SEPTEMBER 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

District Highlights...pp 2-4

Renew Your Dues...p. 5

Public Relations

Happenings...p6

Best Practices from A Club on

the Road to Presidents

Distinguished Status...p6

Fall Conference...p7

Core District Officers

Lovely Lall, DTM District Director Lynn Wylde, DTM Program Quality Director Amy Brener, DTM Club Growth Director Angela Davis, ACS, CL Public Relations Manager Juliette Brown, DTM Finance Manager Rhondra Willis, DTM Administration Manager Victor Jimenez, TM Logistics Manager Joe Jarzombek, DTM, PID Parliamentarian Mahesh Patil, DTM Immediate Past District Governor

Get Ready to.Speak! Its Contest Season!

Congratulations To Our New International President!

Jim Kokocki, DTM

Jim Kokocki, DTM, is an entrepreneur and business consultant residing in Saint John, New Brunswick,

Canada. As a volunteer, he is a member of the board at LArche Saint John, part of a worldwide net-

work of communities for people with intellectual disabilities. He also serves as Director of Business

Development for Mudge Engineering Associates. Kokocki previously worked at telecommunications

provider Bell Aliant and its related companies for 30 years. He recently completed a masters degree in

business administration at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

Kokocki has also worked with other volunteer organizations, including the Saint John Board of Trade

where he served as co-chair of its Business Education Committee. For other organizations, he delivers

presentations on leadership, protecting self-esteem, managing conflict, business modeling, and public

relations and marketing.

A dedicated Toastmaster for 27 years, Kokocki served on the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004. In

addition to having held a number of high-profile leadership positions within Toastmasters, Kokocki also

attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designationthe highest level of achievement in the organiza-

tion. "Over the years, I've met many people who tell me that their Toastmasters membership enabled

them to hone skills that were important to their success personally and professionally. I look forward to

serving and leading the organization's efforts to extend our reach and provide communication and lead-

ership skills to even more people around the world," he says.

As International President, Kokocki is a working ambassador for the organization. He works with the

Board to develop, support and modify the policies and procedures that guide the organization in

fulfilling its mission. ~Toastmasters International

Video welcome by International President Jim Kokocki, DTM

District Highlights

District Director Lovely Lall, DTM dd@tmd29.org

Talk of the District

This Toastmasters year every flutter with Purpose will be the Talk of the District! Cele-brate the accomplishments of your club and fellow members on this new initiative featured on our website.

District Director Club

Award

Check out video resources from Toastmasters Interna-tionals video library to em-power your club members. Topics range from how to choose a speech topic to ges-tures and much more.

Message From the District Director

"Toastmasters: An Amazing Experience!"

If someone offers you an amazing opportunity, and you aren't sure you can do it, say yes-- then learn how to do it later. ~ Richard Branson

I still recall my first amazing opportunity while sitting nervously and listening to a flawless speech at my second club meeting. Wow! So many questions were going through my head. How was I going to evaluate the 1991 World Champion of Public Speaking Dave Ross? Voila! The next thing I knew, I had found a constructive point to make in my very first time serving as an evaluator. If you were to add a little smile, that would definitely help you captivate your audience even more. The champion smiled and thanked me for my feedback. I realized then that Dave Ross had provided me an opportunity which helped boost my confidence. That was a huge contributor to where I am today - just 5 years later. Toastmasters is a learn by doing laboratory - a place where opportunities are in abundance to be taken if you just say yes and to be given as well. Without suitable conditions there would not be any butterflies. Similarly, we human beings need and want suitable conditions. Most of us yearn for, and need, a warm, safe, friendly, and positive environ-ment that encourages us to go beyond our comfort zone and experience our full potential. Often, our first interaction or impression is the key deciding factor in why we join Toastmasters and it continues to im-pact why we stay in Toastmasters. The Moments of Truth module from The Successful Club Series addresses first impressions and much more. It is a tool that facilitates sustained club quality through a guided analysis from each club member. It leads to targeted recommendations for club improvement. I encourage all District 29 clubs to conduct Moments of Truth every six months. It will help your members and your club to excel and to enjoy the journey and the success. The simple fact is that we grow or learn or work better when we enjoy what we are doing, and this is essentially the secret of success in Toastmasters. Our meetings are made enjoyable by a fine, helpful fellowship, in a pleasant, social atmosphere, with activities carefully planned. Ralph Smedley, Founder, Toastmasters International organization Let's Fly Together by making Each Toastmasters Experience Memorable for our guests and members!

