TheFreeDictionary.com defines a ‘Renaissance Woman’

as ‘a woman who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences’.

In Toastmasters International, District 84, one such woman is our own Kathleen ‘Kathy’ Kershaw.

Ask different people to describe Kathy, and you’re likely to get as many different answers as you have people. Answers you might hear include “She’s a techno-geek”; “She’s a killer Zumba instructor”; “She’s a fierce competitor”; “She’s an accomplished Toastmaster”; “She’s a software engineer who used to work on Disney animated features such as ‘Mulan’”; “She’s been an instructor at Valencia College”; “She’s ten pounds of fun in a five-pound bag”, and “She is an amazing friend.”

Something few people know is that, as a SAIC software engineer in the National Security arena, Kathleen works at the very serious business of building simulators for vehicles and equipment that do improvised explosive device (IED) and mine clearing, creating the hardware and software with virtual mines and virtual IEDs. While she may describe herself as a ‘geek’, others describe her as a very talented and professional engineer. The work she is doing is vital to the safety of our armed forces as well as innocent civilians in war-ravaged countries throughout the Middle East and around the globe.

Hmmm. That’s interesting, you might be thinking. However, why do I describe Kathy as a Renaissance woman? Check out what Ms. Kershaw has been up to lately, and judge for yourself!

If your first encounter with Kathy was at this past ‘Once Upon A Time…A District 84 Fairy Tale Conference’, you might have seen three excellent examples of her wide-ranging interests and accomplishments firsthand.

Kathleen Kershaw and Scott Hoehn

The First example would have come at the Hall of Fame, where Scott Hoehn, last year’s District 84 Governor, awarded Kathleen the prestigious “Division Governor of the Year Award” for her work as Division C Governor for 2010-2011. “I was surprised,” she said. “All the Division Governors were working their booties off. I was speechless.”

For anyone that knows Kathleen, ‘speechless’ is a word that would rarely be used to describe her. However, her atypical reaction may be a hint to how deeply she values her Toastmasters experience. While Toastmasters, unlike her professional environment, is a place where Kathy can relax and let her personality shine through, her commitment to TI, and the energy and enthusiasm she brings to our organization, come straight from the heart.

“Our team took off before the term (July 2010 – June 2011) even started, and didn’t stop!” she explained. “Our Division was President’s Distinguished immediately, a month before any other Division was anything else.” Kathy credits her hard-working Area Governors for Division C’s early and continuing success. Branding played a key role in the group’s team-spirit. Who will ever forget Division C: The Cocktail Division? (And yes, Kathleen, some of us did copy you – we saw a good thing, and jumped on board!)

The next example of Kathy Kershaw’s wide-ranging talents would have come Saturday evening, when you learned she was a contestant in the Humorous Speech Contest. She entertained our group of 250 Toastmasters and guests with a speech entitled “Skating Lessons,” about her foray into what was, for her a very foreign world of ice hockey. In the broader sense, the speech was all about the lengths we go in order to ‘fit in’. She kept us laughing, and perhaps left a bit of herself inside each of her listeners.

Typical of Kathy, she is more than willing to share some of what she learned as a speech contestant with her fellow Toastmasters. That is simply how she rolls.

“The speech started off some time ago as the “Your Body Speaks” project out of the CC manual,” she explained. “I gave the speech, over a two year period, about ten times.”

Originally, she has competed in the International Speech Contest, reaching the Area level. While she served consecutive terms as an Area Governor and then a Division Governor, she was not permitted to compete under the TI rules that forbid District officers from participating in speech contests.

Since she does not hold a District office this year, she was once more free to compete, and jumped back into the fray with gusto. She says she dusted her old speech off, and proceeded to rewrite, and rewrite, and rewrite.

Kathy writes her speeches out word for word. “I write by hand. If I see it written, I can better remember it. Here’s some free advice – I find that we write more formally than we talk. So, when I’m writing out my speech, I’m saying it out loud, either literally saying it or saying it in my head, to make sure it’s something I might actually speak. I think that’s why some people get tripped up and read their speeches; because what they wrote is not really what they would say.”

She talked about her speech performance preparation.

“I went outside the club two years ago, when I wrote the first draft of this speech, but this time I did most of my preparation in front of a mirror. The most I practiced the speech was on the day of the contest. I stood on the stage and paced it out for an hour. I went through it over and over and over again, and that’s where it gelled – it was then.”

Kathy said she didn’t video record the speech this time, but she had video recorded it two years ago, and had it ‘set in her head’ as to what it looked like.

One of Kathy’s challenges was knowing how much time to allow for audience reaction. She admits that she probably needed to allow more time, but like many of us, couldn’t figure out what to cut out of the speech. “I had (the speech) pretty much at the allotted time, and there wasn’t anything I wanted to get rid of.”

