The WestWord Spring 2016 District 33 News & Events

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: District Director’s Message 1 PR Perspective 10 PQD / CGD Messages 2 Member Spotlight 12 District Calendar 3 Technology/Education Corner 15 Conference Flyer 5 Ask Dana 15 Website Consultant 8 Conference Proxy Form 16 Division Directors’ Messages 7, 9 11, 13, 14

District 33 Toastmasters, In just a few months we will be meeting again for our Spring Conference at the Tuscany Hotel in Las Vegas. Right now as I write to you I am very excited and encouraged about the wonderful reports of rebuilding, strengthening, & renewing of our clubs happening all over District 33. First we want to welcome two new clubs to our District 33 family, Henderson Toasters, Henderson Nevada and Turlock Chamber Speakers, Turlock, California. Numerous clubs are in the process of forming in the coming weeks so stay tuned. If you have never been a part of the new club chartering process, you are missing the opportunity of a lifetime. It is incredibly rewarding to watch new Toastmasters start on this journey working on self-improvement and recognize their dreams through this process. As a leader you are never sure you know the process until you begin to teach it to someone else. I want to encourage those of you who are working towards their Distinguished Toastmaster Goal to get involved as a mentor or sponsor of a new Toastmaster club. In District 33 right now is the time to get involved as there are many opportunities available for those that are ready to take themselves to the next level. District 33, seizing these opportunities are the place “where leaders are made”. This year we have the unique opportunity to achieve the Leadership Excellence

award which comes to those Districts that have historically achieved status of Distinguished or better for three years in a row. You have heard the phrase “it takes a village” in our case it takes a District striving together to achieve a common goal. When we work together to provide quality leadership, our members in our clubs are receiving what they came to Toastmasters for. Join with me as we strive toward this goal together of becoming president’s distinguished by June 30th. Look for ways to reposition your club by getting involved. If a member who sits beside you at your club meetings is missing, pick up the telephone and give them a call. It may very well be a simple act of kindness that becomes the catalyst turning your club into a phenomenal experience. Isn’t that what we are all looking for, experiences that strengthen us and cause us to grow? If you have thought about stepping up in a leadership role beyond your club experience, my friends, now is the time to make that happen. We have many leadership opportunities in District 33 for someone like you. Toastmasters is a perfect place to practice your leadership skills while preparing you for the future. Let’s work together to finish this year strong. Take advantage of this precious time we have been given and spend the next few months forging our way towards becoming a President’s Distinguished District. We can do this together!! Best Regards, Debby Baker, DTM – District 33 Director

Debby Baker, DTM District 33 Director 2015-2016

Check out the District 33 website

D33.toastmastersdist ricts.org District 33 PRM Martha Navarrete, DTM Westword Newsletter Editor Dana Wall-Oakley, DTM

Contributing Writers District Officers Guy Dawson, DTM Tim Mullins, DTM Martha Navarrete, DTM Dana Wall-Oakley, DTM

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District 33 Program Quality Director Jamuna Ramnath, DTM Happy springing forward! The most colorful and vibrant season of the year! Our clubs are glowing with terrific performance on the Distinguished Club goals this term! Our distinguished goal status as of today is outstanding! 

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Seventy-one clubs have 20 or more members achieving five or more DCP goals. 17 clubs that are between 9-19 members have met five net growths and achieved five or more DCP goals. Top ranking clubs with President Distinguished status are: Amgen Noon Talkers Club, Bachelors/Bachelorettes Club, and Camarillo Evening Club. 19 clubs are Select Distinguished, and 21 clubs are Distinguished. Twenty-two clubs are Select Distinguished, and 35 clubs are distinguished. Additionally, 69 clubs are almost distinguished. 13 clubs have met 5+ member requirements, however are 1 DCP goal away; 26 clubs have 20 members or more with 2-3 DCP goals away; 12 clubs have met DCP goals 5 and more, but have not yet met the member requirement; and 18 clubs have met 4 DCP goals and almost Distinguished but have not met member requirement. District 33 Commitment 2Excellence Award recipients for the second quarter are: I'll Drink To That Toastmasters Club, Holistic Toastmasters, UNLV Toastmasters, Woodland Toastmasters, Visalia Toastmasters, Speech Conductors, Bachelors/Bachelorettes Club, Simi Valley Toastmasters Club, Rhetorical Link Toastmasters Club and Powerful Voices Club.

