D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 1
District 38
12/2014
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Members’ News 4
Club Spotlight 5
Fall conference wrap up 8
Educational Achievement 10
Members’ Story Highlights
Yasmine Mustafa 12
Recently won 1
st Prize and
Audience Pick at Temple University’s 15
th Annual Idea
Competition, Yasmine tells you how her toastmasters experience supported her to achieve this success.
Brian Young 13
A sound engineer and event producer, Brian shares his tips on the topic “Don’t let preventable sound problems ruin your speech”.
Current
Status
Distinguished
Goal
Paid
Clubs 149 163
Members
Payment 3615 7566
TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL
NEWSLETTER
During the October renewal period, only 149 clubs renewed, presenting a gap of 14
clubs needed to reach Distinguished District status. Additionally, within that gap are 10 clubs,
which have renewed fewer than 8 members and are consequently not identified as a paid
club. The 90th Anniversary of Toastmaster International on October 22
nd kicked off a year
long celebration for Toastmasters around the globe. Our celebration was the nightcap to our
Division B Humourous and Table Topics Speech Contest. With 60+ Toastmasters gathered
in Collegeville at the home of the forthcoming Collegeville Toastmasters enjoying a buffet
offering of hot and cold foods, a customized cake, I offered a toast and there was a special
recognition of Past International Director, Past District Governor John Foster, DTM, Past
District Governor Lillie Foster, and Past Distinguished District Governor Elliot Dennis.
The honor of a Presidential visit, which occurs every five to six years, was bestowed
upon us as we hosted International President-Elect Jim Kokocki, DTM during our Annual Fall
Conference. Jim’s visit included experiencing Main Line Toastmasters club meeting,
Positively Charged Toastmasters club meeting, the forthcoming Bancroft Toastmasters club,
a meeting with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and being the featured
speaker of our conference.
While we have many great memories of this year to reflect upon; we have even
greater memories and accomplishments to create. Are you on target for your year-end
goals? Is your club on target for its year-end goal?
District 38 Toastmaster Define Your Excellence! Inspire, motivate and produce like
never before. The time is now, there is much to accomplish towards our district goal of
achieving President’s Distinguished. You can help us get there.
Cynthia A Brown, DTM
District Governor 2014 - 2015
District News And Events
Message from our District Governor
Cynthia A Brown, DTM
Dear fellow Toastmaster,
As we approach the halfway mark of the 2014-
2015 Toastmaster’s year there is a lot to reflect upon: new
clubs joining the District 38 family, District level contests
with a field of 7 contestants, the 90th
Anniversary of
Toastmasters International, and hosting International
President Jim Kokocki, DTM. As we approach the
halfway mark we recognize we are challenged in our
count of paid clubs towards our goal of President’s
Distinguished District 38.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 2
Message from our District Lt. Governor of Education
and Marketing
Greetings Fellow Toastmasters,
It’s hard to believe that 6 months have
passed since the beginning of this term.
We have already celebrated Thanksgiving
and experienced our first snow of the
season. As for our District 38, we have
much to celebrate.
Club Officers, Area Governors, and Division
Governors, thank you for attending training
over the summer. According to TI, “training
is the heart of Toastmasters”. Attending
training shows your interest and
engagement. Club officers who attend
training represent a positive spirit in clubs
for members to flourish. With the help of
Division and Area Governors, we were able
to conduct 15 trainings. These trainings
occurred in locations near club officers for
easy access. Additionally, these trainings
were given during the week as well as
weekend maximizing accessibility.
November 14th
and 15th, we enjoyed our
Fall Conference. Here, Toastmasters were
entertained by a Tall Tales Showcase and
“Rocked D38” by dancing and singing with
a live band. Thank you to the Conference
Co-Chairs, Deborah Butler (right below),
and Kyle Zieba (left below)
For all of your hard work and dedication
as well as leading the planning
committee.
Toastmasters International President-
elect Jim Kokocki (picture above),
captivated us with his educational
sessions on leadership. Educational
sessions were given by our very own,
Dan Ally, Paul Sharkey, Jessica Conn,
Cheryl Velasco, Sherita Nzali, Shel
Taylor, and Ken Krawchuk.
Congratulations to our contest winners,
John Brown for Table Topics and Hemant
Marathe for Humorous Speech.
