District 33 Toastmasters
WestWord
The Official Newsletter for District 33 Toastmasters
July 2022 | Vol. 49 Issue 3
Save the Date!

TOASTMASTERS
INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION
2022
August 17- 20
NASHVILLE / HYBRID

"We Are All Storytellers"
All Upcoming Events
See our district events calendar

Do you have an event that you want to post?
Let's Get to Know You
 
This is such a fabulous platform to share all the achievements and accolades this district achieves through its Toastmasters' hard earned efforts. This newsletter will continue to publicize and recognize anywhere and everywhere we can.
 
But I think our audience would also like to know how Toastmasters helped you. We want to know about your professional and personal achievements as well.
  • Have you gotten a promotion at work because your confidence or public speaking skills improved?
  • Were you able to change careers because of connections you made within or from being a Toastmaster.
  • What about personal connections? Anyone meet their significant other through Toastmasters?
 
Please share your stories with us. We are more than a career-based organization. We develop relationships too.
 
New Incentives
The District provides incentives to encourage clubs and members to set set and reach goals, and we've developed some new ones. See all our current incentives.
The 2022 - 2023
District Officer Roster
with email addresses
A message from our
District Director: Deborah Allmon
Lessons I Learned From Tennis That Taught Me About Leadership

As I serve my way into the coming year as your district director, I am thinking about my lifelong experience with tennis. Part of being an effective leader involves coaching and mentoring other people in their leadership positions. While on the surface tennis and Toastmasters don’t have much in common, a mentor has much the same role in each of them.
 
I grew up playing tennis. I was in the 4th grade when my mother put me and my brothers in tennis lessons. Little did I know the impact those lessons would have on my life, not only as a student but as a leader.
 
Tennis is all about the practice. I never considered myself that good at tennis, until I began practicing 3-4 hours a day. I found that consistent practice was the key, much as it is with our speeches in Toastmasters.
 
I continued to play all through school, but it wasn’t until I had graduated from UCSB that I began to coach. As with anything in life, we really learn a skill through teaching that skill to others. I’ve found that the same concept applies with Toastmasters, whether that is mentoring a new club member or taking on a leadership position.
 
As a tennis coach I learned that we all have these opportunities and skill sets that we don’t know about. In tennis, we discover them over time. In Toastmasters, we discover them through the Pathways program.
 
I learned so much from teaching tennis. I learned how to bring players in, and how to keep them, sometimes for 4-5 years. I learned how to adapt my coaching to serve the needs of individual students. To this day, I meet ex-students everywhere, only now I focus on mentoring them in Toastmasters! 
 
Through the years, my love for tennis has had a positive influence on other people’s lives. In much the same way, I hope my mentoring in Toastmasters will: not only world-wide, but right here in District 33. 

Kind Regards,
Deborah Allmon, DTM
District Director, District 33
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 you are interested in reading about, chances are, you are not the only one!

Club Spotlight

Here's a thought to get the ball rolling. Across our district we have 125 clubs. Each club has at least one or two events each year, anniversaries, reunions, remembrances, meet-ups, mixers, award ceremonies... you get the idea. We are asking each club to send us your events and let's see how many we post for each issue.

We think this is a great way to, not only, share what your club is doing, but to inspire other clubs in the district as well. If you are an active club, remember: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". So, get flattered!

(The articles below "Toast, Post & Boast" and "If You Like What You See - Share It!" list more ideas on how to make your club visible to Toastmasters and potential Toastmasters.)
ALSO: Good fodder for your Club Success Plan.
So, please send me your events, or feel free to contact me with your suggestions, and let’s build this together.
LINK vs. SHARE
Let's Start Using These Amazing Tools
TOAST, POST & BOAST
These are social media LINK buttons. it's a fast easy way to connect to the our social media pages. Here, you will find what's going on districtwide.
If You Like What You See - SHARE IT!
Now these buttons are SHARE buttons. If you like what you're reading hit the share button to you social media outlet of choice and let others appreciate the virtues of Toastmasters.
If your club is publishing a newsletter or hosts a website, it becomes a missed opportunity if you're not utilizing these easy-to-use tools.
I can't think of a better approach to introduce Toastmaster's in a warm unobtrusive way.
Program Quality
Program Quality Director, Tan Pham, IP5, DL5
Say Hello to the New District 33 Program Quality Director, Tan Pham
Greetings District 33 Toastmasters! My name is Tan Pham and I am proudly serving as your District 33 Program Quality Director (PQD) this year. As PQD, I am responsible for all aspects of education and training within the District. This includes supporting quality club programming efforts, promoting the Distinguished Club Program, and planning, organizing, and executing the District conference.

