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District 33 Toastmasters
WestWord
The Official Newsletter for District 33 Toastmasters
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March / April 2023 | Vol. 50, Issue 5 |
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A message from our
District Director:
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The Art of Reviving a Club with New
Membership. It’s Time to Revive Your Club!
Call the 911 Club Team for Help in Reviving Your Club
It’s almost Springtime, and the Earth is beginning to warm around us. It’s the
season of revival, whether it’s our trees
and flowers are blooming or our hopes
and dreams for the year.
If you have a club that consists of eight or more members, congratulations! Let’s keep that momentum going. However,
this is a call to action if you have a
struggling club needing a membership
revival. It is much easier to add a couple
of new members and keep the club going than it is to close the club.
Sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, we lose sight of all the positive things that Toastmasters gives us and has given many people in the world. We lose sight of our membership-building goals. While we may experience setbacks, it’s important to nurture our existing club with a positive mindset while focusing on our exciting new club goals for this year.
When we think about how Toastmasters has benefitted us personally, it becomes
easy to reach out to friends, colleagues,
and acquaintances to offer them the same gift! When we approach someone with the positive mindset of offering
them a gift and an opportunity to recruit
new members to our club become much easier.
Even if you’re already doing all that, I have good news! There is help for your club. Support for struggling clubs exists in the
form of the 911 Club Team.
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The 911 Club team consists of up to three people who will come to your club, bring in resources and help to get those membership numbers back up.
Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” So having the courage to continue with our club is vital, even when we might want to take the easy way out and close the club.
If you need help keeping your club alive, please get in touch with me at 661.431.2285. With the help of the 911 Club Team, your club will soon be blooming again.
Deborah A. Allmon, DTM
District 33 Director
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Program Quality Director, Tan Pham, IP5, DL5 |
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New Skills and a New Outlook
Greetings, District 33:
2023 has started off very strong for our district; we’ve held multiple Club Officer Training sessions, revamped our Pathways Office Hours, shared creative strategies for hosting effective hybrid meetings and conducting evaluation speech contests, and are now in the midst of the competitive speech contest season.
Our Area and Division Directors are working hard by continuing their club visits and offering guidance and feedback to your clubs. They are also leading contest planning and execution for the Areas and Divisions as we start to build momentum toward our District’s Annual Conference this spring.
I am proud to announce that this year’s conference keynote speaker will be
Jesse Oakley, III, DTM, International Director (Region 2)! We will also have exciting educational speakers, as well as three (3) entertaining District Speech Contests: International Speech, Evaluation Speech, and Spanish Speech.
Save the date for our District 33 Annual Conference, 29 APR 2023,
hosted by Division G It will be held in a hybrid format, which provides you with
multiple options to join in the excitement.
These are just a few of the many amazing accomplishments from you, All of these contribute to a strong and new outlook for our district’s hybrid spring conference.
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Club Growth Director, Nico Martin IP5 |
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I hope this article finds you in good health and high spirits as we move toward the end of our Toastmasters Fiscal Year 2022-2023. I want to thank you for sharing the good feelings of being part of the Toastmasters community and encourage you to keep reaching for the stars. Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to helping its members improve their communication and leadership skills. Our club meetings and speech deliveries helped me to become comfortable with uncomfortable moments, such as leading a team effectively.
Toastmasters are more than just places to develop public speaking and leadership skills. It is also a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for personal growth. Let me share a personal story with you. “When I first joined Toastmasters, I was nervous and unsure of myself when speaking in public. I struggled to keep myself together. I could not find the right words to say. However, I knew that if I continued my personal journey with Toastmasters one day, I would achieve my personal goal of becoming an effective speaker and leader”.
By being a member of Toastmasters, I have grown as a speaker and a person as well. I have developed confidence in my abilities to become a better leader and problem solver. I also made lifelong friends who have been there for me through the ups and downs of life.
I would like to request that you take a chance on yourself by renewing your membership and give yourself another chance to become the person you want to be; take advantage of the opportunity to attend meetings, give speeches, participate in contests, and connect with other members who share your interests and goals.
I would like to encourage you to take on leadership roles within the club and District to enhance your leadership and networking skills.
Thank you for being part of a fantastic community and for all that you do to make Toastmasters such a special place to learn and develop communication, speaking, and leadership skills. Again, continue to spread good feelings and keep reaching for the stars.
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News Briefs:
Save The Date:
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District 33 Conference: Save The Date:
Starting: April 29th..
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Helen Blanchard, DTM
In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to highlight our very first female
Toastmaster, Helen Blanchard.
Helen did not start out as a groundbreaker; it just happened as she dared to live her life to the fullest. Helen became bored at home after her children were in school and decided to
go to work. Helen worked for the United States Navy at the Research and Development Center in Point Loma. She managed 130 employees.
Many of her neighbors were upset with Helen because they believed she should cook, clean, and raise her kids at home. Back then, many thought it was not a woman’s place to work, especially if she was not a teacher or secretary. Those neighbors believed she was taking away a job from a man trying to feed his family.
In 1970, Mrs. Blanchard decided she wanted to improve her speaking skills. She became aware of Toastmasters from a Navy newsletter. At that time, Toastmasters was not accepting women,
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so she contacted Toastmasters International, and they said she could not join.
Two weeks later, the President of the club at the Navy Research and Development center in Point Loma discussed Helen with the club members, who voted to accept her as a member.
Helen Blanchard became the first female to be accepted into the Toastmasters Club. The Club President submitted her application with the letter H as her first name instead of Helen to Toastmasters International, fearing them rejecting her application. When Toastmasters International demanded a full first
name, the group decided on the name Homer.
