Ben’s Broadcast

New District, New Year

We are jumping into 2019, which is full of changes! New district, Pathways, new goals, and more.

Embracing that change can launch us into the new year.

So, how do we embrace Pathways? Consistent action can lead to an understanding of Pathways. Our

Region 4 Advisor, Rob Christeson, DTM, suggested doing this:

Take 2 minutes every day and click around through Pathways. At the end of 2 weeks, you’ll have

achieved a level of comfortability with the program that may ignite your interest in Pathways. Maybe

you don’t have 2 minutes EVERY day. Try it every other day or once a week. The key here is to get

into Pathways and learn the program. Yes, it’s different. But the content is great, and you still have your

awesome club experience. If we quit looking at Pathways as Mount Everest, and instead do as the

Chinese proverb suggests and take the journey of 1000 miles 1 step at a time, we will be able to get

the full experience of Pathways. And that’s what Toastmasters is: Experiential Learning.

3 Words

And because it’s a new year, we can take this opportunity to review the last 6 months and make sure

we’re on track to fulfill our goals for this Toastmaster’s year, both our personal and our club goals. Take

a look at your educational goals and see if you’re on track. At your next meeting, be sure to talk with

your VPE and make any adjustments to your schedule as needed. If you’re a club officer, now is a

good time to review the Club Success Plan & Distinguished Club Program with the officer team and

make any adjustments necessary to achieve your club goals too. As we achieve our goals, we

experience the value of Toastmasters.

The district team wants every club to experience these 3 words this year:

- Dynamic

- Connect

- Achieve

I believe we can have dynamic club meetings, where we connect with the members of our clubs, the

guests that visit our clubs, and the district team. And if we do that, we will achieve. What will we

achieve? Distinguished designation? Likely. But what’s most important to me is that you achieve your

personal educational goals in Toastmasters. If I, or the district team, can assist you, please don’t

hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you!

>Ben

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

NEWSLETTER District News And Events

District 106

January 2019

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

Trio Thoughts…

PxD106 Event

PR Contest

District

Highlights

District Director

New District,

New Year

Program Quality Director

Program Quality Corner

Club Growth Director

Success Stories

Club Officer Training Selfie, Jan 9, 2019 Wayzata, MN

Program Quality Corner

Greetings Toastmasters of District 106

This time of year, we have quite a bit going on regarding Program Quality, and I will endeavor to cover a couple of the

high points. Everything I will be talking about is now on the District 106 website and I would invite you to visit the

updated website (https://d106tm.org/ ) to keep abreast of the goings on in the district.

WOW!Factor Project

On January 5th All club presidents were emailed a letter from International President Lark Doley encouraging

all clubs to focus on the quality and performance of our club meetings. She Recommended the following steps

1. In January Utilize tools such as the Club Quality Checklist and Moments of Truth to assess how your

club is performing. Find the gaps and areas for improvement.

2. In February and March put your findings into your plan of action. Use tools such as the Open House

Flier , and New Marketing Materials to recruit new members.

3. Send in a video of your clubs unique “WOW experience” with #wowfactor!

I’ll encourage you to use these tools to help promote your club and its mission to provide a supportive and

positive learning environment. We will continue to watch for more information and share it with you when it

becomes available.

Speech Contests

Thinking of Hosting a club speech contest this year. You should! We’ve collected all the information you need

to host a Club, Area, or Division Contest at https://d106tm.org/speech-contests/

Contact your Area Directors to find the date of your Area’s contest and we will look forward to seeing your

contestant at the finals.

Spring Conference

The District 106 Spring Conference is scheduled for Saturday, April 27th. More info to come.

Keep an eye out on the District Website, we currently have a post “Save the Date” the Spring Conference.

Information will be posted there as it becomes available.

Club Officer Training

The Trio & training team are excited to meet with YOU, the Club Officers of District 106, again in the 2nd Round of Club Officer Training (COT)!

This 2nd Round runs from December 2018-February 2019. The training sessions will be 3 hours, like the last round of COT. And again, as a Club Officer of District 106, you must participate in a District 106 training to receive credit for your club. More info on all COTs can be found on the Events Calendar of D106, but the Date and City are listed below for a quick-view of all COTs

District 106 Judges Training:

It is important that all speech contests are conducted properly, and good judging is vital to this.

Good Judging ensures fairness to all contestants and the audience.

As part of our member experience initiatives this year District 106 will conduct two online

sessions for Judges Training. The training will be led by our Chief Judge Stephen Shaner,

DTM.

If you are interested in serving as a Judge for the upcoming Speech Contest Season, please

register for one of the following sessions.

