NOVEMBER 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Best Practices: Loudoun

Club—Growth in

Excellence...p4

Make it Fun….p5

Reflections on Contest and

Coaching Experiences...p6

Exercise your privilege

to vote at the District 29 Business Council

Meeting (Free) on November 7th at the

Fall Conference Each club is allotted two votes at district council meetings. One vote is reserved for the club presi-dent. The other vote is for the vice president education. Proxy votes may be used if a club of-ficer is unable to attend a council meeting. A proxy delivers the vote for an officer unable to attend a council meeting. The officer not able to attend must designate in writing any active individual mem-ber of the club to act as his or her proxy. Proxy Form Please note: Club proxies cannot be assigned to Area Directors (unless the Area Director is a member of that club). District Business Council meeting is FREE to attend. Business meeting time: 2:45pm-3:45pm Meeting location: Capital One, 1680 Capital One Dr., McLean, Virginia, 22012 Credentials desk will be open during the following times:

Whether you are planning to come and vote in person or any one carrying proxy for you needs to pick the packet during these times by going to the credentials desk in the Atrium. 7:30am-8:45am

9:30am-12:00pm

1:00pm-2:15pm

Message From the District Director –

Time for Reflection

“We do not learn from experience..... we learn from reflecting on experience." ~John Dewey

District Director Lovely Lall, DTM

District 29 Family,

November - the beginning of the second quarter. It is a good time to pause for a moment to reflect and

learn from our first quarter journey.

Nature has been changing things from a hot July to today’s cooler weather and spectacular autumn

foliage. We have seen a transformation in Toastmasters as well. Together, we have planned and led;

listened and answered; given feedback and accepted it; formed teams and accomplish successful of-

ficer training, TLIs, contests, and much more. Our District 29 member accomplishments are reflected

on the Toastmasters International dashboard, in our newsletters, and on our web and social media

sites. Each purposeful flutter along the journey is being recognized and appreciated by our District lead-

ership team. I am in awe of your dedication and enthusiasm just as I am in awe of the beauty of this

autumn season. THANK YOU!

How has your experience been so far? I hope you are having fun. As I reflect on our first quarter perfor-

mance from my position as a District Director “first-timer,” something that our Founder, Dr. Ralph Smed-

ley, said comes to my mind. Though said long ago, it remains true today - “We learn best in moments of

enjoyment."

We have been effective over our first quarter. Our Fall Conference will mark a significant milestone on

our year's journey. At the District Council meeting we will report on progress, quietly reflect on the jour-

ney, and plan bold next actions that ensure success. In July, we embarked together on a journey to help

each member of District 29 become a more confident public speaker and a stronger leader by estab-

lishing supportive club climates that ensure club quality and excellence that allows for each member to

achieve his or her personal goals. Together we will continue to serve our members.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection

will come even more effective action.” ~ Peter Drucker

Let's keep having FUN while learning to fly together in this metamorphic year!

District Direct Winter

Club Award

Kudos and congratulations to the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest Winners

District Highlights,

Continued

Program Quality Director

Lynn Wylde, DTM

Get Ready for Winter TLI!

Saturday, December 5, 2015 8am – 12pm

Fairfax County Government Center

12000 Government Ctr Pkwy Fairfax, VA 22035

Saturday, January 9, 2016 8am – 12pm

Fairfax County Government Center

12000 Government Ctr Pkwy Fairfax, VA 22035

Saturday, January 23, 2016 8am – 12pm

Verizon Headquarters 22001 Loudoun County Parkway

Ashburn, VA 20147

Thursday, January 28, 2016 5:30pm – 8pm

Navy Federal Credit Union 820 Follin Lane

Vienna, VA 22180

Saturday, February 6, 2016 8am – 12pm

McLean Bible Church CNM Tysons

8925 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182

Saturday, February 13, 2016 8am – 12pm

McLean Bible Church Manassas

10002 Battleview Pkwy-Manassas, VA 20109

Saturday, February 20, 2016 8am – 12pm

A.J. Ferlazzo Building Prince William County

Government 15941 Donald Curtis Drive

Woodbridge, VA 22191

Message From the Program Quality Director

Soar to New Heights!

The highlight of the fall season is our District 29 Fall Conference. This year’s conference has a great

agenda that will educate and entertain you. For those of you who have signed up, thank you for sup-

porting our conference. If you haven’t signed up, you still have until November 6, to get in on the fun. Go

to our website TMD29.org and click on the registration link. Here is a quick summary of what is in store

for you:

Daniel Rex, Chief Executive Officer Toastmasters International Soar to New Heights with Toastmasters!