Compliments to Dan Waldman and David Gibbs for their DTM accomplishment, welcome to our DTM family! My genuine appreciation and bravo to all President, Select and Distinguished clubs. Keep up the spirit of enthusiasm and success! I encourage you to renew all current memberships to date come April, and stay on top of your achievement. Do not give up! All clubs achieving President, Select and Distinguished Status by April 30 will receive an Early Bird Distinguished Award of $50, $40 or $25 respectively at the May Conference. We have great momentum with retaining memberships and achieving distinguished club goals and I am positive we will exceed our Distinguished Club goal this year!

District 33 incredible Club Growth Keep up your hardworkDirector and perseverance! I wish you all a Happy Spring and hope to see Guy Dawson, DTM you at the District Conference!! Representing District 33 as Club Growth Director for the last 8 months has been an enormously inspiring and rewarding journey. We have some incredibly talented speakers and leaders in our district and I have had the pleasure of working with many them. New groups of people are being exposed to Toastmasters in most our Divisions because of the hard work they have done. The Club Extension Chair team assists me in facilitating the growth and renewal of clubs throughout our district. This team is driving the enormous success that we are currently experiencing in developing new clubs and continuing to provide excellent educational experiences for our existing members. Here are our committed leaders: Division A, Eric Riddle, DTM; Divisions B & J, Katy Porter, DTM, IPDG; Divisions C & D Kay Collis, DTM, PDG, PRA; Division E, Joseph Skoda, ACS, ALB; Division F, Sondra Ahlen, ACB, ALB; Division G, Monica Story, ACB, ALB and Division H, J.R Wilson ACB, ALB. We recently chartered Turlock Speakers in Division F and there are a host of new groups that are only a few members away from reaching full chartered status. Kick Off meetings are scheduled in Divisions D, G and H in April and we are well prepared to make a strong run toward becoming a Distinguished or better district again in 2015/2016. It is thrilling to see the fruits of our labor. District 33 is thriving and it is because of the contributions of every member. Give yourselves a pat on the back and keep up the good work!

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District 33 Spring 2016 Contest Season

SEE CHART BELOW FOR DETAILS

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District 33 Spring 2016 Contest Season All Divisions Spring Contest Information, Tall Tales and International Division

Date

A

4/9/16

B C

4/23/16

4/16/16

Registration Begins

Location

Link to Division Page or Flyer

9:00am

Palmdale Woman's Club 2141 E Avenue Q Palmdale, CA

Division A

7:45am

Guthrie Hall – Ventura College 4667 Telegraph Road Ventura, CA 93003

Division B

7:45am

Wildhorse Golf Club 2100 W. Warm Springs Rd Henderson, NV 89014

Division C

Division D

D

4/09/16

9:30am

Wildhorse Golf Club 2100 W. Warm Springs Rd Henderson, NV 89014

E

4/10/16

10:00am

Bethany Lutheran Church 135 South E Street Lompoc, CA

Division E

F

3/18/16

6:00pm

Covenant Village at Berg Hall 2125 N. Olive Ave Turlock, CA

Division F

8:15am

Lemoore Church of the Nazarene 726 E D Street Lemoore, CA 93245

Division G

12:00pm

Wildhorse Golf Club 2100 W. Warm Springs Rd Henderson, NV 89014

Division H

5:45pm

Cal Lutheran University, Nygreen Hall 130 Memorial Pkwy Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Division J

G H J

3/19/16

4/16/16

4/23/16

SAVE THE DATE! District 33 Spring Conference WHEN: WHERE:

