D47 Sunshiner - January, 2004

Since 1955

Bimonthly bulletin of District 47 Toastmasters Serving Florida and the Bahamas www.toastmastersd47.org

Distinguished District for the Third Consecutive Year!

January

Jan/Feb 2004

Recognitions for the Quarter Ending 12/31/03

10 PLANET TOASTMASTERS CENTRAL ORLANDO, FLORIDA 31 PLANET TOASTMASTERS WEST ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

February

Top Division Governor

CLUB SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CONTESTS 1

Loretta Sandy, ATMS Division B

TALK UP TOASTMASTERS! MEMBERSHIP

Top 5 Area Governors

CAMPAIGN BEGINS

7 PLANET TOASTMASTERS SOUTH DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA

Amy Gump, ATMB Area 16

15 CLUBS START COLLECTING DUES

Dwight Burrows, ATMS/CL Area 35

29 LAST DAY TO TRAIN CLUB OFFICERS FOR DISTINGUISHED PROGRAM CREDIT

Ken Walley, ATMG/CL Area 33

March AREA SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CONTESTS

Antionette Fox, ATMB Area 55

31 LAST DAY TO SUBMIT CLUB OFFICER TRAINING REPORTS

Joel Verlin, ATMS/CL Area 53 s ition cogn wards e R More ce DCP A n Adva ee Page 3 S

ons inati ar m o he Ye for N Call aster of t he Year t m Toast esident of d47.org. r rs e P t s b Clu stma a o t . ww See w

nce nfere 004 o C g ,2 Sprin - May 23 1 2 May

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Membership Increased 300% District Governor’s Message

Dan Kyburz, ATMS/CL Club Rescue Chairman

Margaret Wan, DTM

Full Steam Ahead We passed the midpoint of the Toastmasters year. I am pleased to report that we have chartered a record number of new clubs. We could not have achieved this without the hard work of our Area Governors, Division Governors, New Club Chair Troy Gelinas, ATMB/CL, and, most importantly, YOU - the Toastmasters who participate in the kickoff and subsequent meetings of new clubs, the Toastmasters who serve as club sponsors and mentors, and the Toastmasters who ask your own club to provide resources for the new clubs.

Other than new clubs, we have low-membership clubs that need help from experienced Toastmasters. Sometimes a club suffers from a decline in membership because a major force in the club, perhaps the President or a long-time member, is no longer able to fulfill a leadership role. Conversely, we have seen many examples where a lowmembership club has found a “spark plug” to lead and reenergize the club; it regained vivacity in no time at all. You can be that spark plug!

One year ago Palm Harbor Toastmasters had about 10 members and about five or six of them would show up at a meeting. Guests were few and far between.

Today we have over 30 members and about 20-25 show up at a meeting. In addition, there are usually 2-3 guests at each meeting.

We knew we had a problem and had to do something about it if we wanted our club to survive. We considered a number of factors that might influence membership. We considered the programming, it was varied and interesting. We considered the day of the week (Thursday) and the time of day (7:00pm) we were meeting and decided that was OK. We considered the physical location of the meeting and decided that might be a problem.

We moved the meeting to the Palm Harbor Senior Activity Center. The center is fairly new and provides a meeting room that can comfortably hold about 40 people. They have a bulletin board where we posted a flyer. They have a newsletter we advertise in and they put us on their calendar. There are numerous other groups that meet there which also add to our visibility.

We moved in January of 2003 and held an open house in mid February. About 30 people attended the open house and we gained six new members. Will you get the same results? Who knows, maybe you will, and maybe you won’t. But you won’t know if you don’t try.

Membership attrition is unavoidable in any club, no matter what size. Bring a guest to your next club meeting and turn him or her into a Toastmaster! Coordinate a Speechcraft program, the No. 1 membership-building tool.

DISTRICT 47, 2004 SPRING CONFERENCE “Marching to New Heights”

On the educational front, we are slightly behind our goals for CTMs and ATMs. All of us are in Toastmasters for self-improvement. Set a goal for completion of your next educational award. We will look for your name on the educational achievement posters displayed at the Spring Conference.

May 21-May 23, 2004

In Toastmasters, Distinguished equals Success.

