Toastmasters District 84 Division A

Area 10 & 14 Contest is a Night of Stars

2011-03-29T10:43:00.013-04:00

Congratulations to all the contestants in the "Night of Stars" theme Area 10 & 14 contest held on Friday, March 25th at Piccadilly Restaurant on Monument Road in Jacksonville, FL. It's always a great experience to step out of the comfort zone of your club and participate in an area contest. Tonight we saw the stars!

Contestants from left to right with the Division & Area Governors: Delores Beamon, Mavis Wiley, Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor), Marilyn Fenton-Harmer, Earl Kitchings, Bob Haataia (Division A Governor), Jose Lepervanche, Shawne Jackson, Leah Yisrael, Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Governor), Nicole Kent.

And congratulations to this evening's winners:

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Governor) congratulate Leah Yisrael from the new club PRU Speak Easy who took second place in Area 10 Table Topics.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Governor) congratulate Top O' the Rock's Nicole Kent who took first place in Area 10 Table Topics.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Governor) congratulate Top O' the Rock's Jose Lepervanche who took first place in the Area 10 International Speech Contest for his speech entitled "The Finish Line."

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulate Mavis Wiley who took second place in Area 14 Table Topics.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulate Earl Kitchings who took first place in Area 14 Table Topics.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulate Mavis Wiley who took second place in the Area 14 International Speech Contest.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulate Delores Beamon who took first place in the Area 14 International Speech Contest.

One important lesson we learn in Toastmasters is that nothing happens without leaders. Special thanks go tonight to Lori Bair (Contest Chair) and to Robert Hinson (Contest Master). Pictured here: Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor), Lori Bair, Robert Hinson, and Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Governor).

District 84 Division A International Speech and Table Topic’s Contests

2011-03-23T16:15:00.001-04:00

Prepare to be Inspired!

Come and hear Jacksonville’s finest inspirational speakers. It’s a contest to see who is the best.

Division A International Speech and Table Topics contest

April 23th 11:30am,

Comfort Inn

1515 North 1st Street, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

It’s contest season! Check back often to find out the Date, Time, & Locations of the contests in Jacksonville.

2011-01-24T10:39:00.001-05:00

	Club Name	Location	Date	Time
10	Top O' The Rock Toastmasters Club
10	Jax FOB Toastmasters Club
10	Jacksonville Bullmasters
10	Humana Huzzah Toastmasters
11	Arlington Club	Mimi’s Cafe – St. John’s Towncenter	2/22	7AM
11	Toastmasters at JEA	21 West Church Street	2/15	12PM
11	Baywood Toastmasters	Baywood Ctr, Suite 580 9428 Baymeadows Rd.	2/24	12PM
11	The VyStar Articulation Sensation Club	4949 Blanding Blvd	2/16	6PM
12	JIA Club	14201 Pecan Park Road	2/25	12PM
12	North Jax Toastmasters Club
12	Jacksonville University Toastmasters Club
12	EverBank Innovators
13	CSX Toastmasters Club	500 Water Street	3/1	12PM
13	Castle.com Toastmasters Club	Prudential Bldg, 701 San Marco Blvd, 12th Flr. For access to Contest, Contact Secretary Paul Stevenson, 232-3747 or President, Murika Davis 232-1604	2/16	12PM
13	Toastmasters at Aetna on the South Bank (Voices of the Southbank)	841 Prudential Drive, 4th Floor Conference Room	1/27	12PM
13	Talk of Amelia Toastmasters Club
14	Lillian R. Bradley Toastmasters Club	The Ritz Theatre and Museum 829 N. Davis St.	2/22	6PM
14	Toastmasters at UF & Shands	Tower II, 10th Floor	2/17	12PM
14	City of Jacksonville Club	Ed Ball Bldg. - 1st Flr.Training Rm. 214 N. Hogan St.	2/15	12PM
14	Northern Star Toastmasters	No contest but contestants can practice and be evaluated by advanced members	2/19	9AM
14	Toast to DB

Area Contests

Div	Area	Location	Date	Time
A	10	Piccadilly 200 Monument Road	3/25/11	6:00PM
A	11	Vystar - 4949 Blanding Blvd,	3/19/11
	12	JIA, Admin bldg, 2nd Fl Training Rm. 14201 Pecan Park Rd	3/19/11
A	13	JIA, Admin bldg, 2nd Fl Training Rm. 14201 Pecan Park Rd	3/19/11
A	14	Piccadilly 200 Monument Road	3/25/11	6:00PM

Division A International Speech and Table Topic’s contest, April 23th 11:30am, Comfort Inn 1515 North 1st Street, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

District 84 Table Topics Contest, May 20th, 7:00 PM, The Westin Hotel in Lake Mary, Florida

District 84 International Speech Contest, May 21st, 7:00 PM, The Westin Hotel in Lake Mary, Florida

Yet another great Toastmasters Leadership Institute – Kollege of Knowledge

2011-01-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

Check out our facebook page for all the photo’s.

If you missed it, here is the District Trio Welcome. Hear what District 84 Governor DTM Scott Hoehn, Lieutenant Governor of Education DTM Jim Miller, and Lieutenant Governor of Marketing DTM Dennis Wooldridge have to say about leading a toastmasters club.

See International Director DTM Dave Hollingshead give a speech around how Effective Evaluations can turn around your club.

Hear from Past Toastmasters International President Bob Blakeley deliver an inspiring Keynote Address.

Area 14 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests

2010-10-02T10:58:00.001-04:00

Cheryl Brannan (Past Area 7 Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) hosted the inaugural event for this newly created Area in Division A, District 84, on Saturday, October 2, 2010, at the Towers of UF&Shands. Toastmaster Brannan did an exceptional job coordinating this event that served as her High Performance Leadership project.

Juana Gifford (Sergeant at Arms) - Cheryl Brannan - Brenda Minier - Tina Swanson (Registration) - Frances Powers (Contest Master)
In addition to the above volunteers the following contributed to make this event a success: Jackie Kern (Area 12 Governor), Adrienne Tyson (Area 13 Governor), Wanda Brown (Past District Governor), Wayne Blackburn (Evaluation Contest Test Speaker), Jeannie Hardwick, Willie Clowers, Mavis Wiley, Sandeep Dar, Ming Xiang, Stephanie Sundberg, Patti Reed, Elgin Foreman, Linda Maxwell, Mario Chatman, and Peter Michaud. Many, many thanks to all of you.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulates Stephanie Sundberg who placed 2^nd in both the Humorous Speech and the Evaluation contest.