Area Director Spotlight! Shana Terry, ACB, ALB

Club Success Plan 101

If you are a club officer, have you heard of it? What is it? Why is it important for your club and for the clubs members? How should you and your other club officers collaborate in preparing it?

The club executive committeewhich includes all seven officers and the immediate past presidentdevelops a Club Success Plan based on the needs and goals of club members. Check out more on our website on the Club Success Plan information page.

While the Division Director is the captain of his or her ship (division), the Area Director is his or her Areas heartbeat. Reaching out to clubs and providing the support and leadership to clubs and members is a vital part of the leadership hierarchy within the district. It is all for you, the member, to become as successful as possible on your Toastmasters journey. In this issue, we are highlighting an Area Director who helped her clubs make remarkable strides completing multi-level tasks while providing vital support to her clubs. She encouraged and helped each of her clubs work on their Club Success Plans and submitted her Area Success Plan. We extend kudos to Shana Terry, ACS, ALB for her display of exemplary leadership!

District Highlights,

continued

Program Quality Director Lynn Wylde, DTM pqd@tmd29.org

Upcoming Events

The Fall Speech Contest season is upon us with Hu-morous Speech and Table Topics Contests being held at the club and soonArealevels.

For all your contest needs please visit the contest information page on our website.

District 29 has a very active Youth Leadership program to serve our communi-ties. To learn more, please visit the Youth Leadership information page on our web-site.

Kudos to more than 30 clubs where all 7 officers were trained at the summer Toast-masters Leadership Institute. Your club has earned brag-ging rightsyou are a Gold-en Toaster Award Club and will be recognized at the Fall Conference on November 7th, 2015.

Message From the Program Quality Director

Online registration is now available at an Early Bird discounted rate of just $79!

This special price will only be available until October 11th, so now is the best

time to register!

For more information, and to register online, visit http://www.d29fallconference2015.eventbrite.com/

See you at the Conference!

Soar to New Heights! Toastmasters Fall 2015 Conference

Saturday, November 7, 2015 8:00am

Lodging

For those interested in an overnight stay, we have booked a block of rooms at the nearby McLean Hilton (with free shuttle service availa-ble) at a group rate of $89/night (group rate avail-able until October 6th). Reserve a room online at http://bit.ly/1LyIlqi or call 1-800-HILTONS and mention the group code TSTMST.

Its time for the Toastmasters Fall Conference! This

years conference will be held in the beautiful meet-

ing center of the Capital One Headquarters in

McLean, Virginia (next to the McLean Metro Sta-

tion), on Saturday November 7th, beginning at 8

a.m. At this conference well Soar to New Heights,

in a day filled with fun, education, delicious food,

and of course the District Table Topics and Humor-

ous Speech Contests.

The keynote for the conference will be presented by

Daniel Rex, Chief Executive Officer of Toastmasters

International. Daniel Rex leads the Toastmasters

World Headquarters team in providing service, re-

sources and support to 313,000 members in 15,000

clubs in 126 countries. We will also have a General

Session led by Accredited Speaker Barbara

Khozam, teaching us to Zap Negativity, Ignite Your

Life and Your Results. Other activities include Ed-

ucational Sessions, Hall of Fame, Business meet-

ing, Contests, and more!

District Highlights,

continued

Club Growth Director Amy Brener, DTM cgd@tmd29.org

Smedley Award Program

August 1st September 30th

Receive a "Smedley Award" Ribbon to display on your club's banner. Qualifying clubs will also receive a spe-cial discount for 10% off their next club order from the TI Store. (The discount code expires six months from the date of issue and is not valid with any other offer.) The District will reimburse clubs up to $40 for an open house (maximum two per year). Visit the Open House infor-mation page for reimburse-ment details.

Welcome Newly

Chartered Club

to the

District 29 Family!

TSA IAD Toastmasters Club

Congratulations and Kudos to all the clubs who have added members to achieve the Membership goal #7 in the Distinguished Club Pro-gram (DCP). See the list of clubs here.

Message From the Club Growth Director

Welcome New Toastmasters!

