CARRIE VERROCCHIO- DISTRICT 65 CHAMPION MOVES TO SEMIFINALS

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Roger Morehouse


CARRIE VERROCCHIO- DISTRICT 65 CHAMPION MOVES TO SEMIFINALS
Winning speech “Life is short, choose wisely.”

Carrie Verrocchio from Binghamton will be participating in the Toastmasters 2020 International Speech Contest Semifinals in August. Carrie and one of her old marketing peers decided to join Toastmasters club together in 2019. They have been encouraging each other to take every opportunity to deliver speeches. Carrie believes the best way to spend her time is to touch others lives, which is inspired by Carrie’s brother. Carrie’s preparation strategy for speech contests is “Practice, practice and practice.” She takes meaningful feedback from Toastmasters clubs, Facebook Live, coaches and Marketing networks. She learned that using personal stories with a key message can build a very powerful connection with an audience. And She uses “visualization” to build winning moment and keep her mind strong.

The 2020 International Convention will be presented in a first-ever online format with the thrilling highlights and educational insight. Save August 24-29 on your calendar for the virtual convention!
More information:
Carrie Verrocchio, District 65 Champion, linkedin.com/in/carrie-verrocchio-0823a3b0

Grace Lu, District 65 Public Relations Manager, linkedin.com/in/shuhualu

District 65 tmDistrict65.org and Facebook

2020 International Virtual Convention, August 24-29, https://www.toastmasters.org/events/2020-international-convention

About Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization’s membership exceeds 358,000 in more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.

 

Verrocchio07142020

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Test Post for headers

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Roger Morehouse
Responding to Coronavirus As the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to be felt around the world, we are working diligently to support our members and clubs. Learn more.
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2019-2020 Annual Awards!

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Pam Gorman

District 65 “of-the-Year” Awards

Beginning now, District 65 will be accepting nominations for the Annual Awards – Toastmaster of the Year, Division Director of the Year, and Area Director of the Year. The Immediate Past District Director also has the option of awarding the Phoenix Award to the club that has risen out of the ashes to charter strength and/or become Distinguished.

The descriptions of these awards and nomination forms are below.

Forms must be received by July 31, 2020. Please submit to PamGormanD65@gmail.com

District 65 Annual Awards

The recipients for the “Of-the-Year” awards will be selected by a committee comprised of the 2019-2020 Trio of officers, chaired by the District Director. The committee may include as many members as the chair deems necessary. Area Directors who served during the year for which the awards are being selected will not be members of the committee to select Area Director of the Year. Area Directors and Division Directors who served during the year for which the awards are being selected will not be members of the committee to select Division Director of the Year. The committee will select the recipients of the Toastmaster of the Year, Division Director of the Year, Area Director of the Year, and the Phoenix Club of the Year – which may be given at the discretion of the District Director. These honors will be presented at the annual fall Leadership Breakfast or at an event to be announced by the current District Trio.

Toastmaster of the Year

The “Toastmaster of the Year Award” will be based upon the form below and other criteria as deemed appropriate by the selection committee. Each member in good standing, other than voting members of the Executive Committee (Area Director and above), is eligible to participate in the contest each year, regardless of their length of membership. The award is to be based on Toastmaster activities performed during the previous Toastmaster year. Members are encouraged to submit the application form on his or her behalf, or on behalf of another member. Area Directors will ensure that each club has a copy of the application form. A comprehensive list of past recipients of this award should be kept in the District historical records. Typically, the award is given to a member not serving in a District Leadership role.

CLICK HERE FOR NOMINATION FORM!

Division Director of the Year

The “Division Director of the Year Award” will be based upon the form below and responsibilities contained in the District Leadership Handbook, as well as other criteria as deemed appropriate by the selection committee. A comprehensive list of past recipients of this award should be kept in the District historical records.

CLICK HERE FOR NOMINATION FORM!

Area Director of the Year Award

The “Area Director of the Year Award” will be based upon the form below and responsibilities contained in the District Leadership Handbook, as well as other criteria as deemed appropriate by the selection committee. A comprehensive list of past recipients of this award should be kept in the District historical records.

CLICK HERE FOR NOMINATION FORM!

Phoenix Club of the Year

The “Phoenix Club of the Year Award” may be given at the discretion of the Immediate Past District Director to the club which magnificently rises up from the ashes of low membership and morale during the 2019-2020 District year back to charter strength. The deadline for Executive Committee members to submit nominations to the IPDD is July 31, 2020. A list of the past recipients of this award should be kept in the District historical records.