Bob Haataia (Division A Governor) and Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor) congratulates Robert Hinson who placed 1st in both the Humorous Speech and the Evaluation contest.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 14^th, at 7pm in the North Jacksonville Church of God to hear the best speakers and evaluators in Division A.
Submitted by Brenda Minier

Division A Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests

2010-10-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

Division A Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest!

When: Thursday, October 14th at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30PM

Where: North JAX Church of God

7600 Kenya St.

Jacksonville, FL 32208

Please Register Early HERE

Tofflemire & Haley Take the Lead in Area 10 & 11 Contest

2010-09-30T22:35:00.010-04:00

Toastmasters Jim Tofflemire & Fred Haley took the lead in the Area 10 & 11 Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests hosted by Top O' the Rock Toastmasters at Midtown Centre Business Park in Jacksonville, FL on September 30, 2010. Jim served as the Contest Chair and Fred stepped in from Division F to serve as the Contest Master.

Fred Haley congratulates Evaluation Contestants Bruce Warner, Craig Smiley, Beth Pavlicberry, Mike Bennett and Judi Williams.

Fred Haley congratulates Humorous Speech Contestants: Bruce Warner, Howard Johnson, Gerald Elias, Brian Berry and Shirley Barton. Natasha McKie also participated, but was unable to stay through the end of the contest.

Fred Haley, Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Goveror), and Jim Tofflemire congratulate Beth Pavlicberry for taking first place in the Area 10 Evaluation Contest.

Fred Haley, Lorraine Haataia (Area 10 Goveror), and Jim Tofflemire congratulate Gerard Elias for first place and Brian Berry for second place in the Area 10 Humorous Speech Contest.

Fred Haley, Linton Mcclain (Area 11 Goveror), and Jim Tofflemire congratulate Judy Williams for first place and Craig Smiley for second place in the Area 11 Evaluation Contest.

Fred Haley, Linton Mcclain (Area 11 Goveror), and Jim Tofflemire congratulate Bruce Warner for first place and Shirley Barton for second place in the Area 11 Humorous Speech Contest.

Special thanks also go to additional volunteers who helped to make this a successful event: Bob Haataia (Division A Governor), Brenda Minier (Area 14 Governor), David Sgambettera (Area 10 Assistant Governor & Contest Test Speaker), Leah Campian, Karen Henry, Reggie Johnson (Jacksonville Bullmasters President), Andrea Siracusa, and Donna Tofflemire.

Bob Clayton, Lorraine Haataia's father, was a first-time Toastmasters visitor at the contest. Fred Haley led the group with the Happy Birthday tune for Bob's 82nd birthday the following day. Bob said he enjoyed the contest and all the funny speeches.

We eagerly await all the good laughs and great evaluations to come at the Division A Contest on Thursday, October 14th at the North Jacksonville Church of God at 7 pm. See you there!

Recognizing members and doing business with other toastmasters.

2010-09-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

Want to recognize members in your club? Someone achieve DTM? What about that person who brought the most members? Here is your chance to recognize all their hard work.

If you own a business and want to do business with other toastmasters, you have an opportunity to make them aware of your business. Be sure to get your AD into the Fall Conference book.

Click here for all the details.

Mark your calendars! It’s Area contest season! Let the fun begin.

2010-09-14T14:01:00.001-04:00

Area 10 & Area 11 Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests

Thursday September 30th

6:30pm

Top o’ the Rock - Midtown Centre

Business Park Community Room #151

4040 Woodcock Drive, Building 2200 Jacksonville, FL. 32207

Cost: $5.00

Area 14 Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contest

Saturday, October 2nd

8:30 AM

UF & Shands Towers

580 West 8th Street, 2nd Floor

Charter Theatre

Cost: $5.00

Mark you calendars and come on out and root for your favorite Toastmasters. (And be ready to laugh)

Fall in Love with Laughter

2010-08-25T15:29:00.001-04:00

Areas 12 and 13

Humorous Speech

& Speech Evaluation

Contests

September 18, 2010 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Jacksonville Aviation Authority

14201 Pecan Park Road 2nd Floor

50/50 Raffles – Food – Fun – Registration $5

Click “Here” for the flyer

Calling all coaches and mentors!

2010-08-21T09:11:00.001-04:00

Toastmasters is growing in Jacksonville

The Division A team has a goal to start 5 new clubs this year. One for each area. If you have ideas for new clubs, make sure to contact your area governor. We are working several leads, but it’s never a problem to have more.

There are already several opportunities to be a club coach, mentor, or sponsor and more will be opening up soon. We recently had a successful kick-off at BNI of NE Florida and there are more to follow. The key to a successful club getting off on the right foot or getting back on the right track is having seasoned toastmasters there to help guide the club to success.

You ever feel like Jack Del Rio? You know the right play to call at the right time? You get to DTM, but still want to grow your leadership skills? You looking to give back to your community? Whether you are DTM or not, we can use your help. Please contact your area governor and get involved. It’s something you’ll never regret.

For more information about being a club coach “click here”

For more information on being a club mentor “click here”

For more information on starting a new club and being a sponsor “click here”

There are training materials for all three located here.

Any questions? Want to get involved? Please contact your area or division governor.

Kollege of Knowledge - Part II

2010-08-06T17:27:00.002-04:00

CORRECTION:
In case you missed it, we are holding a Kollege of Knowledge - Part II!

As a Toastmasters Club Officer, when you were inducted into office, you promised to attend Officer training, now here's your last chance to get credit for your DCP point! Don't miss this opportunity to learn from others those skills that will make your club successful. Things are constantly improving, so even if you've attended training before you'll learn something new.

NOTE: To receive credit for training you must attend the entire session.

When: Tuesday, August 24th. 6:30PM

Where:

Midtown Centre Business Park (off Beach Blvd, across from Kuhn Flowers)

Building 2200, Community Room #151

4040 Woodcock Drive

Jacksonville, FL

Click here to register

Jacksonville team serves up another successful Toastmasters Leadership Institute

2010-08-04T22:35:00.002-04:00

Guidance Committee for July 24, 2010, Kollege of Knowledge included: Bob Haataia, Lorraine Haataia, Fanie Botha, and David Sturgis

The function of the Guidance Committee is just as the title implies, to guide, and not to instruct the TLI Chairman. As a result the TLI Chairman has the opportunity to develop leadership skills and instruct multiply committees.

Brenda Minier Functioned as TLI Arrangement Chairman

Area 14 Governor

Is the liaison with the site facilities personnel and the Kollege of Knowledge coordinators. The lines of communication are established well in advance of the event to provide ample time to entirely understand all the details about the use of the meeting spaces.
Keep the communication open with the site facilities personnel and conduct an on-site walk-through meeting well in advance of the event to get a complete understanding of which rooms will be used, when to unlock and lock them, operation of lights, the availability of easels, flip charts, dry/erase markers and equipment.
Work with the Food/Hospitality Chairman to understand the quantity of tables available, size and quantity of table covers (if needed), and time when the room will be available for use.

