Area Directors and the division’s clubs, and the members who have achieved Pathways designations in the first half of the year.  Let me also congratulate the Area Directors, who completed their first round of club visits on November 30, and are getting ready for the second round of visits.

Officer Training sessions are still going on with 2 more sessions left.  Every club needs to get at least 4 officers trained before February 28/29, 2024.  You can also find training in other districts if you miss these dates; just be sure that our Program Quality Director learns of your attendance from the other District’s leadership!

Area Speech Contests – I’m happy to report that all Area Contests in Division C were completed on 1/10/24.  Congratulations to the winners!  

Special thanks and recognition go to Sugan Kumar, Area 33 Director, who organized the contest initially for Area 33 and ended up adding Areas 32, 34 and 35.  I’m proud to say that all the Area Directors attended the contests and played key roles in making the contests successful.   Special thanks to One State Street Toastmasters club members who assisted too. Results for the Area Contests are posted here.

The Division C Contests, in conjunction with the Division B Contests (refer to D53 website for more details), will take place on 9 March 2024 at Manchester Church of Christ; the contest gavel comes down at 9 am! I’m grateful to Katie Vrabel, Area 32 Director, for agreeing to serve as chief judge (a32dir@d53tm.org); and to Paul Randolph, DTM for acting as contest chair. Please contact me at divcdir@d53tm.org, or Division B Director Ebru Unal at divbdir@d53tm.org, for answers to general questions.

 Membership Dues season is almost upon us, with a deadline of March 31, 2024 for payment of the second dues from each club. Corporate clubs should get a head-start if their company’s finance office pays the dues of any members of their club, to ensure a successful on-time payment.

Finally, plan to attend the District 53 Annual Conference on May 10-11, 2024, at the Heritage Conference Center in Southbury, Connecticut. You’ll be able to see the end of the contest sequence, attend the Toastmasters District 53 business meeting, and participate in some great workshops on speaking and leadership.

Meet your goals in 2024!

Yours in Toastmasters service,
Selina Tourjee,
Division C Director 2023-2024

Areas 11 – 12 – 13 -14 Contest Results

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Four Areas of Division A held their contests at Bethel Public Library on 20 January 2024. The speech contests held were the Evaluation Speech Contest first, followed by the International Speech contest which culminates in the World Championship of Public Speaking® at the Toastmasters International Convention held each August. Area Directors and District Director Patti Walter were in attendance.

Congratulations to all these members who stepped out if their comfort zone and participated in the Rea 11 through 14 Evaluation and International Contests.

Moving on are:

Area 11

  • Andrew Amico – Evaluation
  • Sandy Weiner – International

Area 12

  • Jeff Bradbury – Evaluation and International

Area 13

  • Oscar Romero – Evaluation
  • Scott Mason – International

Area 14

  • Christina LaPerle- Evaluation
  • Oluwafemi Omoyeni – International

Thanks to all our functionaries, contestants and guest for making this such a great afternoon. And special thanks to our Contest Toastmaster Debbie Froehlich.

Mark your calendars for February 24 when these contests advance to the next level, at the Division A speech contests (more details here). Please volunteer for a role and contact divadir@d53tm.org to offer your assistance as a contest judge, functionary or audience member!

Area Contests Are Happening Near You!

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Fellow Toastmasters,

Are you enjoying the whirlwind?  Not the icy winds of winter, those fantastic, energizing whirlwinds that are speech contests!

In the next three weeks, all area contests will be conducted, and our Area Directors need your help as judges and functionaries.  Take the training, the When You Are the Judge video, and volunteer for these roles at upcoming events — so you can grow as a better judge of speakers.

“When You Are the Judge“, a webinar on judging from Toastmasters District 53 (click if video not visible)

After that, the division contests will take place, and some have already been scheduled (see below).  If you’ve been a judge at the Area level, that may help qualify you to be a judge at the Division level… so volunteer and grow again.

The speech contests do not end at the division level, come observe (and volunteer for) the District 53 Speech Contests on May 10-11, 2024. The District 53 Evaluation Speech Contest is on Friday, May 10th in the evening and is a bonus (free) event for the May 11th Annual Conference!  The District 53 International Speech Contest will take place at the Annual Conference on May 11th in the afternoon. Register now for the conference! 

You can see the division and district speech contests taking shape by viewing the area and division results pages.  Instead of being drained by the wintry winds, come to speech contests at the area, division, and district levels — be invigorated by the brilliant warmth of this year’s contestants!

Yours in Toastmasters service,
Beth Van Kempen
District 53 Chief Judge, 2023-2024

Marketing Campaign

Posted on | by Patti Walter

Hello District 53 Club Officers,

I am writing to let you know that District 53 is partnering with Toastmasters International by participating in a global marketing campaign.