As we remember the fun filled past 6
months, let’s look ahead to an even better
rest of the year. I look forward to seeing
you at winter trainings and the Spring
Conference. Division D will be hosting the
Conference located at the Double Tree
Hotel, in Mt. Laurel NJ from May 15-16.
Help “Define Your Excellence” by
attending District 38 events and enjoy the
journey to successful year.
Barbara J. Spause, DTM
Lt. Governor of Education and Training
2014-2015
Barbara J. Spause, DTM
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 3
Tis the season to be grateful. We have
just finished celebrating Thanksgiving and
District 38 has much for which to be
grateful. I wish to thank Paula Tomko, DTM
and her 2013-2014 Team for leading
District 38 to Select Distinguished. Next, I
wish to thank Cynthia A. Brown, DTM and
her 2014-2015 Team for continuing the
culture of excellence and for providing the
vision for 2014-2015: President’s
Distinguished. Our District’s stretch goals
are: 10% club growth (i.e. 173 paid clubs),
10% growth in membership payments
(i.e. 8,077) and 75% of clubs
distinguished (i.e. 118 clubs). These
goals are achievable but the District will
need your dedication and assistance.
Tis the season to be helpful. You can help
by keeping your ears and eyes open for
opportunities – opportunities for chartering
a Toastmasters club in your community or
company. If you have a lead, please
contact your LGM, Brian Cavanaugh
You can help by letting more people know
about Toastmasters. One way to
accomplish this task is to hold an Open
House during this holiday season. Your
club is probably one of the best kept secrets
in your community or company. It’s okay to
toot your club’s horn and let the world know
what great things your club is doing by
helping your members grow and develop as
communicators and leaders. The District is
here to help you in hosting an open house
and we will send you a package of
information to guide your club in planning
and executing a successful and fun open
house. Please contact our District 38 Open
House Coordinator Lisa Heimbach
Message from our District Lt. Governor of Marketing
Brian Cavanaugh, DTM
Another thing you can do is to make sure
that every Toastmasters meeting is a great
meeting. By focusing on making every
meeting great, you will not only attract new
members, you will retain current members
– both critical in helping District 38 become
President’s Distinguished. The District can
help you to make every meeting great. If
you e-mail me ([email protected] ), I
will gladly send you a list of fun meeting
ideas. As my gift to you during this holiday
season, please find below my “12
Toastmasters Tips To Make A Meeting
Great”:
To hear a musical rendition of these 12
Toastmasters Tips, please check out the
District 38 Sound Cloud
(http://soundcloud.com/tmdistrict38 ).
Brian Cavanaugh, DTM
Lt Governor of Marketing 2014 - 2015
12 Toastmasters Tips
To Make A Meeting Great
1. Start the meeting right on time
2. Have an agenda
3. Trained, responsible functionaries
4. Only well-prepared manual
projects
5. FUN, CREATIVE TABLE
TOPICS!
6. Positive, helpful evaluations
7. Everyone participates
8. Guests are warmly welcomed
9. Guest matched with a member
10. Guests thanked and encouraged
to join
11. Next week’s schedule is read
12. End the meeting on time
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 4
Q: How long have you been with Toastmaster? Tell us a little about your
journey with toastmasters.
A: I have been a toastmaster for 15 years. I originally joined HDR toastmasters but
at some point could not make the meetings when I changed jobs. In 2005 I joined
Princeton TM club. Due to conflict with my other obligations I can’t attend as many
Princeton club meetings as I would like. Thus about six months ago, I joined the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation club.
Q: Have you competed in humorous contest before? What key factors made
you succeed this time?
A: This is probably my fourth Humorous speech contest. On one previous occasion I
won the club contest. I have never made it past the area level before this year. I
attribute my success to suggestions and encouragement I received from friends at
both clubs. I modified my speech between the club contest and the district contest
based on those suggestions. At TM people go out of their way to help you succeed.
Q: Can you give other toastmasters some suggestions on how to be better at
humorous speech?
I don’t consider myself an expert at humorous speech. My suggestion is to try
different things to find out what works on the audience. Many times what I think is
funny doesn’t get a laugh but people find something else funny. Be willing to keep
what works and throw away what doesn’t. In general TM members are easiest
people to get a laugh.