Register in advance: Jan 31, 2019 6:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/f2cc609e091988a8dc2040ba88984b7b

Register in advance: Feb 23, 2019 9:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/bed2df35dd45b199c5b9141539e44ee6

Date City EventBrite

Tues, Jan 22, 2019 St Paul, MN

Register

Wed Jan 23, 2019 Arden Hills, MN

Register

Thurs Jan 24, 2019 Brooklyn Center, MN

Register

Sat Jan 26, 2019 Duluth, MN

Register

Sat Feb 2, 2019 Thunder Bay, MN

Register

Sat, Feb 9, 2019 St Paul, MN

Register

Sat, Feb 16, 2019 Columbia Heights, MN

Register

Dave Gibson, DTM, EC2

2018-2019 Program Quality Director

District 106

phone: 763-331-1474

email: tm.davegibson@gmail.com

Toolbox

Tuesdays

Our weekly

webinar series to

put tools in your

toolbox to help you

pound out

problems and

sharpen your saw

is going strong,

and now open to

all Toastmasters in

District 106.

You can find past

sessions and the

registration link to

the next session at

https://d106tm.org/

category/toolbox-

tuesday/

Each live webinar

has limited seating

so check in early

to reserve your

seat.

Club Ambassador Program

I know that some of you have been wondering where is that elusive gilded gavel. Well, truth is,

it is in District 6 to stay.

We have just launched our new Club Ambassador Program (CAP). The CAP encourages visits to other clubs in the district and rewards the member’s growth through this exploration experience. It also recognizes the best practices reported across the district.

WHAT WILL YOU (THE CLUB AMBASSADOR) GAIN? • New ideas to bring back to and rejuvenate your home club • Confidence from speaking in front of unfamiliar audience • The satisfaction of helping in a meeting function • New contacts and meaningful connections to promote your personal growth! • Recognition of your adventurous spirit while building our district from the “inside out” • The greatest reward for you is the experience!

WHAT WILL THE VISITED CLUB GAIN? • New ideas from the ambassador • The ambassador may be interested in a “dual membership” in the visited club • More knowledge and confidence for the existing club members • Advertise on your website or club page that you are welcoming Club Ambassadors!

Check out the new District 106 Club Ambassador Program webpage The link is on the D106 main page, and you can download a flyer to explain this exciting new program here .

Planning for Next Year

This is a good time for planning ahead for next year. If you are a club officer, you should be

working to find your successor. Club elections are to be held the first meeting in May and the

term starts July 1 through June 30th.

If you are looking to expand your leadership experience outside of the club level, we are

looking for candidates to serve on various committees and leadership positions throughout the

District. One thing that we have learned this year is that building a new District from the

ground up is a lot of work and takes many hands. We are currently seeking candidates to

serve on Club Growth Committees (Extension, Retention, Coaching, Mentoring, Sponsoring)

Program Quality Committees (Training, Convention, Speech Craft, Youth Leadership), as well

as several leadership and leadership development positions throughout the district. If you are

interested, please send me an email at tm.davegibson@gmail.com and I can help get you

plugged in.

Together, we can make District 106 the very best district in the world. Thank you

From the Club Growth Director, Michael Carlton

“Success Stories”

Fellow Toastmasters,

As we embrace the new year and get back into the routines of our

professional and personal lives, many of us have (or are in the process of)

setting goals and taking actions to make this year more successful than the

last. These are obviously great goals to have and can sometimes be

challenging to achieve, although it’s been my experience that goals are

achieved and one aspect of life is improved, it can naturally compliment the

other.

In the 5 years I’ve been a Toastmaster, I’ve also discovered that successes

in my club, whether personal or collective, has resonated into positive

momentum in my professional and personal life as well. To some people,

especially non-members, this may sound “corny” or like a “sales pitch,” but

it’s true, and I’m not alone in this discovery.

We all know that a strong club with consistent, well organized meetings

produce positive development for us as members. Many of us have also

discovered when membership is down, that development can be disrupted

while struggling to rebuild our membership back up to a comfortable and

productive number.

The common conversation among many of us is the struggle to invite

visitors and convert them to members. Most of us are aware the “word of

mouth” is the best way to invite visitors, many of us are challenged with

what to say, how to say it, and how much to say to someone who we’re

confident could benefit from Toastmasters as we do.

It’s been my experience that stories, or real-life examples, tend to resonate

with people when deciding to make a change or try something new. In my

business as an insurance agent, I use positive relatable stories of past

claims to help clients make the best decision for them. I’ve had similar

success in Toastmasters when inviting and converting by sharing relatable

stories of members past and current.