** Other Annual Awards which may be given are the Pat Panfile/Ben Luce Award and the Pride of the District Cup.

Remember, once you have filled out the nomination forms, please submit to – Pam Gorman, DTM – email:  PamGormanD65@gmail.com

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Summer 2020 Club Officer Training – Makeup Information

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Pam Gorman

In order for your clubs to get credit, at least four (4) officers need to participate in Club Officer Training. If you missed the exciting event on June 29th, there are now TWO evening sessions (6:00-9:00pm) to choose from – Tuesday, July 14th and Thursday, July 23rd.

To register for Tuesday, July 14th: https://bit.ly/July14COT

To register for Thursday, July 23rd: https://bit.ly/July23COT

 

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New Club Recognition Awards

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Roger Morehouse

May 28, 2020

Dear Club Officer,

There is cause for celebration. As Toastmasters clubs around the world adapt to the effects the coronavirus crisis is having on in-person events and meetings, Toastmasters International is taking note of the overwhelming positive energy and resiliency. With year-end approaching, many of you have risen to the very difficult challenge of continuing to achieve membership and education goals, despite what is going on around you, and for this, you and your clubs are an inspiration and deserve special recognition.

The Board of Directors is sensitive to those clubs that have been dealing with membership challenges brought on by the current crisis; in fact, the Board and World Headquarters has received much feedback requesting a modification of the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) or even postponing the program year-end date to a later time. After careful consideration, the Board determined that any recognition program change to lower the qualifying requirements or goals would be unfair to those of you going above and beyond—and amazingly, still striving toward achieving Distinguished status!

To ensure all clubs, Distinguished or not, are recognized for their outstanding efforts, new club-level awards have been created for the 2019–2020 program year only. They were designed with the same enthusiasm so many of you displayed to earn them:

Online Ovation/Education Award Silver, Online Ovation/Education Award Gold

Clubs will qualify for these awards by meeting both of the following criteria by June 30, 2020:

    • Indicating in Club Central that they allow online attendance
      • The club must have allowed online attendance between January 1 and June 30, 2020. If the club already allowed online attendance prior to January 1, 2020 and continued to allow online attendance, it would qualify. If the club did not allow online attendance prior to January 1, 2020 and began allowing online attendance, it would qualify. Clubs that have never allowed online attendance at any point between January 1 and June 30, 2020, would not qualify.
    • Achieving the listed education goal requirement in one of two tiers
        • The first tier/silver award will be presented to those that achieve four education goals (traditional, Pathways, or a combination), based on the DCP.
        • The second tier/gold award will be presented to those that achieve six education goals (traditional, Pathways, or a combination), based on the DCP.

The Great Revival Award 

This award will be presented to clubs that were suspended by April 1, 2020, then reinstated between April 1 and September 30, 2020.

Membership Consistency Award, Membership Resiliency Award

Based on a club’s membership base as calculated on July 1, 2019, the first award is presented to any club that experienced no net member loss; the second award is presented to any club that experienced a net member gain by June 30, 2020.

You can find descriptions of these awards and check your progress by visiting the Recognition Awards tab on the COVID-19 page of the Toastmasters International website www.toastmasters.org/covid-19. Recognition for a club that achieves any of the awards described above would be listed in Club Central under Club Awards. For any questions on how your club can achieve any or all of these awards, please contact our Club Quality and Member Support team at clubquality@toastmasters.org.

Toastmasters International admires and appreciates the truly extraordinary efforts of club officers who are diligently supporting club meetings and actively encouraging members to achieve their year-end goals in these unprecedented times. If you can achieve this today, there is no telling what you will accomplish tomorrow—and we look forward to continuing to recognize you.

Sincerely,
Deepak Menon Daniel Rex
Deepak Menon
International President
Toastmasters International		 Daniel Rex
Chief Executive Officer
Toastmasters International
This email has been sent to all Region Advisors, District Directors, Club Growth Directors, Program Quality Directors, Club Presidents, Vice Presidents Education, Vice Presidents Membership, Vice Presidents Public Relations, Secretaries, Treasurers, and Sergeant at Arms.
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Club and District COVID Announcement

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Roger Morehouse

May 6, 2020

Dear Toastmasters,

Thank you for putting your trust in the Board of Directors as we work together to navigate
this difficult time. COVID-19 has put a strain on the economy, directly affecting
Toastmasters International and many of our members. We have been working diligently to
find feasible and timely solutions with your best interest in mind; every decision taken by
the Board of Directors has had serious consideration and discussion behind it. We would
like to share three new decisions with you:

