District 84 Conference 101:

What Happens at the Conference?

So you're thinking of registering for the conference, but aren't quite sure what you are signing up for. Here's the lowdown on what you can expect!

FRIDAY:
Friday, when you arrive for registration (probably sometime between 3-5pm), the first thing you'll probably notice is that the Westin Hotel in Lake Mary/Heathrow is crawling with all manner of characters straight from the Sci Fi universe. You'll go to registration, where you'll pick up your conference book and other materials. If this is your first time attending a conference, you'll have a special registration area with materials just for you. We love our ‘First-Timers', and work hard to ensure they are properly oriented, and that they enjoy their first conference experience.

Once you've registered, you may wish to engage in some of the activities that our Conference Committee has planned. We expect they'll be a lot of fun. You may also want to view the raffle table, to see what items appeal to you -- it's fun to buy some raffle tickets, and test your luck. There are always some cool prizes on display, that just might go home with you...

Friday is our Science Fiction theme night, so if you are so inclined, dress up as an alien, a Starfleet Officer, or a Man in Black -- you are only limited by your imagination and your budget! It turns out that our District 84 Toastmasters love to don costumes -- wait until you see your friends (old and new) in their Friday Sci-Finery.

(Note: Contestants for Friday night's Table Topics Speech Contest might want to forego costumes for the evening, but that choice is theirs.)

Friday evening, there is a banner parade, where all the clubs in attendance are encouraged to have a representative carry their banner into the banquet room. The banners will be hung overnight, so on Saturday your club banner will be displayed on the walls of the banquet hall.) Once the banner parade is completed, and the formalities of opening the conference are over, we all settle back to enjoy a banquet (when you register, you'll have your choice of three entrees).

After our banquet, we hold the Table Topics Speech Contest, where the winner from Divisions A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, & I all compete. As you can imagine, by the time these individuals have won Table Topics in their club, their area, and their Division, we have the benefit of having excellent speakers competing in this competition. The competition is educational, exciting, and a lot of fun for everyone in the audience. Can you pick the winner? Will your Division come out on top?

We will have an outstanding Keynote Speaker, David Henderson, the 2010 World Champion of Public Speaking.

After the Table Topics Speech Competition, we have an open Hospitality Suite, where everyone is welcome to come and enjoy, meet up with old friends, and make new ones. There will be a contest (details to come!), music, snacks, and good times for all in Ten Forward and/or Quark's Bar.

SATURDAY AM:
Saturday morning starts early for the First Timers, with a special program just for them! It's going to be a lot of fun, so don't dare miss it!

The morning continues with educational programs on offer. There will be three hours of programs, with at least three and as many as five programs on offer each hour. Choose what sounds good to you!

SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
Lunch is provided on Saturday (choose your entree at registration) as part of your registration fee. Saturday afternoon is our District Council Meeting, where we will hold our elections for the next Toastmaster year. Be sure, if you are a voting member of the council, that you register at the proxy table!

During the District Council Meeting, those members and guests who do not participate will be able to attend fun workshops, such as one on creative writing.

SATURDAY EVENING:
Saturday evening is our gala, where we all dress up. Men usually wear suits, and women wear cocktail or evening clothes. You'll be impressed - District 84 Toastmasters clean up very nicely! We enjoy another banquet, and then the real show begins.

Our District 84 International Speech Competition starts after the banquet, where our Division A through I Contest Winners compete for the District 84 title. The winner of the District 84 competition will go on to compete at the Toastmasters International Convention in August of this year, which convention is being held here in Orlando, Florida, this year. The ultimate winner of that competition will become the 2012 World Champion of Public Speaking.

We will also celebrate the accomplishments of our new DTMs, with the traditional ‘DTM Walk'. Once you see it, you'll want to get your DTM, and make the walk yourself one day.

After the speeches are over, and the winners announced, we will adjourn to the hospitality suites for one last evening of camaraderie.

By the end of the conference, we will have all made new friends, learned new things, and saved the dates in our calendars for the next conference!

District 84 Round-Up:

Information Contributed by Division & Area Governors

At our recent District Executive Council (DEC) meeting, our Division and Area Governors had the opportunity to contribute information about what was going on in their section of the District.

