A Message from the 2018-2019 District 1 Director

Posted on July 1, 2018July 5, 2018 by Webmaster

Greetings District 1!

I am honored and grateful to Speak, Lead, and Serve as your District 1 Director for the 2018-2019 program year. This year our theme is to Speak, Lead and Serve YOU as ONE TEAM. Our commitment to YOU is to uphold the values of Toastmasters International with Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence!

Our focus this year is to stay committed to you, our members. Our leadership team will fulfill the mission of Toastmasters by expanding the network of clubs and sharing the good news of Toastmasters throughout the greater Los Angeles area. We will also work hard at building relationships with our existing clubs and helping each club reach their full potential by visiting your club meetings more often and hearing what we can do to make this experience one of encouragement, learning and transformation. Each one of you has an incredible story to share. We are here to support you in all of your endeavors.

As Mother Teresa stated, “I cannot do what you can do, and you cannot do what I can do…. together we can do something beautiful.” In the months and years ahead, you will shine and discover your greatness in your Toastmasters journey. As you build new relationships with your club members, you will discover your passions together as ONE team and encourage one another in this journey. As District 1 Director, I want to encourage you to illuminate your talents and gifts. Step into your courage with passion!
We hear you District 1! Our goal is to provide you with a variety of leadership opportunities to serve our members and our district as a volunteer.

We have considerable work ahead of us serving our members. In this year, it will more important to not only stay focused in the next 12 months but, to also focus on how we envision our district in the next few years. Visualize our district as the place to belong.
A place where members are open to embrace change in themselves as well as the way we train, lead, as we integrate Pathways into our clubs.

I challenge each of you to focus on your goals, to support, encourage, and mentor each other to achieve your individual and club goals. I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and stretch your capabilities. I challenge you to volunteer in the spirit of service. Expand your opportunities to grow as leaders. Lastly, I challenge you to work together across our district and serve each member of District 1 together as ONE TEAM.

Expand your horizons by volunteering on one of our district teams. If you are interested in serving on one of our district teams, I invite you to explore our website for more volunteer opportunities.

I am looking forward to supporting you in your speaking and leadership journey. I am confident that together, we will be able to embrace our new Pathways education program, achieve your goals and become a Presidents Distinguished District! Now, let’s hit the ground running, Speaking, Leading and Serving ONE TEAM!

Serving District 1 Proudly,
Evelyn Woolridge, DTM
District 1 Director 2018-2019

Today is the start of a new chapter in District 1! I’m excited to be part of a tradition of developing leaders to carry forward Toastmasters core values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. These values will be the basis for how we build programs to support your success throughout the year. Starting with this Summer’s Toastmasters Leadership/Learning Institute (TLI), our dynamic trainers and facilitators will teach you how to lead your club as an officer, how to succeed using the Distinguished Club Program, how to build your club’s membership, how to use free web tools to collaborate more effectively, how to maximize your speaking potential, and much more. TLI is just one of many opportunities you will have to use your Toastmasters experience to learn and grow. In 2018, I, along with the leaders of District 1 commit to encouraging the leader within you to emerge and work with us to SPEAK, LEAD and SERVE as One Team.

Ken Starks
Program Quality Director
District 1, 2018-2019

The Club Growth Team begins a new year in District 1! Our two-fold vision is simple: 1) build new clubs; and 2) grow membership and member retention in existing clubs. Our District’s singular message is also simple: If we Speak, Lead and Serve as ONE TEAM, we will succeed.

Building new clubs is a team effort in District 1. New club ideas and leads come from the members, corporations, communities and our own research. We quickly move from an idea or inquiry, to planning, to a sample meeting, and then to a chartered club! Simple, eh? With new benefits and tools, like Pathways, and the advent of virtual clubs, only opportunity is before us.

The engaged member stays a member. If we focus on providing a supportive and positive learning experience, our club members will continue to grow and learn, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. Another simple formula.

Lastly, success is not complete without fun, friendships and fabulous times. Simply stated, as ONE TEAM, we all win. Let’s do this!

Brad Stauffer
Club Growth Director
District 1, 2018-2019

Honoring a Great Mentor

Posted on April 18, 2018April 18, 2018 by District One Marketing

What could you see if you closed your eyes to the distractions around you? Since age four years, Dana LaMon has been discovering the answer to this question. He lost his sight after a fall on his head. Looking at his life and his achievements, it is clear that he sees purpose, precision, perfection, and puzzles.