An additional tidbit of advice to future contestants was “When you ask for feedback, be critical of the feedback you get. Don’t just accept it. Know who the person is, and what their style is. I got some feedback on (my speech), and on other speeches, that I wasn’t going to incorporate because it just wouldn’t be me. It wouldn’t be my speech. So, above all else, your speech has to be true to you.”

“Another thing I would tell people to do is to go watch contests,” she added. “See what other people are doing to get prepared for various genres.” Kathy also indicated that she watched videos of the International Speech Contest Champions. She has also purchased some of Darren LaCroix’s (2001 Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking) training materials on how to be funny.

When asked how she calms herself prior to going onstage, Kathy answered, “I remind myself that this is supposed to be fun and that I chose to do this. And I breathe… deep yoga breaths.”

“You know what the most important thing was?” she asked. “Walking on the actual stage. I did it at Area, I did it at Division. Be familiar with the stage, look out on where the people are going to be, and just get used to being there.”

I could hear her chuckling to herself. “I tell you, I had the whole thing choreographed ahead of time,” she said. “The one thing I didn’t choreograph, and I could kick myself, I didn’t choreograph standing there and enjoying the applause. Because I knew I had been so tight on time, I ended it, and I ran off the stage! Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute.’ I realized I should have just stood there and waved!”

What did she think of her experience? “I had so much fun! Oh, my gosh, as soon as it was done, I wanted to do it again!”

Apparently, our District 84 judges were impressed. Kathleen won Third Place in the 2011 District 84 Humorous Speech Contest.

The third conference weekend example of Kathy’s diversity came at the Sunday morning District Executive Council meeting (DEC), where she was introduced as the District 84 Spring Conference Chair. Looking very ‘Neo’-esque in all black, with the obligatory black wrap sunglasses, Kathleen Kershaw announced the theme for our May 2012 Spring Conference, using a plethora of science fiction references during her presentation. Think ‘Star Trek’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Matrix’, ‘Back to the Future’, ‘2001 A Space Odyssey’, ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘Men in Black’, and all things Science Fiction.

Because, guess what? Kathy is a Sci Fi buff, too! Knowing Kathleen, don’t be surprised if you step foot in the Lake Mary Westin Hotel, and find yourself transported into another world. If you’d like to make the journey with her, she is in the process of gathering her Conference Committee. Contact her to let her know you’re interested!

Using jargon from her Ice Hockey exploits, Kathy pulled off a ‘Hat Trick’ at our latest District 84 Conference; she scored three goals! From SAIC software engineer to 2012 District 84Sci Fi Conference Chair; from Hall of Fame Division Governor of the Year to Third Place Winner in the 2011 Humorous Speech Contest – and everything in between –there is no doubt that Kathleen “Kathy” Kershaw is a Toastmasters District 84 Renaissance Woman! We have only to wonder, “What May Come?”

Susan McDaniel & the Art of Adaptability

by Mary Carol Holbert

Susan McDaniel

This year’s Toastmasters District 84 Humorous Speech Contest Winner is undoubtedly adept at adapting, whether in her life or as a new Toastmaster. Susan McDaniel’s speech, “The Art of Adaptability”, had an audience of 250 Toastmasters and guests in stitches as she took us on a whirlwind tour of four life-altering events that took place in a time span of six months, and how she coped with each challenge.

From pithy to poignant, her reflections, observations, and ironic commentary were delivered with pitch-perfect timing. For nearly seven minutes, Susan McDaniel owned the stage, keeping her audience entertained and thoroughly engaged, as she shared her remarkable journey.

You might be surprised to learn that Susan has only been in Toastmasters about six months. She works at Sprint, and joined Sprint TSO Toastmasters. “A lot of the top performers in sales are in Toastmasters,” she said. “Joining Toastmasters was a way to meet and network with them.”

Her Sprint Toastmasters experience has been productive. “Our speeches are based on our jobs. We learn from each other about products that Sprint offers and we share sales techniques.”

When asked how she had prepared for the competition, Susan said, “I went into it knowing I had a message I wanted to give—a story I had to tell.”

“A lot of my writing takes place first in my head,” she explained. Eventually, Susan writes the speech out verbatim. “I have a tendency to change the wording,” she said. “I write it out in real big font, in paragraph form.” She has those notes when she first gives the speech.

She estimates that she gave her winning speech about six times prior to the competition. Every time she performed, Susan made adjustments based on the reactions she received.

The last time she performed the speech, she did it for her Toastmasters group, and they all sat down and talked about changes that might make the speech better. In her last run-through, they also talked a lot about the timing, and leaving time for audience reactions.

