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.
Category: District 83
Module “Realizing Your Purpose” (Part 2)
On July 29, our District 83 started a four part series with aim to connect Toastmasters in District 83 and work on a personal success plan conducive to reaching One Level Up in the current 2017 – 2018 Toastmasters Year. These educational training modules are more than a check the box form. They are a blueprint, a road map, to help as many members as possible understand the current Toastmasters Communication and Leadership Track. In these modules, members brainstorm with other members on the best ways to set the course that will build the basics for arriving at whatever educational award or project achievement the individual member intends. During these sessions, attendees will learn firsthand from the experience and best practices of other members, who have found solutions to problems many of us encounter in our own journey.
Part 1 was about creating a Success Plan. During that training, we covered selecting and planning on SMART Goals, Distinguished Club Strategies, and tracking these goals. We had a session that covered beyond the Competent Communicator manual and an in-depth review, explaining the scope and objectives, of each one of the 15 advanced manuals. We also reviewed the leadership track and all the projects needed to achieve DTM.
Part 2, “Realizing Your Purpose” is going to be about how experience and Distinguished Toastmasters have navigated through the Communication and Leadership Tracks to achieve the ultimate Toastmaster Award. Before we get to that, let me start with Google’s definition of the word purpose: “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists”.
As Toastmasters, we all have a purpose for attending meetings and staying active. What brought you to join this organization may be completely different from what motivated me, but what is common to all of us is that we have an expectation of getting somewhere and that destination point is expected to be better and closer to where we want or wish to be in either our careers, skills, or personal growth.
In D83-P2 Module, we are going to learn from the personal experience of our Division A Director Narendra Pondugula, DTM. He will explain the way he laid out an action plan to reach the coveted Distinguished Toastmaster award in can be record time.
Su Brooks Discuss What Makes Talk of Monmouth Unique
Bill Atkins asked Su Brooks a few questions about why she loves Talk of Monmouth.
Why did you join Talk of Monmouth?
Rebecca Marzec-Young and I were encouraged by Anne Gilson to serve as Sponsors. We had been talking about how great it would be to have an advanced club in Monmouth County.
What is your most memorable thing about being a member of Talk of Monmouth?
Hosting a Speakout during our mobile meeting on the Magic Bus returning from the International Convention in Washington, DC in 2016.
What does our club offer that’s different than most clubs?
Members have access to passionate, experienced leaders since our club has a large proportion of current and past District Leaders; strong commitment to DCP goals, fun special events in addition to the meetings in the courtroom.
What was your biggest surprise at Talk of Monmouth?
I facilitated Club Officer Training a few times and was extremely surprised that so many qualified people immediately volunteered to serve as trainers for the breakout sessions for each officer role or to help with whatever was needed. I thought it would be more difficult to get people to participate. Then, at one session, we had Toastmasters from Districts 83, 38 and 46 attend.
Continue reading “Su Brooks Discuss What Makes Talk of Monmouth Unique”
Old Bridge Day Provides Fertile Ground for Membership Drive
On September 9th, dozens of vendors and volunteer groups set up shop at Old Bridge Plaza, luring hundreds of town residents to learn about their offerings. It was the perfect place for the membership team from Old Bridge Toastmasters to get the word out about our fantastic club and the outstanding educational opportunities we offer our members.
The combination of our smiles, candy, and colorful display attracted folks to our pavilion. Prospective members were invited to our September 27th Open House, where they met our members, enjoyed some dessert, and participate in our meeting. Even before that event, a new member was so impressed by what she heard at Old Bridge Day she joined our club right away.
Special thanks go out to VPPR Sunanda Thali, CC VPM Jeff Newman, Sergeant-at-Arms Anna La Macchio, Treasurer Victor Martins, John Miraglia,and Frank Gatto for making this such a successful event for our club.
Meet the Area Directors: Nayan Shah
Name: Nayan Shah
Position: Area 24 Director, Div-B for 2017-18.
Club(s): Parsippany Toastmasters Club, Carpe Diem
Other positions: Currently, I am VP Education for the Parsippany Toastmasters Club. Last year, I was Sergeant-at-Arms for the club.
How long have you been in Toastmasters? Since, February 2015.
