Since 1955
Bi-monthly bulletin of District 47 Toastmasters Serving Florida and the Bahamas www.toastmastersd47.org
February – March 2002
Register for the Spring Conference! We Held the Presses to Bring You the Latest! • Per Caps due to TI April 10, 2002 • Final DEC Meeting April 13, 2002 • Division Contests Held Late April, 2002 • Club Elections Month Elect those new officers! May, 2002 • Spring District Conference May 17-19, 2002
Conference Links And Phone Numbers
Y
ou may have been Sunshiner, you may anticipating this issue cut the page from of The Sunshiner! We within). You will find held the presses to links and phone ensure you would numbers here on the have the updated front page. We also Registration Form! have included a “Why is this so simple map to the important”, you may hotel. More informaask? Because we tion and more detailed The Radisson Riverwalk in Tampa want YOU there! The directions will be conference is for you and is made exciting made available on the District 47 Website. by you! Feel free to contact Eileen with any The District 47 Spring Conference 2002 is questions. There is time to advance scheduled for May 17-19 at the Radisson register at discount prices and get decent Riverwalk Hotel in Tampa. The theme is hotel rooms at disctouned rates. However, “Lighting the Path to Success”. don’t delay! You will find the registration form in this issue. All you need to do is copy this registration form, fill it out and mail it in! (If you insist on mutilating your copy of The
This Conference features the District Table Topics Contest as well as the District level of the International Speech Contest. This is the same International Speech Contest See “Spring Conference”, Page 2
Registration Form:
www.toastmastersd47.org/ regform.pdf To request a Registration Form via phone (sent via mail or fax):
941·923·1881 Proxy Form:
www.toastmastersd47.org/ proxyform.pdf Hotel Reservations:
800·333·3333 General Questions:
941·923·1881 or
egerbin@gateway.net
Point - CounterPoint (An Editorial Feature)
W e all remember those days in school anxiously awaiting our grades. The angst of approaching midterms and finals. “Will I pass”? While it may seem a panacea to be relieved of that stress and anxiety, what if there was no possibility of failing, provided you went through the motions? Would a diploma continue to have meaning? Would even a PhD still hold value? The same may be asked of our Toastmaster designations. While we may not wish to admit it, all too often the Toastmasters educational system fails its students by not “failing” its members. 1
Too often we see members receiving designations without having really accomplished the goals laid out by the manuals. Too often we see ATMs even DTMs who do not have the skills becoming of those titles. We as Toastmasters wish to promote educational accomplishment but designations lose their meaning if we forget the education. Pursuant to building esteem and fostering well being and cheer, we lose sight of the most important goal: to help the Toastmaster improve. Manual assignments are designed with purpose. To that end, improvement can only be served if we See “Point - CounterPoint”, Page 3
Spring Conference...
District Governor’s Report
...Continued from Front Page which culminates in the Toastmasters Interational Convention in San Antonio, TX this summer, where the winner is dubbed “Best Speaker in the World”!
Cathy Epler, DTM
WHERE DO YOU RANK - SOLDIER??? (Oops - I am not General U.R. Distinguished!!)
B ut it is a fair question... How does your club measure up against the Distinguished Club Program? Past the two-thirds point, how many goals do you have? On average you should be at 6-7 goals achieved. If your club exceeds this average then CONGRATULATIONS make sure that you monitor your charter strength; 5 members net gain status. If you are below the average, IT IS NOT TOO LATE. Review where you are and who is closest to making educational goals. Follow up with those members and send in the applications to seal the deal! Distinguished is within your sights and you can do it!!! With the April percap period deadline, there will be many Toastmasters who will have paid dues late. Have your club treasurer “break the bank” and get those members with their respective membership application. This will help with the pre-requisite of charter strength with the DCP!
