District 84 Hall of Fame: Spread the Word!

by Dee Melvin, DTM, Lt. Governor of Marketing

Every year, dedicated Toastmasters step up to accept the challenge of being a District 84 leader. They do this by becoming Division Governors, Area Governors, and program chairs. Do they do this because they seek fame and fortune? Not likely. They do this for the love of Toastmasters.

Throughout the year they work tirelessly for the clubs of District 84. They take vacation time from work, and they give up time with their loved ones to ensure our clubs have every opportunity to succeed.

It has been a well-kept secret that every year the District recognizes their dedication at the Hall of Fame, which is always held during the District 84 fall conference. It's time to change all that – let's change our ‘well-kept secret' into a well-known, well-attended celebration!

This year the Hall of Fame Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 12, from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon. This is your opportunity to show support for your Division and Area Governors and also for those who accepted the less glamorous roles of program chairs.

Every Toastmaster who attends the fall conference in Daytona Beach is invited to join us as we recognize these exceptional Toastmasters.

I propose to you that we have standing room only, that we cheer our leaders, and that we let them know how much we appreciate their efforts.

Oh, by the way, let's have a blast while we are at it. That is my challenge to you. I look forward to seeing you there.

What's In District 84's Fall Conference for You?

by Mary Carol Holbert, ACS, Public Relations Officer

You've heard other Toastmasters mentioning District 84's Fall Conference, “Once Upon a Time; A Fairy Tale Conference”, scheduled November 11-13 th in Daytona Beach, Florida, and may be wondering what goes on at a Conference that could possibly interest you...

You probably have some very valid questions that sound a lot like: Why should I care about attending some conference? What's in it for me?

Good questions, Toastmasters! Questions I asked four years ago, before my first conference experience. It only took one conference to open my eyes to all the benefits of attending.

MC's Top 5 Reasons District 84 Conferences Rock:

1) Amazing Speech Contests – If you have never seen a District Speech Contest, it's an amazing event. On Friday night, after dinner, the Speech Evaluation Contest takes place, with the best evaluator from each of Divisions A through I squaring off against one another. Then on Saturday night, the 9 top Humorous Speech Contestants entertain the attendees with their humorous speeches. When you consider that there are almost 4000 Toastmasters in our District, once you get to the top 9 competitors, you've got one outstanding contest! We learn by observing the best, and believe me – we can all learn from watching these District level contests! Besides, it's riveting entertainment – definitely laugh out loud fun…

2) Networking – For many of us, our only contact with Toastmasters is within our Clubs. However, Toastmasters International is a global organization, with nearly 200 clubs in District 84 (our District) alone. Imagine coming together with 300+ Toastmasters, all interested in self-growth and enhancement of communication and leadership skills. The opportunity to meet other toastmasters, exchange ideas, interact with District leadership, share experiences, and create contacts from across the district is invaluable, both personally and professionally. We're a diverse group – you never know who you'll meet next! You'll make friends from all over Central and Northern Florida – one thing you'll learn very quickly is that Toastmasters are a friendly lot. And guess what? They like to talk!

3) Education – In addition to the Speech Contests which are invaluable training forums, Saturday morning is devoted to educational sessions, with your choice of up to 3 out of 9-12 classes on such diverse topics as Social Media, Evaluations, and Member Mentoring. Watch the District 84 Conference site for updates on the classes being offered this year. With our own Dennis Wooldridge overseeing the course selections, it's guaranteed the subject matter will be thought-provoking, useful, and entertaining.

Additionally, there is another even more valuable education on offer at our conferences -- one you will never receive if you don't step outside your local club. I speak from experience. Our LGET compares the revelation to an encounter with an iceberg. At the club level, we see and interact with that portion of Toastmasters that would be comparable to the tip of the iceberg – the portion that floats above the water. It's pretty cool, and offers a lot to us as members, but once you take that step into District territory, your eyes are opened to the vast network, educational opportunities, and expansive personal connections that are possible within the greater Toastmasters International organization. Attend just one conference, and you'll start to see the body of the iceberg, gaining appreciation as to what Toastmasters International is really all about.

4) Location – I understand the Hilton Daytona Beach is beautiful! The conference room rate is a steal! That hotel? At $89 a night? Unbelievable! And what better time to enjoy a weekend at the beach than mid-November, just before the holidays hit? Bring your family, or extend your trip by a night or two. Chillax, my friends! We're in Florida – let's enjoy our good fortune and soak in some sun by the Atlantic. Other people have conferences where it's cold and icy in November… brrrr!

5) Fun – You haven't experienced Toastmasters until you've attended a Conference Theme night. On Friday November 11 th at our “Once Upon a Time… A District 84 Fairy Tale Conference” , you'll find the craziest contingency of witches, fairies, princes and princesses, ogres, sorcerers, and goblins that you could ever hope to find gathered under one roof. Theme Night is always like a giant costume party for adults, and our fellow Toastmasters embrace the fun wholeheartedly. (Of course, you don't have to dress up in costume – Friday night is fun night, but costumes aren't required. Business casual is fine, too!)

And how about food? We know Toastmasters love to eat! As part of your conference registration package, you have a Friday banquet, a Saturday luncheon, and a Saturday night Banquet, plus a hospitality room continental breakfast on Saturday morning.

Saturday night is our more formal evening – some of the women will be dressed in their evening-wear, and most of the men will wear suits. Toastmasters clean up pretty nice – check out some of the pictures on the District 84 website to see how glam we can look!