This campaign will begin on 8 January 2024 and run for 90 days until 7 April 2024.  It will consist of using brand recognition advertising on LinkedIn to educate prospective members about Toastmasters.  In order for this to be successful we need everyone’s assistance.  Here is how.

  1. Please check your Find A Club information at Toastmaster International and make sure all the information is correct
  2. Respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.  If you are a restricted club and unable to take this lead please forward to me at dd@d53tm.org. This is the most important part as it can make or break the success of the campaign
  3. If you receive the ad in your LinkedIn account please pass it on, and pass it on again and pass it on even one more time.  The more hits we get the better our chances at a success rate.

One of the benefits of this campaign is that I am able to receive reports on how we are doing.  This gives us the opportunity to maintain an open discussion on campaign progress.

I am including resources to assist you with this campaign. 

The Global Advertising Campaign—2024 Webinar recording to learn the objectives, user journey, campaign goals, and new ads that will be running in your District. The best practices learned will also be highlighted.

The straightforward Global Advertising Campaign Preparation Tips; 

The Prospective Member Conversion Guide. This valuable resource will help guide clubs to converting prospective members to members, contributing to the growth of your clubs. 

The Prospective Member Follow-Up Email template to use as you reply to prospects in a timely, consistent manner

Finally, please share this message with all your club members and ask them to assist too.  The more the merrier.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and all that you do each and every day for your clubs, your members and yourself.

Happy New Year.

Sincerely,
Patti Walter, DTM
District Director, 2023-2024
DD@d53tm.org

Club Officer List Changes

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Per Toastmasters Governing Documents, each year every Toastmasters club must elect new club officers for the following year. The official record of club officers is the Toastmasters International database, so this must be updated after each officer election and any time during the program year that officers change for any reason. This document explains how and why to do it.

Why do this?

Since the TI database is the official record of Toastmasters information, your new slate of officers is not “real” until you update your club’s officer information in the database.

To enable club officers to access important information about the club via the TI website, such as Pathways Basecamp and Club Central.

  • Only officers listed at Toastmasters International can get DCP4 credit for officer training.
  • To complete Distinguished Club Program (DCP) Goal #10, clubs must post their incoming officer info at TI by June 30.
  • To enable officers to be contacted for important Toastmasters business.
  • Only current club officers, as listed in the database, can access your club’s Club Central and Pathways BaseCamp management functions.

When to do it

Newly elected club officers should be posted at Toastmasters International as soon as possible, but absolutely by the June 30 deadline.  Clubs that meet weekly can optionally also elect officers in November.  In this case, the officers serve a 6-month term and the mid-term officers must be posted at Toastmasters International by December 31. Your club must also elect a member to fill any office vacated for any reason during the program year. Every club must have at least a President, a Vice-President, and a Secretary to be valid in US law and regulation.

How to do it

There are 2 ways to update your club’s officer list.

Method #1 – through Club Central on Toastmasters.org

The easiest and quickest way is for a club officer to update the list online in Club Central.This can only be done by any, existing club officer, since your club officers are the only ones with access to your club’s Club Central.

  • Go to the Toastmasters International website.
  • Log into your account. This is the same login you use to get to Pathways.
  • Go to your home page. (Hover your mouse over your name at the top and click My Home.
  • Scroll down to the Leadership Central section and click the Club Central tile. If you belong to multiple clubs, it will list your clubs and you’ll have to select the club you want to access.
  • Scroll down to the Club Management section and click the Club Officer Assignment tile. This brings you to the form where you list your club’s officers. All 7 officer positions are listed and the entry field for each provides a drop down with all your club members.
  • Select the appropriate club member for each officer role.
  • When finished, be sure to click the SAVE button at the bottom.

Video tutorials on this, and other Club Officer tutorials, are available.

Method #2 – by email

The second way is to fill out the PDF form from Toastmasters.org and email this completed form to clubofficers@toastmasters.org. There may be delays in TI processing this form for you, so be patient. You can save time as well as your time and effort by posting the information yourself in Club Central using method #1, above.

Remember to tell your bank, too

As part of your changeover of officers, one important secondary step is to register the changes in officers with the bank with which you do business. This often requires a special copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the officers were elected, on letterhead, with explicit references to which officers will have signatory access to the account (usually the Treasurer and President, but not always). You can download suitable letterhead from Toastmasters.org.