As always, the conference will be repleat with On Friday night educational will be dinner sessions, Map to the Radisson Riverwalk in Tampa, FL and the Table business Topics contest. Saturday will be a full day sessions (where we will elect the next with the processional, educational workadministration of District Officers), entertainshops, special luncheon, business meeting ing banquets and a few surprises! and climaxes with the International Speech It promises to be another in a long line of Contest. stellar conferences. We hope to see you Rumours are this conference is going to there. • S0202A
“Wan - na Talk” At the Fall Conference in November, 2001, Margaret Wan was ratified as District 47’s new LGM after volunteering to fill the position when Larry Hyman unfortunately had to step down for health reasons. Here, she addresses the District in her first article for The Sunshiner. Welcome, Margaret! By Margaret Wan, DTM, LGM
N
Every day I anxiously visit my mailbox looking for proxies! Club presidents, I need your help to fill my mailbox. We are on a quest to collect all the proxies in the District! This proxy is a manila postcard mailed from T.I. to the Club President. Sign it & mail it today! We are rockin’ and rollin’!! Your hard work and efforts are what have placed us in the top percentile in the world!!! DONT STOP NOW!!! T.ogether E.veryone A.cheives M.ore We are a GREAT team!!! Regards,
Cathy
have a theatrical flair. Fact: the conference chair is going to be Wendy Proctor. Need we say more?
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mentees. Many of us have this experience.
ew clubs provide more people If your club sponsors a new club, it the opportunity to participate in the will receive a Founder’s ribbon. As Toastmasters program. When an individual sponsor or mentor of a more people are part of an new club, you will receive a special organization, it becomes more certificate recognizing your pervisible in the community, which in Margaret Wan, sonal accomplishment. Above all, turn attracts attention to its DTM you will have established new members’ leadership and professional skills. contacts in the community that can reinforce You will have more networking opportunities. your self-confidence and benefit your professional advancement. Within the club environment, we always benefit from exchange of ideas with other Comments about the new position: clubs. Most Toastmasters who have belonged to or visited more than a few clubs When our District Governor asked me if I agree that each club has its own “personalwould take over the office of Lieutenant ity.” One club may have particularly dynamic Governor Marketing, the first things that meetings. Another club may have meticucame to my mind were the four critical lously prepared speeches. A third club may success factors: New Clubs, Per Caps, have consistently excellent evaluations. As CTMs, and ATMs. Wow! New Clubs and Per new clubs develop their personalities, older Caps - the responsibility of the LGM - have clubs can learn from them too. When an the highest priority. That’s a challenge. I existing club and its members help to build accepted the challenge as I knew that with and mentor a new club, they learn in the your support, I can do it. I look forward to process. It is no different from mentors working with you in the months to come. learning from new members who are their Together we can achieve! • 2
Eileen on Education By Eileen Gerbin, DTM, LGET
W
for CTM, ATM, CL or DTM? Don’t “save it for next year”. That would be like cheating yourself out of a promotion that you have earned.
ith three months left in the Distinguished Club Program, it is now time to assess how your club For a Toastmaster to improve his or is progressing toward being her skills, it takes regular practice. “Distinguished”. As of March, 103 By speaking at least once a month, clubs in District 47 have met 5 or Eileen Gerbin your skills will become polished. more DCP goals and will be a Any less and your skills become tarnished minimum of “Distinguished” as long as they and rusty. By giving a manual speech each end the year with 20 members or a net month, not only will you improve, you will increase of 5 members. Congratulations to the 3 clubs with all 10 goals met: 1066, 1600 also earn an educational goal each year! and 7178! Many clubs are just one or two goals away from being “Distinguished”. Have you received the recognition you deserve? Have you sent in your application
Chalenge yourself and your club members to reach for the next level. Let’s make a collective resolution to have all clubs in District 47 Distinguished! •
District 47 “Stands by its Man”!
D istrict 47 stands by its man; its own candidate for International Director, IPDG Paul Meunier, DTM! Please show your support for Paul Meunier’s candidacy by returning all International Proxy Forms (sent to Club Presidents) to
Cathy Epler ASAP! Also, please consider making a trip to San Antonio, TX this August to attend the Toastmasters International Convention where we expect to see Paul elected!
Karl Righter, DTM
Best of Past District Governor Paul Meunier¹s Roast at the Fall Conference in Cocoa Beach: 10) As Homer Simpson would say: “Mmmmm... roast!” 9)
Paul claims to be a wine connoissuer but his favorite “whine” all year was “More CTMs! More ATMs! More New Clubs!”
8)
Paul’s home town of Gotha recently presented him with the key to the city; the city of Cleveland!
7)
There is a certain air to Paul Meunier; just to be near him is to be in the presence of - hey Paul, is that Hai Karate after shave you’re wearing?
6)
You can always count on Paul to call at dinner time and start hammering on us for “More CTMs, more ATMs” Paul, if you don’t make International Director, you have a future as a telemarketer!
5)
In honor of Paul’s battle cry this year, “Food Rules”, there will be a new District Sandwich this year - no bread, all ham!