Dana is the seventh of twelve children. His nurturing mother would not allow him to play the blind card. He performed the same household chores as his siblings. That is why today he is a great cook of lasagna and sweet potato pies. Using his sense of touch, he cleans house well. He inherited from his father the drive for precision and perfection. Though not completing the eighth grade, Dana’s dad built the house in which his mother still lives in Compton—from digging the trenches for the foundation to covering the roof. For 33 years Dana has been storing his Braille books on shelves designed and built by his dad.

Like his father, Dana is fascinated with numbers. He tutors math, works on unsolved number theory problems, and works sudoku and kenken puzzles almost daily. He is just as excited about words. He plays Scrabble, works crossword puzzles, and holds intense debates on the meaning of words. If you are going to talk to him, be precise about the words you use.

Whatever you choose to talk to him about, you will find that Dana is a man of integrity. He stands on principles. He listens to all sides when called on to make a judgment. He is rarely intimidated and will not be controlled by anyone. Dana views life’s challenges as puzzles, and as puzzles, he will not quit until he has solved them. I wonder: If Dana had not lost his sight, what would we see in him.

Area F2 Director, Erica Bailey, CC

I have had the privilege of working with World Champion of Public Speaking (WCPS) and Accredited Speaker (AS), Dana Lamon, this past year and I am absolutely convinced that he is the gift that keeps giving. In between inspiring audiences across the country and around the world, he finds time to share his knowledge and experience with members of our Toastmaster community and beyond.

Before this year, I knew Dana as the 1992 WCPS yet I never had the opportunity to discuss matters of public speaking or other topics with him outside a formal setting. When Erica Bailey became the Area F2 Director, she brought her mentor (Dana Lamon) with her. I selfishly seized every opportunity I could to seek advice from Dana on public speaking and leadership. Dana responded with a steady stream of patience and selflessness; I now keep a copy of his book, “The Excellence Book, 104 Principles for Living and Working” in my car that I take with me wherever I go. It reminds me to pursue excellence in every aspect of my life. Dana Lamon has been an incredible resource for Division F. I can’t thank him enough for his service and the support he’s given me, the leaders, and members of Division F this year.

Division F Director. Ken Starks, ACS, ALB

To learn from Dana Lamond, DTM, check out this article The Meaning of Good Mentoring in the recent Toastmasters International Magazine and see him speak at the upcoming District 1 conference district1toastmasters.org/conference/

District 1 Community Outreach Update ~ Winter Edition

Posted on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018 by District One Marketing

Community Outreach—What’s That?
One of the realities of being part of a Toastmasters Club is that your membership will change over time and you’ll need to constantly recruit and add new members. At the club level, that’s the responsibility of the VP of Membership and the VP of PR. At the district level, there are many who work toward club growth. With the above in mind, It is my honor, as the District One Community Outreach Chair, to be part of that effort. I’m also blessed to have a team of like-minded Toastmasters. At various times during the week and at various locations we set up a kiosk or table decorated with banners and other District One logos. Next we pass out flyers to passersby We explain what Toastmasters is and, above all, we invite them to visit a nearby Toastmasters Club.

Simple enough, right! That said, the District One Community Outreach team needs your help. First, please send us an updated flyer that shows your club name, day, time and location of your meetings. If you’re having an upcoming Toastmaster event, such as an Open House, please send us a flyer for that, as well. Finally, if you have time, feel free to join the Outreach Team at our next outing.

Upcoming OUTREACH LOCATIONS:
Westchester Park Farmers Market ~ Each Wednesday 8:30 – 1 PM
Torrance Farmers Market ~ Contact Community Outreach Chair

Feel free to join us at the events above or, if you have an upcoming Toastmasters Club event, mail us your flyer and we’ll pass it out!

Everette William, Community Outreach Chair ~ E4j8will48@aol.com or 323.385.0587

6 Reasons I Became A Toastmaster ~ Patricia Williams, CC/CL
My husband, Everette Williams, had been a Toastmaster for over 14 years before I joined a club. For 12 of those14 years, I had been a “most welcome guest at many club meetings!” But one day I decided to join a club. Here are 6 reasons why!

ONE: Although I had always felt comfortable speaking before an audience, I thought being a Toastmaster would help me organize my thoughts.

TWO: I had helped with the Youth Leadership Program for years, I wanted to make that official.

THREE: In my church, I often take on leadership roles. It occurred to me that being able to better express goals and methodology would make me a better leader.

FOUR: Overtime I had come to enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie. And, again becoming an official member of a club enhanced that enjoyment.

FIVE: I enjoyed the opportunity and challenge found in self-improvement. And, Toastmasters is all about moving forward and improving.