May 6-7, 2016 Tuscany Suites & Casino

255 East Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169 (877-887-2261)

Don’t forget to bring a PROXY form for any President or EVP unable to attend the business meeting. You can find the Proxy Form on page 16

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Division A Director Vanessa Thomas, ACB/CL

NO CONTEST There can be no contest. Division A has a team of area directors that is remarkable--second to none. The Area A5 Director is Greg Wilkerson, DTM. He assumed his responsibilities after the resignation of the area director who began on July 1. Greg had already served as an Area Governor and had obtained his DTM. His taking on the leadership role was an act of selflessness to benefit the Toastmasters in his area. Greg is working with Ellie Kay, ACS, ALB, AS the Area A1 Director to put on the spring contests on April 1. Notwithstanding her busy schedule as a professional speaker, Ellie took on the duties of the Area A1 Director after the resignation of the previous director. The clubs over which she has charge are located more than 80 miles from where she lives. She also serves as the president of her club (which is in Area A4) and the Club Coach of one of the Area A3 clubs. Four of the five areas of Division A have Ellie Kay influence. What makes Theresa Frassrand, ACB, CL a remarkable member of the team is her serving as the director of both Area A4 and Area A3; there are six clubs in each area. She has already completed the spring contests for each area with record-setting attendance in Area A4. She accomplished these tasks despite being out of the country the second half of February and being ill the first half of March. Theresa assumed the duties of Area A3 Director after the sudden resignation of the previous director. She is also serving as Club Coach for one of the clubs in Area A3. Diana Eggleton, CC, CL earned her spot on the team when she agreed, without hesitation, to serve as the director of Area A2. Though there are but four clubs in her area, the location of the clubs presents a challenge. There is a fifty-mile difference between two clubs in the north and two clubs in the south. The latter ones are on Edwards Air Force base and Diana has to obtain security clearance to make her club visits. She has attended all division functions, having to travel about nearly 200 miles round trip. Diana has completed her spring speech contests. All these remarkable directors have begun their second round of club visits; we are preparing for the Division A contests on April 9; we look forward to convening with other members of the district on May 6 and 7 in Las Vegas.

Division B Director Alan Mann, DTM

January has come & gone and the second half of the Toastmasters’ year is in full swing in Division B. With the current round of officers training in progress – Division B so far has 63% officers trained. Many of th those attended the initial TLI on January 16 . In addition to the officer duties, we had special presentations focusing on club growth with the goal to instill teamwork and give the club officers the tools to make the clubs successful and achieve excellence. The spring contest season has started in Division B culminating with the division contest on April 23rd. This time of year is not only a time to listen to new & great speeches, but also a time for the emergence of new leaders in the division. Thanks to the efforts of the Area 4 Director, a corporate club at Patagonia is due to charter sometime in March. We also have (3) other “twinkles” we are pursuing. My Area Director team is also focusing on assisting those struggling clubs in the Division. The Division Leadership team is compiling a list of Toastmasters who can be guest speakers at clubs that have open speaking slots. This will give an opportunity to those members who want to speak outside their club; while at the same time assist small clubs in having meaningful meetings. This list is on the Division website at: http://www.divisionbd33.org/clubs-3/availablespeaker-resources. The Division has also been contacted by some organizations outside of Toastmasters for speakers. Part of the District theme of “Commitment to Excellence” involves taking our toastmasters skills and serving the community. To that end, Division B & J have over the years been strong supporters of the Ventura County Academic Decathlon. Both divisions have provided judges for the speech & interview competitions. The Ventura County Academic Decathlon, which occurred th on February 6 , is the first step in national academic completion of high school students. It is our way of taking what we have learned and supporting the community and to helping others achieve excellence.

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IS YO UR CLUB “

?”