Barbara Khozam Accredited Toastmasters Speaker Zap Negavity Ignite Your Life, Your Results

Allison Shapira Global Public Speaking, LLC How to Find Your Authentic Voice

Justin Omps Leadership and Management Consultant Your Finest: Legacy and the Power of Perception

Marian Goldberg Alexander Technique Center of Washington Your Life—Stress Free

Hall

of

Fame

Join in on celebrating

the achievements of

our membership!

Capital One has graciously offered to host our conference in their headquarters facility in McLean. I have seen the facility and all I can say is wow! It is a first class venue, holding our first class conference.

At the Table Topics Contest, enjoy the

quick-responding,, think-on-their-feet,

contestants who will amaze you! At the

Humorous Speech Contest, learn how

funny these Toastmasters can be!

District Highlights,

Continued

Club Growth Director Amy Brener, DTM cgd@tmd29.org

CONGRATULATIONS TO 2015 SMEDLEY

AWARD WINNERS!

B-2 Toasters BAH Toastmasters Club Lake Ridge Toastmasters LMI Toastmasters Loudoun Club Toastmasters Anonymous

Core District Officers Lovely Lall, DTM District Director Lynn Wylde, DTM Program Quality Director Amy Brener, DTM Club Growth Director Angela Davis, ACS, CL Public Relations Manager Juliette Brown, DTM Finance Manager Rhondra Willis, CC, ALB Administration Manager Victor Jimenez, TM Logistics Manager Joe Jarzombek, DTM, PID Parliamentarian Mahesh Patil, DTM Immediate Past District Governor

Message From the Club Growth Director

It’s hard to believe that it’s already November and the District Conference is upon us! Come join us as we recognize our newest clubs as well as those clubs whose membership renewals either meet or exceed their July 1 base numbers. See who earned sponsor, mentor, and coach credit, and sign up if you want to learn more about becoming a sponsor, mentor, or coach. Explore our advanced and specialty clubs as well as new clubs in formation.

As I’ve visited many clubs this year, read the reports submitted after club Area Director visits, and chatted with so many members at area and division contests, I’ve learned that the district is vibrant and flourishing. The role of the club is to serve the member, and our members are being well served. Yes, some clubs are facing challenges, but there are many dedicated Toastmasters willing and able to help. If your club would like assistance, please let me know at cgd@tmd29.org. Let’s work together to see what we can do to assist your club, and by extension your members, in being successful.

See you at the conference!

Best Practices:

Loudoun Club—Growth in Excellence

How does the Loudoun Club approach growth and have one of the largest member gains amongst District 29 clubs? We got the answer from the source—

We challenge the officers and club members and then let them run with it. The biggest thing I’ve learned being president is that people can do great things with a little guidance and occasional chal-lenges. It can be a challenge for me to give up control, but I see people enjoying taking ownership of tasks themselves, and probably do a better job than I would myself! Each officer was challenged to take on at least one new member as a mentee. In order to guide them, I wrote two documents based on my own mentoring experience - one for mentoring brand new speakers, and another for those who already feel comfortable with speaking. Each officer stepped up to the challenge. We encourage mentors to be proactive, from explaining educational awards, to advice and en-couragement on competing in contests, helping mentees mold their speeches and sending detailed evaluations after the speech. For more experi-enced speakers, we are experimenting with speech coaching. We focus on social media. We have Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, website, and blog linked together. In particular, we believe having our own individual club Meetup group has brought us a lot of engage-ment. We respond to all queries to the website and meetup immediately if possible. I believe this per-sonal touch helps raise our prospective members’ interest.

We have lively club meetings with members at every stage of speaking proficiency. Visitors find a family feeling, a club where the members care about helping each other. We may not follow Toastmasters traditions as much as some clubs, but we make up for it in enthusiasm and fun! It’s very helpful that nearly all members attend each meeting. The weaker clubs I’ve seen have half or fewer members attend typical meetings. I think that the increased energy of 15-20 people over 5-10 people in the room makes a big difference to most visitors. We’re building the relationship with our host, the Mason Enterprise Center. We’re very excited about this new initiative we’ve undertaken. Toast-masters and this excellent organization whose charter it is to help grow entrepreneurs is a match made in heaven. I’ve never been as excited about this club and its future as I am today. It is an amazing group of peo-ple to be blessed to be associated with, and I hope I never forget that!

