Category: Conference

Opportunities Beyond Your Club

Whether you are pursuing a traditional or a Pathways DTM award, there are several opportunities for learning about speaking and leadership beyond your club environment. The fun and excitement is extended beyond your manuals and Pathways resources.

Visit other clubs

Talk to members of the other club and learn new ways of conducting a meeting. Explore a community club if you are a member of a corporate club. Check out an advanced club if you are interested in taking your skills to the next level and seek comprehensive feedback.

District-sponsored education and training sessions

Attend club officer training to not only learn about your role, but also to meet your counterparts in other clubs. Sometimes, general education sessions are presented in addition to the officer breakout sessions.

Pathways training sessions are another great opportunity to get your questions answered and share best practices as we navigate this exciting educational experience and learn together. These could take place as standalone sessions or after a District gathering.

Area and Division contests

At the Evaluation contests, the Contest Chairs seek out model (also known as test) speakers from other locations so the contestants experience new ideas from someone who might be unfamiliar to them.

As a model speaker, you can present your speech to an audience in another area or division and ask an audience member for a written evaluation as long as the duties as a contest official do not pose a conflict of interest. Bring your manual or Pathways resource with you. Take notes from the speech evaluators and consider implementing their suggestions in your future speeches.

District Annual Conferences

Join fellow Toastmasters at the District Annual Conference, May 3-5, 2019 at the APA Hotel in Woodbridge, NJ. Register for the conference here. Learn new ideas at educational workshops. Network with other Toastmasters. Become inspired and entertained at the International speech and Humorous speech contests. Hone your speech evaluation and Table Topics skills observing the best in the District compete.

Conference logo design by Su Brooks.

Blog contributed by Su Brooks, DTM 2                                                              District 83 Training Coordinator and Social Media Strategist

Su has been a Toastmaster since July 2000 and has earned two DTM awards in the Traditional program. In Pathways, she is working on three paths: Leadership Development, Presentation Mastery, and Engaging Humor. In addition, she recently began the Pathways Mentoring Program.

For 2018-2019, she serves as the Sergeant at Arms for Talk of Monmouth, an advanced club in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and as the District Training Coordinator and a Social Media Strategist.

She is a member of No Limits Toastmasters in Staten Island, New York, where she serves as the audio technician on the production crew for Toastmasters in the Community, a cable TV show.

For 2019-2020, Su will take on the role of Destination DTM Chair for District 83.

Bryan Shares His Toastmasters Experience

About a year ago a colleague gave advice while I typed notes on my cellphone as fast as I could, “Join Toastmasters.”

That day I made a digital note and a mental commitment. The next week, at 7:00 pm, I walked into a classroom at the Raritan Valley Community College building in Somerville and sat down in my first Toastmasters meeting. I wanted to improve my communication skills. I wanted to get better at public speaking.

I’ve gone to almost every meeting since and I’m working on my fifth speech now. With every speech, I’ve gained more confidence and become more relaxed. Yet for me, it’s been the incredible people that I’ve met along the way that have made the experience.

There’s been inspiration. It never ceases to amaze me how calm and confident Toastmasters can be. It doesn’t matter how many strangers are in the crowd or what topic they’ve chosen that evening. I can only describe the way they choose their words, vary their tone, and gesture, as craftsmanship. Even when given about the most wrenching topics.

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Unexpected Benefits of Toastmasters

A question that I love to ask fellow Toastmasters is, “What are the unexpected benefits you have gotten by being a member?” All of us joined to improve our communication skills with a focus on making speeches. The Toastmasters program does offer great and low cost training on how to present in front of an audience but the program offers so much more! The additional benefits are the reason that I have been a member for 20+ plus years.

Some of the unexpected benefits I have received are:

  1. Self Confidence
  2. The ability to give and to accept and receive constructive criticism
  3. Networking opportunities and new friends from diverse backgrounds

As a child I was shy and awkward. I also do not have an athletic bone in my body and I still remember the awful feeling of always being picked last for a team—the player that no one wanted!

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Begonia Wants to See You at the Fall Conference

Area 21 Director Begonia Reyes, CC, talks about why she goes to conferences, including the great speeches as well as a sense of community. Join us on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Somerset, NJ. Reserve your spot at TM83.org.

The Pillars of Toastmasters Wisdom

To become a Toastmaster is to open the door to the world.

Consider these disparate facts:

Have you ever heard of the Five Pillars of Islam?

This refers to the five duties required of every Muslim. They are Shahādah, the Muslim profession of faith, Salāt, ritual prayer five times each day, Zakāt, the alms levied for the poor, Sawm, fasting during the month of Ramadan (and no, you aren’t expected to eat nothing for a month), and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca you should to try to complete at least once in your lifetime.

Have you heard of the Bible’s “Seven Pillars of Wisdom?” In the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament’s, Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9, Verse 1, we read, “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.” This refers to “Wisdom’s Feast,” the benefits we reap by sowing the seeds of kindness, generosity, humility, sincerity, and wisdom.

In Wadi Rum, Jordan, there is a beautiful mountain called “The Seven Pillars.” It looks like this:

Have you ever heard of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia?

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Bill Hood Invites You to the Fall Conference

Past District Director Bill Hood, DTM, invites you to attend the District 83 Fall Conference on Saturday, November 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Somerset, NJ. He is looking forward to the Tall Tales and Table Topics contests. What are you looking forward to?

 

Reasons to Attend the Fall Conference

Why did you join Toastmasters?

If you became part of Toastmasters to expand and enhance your career opportunities, the Fall Conference may be a first-class, high-return investment of your time.

At our Fall Conference, you will see and hear some of the very best speakers in our District, and indeed, some of the very best speakers in our world-wide Toastmasters family. You will be able to spend one-on-one time with them, to learn how they put together an award-winning talk and how they developed the skills that have brought them to the level of communication excellence.

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Anne Gilson Talks About the Fall Conference

Past District Governor Anne Gilson, DTM, shares some of the events which will take place at the District 83 Fall Conference, Saturday, November 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Somerset, NJ. Register on the District 83 website.