By Tim Mullins, DTM, DCWC [email protected]

District 33’s leaders are persistent in their “Commitment to Excellence” by continuing for a Second Year with the: “Distinguished Club Website Program” (DCWP) This DCWP was established in 2014 by District 33 Toastmasters Marketing and Public Relations Team to recognize clubs that have designed and maintained quality websites. The program consists of 10 points* for various features included on club websites. *NOTE: If you participated in this program last year “BE AWARE” the Criteria and Goals have changed for this year’s program. Features such as:  A Welcome Message and Invitation to Attend  A recent picture of your club activity on the Home Page  Contact and Meeting Information  6 Member Testimonials  Links to your Division, District 33 and Toastmaster International websites  At least 4 Links to various Toastmaster Resources Clubs that have Website’s that achieve President’s Distinguished; Select Distinguished or Distinguished will receive a Distinguished Club Website Program (DCWP) web badge that they may display on the club website. Your club will also receive recognition at the 2016 D33 Fall Conference. th. This Program is concurrent with the Toastmaster year and will end on June 30 Some of District 33’s clubs are already Distinguished, Select Distinguished or even President’s Distinguished. At this point in time we already have:  11 Clubs at Presidents Distinguished  6 Clubs at Select Distinguished  14 Clubs at Distinguished  Many Clubs are Distinguished or better but have NOT met the Mandatory Criteria To view your club website status, please visit the following link: http://d33.toastmastersdistricts.org/D33_Distinguished_Club_Website_Program_Status.html It is not that difficult to improve your club’s website in the DCWP. Try it… trust me…you’ll like it! For more information concerning this District 33 Website Excellence program and how to implement it, please visit the following web link: http://d33.toastmastersdistricts.org/2016_D33_Distinguished_Club_Website_Program.html If you do make improvements to your club website, based on the DCWP, please contact me (Tim Mullins, District 33 Club Website Consultant) at [email protected] with information about your improvements so I can check it out and give you and your club proper recognition. If you have any questions concerning this exciting and innovative program please do not hesitate to contact me.

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Division C Director Michele Shafe, DTM

Division D Director Lorrie Linnert-Dunford, DTM

Division C is Committed to Excellence

The second half of our Toastmasters year started with an incredible Toastmasters Leadership Institute on January 9TH featuring a keynote presentation by Melanie Klinghoffer from District 5. Melanie grew her club, La Jolla Toastmasters from 14 members to 65 members in just 15 months and had a 20 member waiting list! If you missed the presentation or just another refresher of her vivacious presentation, check out the You Tube video! The Dynamos of Division D are visiting clubs and offering great feedback to strengthen our clubs, build membership and meet our members’ goals. We have four clubs on pace to be distinguished or better with the dues renewals in April including Windjammers, I’ll Drink to That, Jackpot Speakers, and Summerlin Toasters. Five more clubs need just a couple more members or one more educational including Aces of Inspiration Blue, Holistic Toastmasters, Sourcer-ERs, UNLV Toastmasters, and Aces of Inspiration Green. More clubs need just a couple more. Division D will be President’s Distinguished this year! Division D has 5 new clubs in the works. Clark County Credit Union’s kick off meeting is on March 9. Pro Toastmasters in Area D5 is an advanced club for those seeking to be professional speakers and need just 5 more members to charter. They meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 7pm. A kick off is pending for United States Postal Service. The kick off for Ceasars Sales is April 13. Balance the World Foundation is currently garnering support for their kick off meeting. Division D is excited to be the host for the Spring Conference May 6-7, 2016! See you in Las Vegas!

Division C is excited to be starting another new club! The Junior League of Las Vegas Toastmasters had their kick-off party on January 25th and expect to charter in March. Another prospective new club is also in the pipeline. Many clubs are already Distinguished or better! In Area C-2, Club #9847 “Toast of Sierra” is Distinguished. In Area C-3, Club #5405 “Chamber Voices” is Select Distinguished, and Club #2852298 “Bolder Voices” is Distinguished. In Area C-4, Club #2462 “High Noon Lectern” is Select Distinguished. In Area C-5, Club #4893 “Valley Voices & Vices is Select Distinguished. In Area C-6, Club # 2295 “Say Watt” is Distinguished. Even clubs more are on their way to becoming Distinguished for 2015-2016! It is also contest season with the clubs in all six areas holding their contests in February, and the six Areas holding their contests in March. Division C is working closely with Division H to hold their Division contests together on April 16th at the Wild Horse Golf Course. Have breakfast with Division C and lunch with Divisions C and H. It will be a fun and rewarding day!

