D91 Spring 2016 Londinium Conference 7-8 May

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WOW, the Spring conference is less than 4 weeks away!!

Have you bought your ticket?

If you have not bought your ticket, now is the time to buy. So click on this link to get your ticket.

If you have bought your ticket, here are three things you could do:

  • Get in-touch with the conference team if you have any special dietary requirements or food allergies. Contact us with your requirements.
  • Plan your travel and accommodation so that you arrive on time for the opening ceremony. For more information about the conference venue, detailed program and hotel accommodation, click here.
  • Spread the word at your club, area or division. Now that we are in the contest season, can I ask you to speak to a fellow Toastmaster and let them know that you will be attending the district conference.
Spring Conference Podcast

Don’t miss the interview with the 2015 World Champion of Public speaking, Mohammad Qahtani coming up in the next few weeks. Subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes or SoundCloud and listen to what the workshop presenters have to say about their sessions and why you should attend the conference.

That is all from me for now and I look forward to seeing you all in London on the 7th and 8th of May 2016

Ian Brett, Spring Conference Lead Ambassador

 

Excellence in the Face of Adversity!

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Part 2 of the Contests report from Samir Malak, Area 35 Director

Area K35 ISEC 2016 - Audience 2

Excellence in the face of adversity!

As we were preparing for the Area Contest, a boy approached me, his face awash with consternation.  “When are you going to be finished?”  I advised we would certainly be done by 10pm.  “But we are having Karate at 8pm in that room.”

“Let me look into that.”  I responded, with a smile.

We are often faced with challenges in our day to day lives and what we do in the face of a challenge speaks volumes about who we are.  The Speakers of Croydon leadership team confirmed we had booked the room, however, the Invictus Karate Club also had the room booked and the authorities of the venue were not able to be contacted to confirm and resolve the conflict.

Toastmasters from the leadership teams across the Area lept into action seeking alternatives.  You see, the Karate Club had to begin setup in the next 15 minutes and they had an inspector on the way from Milton Keynes . . . there was much at stakes for both groups!!!  We considered alternate venues in the area, other rooms, called local facilities.  In the end, we ran out of time, I announced to all that we needed to break down the room and we would reconvene upstairs to determine a plan of action.

As I was about to make my way upstairs to marshall the attendees together and establish a plan of action, the Karate instructor stopped me and pulled me aside.  He had found an alternative for his club meeting and he was going to cover the costs to shift his group.  Why?  “Because you have tried everything to find an alternative and resolve this, if it were anyone else, I would have just said no.”

I went upstairs and announced that we were back on track and we had a most excellent contest. The room was setup again in short order as everyone pulled together to get us back on track.  At the end of the contest, I thanked everyone for their demonstration of Toastmasters values of Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence, it was because everyone came together and rose to the occasion to do the right thing that they moved the Karate club to go above and beyond to support us in having a celebration of excellence, not just of our contestants, but of the Toastmaster club members!

Samir Malak, ACS, ALB
Area Director, K35

District Council Meeting 2nd Notice

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Dear District Council Member,

Notice: District Council Meeting

You are invited to attend the District Council Meeting on Saturday 7 May at 11:00 the Grange City Hotel, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ.

Members of the District 91 District Council are Club Presidents, Club Vice Presidents Education, Area Directors, Division Directors and District Leadership Team members.

Proxy voting: In order for our District Council to conduct business, there needs to be a quorum of a third of all Club Presidents and Vice Presidents Education (VPEs). Therefore, it is really important that each President or VPE either attends or looks for a member in good standing from their club to carry their vote (a proxy). If you are sending a proxy, and send/give it to the person you want to carry your vote. Note that other District Council members cannot send a proxy, just club Presidents and VPEs. Proxy-Form-May-2016

If you cannot make the meeting, please send in any apologies, by close of Wednesday 4 May 2016.

Registration: All voters for the District Council Meeting must register with the Parliamentarian at the Conference in advance of the District Council Meeting in order to get credit for their vote. Registration will close at 10:30 sharp on the morning of the District Council Meeting.

Let club members know that if they want to attend the District Council Meeting, there is no fee and they can do so without purchasing a conference package.

At the District Council Meeting we remember those members that have passed away, please email Helena Brewer with their names by Thursday 5 May.

District Realignment Proposals 2016/2017: The information relating to the District Realignment is available on the District 91 website.

District Council Meeting supporting information:-

Agenda

Finance Report

District Realignment Summary and District Realignment Proposals 2016/2017

The Conference: The Londinium Conference is being held at The Grange City Hotel, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ, on 7 – 8 May. The conference has workshops for delegates to attend, key note speakers; David Taylor author of ‘The Naked Leader’ and Mohammad Qahtani current Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking, plus the District finals of the International Speech and the Evaluation contests. Secure your place at the Conference by booking.

Look forward to seeing you all in London.

Helena Brewer

District 91 Administration Manager

Imagine a Toastmasters meeting in a language you don’t speak

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From Steve Brewer, Area 61 Director

PYP Watford April 2016

A Polish Your Polish Watford meeting

On Sunday 3 April 2016 I had the privilege, and I don’t use that word lightly, to see Polish Your Polish come to Watford and present a Toastmasters session. This was to help Piotr Janik market interest in a new Polish speaking club that we hope will be based in Watford.

I was under the illusion that I would purely go, in my role as Area Director,  to support my friend Piotr, help set up the room and  say a few words about how wonderful Toastmasters is.

My illusion was quickly shattered as I became immersed in a Toastmasters session in a foreign language …which I don’t speak. The speakers and facilitators were truly engaging and the true nature of the best toastmasters clubs, providing a mutually supportive learning environment,  wasn’t lost in my failure to understand the words.

In fact it heightened my pleasure to see first hand how people fully engaged the audience, with eye contact, body language and the timing of the delivery of their messages. I was even able to evaluate two of the prepared speeches.

Even though I was totally immersed in the session the group included me further by a table topics challenge. The scenario was given in English. This was my cue that it was my turn. I was given a thoughtful English evaluation sandwiched in between the Polish ones.

Ralph Smedley said “We learn best in moments of enjoyment”. Very appropriately the word of the day was radość which means joy.  I would like to publically thank everyone who attended for providing me with an exceptional experience that I will remember for a very long time.

Wole Ososami – Candidate for Division Director

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Wole Ososami – Candidate for Division Director

To All District Council members

wole

Thank you for the opportunity to present myself as your candidate for the Division Director (Division K).

What makes me the ideal candidate for Division Director

There are three things that make me the ideal and promising candidate:

The first is my passion for Toastmasters International as evidenced by my dedication, full engagement and service in various roles since joining my local Toastmaster club, The Speakers of Croydon in April 2011. I have served my club as VPPR, VPE and President for full terms of 12 months in each office.

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