Attend TLI ….. “I just joined Toastmasters last month and decided to attend SUPER TLI to learn more about Toastmasters. WOW, I am glad I came and am ready to start my speeches and get involved.” Overheard at SUPER TLI Saturday July 25, 2015.
Toastmasters Tip of the Week – July 20, 2015
Your manual at a Toastmasters meeting is like money in the bank. You can’t get credit without it! – Diana Hardy, Area 31 Director
Toastmasters Tip of the Week – July 13, 2015
Show your audience respect by having a well written opening and conclusion. Your message will have greater impact and YOU will make a lasting impression. – Brian Carver, Area 61 Director
Toastmasters Tip of the Week – July 6, 2015
When writing a speech, use 150 words per minute for women and 125 words per minute for men. – David Brooks
Summer 2015 TLI Dates Released
District 58 summer TLIs (Toastmasters Leadership Institute aka Club Officer Training) schedule has been released. First up is SUPER TLI in Columbia on Saturday July 25. Training will be held at the University of South Carolina Swearingen Building on South Main Street from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. SUPER TLI offers more education sessions, 2014-2015 awards and recognitions, featured International Speech Contestant review, a new member tract of classes and more surprises. For members not able to attend on July 25, make-up TLI will be held on Saturday August 1 in Charleston (ITT-Tech), Greenville (ITT-Tech) and Florence (Francis Marion University). Click here to Eventbrite registration.
Sharon Durgin 2015-2016 District Director
Sharon Durgin
Fellow Toastmasters, My name is Sharon Durgin and I am the new District Director for District 58 Toastmasters. July 1 is the first day of the new Toastmasters 2015-2016 year and I am excited to serve the district in this leadership position.
We will be kicking off the new year by holding SUPER TLI in Columbia on July 25 at the USC campus in the Swearingen Building on South Main Street. Why is it SUPER TLI? There will be more educational classes, a New Member Tract, some of our best presenters, and also awards and special recognition of club accomplishments for the 2014-2015 year.
The following weekend on August 1 will be Make-Up TLI in Charleston, Greenville and Florence. Registration will be via Eventbrite and I hope ALL club officers and members attend. It WILL be FUN and educational.
My theme for this year is “Take The Challenge”. And we have some great challenges for everyone.
Kimberly Love, Program Quality Director, Dana Swarner, Club Growth Director and I have some very high-reaching challenges for the members and the leadership team. They are:
- Every member an educational award
- ALL clubs Distinguished or higher
- 20 New Clubs
Yes, they might seem impossible goals, but with the team we have this year and YOUR help and support, these ARE possible goals.
Over the past couple of years, every time I attended an international convention, or trio training, I would say that I was from District 58, The GREAT State of South Carolina. Finally someone asked me what made it so great. So I put together a list of things that make South Carolina a GREAT state. One of those things is our active and supportive Toastmasters. To you, the members of District I ask for your support. Please TAKE THE CHALLENGE and help us achieve these goals and make District 58 the GREATEST DISTRICT IN THE WORLD!
Respectfully Yours,
Sharon Durgin, DTM
District Director
2015-2016
Fantastic Educational Sessions for YOU!
The educational sessions during the Fall Conference on October 18, 2014 are definitely worth attending. During the morning session, Guest Speaker David Brooks WCPS will be presenting “The Essentials of Effective Presentations”. In the afternoon you will pick between two high energy presentations.
First from our visiting Region 8 International Director Dennis Wooldridge, DTM, “2014 International Speech Contest Review: Who won, why and what you can learn from it!” and also in the afternoon from Dana Swarner, ACS, ALB and Diana Hardy ACS, ALB is “How you can be a ROCK STAR as TMOD!”
These sessions will teach you how to improve your presentations, speaking style and how to make your club meetings a go-to event. Register today and don’t miss out on learning from the best!
David Brooks, Dana Swarner, Diana Hardy
Fall Conference Sneak Preview
David Brooks
District 58 is excited to announce that a Toastmasters Fall Conference call Sneak Preview with David Brooks will be available Tuesday evening September 30, 2014 at 9:00 pm and YOU are invited to call in and listen to what David will bring to South Carolina. The call is limited to the first 125 participants so don’t be late.
The toll-free number to call is 800-868-1837 and the participant code is 351213#. (*4 = volume control and *6 = mute/unmute).
Don’t miss this opportunity to find out why David is coming to Columbia, what you will learn from him, and how his proven techniques that have helped champions win on the big stage will take your skills to levels you never expected!”
Summer 2014 TLI Dates Announced
District Leadership is pleased to announce the dates for Summer 2014 TLI training dates. Charleston – July 12, Greenville – July 26, Columbia – August 2 and Florence – August 9. More details and Eventbrite registration will be available soon. All Area Governors need to follow up with their clubs to be sure they submit new club officers online to Toastmasters.org before the end of June, and encourage ALL club officers to attend the summer TLI Training. Any questions contact Sharon at sharon.durgin@aol.com.
Orangeburg Open House Date Set
The Orangeburg Area Toastmasters Club is hosting an Open House meeting on Monday May 12 for anyone interested in learning more about Toastmasters. The meeting will be held at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Building S – Gulbrandsen Room; 3250 St. Matthews Road; Orangeburg, SC. Meet and Greet time will start at 6:30 pm and the meeting will gavel at 6:45 pm. Refreshments will be served. The meeting is open to the public and free of charge.