Michele Shafe, DTM Division C Director

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By:

Martha A. Navarrete, DTM District 33, Public Relations Manager Are you enjoying our District 33, 2016 Spring Contest Season? In Division B, our Area Contests are in full swing! In these contests, there is nothing that excites me more than to see my Toastmasters friends giving it their all as contestants and participants! The journey of the World Champion of Public Speaking starts with a win at the club level. Only the best will manage to control their own fear of public speaking while advancing through tougher and steeper competition. Most will come back with a diploma, a second or a third place trophy and only the best will keep on accumulating first place wins. At every step, the excitement grows and it climaxes when there are only ten contestants left. I am sure that in the minds of these ten contestants, the only thing that matters is to bring home the coveted trophy along with the title of being the best among the best: The World Champion of Public Speaking! What if you don’t want to be the next World Champion of Public Speaking. Should you participate in a speech contest? Shouldn’t giving speeches in your club be enough to become a public speaker? Not if you want to feel confident to speak to any crowd. Jerome Rowley, author of the “5 Reasons why Contest are important”, said it eloquently when he wrote that to gain more confidence as a public speaker you need to participate in contests: “Anybody who has made the journey from a newbie giving his or her Icebreaker speech to earning that Competent Communicator manual after 10 speeches knows that gaining confidence in public speaking is a process that takes time. Getting over the initial nervousness in an Icebreaker speech is partially a function of getting used to speaking in front of a group of relative strangers. But by speech #10, they’re no longer strangers; they’re fellow members of dear old home club. Speaking to them is like going to speak at a dinner party with friends. That edge of adrenalin you had when you were speaking to a group of strangers is now gone. How to get back that edge? Speak in front of a group of strangers again. You’ll get that edge back right away! So contests are where a higher level of confidence is achieved.” Contestants are not the only ones who gain while participating in contests. Area and Division leaders get to test their ability to entice, engage and lead their local clubs’ members into putting well-run contests. They rely on newly formed teams to plan, prepare, and conduct the contests. That is why contest are fertile grounds to learn beyond our own clubs and increase our Toastmasters’ experience in leading teams, planning, hosting and conducting successful events. All these learned skills pay off in the real world environment. You also gain valuable lessons even as a spectator like I have been for the last two years. Being part of District’s 33 leadership team preempts me from participating in contests, but the contests’ memories and impressions from contests in these two years will remain forever. I still remember last year’s International contest in Las Vegas where thousands of Toastmasters from all over the world united. As one of the Contest’s Ambassadors, I got to speak with many Toastmasters and shared my experiences and love for our organization. Our stories were oddly familiar as if we all had a common language regardless of the country we were coming from. We all knew about the contests, the clubs, the speeches and the dreadful Table Topics! Don’t let the contests’ learning opportunities pass you by. Gain more from your Toastmasters’ membership by competing, getting involved and attending as many contests as you can!

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Division E Director Julie Boyce, ACG/ALB

Division F Director Sondra Ahlen, ACB/ALB

“Two Steps Forward One Step Back“.

Division F is growing and “Enabling Dreams”!

That is exactly how it is at this time with my Toastmasters Schedule. Now that my six (6) Area Directors and I have passed the six (6) month period of our twelve (12) month term looking back it’s incredible what has been achieved. First there is getting to know each other, then each of us proving our strengths, a definite desire to be a seven (7) unit group so that we (the group) can support our “Toastmasters” membership of Division E. Officer Training went well, kudos to everybody involved. At the start of our term we had agreed to conduct a conference call each month for us to ensure each of the six (6) Areas of Division E was getting the recognition it needed. Past Contests were held with success and enjoyment. As we are in the waning weeks of our term it’s come to mind that with all the Two Steps Forward and One Step Back is part of the learning process of being the “Caretaker” for this interesting, exciting progressive Division E. I am proud to have six (6) Area Directors who are showing true support and leadership for Division E members. Sincerely. Julie Boyce. ACG, ALB.. Division E Director