Enlist a team of volunteers and make sure that they know well in advance the location of the event, how to get there, and the need to be present at the volunteer briefing to be held 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Enlist a team of volunteers that will help set up rooms preferably 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. These volunteers will be available to troubleshoot as needed during the sessions in the different rooms.
Enlist a team of volunteers to print and post at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event directional signs, restroom signs, and breakout room’s signs that will facilitate navigating the facilities.
Enlist a team of volunteers to help restore the facilities after the sessions are over according to the specified requirements from the facilities personnel.

Fred Haley and Nagaragan Pillai Functioned as TLI Scheduling Chairman

Distinguished Toastmaster (Haley)

Member (Pillai)

Fred Haley and Nagaragan Pillai accepted the challenge to prepare a schedule and agenda for the Kollege of Knowledge that would meet the training needs of all attendees.
Recognizing the inherent conflicts and limitations, then coordinated closely with all presenters and committee chairs for rooms, facilitators, equipment and related arrangements to ensure an enjoyable and educational training session.

Lori Green Functioned as TLI Promotions and Feedback Chairman

Area 63 Governor

Promotions & Feedback: Responsible for advertising the event by preparing a promotional flyer and making sure it is distributed to the Division/Area governors to get the word out to the club officers and members. Create a registration site (example, Survey Monkey) to include questions to identify the individual, club, area, division and role, as well as volunteer preferences.
Prepared a brief overall survey for the TLI event that asks about the participants facility, registration, event promotion, session topics, food/hospitality, facilitators, greeters, and TLI overall.

Survey should also include two open-ended questions: 1) What did you like most about this TLI event? 2) What is the one thing you’d like to recommend to improve the next TLI? Note on the feedback form a reminder for people to turn in the form at the closing session to be entered into the raffle drawing.

Recruited individuals to pass out the survey at the beginning of the event, and collect at the end. Form provided an incentive award to be drawn at the end of the meeting for those that turn in the survey.

Elizabeth Earnest Functioned as TLI Food & Hospitality Chairman

Member

Responsible for the set up and purchasing of healthy refreshments for Kollege of Knowledge participants.
Responsible for clean up.
I worked with registrations chair to get a count of participants and budget for food accordingly.
Set up 90 minutes before event with volunteers.
Brewed coffee 60 minutes before event.

Jimmy Millhollin Functioned as TLI Greeters & Photographers Chairman

Area 62 Governor

Lead a group of energized, enthusiastic greeters who welcomed Kollege of Knowledge participants.
I instructed the lead photographer to secure numerous photos that represent the event.
Briefing with greeters and lead photographer was held 30 minutes before event.
Instructed lead photographer to upload in a format for online viewing such as Face book

Danica Djuric Functioned as TLI Financial Chairman

Member

As the financial chair my primary responsibilities were to oversee the budget and end with a breakeven situation.

I recruited volunteers to assist with raffle tickets.

Worked with registration chairman to compile final accounting of all money collected and paid out. Distribute to chairmen and district governors within 48 hours after the close of the event.

Gail Antoine Functioned as TLI Facilitators Chairman

District 84 Secretary

Distinguished Toastmaster

Recruit at least one facilitator for each training session
Conduct the facilitator briefing is at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event
Educate each facilitator on their responsibility in each room
Provide each facilitator with facilitator packets
Ensure facilitators 1) tally the “overall rating” on each presenter, 2) scan/review the presentation feedback forms making notes on any feedback for the Facilitators Chairman

Adrienne Tyson Functioned as TLI Registrations & Volunteer Recruitment Chairman

Area 13 Governor

As Chairperson for Registration and Volunteer Recruitment my responsibilities included recruiting volunteers to assist with registering attendees.
Collected registration fees, distributed agendas, and directed attendees in the direction of the main gathering area before the official opening of this event.
Briefed volunteers on various concerns that may

arise from attendees and how to respond. Overall, this position was an exercise in team work. It required cooperating with other chairpersons to make this event a success.

Jacqueline Kern Functioned as TLI Chairman
Area 12 Governor

The role of the TLI Chairman is to staff volunteers, oversee the project, and ensure the overall success of the Toastmasters Leadership Training.

Key responsibilities include:

Analyze and follow guidelines provided in Toastmasters International High Performance Leadership Development Program.
Select a guidance committee consisting of a minimum of three people with prior experience leading a Toastmasters Leadership Institute event.
Enlist the help of committee chairs teams to oversee all the major areas of the event.
Organize and distribute a chairman contact sheet including all phone numbers, e-mails and photos.
Create a vision, mission, values, goals, project plan, and timetables for the event. Share with committee chairs and ask for feedback.
Arrange and conduct guidance committee meetings in all five stages of the event from the beginning to the end of the event including the presentations and the results.
Describe responsibilities of all chairmen positions and work with chairs to make modifications as needed.
Conduct progress review meetings with chairs.
Deal with obstacles, setbacks and problems as they arise.
Acknowledge and thank chairmen and guidance committee at the Toastmaster Leadership Institute training.
Pass on “lessons learned” from the event to the next TLI event chairman.
Give two presentations to Toastmasters club: One during the vision, mission, core values, planning and preparation stages, and second to presenting the results of the event.
Communicate results and documents with next TLI Chairman to for continuous improvement of this event.

Comments from fellow Toastmasters assist in our growth to become better communicators and leaders. The July 24, 2010 TLI had the following positive outcomes:

Officer attendance was 75%, exceeding the expectation.

An 11:30 a.m. dismissal was a bonus.

The food presentation was outstanding, and the food was great.

Promotion of a 50/50 grand prize and a $100 gift card was a nice change in prize give-a-ways.

Having the District Trio at the Kollege of Knowledge was a definite plus. The DCP training class should be added for future Kollege of Knowledge sessions.

Participants enjoyed the professionalism, high energy, and enthusiasm.

Event was completed on time, within budget, and was successful.

Ideas from Jacqueline to improve future TLI events:

Registration for future Kollege of Knowledge training sessions should have an early registration fee of $5. After one week late registration would be $7.

Encourage District Officers to register early.

Offer the description of classes and biography of presenters two weeks before the Kollege of Knowledge.

Division A Reporter

2010-08-03T10:53:00.000-04:00

Stacey Dingman has volunteered to server as our Division A reporter. Be sure to share with her any and all stories. We want Division A press within the District and we want our Division to be heard. Let's celebrate our members success and help provide recognition for their hard work.

