The official 90^th anniversary day for Toastmasters International (TI) was October 22, 2014. That day marked the start of a yearlong tribute, which clubs can enjoy through October 2015.

With that in mind, Toastmasters International offers a wealth of resources that let you honor the organization that has done so much for so many when it comes to leadership skills and personal development.

Check out the 90th Anniversary Resource Kit  on the TI website at toastmasters.org/About/90thAnniversary. That’s where you’ll find all you need for your club to host a memorable tribute to Toastmasters. Helpful links include “Plan Your Event,” “Promote Your Event,” “Historical Photos,” “Club Celebration Gallery,” and “Buy 90^th Anniversary Items.”

According to the “History Article”    http://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/24B6BCC947684F3FADEA58E892CC3C8F.ashx> (one of the many great resources you’ll find in the Resource Kit), “…Toastmasters has evolved from a small network of clubs in Southern California to more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries, with membership exceeding 313,000. Members of the first group of clubs pioneered the same basic principles we still recognize today: Practice how to speak, keep meetings well-organized and on time, welcome new members enthusiastically and provide constructive feedback.

“Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters, noted that people ‘learn in moments of enjoyment.’ Although 90 years have passed, members around the globe still have fun while learning and building their skills. From Stockholm to Singapore, and Cleveland to Shanghai, members continue to learn from each other, while forging friendships in the process.”

Happy 90^th anniversary, Toastmasters International — and happy event planning to all of you Toastmasters!

Carol L Williams is the District 40 News Reporter

Jan 2015

District 40 WINTER TLIs  

coming to a city near you!

Don’t forget to attend the upcoming TLIs! Be advised that some require pre-registration. For more information:  http://d40toastmasters.org/calendar/

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CHECK IT OUT!

 

Be inspired, informed, and educated by listening to past World

Champ interviews! You can listen to people like David Brooks, Ryan Avery and many more when you click this link 

 

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Spring is in the Air!

Save the date for the Spring Conference

            April 17-19  Mason, Ohio

For more information click here.

A Club President’s Checklist for a Successful Toastmasters Leadership Institute

by Erlinda Simmons-Sonedecker, DTM

C24 Area Governor, Division H Assistant Governor

Click here for the full article.

Membership Contest Updates

 There’s a new contest heading your way in February! Talk Up Toastmasters promises to be a great challenge that will have you and your club fired up to bring in new members. Plus, find out who joined the winner’s circle when it came to the Smedley Awards (hint: D40 clubs were on fire!). Get the contest scoop here.

Using Notes? Four Tips to Help You Do It Right

by Tom Scharstein, Toastmaster, Environmentally Speaking ( EPA) club

For those of us who occasionally need to use notes during our speeches, how can we use them effectively to enhance our presentations? Toastmaster Tom Scharstein offers four great tips for using notes to help strengthen our speeches. See them here.

Talk Up Toastmasters

Contest dates:  February 1, 2015 – March 31, 2015

Toastmasters love to connect! You can take advantage of that with the “Talk Up Toastmasters” membership contest. It’s a chance to encourage your Toastmasters to invite guests to a special meeting where prospective members can learn about Toastmasters’ many benefits.

How it works
Clubs need to add five new, dual or reinstated members with a join date between February 1 and March 31, 2015.

What you win
You’ll receive a special “Talk up Toastmasters” ribbon to display on your club’s banner. Qualifying clubs can also earn a special discount code for 10-percent off their next club order. (The discount code expires six months from the date of issue and is not valid with any other offer.)

Important to keep in mind

• Applications and payments for members with a join date between February 1 and March 31 must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31, 2015.

• Adding transfer and charter members does not count for credit toward “Talk Up Toastmasters” credit.

Announcing the winners
The winning clubs will be announced online a few weeks after the contest ends. Winning clubs should allow up to 10 business days to receive their award if they’re located in the United States, and up to 21 business days if they’re outside the United States.

D40 Clubs Win Big with Smedley Awards

District 40 clubs showed well in the first membership building contest of the Toastmaster International year.

The Smedley Award was the focus for August and September 2014, and the results were fantastic! To win, clubs had to sign up at least five new, dual, or former members. The winners received a prestigious ribbon to add to their banners, as well as 10% off their next order from the Toastmasters store.

Better yet, the District 40 officers decided to sweeten the pot by adding a $50 gift certificate for each winning D40 club.  The winners were announced and awards presented at the Fall Conference on October 24-26, 2014.

Nine D40 clubs received prizes — that’s the kind of showing that would surely make Ralph Smedley proud!