Winter was a season of amazing renewal, rebirth, and growth in Division F. Now we Spring into action to continue enabling dreams! We welcome Turlock Chamber Speakers as our newest Division F club. Two years in the works, the club chartered on February 11, 2016 and has already awarded its first Competent Communicator, Samuel Paulissian, CC – a dream come true! Congratulations to New Club Sponsors John Rogers, DTM and Jackie Alford, ACS, ALB, and New Club Mentors Sylvia Kisling, ATMS, CL and Chuck Hooper, CC, along with former club Mentor Jerry Van Houten, DTM, Sam and the entire club. Our formerly at risk Big Shots club has moved to a new location with the support of Club Coach Karen Mous, ACS, ALB and several other Toastmasters dedicated to reforming this club. Big Shots now meets at the UC Merced campus and is open to faculty, staff, graduate students, and community professionals. The club has risen from the ashes back up to 11 members and growing! Next up is a potential new chamber of commerce club in Mariposa, CA. Several community leaders in Mariposa have expressed an interest and informational meetings are scheduled for this month, with a kickoff expected hopefully within the next month. Many other dreams are coming true in Division F including great speech contests, successful officer trainings, educational awards, membership growth, new friends, and greater speaking and leadership skills and confidence. In Division F we are “Enabling Dreams” with a District 33 “Commitment to Excellence”!

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District 33 – Home to a New Dignitary By Dana Wall-Oakley

District 33 is the home of a new Dignitary -

Member Spotlight

Club Growth Director, Guy Dawson, DTM posted on Facebook the other day. He said, “Congratulations to Jesse Oakley III, DTM,PDG on being named Region Advisor (RA) for Region 2. He is an amazing leader who enriches many lives.” Guy is right, so I wanted to find out a little bit more. Being in the position to get more information directly from the source, I asked Jesse a few questions about the position and why he wanted to run for RA.

What is a Region Advisor? Region advisors are operational advisors at the region level who guide and consult district leaders. This can be done by training district leaders at the International Convention and Mid-Year training, visiting districts for marketing support, and working with the district leaders and World Headquarters. What is the choosing process and why were you chosen? First, I had to apply for this role last fall via application. Next, I went through a pre-interview screening where I was asked questions based on my qualifications and availability for this role. Furthermore, I had to take a self-survey and rate myself on different leadership categories. Finally, I went through a long, rigorous interview process where they asked tough questions about my abilities and qualifications. Out of all the people that applied for this position, I believe that I was chosen because they saw something inside me, understood my leadership experience inside and outside of Toastmasters, and believe that I was the best person to take on a role of this magnitude. Why did you want to be RA and why are you happy to be RA for Region 2? It will be a great opportunity to work with the District Leaders of Region 2 as a group, to not only satisfy the distinguished goals, but to accomplish the tasks together as valued communities. By conquering the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, I believe we will become stronger as we go through this wonderful adventure together. If we are great, then life is great!!! I’m happy to serve as Region 2 Advisor because of the awesome people that are in this community. From San Francisco (District 4), to Oregon (District 7), from the Reno-Sacramento-Stockton area (District 39) to Hawaii (District 49), from the Berkley-Oakland-East Bay area (District 57) to San Jose (District 101), and even here in District 33, you can find no greater Toastmasters than this Region!!! If would be an honor to serve these valued communities in this awesome Region!!! What are your plans for your term? Review each district in the region, study the relevant materials, work with the district leader teams and World Headquarters, walk the journey, evaluate the actions of the teams and myself, learn from the success and challenges that need to be conquered, repeat for the future, and continue to be a Toastmaster. The journey is better than the inn. The Region Advisor term is from April 1, 2016 all the way to June 30, 2017. I think he’s going to be fantastic and I’m excited for Jesse Oakley III to be our Region Advisor for Region 2. 12