When asked if it felt any different performing at the District level, Susan answered, “I find when you are doing comedy, the audience is key. When you have a larger setting, your audience is less inhibited. Laughter is contagious.”

While Susan had never competed in any type of speech contest, she had done a lot of training, and felt comfortable speaking in front of people. Her comedic talents seem to be genetic. “I come from a family of very, very funny people. We’re always trying to crack people up.”

Susan shared some of her conference experiences. “This was my first conference. It was a lot of fun. I had about seven family members there. My sister came with me as my ‘handler’, and she helped me run through my speech. My brother heard me speak for the first time at the competition. Seeing him afterwards, he was a little bit in awe. He
kept saying it was so great that I could do that; that it was amazing.”

When asked if she had any special rituals before going onstage, she replied, “For me, it’s all about state of mind – making sure that I go into it with the right attitude & mentality. I try to talk to someone that I find funny before my speech. I get to a point where I don’t want to talk about it, think about it, or do any more preparation. I want to
be in a place where my nerves are calm, my head is in the right place, and I’m feeling funny – a little silly

What is next for Susan? She has been thinking about doing more comedy. “As a forty year-old mother of four, I may do a little bit more comedy writing. I’m not into bars.”

This spring, she has been asked by her company to do a little bit of a routine, which is exciting.

On the Toastmasters front, Susan is eyeing the International Speech Contest in the spring. She has done six speeches out of her Competent Communication so far, so she is already eligible to compete.

When asked for any words of wisdom to aspiring Toastmasters speech contestants, Susan said, “The most important thing when giving a speech is to expose as much of yourself as possible; let your heart, emotion, and pain show.”

If you wonder what she did with her First Place trophy, here’s what she said: “I tried drinking from it, but the Margarita leaked!”

She said the trophy is currently sitting on top of her desk at work. She has a deal with her seven-year-old: every time Susan gets a new trophy, her daughter gets the old one. That may mean the Humorous Speech trophy won’t be on Susan’s desk for long! That’s probably okay with Susan McDaniel; after all, she’s perfected the ‘Art of Adaptability’.

First Impressions: Evaluating District 84’s 2011 Fall Conference Through Fresh Eyes

If District 84 Toastmasters only gets one chance to make a first impression, what impression does it make? It’s always interesting to hear what ‘fresh eyes’ have to say about a District 84 Conference. This year, several of our first-time attendees were willing to share their impressions, from heartfelt praise to thoughtful suggestions for
improvement.

Want to hear what they had to say?

Janet Beckles, President of ‘You Talkin’ To Me?’ Toastmasters Club, said “I have been a member of Toastmasters for about nine months and thus far I’m loving every minute of it! After hearing about the conferences and looking at the photos that are on the Suntalkers website, I knew I didn’t want to miss another one. Attending D84’s ‘Once
Upon a Time…A Fairy Tale Fall Conference’ as a First Timer just added to my excitement of being a Toastmaster.”

James Presley, CC, from PMI-NEFL Toastmasters, wrote “I very much enjoyed the conference. I enjoyed the evaluations and the humorous speeches. I joined Toastmasters when we started our club in June. I have since earned my CC and Ambassador’s pin.”

Unfortunately, work kept Alice Palmateer, Toastmasters at Twleve, from being able to stay for the Speech Evaluation Contest, or to attend the educational classes, but she said “I made it for the meals and the Humorous Speech Contest. I enjoyed that.”

“I was pretty happy with the Fall Conference,” Neil Peterson, CC, Area 23 Governor, indicated. “The speech contest was the most outstanding thing. I wasn’t expecting the quality of speeches to be that good, but the caliber of speeches was excellent!”

Neil also commented on the location, saying “Daytona Beach was very nice, with the beach outside and the ocean view. It was like a mini-vacation. It would be nice to have the conference at a beach location again.”

Of those that participated in the First-Timers’ events, some indicated that they would like to see the Saturday morning meeting time pushed back from 7:30 to 8:00am, but our First-Timer’s Contest winner, Mabel Burridge said, as a ‘morning person’, 7:30 was not a problem for her. Timing was the main reason given for not attending the First
Timer session.