SIX: On your Toastmasters journey, you achieve goals and move up in designations on both the communication and leadership track. With that in mind, I found a sense of pride in adding new designations after my name.

The Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program ~ INSTRUCTORS NEEDED!!!
Communication and leadership skills are useful abilities at almost any age. With that in mind, Toast-masters created the Youth Leadership Program. Think of it as a program designed to teach youth from the ages of 12 – 17 the same skills adults learn at a club meeting.

All that’s needed is a room, tables, chairs and five youth from the ages of 12 to 17. Mature younger children may also be included. Then, one or two, experienced Toastmasters bring manuals, agendas, timing cards, lectern, Words of the Day and favorite quotes. They then teach the youth how to run a Toastmasters meeting. This includes Icebreaker Speeches, Speeches to Inform, Speeches to Persuade, Table Topics, and Evaluations. Programs last eight to nine weeks. The last meeting often acts as a culmination with the youth running a Toastmasters meeting and their families and friends acting as the audience.

And, by the way, any Toastmaster can start such a group. All one needs is a suitable location. Let’s not forget, a Toastmaster gets credit toward their ALS plus credit for any model speech they present. With all of the above in mind, if you’d like to be a Youth Leadership program instructor please contact Everette Williams at 323.385.0587 or e4j8will48@aol.com

My thanks to the District One Community Outreach Team: Jerry Cockrell, Yvette Ferrer, Pam Foster, Ann Guintivano, Joanne Masuguchi, Diane Wachi, Patricia Sheppard-Williams & others!

Community Outreach Update Winter Edition

A Season of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 15, 2017November 15, 2017 by District One Marketing

Greetings District One,

This Fall Season is the time of abundant blessings for our members. Congratulations on the achievements you are making as you Envision Your Experience (EYE) as a Toastmaster. Can you feel the transformation in your life? Continue to use the skills we gain inside our clubs and apply those skills to our lives outside of Toastmasters.

On November 4^th, we had our last ever Fall Conference. Congratulations to the conference team of leaders that delivered an amazing experience for our members. It was wonderful to see so many of you learning transformative skills to use in your lives. Please share your experience with your club members by asking your VPE to deliver a speech at an upcoming meeting. Share the leadership lessons learned and the team building skills strengthened. Write a blog about your experience and submit it on our District Website.

What is next? This season I invite you to meet with your mentor to examine the next level in your development. Assess your progress for this term and the plans you have for the upcoming new year – which is just on the horizon! If you are in need of a mentor, please feel free to send a message to me so that a wonderful match can be found for you. District One has beautiful mentors all over the district – ask and you shall receive!

I invite our experienced members to become a mentor and/or add more mentees to the relationships you are nurturing. Please let me know if you would like to help a fellow member — Your expertise is valuable!

Let us keep an EYE on each other and encourage one another. Envision Your Experience this season. I look forward to seeing you at the Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) on January 20^th.

Believing in You,

Julie Broady, DTM
District Director
“Envision Your Experience”

Don’t Let Your Speeches Die at Toastmasters

Posted on November 4, 2017November 4, 2017 by District One Marketing

Rough Writers Toastmasters

Have you turned your Toastmasters club into a graveyard for your speeches?

Think about the average lifespan of a speech.

You may spend a lot of time coming up with an idea, planning your content and structure, and rehearsing your material.

Then the day comes when you deliver your speech in front of your club. The audience applauds your achievement. Your evaluator takes careful notes and gives you verbal and written feedback to help you improve your presentation.

Then what happens?

That’s it. It’s time to forget about this speech and move on to the next one.

This is the tragedy of Toastmasters: we put so much time and effort into preparing a speech, only to leave it to die as soon as we’ve presented it to our club.

What if, instead of abandoning your speech, you used the club’s evaluations to make it better?

What if that speech could find its way into a book so you could share it with family, friends, and anyone else you believed could benefit from your content?

The “Rough Writers” Toastmasters club showed this was possible when we launched our book, Speeches to Books: True Stories from the Rough Writers Club.

The Arduous Path to Publication

When we formed our club, most of our members agreed that we could use the Toastmasters program to help increase, improve, and promote our writing. A few of us had written books before, but most of us had only dreamt of becoming published authors.

A year or so after we chartered, we decided to stop dreaming and start working on a book together.

We faced an uphill battle from the beginning. Some people questioned whether a specialty club like ours could even survive, let alone become published.

First, we had to find volunteers to contribute content. After some convincing, nine club members agreed to participate.