I first joined Toastmasters in January 2016 (Fair Winds Club) because they met conveniently at lunch on the Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. The club members were of similar background to me (engineers, logisticians, active and reserve duty) and were very welcoming and supportive of my goal to give more effective technical presentations at work. After a few months of being a member, I became a more confident speaker. After taking advantage of some Area and Division leadership opportunities and projects, I began to build more leadership skills. In March 2018, I was promoted to Branch Manager and managed up to 30 government, military, and contactor employees.

I am very proud to be a member of District 33 and want to enable all members to reach their full potential, whether it’s in the professional or personal environment. Let’s achieve together!

Sincerely,
Tan Pham
2022-2023 District 33 Program Quality Director
Club Growth
D33 Club Growth Director, Nico Martin IP5, MS1
Plan for big success!

Welcome to our brand new Toastmasters Year 2022-2023!

Let’s think and achieve big because the district is now in an excellent position and at a great advantage as our Past District Trio Clarisse Kresser, Debbie Allmon, and Tan Pham leadership team did a superb job for us and placed us where we can make an excellent start for this year.

Let’s thank them for their work this past year.

Toastmasters has been a beautiful and life-changing Journey for my social and leadership growth. I started as a new member in March 2019 and have been very grateful for all the learning experiences I gained, the laughter I felt, the friendships I received, the challenges I took, and most of all, the people I connected with during all these years. Now, as your District 33 Club Growth Director, I have another chance to give back to our Toastmasters Community through Building New Clubs and Supporting All clubs in achieving excellence.

Our Club Growth & Retention program this year will involve many exceptional leaders of District 33 Toastmasters. As you’re Club Growth Director, I am currently working with them in organizing our team and resources to direct them in achieving our goals this year.

Please join me in making our Club Growth & Retention Program a big success this year!

Thank you,
Nico Martin
D33 Club Growth Director
Toastmasters International
‌
It all Starts with a Twinkle...
Got a cool idea for a new club? Or know of a business that could benefit from hosting a Toastmasters corporate program? We call that a twinkle! Submit your new club lead to District 33 at d33tm.org/club-leads/, and qualify for one of the New Club Building incentives.
Coaches Wanted
Need to earn a Club Coach credit towards your DTM award?

Come visit District 33’s Club Coaches Corner, every 3rd Saturday of the month at noon PST.
A Year In Review
Past District Director 33 - Clarisse Kresser, DTM
Clarisse Kresser, DTM, is the Immediate Past District Director (IPDD). She has been a Toastmaster for 7 ½ years, serving in all club officer roles and key District officer roles, including the “Top 3” (Trio). Professionally she has over 24 years experience in the non-profit sector in program and project management. Clarisse shares her reflections as IPDD.
The 2021-22 Toastmasters year was the peak of my journey for two reasons. First, I am proud of what the District team and clubs accomplished together in 21-22. It was a year of personal losses and challenges for many in our district. Together, we also saw more members grow in their communication and leadership skills. For example, over 823 education awards were earned, over 671 new members joined our clubs, and 36 clubs achieved Distinguished or better status. Amazing!!
Second, I grew exponentially in my communication, leadership and soft skills by serving as District Director. It was a very steep learning curve! My mentors supported me through my “growing pains”. I challenge each of you to take on new experiences within your club or at the district level and beyond. Opportunities within Toastmasters are truly endless!!
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as it enriched my journey. I wish you all a remarkable Toastmasters journey this year and beyond!

Warmest Regards,
Clarisse Kresser, DTM
Immediate Past District Director, District 33
Club Officer Training
Training with Toastmasters-District 33
July 9th, 2022
“All the world’s a stage, and
all the men and women
are merely players in it”
from “As You Like It.” 