    • Access to Pathways’ Base Camp has been extended through June 30, 2020 for
      members who were in good standing as of April 30, 2020. Our hope is that this will
      provide added support to Toastmasters who are not yet able to renew their
      membership but may want to continue their educational journey. Please note that
      this is not an extension of all membership benefits.
    • Several austerity measures are in place at World Headquarters, including a decision
      to not fill open staff positions and a pause on compensation increases of any kind for current employees.
    • Print delivery of the Toastmaster magazine has been temporarily discontinued for
      the coming months, starting with the May 2020 issue. This decision took into
      consideration that some countries are no longer accepting mail from outside their
      borders. We will reevaluate the status of print delivery regularly and will inform the
      membership when it will resume. We anticipate this will be no later than January
      2021.

The magazine is still available online at www.toastmasters.org/Magazine. If you prefer, you can also download a PDF of the monthly issue to print. The online magazine has digital benefits not included in the print version, such as: an interactive experience, extended photo galleries, timely topics, and exclusive video and audio content.
For more information regarding decisions made by the Board related to COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 FAQ.

The Board truly appreciates your support and commitment. We hope you will continue to
find Pathways and the Toastmaster magazine sources of education and inspiration.

Take care and stay safe,

Deepak Menon Daniel Rex
International President Chief Executive Officer
Toastmasters International Toastmasters International
This message was sent to all members.
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Speeches Outside of the Club

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Roger Morehouse

There is a two speech limit per manual in the traditional education program but this is not the case in the Pathways program. There is not a limit in the number of speeches you can complete outside of the club. The requirements for completing speeches outside of the club in the Pathways program are as follows:

  • Speak to your VPE/executive committee and receive approval for completing your project outside of your club
  • Meet the project requirements
  • A Toastmaster must be present for your evaluations
  • Receive a verbal evaluation
  • Receive a written evaluation

If this criteria is met, your project will be eligible for credit. The intention of the Pathways program is to be more flexible as life is ever-changing more now than ever!

Posted in Club Success Plan, Clubs | Comments Off on Speeches Outside of the Club

Important District Update: COVID-19

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Roger Morehouse
Responding to Coronavirus

As the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to be felt around the world, we are working diligently to support our members and clubs. Learn more.

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Club Connections

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Roger Morehouse

List of Club Connections for Virtual Meetings

 

Posted in Meetings | Comments Off on Club Connections

Let’s Keep Connected

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Roger Morehouse

March 24, 2020

My dear fellow Toastmasters and friends,

The pandemic caused by the coronavirus is now affecting all aspects of our personal and professional lives with so many activities on hold. For us, as Toastmasters, this is unsettling and makes us feel isolated. We rely on one another for growth, support, and camaraderie. We have helped one another become stronger leaders, speakers, and team players. Communication is at our core; we thrive on it.

While we are most comfortable fully engaged with in-person meetings and interaction, we are finding it is possible to thrive through our technological connections now. Online meetings, speeches, and chats are giving us purpose and reason to smile with one another, even in this difficult time. Toastmasters was always a laboratory, of sorts, for experimenting and learning, and now it gives us an opportunity to become more creative as we engage online together. We are experiencing our support system, still in place, all around the world.

As your International President, I have been thinking very seriously about our role as Toastmasters, but also about the precautions we must take during these times, especially regarding current and upcoming Toastmasters contests, programs, and events. To see the actions we’ve taken so far, click here.

Rest assured that we are closely monitoring the situation with respect to the 2020 Toastmasters International Convention to be held in Paris, France in August. We are actively working with our partners in Paris and relying on local health and government officials to assess moving forward. We are also following the lead of the world’s most trusted sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will keep you updated on any changes. We want to make the smartest decision, above all, for the health and safety of you and your families.

I encourage you to continue to find ways to connect; emotional wellness is just as important as physical health. The Board of Directors and World Headquarters staff is committed to helping you through these challenging times. While staff is working remotely for the safety of all, they are dedicated to keeping service standards and helping members in any way they can. Please reach out to them here.

Our activities as Toastmasters have certainly shifted, with our primary focus on protecting ourselves, so we can protect the globe. It is my hope and passion that we stay connected and come through stronger, as we endure new challenges, but also find new reasons to be grateful.

Please take care of one another,

Sincerely,
Deepak Menon

Deepak Menon
International President
Toastmasters International
www.toastmasters.org
Posted in District Executive Committee | Comments Off on Let’s Keep Connected