[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]October Newsletter
In this edition we have information from our District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director.
Rozaline Janci , DTM- District Director– District 35
Hello District 35 members.
It has been a privilege to serve as your District Director for the past 3 months. The future is bright in our District.
Our Club Growth Team, led by Club Growth Director, Teri McGregor has done a phenomenal job of chartering 4 new Toastmasters Club since July 1st. Help me welcome these clubs to District 35:
- Station Masters, A Toastmasters Club
- U.S. Venture Toastmaster
- Long Story Short Toastmasters
- Guardian Toastmasters: Appleton Campus
A special Thanks to Teri’s Club Growth Team, New Club Extension Chair, Laurie Baker, who is constantly working on starting new clubs in our District. Club Coach Chair, David Reed has done a great job presenting to our DEC meetings and also finding coaches.
Program Quality Director, Kris Pool, has done an amazing job on the upcoming District-wide Winter TLI, Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Red Lion Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. Registration is open now, so plan on attending.
I had an incredible time at the 88th annual Toastmasters International Convention, in Denver. Kris, Teri and I spent two full days in training, plus we had the honor or interviewing all of the incoming leaders of our organization. You may have heard that next year, the 89th International Convention will be in Paris!
I leave you with a quote, “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish,” by Sam Walton. I encourage you all to help all of your members through their Toastmaster’s journey. If we all do this together the district will benefit with increased district leadership, gaining dynamic new clubs, and continuing to offer an amazing experience to new members.
I appreciate and thank all members who continually commit to the Toastmaster promise and the core values of Toastmasters.
Yours in Toastmasters,
Rozaline Janci, DTM
District Director– District 35
Kris Pool DTM Program Quality Director
District 35 Members – Continuing to Earn Education Awards
Congratulations to all our members that are continuing to pursue education awards in both the traditional and Pathways education programs. Since July 1, 2019, our members have earned 199 education awards (as of 10-21-19). This is wonderful! Of these numbers, 76 are in the traditional education program and 123 in Pathways.
Thank you for continuing to strive for professional and personal development.
I would like to challenge the members that have not yet earned an education award to commit today to earning an education award this Toastmasters year. Make a plan to complete an education goal in the traditional education program or enroll in Pathways and complete a Level 1.
As of 9-30-19, the Pathways adoption rate for all members in District 35 is at 71.76%. This means the active members have chosen a path. Congratulations to Blackhawk Talk, Madison Achievers, Words on Water, Pewaukee Speaks, Generally Speaking, Superiorland Toastmasters, JDF – Madison, and United Toastmasters! These clubs each have 100% adoption rate of Pathways.
Only 50.49% of our new members since June 1, 2019 have enrolled in Pathways. This is concerning to me because Pathways is the only education program in which our new members can participate. As a club, are you encouraging your new members to actively embrace Pathways and become involved as a speaker and member? Please review the policies within your clubs and encourage your new members to immediately embrace Pathways and get started on their journey toward better communication and leadership skills!
Our adoption rate for club officers is at 87.59%. I would love to see 100% enrollment in Pathways from all our club officers. Set an example for your experienced and new members. Yes, we have until June 30, 2020 to complete any education awards in the traditional education program, but remember, you can work concurrently in both programs. Become familiar with Pathways now so you can mentor and assist other members.
Winter TLI – Registration is Open
Registration for our district-wide Winter TLI on Saturday, December 7, 2019 in Appleton, WI is now open!
Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) is open to all officers, members, and guests of District 35.
Registration and networking begins at 8:15 a.m. Program begins at 9:00 a.m. and will end by 5:00 p.m.
Location is the Red Lion Paper Valley Hotel (formerly the Radisson Paper Valley) located at 333 West College Avenue, Appleton, Wisconsin.
As part of the Distinguished Club Program (DCP), clubs are reminded that four of the seven club officers need to attend a Winter TLI session. We strongly encourage all seven officers attend!
Education sessions include keynote speaker Karim Ellis, Region Advisor Cyndi Wilson, and several of our very own Toastmasters including John Scott. The afternoon will focus on contest training for all roles.
New this year will be raffle baskets and a 50/50 raffle drawing. Money raised will be used to offset the costs of the event. If you or your company would like to donate a raffle basket (or items for a basket), please contact Kris Pool at kris.pool.dtm@gmail.com. I’ll connect you with our coordinator, Deb Martin.
Early bird pricing is available until November 15 for $20 per person. Regular pricing is $30 from November 16-30. Any registrations the week of December 1-7 will be considered a walk-in registration and will be $40 per person. We want everyone to register early.