In Toastmasters service,
Norm Thibodeau, DTM
District Administrative Manager, 2023-2024

Mastering Communication: Why Your Toastmasters Email Matters

Posted on | by Zachary Fisk

Many of us joined Toastmasters in an effort to become comfortable with public speaking. Along our journeys, we learn that Toastmasters helps us become better communicators overall. Today, we are confronted with many modes of communication, and one of the tried and true methods over the past couple of decades is email. Email is the primary mode of communication between Toastmasters International and you, District 53 and you, and many clubs and their members. An email address also serves as half of your Toastmasters International account credentials. This is particularly crucial for accessing associated websites.

Losing access to an email address can quickly disrupt communication, making it challenging to be notified of opportunities and restricting your access to your Toastmasters education records. In this post, I would like to encourage you to consider changing to a personal email address for your Toastmasters email if you are using a work-assigned address. Additionally, I encourage you to check your spam/junk folders to ensure that communication from Toastmasters International, District 53, and your club are not getting trapped in those folders.

Now, let’s explore several benefits of using a personal email address for your Toastmasters correspondence.

1. This safeguards your ability to access education records, even if you no longer have a connection with the company providing your email account. Having a network of other Toastmasters may help you land another opportunity or at the very least help you continue to prepare for future interviews.

2. Using a personal email address ensures you have privacy over your professional development from an employer. A corporate account is company-owned and may be reviewed by management.

3. It can offer you personal branding by choosing a vanity domain address, or how your username and signature are displayed. This can set you apart and show others your involvement with Toastmasters and commitment to personal growth.

4. It ensures that you have control over accessing news from Toastmasters International and District 53. Both sources provide many opportunities to continue your growth such as news of upcoming training, or interesting articles with valuable insights.

We’ve noticed when sending out District 53 news that some company accounts are completely blocking our newsletters. It may be difficult to convince IT departments to adjust firewall settings to allow newsletters to flow in. Many personal address providers such as Gmail allow all subscribed information to flow in but may filter to promotion or spam folders. In these scenarios, a simple search will enable access to the email, and it can then be marked ‘safe’ for inbox delivery in the future.

Uninterrupted access to this information is helpful to you, and your club, which benefits each of the members, “you”.

As you continue your Toastmasters journey, consider the power of a personal email address — a gateway to uninterrupted education, a shield of privacy, personal branding, and a key to unlocking Toastmasters communications. Take control, update your Toastmasters profiles, and share the wisdom with your Toastmasters friends and peers.

Workshop for Judges

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Fellow Toastmasters,

To assist you in running contests, we’ll be hosting a new workshop, When You Are the Judge, on 13 November 2023 from 7 pm to 8:00 pm (repeating on January 9, 2024). Please read about and join us!

As a reminder,

  • Club Contests must end by December 10, 2023. They can be held online, in-person, or in a hybrid format, but they must follow the 2023-2024 Speech Contest Rulebook.
  • Area Contests will take place in-person between December 11, 2023 and February 10, 2024. Locations will be listed below. (results here)
  • Division Contests will take place in-person between February 11, 2024 and March 31, 2024. Locations will be listed below. (results here)
  • The District Contests will take place in-person at the District Conference!

There are a number of existing resources to assist you in the process of running contests:

You can always reach me at DCJ@d53tm.org with any questions or concerns, and I’ll happily answer.

Yours in Toastmasters service,
Beth Van Kempen
District 53 Chief Judge, 2023-2024

November Greetings

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Greetings fellow D53 Rock Stars,

The weather is getting colder, and sunsets are coming way too early now, but bright and exciting things in our District continue to unfold for our members when it comes to Program Quality.

BREAKING NEWS on our SC2024 Conference; Co-Chairs Richard E. Peck, DTM, PIP and David Freedman, DTM have been visiting site locations throughout Connecticut and Eastern New York to find the perfect location and dates that work best for our members for an epic conference, and we are very close to a final decision! Stay tuned for official announcements to come VERY soon in the district newsletter as well as on our website. For up to the minute news on what has occurred up to now with past conferences, take a peek on our website here.

Our second round of Club Officer Training (COT) sessions begin this month and unlike our Summer COT sessions, the winter COT sessions are focused on club leaders sharing their experiences and ideas to help others benefit from what you are learning about your role. These trainings will continue up to February 29, 2024. Register here

Speech Contest season, featuring the Evaluation and International Speech Contests is in full swing with our District Chief Judge Beth Van Kempen leading the charge with a fabulous team presenting deep dives into Contest Training for all members of our district. These sessions are a great opportunity to learn how to run AND judge a contest! Join the Judges training session on Nov. 13th at 8pm here.  For more specific questions or volunteering at an Area, Division or District contest, reach out to Beth directly at: dcj@d53tm.org

Yours in Toastmasters Service,
Bettyann Peck, DTM
Program Quality Director 2023-2024