Mark your calendars! Division A & F Kollege of Knowledge

2010-07-05T21:55:00.001-04:00

Want to learn to lead? You don't have to do it alone. Leadership is one of the most sought after skills in business today. Join us on July 24th and learn to become a leader in your club.

Officer training is vital to success in performing your toastmasters leadership role. Even if you've been through the training before, more than likely it's been updated. Attend the training and help your club achieve it's DCP points.

Don't just try for the minimum 4 of 7 officers trained, go for the 7 of 7 officers trained.

Saturday, July 24th
8:00am - 11:30 am
The Towers
(UF & Shands Campus)
10th Floor
580 W. 8th Street
Jacksonville, FL

$5.00 Cash only admission (includes Breakfast)
Click Here to Register

The "District 84 Trio" will be there.
Take the opportunity to meet District Governor Scott Hoehn, Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training (LGET) Jim Miller and Lieutenant Governor of Marketing (LGM) Dennis Wooldridge. They are here to support you. Have any questions how to jump start your club? Need more members? Need new ideas? Bring all your questions.

Click here to download the flyer
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Toastmasters Leadership Institute

2010-07-02T16:41:00.002-04:00

Calling all Toastmasters! District Toastmasters Leadership Institute on July 10th in Winter Park, FL

Leadership is the most sought after skill in today's competitive business environment. You have an opportunity to learn how to lead a toastmasters club and much much more.

(Click for Details) (Click for Directions)

The Reporter in you...

2010-06-21T08:29:00.001-04:00

Division A is seeking a committed, creative Toastmaster who will actively serve as our "Division Reporter".

You will

Stimulating the collection, sharing and distribution of articles, pictures and resources re: people and events happening within your Division
Participating in telephone calls and/or huddles at District events (TMIs or conferences) to set directions and share ideas for creating tools
Channeling articles/ideas and requests for assistance to the “Reporter Chair” for resources and solutions from within the District and its Divisions
Responding to messages/communications and to achieve goals by creating communication tools (posters, handbills, etc. ) to be used by our District Clubs and their members

If your interested contact Division A Governor Elect Bob Haataia

New Team trained and ready to go to work!

2010-06-18T15:32:00.003-04:00

The Division A governors are ready to serve.

Last weekend, on June 11th and 12th, your Division A leadership team came together in Orlando with the other District 84 executive leadership team to prepare for the upcoming 2010-2011 Toastmasters year. We are trained and ready to go.

Your leadership team consists of (Pictured left to right) Area 10 Governor Lorraine Haataia, Area 12 Governor Jackie Kern, Area 14 Governor Brenda Minier, Area 13 Governor Adrienne Tyson, Area 11 Governor Linton McClain, and Division A Governor Bob Haataia.

We are the "A Team" and are here to serve. The mission of District 84 leadership team is to enhance the performance and extend the network of Clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program by:

Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District educational and membership goals.
Ensuring that each Club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its members.
Providing effective training and leadership opportunities for Club and District officers.

It's all about the members. We are here to improve the experience for each and every member of Toastmasters in Division A. Don't hesitate to reach out to your new Area Governor and get to know them.

Be sure to checkout our facebook fan page.

Come Join Area 10 Toastmasters for a "Night Out"

2010-03-05T11:13:00.004-05:00

International Speech and Table Topics Contests Friday, March 26th - 6:15pm.
Piccadilly at Regency Mall.
200 Monument Road
Jacksonville, FL 32225

For more information and to register, click here

Cartwright, Haataia and Dingman(s) Serve as Guidance Committee to TLI Chair

2010-02-26T09:04:00.016-05:00

Dr. Lorraine Haataia served as TLI Chairman for Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) on February 6, 2010. Her High Performance Leadership (HPL) guidance committee members included Shari Cartwright, Bob Haataia and Lenny Dingman. Here's what Lorraine appreciated about her guidance committee members:

Distinguished Toastmaster, Shari Cartwright, had a lot of great advice to offer me, but the most notable was one memorable email she sent me. When I was in the middle of rushing to answer the many emails that were going back and forth among the chairmen the few days preceding TLI, I received this advice from Shari. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think:

You are doing a great job! One suggestion on your email below – the first sentence feels harsh so for the future, I suggest you try to “soften” it a little. For example, I saw this as something you would handle and I apologize if I failed to inform you. If you don’t have time before tomorrow, please ask someone on your team to help out.”

One thing I learned from a past, great manager I had, if someone doesn’t know they were supposed to do something then it is your fault for not telling them. That’s why that statement with the apology. Even if you know you told them, then the apology would be something like “I apologize if I was not clear…”.

Shari reminded me of a universal truth--that regardless of how busy we get, we need to take the time to be considerate of, and thankful for, our leaders. And as a leader, we need to remember that the ultimate success of any project is a reflection of our own communication and leadership skills. Great leaders become great one activity at a time, repeatedly done well.

One other good piece of advice from Shari was to "cut the bananas in half."

When I first read this short email that Shari passed on to the Food & Hospitality Chairman, it struck me as funny. After I thought about it a while, however, I realized that we all have good ideas and prior experience that we bring to large events like this and this one little piece of advice can help to reduce food waste and cut the banana budget in half!

Thank you Shari!

Distinguished Toastmaster Bob Haataia served as Area 11 Governor last year and led the last TLI held in summer 2009. From July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, I had the opportunity to see him carry out not only his duties as an area governor, but also take on the additional role as TLI Chairman.

Sitting in on his guidance committee meetings gave me a good preview of the many details involved in running TLI. Since it was still fairly fresh on his mind, he was a likely candidate to serve as one of my HPL guidance committee members.

Toastmasters is a fabulous organization, in part because it attracts people who are on a personal growth mission, people who are willing to humble themselves through feedback from peers, and people who are willing to laugh at and learn from their mistakes. And Toastmasters is even more fun if you have the privilege of sharing the experience with your spouse, when you have the opportunity to share the Toastmasters mission and credo to "have fun doing it!"

Not only did Bob serve as a daily sounding board for me as I planned the most recent TLI, he also conducted a TLI session on Social Networking.

Thank you Bob!

Area 11 Governor, Lenny Dingman, is always willing to roll up his sleeves and help out however he can. That's exactly what he did once again. Not only did he serve as one of my guidance committee members, he also served as the Greeters & Photographers Chairman, and as one of the TLI presenters. And if you know Lenny, you know that he did it all with a smile!

What strikes me most about Lenny is his willingness to serve fellow Toastmasters. His wife, Division A Governor, and Distinguished Toastmaster Stacey Dingman, is just the same. Between the two of them, they will do whatever it takes to get the job done. You can count on it!