The success of our club reflects our success as a member. I congratulate all the members of the clubs that have completed five or more Distinguished Club Program goals for their outstanding accomplishment. I hope to congratulate in person every member and every club at the Spring Conference for having achieved President’s Distinguished Club by that time.

Marriott Orlando Hotel Lake Mary, FL 32746 1-800-380-7724 Featuring Craig Valentine, 1999 Champion of Public Speaking!

We have Set Our Sights to New Heights. We must move with full steam ahead in the coming months!

For further information, contact Vicky Iozzia, DTM vickyi10345@earthlink.net

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Publicize your Club on the Internet

You are SUPER!!!

Mike Kelly, CTM Club #6818

Congratulations to the Winners of the Advance DCP Award - clubs that have met 5 or more Distinguished Club Program goals and the membership eligibility criterion as of 12/31/03!

I wanted to follow up on Andrew Brown’s recent article, “Websites and You”.

I couldn’t agree with Andrew more. Go out and have some fun, and create a website for your club! At the Bill Gove Golden Gavel Toastmasters Club in Boynton Beach, FL, that is just what we did. We have built a public website for those interested in finding out more about our club as well as a member’s only website that we use for meeting roles, post notices and news, maintain our membership roll and print meeting materials. It has been great fun creating the website and we have received rave reviews from both visitors to the website as well as from our other members.

There are many resources available on the internet to get you started, and don’t forget, there may even be a resource right in your club. That is how I became involved with our club’s website. Our website was originally put together by our, then, Club Secretary, Sheila Laughlin, and when I came to the club and Sheila found out I did some website development I was immediately recruited to help out. It has been a lot of fun, and a pleasure to do something for my club.

After reading Andrew’s article in December’s issue I thought I might pass on a few pointers for those who want to put together a club website:

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Always identify your club. Name, club number and district should be prominently displayed.

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One of the main reasons non-Toastmasters visit our website is to find out about when and where we have our meetings. Always include detailed information about where your meetings take place and when you meet.

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Many website visitors may want more information about your club, so be sure to include phone numbers and email addresses for the club officers.

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The Toastmasters International website contains a wealth of information about Toastmasters, so don’t forget to provide a link to www.toastmasters.org.

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Remember to place a Trademark notice at the bottom of the page if you use the Toastmaster name or logo.

Stop by and visit our website if you get a minute; www.billgovetoastmastersclub.com, and don’t forget to take the tour of our Members Area to get a feel for what we have done to help smooth some of the administrative aspects of our weekly meetings.

As Andrew mentioned in December, a website doesn’t really take much more skill than typing. So go ahead, and type your way to a great club website!

Eight Goals

Five Goals

1066 1600 1810

971 2004 2096 2262 2588 2652 2733 3299 3466 4413 4454 5128 6026 6045 6084 6440 6690 7362 7911 8370 9958

Seven Goals 1095 2362 5725 5758 6544 9649

Six Goals 28 1978 2284 2437 2445 3179 5985 6796 7178 7250 9392

The Don Plaskett Traveling Trophy Early Bird Club # 3651 is honoring the memory of long time member Don Plaskett, DTM, with a traveling Don Plaskett trophy for the most improved club member for each meeting.

Don was a mentor to many members and encourager to all Toastmasters. Many of the leaders in the Tallahassee area benefited from the supportive role he played.

The trophy will remind club members and visitors of Don’s belief that all Toastmasters need to be encouraged to do their best in any responsibility they have in the meeting.

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Call for Nominations District Officer Mission/Purpose and Qualifications District 47 officer elections will be held at the District Conference on May 22, 2004 at the Marriott Hotel Orlando/Lake Mary. The following officers will be elected: District Governor, Lt. Governor Education and Training, Lt. Governor Marketing, and Division Governor.

LT. GOVERNOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING Mission/Purpose Under the guidance of the District Governor, strives to have every Club and each member reap the benefits of the Toastmasters educational program and to have every Club become a Distinguished Club. Responsible for achieving Distinguished District goals for CTMs, ATMs, and Distinguished Clubs. Provides direction and counsel to Division Governors, Area Governors, and Club officers on the educational opportunities in Toastmasters. Responsible for the design and conduct of successful District training programs, conferences, and other District educational events.