Q & A with Hemant Marathe,
The 1st
place winner of 2014 District 38 Humorous Speech Contest
Hemant Marathe (Middle) with
Chris Boraski (Left), President of
Princeton Toastmaster Club and
Jack Levitt (Right) contestant
interview chair who is also a
member of Princeton
Toastmasters Club .
Special thanks to all contestants for making the conference great!
John Brown (Right), 1
st place
winner of 2014 District 38 table
topics contest with Barbara
Spause, Lt. Governor of
Education and Training.
Members’ News
Humorous Speech
Division Area Club Table Topics
Division Area Club
1st Place:
Hemant Marathe
F 61 Princeton
Toastmasters Club
1st Place:
John Brown A 10
Franklin & Marshall
Club
2nd
Place: Glenn
Freezman G 70
Main Line Toastmasters
Club
2nd
Place: David Easlea
G 70 We The
Speakers
3rd
Place: Jerry Shockey
D 41 Boardwalk
Toastmasters
3rd Place: Chris
Hampton D 44
Voorhees Toastmasters
Club
Kevin Stepanuk
C 31
Positively Charged
Toastmasters Club
Kristina Egger
F 62 Washington
Crossing Club
Frank Vowinkel E 52 Lehigh Valley Toastmasters
Club
Christina Babb
G 70 We The
Speakers
John Langel A 13 Susquehanna
Icebreaker Club
Alex Brown B 24
Delaware County
Toastmasters Club
Deborah Leach B 22 Siemens
Toastmasters Club
Jen Kuzo E 53 PPL Power
Talkers Club
Note: Contestants other than first 3 place winners are listed in the order that they competed.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 5
Club Spotlight
Jim Kokocki DTM, International President Elect, presented corporate recognition award to
ACE Group Philadelphia and United Healthcare.
Alexandra Speers, President of ACE Philadelphia Toastmasters Club shared in her introduction: “Many of our members have
expressed how much Toastmasters has helped them improve their speaking and leadership skills in a professional environment.
The true friendship built among my colleagues is wonderful as well.” Robert Poliseno, Regional Executive Officer ACE Mid-Atlantic
Region gave an acceptance address and spoke highly about the values toastmasters brought to his company, “Confidence and
communication skills are two important things club members get from their toastmasters experience. These are important for
anyone to become a successful individual. Toastmasters’ spirit of continuous improvement aligns well with our company’s
underlying business objectives . . . we’re always trying to get better at what we do.”
Members’ News
The Day I Met the Smedleyans
It was a warm busy evening in May. Roads were swarming
with people in motion wearing different colors and styles of
clothes. Happy children were eating ice cream or cotton
candy. Parents were holding their children and walking on
pavements, families were riding bikes or sitting on cement
Blocks and chatting as they watched the boats sailing on the
lake. No! I am not talking about a city in the United States. I
was in a different city far away from the United States, namely
Colombo, the trade capital of Sri Lanka. I travelled to my
lovely homeland in July to visit family and friends.
(to be continued on page 6)
From left to right: Robert Poliseno, Regional Executive Officer ACE Mid-Atlantic Region, Cynthia A Brown D38 governor, Alexandra Speers Pres of ACE Philadelphia Toastmasters, Jim Kokocki Int’l Pres- Elect
From left to right: Karuna Bheemreddy Pres of Horsham Consortium Club, Kimberly Lees-Pratt, Pres of United We Speak Toastmasters, Jim Kokocki. Int’l Pres Elect
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 6
Members’ News
The Day I Met the Smedleyans (continue)
Stories behind your club name – Call for contributors
Does your club have a unique name? What does it mean? What is the history and story behind it? We would like to
hear. Please write a short article within 150 words and send it to [email protected] before end of Feb. The chosen
stories will be featured in next district newsletter in March 2015.
I wanted to linger that evening on the streets watching
cultural activities, relaxing at outdoor restaurants, and
sipping hot tea, absorbing everything happening around
me. Especially after experiencing the brutal winter
trapped in my Pennsylvania home, the streets of
Colombo were a welcoming place that I decided to leave
one evening to attend a local Toastmaster meeting. I
dragged a friend of mine and reluctantly got into a “tuk-
tuk” (the natives’ fond name for a three-wheeler cab
powered by human runners) to go see a Toastmaster
meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The meeting was held in a second floor of a school
building. I entered, strangely hoping to see the familiar
faces of Siemens Toastmasters Alex, Leeann, Laurie,
Brian, and others, but instead I met unknown yet warm
and charismatic faces of Rayhan, Nadie, Lakshan and
lots of others whose names I do not recall. On the left
hand side, there was a long narrow table laid with
pastries, soft drinks, tea and coffee. It really was a
delicious start to the meeting since most members come
after a long day of work. After a brief chat with people in
the hallway, I entered the meeting room. Inside I could
see a well-organized room with agendas lying on chairs.