As Club Growth Director, I have visited many of our clubs and assisted in membership drives and open houses. I have a “Success Stories” speech that I’ve used many times that has sparked interest in visitors, encouraged visitors to join, and re-engaged some current members. These stories are short, real examples of members I’ve known and the personal development they have achieved. Some are related to career advancement, some are about overcoming social anxiety, and some are about members that made other major changes in their lives after becoming members of Toastmasters.

I encourage all of you to find stories like these in your own clubs. Think

back on some of the members that have come and gone over the time you

have been there. Who got that promotion? Who achieved the job or career

change they were hoping for? Who took the big step to make positive

change in their personal life? If you’re having trouble finding some of these

stories, ask some of your long-time members for some. These are the

stories that promote Toastmasters. These are the “why” Toastmasters is

beneficial.

Once you have a few of these stories, create a speech to showcase them.

Practice it in your home club, then share them with your friends, family, or

colleagues. Their positive response might surprise you.

I’d love to hear some of these success stories and use them when visiting

clubs to promote membership. If you have a great story to share, please

send them to me and I’ll put them to work.

Thank you all for what you do for your clubs, and good luck with your club

membership growth!

“Talk Up Toastmasters!”

As Toastmasters, building membership is a goal we work to achieve throughout the year. As our

members move up, over and on, we must promote our clubs maintain our membership strength.

When we maintain strong membership, we are best suited to keep our current members

engaged while offering a solid development program for out new members.

To compliment our ongoing membership drives, Toastmasters International hosts contests

periodically throughout the year with incentives for your club, along with additional incentives

from our District.

Talk Up Toastmasters

Program Dates: February 1 – March 31

Toastmasters love to connect, so take advantage of it. The "Talk Up Toastmasters"

membership program is the chance to encourage your members to invite guests to a special

meeting where prospective members can learn about Toastmasters' many benefits. Then add

five new, dual or reinstated members with a join date between February 1 and March 31, and

you’ll receive a special "Talk up Toastmasters" ribbon to display on your club’s banner.

Qualifying clubs can also earn a special discount code for 10-percent off their next club order.

(The discount code expires six months from the date of issue and is not valid with any other

offer.)

On top of the TI incentives, the District is offering a $50 Gift Certificate to the TI Store for the first

10 clubs to achieve 5 new members, and $25 Gift Certificate for all clubs after (within the

contest dates). If you don’t have a current-branded club banner, this would be a great start

toward purchasing one!

I encourage all members to rally their clubs to participate in Talk up Toastmasters! Promote your

club any way you can, host an open house, and/or even an in-club incentive program. Contact

your Area Director, Division Director, or your Club Growth Director (that’s me!) for support and

assistance in your membership building efforts!

Keep in mind:

Applications and payments for members with a join date between February 1 and March 31

must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31. The addition of

transfer and charter members does not count towards “Talk Up Toastmasters” credit.

The winning clubs will be revealed online within a few weeks of the submission deadline.

Winning clubs should allow up to 10 business days to receive their award if they are located in

the United States, and up to 21 business days if they are outside of the United States.

Thank you for all that you do for your clubs, and remember, the District Leadership is here to

help. Put us to work for you and let’s “Talk Up Toastmasters!”

District 106 Public Relations Contest Club Public Relations are promotional efforts to gain

members through encouraging non-members to visit

the club. We will recognize exemplary efforts in 6

Public Relation Contest categories this year (you

can submit to more than one category!):

● Best Club Website

● Best Press Release/News article

● Best Newsletter

● Best Social Media

● Best Club Event Promotion

● Best Corporate Club Promotion

ALL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE POSTED ON THE

D106 FACEBOOK GROUP AS THEY COME IN (a

few already have!) AND TOP WINNERS WILL BE

RECOGNIZED AT THE SPRING CONFERENCE

(4/27/19)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: March 31, 2019

More info and to submit:

https://d106tm.org/club-pr-contests/

Don’t Miss This!

PxD106 Event

We also have another Powered

by District 106 (PxD106) event

coming up on Jan 31, 2019:

Mastering Your Career’s Most

Important Conversation

Nail Your Interview!

For more info and to register to

join us, go here:

https://d106tm.org/mastering-your-

careers-most-important-conversation/

Ben is Looking for YOU!

If you are good (or want to get good) with creating

newsletters, I’m looking for YOU! ☺

I would like to find someone in the district to be our

newsletter editor. This role would include:

- Sending out reminders to the contributors - Taking the articles and laying them out in

the template - Sending out the completed newsletter

If you’re interested, please contact me today:

ddirector@d106tm.org