Lenny, Bob and Stacey were all instrumental in carrying out the last TLI and were equally helpful in making sure that everything went well with this TLI. In fact, I got a two-for-one deal with Lenny on my guidance committee because I got just as much help and guidance from Stacey in the process. And because this event was held at UF Shands, Stacey also went the extra mile to make sure everything related to our site went over well from start to finish.

What do I remember most about Lenny? Well, I think it's the funny tie he wore with blue scrubs when he showed up at one of our Baywood Toastmasters meetings for his area governor visits in September. He reminded all the guys about the importance of dressing for success!

Seriously though, what I think of most when I think of Lenny, is that regardless of what we choose to do, we need to remember to "have fun doing it!"

Thank you Lenny, and thank you Stacey!

Last Chance Training 2.22.10

2010-02-16T14:49:00.006-05:00

If you missed out on the TLI trainings in January and on February 6th, then we have ONE LAST CHANCE FOR YOU to get TRAINED.

The Division A Last Chance Training will take place on:

Monday, February 22nd

6:30-8:30PM

Jacksonville Aviation Authority Admin Bldg.

14201 Pecan Park Rd.

DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE to learn about your officer position and help your Club as the same time.

RSVP with your Area Governor TODAY!!!

Lenny Dingman Serves as TLI Greeters & Photographers Chairman

2010-02-06T22:43:00.001-05:00

Greeters & Photographers Chairman
Lenny Dingman (Area 11 Governor)

The purpose of this position is to lead a group of smiling, informed greeters who welcome everyone, and to oversee the head photographer to ensure that we have plenty of photos available after the event. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Recruit greeters to welcome participants and answer their questions. Communicate with them well in advance of the event so that they know when and where to show up for the volunteer briefing.
Recruit a lead photographer to communicate with volunteer photographers so that they understand their role well in advance of the event.
Conduct a greeter volunteer briefing at least 30 minutes prior to the event start time so that volunteers can answer just about any question from “where’s the bathroom” to “do we have sweet & lo” to “what sessions should I attend?” Encourage greeters to help troubleshoot for chairmen, volunteers, or participants as needed. Ask greeter volunteers to encourage people to look at the raffle table and buy raffle tickets.
Lead a group of smiling, informed greeters who answer participant questions and help everyone feel welcome.
Ensure that your lead photographer conducts a briefing for the volunteers at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event, including providing them with instructions on where to upload the photos within 48 hours after the close of the event.
Follow up with lead photographer to confirm that s/he compiled all the photos in one location in a format on the web that’s simple for everyone to access such as Facebook, Picassa or any other similar tool. Email the link to the TLI Chairmen and to the Division and Area Governors, encouraging them to pass photos on to club Public Relations VPs so they can post photos to their websites and social media sites.

Gail Antoine Serves as TLI Facilitators Chairman

2010-02-06T22:40:00.003-05:00

Facilitators Chairman
Gail Antoine (Area 61 Governor)

The purpose of this position is ensure that each presenter begins their session on time with a proper introduction and ends with enough time for participants to complete their presentation evaluation forms. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Recruit volunteers to print the facilitator’s packets and ensure that they’re there well in advance of the facilitator briefing session on the day of the training. If possible, recruit volunteers who can also donate the printing. These include sign-in sheets, evaluation forms, thank you certificates for the speakers and so on. It’s helpful if you have at least one person with prior experience so they can explain it to any new volunteers. It’s critical that officers sign-in for the training session pertaining to their current officer role in order for their club to receive credit. For facilitators who currently hold an office in their club, ask them to review the schedule in advance to be sure that they aren’t facilitating during a time when they need to be in the session for their officer session.
Recruit facilitators who will ensure that each training session begins with the proper introduction of the presenter and ends with adequate time for participants to complete a presenter evaluation form. Facilitators should also remind presenters that they need to use the entire time allotted for the training session.
Coordinate with Scheduling Chairman to ensure that we have at least one facilitator for each training session, and include a few extra in case they’re needed.
Schedule a facilitators briefing session with your volunteers and communicate with them well in advance of the training so that they know when and where to go for the briefing.
Conduct a facilitator briefing session at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. Ensure that facilitators are given facilitators packets and fully briefed on their responsibilities.
Recruit volunteers to 1) tally the “overall rating” on each presenter, 2) scan/review the presentation feedback forms making notes on any extremely positive or negative feedback for the Facilitators Chairman, 3) then pass the feedback forms on to the presenters in the closing session before they leave that day.
Recruit a volunteer to compile a summary of the overall ratings & number of attendees for presenters & email to all the chairmen and division governors within 48 hours of the close of the event.

Sheema Shaik Serves as TLI Registration & Volunteer Recruitment Chairman

2010-02-06T22:38:00.001-05:00

Registration & Volunteer Recruitment Chairman
Sheema Shaik (Area 60 Governor)

The purpose of this position is to coordinate registration and volunteer recruitment. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Provide a means for people to begin registering and volunteering to assist with this event several weeks prior to TLI, such as SurveyMonkey.
Send regular updates to fellow chairmen so they can contact people who volunteered to help in their area of responsibility.
Share a draft of the registration form with fellow chairmen to review prior to its distribution.
Post a large “REGISTRATION” sign above the registration table so that people can easily see it when they first enter.
Recruit volunteers to collect registration money and to arrive 30-45 minutes in advance of the start time to ensure that all registration moneys are collected as volunteers and participants begin to arrive.
Brief the registration table volunteers prior to the start of the event so that they’ll be able to answer simple questions, such as “where are the volunteer briefings?” or “where is the bathroom?”
It’s easiest to run the event on a “cash only” basis, but it’s important to coordinate with the Finance Chairman in advance of the event so that volunteers know how to handle questions such as “Can I use my MasterCard?” or “Can I write one check to cover all the officers in my club?”

Linton Mcclain Serves as TLI Food & Hospitality Chairman

2010-02-06T22:29:00.001-05:00

Food & Hospitality Chairman
Linton Mcclain (Baywood Club President)

The purpose of this position is to coordinate the purchasing and set up a variety of food and drinks so that all participants can enjoy refreshments throughout the event. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Coordinate with the Finance Chairman to prepare a budget for the food.
Coordinate with Registration Chairman throughout the registration to know the number of people registered and plan adequate food accordingly.
Recruit volunteers to purchase food and to deliver the food at least 45-60 minutes in advance of the event start time.
Recruit volunteers to set up the tables at least 30-45 minutes in advance of the event start time.
Recruit volunteers to brew and set up coffee well in advance (60-90 minutes depending on type of brewers) of the event start time. Be sure to read instructions on coffee pots to ensure adequate brewing time. Coffee is generally expected for events in the morning, but optional for afternoon or evening events. Bring long extension cords in case they’re needed.
Coordinate with Arrangements Chairman to understand how many tables will be available, and any other logistics such as understanding the size of tablecloths (if needed) and when the facilities will be open.
Recruit volunteers to oversee the buffet tables throughout the event until all of the food is consumed or stored for transport.
Recruit volunteers to assist with food/buffet cleanup and to take out garbage if required.