Register today through EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/district-35-toastmasters-winter-leadership-institute-2019-seek-learn-grow-tickets-76680053103
A small block of rooms has been reserved at the Red Lion for TLI attendees. Room Rate for Friday, December 6, 2019: Single or Double $99.00 plus tax. Cutoff date for room rate is Friday, November 8, 2019.
To make your reservation, call 920-733-8000, select Option 1 for Reservations. Ask for the Toastmasters District 35 – TLI room block. For more information about the hotel, visit https://www.redlion.com/red-lion-hotels/wi/appleton/red-lion-hotel-paper-valley
For additional information, please visit our event calendar at https://district35.org/event/district-wide-winter-tli/
Distinguished Clubs in District 35
The goal for District 35 is to have at least 50 of our clubs achieve distinguished status or better by the end of June 2020. We are well on our way!
To be Distinguished, clubs must achieve 5 of the 10 DCP goals. Select Distinguished is 7 of the 10 goals. And Presidents Distinguished is 9 of 10 goals. All levels of Distinguished must meet a minimum membership requirement (20 members or a net growth of 5 members from the base number from July 1, 2019).
As of 10-21-19, Cream City Communicators has achieved 5 goals. Nine clubs have achieved 4 goals: ROK the Talk, Finest in Speech, Plymouth Toastmasters, Truckmasters, New Appleton Toastmasters Club, Rockwell Automation A-B Club, The Breakfast Club, Marshfield Area Toastmasters, and Royal Toastmasters.
Reach out to these clubs. Find out what they are doing to work towards Distinguished status. How are they doing it? Work with one another to strengthen our clubs. Submit those overdue membership renewal payments. Hold an Open House and invite guests and potential members. Challenge members to bring two guests to each meeting. What can you do to help strengthen your club?
Thank you for your continued dedication and support of Toastmasters and District 35. More importantly, thank you for your continued commitment to your own personal and professional growth and development. When we focus on the small goals, it will show in the overall club and district goals.
Club Growth Director Teri McGregor
The Tricks and Treats of a Successful Open House
Hosting an Open House doesn’t have to be scary. In the Club Growth call earlier in October, Glenda Teams-Edwards, DTM, PDD & District 37 Club Extension Chair, West taught us how to execute a successful Open House. Check out these Tricks & Treats to conducting an Open House.
Tricks
- Have a Vision. An Open House is not a meeting with food, it’s an event and you should work with your club members in creating a memorable event that will attract guest AND make those guests want to become members.
- Have an experienced speaker with an interesting topic be the center of your event. Ask a local celebrity, author or an outstanding community volunteer to speak at your club’s event.
- Plan. Have a plan for all the details of the event. Location, date, time, meeting set up, food, event master, speaker and so on are just a small list of the details that you will want to plan for.
- Market – Market – Market to as many people in as many ways possible. Think “old school” and “new school” as David Reed called it in our first Club Growth Call this year. Social media, press releases and flyers are all great ways to spread the word out about your event.
- Get the entire club involved. Planning for and putting on an event is not a one-man job. Many hands make light work, and this is the perfect team building experience for you and your club members.
Treats
- Having a vision will help keep you on track as you plan and execute your event. By sharing your vision, everyone will be on the same page.
- An experienced speaker will be helpful to have as you promote the event. An experienced speaker will also serve to showcase one of the many benefits of being a member of Toastmasters.
- Having a good plan will make for less stress at the event.
- The more people who know about the event, the more people you will have in attendance
- Turn guests into members
- FUN! Planning and executing a successful event will be fun when you collaborate with your team – the best treat of all!
D35 currently has openings for volunteers to serve as club coaches, club sponsors & club mentors!
Job Description
Supporting new and struggling clubs is an exciting and challenging opportunity for Toastmasters who are self-motivated, able to work well on a team and enthusiastic about all that Toastmasters has to offer.
Job Responsibilities
Club Coach
- Build rapport with club leaders and members
- Instill enthusiasm, comradery and structure within the club
- Assess the club environment and recommend best practices for success
- Work with club leaders to develop a Club Success Plan
- Encourage the club to strive for Distinguished Club Program (DCP) recognition
Club Sponsor
- Organize the new club including selling the new club idea to prospective members
- Host a demonstration meeting
- Help organize regular club meetings
- Complete charter paperwork
- Plan the charter party
Club Mentor
- Build rapport with club leaders, sponsors & members
- Provide the new club with an overview history of Toastmasters International, the organization structure and the relationship between the organization and the club member
- Explain Pathways and be a resource for new clubs as they begin to work thru the education program
- Help the club and members build positive habits
Qualifications
- Must be a Toastmaster in good standing
- Must be an enthusiastic Toastmaster willing to help others learn and grow
- Must have a passion to support fellow clubs and members achieve their goals.