The Three Levels of Enchantment scavenger hunt seemed to be well-received, with a number of first timers participating, and at least three competitors going all out to fill out their program plus find the ‘Magic Scrolls’. “The competition was real. It wasn’t boring,” Mabel laughed.
Goals our first-time attendees had for the conference included:

• Attend educational sessions
• Meet new people
• Share experiences
• Watch and learn from skilled speakers in the competitions
• See examples of experienced Toastmasters
• Learn more advanced communications skills
• Learn ways to leverage their time in Toastmasters to be more effective
• Network with other Toastmasters Clubs
• Enjoy the Daytona Beach location

No evaluation would be complete without some suggestions for tweaking our performance. While almost everyone enjoyed having a themed evening, there was some concern about overuse of the theme, particularly in describing the educational sessions. A couple of members noted that a clearer description of the sessions would
be helpful. Other observations and/or suggestions:

•  Almost everyone wished they could have attended educational sessions that were held concurrently
• Perhaps have a first time person paired up with an experienced person for a short mentoring session on what to expect from the conference and from Toastmasters in general, talking with the first time attendee about how to get engaged.
• Before the speech contest, perhaps have a short explanation for the less knowledgeable about approaches to evaluations, rather than just giving everyone an evaluation sheet in their program. Could there be a teaching moment here?

What’s next for these (now) ‘Old-Timers’? Will they be back?

Mabel is already working on her costume. Alice says she’s coming back to attend the educational sessions she had to miss this time. Neil is looking forward to the Spring Conference, when he’ll have time to attend the educational sessions he missed this time, thanks to manning the Hospitality Suite.

“I’m definitely going to the Spring Conference,” Neil said. “Our Division is in charge of Conference Book ads, which will be finished by the time we get to Conference.I’ll have a chance to participate in things in the mornings – I tried to make it this time, but I can’t do both late night and early morning. I look forward to going to the Saturday morning sessions in the Spring.”

James said, “Overall, I very much enjoyed the conference, and I look forward to attending others. My thanks go out to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen. I have a good idea how much work goes into these events.”

Given that the best evaluations on a strongly positive note, Janet provided a perfect wrap-up. “During the First-Timer’s gathering, it was said that you will never be a First-Timer again, so I made sure I enjoyed everything in order to have wonderful memories and be able to pass on my experience to others and encourage them
to attend, also. I’m looking forward to attending the Spring Conference and the International Convention, which will be here in Orlando! Do I sound excited? Does it sound like I’m hooked? You are so on the money if your answer is ‘Yes!’”

Word of the Day: Enthusiasm: Eagerness, Passion, Zeal, Gusto, Mabel Burridge!

by Mary Carol Holbert, ACS, Public Relations Officer

Okay, maybe you won’t actually find Mabel’s name in the definition of ‘Enthusiasm’. However, if the editors at Merriam Webster had: (1) heard Mabel’s victory cry, or (2) seen her gleeful charge back and forth across the ballroom to accept her First-Timers First Place Prize at the recent 2011 Toastmasters District 84 “Once Upon a Time…A Fairy Tale Conference”, they would probably consider adding it!

Mabel joined Toastmasters in July, but she isn’t a typical First-Timer. She has attended multiple contests before, but always as a guest. As a mother of a young daughter, Mabel had not felt like she could join a club herself before this year, although she has come to District 84 Conferences as a guest to support her Toastmaster-member
husband, Michael.

She says that her prior conferences were each a ‘beautiful experience’, but that as a guest she couldn’t participate fully in all the conferences had to offer actual Toastmasters members.

This year, several factors converged that changed Mabel’s status from ‘Guest’ to ‘Member’. Her husband, Michael, helped charter a new Toastmaster’s Club, which needed a couple of people more to reach charter strength. Always interested in joining a club, ‘You Talkin’ to Me?’ seemed the perfect fit.

“It was close to home, it needed help to make its numbers, Michael was a club mentor, and my daughter, at four, is now old enough to understand that I have has to go to my Toastmasters meeting on Thursday evenings,” Mabel explained. Mabel joined ‘You Talkin’ to Me?’ in July, and has already given three speeches.

When asked what was different about being a ‘First-Timer’ rather than a Guest, Mabel’s enthusiasm was evident. She talked about meeting fellow Toastmasters and learning from them through sharing stories and experiences.

She absolutely loved the educational sessions she attended, including David Loyd’s ‘Fixing Your Fractured Fairy Tales’, Linda Desheuteurs’ ‘Unleash Your Speech Magic’, and Karl Righter’s ‘The Magic of Bombproof Humor’. She was in the front row for the 7:30am ‘First Timer’s Conclave’. “Early mornings are no problem for me,” Mabel
says. “I am a Morning Person.”

She believes it is important to get involved, and learn as much as she can now that she is a Toastmaster. She wants to get as much out of her experience as possible. That’s why she participated so energetically in the First-Timers’ ‘Three Levels of Enchantment’ competition, not only completing all three levels of the program, but finding five of the ten secret scrolls that were held by selected DTMs at the Conference.