Please help me welcome TSA IAD Toastmasters Club to the Toastmasters fold! Charter paperwork for this club was submitted on August 25th! TSA IAD joins GEICO Fredericksburg Toastmasters as our two newest clubs! Clubs that charter between district conferences this year will receive two half price regis-trations to the next district conference. So look for members of both GEICO and TSA IAD at the Fall District Conference on November 7th conference and introduce yourself! Since July 1st we have added 334 memberships to our District ranks! Lets keep up the good work! Were in the middle of the Smedley Membership campaign. Add 5 new members between August 1st and September 30th and receive recognition from both the District and Toastmasters International! The District will reimburse each club up to $40 for expenses incurred for an Open House. Please visit http://tmd29.org/open_house.html for helpful hints as well as a link to the reimbursement form.

Dues are Due by September 30, 2015!

Its that time of year again! Dues for the 6 month period October 1, 2015 March 30, 2016 are now payable on line. Those clubs that pay dues for at least as many as their base numbers (i.e. the number recorded at the Dashboard will be recognized at the District Fall Conference on November 7th. Prizes will be given to those clubs that increase their membership numbers the most between July 1st and November 1st.

Training and Sharing Opportunities

Beginning at 7pm on the third (3rd) Sunday of September, I will be offering on line training and sharing opportunities targeting the Vice President Membership (VPM) role but open to anyone who wants to participate. Ill be sending an email directly to the District VPMs with the agenda and connection infor-mation, so if you want to participate, please let your VPM know!

Membership is the key to success for any club...

Why add new members?

Better club programs; more variety, experiences, and resources to draw upon and enrich the entire program

Depth of club leadership

Greater representation of Toastmasters throughout your community or organization

Greater financial resources for club programming and projects

More enthusiasm and energy at club meeting with new ideas

More individuals to take on roles at the meeting

Potential future leaders

More people served and helped by Toastmasters programs, thereby, helping us fulfil the mission of toastmasters International Organization: "We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders". Adding 4 more members twice during the year helps fulfill the # 7 goal and # 8 goal for the Distinguished Club Program. Visit to learn more: Membership building

District Highlights,

continued

Finance Manager Juliette Brown, DTM frm@tmd29.org

Toastmasters Basics: Toastmasters Education Program The education program ena-bles you to develop your communication and leader-ship skills one step at a time. Visit Toastmasters Interna-tionals Resource page on the Education Program for more information. Club Meeting Roles The success of a club meet-ing depends on the program participants. In Toastmas-ters, you learn by participat-ing. There are many roles to fill and all meeting partici-pants play an important part in making the club experi-ence educational and enjoya-ble. Visit the Membership section of Toastmasters In-ternational for more infor-mation.

Tip: Membership Retention

Evaluate Interest Find out members needs and goals so you can help them reach their objectives. The Member Interest Survey (Item 403) is a useful tool for accomplishing this.

Message From the Finance Manager

Renew Your Toastmasters Membership * September 30, 2015

Why did you join Toastmasters? Why do you stay? Are you getting out of the Toastmasters program what you joined it for? If not, have you communicated your needs to your club?

Toastmasters is a self-motivated, self-paced program that creates lasting change for personal and pro-fessional growth. Within each club are tools for the advancement and enhancement of everyday life. Within each meeting we are provided opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed. The investment in the Toastmasters program cannot be experienced anywhere else but within the club environment.

In order to maintain our involvement with one of the most prestigious, most valuable, most beneficial organizations in the world, it is important to keep our membership current. This action begins with dues renewal. Dues renewals occur in September and March of each Toastmasters year, with a simple pay-ment of $36 plus club dues.

Our dues give us access to the benefits of Toastmasters International. We are provided manuals and workbooks to help us become effective leaders and communicators. We are given access to contests and conferences which enhance our network and widen our experiences. We receive monthly newslet-ters that inspire and educate. We become part of a family.

District 29 and Toastmasters International are grateful for your membership with our organization. We hope that you are receiving the promised benefits that Toastmasters offers. We are grateful for all of the ways in which you serve your club and the members. We hope that you stay with us throughout this coming year and beyond.

Before September 30th, we welcome you to renew your membership with the Toastmasters organiza-

tion. Dues should be renewed with your club treasurer. If you have any questions or concerns about

dues renewal, please feel free to contact me at fm@tmd29.org.