- Coaching and mentoring experience is preferred but not required
- Enrollment in Pathways is preferred but not required. Depending on the role you take, knowledge of both Pathways and the traditional education program is required
Compensation — Qualified candidates who receive credit for any one the above roles will receive:
- Personal & Professional growth gained by learning new leadership, coaching and mentoring skills
- Credit in the education program
- Certificate of accomplishment
- Recognition from the District
If you want to share your skills and knowledge with Toastmasters across the district, please contact us today!
Club Growth Director: Teri McGregor – tmcgd35@gmail.com
Club Retention Chair: David Reed – dfreed1@hotmail.com
Club Extension Chair: Laurie Baker – lauriebaker-ctm@sbcglobal.net
Welcome to our newly charted clubs
A special thank you to the stars of D35 who are supporting our newest clubs!
Station Masters a Toastmasters Club
Division C / Area 3
Sponsors: Hemendra Chonkar & Leslie Lissy
Mentors: Angela Graham & Jackie Scott
U.S. Venture Toastmasters
Eastern Division / Area 3
Sponsors: Lois TeStrake & Ranee Graf
Mentors: Leslye Erickson & Teri McGregor
Long Story Short Toastmasters
Division D / Area 2
Guardian Toastmasters Appleton Campus
Eastern Division / Area 3
Sponsors: Julie Ritzman & Michael Jacobs
Mentors: Paul VanDyck & Thomas Swartwood
The three US Bank clubs in Southeastern Wisconsin held a corporate competition on October 3 to facilitate networking, practice organization skills and encourage contest experience among the clubs. Barbara Judd, President of Talkers And Shakers spearheaded the event, with Christine DeMuth, ACG CL, Treasurer of Toast of Milwaukee as Event Toastmaster and Jay Kieckhafer, ACS ALB, Vice President Education of TT&SS on Tap as Chief Judge.
“In my building we have been battling a perception that Toastmasters is just a social club. The 2019 US Bank Southeast Wisconsin event gave positive visibility to the higher levels of management causing some of them to publicly state their support and encourage their teams to join. I was happily stunned by the results. With this positive feedback I have already started thinking of ways to improve the marketing of the 2020 competition within the bank and considering more events with our sister clubs,” said Barbara Judd.
The event was based on a contest format; however as a non-District event, the event could not be called a “contest.” The format and most rules were followed closely to give participants and guests an opportunity to experience a contest event while not having winners moving forward to a District contest.
The theme of the 5-7 minute speeches was “Coaching and Self Improvement” and a round of Table Topics was the second part of the competition. Samantha Blake of Toast of Milwaukee won the speech competition, and Tim Griep, MS2, Vice President Education of Talkers and Shakers won Table Topics.
“I actually found myself applying one of the suggestions from the leadership speeches the day after the competition,” said Julie Butturff, Vice President Membership of Talkers and Shakers. “It worked!”
Christine DeMuth said the experience gave her more confidence. After her Event Toastmaster experience, she said, “Never did this before, nor attended a Toastmaster Competition in years! Not only was this a great learning experience, it was fun too!”
“As a new member I found it very encouraging to be selected to participate in this event. I am looking forward to many more,” said new Talkers and Shakers member Alexandra Utter-Limon.
“I enjoy getting involved in Toastmasters events,” said Barb Leis, CC, CL, Treasurer of Talkers and Shakers. “This time as a timer, allowed me to be right up front for these entertaining performances”
If other companies or industries have similarities that make a competition event a good networking fit, Club Growth Director Teri McGregor, VC3, has some suggestions:
— Spread the word throughout the company about what you are doing.
— Share photos and a summary of the event across the corporation. This can be done via a company Intranet or Sharepoint site. If your company makes announcements visually (i.e. T.Vs in break rooms or cafeterias) you can share the success of the events here.
— Encourage members to talk up Toastmasters to their leaders. When leaders hear success stories like a combined event they will share those with their peers and may even refer others to a Toastmasters club.
Competitors also gain from the event, she said.
“Speaking in front of a new group or leading in a new setting, offers new challenges and gives you a fresh perspective and additional feedback.”