Some people were already sitting inside.
My friend and I sat in the back and waited. The meeting
started with one member trying to imitate another member’s
voice and the rest of them involved in a guessing game of
identifying the person. Soon I realized that this was the theme
of the meeting because it was repeated many times thereafter.
I found it to be a fun and interactive way of involving everyone
in the room. Next, a mentee spoke about what he gained from
his mentor and how their relationship helped him to improve
his skills. Then came one of my favorite sessions: The Round
Robins. It was a constant talk about one topic by every
member in the club. The topic was protests in colleges and
how would members react to it. Would they participate or
avoid it? Everyone gets 20 seconds to speak and when one
person ends his part of the speech the next person should
start the speech from the last word of the person before him. It
was not easy but it was a great impromptu rehearsal. This was
followed by three great speeches: an icebreaker, tenth speech
and a speech from an advanced manual. The speakers were
really good: the flow, the gestures, everything spot on. Even
the icebreaker was flawless; it did not seem like a first speech.
So all of you travelling Toastmasters: when you are in a
different country, try attending a Toastmaster meeting. I
guarantee that you will learn something new in that hour you
spent as a visitor with Toastmasters.
Disna Weerasinghe, CC, CL,
Member of Siemens Toastmasters Club
Later on, I learned that 2014 Toastmasters World
Champion Dananjaya Hettiarachchi is a Smedleyan. I am
not surprised about it because Smedley is an advanced
club, and I believe they have many more world
champions in training.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 7
A Youth starts a Youth Leadership Program at Plainsboro
Members’ News
During the spring of 2014, Sneha Jeevan, a high school student
from Plainsboro, NJ approached Plainsboro Library and
expressed her interest to start the very first Youth Leadership
program (YLP) at Plainsboro, NJ. Having volunteered as a Mentor
at the YLP in ETS, Princeton, and at the YLP in Pennington
Library, Sneha was eager to start a similar program at her
hometown - Plainsboro. Julie Donaldson, of Plainsboro Library
graciously granted the use of Library facility to conduct the
program. Lou Arango, the President of Princeton Toastmasters
(PTM) sponsored the program. Jeevan Ravindran and Angie
Hee, who are members of PTM, were co-mentors.
The program started on May 3rd
2014, concluded on June
21st.Thirty middle school kids participated in the program. All of
them were attending such a program for the first time. Jean
Shipos of ETS Toastmasters, and Jack Levitt of PTM were the
Chief guests in the Opening ceremony. They motivated the kids
with entertaining speeches.
The 8-week program focused on developing public speaking skills,
building self-confidence and honing leadership skills. Kids were
divided into classes. Sneha lead the 6th
to 7th grader’s class and
Jeevan and Angie lead the 8th graders class. Each meeting was
structured like a typical Toastmasters meeting starting with the
word of the day and ending with taking roles for the future
meetings.
The program offered an open and accepting environment.
Mentors – Sneha, Jeevan and Angie encouraged kids to express
freely. Kids’ speeches and laughter filled the Science room at
Plainsboro Library. They had fun while mastering the
fundamentals of public speaking and leadership. Enthusiasm of
the kids fueled the class going at full speed week after week. The
program also featured many guest speakers, who educated kids
in different aspects of delivering a successful speech. Marianne
Grady and Hemanth Marathe of PTM were guest speakers for
two sessions.
Towards the end of the meeting, many parents came to the
podium and expressed their appreciation for the mentors
Sneha, Jeevan and Angie (featured in the picture below).
Mentors mentioned that seeing the kids perform at their
best was the best reward for them. Sneha and Jeevan are
currently planning for another Youth Leadership program
that is slated for 2015 spring.