The organization began accepting women three years later, and Homer became Helen. In 1985 Helen Blanchard became the first female.
International President of Toastmasters International.
Helen charted the Excelsior Toastmasters Club #699 in the 1970s. The club still exists today.
The motto was "Commit to Excellence."
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Spotlight: Our Fabulous District 33 Conference! |
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by Darnell Evans, DTM
2023 District 33 Annual Toastmasters Conference
Don’t miss out on District 33 annual conference in Fresno, California.
We are pleased to announce the upcoming District 33 Conference hosted by Division G and chaired by Ryan Crile.
The conference will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Hotel Piccadilly and virtually. Attendees, both online and in person, will hear from a dynamic keynote speaker, showcase the best speakers in District 33, and have unparalleled opportunities to network with fellow toastmaster members across District 33.
The theme of our conference is Believe. Think and Achieve Big.
CONFERENCE Business
On April 27, 2023, at 5:30 pm, District 33 will be holding their Executive Committee
Meeting followed by the District Council Meeting at 7:00 pm by zoom.
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During the conference on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 7:30 am, there will be
a presentation for First Time Conference Attendees, and during the luncheon, the District will be presenting the Community Leadership Award to an individual in Fresno, Ca.
Venue and Conference Hotel:
Hotel Piccadilly
2305 West Shaw Avenue
Fresno, California, 93722
(To make reservations call 559-348-5520. Room Block: District 33 Toastmasters Annual Conference).
A special group rate is $85.00/per night for King and $92.00/per night for two beds.
Meals Included!
- Executive Hot Lunch with Continental Breakfast.
- Morning and Afternoon Snacks.
- Hot Buffet lunch with chicken
Piccata served with side of Sauted
vegetables, rolls, butter, green
salad and mashed potatoes.
- Vegetarian option available
REGISTER TODAY!
In – Person Cost is $115.00
Virtual Cost is $20.00
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from dynamic speakers and network with
fellow Toastmasters.
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Keynote
Jesse Oakley III, DTM
Region 2 International Director
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Educational Speaker
Mark Brown
Certified Speaking Professional
World Champion of Public Speaking
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See You at the District 33 Conference!
By Katy Porter, DTM, PDD
Why am I a long-time Toastmaster? That's easy. The people, the program and the pizzazz. Toastmasters draws people who are sincere, curious and brave. That is an appealing mix! Each time I moved, I immediately looked for a local club to ground me and encourage me.
The program design appealed to me as a trainer. Breaking down the complexity of "communicating" into bite sized pieces that are easy to understand and emulate. Brilliant! The pizzazz, for me, comes from the fun and excitement of Table Topics. For just a moment or two,
Look forward to seeing each of you at the District Conference
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Parliamentary Snippets
By Rick Sydor, DTM District 39
Rights of Membership:
A member of an assembly is a person entitled to full participation in its proceedings, that is, the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak in debate, and to vote. No member can be individually deprived of these basic rights of membership—or of any basic rights concomitant to them, such as the right to make nominations or to give previous notice of a motion—except through disciplinary proceedings. Some organized societies {i.e. Toastmasters} define additional classes of “membership” that do not entail all of these rights.
Ralph Smedley Ideas and Quotes
By Carolyn Moore, IP3
"While most of us may have entered Toastmasters to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the beginning of the good which may come to us and the good which we may do for mankind."
"Understanding comes through communication, and through communication, we find the way to peace."
"Whatever your grade or position, if you know how and when to
speak, and when to remain silent, your chances of real success are
proportionately increased."
WORD OF THE DAY
by Nandita Das DTM
Words to use in context;
1. ADIPOSE- Adjective adipose- usually used as a technical term. Meaning - Adipose
tissue is commonly known as body fat. It is found all over the body. It can be found
under the skin( subcutaneous fat), packed around internal organs(visceral fat).
It is found in bone marrow, muscles, etc. SENTENCE – “ The adipose apothecary who was an agnostic, was solely concerned about his alimentary system.”
Synonyms- pleasingly plump, buxom, chubby, etc.
ORIGIN- Latin – adeps- adip – fat, Modern Latin – adiposus , adipose
2. AGNOSTIC- Adjective – agnostic or used as a noun -agnostic/ Meaning –A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature
of God or of anything beyond material phenomena, a person who claims neither faith
nor disbelief in God.
( In a non-religious context) having a doubtful or non-committal attitude towards
something.
SENTENCE- “Until now , I’ve been fairly agnostic about electoral reform.”
Synonyms- skeptic, doubter
ORIGIN- English- a-not- gnostic, mid 19th century- a / gnostic
3. ADDLE- Verb past tense – addled
Humorous- make (someone) unable to think clearly, confused
SENTENCE- “Being in love must have addled your brain.”
ORIGIN- Germanic to Old English – adela means liquid filth. From Dutch aal to Middle
English -addle. German – adel means mire , puddle.
SYNONYMS- out to lunch, clumsy, daydreamer etc.
4. ADAGE- It can be used as a noun. Meaning - A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
SENTENCE- The old adage, “ Out of sight, out of mind.”
ORIGIN- from Latin – aio- to say, later in Latin developed as adagium.
French - mid 16th Century
It traveled through the above languages and became an ‘adage’ based on an early form of ‘aio’ – ‘I say.’
SYNONYMS- aphorism, axiom, dictum, apothegm, etc.
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Let's Build the WestWord!
Would you like to see a topic or matter visited in an upcoming newsletter? How about a regular section? If there is something your are interested in reading about, chances are, you are not the only one!
Editors: Darnell Evans, Roberta Nadler, Annie Hall, Carolyn Moore and Nandita Das
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