4)
In order to rack up extra points towards Distinguished District, Paul joined 12 Toastmasters Clubs. Unfortunately, because of his extensive travel schedule, he missed over 600 club meetings in 12 months! It’s a wonder we won anything with a hit like that!
3)
Paul and I are different. I am a certified computer consultant sworn to uphold high standards. Paul is a lawyer.
Good luck, Paul! You’re “our man”! •
Point - CounterPoint ...Continued from Front Page uphold the standards of each. It is the obligation of all Toastmasters to strike a balance between promoting esteem and ensuring educational goals are met. It’s not just going through the motions of the speeches. It’s doing the assignment and learning and practicing the prescribed skills! If a Toastmaster fails to meet the educational goal of a particular assignment, it should be kindly suggested to him/her to repeat the assignment, this time focusing on the skills being honed. There are many tactful ways to go about this. The VP Education, the member’s mentor and the evaluator for each speech all play a role in achieving this balance. The evaluator must be tactful yet honest, pointing out the need to repeat skills in addition to analyzing the speech and encouraging the speaker. The VP Ed must be not be too quick to sign off on assignments not met. The mentor must establish a more personal bond, attending to the individual goals and sensitivities of the member, being the liaison to the club et al.
Not often enough do we say, even tactfully, “this speech did not meet your educational goals”. We must not be afraid to do so. It is the method by which we “fail” a “student” which promotes esteem and retains members, not the failure to uphold educational standards. We must not fail to realize that the ultimate in esteem is served when a designation is earned which means something. If we fail to say “this project did not meet the educational goals of the assignment” and offer naught but praise in evaluations, then we dilute the meaning and pride in our designations. We must ask ourselves “wherein lies the value in evaluation”? Only with the possibility of failure comes pride in success.
Paul’s Best Replies: Toastmasters must not forget this. • Point-CounterPoint is an editorial which may or may not reflect the opinions of District Officers. It is meant to spark discussion of issues and will be a recurring feature in The Sunshiner. We welcome submissions of opposing or tangental points of view •
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2)
I came here today expecting a tribute!
1)
There was a new club effort in Dunnellin this year. Unfortunately, Dunnellin has no restaraunts. I wrote if off immediately!
PHOTO GALLERY
“Friendships” -A Poem
(Memories from the Fall Conference and Planet Toastmasters)
By Joel Maurice Verlin
T
he only truly way that you can be alone in this world is if you choose to be alone Friendships will not knock at your door — you must go out and (gasp) meet people You must learn from your Friendships LeCure Lectures... Paul’s “Roast Gift”; the inspiration for the caricature!
Attendees at Planet Toastmasters Orlando
You should always treasure your Friendships You should always rekindle old Friendships and bring new ones to life And then as you are busy talking to this friend and then that friend You will realize that you are not alone.
Hi Dave!
7/28/98 9:41 PM Joel Joel Verlin, [self-proclaimed] “Certified Punologist”
“Top Two” Together
[Joel is also our Area 6 Governor...] •
Evelyn Peyton as Contest Master
Paul Finally Makes it as a Centerfold!
Barbara Bergstrom & Terry Ingram
John Mandujano at PTM
Humourous Speech Contestants at the Fall Conference hold awards of merit (people laughed at them when they said they’d make it to the District Humour contest!)
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Jim Ocque (at the conference he co-chaired) with his wife, Nancy
Mike Curren wins the Humorous Speech Contest!
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DISTRICT 47 FALL CONFERENCE: “LIGHTING THE PATH TO SUCCESS” FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION—POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 INCLUDES REGISTRATION FEE, MEAL EVENTS, AND WORKSHOPS TOASTMASTER $90 (AFTER 5/10 $110) NON-TOASTMASTER $85 (AFTER 5/10 $100) $ IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO ATTEND THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE YOU MUST PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE AND THE FEE FOR THE EVENTS YOU WISH TO ATTEND. PLEASE COMPLETE A SEPARATE FORM FOR EACH PERSON REGISTRATION FEE — POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 BOTH DAYS $25 (AFTER 5/10 $35) NON-TOASTMASTERS ONLY ONE DAY $15 (AFTER 5/10 $25) NON-TOASTMASTERS
$10 (AFTER 5/10 $15) $ $10 (AFTER 5/10 $15) $
FRIDAY DINNER BUFFET AND TABLE TOPICS CONTEST
$30 (AFTER 5/10 $35) $
SATURDAY CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND OPENING CEREMONIES: (PLEASE BRING YOUR CLUB BANNER)
Copy & Mail Today!