When asked how she felt about winning the contest, she laughed. She says she told her husband, “If I win the contest, forget about the fact that we’re together. Let me feel the way I am! You know that I am a social extrovert. I’m a little crazy. I’m going to scream and enjoy it!”

She kept her word! When she was named the winner, she ran screaming with excitement all the way from the back of the ballroom to the head table to collect her prize, and then all the way back to her table. Mable was ‘Enthusiasm’ personified.

She says that while she always enjoyed the conferences, this one was different. Now that she has the club experience, she understands far better what is involved in the speech contests. She’s anxious to try competing herself, already making plans to participate in the Table Topics Contest at her club this spring.

She says she finds herself tuning into people’s crutch sounds and words. “It’s amazing how you get aware, when in the past you didn’t pay any attention.”

As for future conferences, Mabel is making plans to attend the Spring Conference in Lake Mary. She is already working on her Science-Fiction themed costume for Friday night.

She recommends that every Toastmaster go to a Conference. “Then you’ll really know what Toastmasters is all about. Going beyond the club, hearing other people’s stories, growing, seeing other people grow – it’s just an amazing experience! You grow, too. It’s fun, entertaining, and educational. It has it all! I recommend it highly; it’s an everlasting experience.”

Give the Gift of Toastmasters

by Dee Melvin, DTM LGM

This year, whether you are giving for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or just for fun, think about giving the gift that gives for a lifetime. Give Toastmasters.

Think about the impact Toastmasters has had on your life. We all know what a difference improved communication and leadership skills can make. If you have friends or loved ones who are looking to improve their career opportunities, Toastmasters might be just what they need.

You decide how much you would like to give. You can give a complete membership to include $20 new member fee, $36 for the full six month Toastmasters International dues and the cost of club dues. Or, you may decide just to give the $20 new member fee or just the Toastmasters International dues. It is up to you.

Click here to print and complete the Toastmasters Membership Certificate, fold and place in an envelope. It is as easy as that.

When the recipient decides which club to join, they give the completed certificate to the club treasurer. The treasurer will contact you for payment.

If you have questions, please contact DTM Dee Melvin, District 84 LGM at dee@toastmastersd84.org

Do You Remember Your First Time?

by Mary Carol Holbert, Public Relations Officer

Linton McLain, DTM

When Linton McLain was assigned the task of planning the First-Timers’ Program, he was excited. He remembered when he was a First Timer, and the impression he received of Toastmasters International during his first Conference about a year and a half ago. Linton explained that he did not participate in the First-Timer program his first conference, but he found himself noting the First-Timers program over the last two conferences, thinking about things that seemed to work well, and noticing things that might be done a little better.

His memory of his own first District 84 Conference was that the atmosphere was different from the Club experience. He enjoyed the Conference environment, where everyone seemed to be supporting one another in a more relaxed setting, with lots of laughter, plenty of smiling faces, and time to talk to other Toastmasters and make new friends. His overall impression was extremely positive, and he made plans to come back – plans that he has kept, having attended each conference since.

As Division Governor in charge of planning for our first-time conference attendees, Linton’s goal was to ensure that the First-Timers to our “Once Upon a Time, A Fairy Tale Conference” left Daytona Beach with the same level of enthusiasm he had experienced.

It was important to Linton that the First-Timers experience was positive, fun-filled, and energizing, before, during, and after the conference itself. He and his team put a lot of effort into planning a program that would accomplish that goal. Ideally, every First-Timer would feel welcomed, excited, and motivated to grow throughout the weekend and going forward.

It’s difficult to comprehend how deep and wide our organization is until you’ve experienced what it’s like to share, grow, and make friends with other Toastmasters
from across the District. Perhaps Linton’s words express the sentiment that most Toastmasters feel once they attend a District Conference.

“That was the Toastmasters that I wanted to be a part of,” he said, summing up the overwhelming sense of having connected with something much bigger, more exciting, and far richer than we could ever experience if we never stepped outside our clubs.

The overriding goal was to make the Conference engaging, fun, and very comfortable for our First-Timers – to make them all feel at home. Using our Fairy Tale theme, our first-time attendees were given a Conference Guide that was focused around the educational theme.

The First-Timers were challenged to achieve three Levels of Enchantment, attainable through completing the Conference Guide. The First Level involved learning something about the various levels of educational awards, from Competent Communicator through Advanced Communicator Gold, and Competent Leader through Advanced Leader Silver.

The Second Level of Enchantment entailed the participants learning about what it takes to be a Club President, Area Governor, Division Governor, and District Governor.

The Third Level of Enchantment was designed to show the diversity of our members, focusing on finding people with different backgrounds, experiences, and talents.