What are your plans for the district/area/division? All of the clubs are corporate clubs in my Area-24, Division-B. I want to be there for my clubs, for any of the questions they have. Our plan is to find local leaders for future Division need. I will try to keep my Area to be Distinguished Status by creating Area Success Plan early in the year.
Fall 2017 Newsletter
We’re happy to announce that the Fall 2017 newsletter has been published. For the first edition of the new Toastmasters year, our newsletter team focused on the International Convention in Vancouver. We will also be publishing some highlights from the newsletter on the blog.
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Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters (Part 2)
Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters
Charter Date: December 3, 2002
Meeting Times: 2nd and 4th Monday at 7:00pm.
Address: Pearl River Library (80 Franklin Ave, Pearl River, NY)
Club Members In Their Own Words:
I joined Toastmasters because, at the time, I had just joined a business networking group, BNI. Whenever it was my turn to get up to speak in front of the group, I would get very nervous, to the point where my heart was pounding heavily. Since public speaking is one of my goals, I knew I’d have to correct this problem pretty quickly. I decided to join Sunset Toastmasters because it was the closest group to my house, and I’m glad I did. I’ve found the group to be very supportive, and a place where one can thrive. I was just offered a speaking slot at an industry event at the end of the month. Thanks to my Toastmasters training, I am ready for the challenge! –Avrohom Gottheil
Continue reading “Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters (Part 2)”
Getting to Know DTM Ann Swartz
Distinguished Toastmaster Anne Swartz has been a member for 20 years. Currently, she is a member of Toastmasters of Westfield. We asked her a few questions about her Toastmasters experience.
What do you do outside of Toastmasters?
I am a health and wellness coach at RWJBarnabas Health, working at several hospital and office locations in the Southern region of New Jersey. I help their employees improve their health and well-being.
I am also a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I attended Washington University in St. Louis and earned a business degree in marketing and public relations. I’ve also taken exercise science and physiology courses at Kean University. You may be interested to know that in my early career I worked for NBA Properties, Inc.
Did you have any public speaking experience prior to Toastmasters?
I had limited public speaking experience and when I worked at the NBA in the 90s, I would freeze and get nervous. My voice would shake – especially when I interacted with upper management. Interestingly, I always felt comfortable teaching fitness classes, but in a room filled with business executives, I was a deer in headlights.
Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters (Part 1)
Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters
Chartered: December 3, 2002
Meeting Times: 2nd and 4th Monday at 7:00pm.
Address: Pearl River Library (80 Franklin Ave, Pearl River, NY)
Club Members In Their Own Words:
In 2011 I heard a friend talking about her Toastmasters club. It occurred to me that if I had to give speeches, I could finally put together the stories that had been handed down of my family history and, in giving them as speeches, could prepare them for collection in a book for my family so the stories and family history would not get lost. At my first meeting, when asked to introduce myself, I could barely speak. Since that time I have learned to be comfortable in front of an audience, represent myself much better at conferences, business meetings, etc., make a variety of different kinds of presentations and speeches, I also have a collection of family history vignettes that my family actually enjoys reading. I couldn’t have achieved this without the friendly acceptance and support of my club. I love coming to the meetings and being part of a diverse, interesting group of people. It’s like jumping into one of those big boxes of many different balls that kids enjoy. Each ball is different, but all together they support the people who “swim” among them. – Paula Steen
Continue reading “Club Spotlight: Sunset Toastmasters (Part 1)”
How Many Distinguished Club Points Do You Have?
DCP? Those letters may sound familiar. If you have been a Toastmaster for a while, you probably have been monitoring Your Distinguished Club Program or DCP. In any case, let me remind you how it works and what goals all clubs strive to achieve within a Toastmaster year.
How Does It Work?
The Distinguished Club Program is an annual program, running from July 1 through June 30. The program consists of 10 goals for your club to obtain, using the Club Success Plan. To help keep track of your progress toward these goals throughout the year, updated reports are posted daily on the Toastmasters International website.
At year-end, the number of goals the club achieved is calculated. Based on the goals met and whether or not the qualifying requirements have been met, the club may be recognized as a Distinguished, Select Distinguished, or President’s Distinguished Club.
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