Congratulations to these D40 Smedley Award winners:*

• AEP Toastmasters – For AEP Employees and Contractors – new member total: 7

• AGOISSI Toastmasters Club – new member total: 6

• CIC Speaks Toastmasters Club – new member total: 9

• CIC Speaks Too – new member total: 10

• Columbus Toastmasters Club – new member total: 5

• EKU Toastmasters – new member total: 5

• Gahanna Club – new member total: 5

• SOAR Toastmasters Club – new member total: 6

• Progressive Speaking Club – new member total: 5

*Listed alphabetically

  by Tom Scharstein, ACB        

    “I should have practiced my speech more.

    I should have memorized my speech.

    I can’t believe I’m writing it on my way to the meeting.

    I should have cancelled!”

Does this happen to anyone else besides me?

Personally, I attempt to follow my “2/2″ rule when it comes to a speech: twice a day, for two weeks, and I feel comfortable in my presentation. What happens though, when life gets in the way and prevents the desired practice time?

Notes are the answer.

Wait a minute…did I just say, “Notes?” Isn’t this a Toastmasters no-no?

Arguably, I have found only two references to notes in our manuals. In our Competent Communicator (CC) manual, the “Ice Breaker” Project #1 asks, “Did the speaker use notes?” In Project #8 in the CC manual, there’s a reference to reliance on notes. So far, I haven’t found the statement, “Do not use notes for your speech.”

What kind of notes are we talking about?

First of all, let’s establish the “extreme” range. On one end of the extreme is what I’ll call the “manuscript.” This is where we rely on having the speech, word for word, in hand. Without a doubt, we have all either personally experienced, or witnessed, the presentation of a speech from the so-called manuscript. The danger here is that “dead space” occurs as we lose our train of thought, and then attempt to hurriedly find our place within our script. Within those few seconds, our audience members begin to drift away, and we may not get their attention again easily. Dead space is an enemy of public speaking.

The other extreme is completely memorizing the speech. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but for those of us who fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes, how can we effectively use notes to enhance our speech flow? Here are a few tips I’ve developed for using notes to strengthen your speech when needed.

Tip #1:    Reframe using notes.

Notes are a collection of sequential thoughts — either a word or phrase — that “map out” your speech journey. Think of each note as you would a 20- to 30-second “Table Topic.” Open with the first thought in a few sentences. Then finish with a concluding sentence that wraps up that thought. As you close that thought, allow the audience to absorb what you just said. While they do that, glance at your notes if you need to as a way to reframe your mind towards your next thought. Then continue. Look up at the audience, and start your next 20- to 30-second period. Notice how you should only look down at your notes as you conclude your thought. If you blank out, then by all means look down at your notes. Still, try to avoid stopping mid-sentence to look at your notes. The goal is to strategically look at your notes at a time that doesn’t distract your audience.

Tip #2:    Mind your hand gestures.

Avoid holding notes during your hand gestures. The notes become “flags,” and you become like a signalman on a ship…a flag waver during a parade…a crew member guiding a plane towards the ramp. Your audience’s attention will naturally focus on the piece of paper sailing through the air. A good practice is to hold your “note hand” steady, and gesture with your free hand. A better practice is to use the lectern; freely gesturing with both hands.

Tip #3:    “Advertise” your notes.

When a person who stutters is apprehensive about a speaking situation, we advise them to “advertise” their stuttering. Meaning, let the listener know about a speech challenge in an educational or light-hearted manner. The pressure quickly fades. Similarly, when it comes to public speaking, we can “advertise” our notes. For example, begin with a humorous statement such as, “I have notes today because I have a 3K memory with 24MG of information to give to you today.” The apprehension about using notes should easily dissolve after boldly making a statement like that!

Tip #4:   Get creative with note placement.

Think about placing your notes covertly throughout the room. One of my club members once held my notes up as she sat in the front chair during one of my speeches. To anyone else, it simply looked like I was making eye contact as I glanced at my notes. You can be very creative in hiding your notes: for instance, try taping them to the back of a chair, the front edge of a table or side of the lectern.

Of course, our foremost goal is to appear “fluent” in speech, and that entails minimal use of notes. But I hope that when life gets in your way, and memorizing your speech sinks low on your priority list, you’ll use notes as a memory aid. Instead of cancelling a speech due to a lack of practice, revisit these tips, grab a note card, list out your thoughts, and remember: a speech is 20 seconds at a time!

Tom is Vice President of Public Relations for the Environmentally Speaking ( EPA) club

Recently, he was winner of the 2014 Area 40 Most Humorous Speech Contest, presented workshops at both the Western Division Conference and Area 35 TLI.

Jan 2015