As expected, the big item was Area Contests in March, and the planned Division Contests coming up in April. Want to attend one or more of the Division Contests? Here is a partial schedule, in date order:

DATE	DIVISION	LOCATION	CITY	TIME	DIVISION GOVERNOR
4/7/2012	I	Polk Co. Sheriff's Office	Winter Haven	9-11am	Martha Malkowski
4/15/2012	B	Courtyard at the Oaks	Melbourne	1-3 pm	Rebecca McGilton
4/20/2012	H	Florida Department of Transportation 600 Suwannee Street	Tallahassee	6-9pm	Holly Walker
4/21/2012	E	Tupperware East Hall Bldg	Orlando	9-11am	Lisa Franklin
4/21/2012	A	North Jax Church of God	Jacksonville	9:30am	Linton McLain
4/22/2012	C	Mayflower Theater	Winter Park	2:30pm	Elon Horsham
4/28/2012	G	Ocala Library	Ocala	11am	Michael Cooper
4/29/2012	D	Longwood Elementary School	Longwood	2-4pm	Susan Morgan
5/4/2012	F	TBA	TBA	?	Fred Haley

Check with your local clubs in each Division as the date for your Division contest draws closer. Your Your Division Governors will communicate the final details to your Area Governors, who will pass the information on to your local club officers.

Other news included:

Division F:
Division F supplied a number of judges for the Tropicana Speech Contests at St. John's Grammar School (involving 18 contestants in the 4th through 6th grades). The judges included Kayona Williams, Shari Cartwright, and Fred Haley.

Additionally, Patricia (Patsy) Heiss coached the Tropicana contestants. Great way to spread the word about Toastmasters, Division F!

Peggy Johnson, of the Beaches and Arlington Clubs, brings Toastmasters to young inmates (13 to 18) at the Duval County Jail. This project with the inmates is in its 13th year. This program could change lives -- well done, Peggy!

For more than two years, Toastmasters Bob Wellington has reserved a room every Sunday at a local library. Bob invites all Toastmasters to come, practice speeches, and prepare for roles. What a brilliant idea!

Division I:
Wanda Duncan is involved in preparation for a USF Polytech presentation for new and small business entrepreneurs on the benefits of Toastmasters as it relates to communication and leadership skills. Wanda has agreed to write an article for the SunTalker, so watch for it in April!

The Winter Haven Club 2104 is currently conducting a Youth Leadership Program for one of the local middle schools, which meets every other week at the school for one hour. They report being excited about the enthusiasm the young people have shown about the program. Beverly Lerner is leading this project. Kudos to all involved! Youth Leadership is a wonderful program, which we'd love to see spread across the District! 

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Star Trek (well almost, anyway)

By Dennis Wooldridge, DTM, LGET

“It is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are. It does not matter that we will not reach our ultimate goal. The effort itself yields its own reward.”

That idea came from one of my personal mentors, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Yes, for those that don't know me as well as others, I am a Trekker. This self-bestowed title is not to be confused with Trekkie, because I take my self more seriously! ...wait, me taken more seriously? Seriously!? But I digress.

“It is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are. It does not matter that we will not reach our ultimate goal. The effort itself yields its own reward.”

That idea came from one of my personal mentors, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Yes, for those that don't know me as well as others, I am a Trekker. This self-bestowed title is not to be confused with Trekkie, because I take my self more seriously! ...wait, me taken more seriously? Seriously!? But I digress.

• IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. This is the basis for the Vulcan philosophy. Not only must we be tolerant of other cultures and the difference between the beings that inhabit them, we must embrace them. Roddenberry said, “If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.” I believe this wholeheartedly. In an age when we seem more separated and torn than ever before over religion, politics, sexual orientation, race, and on and on, I believe that the only way to heal and become the society reflected in Star Trek (an excellent example of what I would make the future if I could) is to embrace the philosophy of IDIC. If we cannot learn to celebrate the differences between ourselves, how will we ever be able to accept the vastly more dramatic differences we shall one day encounter as we walk among the stars?
  
• The leadership of James T. Kirk. Oh sure, he was cocky and arrogant (although that might have just been William Shatner bleeding through the character), he was one of the best example of what a leader should be. He was tenacious about the mission, protective of his people (except maybe that inexhaustible supply of “red shirts”...if you don't know what that means, see me at the THINGS TO COME Conference) and boldly went to place he had never gone before. I knew I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. These leadership practices are ones I strive to implement everyday as a District 84 leader. I hope it is obvious enough I didn't need to say it here, but just in case, I believe in and tenacious about the mission of Toastmasters, Believe there is nothing more important in the District than the individual members (even the red shirts) and I try everyday to boldly accept challenges that are new and unfamiliar. It's the only way to grow. Oh yeah, Kirk seemed to really do well with the aforementioned cute girls too. Something worth emulating.
• Thirdly, I was entranced by the positive nature of the universe as seen through the vision of Gene Roddenberry. Imagine a future where what is important is reaching out further than you have before, where values are not based on petty greed and envy but on self-realization, where the individual is important, more important than the collective (always resist the Borg – resistance is never futile), and where family is made up of those you choose to be with, not just the group into which you are born. Roddenberry's future is a bright and wondrous place, filled with new and exciting adventures. “It isn't all over; everything has not been invented; the human adventure is just beginning.” I think Roddenberry was right. Every day is a new chance, a new beginning, a new adventure.