Jeevan Ravindran, CC,
Member of Princeton Toastmasters Club
By the graduation on Sat, June 21st,
many kids had transformed from a
cocoon to a beautiful butterfly. The
kids’ performance enthralled the
parents. The chief guest – Todd
Greenwood of Princeton Toastmaster
inspired the kids with a captivating
speech. The potluck lunch arranged
by the parents marked their gratitude
for the Toastmasters program.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 8
Thank You
District 38 is very appreciative to the following sponsors and
advertisers who helped make our Annual Fall Conference a
success. Please consider supporting them in the future, as they
have supported us today.
Sponsors
• PECO Energy Friday Fun Night Entertainment
Advertisers
• Pat Rocchi Communications
• Bell Noontime Toastmasters Club
• Brody Professional Development
• Parallel Voice Productions
• Dr. Sharan A Rahman, MD, MBA
• PPL Power Talkers Club
• YTB Travel Network Shannon Thompson, Agent
• John Dancey, Inspirational Speaker
• United Healthcare
• Franklin Retirement Solutions
• Positively Charged Toastmasters Club
• YTB Travel Network, Ruth E. Dameron, Agent
Message from District
We hope you continue to enjoy the complimentary gifts provided in each attendees’ bag of a
portable phone charger, Toastmasters 90th Anniversary button pin, 2013-2014
Select Distinguished District Lapel Pin, and a Toastmasters 90th Anniversary Window cling
decal.
2013 – 2014 Awards Presented
at the Fall Conference
Area Governor of the Year
Michael Anderson Area 24 C
(Distinguished)
Division Governor of the Year
Barbara Spause Division B
(President’s Distinguished)
Toastmaster of the Year
Michael Kelly
Poem
ab
out T
oastm
aste
rs
2014 District 38 Fall Conference
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 9
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 10
Congratulations to members who are
achieving their goals! The following
members earned one or more
education awards from July 1st to
December 10th
:
Division A
Bass, Lewis M
Brown, Naomi E.
Cano, Jorge A
Davis, Scott R
Divers, L. Richard
Gordon, Matthew
Gule, Jeanne
Harder, Cindy S
Harder, Tom L
Heckman, Ed
Kanth, Alicia
Krouse, William H.
Manning, Rhonda L
Marsicano, Peggy J
Modi, Mihir G.
Oniskey, Jude
Orendi, Theresa Lee
Ortiz, Hector R
Patterson, Joan R.
Rouse, Jacquelyn G.
Royer, Eileen A
Rudy, Beth
Seid, Arlene G.
Smith, William
Tatum, Kristina Lee
Taylor, Shel
Verma, Rakesh
Zdankiewicz, William A.
Division B
Bullard, Charlene D
Deshmukh, Vinita
Essai, Leeann M.
Golden, LaVerda M.
Grand-Pierre, Felicia
Guerin, Michele
Hodgson, Philip G.
Holton, James S.
Hu, Tianjing
Jaworski, Joseph
Krieg, Gerry
Muscavage, Janet M.
Ronca, Debra M.
Rosado, Christina Nichole
Sparrevohn, Anna
Verhake, Carol A.
Division C
Astillero, Christine
Balike, Ravishankar
Dunbar, Tiffaney Joy
Flam, Karen
Gao, Sara
Golodner, Larisa
Kemp, Jean V.
Kennedy, Michael J.
Laurie, Janis
Lees-Pratt, Kimberly
Matta, Catherine E
Myerson, Judith M.
Ngaba, Cynthia
Nusslein, Donna
Parker, Kesha S.
Satchell, Marvin E.
Seabrook, Hilary
Sharkey, Paul
Shillington, Julianne
Slobodyan, Oksana
Sorg, William
Thompson, Shannon
Division D
Ayoub, Shahinaz
Barker, Richard P.
Beamer, Stephen F.
Cooper, Bruce L
Cranston, Virginia A.
Derosier, Lola M.
Di Pietro, Jean J.
Espinoza, Julian F
Faturos, Diane C.
Fraundorfer, Stephen
Goldberg, Matthew J.
Hampton, Christopher
Jackson, Cecilia S.
Kouhoupt, Richard
Lake, Rhonda S.
Liszewski, Adam D.
Mendenhall, Henry H.
Nelson, Silas
Noar, Scott R.
Owens, Robert D.
Rouba, Joyce F.