And what Fairy Tale Contest would be complete without some magic? Ten magic scrolls were distributed to ten DTMs, who were given a blue star on their name badges. All ten scrolls were found by the competitors.

There were a couple of things that Linton would like to see improved going forward. There was a reception for First-Timers in the Hospitality Suite Friday evening, which was a lovely idea, but one which proved difficult to execute since most people were still checking in and trying to get ready for Friday evening’s festivities. Linton also mentioned that he would like to see the start time for the First-Timer’s meeting pushed back a little later. Many of our first-time Conference attendees did not want to start their morning so very early. A later start time would probably mean more First-Timers attending the Saturday morning session, and more energy!

Linton is currently finishing up a slide show for the First-Timers, which he hopes to have ready soon. He says he was very excited that he had a chance to impact the First-Timers’ experiences, and hopes that everyone who participated had a lot of fun.

Louis Sloan, the 3rd Place Winner

in the 2011 Toastmasters International District 84 Speech Evaluation Contest

Louis Sloan

He believes there is always room to improve our speaking skills. When he is speaking, he wants to hear not only what he did well, but also where
he can improve. When he evaluates others, he strives to be encouraging, but strongly
believes that he is not helping the speaker if he doesn’t also offer suggestions to
enhance the speaker’s communication skills.

To prepare for the Speech Evaluation Contest, Louis listened to past World Champions
of Public Speaking, reasoning that if he could evaluate those speeches, he could evaluate anyone! Given his excellent performance, it seems he was certainly on the right track.

When asked how he delivered his evaluation without notes, Louis revealed that he generally follows a formula: name two things the speaker did well, reveal two areas where the speaker can improve, and end with the thing he loves best about the speech.

Louis showed his trophy to his friends and family, before taking it to his office where he keeps it with his other trophies. At the office, the trophies are conversation pieces, often leading into discussions about Toastmasters and the benefits it provides for prospective members. Way to recruit, Louis!

Louis enjoys competition, and participates regularly in club contests. This is the first year he has made it to a District 84 Contest. Louis says the adrenaline pumped a little faster, his heart raced a little more, and he hopes no one saw him shaking just before he mounted the steps to the stage. However, he thrives on the experience, saying it keeps him sharp.

Once on stage, his preparation kicked in. Performing in front of 250 of his peers, Louis was able to focus on what he had to say, resulting in his garnering the gorgeous 3rd place trophy for Speech Evaluation.

Many thanks for sharing some of your secrets, Louis! And congratulations on a job well done!

From the Hot Seat: Words from a District 84 Roastee

by Scott Hoehn, DTM, Immediate Past District 84 Governor

Scott Hoehn, DTM, Roastee

“Scott, why don’t you relax in that nice comfortable chair we put up on the stage for you…buddy!”

Buddy??? Why not just give me a grenade and say “Hold this…we’ll be back in ten seconds!”

The annual Past District Governor Roast Luncheon USED TO BE my favorite part of the Fall conference. You give your best for a few years, only to have seven or eight of your former closest friends address all your faults…in front of 300 people!!!

Slams about business, aging, dating, procrastinating and more caused that comfy chair to get a bit toasty. HOWEVER, the saving grace was also traditional…the rebuttals.

Taking cheap shots (that’s all the budget allows for) at our new District Governor, the leadership team, Karl Righter and the rest of the roasters, I must say, helped the cool- down period.

The annual roast is always a blast to attend. It was truly an honor to be dis-honored in this laughter-filled tradition by some of my STILL closest friends.

If you have never attended a conference before, I implore you, don’t miss the next one.
You’ll have the time of your life!

Divine Design: Jessie Baldwin Creates a Masterpiece!

by Mary Carol Holbert

Jessie Baldwin

What do you get when you mix a 3D animation artist, an out-of-the-box thinking Lt. Governor of Education and Training, a Fairy Tale-themed District 84 Fall Conference, and a willingness & desire to grow? If you attended our recent “Once Upon a Time…A Fairy Tale Conference, you would have held the answer in your hands!

If you have not seen a copy of this Fall’s Conference Book, ask someone who attended the conference to show you theirs. The consensus among attendees was that the book is amazing: full color inside and out; high gloss cover; original art; parchment look pages; ads interlaced with other content throughout; & a perfectly brilliant overall
storybook design. Indeed, this Fall Conference book is a Divine Design!

You may wonder how this all came about. When our LGET Dennis Wooldridge needed someone to pull together the Conference Book, he turned to Jessie Baldwin, a member of Central Florida Facilitators, a graduate of Full Sail in Orlando, and a freelance graphic designer (jessiebaldwin@digitaljessie.com).