After hours on Friday and Saturday nights, once all the speeches have been delivered and the awards handed out, don't forget to visit the hospitality suite (appropriately named “Far, Far Away” to fit our theme!), where we offer free drinks and light snacks until the wee hours of the morning.

By the time you check out of your hotel on Sunday morning, you'll have gained a whole new view of Toastmasters International. Even more importantly, you'll have made a host of new friends you can't wait to see at the next conference!

Golden Gavel Recovered

by Area 83 Governor Scott Keller

Fort Knox Toastmasters and FDLE Toastmasters, in Tallahassee, Florida, have done what Pinkerton agents couldn’t…they have recovered the famous Golden Gavel, long missing from the Fort Knox vault. Scott Keller, Area 83 Governor, has declared that as a reward for this recovery, both clubs can keep the Golden Gavel, under the following terms.

Each month, the two clubs will meet together and have a contest between speakers from each club. The winner’s club will get to take the Golden Gavel and display it proudly for that month. The first Golden Gavel competition was held at the Fort Knox Toastmasters site on September 27, 2011. Bill Plenge, from Fort Knox Toastmasters valiantly competed against Louis Sloan, a stalwart speaker from FDLE Toastmasters. FDLE Toastmasters came out on top, and have taken the Golden Gavel until next month’s meeting on October 26, at FDLE Headquarters.

Club Officer Training Results

by Dennis E. Wooldridge, DTM, LGET

Dennis Wooldridge, DTM

Club Officer Training began nearly two months ago with the kickoff at Winter Park's Calvary Assembly Church. The gymnasium was set up with 400 chairs, but it wasn't enough. Many Toastmasters were standing along the back wall, every seat occupied by club officers as the training began with District 84 Sergeant-at-Arms Donna Lazrek leading the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. Opening statements by District Governor Jim Miller, Lt Gov Marketing Dee Melvin, District Public Relations Officer Mary Carol Holbert and Lt Gov Education and Training Dennis Wooldridge were met with rousing enthusiasm, and then it was off to training for each of the seven club officer positions.

In addition to the classes for each officer position and several additional classes on electives like Using Pay Pal, The 3 R's of Membership, Website Navigation and more, two major experiments were conducted during the day. Many times, a Toastmaster who serves in the same office for several terms begins to feel there is nothing left to learn. While there is always something new and useful in each class, the resistance to attending club officer training was addressed by offering Advance TLI. If an officer had served in the same position for two full terms and been trained a minimum of twice in that role, they were allowed to attend the Advanced TLI where subjects like Communication with fellow officers and members, Strategies for retention and recruitment, Conflict resolution and Maximizing your Contest were shared and discussed. The consensus was that this is a program the more advanced officer in the District need and we will continue to have the program in January's series of trainings.

The other “experiment” was Lunch and Learns. So often, the information you get in the classes for each officer position are excellent, but there never seems to be time for discussion and networking. That's a comment I've heard since my first TLI. This year we took the lunch hours and divided the officers up into groups, Presidents and VPEs, VPMs and VPPRs, etc., and had open discussion sessions over lunch. No preset agenda, no rules, just open discussion with a facilitator. I was fortunate to unexpectedly facilitate the SAA group. It was by far my favorite part of the day! And I was not alone. All the feedback I got was positive, even those that ask for some fine tuning of the process. We will tweak it a bit for the January series of trainings, but it will be a part of TLI for the foreseeable future.

Jacksonville's Kollege of Knowledge for Divisions A and F was successful with overflowing crowds there as well. Over 200 attendees made for excellent interaction among officers and soon-to-be officers as well. Tallahassee held another TLI for Division H, and there to the attendance was greater than expected. With follow-up Divisional Trainings throughout the month of August we accomplished everything expected by Toastmasters International and more. The District's leadership had set a goal of 85% of our clubs achieving their DCP point for training. We didn't quite make it. But it's pretty hard to be disappointed when we came within 1 percent of our goal. That's right 84% of District 84's clubs have made their DCP point for training. That equals 162 of 193 clubs. Divisions B, F & G have the distinction of having 100% of their club DCP qualified. Now that's getting the year off to the right start! Well done District 84 club officers!!!

Remember we have training in January, beginning in the Orlando area on January 14 th . It's an opportunity to aim higher and get even more of our club officers trained. A club with all 7 officer trained will be more likely to achieve all their goals for the year and end the year President's Distinguished.

Here's the by Divisional breakdown of training:

Summary by Division	Clubs	Officers	Officers Trained	% Off Trained	DCP	% DCP	7 of 7	% 7of 7
Div A	23	161	87	54%	15	65%	1	4%
Div B	26	182	159	87%	26	100%	14	54%
Div C	24	168	112	67%	17	71%	7	29%
Div D	28	196	138	70%	23	82%	5	18%
Div E	22	154	113	73%	19	86%	7	32%
Div F	18	126	103	82%	18	100%	7	39%
Div G	16	112	83	74%	16	100%	4	25%
Div H	22	154	110	71%	20	91%	6	27%

Well done District 84. Now let's put all that knowledge to use and have a record setting year making sure all our club members grow and exceed their own expectations! After all, that's what we're here for.

See you at “Once Upon A Time,” a District 84 Fairy Tale Conference, November 11-13 at the beautiful Daytona Beach Hilton Resort. Registration is open and on line now! Don't wait...or you might turn into a pumpkin!