Gary Bisaga, ACB, CL President Loudoun Club http://loudoun.toastmastersclubs.org/

Divisions D & E Meetup

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DISTRICT’S FALL EDUCATIONAL

AWARD WINNERS!

September Educational Award Achievers

Triple Crown Achievers

Distinguished Toastmaster Award Achievers

BRAND TIPS

The Toastmasters brand has a singular, solid identity that should always reflect the core attributes of the organi-zation’s personality.

Voice and Tone Checklist

Is your communication...?

warm

clear

friendly

member-focused

professional

succinct

respectful

Communication helps. So, before we write or say any-thing, let's take a moment to understand the context of our communication and the mindset of the audience. From context and mindset will come the appropriate word choice to create rele-vant communications for our various audiences.

LIGHTS, CAMERA,

ACTION!

Want to be a Star?

Come join us and have fun developing quality program-ming with Toastmasters on the Mastering Business Communications (MBC) TV show. Visit http://tmd29.org/MBC.html. For more info contact, Executive Producer, Will Maples, ACB, ALB.

Kudos to the Area Directors Who Have Also Completed 100% Club

Visits!

Why plan fun meetings? Well, for a start, would you rather go to a boring meeting where everything is always predictable or do you think you would be more inclined to go if you knew you would have a fun filled evening?

Tough choice, isn’t it? Think of your club meeting as a gift. You are anticipating some-thing very special but exactly what is in that colorful package is a delicious surprise, waiting to be discovered and savored. Plan that meeting as if it were a one of a kind gift to someone special. You and your fellow Toastmasters are “someone special”. I have a few ideas to help you get started, think of it as a “shopping list”.

Plan special educational meetings. Have club members give one of the Toastmasters education-al modules available on the Toastmasters web page. But don’t stop there, look around our amaz-ing membership and invite Toastmasters to share some of their special skills like story telling, breath-

ing exercises to enhance voice projection, magic, elevator speech-es, acting skills, radio skills, humorous speeches. The list is end-less. They can be fun and educational. If they are interactive, you will boost the energy of the meeting dramatically.

Learn from each other. Plan “ethnic meetings”. How many members do you have who grew up in another part of the world? How many members grew up with different traditions, holidays and ritu-als? What do you know about them? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to take a virtual trip to another coun-

try for one of your meetings? How about planning a travel meeting once a quarter? The first time I did this in one of my clubs, Toast-masters from West Virginia stepped forward to host a meeting. Not quite what I had in mind but they set the stage for an amazing evening and a wonderful meeting. Who knew there was so much to learn about West Virginia? Or how about learning how light is celebrated throughout the world?

Invite another club to have a debate with you. Plan a Speech-a-thon with a twist. Make it a True or False one where every speaker has to tell a personal story – either the entire speech is a per-sonal story or a personal story is included in the

speech. Vote whether the story was true or a big fat lie and at the end of the meeting ask the speaker about their story. It’s a great way to get to know your fellow members on a whole new level and to have a really fun meeting. You are only limited by your imagination. Get inspired and

borrow ideas from the world around you. Make your themed meetings memorable events. Have fun because if it is not fun, you won’t want to come and neither will anyone else.

Shu Bartholomew, DTM

Shana Terry, ACB, ALB Area 14, Division A

Gregory Josephs, ACB, CL Area 45, Division D

Catherine Calvin, ACB, ALB Area 64, Division F

Matt Mertz, CC Area 25, Division B

Serena Reep, ACS, CL Area 62, Division F

Reflections on the Contest Experience

As a contestant…. Ava Logan-Woods, CC

This fall was my first time competing as a Table Topics Contestant, and it was a metamorphic experience. I learned my first les-

sons in the true art of answering Table Topics questions, how to ‘own the stage,’ and to truly enjoy the experience. While prepar-

ing for the club level contest, I studied the art of making mini-speeches in a matter of seconds. There was a formality in this that I

hadn’t previously considered in my club meetings. When I competed at the Area contest, I worked on owning the stage. I realized

that I deserved to be there and that I should show it through my delivery. At the Division contest, I saw how far I had come and, in

that moment, appreciated all that I had learned while being able to share my voice with people who are dedicated to the growth of

all Toastmasters.

As a contest master…. Paula Green, ACB, ALB

Area 34 Director, Division C

I enjoyed the challenge of being the Division C Contest Master very much. This role can be nerve-wracking, but it's a great oppor-

tunity to practice smooth transitions and good timekeeping. The goal is to lead the flow of the event while allowing the contestants

to take center stage. I'm very grateful to my home club, PMIWDC #01, for providing such good role models.