Submitted By Theresa Flynn DTM
Most corporate leadership training programs are placed over a day or two at considerable cost. In a traditional one-day or two-day long workshop, you’ll increase your knowledge. You’ll learn several key insights and be excited to implement the 5-10 new learning’s into your leadership toolkit immediately.
Inevitably, you won’t be able to put all of those new learning’s into action. After two or three weeks, you might remember the concept but not how to implement the idea, and you’ll be lucky if you retain even two of the ten key points from a session. Adults typically retain just 10% of what they hear in classroom lectures. Cramming all the key learnings into one lengthy training makes logistical sense, but it greatly restricts learning retention.
Communication training gained from Toastmasters is aimed at giving future leaders new skills — at helping them change their behaviors to become a good communicator which is the language of leadership.
Simply learning what to do over the course of one to two days doesn’t lead to acting differently in the long run.
How habit formation works in our brains.
Habit formation doesn’t just happen. Our brains aren’t wired to adopt a new habit that quickly. No matter how good and engaging the presentation is, habit formation takes time. It occurs when a new action, like the leadership skill of listening with intention and attention, is practiced over and over.
Each time you practice listening in this new way, audiovisual (neurons) in your brain are firing and creating a new neural pathway. The more you practice, the stronger the audiovisual (neurons) pathway becomes and the easier it is for you to listen.
The audiovisual (neurons) pathway for listening can be created or rediscovered in one session, but for the pathway to be strengthened, you need to practice deliberately. Role-playing with peers is a safe way to start, but it doesn’t replace the real thing. To practice effectively, you’ll need to try listening in a real-life scenario. Only, once applied in the real world, you’ll get the feedback you need to validate, adapt and adjust your mental model of what it looks and feels like to listen with intention and attention.
Often, real-world practice doesn’t go as planned. Something goes wrong. It’s like trying to ride a bike for the first time — you’re going to fall. You need to reflect on what went wrong, what could be improved and what you can carry over to your next attempt at listening to learn a new habit.
If you are committed to challenging the status quo Toastmasters is an educational program that can work for you. How Pathways works.
Toastmasters will have you learning skills, putting them into action and being evaluated. The quicker and frequently you start and progress through projects the quicker a new skill becomes a habit.
Are you ready to commit the time and energy to experience the change you want?
Tom Carlson, DTM in his 42nd year of membership, starting September 1, 1978
NOTE: This material was gained from reading a Forbes Coaches Council report, written by Aaron Levy
HEADS UP, were you thinking about becoming a District Officer next Year?
Our Leadership Committee wanted to get your leadership juices flowing and inform you well ahead of time on what you need to do.
Every year, District 35 looks for a new set of servant leaders to take us further on our Toastmaster journey and assure the continued success of District 35.
We always need new ideas, new visions, new inspirations. We need you. For all nominations and nomination questions, please email our Leadership Chair Judy Bauer at jbauertm@hotmail.com
The document District Leader Qualifications and Responsibilities (PDF) from Toastmasters International is the first step is to decide how you wish to serve your fellow Toastmasters. It gives you an overview of each district officer role.
The document District Leader Competencies describes the expected skills, knowledge, and characteristics of district officers.
Another great resource is current and past district officers. They can tell you all about the office you’re interested in pursuing and you might even find a mentor for your term in office. If you don’t know a current district officer, contact your District Director and they’ll connect you with someone near you.
After you select an office, it’s time to submit the proper forms;
All Candidates can Declare Their Intent to Run from November 1, 2019 through January 30, 2020.
You can nominate any active Toastmaster in good standing in our district – including yourself. Yes, you may definitely nominate yourself. The process is simple. Just fill out the District Leader Nominating Form and submit to Judy at jbauertm@hotmail.com .
Note: Send nomination forms for Area Director, Administration Manager, Finance Manager, and Logistics Manager to our current District Director Rozaline Janci at Rozaline.janci@usbank.com .
If you are nominating yourself, fill out the Candidate Application and Officer Agreement and Release Form. If you are nominated by someone else, the District Leadership Committee will be in touch soon and ask you to fill them out.
Elections for the District Officers for 2019-2020 Toastmaster year will be held during our District Council Meeting on May 2nd, 2020 at our D35 Convention in Waukesha, WI. The upcoming term is from July 1, 2020 through June 3o, 2021.
Judy Bauer, DTM District35 Leadership Chair
On September 26th SSM new club Station Masters held their Charter party by having their members and officers inducted by Club Mentor Angela Graham.
All members received there Charter Certificate and a rose bud to remind them that the will grow and blossom as they continue their Toastmasters journey.
Congratulations to all Station Masters members
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]