SATURDAY COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON (PLEASE INDICATE ENTREE CHOICE) [ ] CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH [ ] TUNA SALAD SANDWICH [ ] CLUB WRAP WITH TURKEY AND BACON SATURDAY – DISTRICT OFFICER INSTALLATION BANQUET AND INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST (PLEASE INDICATE ENTREE CHOICE) [ ] LONDON BROIL WITH HUNTER SAUCE [ ] MAHI MAHI WITH LEMON BEURRE BLANC [ ] CHICKEN PICCATA
INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION
$19 (AFTER 5/10 $24) $
$32 (AFTER 5/10 $37) $
SUNDAY—CLUB LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST (BY INVITATION) ALL CLUB PRESIDENTS OF DISTINGUISHED CLUBS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
NO CHARGE
TOTAL:
$
NAME: ADDRESS: CITY/ZIP: E-MAIL:
TELEPHONE #: CLUB # FIRST TIME ATTENDING A DISTRICT CONFERENCE? YES NO
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL (CIRCLE)
CTM
ATM
ATMB
ATMS
CURRENT OFFICE HELD (CIRCLE) CLUB PRES CLUB EVP AG PDG (YEAR: _______) PAST INTL OFFICER (YEAR:_______)
ATMG
CL
DIVGOV
AL
DTM
DG/LT GOV
ATTIRE FOR SATURDAY NIGHT IS SEMI-FORMAL OR FORMAL. ALL OTHER EVENTS ARE CASUAL MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO “DISTRICT 47 TOASTMASTERS” MAIL TO: DAN KYBURZ, DISTRICT 47 SECRETARY 784 WINDING WILLOW DR. PALM HARBOR, FL 34683-5870 E-MAIL: DKYBURZ@GTE.NET ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THE ADVANCED REGISTRATION.
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Call For Candidates for District Offices By Paul Meunier, DTM, IPDG
D istrict 47 District Officer elections will take place at the District Council meeting on Saturday, May 18, 2002, at or about 2 PM, at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel, 200 North Ashley Drive, Tampa, FL 33602, or such other time and place as the District Governor shall designate. Names to be considered for nomination are being accepted for the following offices:
DESCRIPTION OF ELECTIVE OFFICES (MISSION & QUALIFICATIONS) It is the responsibility of all of the officers listed below to attend District Executive Committee (DEC) meetings as called by the District Governor as well as the Fall and Spring District Council Meetings held at the District Conferences. Officers must also attend training on June 29, 2002.
as a Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Lt. Governor, Division Governor, or Area Governor, or combination thereof.
LT. GOV. MARKETING (LGM) Under guidance of the District Governor, strives to bring the benefits of Toastmasters to greater numbers of people by increasing Club membership and extending the network of Clubs in the District. Plans, develops and DISTRICT GOVERNOR implements District marketing programs and DISTRICT GOVERNOR; Chief Executive Officer of the District. Directs initiatives, ensuring that the District meets its LT. GOVERNOR EDUCATION & TRAINING; the District in fostering strong Clubs, produc- objectives in membership (per caps) and total LT. GOVERNOR MARKETING; ing maximum growth in educational complepaid clubs. Directs programs for membership DIVISION GOVERNOR FOR EACH OF tions, membership and Clubs. Motivates the retention, club rescue, and new member DIVISIONS A THROUGH I. District to achieve Distinguished District. campaigns. The LGM shall have served for Promotes the standard of excellence in all at least six consecutive months as a Club Nominations are NOT considered for nonDistrict Activities. At the time of taking office, President and at least 12 consecutive months elective offices such as Area Governor. the District Governor shall have served at as a Lt. Governor, Division Governor, or Area least six consecutive months as a Club Governor, or a combination thereof. If you would like to be nominated for office or President and at least twelve consecutive if you want to enter another person’s name months as a Lieutenant Governor or Division DIVISION GOVERNOR for nomination, please contact the ChairperGovernor or a combination thereof. The Division Governor leads the Division to son of the Nominating Committee. Nominaachieve the Mission of the District within the tion proposed names must be received by LT. GOV. EDUCATION & TRAINING (LGET) Division, including District goals in memberthe Chairperson of the Committee or the Under the guidance of the District Governor, ship, new clubs, educational goals, and District Governor no