Updates & Posts Archives - Page 60 of 62 - Toastmasters UK South

Every Club Distinguished

1 August 2015 by Susan Rayner

This year we have a challenging goal for our district – Every Club Distinguished.

It’s a stretch, but it is achievable and you play an important part in making it happen. Not only that, you grow and develop your communication and leadership skills, and who knows where that will take you!

What is your educational goal for this year?

Perhaps you’re a new member and you’ve only just done your Icebreaker. You have time to achieve your Competent Communicator award this year. Just ask your Vice President Education to schedule you for a speech. Don’t wait until you’re scheduled to do a speech – write one now and have it ready, so if someone drops out at the last minute you can step up and deliver yours.

Achieving your Competent Leader award is a cinch – just volunteer to fulfill roles in your club meetings and make sure you fill out your CL manual.

Maybe you’re only a few speeches away from achieving your Competent Communicator. Did you know that the first two advanced manuals are complementary from Toastmasters International? Have a think about what you’d like to focus on next. The Entertaining Speaker and Storytelling is a great place to start and your first Advanced Communicator award is within reach.

If you’re serving as a club officer this year, your Advanced Leader Bronze award is easily achievable. All you have to do is make sure you get credit for your work this year and deliver two presentations from the Successful Club and/or Better Speaker programs. In fact, any club member can present these programs, and they will count towards your leadership award. There’s also the Leadership Excellence series. Each presentation offers excellent ideas and techniques for improving your speaking, your club experience and your leadership. To find out more, click here.

Which educational award will you aim for this year?

Mission Accomplished! D91 achieves President’s Distinguished District!

7 October 202030 July 2015 by Susan Rayner

Fellow Toastmasters,

What a fantastic year we’ve had launching and establishing our new District.

Hilary Briggs, Immediate Past District Governor, District 91

I was very aware back in July 14 that this year was as much about ensuring the foundations were put in place for ongoing success as actual achievements in the year. In practice, we’ve achieved both – and I’m delighted to report that I’ve had the final confirmation from TI on our achievement of President’s Distinguished District – and also a message from International President Mohammed Murat congratulating us on ranking 3rd in the world out of 97 districts.

This great result reflects accomplishment of the District Mission of building new clubs and supporting all clubs in achieving excellence as we’ve grown 10% both in number of clubs and member payments, as well as reaching 85.5% of clubs Distinguished. In fact, we were just 3 clubs away from achieving overall 1^st in the world.

In parallel, across the District we’ve built on past successes and learnings from District 71. There’s lots going on behind the scenes to ensure clubs within our District can help their members become more effective communicators and leaders, from organising club officer training, running contests to planning specific events such as training from World Champions to enhance learning opportunities. As we improve the way we do things at club, area, division and district level, it gets easier to involve more people which also helps to spread the load. In addition, one key tool we’ve established was the new D91 member website – with thanks in particular to the drive and enthusiasm of incoming District Director Jean Gamester DTM.

None of this could have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of you, the member. As everyone takes steps along their own journey to be a more effective communicator and leader, this in turn inspires others to take another step. In fact what I feel the most important thing that I’ve learned this year is the power of enthusiasm, positive attitude and momentum. The words themselves are easy to say, however their power comes from application. They really are infectious and help to overcome all kinds of hurdles. I urge you to take the next step on your journey this year.

I look forward to serving the District as Past Division Governor (DG) and helping to identify the next wave of District Leaders to ensure we continue to build on our successes.

I feel very proud to have been first (and last!) DG of D91. It’s been a pleasure to serve you.

Best regards,

Hilary Briggs DTM
Immediate Past District Governor
Toastmasters International
District 91 UK South

How to Submit Club Officer Training Reports

19 August 201520 July 2015 by Susan Rayner

Division Directors Submit Club Officer Training Reports

Now your Area Directors have delivered Club Officer Training in your division, you need to submit a report to Toastmasters International. This is required for your Area Directors to achieve Distinguished Area and for your clubs to achieve the Training DCP goal.

This page will take you through the process of submitting reports to Toastmasters International.

Step 1. Login to Toastmasters.org and go to District Central. Click on the Record/Review Club Officer Training link and you should see a page like this (click on the images to see bigger versions):

Ensure the correct period is selected from the drop-down menu then click Proceed.

Step 2. A screen like the following should be displayed. Scroll down to find the area whose training you wish to enter, then click on the club officer roles that attended training. Note that if one person fulfills two roles, then that counts as two officers trained. For example, if Elizabeth is both the Treasurer and Secretary, then you can check both the Sec and Treas boxes.

