Toastmasters – Page 8 – Toastmasters District 83

3 Reasons to Join Toastmasters

We all have our reasons for going to our first Toastmasters meeting. Usually, they are some variation of “my boss made me come” or “I want to become a better speaker.” However, those statements don’t explain the benefits of Toastmasters.

Here are 3 reasons to join Toastmasters:

Reason 1: To boost self-esteem. Toastmasters is a friendly environment, which makes it the perfect place to overcome your fear of public speaking and become a confident leader.

Reason 2: Toastmasters rewards milestones and helps you set personal and professional goals. Recognition is earned after your first 5 speeches, after certain leadership roles are completed, and that’s just the beginning. You also get satisfaction from knowing you play an important role in your club.

Reason 3: To meet different people, network, and be part of a community. You’ll make lifelong friends in Toastmasters.

Meet the District Officers: Willie Markert

Name: William Markert

Willie’s always busy. Here he is setting up timing lights for a district conference.

Position: Finance Manager

Club(s): Open Door Toastmasters, #681602

Other positions: Treasurer (4X), Area Governor, Division Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Club extension chair

How long have you been in Toastmasters? About 13 years

Continue reading “Meet the District Officers: Willie Markert”

Register for the Fall Conference

Are you ready for the Fall Conference? If you haven’t registered yet, click here to do so. Currently, the price for early registration is 65 dollars, but act fast because the price goes up 5 dollars on September 1st.

From Challenge to Opportunity: A Rebrand Gives a Club New Life

In every challenge there is something to be learned and if you can make it out to the other side there are rewards to reap. Rockland Toastmasters is an example of that.

Rockland Toastmasters of Rockland County NY was founded in 2010. At that time it was called Nyack Toastmasters, after the small town the club met in. Throughout the years as the club changed and evolved, the constant was the location, a local library, a favorite to those who walked through the doors as it boasted year round views of the Hudson River and it’s charm reflected the villages vibe of art and community. In 2016, after much thought and consideration, it was decided the club would be changing locations.

Rockland Toastmasters’ officers at training.

As Toastmasters is a non profit organization, members pay a minimal yearly fee to cover costs and take pride in volunteering their time as officers and filling other various roles within their chapter to ensure the success of their club and personal progression in public speaking. Yearly fees are used for a variety of things- materials for marketing, resources for members, contests, and open houses are typical and needed to make clubs feel well resourced. In the case of Nyack Toastmasters, starting in 2015, these fees were going solely to paying rent for the bi-monthly meetings. With only a small bank account balance, soon it became apparent that the fee was no longer maintainable.

Continue reading “From Challenge to Opportunity: A Rebrand Gives a Club New Life”

Club Spotlight: Rockland Toastmasters

Club: Rockland Toastmasters

Charter Date: May 5, 2011 (Formally Nyack Toastmasters)

Distinguished Awards: 2016-2017 Distinguished Club Award

Club Members In Their Own Words:

“I joined Toastmasters because I wanted to improve my public speaking skills and my confidence. I have found the members and leaders very friendly and welcoming for which I’m grateful!” – Isabel Ebrahimi

Continue reading “Club Spotlight: Rockland Toastmasters”

Secrets to a Successful Toastmaster Year

How was your last Toastmasters year? Were you able to achieve the goals you set for yourself?

Let me give you some tips and tricks I used to achieve and exceed my goals which made a difference in my past year as a Toastmaster and gave me the opportunity to be one of the 6 speakers in the New York Spring Conference 2017 (Page 20).

- Write down your goals and set dates to achieve them. Would we ever submit assignments if our teachers didn’t give us deadlines? Turn your inner critic to an inner coach and use the inner critic to guide you to keep to your promises to yourself.

- Have a mentor/coach. It always helps to have a coach/mentor to guide you. All successful people constantly learn.

- Visit other clubs and have maximum face time outside your club – get to know people and network with them in Toastmasters settings. The more doors you knock give you a better chance of having more doors being opened for you. Your potential is too big to be confined to your club alone.

Continue reading “Secrets to a Successful Toastmaster Year”

Teamwork Makes Great Toastmasters

It’s been said that timing in life is everything. When I first joined Hunterdon Speak Easy Toastmasters club in 2009, I was more interested in networking than public speaking. I soon discovered that I was surrounded by some incredibly talented and high performing people. Our club officers at the time included such well-known names as Pam Winter, Cyndi Wilson and Andrew Smith, all of whom were soon to become Distinguished Toastmasters and hold D83 executive leadership positions. This Toastmasters Dream Team eventually served as my collective mentors and soon invited me to become a club officer as well.

I found that I really enjoyed public speaking and competing in speech contests. After a few years, I had completed my CC and all Advanced Communication awards. Janice Buffalow lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to our club. She encouraged me to work the Toastmasters Leadership track, serve as an Area Director and pursue my DTM.

Continue reading “Teamwork Makes Great Toastmasters”

Meet the District Officers: Tom Somers

Name: Thomas Somers

Position: Webmaster

Club(s): Old Bridge Toastmasters, Jim Friend Toastmasters, and ACES

Other positions: Past District Governor

How long have you been in Toastmasters? 13 Years

What are your plans for the district? Maintain the district’s website to help promote district events and continue to develop the website so that it can be transferred to a future webmaster.

Continue reading “Meet the District Officers: Tom Somers”