THE MISSION OF THE DISTRICT The mission of the District is to enhance the performance and extend the network of Clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program by: !

Qualifications The Lt. Governor Education and Training shall have served at least six (6) consecutive months as a Club President and at least twelve (12) consecutive months as a Lt. Governor, Division Governor, or an Area Governor, or a combination thereof.

Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District educational and membership goals,

! Insuring that each Club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its members,

LT. GOVERNOR MARKETING Mission/Purpose Under the guidance of the District Governor, makes the benefits of Toastmasters membership available to greater numbers of people. Plans, develops, implements, and directs short-term and long-term District marketing objectives. Develops and directs programs for new Club development, Club rescue efforts, Club membership promotion, and membership retention. Responsible for achieving Distinguished District goals for membership and Club growth. Promotes standards of service to the member and to the Club.

! Providing effective training and leadership development opportunities for Club and District officers.

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL VISION Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Through our member Clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, giving them the courage to change.

Qualifications The Lt. Governor Marketing shall have served for at least six (6) consecutive months as a Club President and at least twelve (12) consecutive months as a Lt. Governor, a Division Governor, or as an Area Governor, or a combination thereof.

The mission/purpose and qualifications of each elected officer follows: DISTRICT GOVERNOR Mission/Purpose As the District’s chief executive officer, directs the District in a way which fosters strong Clubs, produces maximum growth in education completions, Club and membership, and is consistent with the interests of members of Toastmasters International. Responsible for motivating the District to achieve Distinguished District.

Achieves the Mission of the District in a manner which motivates volunteer leaders and promotes a standard of excellence in all District activities.

DIVISION GOVERNOR Mission/Purpose Achieves the Mission of the District within the Division, accomplishing District goals in membership building and retention, Club extension, and educational accomplishments.

Ensures that each Club realizes its Mission and fulfills its responsibilities to its members. Responsible for achieving Distinguished Division Program goals and for ensuring that Areas and Clubs within the Division achieve Distinguished status. Serves the Division Clubs by providing District support and resources through the Area Governors.

Qualifications At the time of taking office, the District Governor shall have served at least six (6) consecutive months as a Club President and at least twelve (12) consecutive months as a Lt. Governor or Division Governor or a combination thereof.

Qualifications A Division Governor shall have served at least six (6) consecutive months as a member of a District Council (e.g., Club President, Vice President Education, Area Governor, District Secretary, District Treasurer).

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DISTRICT 47 NOMINATIONS District 47 District officer elections will take place on May 22, 2004. Names to be considered for nomination are being accepted for the following offices: DISTRICT GOVERNOR, LT. GOVERNOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING, LT. GOVERNOR MARKETING, AND DIVISION GOVERNORS A THROUGH I. If you would like to be nominated for office or if you want to enter a person’s name for nomination, please complete the form below and mail to Margaret Wan, DTM, District Governor, by February 29, 2004. See nominating form for District Governor’s address and phone number. You may submit more than one person’s name (including your own) for each position. The deadline for submitting this form is February 29, 2004. The Nominating Committee will consider all candidates received by the deadline. To be nominated or elected, a person must be a member in good standing, meet the qualifications of the office, must consent to being nominated, and must sign an Officer Agreement and Release Statement.

District Officer Nominating Form I wish to have the Nominating Committee consider the following person for the office of: #

District Governor

#

Lt. Governor Education & Training

#

Lt. Governor Marketing

#

Division Governor, Division ___

Name ___________________________________________________________________

CTM

ATM

DTM

Address _________________________________________________________________ State/Prov. _______________ City ____________________________________________________________________ Postal Code ______________ Country _________________________________________________________________ Telephone (H) ____________________________ (B) ____________________________ FAX _____________________________________ E-mail: ____________________________________________________ Home Club Name _________________________________________________________ Club No. _________________ List the Club and District offices in which this person has served and the dates of service. Describe this Toastmaster’s qualifications for office and fitness to serve. Please attach any other information about this candidate that may be helpful in assisting the Nominating Committee. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Submitted by: ____________________________________________________________ Mail to: Margaret Wan, DTM District Governor 500 37th Avenue North Saint Petersburg, FL 33704-1248 (Phone: 877-525-3883 or 813-787-3747)

Deadline for submitting this form is February 29, 2004.