Saba, Abiola
Samuel, Jim
Thomas-Dennis, Kimo S.
White, Ray
Zieger, Richard Martin
Educational Achievement July – December 2014
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 11
Educational Achievement July – December 2014
Division E
Biege, Neal W.
Bolthouse, Ellen
Carpien, Annette
Forgash, Jack P.
Fuller, Rei Makino
Hnatow, Jessie A.
Jung, Seungho
Lai, Henry
MacNair, William H.
Manis, Rhonda
Marathe, Yash
Mast, Robert F
McMann, Terrell C.
Mercedes, Bladimir E.
Patounas, James
Reese, Thomas R.
Rennie, Shawn James
Sofarelli, Bonnie
Stanvitch, Lisa J.
Vaughn, Lindsay
Youpa, Joshua D.
Division F
Bennett, Lois
Bhuta, Sashin
Cao, Lillian
Chawla, Jaipreet
Ferrara, Marianne
Galochkin, Dmytro
Gandhi, Pranav
Hagerty, Philip
Klon, Anthony
Krishnajee, Siva
Macarthur, Tali
Malone, Justin T
McVeigh, Jeanette Allison
Mecca, Valerie
Mellon, John
Nayak, Deepak Krishna
Okolo, Isy
Ovens, Joanne E.
Reynolds, Ainsley A.
Richardson, Patricia A.
Shetter, Thaine A.
Shipos, Jean
Shlegle, David C.
Tatum, Kristina Lee
Vijay, Sony
Division G
Babb, Christina
Bergey, LeeAnn
Bowen, Chester Lee
Fosco, Meg Ann
Gill, Thomas J.
Haddock, Hong
Harris Cooper, Wanda A.
Kitzen, Jan M
Laufer, Kara
Martin, Patricia
Murali, Ram
Schlatter, Robert L.
Smith, Judith Fox
Toder, Bryan
Waldspurger, John E.
Watkis-Barnes, Carol
White, Stephen Frederick
Wood, Michael J
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 12
To say that I’m thankful to everyone at Bell Noontime
Toastmasters is an understatement. I’m truly touched by the generosity and support of
the group. The feedback, suggestions and support made a
world of difference in my pitch and I learned invaluable tips I can
carry forward to future presentations. I’m lucky to have
found this club!
ROAR for Good
Yasmine Mustafa (fourth from left)
Entrepreneur, Founder of ROAR Member of Bell Noontime Toastmaster Club
Members’ Story
In a span of a few moments, I went from ecstatic joy to
utter panic. My company, ROAR for Good, was named a
finalist at Temple University’s 15th
Annual Idea
Competition. Out of 300 submissions, we were one of ten
companies invited to participate in a “Shark-tank” style
presentation and compete for a grand prize of $2,500.
Then I read the fine print.
I would be required to deliver a 2-minute pitch (with strict
instructions not to go a second over) and I had to answer
questions during a 4-minute Q&A. And the event was only
5 days away.
5 days away. My panic quickly
expanded into outright anxiety
as I worried about what I would
say, if I can get the message
across in two minutes, and if I
would stumble over my words
in a rush to get it all out.
To provide a little bit of context,
ROAR is a social impact
company aimed at diminishing
violence against women using
technology, empowerment, and
educational programs.
We’re developing self-defense jewelry that activates a
loud alarm and bright light when triggered, notifies
family/friends of the person’s location, and instantly calls
the authorities. It integrates with a mobile app that informs
users if they’re approaching an unsafe area using crowd
sourced safety tips. The idea is to take the funds from the
accessories and invest them in educational programs that
teach young kids about respect and consent with the goal
of making safety devices obsolete one day.
It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I emailed my
Toastmasters group President, Adrianne Arthur, with the
news asking if I could leverage the group to practice my
pitch. She responded within 10 minutes and messaged
everyone asking if folks could help before or after our next
meeting (the agenda was already confirmed).
meeting (the agenda was already confirmed). Besides the
encouraging words of support, one of the members slated
to speak gave up her slot so I could practice at the
meeting and another said he would bring a projector – we
were set.
Not only did I present my pitch but we also did a mock
Q&A session where the group grilled me with questions
about the device, market, and industry. They also provided
feedback about how to make the pitch more powerful and
half the members stayed after we ended our meeting so I
could practice one more time.