Whether you are a Trekker, Trekkie, or never saw an episode or movie about the Star Trek universe (what, have you been living under a Horta?...again, see me at the conference), the ideas and vision of Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek ring true inside me every single day. I so look forward to the upcoming THINGS TO COME Conference. The people I will meet for the first time, old friends and family with whom I will reconnect, the new and interesting things I will be taught, the overall fun and festivities from a thousand futuristic visions and worlds and the chance “to be more than we are.”

Yes, indeed. One to beam up! Engage! I'll see you there!

What Does CAP Mean to You?

by Cedric Ching CC/ALB, D84 CAP Chair 2011-2012

Cedric Ching CC

One of the goals of District 84's Club Ambassador Program is for our members to discover what Toastmasters means to other people. As this year's CAP Chair, I've had the opportunity to discover what this program means to our members. There have been Toastmasters for whom the basic premise of visiting three other clubs has been the goal.

Take Susan Schulz of Toast-Stars Club #9269: she told me that she had wanted to become a club ambassador since the program's inceptions and how, for the past couple years, she had managed to complete only two of the three required visits. This year, she made becoming an ambassador a priority, and within a single week in September – husband Werner in tow – she made her three visits and became an official D84 Club Ambassador. Soon afterwards, Werner, a frequent guest of Susan at meetings, became a Toastmaster himself. The two continued visiting local clubs, and Werner was also able to become a club ambassador.

There have also been Toastmasters who have set other goals for themselves. You've heard about “drinking around the world” at Epcot, but…

• Pete Cabaniss of the Merritt Moonliters Club #1387 set a goal of visiting each of the 26 clubs in Division B, and in just over three months, he did just that. And he used the ambassador program as an opportunity to personally invite local Toastmasters to visit his home club.
• George Kostopoulos of the Oviedo Toastmasters #3179 had turned in a comparable number of CAP forms when he decided that he was going to try to visit a club in each of District 84's nine divisions. He told me that he really enjoys the variety of venues (he submitted a picture of the random ceiling door at the Night Talkers Club's meeting room) and the camaraderie he's experienced with all the Toastmasters he's met. George has only three more division to go.
• I've learned that the Club Ambassador Program really is whatever our members want it to be. It's an opportunity to earn a special pin and certificate, it can be a way to promote your own club, and it can be a way to have new experiences and make new friends.

So I have to ask: what does the Club Ambassador Program mean to you?

Sure and Begorrah; ‘Twas Indeed St. Paddy's Day!

What would you consider the ideal way to spend St. Patrick's Day? Attend a parade? Hunt for shamrocks and a pot o'gold? Dance with a leprechaun? Drink a fine, green beer or three?

Whatever your fantasy, it probably didn't include driving to south Orlando, and spending the entire Saturday (9:30 to 4:00) at a District Executive Council (DEC) meeting, or serving on the District 84 Nominating Committee which met in the same building as the DEC. Yet, your District 84 officers and nominating committee did just that on this past March 17th. So much for the wearin' of the green, right?

Wrong!

Thanks to the efforts of Division B Governor Becky McGilton, who graciously agreed to coordinate the event, our DEC was decked out in green! Not only that, but your hardworking District officers were treated to Irish music, traditional Irish food, and plenty o' smilin' eyes! Everyone was Irish for the day...

Becky organized the efforts of our esteemed Division Governors, Linton McClain, Elon Horsham, Lisa Franklin, Fred Haley, Michael Cooper, Holly Walker, Martha Malkowski, as well as Area 40 Governor Gail Hill Smith, who together made what could have been a bit o' disappointment into an absolutely delightful day!

Our Spring Conference Chair, Kathy Kershaw, even showed up in character as a Green Alien with Irish Attitude, to provide an update on the upcoming (May 18-19) ‘Things to Come' conference. No Blarney!

This required no small investment of time or energy. Becky and her team provided homemade Corned Beef, both boiled and baked; Cooked Carrots; Cabbage; Irish Stew; Roasted Potatoes; Shepherd's Pie, Irish Soda Bread, Irish Brownies, Irish Potato Candy; and green-iced cupcakes. Take it from those who attended; the food was fabulous!