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Welcome, New Babies of the District 47 Family!

Toastmasters at JEA Club # 607265 Charter Date: 11/3/03 Alignment: Division A Area 7 Sponsoring Organization: JEA Sponsors: William LeClere and Wanda Brown Mentor: Holly Walker

Bay Pines Club # 602900 Charter Date: 11/14/03 Alignment: Division G Area 45 Sponsors: Margaret Wan and Claire Knafla Mentors: Margaret Wan and Cathy Naabe

Master Communicators of Crystal Palace Club # 612315 Charter Date: 11/18/03 Alignment: Division I Area 55 Sponsoring Clubs: 9477 and 1095 Sponsors: Antionette Fox and Malvise Bastian Mentors: Joan Carey and Antionette Fox

Strawberry Club # 613707 Charter Date: 11/20/03 Alignment: Division J Area 48 Sponsoring Club: 4051 Sponsors: Mellie Mabry and Brett Clancy Ringling Club # 590606 Charter Date: 11/24/03 Alignment: Division F Area 56 Sponsors: Terry Lauritsen and Andrew Bean Mentor: Leah Leu Westgaters Club # 618581 Charter Date: 12/5/03 Alignment: Division B Area 5 Sponsoring Clubs: 6045 and 9269 Sponsors: Robert Donenfeld and Barbara Bergstrom Mentors: Robert Donenfeld and Abdurrahim Khan Mayflower Club # 617432 Charter Date: 12/8/03 Alignment: Division C Area 16 Sponsoring Clubs: 1066 and 8945 Sponsors: Roxie Steadman and Helen Joseph Mentors: Elizabeth Brothers and Edward Goddard

Baby Mania Contest

Beachsiders Club # 621469 Charter Date: 12/16/03 Alignment: Division B Area 29 Sponsor: George Gonzales Mentors: Robert Tremayne and Delora Mills Worksource Beaches Club # 585865 Charter Date: 12/29/03 Alignment: Division A Area 19 Sponsors: James Akers and Johnny Ledford Yack Shack Club # 624209 Charter Date: 12/30/03 Alignment: Division A Area 38 Sponsoring Club: 5709 Mentors: Cynthia Ramirez and Sue Habel BTVI Knights of the T Table Club # 626837 Charter Date: 12/30/03 Alignment: Division I Area 12 Sponsoring Club: 3596 and 6796 Sponsors: Dillette Brown-Miller and Jamaro Thompson Mentors: Renee Johnson and Valerie Gaitor

Are You A Goal-Topper?

Do you know companies that have 150 or more employees at one location? You could win a prize by participating in the Baby Mania Contest! Complete the form below, and a District 47 officer will make contact with the person in the company with a view to starting a new Toastmasters Club.

What happens after your club has achieved all the 10 Distinguished Club Program goals? Is it time for all the members to “retire” and do nothing? NO! It is time to strive for becoming the Goal-Topper of District 47!

A club will receive the following points for accomplishing educational and membership goals beyond the DCP goals:

See the November/December 2003 issue of The Sunshiner or the District 47 website for contest details.

• • • • •

For each CTM after the 4th For each ATM after the 2nd For each CL after the 2nd For each AL or DTM after the 1st For each new member after the 8th

3 points 3 points 1 point 2 points 3 points

The points will be based on the DCP report of 6/30/04. The five clubs that receive the most points will receive a special ribbon and all members as at 6/30/04 will receive a special pin to show that they are the GOAL-TOPPERS! 6

New Tricks Jim Ocque, DTM Lt. Governor Education and Training

Top Ten Toastmasters Excuses and Cliches Explained

Do you have a question or questions concerning Toastmasters? Do you want to learn more about communications and leadership? Many of our members answer yes to either one or both of these questions. Unfortunately, there is not enough time at any one session to impart all of the knowledge that is available from Toastmasters. This is why you have an opportunity to attend training programs within the District.