later than 5 PM on April strives to ensure that every Club and member Distinguished Clubs. Ensures that the goals 27, 2002. Address proposed names by mail benefits from the Toastmasters educational of the Distinguished Division plan are met. or e-mail to: program and that every Club is a DistinActs as a resource for the Area Governors guished Club. Responsible for ensuring that within the Division. A Division Governor shall the District goals for CTMs, ATMs, and have served at least six consecutive months Paul Meunier, DTM, IPDG Distinguished Clubs are met. Provides as a member of the District Council (e.g., Chairperson, D47 Nominating Committee education and guidance for Division and Area Club President, VP-Education, Area GoverP. O. Box 136 Governors and Club officers. Responsible for nor, District Governor, Lt. Governor, District Gotha, FL 34734 the conduct of District training programs, Secretary, District Treasurer or District Public E-mail: pdmeunier@hotmail.com conferences, and contests. The LGET shall Relations Officer). have served at least six consecutive months Please furnish a mailing address. Direct any questions about the nominating procedure to: Paul Meunier, Nominating Committee Chairperson, at 407.342.0987 or e-mail: pdmeunier@hotmail.com • District 47 Toastmasters - District Council Proxy May 18, 2002 This form must be presented to the Credentials Committee if the Club President or Vice President Education designates another Club member as voting delegate for the District Council Meeting. Club Name: I, hereby designate
Club # , Club President
or Club VP Education
, a Club member in good standing, as the Club's voting delegate for the Spring 2002 District Council meeting Signed
Date
Club President
Signed
Date
Club Vice President Education
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Since 1955
Publisher Cathy Epler, DTM 9831 Alvernon Dr. New Port Richey, FL 34655 e-mail: cepler@gte.net
Editor Jerome R. Kalisz, ATM·G 424 E Central, Box 352 Orlando, FL 32801 e-mail: webmaster@tm1066.org
Non-Profit
District 47 Toastmasters 302 Baltimore Blvd. E Orange Park, FL 32073-4321
U.S. Postage
PAID MID FLORIDA, FL PERMIT 0076
Since 1955
Jerome R. Kalisz, Editor Orlando, FL webmaster@tm1066.org
Spring Conference, “Lighting the Path to Success”, comes to Tampa this May
TOASTMASTER CHATTER stands at 14, with 13 achieving DTM before burg, FL. What many don’t know is that he is the grandson of Wilson Gideon Cornell, the end of the year! Our new DTMs are: one of the largest building contractors in Helen A. Joseph Club 1066 New Yok City in his day. Thane has penned Eileen Gerbin, educational officer Dorothy Day Otis Club 1066 a “letter” that he wishes to share with our extrodinare, is engaged. The engagement Keith L. Major Club 1600 readers. Please find the entire text of this took place 7 December 2001 to John Sarris Abby L. Ross Club 2463 letter on the Sunshiner Web, referencing (“not yet” a Toastmaster). Everyone extends Evelyn Benson Club 2798 article S0202B. their enthusiastic epithets for this exquisite John A. Mandujano Club 3087 event. • We encourage Toastmasters to share Paul V. Greenberg Club 3659 Sharlot G. Snyder Club 4454 submissions such as this, as the marriage of • A Note of Thanks... Marsha Ellen Hostetler Club 4541 the printed Sunshiner and the Sunshiner Victoria Iozzia Club 5807 Web allows us to bring you many such Thanks to Conference Co-Chairs Terry James P. Ocque Club 6861 works from the District 47 Community, both Ingram and Jim Ocque for their outstanding Jim Sanders Club 6861 large and small • efforts and hundreds of hours spent planning Tom Moss Club 7612 and coordinating the Fall Conference. • It’s Still Your Chatter! Margaret Wan Club 9491 • Lynda Hammond did an superb job as our Chief Judge. Also thank you to Paul We’ve mentioned this before but we’ll Greenberg for use of the great timing lights mention it again! (that he makes). • • TM Shares Letter Don’t see your club, area or event mento Lady America • New DTMs tioned in The Sunshiner? Then write us! Any chatter which won’t fit in print will be Some know Thane W. Cornell as a 30 year Congratulations to all our DTMs this featured on the Sunshiner Web! • Toastmaster year! Our March total currently Toastmaster from Club 4698 in St. Peters-
• Eileen Engaged! Excellent!
The Sunshiner is printed by Michael Rubin, CTM of AOS, Altamonte Springs, FL 8