Division G Director Monica Story, ACB/ALB

Spring has sprung in Division G and we are GROWING and GLOWING as we continue to carry the torch for Toastmaster's in the celebratory 90th year!! Division G has been busy achieving GREAT GOALS and I am happy to report that:  We have trained 80% of our Club Officers during the SECOND ROUND of CLUB OFFICER TRAINING which ended on February 28th.  We are in the middle of TALK UP TOASTMASTERS and many Clubs are conducting Open Houses, creating Meetup.com groups, utilizing and expanding SOCIAL MEDIA and making stellar PRESENTATIONS at community events and organizations to share the gift of Toastmasters with others.  AREA SPEECH CONTESTS are underway!! We are looking forward to our last chance to gather all of our Clubs as a united group when we meet at The Division G Speech Contest on March 19th. With pride, we will crown 2 gifted speakers to send to the District 33 Conference in Las Vegas on May 7th. May the best speakers prevail!!  Division G Area Directors are working diligently to conduct their Club visits as we strive to meet our year end goal of all Clubs reaching Distinguished or better by June 30th.  Division G is planning to launch 2 New Clubs, ITT Club and Olam Spice Club by June 30th. Teamwork is the key to great achievements and Division G is proud to have a GREAT team in place as we Grow and Glow toward our Goal!! We are also proud to keep the Core Values of: Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence alive as we lead and succeed in this 2015-2016 third quarter!! Happy Spring from Division G to all of District 33!! Monica Story, ACB,ALB….Division G Director

Division H Director Stany Larsen, ACB/CL

Here we are into a New Year; I can’t believe we are ½ way through the 2015-2016 term. I want to thank my dedicated group of Area Directors: Barbara Westhoff, (H3); Lauren Scheer, (H-2); Benjamin Weeks, (H-4); James Russell, (H-5) and JR Wilson, (H-1). As a team we have come a long way in personal development and leadership growth. PARTICIPATION: We also have applications in for the 2016-2017 leadership team: Division H Director and all five (5) Area Directors! The candidates for the future team are attending the monthly Area Director meetings. The candidates are also working on forming a club building committee. Division H member participation, commitment and drive is the reason Division H has some of the most successful clubs in the Las Vegas Valley. Congratulations to our current top five (5): 1. Vegas Young Professionals (VYP) 42 members 2. Bachelors & Bachelorettes (B&B) 34 members 3. Blue Flame 28 members 4. Safety First 24 members 5. Henderson Toastmasters 23 members WAY TO GO TEAM!!!! 100% of Division H Clubs obtained the DCP point for 4 or more club officers trained at TLI. Thirteen (13) clubs can boast 100% club Officers trained. Eight clubs received the coveted 100% pink banner ribbon for Officers trained at TLI. Remember there is a direct correlation between club success and club Officers attending TLI. Make sure your club Officers attend TLI. Final news: Division H had distributed a set of Lance Miller tapes to each club via the Area Directors; one CD on club growth and one on how to promote and market your club. If your club hasn’t received your set please contact me or your Area Director. We are building a strong foundation for our future growth. THANK YOU FOR being a proud Division H, District 33, Toastmaster International MEMBER.

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Division J Director Anthony Aleta, ACB/ALB Welcome back from the holiday season. The second half of the Toastmaster year is well underway. The challenges between where we are and goals that we set at New Year's (preferably earlier!) now lay in front of us. For some, there may be few obstacles remaining. For others, perhaps more challenging ones. For the leaders that we all are as Toastmasters and the leaders we are capable of becoming, these all represent opportunities to measure how far we each have come by delivering on these promises to ourselves and each other! I get to support with the Toastmaster-specific goals and I might have said celebrating with you is one of my favorite parts of being Division J Director. I would like to recognize the following clubs for earning at least 6 DCP Club points (as of 3/17/2016) and show strong promise to be confirmed as Distinguished Clubs after the March Dues collection cycle: Simi Valley Toastmasters Moorpark Toastmasters Toastmac'ers Rhetorical Link Toastmasters Club Powerful Voices Club Amgen Noon Talkers Club Daybreakers of Westlake Club Finally, my warmest congratulations to a couple of Toastmasters whom I've come to respect greatly in Division J. Both have recently attained the highest distinction Toastmasters can attain, Distinguished Toastmaster: Marianne Bastecki, DTM Dan Waldman, DTM I look forward to celebrating more of your successes as we close in on June. In the meantime, keep striving for excellence and supporting one another to success!