In an era where it is often difficult to find people willing to take on additional responsibilities, the Division & Area 40 Governors met the challenge, and exceeded all expectations, making our DEC meeting not just a working Saturday, but an exciting and exceptional event.

“I think having themed DEC meetings, maybe one each six months, would be a great idea,” Becky said.

If our experience on the 17th was any indication of the impact of such a meeting, she's right. We're not sure if it was the green clothing, the green hair, the green beads, the green flowers, the traditional Irish food, or the Irish tunes, but there was a definite lilt in our steps, a smile in our eyes, and a light in our hearts this St. Patrick's Day.

Whether it's at the DEC, or in our clubs, there's a type of magic at work whenever we hold special events. Whether you believe in leprechauns or not, we can all find a pot o' gold when we pull together, and create something special for our members and our guests.

Thank you, Becky, Linton, Elon, Lisa, Fred, Michael, Holly, Martha & Gail! St. Paddy would be proud!

Click on the image below for a slide show of the event (Irish Aliens included).

March 17, 2012 DEC Meeting

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BONUS: If you want to treat your friends and family to a little Irish deliciousness, try one of these recipes from Becky McGilton!

Shepherd's Pie

Total Time: 40 min
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb (chicken will also work if you like variety)
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce . Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.
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Irish Pub Beef Stew

Total Time: 5 hrs 25 mins
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 5 hrs, 5 mins minimum
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs beef, cut into chunks (splurge on the cut if you can)
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 (10 ½ ounce) can tomato soup
• 1 (10 ½ ounce) can water
• 4 carrots , cut into chunks
• 4 large potatoes , cut into chunks (I don't peel carrots or spuds but you can if you like)
• 2 stalks celery , cut into chunks
• 4 onions , cut into chunks
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh parsley , chopped fine
• ¼ cup good quality cooking sherry
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
In a heavy skillet brown the beef in the butter over medium high heat.
Add the soup and water and stir well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once.
Transfer to a cast iron Dutch oven or oven proof pot and cook in the oven, covered for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven, remove bay leaves and serve with Irish Soda Bread and butter.
Yum!!!!

USF Blue Sky

by Maria Martinez, CC, ALB

I am passionate about sharing with others the Toastmasters message and what it has done for me and my career as a Personal Coach and Entrepreneur. Thus when our division governor approached us with the opportunity to speak at the USF Blue Sky, I knew I could not say no. However, I realized that to effectively deliver a presentation that could convey all the intricacies of what Toastmasters is all about I needed artillery.

After a few weeks of preparation and coordination, the team showed up at the Blue Sky facilities in beautiful Downtown Lakeland. The mission? To deliver a 60-minute "Toastmasters Experience" to their clients. Wendy Plant, Business Development Manager said "We knew this was going to be an entertaining and informative program from the time we met with Maria Martinez to organize the event, and we were certainly not disappointed." As soon as Blue Sky opened, we were there to meet the guests and even with no gavel, the meeting began promptly at 8:30.

After a brief opening, sharing the Toastmasters mission and setting the tone for what was to come, the program went on with two speeches, two evaluations and get this, even a Table Topics segment! Just like in a regular meeting, we rotated roles thus showing the leadership aspects of our organization and to make sure everyone was comfortable with the Table Topics, prior to the meeting we scoured for volunteers.

With her speech, "Communication" Beth Strayer, ACS, ALB achieved her Advanced Communicator Silver. Using visual aids and a firm, yet approachable, style, Beth delivered a solid performance. DTM David James (also known as Mr. Enthusiasm) with his speech "The Fear of Public Speaking" humored and entertained the audience with his own story of how it took him 15 years to join Toastmasters and how it has contributed to him finally getting over the
fear.

Bill Brisbin, CC, ALB and Martha Malkowski, CC, ALB evaluated respectively. Girish Surio, CC provided the backdrop and subsequently lead the Table Topics segment.Towards the end of the presentation, we gave participants an opportunity to ask questions and to take materials, handouts and brochures home. One of the handouts we had prepared contained club information for all the clubs in the area. As we addressed each question, we pointed to each person in the direction of what would be closest to them. When providing feedback, Ms. Plant added that " Everyone in the group of Toasties was professional and enthusiastic, and the attendees all gave high praise for the presentation. It was wonderful to see how a Toastmasters meeting runs, with the speeches, supportive evaluations and impromptu table topics. Many attendees were excited about the opportunity to find a group where they could attend meetings regularly. We are looking forward to having workshops with the Toastmasters in the future."