Avoid the "Dues Blues" - Submit dues by September 30th

To submit renewals online, go to www.toastmasters.org/clubcentral and log in with your username and password. Next, follow these steps:

On the Club Central home page select the club name and number you want to pay renewals for.

On the Conduct Club Business page, select Pay dues.

On the Pay Dues for My Club Members screen, select In the future and click on the Submit button.

All orders with a future membership end date will appear.

Select the members you wish to pay for, provide your payment information and follow the prompts to process your payment.

Consider these important details when processing membership payments:

Renewals can be submitted online, by mail or by fax. Financial information by email is not secure.

Orders can be paid online if using a credit card.

If paying by check, print the Pay Dues for My Club Members screen indicating the renewing members and mail it, along with payment, to Toastmasters Interna-tional. Make checks payable to Toastmasters International.

For a club to remain in good standing, policy requires that at least eight members must pay dues and three must be renewing.

The due date to pay October renewals is September 30, 2015.

Public Relations Happenings

Visit our Social Media sites

Become fully engaged during your Toastmasters

journey. Visit one of District 29s growing suite of

social media sites and find resources and net-

working opportunities to help you learn and grow.

Also, our website at www.tmd29.org to connect

to our social media sites!

The PRM Awards

This award, developed by your Public Relations

Manager, will be given to following recipients:

Have Fun and Be Successful Best Club Website Contest winner

Let It Shine Best Club Newsletter Contest winner

Best Public Service Announcement (PSA) - Video & Audio Contest winner

Successful Toastmasters International Video Brand Contest Entry (during any month from July 2015December 2015)

Successful Toastmasters International Magazine Submission

Complete details can be found by connecting to

our website via the hyperlink for each award.

Awards will be given during the Spring 2016

Conference.

Did You Know?

The August 2015 issue of

Toastmaster magazine is

chock full of information

relative to public rela-

tions, marketing and es-

pecially branding. Vital

tips on club promotion

are also included. Take

the time to peruse this, and every, issue of

Toastmaster magazine. You will always learn

something new and beneficial for your Toastmas-

ters journey in communication and leadership! If

you cant stop with the August issue, visit the

toastmasters.org magazine page by clicking here

and read past issues online!

Best Practices: One Clubs Journey On the Road to Presidents

Distinguished

As our District Director Lovely Lall, DTM said, I am hoping that you are flying togeth-

er along with your fellow club members in this metamorphic year.

I would like to share with you that my experience as President of Lake Ridge Toast-

masters Club has been incredible since I started in July 1, 2015. I have a great team

of Executive Officers who have been extremely diligent by delivering outstanding

results in each of their roles.

Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club has been recognized to be a President's Distin-

guished Club for many years, and our commitment to maintain and reach every

DCP goal is part of our responsibility as members of this amazing club.

I had a great learning experience while I was part of the Colombian Military almost

20 years ago. I led a team of 18 soldiers, and I started developing my leadership

skills since then. While I was there, I learned that leading by example is an ap-

proach to support, guide, and empower all your team members. If I can do it, you

can do it too!

Empowering your team members to go above and beyond their responsibilities is

part of our roles as team leaders because effective leadership is defined by our re-

sults as a group. Recognition is a way to motivate your peers while working as part

of a team, and our Executive Officers are constantly delivering excellent results.

I have no doubts that we are working very hard to help our club reach another level.

We are constantly seeking ways to improve what we do at Lake Ridge Toastmas-

ters Club while maintaining the approach from our most experience Toastmasters.

I encouraged all officers to be trained before we started our officer roles, and I de-

veloped a project scope to finish our Club Success Plan by July 31, 2015 where

every officer completed their portion on time. I am responsible to lead my executive

team, and we are responsible to succeed in our mission as a team. If we succeed,

we will succeed together! If we failed, we will fail together!

Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club has been helping community members for more

than 22 years to develop their public speaking and leadership skills. We are hoping

to continue adding value to our club for many years to come.

Hearty kudos to all of Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club Officers

Oscar Mondragon, Abubakar Bello, Paul Raby, Jen Jones, Matthew

Keyser, Kira Mandel, Clifton Douyon

Angela Davis, ACS, CL

Public Relations Manager

prm@tmd29.org

Oscar Mondragon, CC, President Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club president-8913@toastmastersclubs