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Technology Corner Toastmasters on the GO By Dana Wall-Oakley, DTM Do you have the new Toastmasters Mobil App? It can be found in both the Apple Store and the Play Store, so whether you have an iPhone or a Galaxy or something else you can access Toastmasters on the Go. Once you have downloaded the app, you login with your Toastmasters.org login information. The available functions for use at your club meetings are a Timer, an Ah Counter, and a grammarian function. Using your login information for Toastmasters International gives this app access to all the clubs of which you are a member. For example, if you are the meeting timer, look at the “Change Clubs” section and ensure the club name for your current meeting is reflected. If not, tap on the circle and change to the appropriate club. Tap on “Timer”, tap on the Drop down menu to “Select a Member”, then tap on the speech type. This populates the time, which you can change if you need. Tap Start when the speaker begins. Notice that the screen changes to Green, Yellow and Red at the appropriate times. Tap Stop when the speaker finishes. Anything you track can be found in the History tab, for yourself and for all your club members. Here is a link to the Toastmaster’s website, Mobile App instructional video and FAQ’s if you need assistance with using this awesome app. https://www.toastmasters.org/Membership/Club-MeetingRoles/Mobile-App

Education Corner Resources from Toastmasters International There is a plethora of free resources available at Toastmasters.org. Visit this website and click Resources. The links listed will help you find anything you might be looking for from Toastmasters International. Many of these resources are downloadable. Toastmasters International also has a podcast. http://www.toastmasterspodcast.com/ If you are interested in starting a new club, this link will help. It’s the New Club E-toolkit: http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/OfficerResour ces/ClubOfficerResources/NewClubEtoolkit.aspx This link will help your club with Membership Building, scroll down the page to Resources: https://www.toastmasters.org/LeadershipCentral/Club-Officer-Tools/Membership-Building If you prefer to watch videos, this link will give you video resources – http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/Fr eeResources/ToastmastersTimeTestedCommunicationT ipsonVideo.aspx Many of the educational materials available in the shop are downloadable, search for manuals, flyers, and other pamphlets at this link – http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/Sh op/ManualsBooksVideosCDs_1.aspx Visit Toastmasters.org for resources - Educational Materials, District & Division reports, Membership Materials, etc. to help build membership and educate your club members.

Ask Dana By Dana Wall-Oakley, DTM / CGW (Computer Guru/Webmaster) Several years ago, Toastmasters International introduced a whole new set of logos and colors, called Branding. They requested that all clubs everywhere use these approved logos and colors. Are you using them? Do you know where to find them? Go to the TI website, Toastmasters.org click on Leadership Central, then click on “Logos, Images and Templates.” The above link will take you directly to that page. If you want a logo or any of the Design Elements, such as the “Rays” or “Call-outs” (you have seen these used in this newsletter), click on Logo and Design Elements. To view the item, click on one of the three options under the title of the item. For example, to get the TI color logo, go to the Logo column and click (.jpg) next to the first word, "color." This will open the logo in a new window. To use this logo, right click and save it to your computer. You can use any of the Design Elements or Templates the same way. To use them in a document, go to the Insert tab, click on Picture. Search for the item you saved and click Open. It will insert into the document. There are also many options for Stationery, Newsletters and Flyers available to clubs. Click on the item you wish to use, it will open as a PDF form. Enter your club’s information and print. Voila, instant flyer. You can also save these to your computer for later use. Have fun playing with the Logos and Design Elements and feel free to contact me via email with any questions – [email protected]. Thanks.

District #33 in Region 2 Central California Southern Nevada

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