Jessie explained, “He wanted to give someone new and willing, who needed to blossom, the chance. He said he felt like I needed to do this.”

Jessie was flattered, and more than willing to step into the world of graphic art and publication. “How do you want it to look?” she remembers asking.

She was amazed and excited to learn that she would have freedom to develop and suggest design. “How about a Storybook?” she proposed right away. “That’s how the booklet itself should look. You should open it up and be caught up in the world of a fairy tale.

As it turns out, her background in 3D computer animation (think of features such as “Finding Nemo” and video games), lends itself to graphic design. She has done some freelance graphic design work, like business cards and promotional materials, as well as some work for a local studio, and is always delighted when new business
opportunities come her way.

In the process, Jessie said, “I learned I like doing graphic design even more than the 3D design.”

“I was the Art Club president in high school,” she said. “When I went to Full Sail, they made 3D Animation look so fantastic, I was in kind of star-shock. However, I really want to do graphic design. My degree will help support that.”

When asked about the Conference Book, Jessie said, “I selected the fonts for the cover, The cover is actually a collection of about seven images reworked and spliced together.

The parchment paper look inside was my design, and I had to make a few of the fonts. Others were gathered from the internet.”

She was quick to share credit. “Susan Morgan helped pick out the fonts.”

Jessie drew several of the characters that are scattered throughout the book, including the scrolling tree on the first page, a pixie, a wizard, and a cute red dragon. One of the elements she is most proud of is the ad on the back page of the book. Given the storybook design, a typical ad would have seemed out of place. However, when George Kostopoulos brought an ad in story format, she was able to place in on the back so that it appeared to be an old parchment taped onto the back of the book, blending in seamlessly with the storybook design.

“I used Adobe Photoshop for the entire book, but I will be learning Adobe InDesign. I did the layouts on my kind of broken-in-half Apple laptop computer,” she laughed. She credits Lisa Franklin for the great job with securing the ads, saying that “Lisa would tell me what size the ads were supposed to be, email the file, and leave it up to me to play with the layout. The ad placements were all random, interlaced with the Conference
content instead of all at the back of the book.”

Since this was a fairy tale themed conference, one of Jessie’s jobs was to look out for copyrighted imagery. Disney (and other) images cannot be used without permission. People understood, and changes were made where necessary.

“Dennis and I worked all day toward the end, with Dennis doing verbiage and me doing placement, in order to get the files ready to submit on time to the printer. I drove out about 2am to make the final file drop to Dennis.”

At the conference, the LGET announced that Jessie will be the Designer of our Spring Conference Book.

“I was voluntold!” she laughed. “Honestly, I can’t wait to do the next one. I plan to start early on it. I’ve already got some ideas.”

When told she has set a high standard, Jessie’s response was “I want to improve.”

How would she sum up her experience?

Like this: “I had a lot of fun. There were times where it was really stressful, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was one of the top five things I’m truly proud of in my whole life.”

She then added, “I want to thank everyone in Toastmasters for their support, and thank them for giving me the opportunity to do this Conference Book.”

District 84 returns the sentiment. Thank you, Jessie, for your Divine Design!

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall...Who’s the Fairest Group of All?

by Mary Carol Holbert, ACS

Bob Haataia and Mary Carol Holbert

According to some sources at the Daytona Hilton, it’s District 84 Toastmasters!

Over the course of our District 84 “Once Upon a Time…A Fairy Tale Conference” in Daytona Beach, the Staff at the Daytona Hilton were extremely helpful. Whether we needed help from the bellmen, assistance at the front desk, detail confirmation with the Events staff, or service during one of our banquets, the people who took care of us
couldn’t have been nicer.

I saw more than one head turn when a parade of witches, fairies, gingerbread men, knights, princesses, kings, queens, Goldilocks, and big, bad wolves trekked from the North Tower to the Far, Far, Away South Tower. Staff smiles were plentiful, and good humor abounded.

In the evenings, some of the bellmen became our wait staff, spending even more time with us. Over the course of the weekend, we had many opportunities to interact with Hilton employees.

I was touched when, as I was leaving, my bellman said he recognized me from the conference. He laughed as he spoke about our Friday costumes, seeming to enjoy that we had such playful spirits, even while conducting what were obviously high-level Speech Contests.

Apparently, the Daytona Hilton hosts many groups, some of which are challenging to work with. However, according to my source, the staff consensus was that District 84 Toastmasters were thoroughly delightful. They enjoyed us being there. Their message?

“Please come back!”