Each of us delivered a speech based on our personal experience with a life-changing moment. The feedback we gathered from other members helped us refine our content into written stories.

We collected the stories and our club Editor improved them.

Following this was a long period of confusion while we tried to figure out which copies had been edited and which hadn’t.

Eventually, we got all the final revisions together, contacted a printing service, and were suddenly confronted with a whole new set of questions:

Who’s going to write the introduction, the foreword, and the acknowledgements?
What should we use for cover art?
How many ISBN numbers should we order?

These and other unknowns led to more debate and delays.

Finally, we made our final decisions and placed our order.

A few days later, we were staring inside an open box. For many of us, being able to pull a copy of the book out of that box and hold it in our hands was when it all became real:

We did it! We had just become published authors; some of us for the first time!

Keeping Our Speeches Alive

Now, instead of our speeches dying in our club; they live on bookshelves and coffee tables or travel in cars, bags, and envelopes on their way to new homes.

For the authors, these books will be a constant reminder of the stories we told, the work we put into them, and the support we received along the way.

For our readers, these books will serve as inspiration; not just because of the words inside but because of what they represent: a symbol of what can be accomplished when a group of people work together towards a common goal.

If you’d like to learn more about our process, pick up a copy of our book, or join us on our next project; please contact Brad Jorgensen at gnomedeplume@gmail.com.

CDU Enhanced Post Baccalaureate Program and District 1 Launch Speechcraft

Posted on October 27, 2017November 4, 2017 by Webmaster

Tina Tomiyama

Margaret Mitchell addressing scholars

“Post Bacc Program seeking Speechcraft. Let’s start a relationship!” No one knew just what to expect when District 1 Toastmasters and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science’s (CDU) Enhanced Post Baccalaureate (EPB) Program joined forces to provide communication training to 15 scholars. Would the stars align?

Dr. Ngozi Chukwu, Director of the EPB Program, was searching for a way to enrich the communication skills of her pre-medical students and had heard good things about Toastmasters. Moreover, her former program assistant, Taynay Cameron, had previously participated in a Youth Leadership Program. In the spring of 2017, Taynay connected Dr. Chukwu with several Toastmasters, including the eminent Margaret Mitchell, veteran of four Speechcrafts; District 1’s 2016-2017 Speechcraft Chair Janet Cormier; and Karen Persip, who had chaired a Speechcraft at St Francis Medical Center.

Natalie Torres-Haddad works with two scholars on their Icebreaker

The planners met over the spring and summer to tailor the best possible experience for the 15 scholars for their Fall 2017 semester in the EPB Program. As Chair, Margaret enlisted her mentee Natalie Torres-Haddad as Co-Chair and signed up more than a dozen enthusiastic Toastmasters from seven clubs in District 1 to help.

With 15 scholar-participants, it was clear that not every scholar could give a prepared speech at every one of the 8 Speechcraft sessions. Margaret and Dr. Chukwu carefully worked out a syllabus to maximize the communication training that was possible. At each two-hour session, Speechcraft team members offer educational and demonstration speeches addressing one of the first eight projects in the Competent Communicator manual. Meanwhile, half the scholars give a prepared speech at each meeting while the other half practices Table Topics™. And not just any Table Topics™ — these topics are carefully aligned with the scholars’ curriculum.

The Speechcraft team includes Co-Chairs Margaret Mitchell and Natalie Torres-Haddad, Advisors Karen Persip, Martha Pickett-Patterson, Jessica Allen and Tina Tomiyama, and additional team members Daniel Andrade, Laura Brown, Richard Carbajal, Janet Cormier, Mello Desire, Shron and Alvin Hall, Diane Markham, Lydia Martinez, and Alonzo Williams.

Sponsoring and represented clubs are Compton Elite Communicators, Century City Toastmasters, C.I.T.I.E.S. Club, Ethical Elite, Mission Control, Praisemasters, and StoryMasters.

Did the stars align? How is the relationship coming along?

“I don’t know when I’ve been so impressed!” whispered Karen Persip as we listened to an hour of enthralling Icebreaker speeches. “These students are incredible!”

“Speechcraft really works in a college setting,” said Margaret Mitchell. “It dovetails with a semester or trimester system and provides a fine introduction to the Toastmasters program.”

Will CDU continue to include a Speechcraft in the EPB program in future? “I would love to incorporate Speechcraft into the program every year,” said Dr. Chukwu, smiling warmly, “In fact, the reviews thus far have been so positive, we have already begun to discuss ways of introducing it to the faculty and staff.”

Enjoy these 6 pictures of the first session, and stay tuned for the wrap-up in December.