I would love to highlight several aspects of this experience! Besides the opportunity that it gave each of us to make a presentation outside of the club setting, we have established a great relationship with the USF Blue Sky program. In fact, they were so impressed that we have started to discuss the possibility to deliver a Speechcraft for them. Another win is this presentation served as a Membership Drive for all the local clubs as well as increased
awareness for Toastmasters International as an organization. And on a personal note, I learned to bring applications to any type of presentation! The program was so effective that one of the participants subsequently attended a club meeting and asked how come we didn't have applications available the day of!

But what is more...I gained a new sense of admiration and respect for my fellow club members. As we worked together with a common mission, I rediscovered how much each of us loves Toastmasters...Where Leaders Are Made!

In gratitude! I would like to thank the Blue Sky Team (as we affectionately called ourselves during this process) David James, Beth Strayer, Bill Brisbin, Martha Malkowski, Girish Surio and David Loyd (who had a family emergency and could not attend the day of the presentation).

10 Tips to the Top!

by Mary Carol Holbert, ACS, Public Relations Officer

Mary Carol Holbert

Are you now, or have you ever been, a Speech Contestant?

If so, congratulate yourself for entering a Speech Contest Win or lose, by choosing to compete, you put yourself in a position to grow, which is why we all joined Toastmasters in the first place.

Anytime we participate in a Toastmasters Speech Contest (as a speaker, a functionary, or a member of the audience), we put ourselves in a position to learn something new. Contestants have a unique opportunity to develop their speaking skills, simply by the act of competing. As Lance Miller, 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking recently told Toastmasters from District 84. “I learned far more from the speech contests I lost than from those I won.”

While the World Champion made an excellent point, who wouldn't love to win? How do you prepare for a Speech Contest, to ensure you have the best possible chance of victory?

10 Tips to the Top:

1. Be clear about your subject matter . Make sure you can summarize the point of your speech in 10 words or less. If you are not clear about what you want to say, your audience has little chance of receiving, understanding, or remembering your intended message. Be sure you know what you want your audience to take away from your speech. How do you want them to think, feel, or act differently as a result of your message to them?
2. Speak from the heart. If you talk about something that you care about, that touches your heart, you are more likely to touch others. Be authentic. Dare to let people see who you are, and what matters to you.
3. Incorporate stories into your speech, to illustrate the points you wish to make. As humans, we respond to stories, and tend to remember them far longer than we remember facts or data. Use your own stories, to separate yourself from everyone else. Anyone can use a story from the internet, or from books like the “Chicken Soup” series. Don't be like everyone else; be unique. Tell your own stories, and stand out from the crowd.
4. Dress the part. Look as good as you can. Appearances influence opinions, for better or worse. Be sure you look your best when you compete. Clothes, hair, personal grooming… they all matter. Avoid giving any judge a reason to deduct points for something you can control.
5. Be vigilant about the 5-7 minute time allotment. When you rehearse, be sure to allow time for audience response. Test your speech in front of people, and note where they respond. Be sure you build sufficient time into your speech footprint in those places. The last thing you want is to deliver a speech the audience and judges love, only to be disqualified for time.
6. If at all possible, video your speech, so you can see your performance. Watching yourself speak is one of the best ways to pinpoint areas where you can improve. Video is a proven technique to fast-tracking your speaking skills development.
7. Arrive at the speaking venue early. If possible, rehearse your speech on the stage where you will perform it for the contest. Get familiar with your surroundings, so the environment will not intimidate or throw you. Test the microphone thoroughly , preferably wearing the clothes you will be wearing for the speech contest, or something similar. (Think about how the microphone will be attached to your clothing. If you have special movements or gestures in your speech, be sure to test them with the microphone in place.)
8. Use the stage wisely. Move with purpose on the stage. Make important points from positions of strength. Proper use of your stage can enhance your speech, while random movement may be distracting or detrimental.
9. Practice! Practice! Practice! Nothing takes the place of rehearsal. Don't let someone else beat you because you weren't as well prepared as you could have been.
10. Do Your Best. When asked for advice to give Speech Contestants during our March 17th District Executive Committee meeting, Dennis Wooldrige repeated advice he had once been given.  

 “Do your best,” he said. What simple, yet sound advice! If you do your best , then there can be no reason to regret anything concerning your performance. In the end, if you ‘do your best', you will have grown from your experience. That growth is the reason behind Toastmasters Speech Contests; indeed, growth is the central goal of all Toastmasters' programs.

If you ‘do your best', congratulate yourself again, because you will have earned it.

Win or lose, well done!