Judith Chapple Serves as TLI Arrangements Chairman

2010-02-06T22:26:00.001-05:00

Arrangements Chairman
Judith Chapple (Area 63 Governor)

The purpose of this position is to coordinate and meet with site location personnel well in advance of the event to gain a complete understanding of all the details about the use of the meeting space(s). Key responsibilities for the position include:

Recruit volunteers to help set up rooms at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event and to troubleshoot as needed during the sessions. The number of volunteers should be equal to or greater than the number of rooms being used for the event.
Coordinate with site location personnel and conduct an on-site walk-through meeting well in advance of the event to get a complete understanding of which rooms we’ll be using, when we can unlock and lock them, and other details such as use of dry/erase markers, equipment, what to do with garbage, how lights work, security, and so on.
Coordinate with the Food/Hospitality Chairman to understand how many tables will be available, and any other logistics such as understanding the size of tablecloths (if needed) and when the facilities will be open.
Communicate site location details to your volunteers well in advance of the event and in the volunteer briefing that takes place about 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Recruit volunteers to post directional signs and restroom signs at least 30 minutes prior to participants’ arrival.
Coordinate with Training Chairman well in advance of the event to ensure that session signs are printed for breakout rooms so people can easily find their way around the facility. Recruit volunteers to post signs at least 30 minutes prior to participants’ arrival.
Schedule a volunteer briefing for your volunteers and coordinate with them well in advance of the event to ensure that they know the time and location of the arrangements briefing which needs to take place at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Recruit volunteers to help clean up rooms after the sessions are over. Inform them of any time requirements so that rooms are cleaned up according to facility time requirements and constraints.

Stacey Dingman Serves as TLI Scheduling Chairman

2010-02-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

Scheduling Chairman
Stacey Dingman (Division A Governor)

The purpose of this position is to prepare an Agenda and a Training Schedule for a successful TLI. Key responsibilities include:

Recruit experienced and reliable volunteers to deliver training sessions and conduct the opening and closing sessions. Remind presenters to refer to the officer manual for officer training. Inform presenters that they need to begin and end their presentation on time and that they need to use all the time allotted for their presentation. Recruit a few (experienced) backup presenters in case we have any last minute cancellations and encourage co-presenters or panel discussions to help minimize the number of possible interruptions due to last minute cancellations.
Coordinate with the area governors and any district officers or local distinguished Toastmasters attending to have time on the agenda during the opening and/or closing session or for a full training session.
Share the schedule and agenda with and seek feedback from fellow chairmen as you’re putting them together well in advance of the event.
Include sessions recommended by Toastmasters from the Successful Club Series, the Better Speaker Series, or the Leadership Excellence Series, or sessions such as Achieving Success as a Club Officer (Item 1311A), Attracting New Members (Item 1311B), Charting a Course for Club Success (Item 1311C), Motivating Achievement (Item 1311D), Serving as an Area/Division/District Officer, and other similar leadership topics. This provides a great venue for people working on long speeches.
Experiment with one or two new ideas such as “What it takes to be an area governor” or “What it takes to be a district officer.”
Coordinate with Facilitators Chairman to ensure that we have at least one facilitator for each training session.
Coordinate with Arrangements Chairman to ensure that session signs are posted on breakout rooms as needed to people can easily find their way around the facility. Recruit volunteers to post signs at least 30 minutes prior to participants’ arrival.
Recruit two volunteers to bring and run timing lights during the opening and closing sessions. Their purpose is to keep us on schedule. Ask two volunteers to be sure we have a backup.
Coordinate with the Promotions & Feedback Chairman to ensure that TLI Evaluation forms are distributed to participants along with the Agenda/Training Schedule prior to the opening session. Recruit volunteers to distribute agenda/schedules prior to the start of the event.

Andrea Siracusa Serves as TLI Promotions & Feedback Chairman

2010-02-06T22:19:00.002-05:00

Promotions & Feedback Chairman
Andrea Siracusa (Area 12 Governor)

The purpose of this position is to promote and evaluate this event from start to finish, including collecting feedback from the participants. Key responsibilities include:

Prepare a promotional flyer. Include a link to the registration in the flyer and start distributing the flyers to the area governors as soon as we’re given the go-ahead from division governors.
Prepare a TLI overall feedback form for all participants to complete. Share the draft of the document with all chairmen for their review prior to making copies. Survey should be short so that it can be completed in less than 3 minutes. Survey should ask people to rate the quality (on a scale of 1-10 for example) of the event on high level qualities such as: facility, registration, event promotion, presenters, session topics, food/hospitality, facilitators, greeters, and TLI overall. Survey should also include two open-ended questions: 1) What did you like most about this TLI event? 2) What is the one thing you’d like to recommend to improve the next TLI? Note on the feedback form a reminder for people to turn in the form at the closing session to be entered into the raffle drawing.
Coordinate with the Scheduling Chairman to ensure that TLI Evaluation forms are distributed along with the Agenda/Training Schedule prior to the start of the event. Recruit volunteers to distribute TLI Evaluation forms prior to and during the opening session and also at the closing session as needed. Be sure to print evaluation forms several days in advance of the event and to arrange a backup plan to be sure that forms are at the event on time. Participant feedback is vital for improvement and for the success of future TLIs.
Recruit volunteers to collect TLI feedback forms in the closing session and to let participants know that their form will be used in a drawing for a prize.
Recruit volunteer(s) to compile, calculate ratings and type all the feedback/comments into one document and to distribute it to the district governors and all the chairmen within 48 hours after the end of the event.