I learned two key things that
made the difference in my pitch.
First, to take an extra breath
every time I wanted to
emphasize a point. I was
worried about sounding
rehearsed since I’ve practiced
dozens of times and the second
tip was to reframe that thought
in my mind – to use it as
advantage for being prepared.
I walked into the event
confident & ready for my turn. I
won First Place ($1k prize)
AND Audience Pick (another $1k prize). Also, two of the
investors asked me to follow-up with them when I was
further along with the concept.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 13
Don’t Let Preventable Sound Problems Ruin Your Speech
Members’ Story
Brian Young
Brian Young is a
sound engineer, event producer and member of HDR Lawrenceville Toastmasters in Lawrenceville, NJ. For more than thirty years, he has provided audio and production services for corporate meetings/conventions, concerts, recordings, commercials, Broadway and off-Broadway shows and a wide range of events for Fortune-500 companies, non-profit organizations, celebrities/superstars, bad wedding singers and U.S. Presidents. Brian will present several free Sonic Survival for Speakers lectures in central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania for fellow Toastmasters who would like to host these educational events. The program combines simple, practical audio advice with entertaining stories from the world of live events and runs approximately 60 to 90 minutes, including Q&A. To schedule a presentation, call Brian at 609-838-2458 or 212-665-3204, or email [email protected] information can be found at www.sonicsurvival.com
Have you ever wondered why so many speeches
and presentations are disrupted by sound
problems? Although certain types of audio
anarchy are beyond a speaker's control, many
other sound problems happen when public
speakers do not use microphones correctly, do
not choose the right types of microphones and do
not properly plan and communicate their
audiovisual needs in advance. Fortunately, there
are many simple ways in which speakers can
prevent some of the most common types of sonic
distress.
As a sound engineer and an event producer, I
joined Toastmasters in order to become a better
public speaker and present lectures about event
planning and sound. I then created Sonic
Survival for Speakers™, an entertaining,
informative talk (and forthcoming book) designed
to help public speakers cope with microphones,
acoustics and audiovisual planning. In the
following paragraphs, I'll share a few basic
concepts from the program.
One of the most common, most detrimental
mistakes that many public speakers make is
holding the microphone too far away from the
mouth. Even highly experienced speakers
sometimes commit this regrettable audio faux
pas. I worked with a famous comedian who has
unintentionally frustrated sound engineers and
audiences on countless occasions with this bad
habit – often holding his microphone a foot or
more away from his mouth, even when speaking
softly.
Other problems occur when certain microphones
are positioned in ways that accentuate those
annoying “popping” sounds, which, if the PA
system is large enough, can sometimes go
“BOOM!” – like the sound of Warren Buffet
dropping his wallet.
Additional audio difficulties arise when “podium”
mics and lavalier (“clip-on”) mics are not
positioned and used correctly. The proper use of
common types of microphones is an essential
public speaking skill that can be quickly and
easily learned by all of microphones is an
essential public speaking skill that can be quickly
and easily learned by all.
When offered a choice of microphones,
selecting the right type can be extremely
important. Many speakers prefer the hands-free
flexibility of a wireless lavalier mic (a.k.a. “lav,”
“clip-on,” “body mic”). However, in some rooms
and with certain types of voices, lavaliers can be
especially problematic because of their tricky
sonic characteristics and higher potential for
feedback. I once had a prominent speaker with
a very soft voice insist on using a lavalier in an
acoustically challenging theater. At the
beginning of his talk, several people up in the
balcony started shouting, “We can't hear you!”
Without missing a beat, he looked up at them
while pointing at the people downstairs and
yelled, “Don't worry about it! I'm not talking to
you! I'm talking to them.”
During the sound check, you will speak through
your microphone while it is adjusted to maximize
quality/intelligibility and minimize the risk of
feedback. This might take anywhere from ten
seconds to a few minutes. Although some
sound systems will not work well even with a
sound check, this simple test is usually one of
the most effective ways to prevent many
unpleasant sonic surprises.
An important, universal rule of proper
“microphonology” is to always do a
“sound check” before your speech.
