District 106

Newsletter

September 2023

Story Sparks: School Daze

Come tell a story or just listen at this fun, free, and in-person event! If you want to be a speaker, you can add your name to the hat, and we will draw 10 speakers to tell a 5-minute story related to the theme SCHOOL DAZE. Judges will be selected from audience members. Speakers and Judges get free drink coupons!

Date: Wednesday, September 13

Time: 6:30 PM – 9 PM

Location: Camp Bar Twin Cities, 490 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55101

More Info and Registration Link (Free Event):

From the Desk of the District Director

What a privilege it was to represent each of you, members of President’s Distinguished Toastmasters District 106, at the Toastmasters International Convention in August. While posing on the Hall of Fame session stage, Toastmasters International President Matt Kinsey said, “I expect to see you on this stage again next year!” I will be more than happy to celebrate your continued commitment to Distinction!

The honor was only possible because of your commitment to safe and supportive club environments in which each member was encouraged to continue working speech projects helping them to meet personal and professional communication goals. Keep that success rolling! Keep inviting new members to join your clubs.

Remember to get your open house meetings scheduled! Reach out to Edward Chavan for assistance lining up speakers or other role holders for your open house meetings. Edward may be reached by email at Edwardchavan@peozzle.com.

DD Ed Aylward, PQD Katy Hursh, and IPDD Gopu Shrestha celebrating exceptional leadership at the Toastmasters International Convention in the Bahamas.

Speech competition season is upon us! As your area competitions begin to unfold, please reach out to offer your assistance in filling contest roles. It takes a village (or more!) to conduct successful contests. Let your area and division directors know that you are there to support them in their leadership roles!

Mark your calendars for 21 October 2023. From 10 AM to 2 PM Central Time that day, we will be holding our District 106 Awards luncheon. We have so much to celebrate and there are many awards ready for distribution. A registration link will go up soon. We aren’t looking to make money from the event, but we will strive to offset the cost of meals.

Congratulations to club officers who have participated in the first round of Club Officer Training. Program Quality Director Hursh and the training team demonstrated their commitment to excellence with these training sessions. Training continues! As I write, your Area and Division Directors are completing training they need to complete by 30 September. Applaud them for their active commitment… and ask how you might help!

Edward Aylward, DTM

District Director, District 106

From the Desk of the Program Quality Director

Overcoming Fear

Joining Toastmasters is a decision a person makes to become a better version of themselves. If we were all eloquent, confident, capable leaders at the beginning, what would be the point, right? It’s okay to embrace our uncertain beginning of shaky knees, an upset stomach, and fear of the stage. It’s all real, but when you realize you don’t have to be afraid anymore, or to let fear get in the way of your opportunities, you can push fear aside and move closer to your goals.

When we were in the Bahamas there was an afternoon we all went to a water slide park. There were two slides that caught my eye: the biggest water slides in the park. One of them dropped 3 stories, and the other did the same but in a gradual series of loops. I’m afraid of heights, but I am a thrill seeker and climbed to the top of the slide. At the top was a young kid, maybe 14, who wanted to go down the slide but hadn’t seen anyone go down it. I was afraid, but deep down I wanted to go before him. 

My husband went down first in a flash. It took 7 or 8 seconds and he was at the bottom. Whew! Victory. Now it was my turn. I asked the attendant to give me a push as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could feel myself falling fast and clung to the thought that this would be over soon. After dropping for several seconds, I was instantly pushed out of the slide and down a path of water. I had done it! I raised my arms and looked up at the kid, shouting, “you can do this!” The kid climbed in the slide, and down he came. 

It was a decision to overcome fear and doing something we wanted to in spite of it. As he shot past us in the water, we gave him a high five. We had all three conquered fear and had the biggest smiles on our faces. 

Remember why you joined Toastmasters? Are you reaching your goals? Is your club full of supportive members who are becoming better and helping you as well?

For the month of September, let's focus on the following to reach our goals:

1. Moments of Truth
2. Club Success Plan
3. Start Pathways (if you haven’t already)

Working together as a club and reviewing Moments of Truth is important to ensure your meetings are quality meetings, and to discover what can be improved. The Club Success Plan lays out a plan for how your club can achieve Distinguished status and communicate better. Lastly, Pathways is the vehicle you use to give your speeches and grow.

If you're not sure where to start, ask your Club President, Area Director, or Division Director for help. Everything is available for your success. It’s time to use these tools and start your journey to success. Sometimes “Just Do It” - as NIKE is famous for - is all you need to get started.