Melissa Brown Serves as TLI Finance Chairman

2010-02-06T22:04:00.005-05:00

Finance Chairman
Melissa Brown (Area 10 Governor)

The purpose of this position is to oversee all the income and expenses and to ensure that the event ends with a positive cash balance. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Review sample budgets from prior TLI events and set up a budget for current event.
Contact Toastmasters governors and officers asking them to bring donations for the raffle. Let them know that there will be no reimbursement for their items, but they can get recognition for the person/company donating the items by including a business card or flyer with their donated item.
Coordinate with Promotions & Feedback Chairman and Facilitators Chairman to determine if funds will be needed for forms.
Brainstorm with chairmen on creative ways to save cost.
Coordinate with division governors to purchase Toastmasters materials for rewards, such as an award to a club that has all seven officers present, for example.
Recruit volunteers to collect donated items as they come in that day and to keep an eye on the table throughout the event until the raffle is complete.
Set up table displaying all the donated raffle items to encourage people to buy raffle tickets.
It’s easiest to run the event on a “cash only” basis, but it’s important to coordinate with the Registration & Volunteer Recruitment Chairman in advance of the event so that registration table volunteers know how to handle questions such as “Do you accept checks?” or “Can I use my MasterCard?”
Recruit 3-4 volunteers to sell 50/50 tickets and count the money. They need to be outgoing people and not afraid to ask people to buy tickets. This is one of the primary ways we collect funds for this event. It’s also generally the largest prize given out during the raffle.
Communicate the budget to all the chairmen so that they all understand any income and expenses that affect their chair position.
Coordinate with the Registration Chairman to collect and count the registration money.
Coordinate finance volunteers to collect the receipts from the Food/Hospitality volunteers and prepare cash reimbursements for them before they leave.
Compile (or recruit a volunteer to compile) a final accounting of all moneys collected and paid out. Distribute this to the chairman and district governors within 48 hours after the close of the event.

Dr. Lorraine Haataia Serves as TLI Chairman

2010-02-06T22:00:00.007-05:00

Dr. Lorraine Haataia, Immediate Past President of Baywood Toastmasters, led Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) for Division A & F on Saturday, February 6, 2010. She coordinated the event using Toastmasters Training Club Leaders manual and Toastmasters High Performance Leadership (HPL) manual.

If you're familiar with the HPL project, you know that one of the first requirements is to recruit a guidance committee and to define the project vision, mission and values.

In addition, the project chairman is also responsible for defining her own duties as well as the duties of other leaders who will be involved in the project. Here are the duties that Lorraine outlined for the TLI Chairman:

TLI Chairman

The purpose of this position is to ensure the overall success of Toastmasters Leadership Training. Key responsibilities for the position include:

Review and follow guidelines provided in Toastmasters Club Officer Training Program http://www.toastmasters.org/217_training.aspx
Recruit a guidance committee consisting of a minimum of three people with prior experience leading a Toastmasters Leadership Institute event.
Recruit chairman team to oversee all the major areas of the event.
Prepare and distribute a chairman contact sheet including all phone numbers, emails and photos.
Work with the guidance committee to develop the vision, mission, values, goals, project plan, and timetables for the event. Share with the chairmen and ask for feedback.
Set up and conduct guidance committee meetings in all five stages of the event from planning through presentation of the results.
Define the roles & responsibilities of all the chairmen positions and communicate with all chairmen to make adjustments as needed.
Hold periodic progress review meetings with chairmen as needed.
Handle obstacles, setbacks and problems as they arise.
Recognize and thank chairmen and guidance committee at the TLI event.
Prepare “lessons learned” from this event to pass on to the next TLI event chairman.
Give two presentations to Toastmasters club: the first on the vision during the event planning & preparation stage, and a second to present the results of the event.
Share results and documents with next TLI Chairman to ensure continuous improvement of this event.

Following is a list of eight additional chairmen who led this event. Click on any of the titles below for a complete description of position responsibilities:

As Toastmasters, we are committed to seeking feedback so that we can continue to improve our communication skills and grow our leadership skills. From Lorraine's perspective, she believes that TLI had the following positive outcomes:

The majority of the area governors voluntarily took on a great deal of responsibility, as chairman and as presenters, to make TLI a successful event for their club leaders.
About 132 club officers attended the training and many of them served in some type of volunteer role as well.
All of the major activities necessary for pulling off an event this large happened on time and within budget.

And here are a few suggestions from Lorraine to improve future TLI events:

The area governors who served as chairman and presenters had too much responsibility for one day. Lorraine recommends that they serve as a chairman or as a presenter, but not both on the same day. This is a great opportunity for area governors to practice delegation by recruiting leaders from their clubs to serve as presenters or chairmen.
Only about a third of the participants stayed until the end. Asking people to dedicate five or six hours to this event on a Saturday is too long, especially for the volunteers and for those who have a longer commute. That's probably why so many people cut out early. We started at 8 AM and ended at 12:30 PM. To improve attendance in the future, Lorraine suggests running only two simultaneous training sessions instead of three. That will shorten the event by an hour and still allow plenty of choices for elective sessions.
Hold only one officer session for each position so that all the officers in the areas are in the room together and can share all their ideas. Instead of having only one speaker for an entire hour, have a facilitator monitor panel discussions where 3-5 people can give their perspective on the officer positions. The officers can still come prepared to give a brief overview highlighting what they believe are the most important elements of the position.
Division A & F each have four area governors, each of which have about 4-5 clubs in their areas, and each club has seven officers. That means that we have about 225+ club officers at any given time in our combined NE Florida divisions. Let's challenge our next TLI chair and division governors to increase our officer attendance from from 60% to closer to 70%!

Division A & F Kollege of Knowledge - Feb. 6th

2010-01-24T20:22:00.004-05:00

Did you miss the District 84 officer training offered in January? No worries, we have you covered!!

Division A and F are coming together for the popular "Kollege of Knowledge." Join us for entertaining sessions and informative officer training that can not be beat. Check out the information below, and REGISTER TODAY!!! Remember, trained officers produce excelling Clubs.

Kollege of Knowledge
Saturday, February 6th
8:00am (Check-In)
8:30am - 12:30pm
The Towers, on UF & Shands Campus
580 W. 8th Street, 10th Floor
Jacksonville, FL

Check out the TLI flyer and Register NOW!

If the above link does not work, then please click below to register
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CBDTV3R

Second Round Officer Training

2009-12-19T19:50:00.002-05:00

As we all know and understand, all officers must attend training twice a year. The second round of officer training is scheduled to begin in January 2010. In hopes to better accomodate the members the District is planning to present two different sessions on two different dates. The first date is Saturday, January 16, 2010 and the second is Sunday, January 24, 2010. You can find the details on the District 84 website. (http://toastmastersd84.org/tli.html)

If anyone is interested in being involved with the training (present, facilitate, greet, registration, etc.), please contact our LGET Scott Hoehn, DTM right away. The programs (so far) for each session is also posted on the website.

Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Did someone say DTM?

2009-12-19T19:38:00.003-05:00

Have you heard the great news about Division A's newest DTMs? We have not one, not two, but three new DTMs! Bob Haataia, Lisa Hethington, and Jose Lepervanche have each earned the grand title of Distiguished Toastmaster. Bob and Lisa did their great DTM dance down the lineup at conference.

We are all proud of your accomplishment and hope that you continue to stay connected in your clubs. Staying connected in your clubs is the best way to share your experience and knowledge with other Toastmasters trying to achieve the same you goal you just did. Your hard work and dedication to achieving your goals is what made this possible.

Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Ahoy Matey!

2009-12-19T19:11:00.002-05:00

What a great time we had at the Fall Conference! There were reported sightings of tourists, ship captains, activity directors, sharks and .... PIRATES!!

In true TM style we all had a great time in our costumes Friday night, and in our "dress up clothes" Saturday night. Friday night we enjoyed the Evaluation Contest and just may have even picked up a few new tricks to use. Saturday night we got a cardiovascular workout as we laughed hysterically during the Humorous Speech Contest.

Above everything I experienced at the conference, the one thing I will rember forever is that our very own DIvision A member TINA SWANSON won the Humorous Speech contest! Congratulations Tina, we are very proud of you! You go "giirrrrlll"!

Stacey DIngman, DTM
Division A Governor

I know... I know

2009-12-19T19:07:00.002-05:00

It has been way too long since the last post. I plan to catch things up and stay more current on updates. We have had several exciting things happen and I need to get you caught up pronto!

Thanks ~
Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Drum Role Please....

2009-10-26T20:31:00.002-04:00

We had a great time at the Division A Contest on Saturday. Not only did we have a full agenda of awesome speakers and evaluators, we also had a full room of attendees! It was nice to look around and see so many friends that came out to support the contestants and cheer on their favorites.

The first up were our evaluation contestants and they rocked the house with their evaluations of Shauna Allen’s speech. Each one took the time to offer feedback they hoped would be valuable to not only Shauna but for all us. The evaluators did an outstanding job!

Next up were our Humorous Speech contestants and they had the crowd roaring with laughter! Each contestant told their story with zest and larger than life talent. This created a memorable experience for not only them as contestants but for each one of us in the audience. I say, job well done!

I know, I know, you are sitting on the edge of your seat wanting to know who the winners are! I won't keep you waiting any loner. Here are the winners listed below.
Evaluation Winners: 1st Place is Maureen McLain (CSX Toastmasters Club) ~ 2nd Place is Jim Steele (Toastmasters at UF & Shands)
Humorous Speech Winners: 1st Place is Tina Swanson (Toastmasters at UF & Shands) ~ 2nd Place is Sam Davis (Arlington Club)

The first place winners will be representing Division A at the 2009 Fall Conference on November 6th – 8th. Congratulations to each contestant that made it to this level! Be very proud of your accomplishments.

A special “Thank You” to Darcy Daniel for producing such a wonderful event! This was not a small task and she did a great job coordinating the teams. I am also thankful to all of the Area Governors for assisting her. This is just another example of how great of a team Division A is!

Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Double Bubble - We had a Blast!

2009-09-21T09:53:00.001-04:00

If you missed the Double Bubble contest on Saturday, boy did you miss out! Past Area Governor John Lockwood and Area 13 Governor Sharon Griffin-Rogers coordinated a wonderful event! I am truly blessed to have been allowed to work with these dynamic folks! There was a plethora of fun, food, bubble gum and laughter! We had the opportunity to hear quite a few tummy tickling speeches, two inspiring test-speeches and the accompanying educational evaluations – all before noon!

Congratulations to the winners (both 1st and 2nd place will move on to represent our areas at the Division A contest October 24th! Make your plans now to come out and support them at the next level! I hear it will be a ‘howling’ good time with costumes representing the fall season!

Area 10 Humorous Speech Contest:
1st Place – Antonio Carlisle – “The ‘H’ Word” (ask him about the little blue pill)
2nd Place – Tina Swanson – “I don’t remember” (don’t ask her anything…she won’t remember)

Area 10 Evaluation Contest:
1st Place – Jim Steele
2nd Place – Marilyn Fenton-Harmer

Area 13 Humorous Speech Contest:
1st Place – David Langley – “The New Epidemic” (ask him about his physique)
2nd Place – Kelly Raven – “Cash for Clunkers” (ask him about his ‘parking’ history)

Area 13 Evaluation:
1st Place – Maureen McLain
2nd Place - Jeannie Hardwick

Conference Online Registration

2009-09-08T18:29:00.003-04:00

Great News! The conference online registration is now open! You need to register now because this event is sure to fill up fast. The fall conference will be held at the georgous Shores Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach Florida. Save the weekend of November 6th - 8th on you calendars now. If you haven't already! The full conference package is only $99.00 and that includes meals. WOW what a deal!
To make it even easier, the link is: http://tmhelper.org/sssmedley/register.htm

If you should have any questions, contact either your Area Governor or myself.
Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Are YOU the STAR we are looking for?

2009-09-01T08:33:00.002-04:00

Now that Club level contests are over, it is time for the Area level contests to begin. We are in need of many volunteers (STARs) to come forward to fill various roles. We need judges, timers, ballot counters, sergeant at arms, contest masters, and guests! If YOU are that STAR we are looking for, please contact your Area Governor immediately to sign up.

Thanks ~
Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Only 19 More Officers To Go

2009-08-25T20:25:00.002-04:00

Division A only needs 19 more officers to be trained to reach the goal of 100% officers trained!!!
Several of our clubs have already earned recognition by having all 7 of their officers trained! Way to go Jacksonville Bullmasters, North Jax Toastmasters, and CSX Club! We also have six clubs that only need one more officer trained to achieve 7 of 7 officers trained. Four clubs are still struggling to get the minimum four officers trained.

With all of the many training opportunities available throughout the district, there is no reason not to attend officer training. If you should have any questions or concerns you need to contact either you Area Governor or myself.

Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Division A "Last Chance" Officer Training

2009-08-19T18:58:00.002-04:00

If you missed the other officer training opportunities, you have one LAST CHANCE to fill your requirement locally. We will provide officer training on Wednesday August 26th at the UF & Shands campus, from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in the Mason Room on the 2nd floor of the Towers. Contact your Area Governor immediately to RSVP.

Thanks,
Stacey Dingman, DTM
Division A Governor

Toastmasters meets Technology

2009-08-17T21:34:00.002-04:00

I am very excited about this new blog. I think it is going to help the Division officers share information to all division members (and potential members) in a more streamlined way. Besides, it is about time we catch up to the front runners in this technology driven world! A special thanks to Bob Haataia for taking the time to set this up for us!

Stacey Dingman ~ Division A Governor

Post Training Survey

2009-08-06T23:00:00.000-04:00

If you attended the TLI Kollege of Knowledge training on Saturday August 8th, be sure to take the following survey to let us know how we did. As toastmasters, we are always looking to improve.

Click Here to take survey

Toastmasters Division A/F Leadership Institute

2009-08-03T21:34:00.000-04:00

Join us for Division A TLI this Saturday