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 14
GREAT VALLEY
TOASTMASTERS is sponsoring a
YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM
Young Leaders Workshop:
When: March 2, 2015 7:00-9:00 PM
March 9, 2015 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: East Whiteland Township Building
209 Conestoga Road
Frazer, PA 19355
Final Speech Festival:
When: March 15, 2015 12:30-2:30 PM
Where: Hershey’s Mill Golf Club
401 Chandler Drive
West Chester, PA 19380
Great Valley Toastmasters Club is sponsoring a Toastmasters Young
Leaders Program.
We will meet for 2 evenings in March and work with students through the
Toastmasters Young Leaders Program manual covering such topics as:
How to write a speech
Using gestures and voice inflection in your speech
Table Topics
Active Listening and Evaluation, and more….
Our work will culminate in a luncheon at Hershey’s Mill Golf Club that will
feature youth speakers delivering their prepared speeches and seasoned
Toastmasters demonstrating Table Topics.
COST: $50 per student for the entire event
$20 per person for the Luncheon only
For more information:
Carol A. Keith, VP of Membership
[email protected] OR [email protected]
TOASTMASTERS
If you’re looking to improve your
speaking skills
Toastmasters is the answer without the
frills.
We have people from all ages and
professions you see
and usually our guests become
members my meeting three.
We give out roles and practice much
and each speaker adds their own
personal touch.
Table Topics gets people to think on
their feet
and members can’t wait to join in and
jump out of their seat.
The roles of jokemaster, tip of the day
and grammarian are important you see.
I volunteer to learn & grow but in the end
it’s up to me.
Now the Toastmaster of the meeting
sets the tone
i’m sure he or she plans & organizes
with members over the phone.
We usually have four speeches on our
meeting night
and yes some people have stage fright.
An evaluator’s job is not to find fault and
disgrace
remember no one is perfect in the
human race.
Many clubs give out BEST Speaker
Ribbons to people with the
highest vote.
This should be based on the delivery &
what they wrote.
If you like what you read and want to
learn more
come to your local Toastmasters Club to
explore.
By: Glenn F. Laveson, ACG
VP Public Relations
Lower Bucks Toastmasters Club
D38 Newsletter 12/2014 Page 15
Toastmasters International
23182 Arroyo Vista Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2620
www.toastmasters.org
District #38
www.tmdistrict38.org
Contributors
Thanks you to many Toastmasters,
who provided resources and
content to this issue of D38
Newsletter, including:
Alexandra Speers, ACB, ALB
Brian Young
Barbara Spause, DTM
Brian Cavanaugh, DTM
Carol Keith
Cynthia A. Brown, DTM
Disna Weerasinghe, CC, CL
Glenn Laveson, ACG
Hemant Marathe, CC
Jeevan Ravindran, CC
Yasmine Mustafa
Submission deadline for Mar issue:
Feb 28, 2015
Message from Newsletter Editor
From August to September, I conducted a survey among current VP PRs of all district
38 clubs. Thanks very much to those who responded. I would like to share a few
interesting findings here.
Club website is crucial to club success
I connected the 2013 – 2014 club distinguished status with the answer to “Does your
club have a website?” and the result is stunning. Among non-distinguished clubs,
33% don’t have a website; among distinguished clubs, 25% don’t have a website;
among select-distinguished or president-distinguished clubs, 100% of them
HAVE a website. If you are a corporate club that cannot use Google Sites or Free
Toast, you should make sure your club has a digital “home” on your company’s
intranet. If you are a community club that already has a website, think about ways to
differentiate yourself from websites of other clubs in your area.
Social media involvement increased
40% of clubs who responded said they are actively using social media, a 5% increase
compared to two years ago. Besides Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, a few clubs
particularly mentioned MeetUp and how effectively it brings guests to each one of their
meetings. There is a moderate fee required to start a meet up group but definitely
worth it according to clubs who use it actively.
Best practice shared by survey respondents
A warm, kind and encouraging environment, a professional toastmaster and inspiring
speakers, contest combined with an open house are useful tools to attract guests.
When it comes to retaining members, team up new members with experienced ones
in a mentorship program or hold fun events like picnics or special meetings like
Ghostmasters at Halloween.
Does your club have a specific challenge that you need help with? Please feel free to
reach out [email protected]. I’d love to help.
Yours in service
Sara Gao, CC, ALB
District Public Relations Officer, 2014 - 2015
Toastmasters International
23182 Arroyo Vista Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2620
www.toastmasters.org
District #38
www.tmdistrict38.org