Hall of Fame Message

by Scott Hoehn, DTM, Immediate Past District 84 Governor

Scott Hoehn, DTM - Jim Miller, DTM

Every year, nearly eighty of District 84’s 4000 members are either elected or appointed to take on many challenging goals, for the most part, with no prior experience! Assisting clubs, organizing conferences, building membership, training officers, auditing our records, securing proxies, creating newsletters, pursuing renewals and starting new clubs are just some of the various tasks. There’s certainly no monetary incentive;
sometimes the hours can be long and tiring; on occasion these leaders may deal with argumentative members.

Yet throughout the year, they poured their creativity, their dedication and their professionalism into their assignments to ensure our members received the finest support. Our theme last year was “Insist on Excellence!” Little did I know that this team would re-define the word “Excellence!”

For the 2010-2011 term, my happiest moment as District Governor was to recognize the incredible leaders of my team at the District 84 HALL OF FAME during the 2011 Fall Conference. Gorgeous plaques and trophies only hold a fraction of the appreciation I feel for these people. We began the term mostly as strangers, yet at the end, there’s not a soul I would not count amongst my dearest and most respected friends.

Thank you for all your hard work. Most important, thank you for such fond memories.

Youth Leadership: Dare to Make a Difference!

by Valerie Clymer

Valerie Clymer

As the chairperson for the District 84 Youth Leadership Program, my first goal is to make every Club in our District aware that we have a Youth Leadership program and the benefits it can have on the children in their communities. I would like to let my fellow Toastmasters know that the Youth Leadership Program can be used towards their DTM.

Second, I would like to see Toastmasters International recognize the Youth Leadership Program and add it to more of their marketing materials.

Third, I hope to see the Youth Leadership Program in 50 schools before the end of the 2011/2012 school year. Here in Flagler County we are off to a good start; we are scheduled to be in 5 schools. That leaves only 45 more to go.

What can Toastmasters can gain from the Youth Leadership Program? One benefit is that the Students who participate may become future Toastmasters. Furthermore, if their parents see what the Youth Leadership Program has done for their children, they may be interested to see what Toastmasters can do for them.

I cannot do all of this alone, so I have a Committee, and we are building an Army of Volunteers to go out into their Communities to see how they can bring the Youth Leadership Program into schools near them.

I currently have the Committee working on contacting each County to find out what the rules are for Volunteering in the School District, because some schools require background checks and some do not. Some background checks are done on the spot and some can take several weeks. We are putting a list of requirements together to help
the Toastmasters that want to participate in the Youth Leadership Program know what is expected from the School District.

We are working on marketing materials and a YouTube video to get the word out to our fellow Toastmasters.

My first suggestion to any Toastmaster that is interested in the Youth Leadership Program is to order the Coordinators Guide and Participant Guide, look thru them, and see how easy Toastmasters has made this program to administer.

Next, find a Teacher that you would like to work with.

Let the Teacher know the benefits of this program:

• The students elect a Slate of Officers to run the meetings;
• The students not only learn how to give a speech, but they also learn what goes
• into a good speech.
• We show them how to organize the speech, and we teach them about vocal
• variety and body language to help get their point across.
• Students learn about impromptu speaking, which can help them if they are
• standing before a judge in a contest who is asking them questions. Impromptu
• speaking skills also helps with giving answers in class, because it teaches them to get to their point quicker.
• They learn how to evaluate each other using the Sandwich method : start with
• something positive, indicate something that can be improved upon, and end with
• something positive.
• They learn how to be better listeners.
• We even touch on Parliamentary Procedures.

Third, I highly recommend having the Teacher come to a Toastmasters meeting.

Fourth, meet with the Teacher to see if they have any particular concerns or ideas to help us all succeed. Know the age of the students, as High School Students may run thru the program quicker than 5th graders. Do you have an advanced class or a remedial class or a mixture? Your planning will differ accordingly.

Having this information can help you to plan your 8 Sessions.

Finally, HAVE FUN DOING IT!

Last year I started this program in one classroom with one teacher. We then took it to Tallahassee to introduce it to other schools throughout the State.

I had the pleasure of watching former wallflowers become confident speakers. Additionally, I watched the Chatty Kathys learn to organize their thoughts and use fewer words to get their point across.

One of our greatest accomplishments last year was when the students participated in the Future Problem Solvers Bowl. They had to do a project, and then explain that project. The finalists had to appear before a panel of judges and answer questions.

These Youth Leadership Program students placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd here in the State of Florida. The Teacher swears that the reason for their tremendous success was their speaking abilities; those skills put them over the top.

Over the summer these students represented the State of Florida at the International Future Problem Solvers Bowl, where they met students from all over the World.

Imagine what a little of your time can do to help the students of your community.

If we all work together, we can make a difference in the lives of young people across District 84. Watch for more details about the Youth Leadership Program, and contact me if you have questions, or if you would like to participate!