Toastmasters – Page 9 – Toastmasters District 83

Meet the Area Directors: Frank Schuck

Name: Frank Schuck

Position: Area 61 Director

Club(s): AT&T Middletown, Red Bank Toastmasters, and Talk of Monmouth

Other positions: Education Vice President of Talk of Monmouth and former Sergeant at Arms at AT&T Middletown.

How long have you been in Toastmasters? Four years currently and two years in the late 70s.

What are your plans for Area 61?

As Area 61 Director I plan to encourage greater participation of members and clubs. Speech Contests, multi-club parties, the Blue Claws Baseball outing and conferences will help individuals grow and expand their Toastmaster’s Network. The goal of every Toastmaster should be to complete their CC and CL and then focus on completing the advanced manuals that suit their interests and personal development objectives. Letting members know that joining multiple clubs enhances the Toastmaster experience exponentially.

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Mike Carlo Speaks at Networking Group

Last Thursday, a group of Toastmasters gathered to support Mike Carlo at the 4th Thursday Networking group. The following videos feature Mike’s speech on public speaking.

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A Year of New Beginnings

The year ahead of us will be filled with new beginnings. We are off to a grand start. We are expanding our public relations efforts through the introduction of District 83’s Blog along with increasing our usage of Facebook and Twitter. We will continue to expand our promotion of Toastmasters on trains and buses throughout the year.

Training, contests, and conferences are important training opportunities for each of our members. In the area of Training, we will be offering 4 sessions around 4 Ps: Plan, Prepare, Practice and Perform. Each will touch upon important elements of becoming better communicators and leaders. We are offering training to members who want to be Chief Judges and Judges for contests. For our Club Officers, there will be two training sessions, one now and one in the winter. We offer an incentive to our clubs when 7 officers are trained in both sessions.

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Volunteering Led to Toastmasters

I grew up in a family that values volunteering. I carried the orange UNICEF box to collect change on Halloween as a girl, watched my parents actively engage in the community through the Jaycees, and joined my grandmother in delivering mail to patients in the hospital as a candy striper.

Nicole speaking at a Room to Read event.

The foundation of service to others was firmly established in my upbringing. I continued to volunteer throughout college, career and kids when time permitted. In 2010 service switched from being a pastime to a priority. I was invited to join the local chapter of a global organization focused on literacy.

Room to Read began in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children. Room to Read operates in 14 countries and has an extensive volunteer network worldwide. I read the book by the founder, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, and was immediately hooked.

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Club Spotlight: Hunterdon Speak Easy

It’s easy to think of Toastmasters as one giant homogeneous organization. As any Toastmaster will tell you, that is far from the truth. Each club has a unique personality. Club Spotlight seeks to help current and future members find the right club(s) for their Toastmasters goals.

Club: Hunterdon Speak Easy Club

Charter Date: December 7, 2004

Recent Awards: Talk Up Toastmasters Award 2016-2017

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Why Hold a Club Contest?

Joe Plahutnik introduces John Connors at a Freehold Phraser’s speech contest.

For most people, the seasons are Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. For Toastmasters, the seasons are Officer Training, Contest Season, Officer Training, and Contest Season. For Fall 2017, District 83 is holding two contests: Tall Tales and Table Topics. Club contests are traditionally run in August. Winners move on to Area contests in September and Division contests in October, eventually culminating in the District contest at our Fall Conference on November 18.

But why hold a club contest at all? Here are four great reasons:

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Meet the District Officers: Manny Reyes

Name: Manuel A. Reyes, ACG, ALB

Position: Program Quality Director

Club(s): Impact 21, What Exit?, Brunswick Advanced, and Brunswick Toastmasters

Other positions: At the club level, I have been Club President, VP of Education, VP Public Relations, Secretary, and Sergeant-at-Arms . I have also served as Area 42 Director 2015 – 2016 and Division D Director 2016 – 2017.

How long have you been in Toastmasters? Since April 01, 2014.

What are your plans for the district/area/division?

The theme for this Toastmaster Year is “New Beginnings”. And I like to think of this theme as the start to great things. In the year ahead, I want to see our members grow in their communications and leadership skills. I want to ask everyone to set a goal to complete a personal milestone, like to move up or add one communication or leadership award. For example, leveling up from CC (Competent Communicator) to ACB (Advance Communication Bronze) and so on.

We all have a new opportunity to reassess where we are today and where we want to be a year from now. As long as everyone keeps sight of where they are headed, we should be on the right track.

For a starting point, let me remind you of Lao Tzu quote. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” And if you are on your path today, then take the next step.

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Are you ready for the D83 Fall Conference?

Conference Chair Dave Chapman talks about the Fall Conference, which will take place on November 18, 2017.

D83 Out and About

Mike Carlo of Talk of Monmouth and Red Bank Toastmasters will be speaking to the 4^th Thursday Networking Group on July 27 at The Fireside Grill and Bar in Marlboro.

Join them from 11:45pm to 1:30pm!

Mike’s speech is entitled “Stand Out with Outstanding Speaking Skills!: Habits, techniques, and mindsets of highly effective communicators in any field.

For more information, please contact Bill Atkins at billatkins@icloud.com.