As a contestant and contest master…. Kinetta Johnson, ACB, ALB

Do you recall the unease you experienced during your first few Toastmasters meetings? Perhaps your motivation for joining was

to continue refining your communication and leadership skills. Or perhaps you are focused on completing the Competent

Communicator manual because in doing so, you will have “reached the pinnacle" of your Toastmaster’s journey. A safe and sup-

portive environment helps us achieve our goals and promotes progress, but can also lead to stagnation. But how can we combat

stagnation? One word: contests.

I first joined Toastmasters in 2005 and never considered entering a speech contest until 2014. I recently had the privilege of serving as the Table Topic’s

Contest Master at the Area and Division levels. It was a blast and the nuggets gleaned are numerous. Having been a contestant at all levels in the District I

have found out that participating in Toastmasters contests as a contestant or volunteer is an excellent way to combat stagnation by challenging us: to apply

our communication and leadership skills before a new audience, to solicit the insights of fellow Toastmasters, and to rapidly develop our speeches as we

progress through the competitive levels (Club, Area, Division, District) in a new environment (which is still safe and supportive.) Participating also helps us

reinvigorate our clubs as we share the lessons learned through our contest experiences. The one thing I’d do differently is I wouldn’t have waited nearly 10

years to enter or serve at my first contest. Because of the mentoring of fellow Toastmasters, I experienced rapid growth in my communication and leader-

ship development and made great friendships along the way. If you want to combat club (or personal) stagnation, consider enriching your Toastmaster’s

journey by competing or serving at a future contest or even the upcoming International Conference. It’s one of the best ways to get the most out of your jour-

ney.

Reflections on the Coaching Experience

I was quite nervous and a bit skeptical when Lovely asked me to co-coach the SRO Toastmasters club. I had only been a member

of Toastmasters for two years, what could I offer to a club that had just celebrated its 16th year? I attended my first meeting and it

was clear the location wasn't ideal. However, when your club is in a fairly rural area your choices are limited. The other thing I

noticed was burn out. The club officers had been keeping the club alive. It was time for new blood. Even if the new blood came

from the coaches, it was still new and we could fulfill roles that the officers had been filling meeting after meeting.

The year was not easy and I learned a lot through helping the club earn its distinguished club goal. First of all it was clear that the

members were proud of their club and had worked very hard to keep it alive. We couldn't just walk in and say we're here to save

your club. We had to become part of the club and earn the respect of the members. Secondly, it was very important to watch and

learn where we could add value. It was obvious this group had years of Toastmasters experience, way more then me, but they were in survival mode, we

were in growth. We voted to move the meeting location. We've worked together on an Open House, our President arranged a half day retreat with officers

from another club to discuss how we could support each other and is now working on a Speechcraft.

Bottom line, you don't have to have all of the answers to be a coach. Just the energy and willingness to collaborate with others to bring life back into a club.

I've never been a part of an organization with so many people willing to step up and help. Take the leap, you'll be glad you did.

Debbie Donehey, TM

Attention Club Presidents

and Vice Presidents Education: Attend the District 29 Business Council Meeting on

Saturday, November 7, 2015

to cast your vote.

If you are unable to attend, please complete a proxy

form to be submitted by an attendee.

Special Tribute to One of Our Own It is with heavy heart and extreme sadness that we share this disheartening and shock-ing news. A very dedicated and passionate member of our District 29 family, Thomas Richardson, ACS, CL from Reston Herndon passed away on Sunday, November 1st. Tom will be missed sorely and remembered by his kind, gentle, happy demeanor and for his willingness to help with huge smiles. Tom had served as a club officer, Area Gover-nor, new club mentor and more... He was a humorous speech contestant this season and went up to the Division level. Our sincere prayers are with his wife Mary and his family.

His obituary proclaims that, “as a young man, Tom was reserved, but over the course of his life he worked to become gregarious, confident, and social. He joined Toastmasters International, a public speaking club, of which he was a member for over thirty years. He was an Area Governor, an award-winning speaker, and had his quest not been cut short, he would have soon become a Distinguished Toastmaster. He loved bettering himself, helping others learn, and enjoying the camaraderie of the clubs.”

Locally, a memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax on Sunday, November 15th at 3:00pm. A second service will be held on December 12th at the Methodist church in Willoughby, Ohio. His family is asking that, in lieu of flowers, please donate to any of Tom's favorite charities, including DYNAinc.org, the Unitarian Uni-versalist Congregation of Fairfax, or the Willoughby Methodist Church.

District #29

www.tmd29.org www.toastmasters.org