This meeting reminded me of this quote from William Shakespeare because it was as well organized as any Shakespearean play.

The pre-meeting organization passed muster at many levels. It was an interaction very illuminating to the experienced toastmaster as well as the newbies. 
Article contributions by:
Nandita Das, DTM, VPPR
Annie Hall, DTM, VPPR
Darnell Evans, DTM

Club Officer Roles & Responsibilities
Each of the officers in a Toastmasters club has certain responsibilities to fulfill in supporting the club and its members.
 
President
The President presides at club meetings to meet and greet all guests and members, including executive committee, calls meeting to order, briefly explain meeting events for guests and shares any club business with club members.
 
Vice President Education
The Vice President Education (VPE) manages the Pathways educational programs within the club, as the Base Camp Manager approves members individual educational goals. The VPE plans, organizes, and implements meeting Agendas.
 
Vice President Membership
The VPM plans, organizes, and implements a continuous marketing effort to bring and ensure that club membership gains and remains above club charter strength (20 members).
 
Vice President Public Relations
The Vice President Public Relations (VPPR) manages the creation and maintenance of the club's image. The focus of this role is to write press releases, create flyers, social media, club website maintenance, and newsletters.
 
Secretary
The Secretary maintain all club records, manage club files, handles club correspondence, and takes the minuets at each club and executive committee meeting.
 
Treasurer
The Treasurer manages the club's funds, including the collection of club dues and the payment of all bills.
 
Sergeant at Arms
The primary responsibilities of this role involve all those tasks expected of the host of the meeting, call the meeting to order. In our virtual setting the SAA is the Zoom master.
The Breakout Rooms and Their Moderators:

  • President - Maria Azevedo, DTM
  • VP Education - Jeanne Munesato, DTM
  • VP Membership - Theresa Flynn, DTM
  • VP Public Relations- Flora Turner, DTM, PDD
  • Secretary - Pamela Edwards, IP3, PM1
  • Treasurer - Alan Moore, DTM
  • Sergeant at Arms - Chris Hempleman, DTM
How Do You Zoom?
Are you a ZOOMER?

The world has changed all around us. There is no doubt about that, especially in how we communicate with each. We no longer find it necessary to navigate the nuances of personal, face-to-face interaction. We don’t get to read the room as we did before. The interpersonal skills we so relied upon, have left the room, literally.

The workforce has seen a revolution too. No longer is there a need to go into an office to conduct business. The paradigm has shifted. Not by want, but by necessity.

Toastmasters are communicators by nature. We too had to change with the demands of Covid and the new cultural revolution of communication. But as Toastmasters, we adapt, we persevere, and we overcome to these new challenges.

I want to hear from you. How is your group using zoom? What techniques are you using to take your message to the next level. We need to learn from each other and create a repose of ideas to be inspired by. I believe, as Toastmasters, this is who we are.

I would also like to think that we would be a resource for the newly self-employed or work-from-homers to gravitate to for support and inspiration.

In our next edition, I have invited Alex Nathanson, from Menu Masters in Thousand Oaks, to tell us about some of the tools he uses with Zoom.

Publisher: Richard Rossi
Allow Me to Introduce Myself
My name is Richard Rossi and I am the new District 33, WestWord Newsletter, Publisher. I’m returning to Toastmasters after a 20-year absence. I belonged to the Daybreakers of Westlake, and before that, Sales Masters of Sherman Oaks.

Toastmasters left an indelible impression that has lasted all these years. I found myself always talking up our program with whomever would listen. So, I decided it was time to get back involved.

During those past 20 years, I worked and volunteered in many non-profit organizations in leadership roles that ran the gambit from President, Finance Chair, Marketing Chair, Public Relations, and Newsletter Chair.

I think my skills will translate well here. I already feel at home and welcomed. The people that I am working with have all been amazing and I am humbled to be working alongside of them.
With your help, I’m confidant our newsletter will be something very special.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

All the Best,
Richard Rossi, TM, D33 WestWord Newsletter Publisher, VPPR, Menu Masters & Reach for the Stars
District 33 Toastmasters | d33tm.org