D91 Great Western Conference 7-8 November 2015

7 October 202024 June 2015 by Susan Rayner

UPDATE:

For bookings and conference information visit greatwesternconf.toastmasterclub.org. Early bird prices are still available, but single-occupancy rooms are proving very popular, so book soon!

….

To receive the Early Bird rates for District 91’s Autumn 2015 Great Western Conference, the hosts, Thamesdown Speakers’ Club, encourages you to register by emailing the Conference Organisers directly.

The Autumn Conference is over the weekend of 7-8 November, with a special evening of events for anyone arriving in advance on Friday 6 November.

What is included in the D91 Great Western Conference?

As always our conference will be packed full of exciting workshops and key Toastmasters events: the final of the D91 Humorous Speech Contest, the final of the D91 Table Topics Contest, the important District Council Meeting, Gala dinner, and networking with fellow Toastmasters from across UK South.

Where is the conference being hosted?

Our venue is The Marriott Hotel, Old Town Swindon. Swindon is a modern painting set in a gorgeous frame of scenic countryside and is 59 minutes by train from London Paddington. The Marriott hotel is a modern purpose built hotel with spa and leisure facilities attached.

What are the local attractions?

The town itself was home to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Western Railway. It’s still affectionately known as God’s Wonderful Railway – taking holiday makers to the English Riviera, clotted cream to Harrods and Selfridges, Cornish daffodils to Covent Garden Market and strawberries to Wimbledon.

The surrounding area is home to our ancient heritage: The Avebury Stone Circle and Silbury Hill, the Vale of the White Horse[s] and the Marlborough Downs. In fact that’s how we got our club got its name – Thamesdown being betwixt the Thames and the Downs. The land of chalk and cheese – from Salisbury Plain to the Cotswolds.

What are the D91 Great Western Conference package options?

Why not take advantage of the different packages? Sightsee on Friday and then join us for the pre-conference Friday evening buffet supper and entertainment. We are proud of our heritage and have named your conference packages after our most famous Engineers.

Early Bird rates are:-

The Brunel: Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday package: single occupancy for 2 nights’ b&b accommodation, access to all Toastmasters events, buffet supper on Friday and Gala dinner on Saturday, Saturday buffet lunch and Sunday roast carvery. £303.00. A shared room is only £224 per person.

The Churchward: the Saturday/Sunday package is £209 for single occupancy and £169.50 for shared accommodation.

We’re offering a partners package including a tour of the local Wadworth’s brewery, meeting Shire Horses Monty and Max who still deliver beer around Devizes, lunch and beer tasting session. On the Sunday we invite you to the Great Western Village home of the designer outlet shopping mall, the National Trust and STEAM (the Museum of Great Western Railway).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Pictures below are from www.visitwiltshire.co.uk

Avebury Circle from visitwiltshire.co.uk

worlds fastest train

Reflections of a Toastmaster two years after breaking the ice

19 August 201524 June 2015 by Susan Rayner

From Florian Bay, Area Director 2015/16

Florian with club President regalia June 2015 As I came home from district officer training ten days ago, several things bubbled in my mind. Relief at having escaped a Martian tripod invading Earth. Empowerment at having reached another level in my Toastmasters journey in so many different ways. Finally, thoughtfulness at the journey taken so far, just over two years on from my icebreaker in Cheltenham Speakers.

It first heard about Toastmasters in early 2007, through some American self-help tapes I had purchased while studying in Bath. A quick search sadly only yielded a club whose meetings finished after the last train back to Bristol and Bath. But always wanting to become a better public speaker, a seed had been firmly planted in my mind. One evening in March 2013 while living in Gloucester, the search made a few times since 2007 was made again. “Oh there’s a club in Cheltenham, I could get the bus there after work on Tuesday!”

I still remember the first meeting I attended. It was the club’s speech and evaluation contest. One of the speech from this evening, ‘Beautiful people’ is still in my mind, especially the speaker’s fantastic vocal variety and use of rhymes. A fortnight later I was doing my first table topic. A fortnight after that, I was a paid-up member. The humble but oh so important role of timekeeper was mine one a month later. June 4th arrived and with it my icebreaker ‘Once upon a Franco-British dream’. A work placement in Scotland meant a pause in the journey, but the bug was there with desires of attending the Glasgow club one hour away by train suppressed with difficulty. In September 2013 the news was confirmed, I was due to be in London from October onwards! Less than a week after arriving, I attended and joined London Olympians, followed by St Paul’s Speakers in November.