Katy Hursh

Program Quality Director, District 106

From the Desk of the Club Growth Director

Fellow Toastmasters,

Welcome to our third month of the Toastmasters year. We have some exciting things that have already started, and we will continue to implement. In conversations with Toastmasters around the world, I am convinced we are one of the best districts.

Some of our clubs are now meeting in full force. We had a great summer but getting ready for the fall. Now is the time to bring some excitement to your club. Are you looking to fill roles? Do you need people to fill in to enhance your meeting? Reach out to me; we want you to be part of our Club Mentorship program launching this month.

Now is also a great time to schedule an open house. Toastmasters International has its Smedley Award. If your club adds 5 new members by September 30, 2023, you will receive 10% from the Toastmaster Store and a ribbon for your club. But most importantly, if you host an open house, there will be some great prizes offered by the Trio this year. If you have completed an open house, please message me at tm.matthew.villella@gmail.com and tell me if you recruited any members. I will be keeping track of all open houses, and you will have a chance to win some amazing prizes.

As always, let me help your club; please reach out. If you have new leads for Toastmasters, I also want to hear about them. Thank you for joining us on this Toastmasters journey. Let’s all do this together!

Matthew Villela, DTM

Club Growth Director, District 106

Email: tm.matthew.villella@gmail.com

From the Desk of the Immediate Past District Director

Being Outstanding Goes Beyond Awards

We've recently completed our first round of officer training, and from what I've learned, the District has created a program to teach club officers about their roles and how to serve club members better.

The main goal is to create a great atmosphere for our club members. Our club's mission is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience where members can improve their communication and leadership skills, which helps them become more confident and grow personally.

That said, here are some important things our club officers do:

1. Quality Meetings: We aim to have excellent club meetings.

2. Engaging Members: We reach out to members to participate in speeches and other roles.

3. Coaching and Mentoring: We guide and support members in their roles and speech preparation.

4. Pathways Program Support: We assist members in navigating the Pathways program.

We split the workload among a team of club officers to:

1. Gain Experience: Everyone gets a chance to try different roles without a significant time commitment.

2. Learn Leadership: Officers get to experience leadership responsibilities on a smaller scale, which can benefit them in their professional, social, or personal lives.

However, it's also the responsibility of past officers and experienced members to help new and existing members. Many members lose interest or stop attending if they don't feel supported or encouraged.

If we all regularly participate in our club and help each other grow personally, our club's performance (measured by DCP points) will naturally improve. In a nutshell, here are the key roles of our club officers:

- Sergeant at Arms: Ensure all meeting logistics are ready (like microphones, the stage, Zoom links, and addressing issues).

- Secretary: Take notes and report to the President.

- Treasurer: Ensure membership dues are collected by the deadlines (September 30 and March 31).

- VP Public Relations: Develop advertising and PR activities to inspire potential members to join.

- VP Membership: Ensure all members attend and introduce new members.

- VP Education: Make sure every member has the chance to take on roles and give speeches.

- President: Ensure all officers understand their roles, and take care of the members.

It's a team effort, and when we work together, our club's performance will improve, and we can achieve recognition from both the District and Toastmasters International World Headquarters as a Distinguished Club.

Gopu Shrestha, DTM

Immediate Past District Director

From the Desk of the Public Relations Manager

Fellow District 106 Toastmasters and VP- PR Officers!

Promotion is key to raising awareness of Toastmasters in our communities. Let people know about Toastmasters! It can be promoted through word of mouth, and leverage social platforms, media, or newsletters. It doesn’t matter what platform we choose if we communicate how Toastmasters can help them to become better communicators, leaders, and people.

We also need to keep in mind that we should diligently follow the Toastmasters International brand guidelines. I am amazed by the talent that we have in our clubs and the dedication of our members, who bring a high level of creativity and passion to their work, promote their clubs, and volunteer for roles every week.

Follow our social media channels for more exciting updates, inspiring articles, and training videos prepared by our District PRM team to help you promote your club and its activities.

District 106 Social channel presence by the Numbers:

Facebook: 447 Twitter: 198 LinkedIn: 197 Instagram: 289 YouTube: 153 TikTok: 36

PRM Team [Ashok, Margie, Jason]

Ashok Sunkavalli

2023-2024 District 106 Public Relations Manager

ashoksunkavalli@gmail.com

Cell: (319) 431-2415