The District provides four training programs each year: Planet Toastmasters and our District Conferences. The reasons that I attend these educational programs are to learn something new, learn a new technique, or refresh the training that I have had before. I may hear something for the first time or hear it stated in a different way and it triggers a new understanding. I learn of changes in TI policy and procedure and their new programs. I am motivated again to a higher achievement. Whether you agree with my reasons for attending or have your unique reasons, I encourage you to attend these programs.

Your next opportunity will be in January-February. On January 10 more than 160 Toastmasters attended Planet Toastmasters Leadership Institute held in Orlando. The leadership training and educational workshops were fabulous!

The Planet Toastmasters Leadership Institute is scheduled for Tampa/St Petersburg on January 31, 2004, and Miami/West Palm Beach on February 7, 2004 . The particulars for each Institute have been made available to your Division and Area Governors and posted on the District website. The 2002 Champion of Public Speaking, Dwayne Smith, will be our special guest speaker.

During June through August, we had over 1,200 District 47 Toastmasters trained. The goal for January and February is to have at least 2,400 trained.

These sessions in January and February are timed to enable your Club to receive points toward its Distinguished Club Program goal. Come and give heed to those offering their experiences and knowledge to help you learn new tricks.

International Speech and Table Topics Contests

10) I’m going to pass out these hand-outs while I’m talking...

(I’m hoping you’ll read them and not listen to my pathetic speech) 9) I can’t speak tonight due to an emergency.

(I haven’t started working on my speech yet) 8) My check is in the mail.

(The new checks I ordered from the bank are in the mail) 7) I never win the 50/50.

(I never buy a ticket) 6) I’ll pass on dinner because I already ate.

(It was lunch) 5) Sorry I’m late. I’d like to switch places with the last speaker.

(I’m still writing my speech) 4) You know me, Madame Toastmaster. I don’t need an intro.

(I didn’t write one) 3) This is a non-manual speech.

(I don’t have time to read a manual) 2) I owe a lot to this club.

(I haven’t paid for dinner in over a month) 1) To make a long story short...

(I’ve been rambling incoherently)

Since 1955

Publisher:

Margaret Wan, DTM District 47 Toastmasters 500 37th Avenue North Saint Petersburg, FL 33704-1248 e-mail: wan@acustarconsulting.com Editor:

Clubs and Areas should be setting the dates for their International Speech and Table Topics Contest. The Clubs should be selecting their contestants in January and February. The Area contest should be in March or early April.

The Division contests will be held between April 23rd and May 1st. The District Contest will be May 21st for the Table Topics and May 22nd for the International Speech. The Regional International Speech Contest will be in Jacksonville on June 26. The ultimate winner of the International Speech Contest, the 2004 Champion of Public Speaking, will be selected at the Toastmasters International Convention in Reno, Nevada in August.

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Cathy Epler, DTM e-mail: cepler@gte.net Co-Editor:

Don Spencer e-mail: spencerd@AyresAssociates.com The Sunshiner is printed by Impressive Printing - Tampa, Florida

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Tampa FL 33612 Permit #2788

District 47 Toastmasters

500 37th Avenue North Saint Petersburg, FL 33704-1248

Since 1955

Cathy Epler, DTM, Editor cepler@gte.net Don Spencer, Co-Editor spencerd@AyresAssociates.com

TOASTMASTER CHATTER

Kudos Under the leadership of Loretta Sandy, the Division B Team has done a phenomenal job in chartering FOUR clubs in the first half of the year!

Area C16 Governor Amy Gump, has chartered two new clubs.

Happy Anniversary District 47 celebrates clubs that have reached a special benchmark. The following clubs have done just so!

45 Years Harris #1423

In Remembrance Vincent Foy, a member of the Talk of the Town, Club No. 5390, passed on December 15, 2003.

35 Years First Bahamas Branch #1600 Gelfand Good Morning #2096

20 Years St. Augustine #3774 Talk of the Town #5390

15 Years Vista #7250

10 Years Motorola Communicators #9745

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Bill Grey passed on January 13, 2003.

Bill, a University of Miami graduate and Prudential retiree, devoted many years to Toastmasters International, where he served as Northeast Division Governor for 2 years and Area Governor for several years.