To RSVP: go to the Orangeburg Area Toastmasters club website: http://orangeburgarea.toastmastersclubs.org
or email Earlena Brown CC, Membership Committee Chair – earlenabrown1@gmail.com
New Club – Columbia Stagecoach Trailblazers
Toastmasters is growing again. Welcome Columbia Stagecoach Trailblazers to District 58!! This club is a new corporate club chartered April 15, 2014 in Columbia at the Wells Fargo Office on Greystone Blvd.
Toastmasters Coming to Fountain Inn and Simpsonville
Fun Meetings
Demo Meetings
South Carolina District 58 Toastmasters, invites Fountain Inn and Simpsonville area residents to two informational demo meetings to:
- Meet members.
- Learn about the Toastmasters public speaking program.
- Find out about two new clubs chartering in the area.
Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive environment with opportunities for members to develop their communication and leadership skills,
says Sharon Durgin, Lt. Gov. of Marketing for District 58 for Toastmasters.
A Toastmasters meeting is the safest place to find your voice. Some people join and are scared of public speaking, and after only a few meetings, they are comfortable getting up and speaking, giving status updates and facilitating meetings in a timely fashion.
When and Where
These informational demo meetings will be held:
- Monday, April 28, 6:30 pm at the Simpsonville Library.
- Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 pm at the Fountain Inn Library.
This is a free event open to the public and will be about 45 minutes. Please join us.
Contact Sharon Durgin by email or 864-346-2347 with any questions.
Members improving their communication skills
BenefitFocus Toastmasters Club
The Low Country added a new club in September 2013 welcoming BenefitFocus Toastmasters to the District. BenefitFocus is a corporate club located on Daniel Island. The club chartered with 22 members and continues to grow. The members meet Wednesdays at noon and are part of Division A Area 12. Club Sponsors are Sudie Archibald, DTM and Lisa Berry, DTM. Club Mentors are Ike Archibald, DTM and Vito Scarafile, ACB, ALB. For questions regarding meeting and visiting the club contact Amy Bates at 843-284-1052.
Dues Are Due
Now is the time to renew your Toastmasters membership. If your club renews 13 members by March 15, the club will qualify for a $25 District Store gift certificate. If your club renews 20 members by the end of March, the club will qualify for a $25 District Store gift certificate. Can a club qualify for both? YES! It can happen but it depends on members and the club submitting dues to Toastmasters International BEFORE the end of the March. Don’t wait until the last minute. Remember Toastmasters International online gets very busy the last few days of the month! Renew Early!
Marketing Mondays
“What if” every Monday for the next two months throughout the whole district every Toastmaster member wore their Toastmasters badge? All day long? Everywhere they went? the grocery store, the convenience store, the pharmacy? What would happen? Would membership increase? Let’s see what happens! Get ready and wear your badge. And when someone asks “What’s Toastmasters?” have your elevator speech ready, tell them what Toastmasters has done for you, and give them your Toastmasters business card with your club meeting information on it, and invite them to your next meeting. If you don’t have a badge or Toastmasters business cards, contact Sharon at d58LGM@toastmasters-d8.org for instructions or go online to toastmasters.org and order your badge and make your business cards. Send Sharon your Marketing Mondays stories and best story will win a prize at Spring Conference!
Fall 2013 Dues Renewal Starts September 1
It’s time to start talking to club members about dues renewals. Beginning September 1, Toastmasters International will begin accepting dues renewals for the October 1 – March 31 time period. Getting your club dues paid in September will count towards the Distinguished Club Program, so start early, get your members renewed for the next 6 months and maintain your “Club in Good Standing” status.
Toastmasters of Fort Mill at Continental Tire Club
Congratulations to the newest club chartered in District 58. Toastmasters of Fort Mill at Continental Tire Club number 3100717, in Area 44 Division D, officially chartered on July 31, 2013. This is a corporate club meeting at Continental Tire Headquarters in Fort Mill. The club meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at noon. The club is off to a fantastic start as several of the club officers participated in the TLI (Toastmasters Leadership Institute for officer training) in Columbia August 3, 2013. Welcome to District 58!
Smedley Award Program
Smedley Award
Program Dates: August 1 – September 30
In honor of Ralph Smedley, can your club add five new, dual, or reinstated members between August 1 and September 30? By doing so you’ll qualify to receive a “Smedley Award” ribbon to display on your club’s banner. In addition to the ribbon, qualifying clubs 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.)
Applications and payments for members who join between August 1 and September 30 must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than September 30. Each member’s join date as listed on the application must be for August or September. The addition of transfer and charter members does not count toward “Smedley Award” credit.
The winning clubs will be revealed online within a few weeks of the contest ending.
The BIG GOLD BOX Promotion
Is your club worthy of The BIG GOLD BOX? Over the next 11 months all District 58 clubs will be working towards completing the 10 goals outlined in the Distinguished Club Program. During the Summer 2014 TLI in Columbia there will be four boxes awarded to four clubs chosen based on the DCP level achieved. A small red box will be awarded to one club completing 5 or 6 of the 10 goals, a medium white box will be awarded to one club completing 7 or 8 of the 10 goals and the blue box will be awarded to one club completing 9 of the 10 goals. Clubs completing all 10 goals will be eligible for the drawing for the BIG GOLD BOX! Will your club be the one taking home the BIG GOLD BOX??
What’s in those BOXES you ask?
Well in the small red box there is good stuff. In the medium white box there is better stuff. In the blue box there is better good stuff. And in the BIG GOLD BOX there is the best good stuff of all. So help your club become President’s Distinguished by completing all 10 of the DCP goals and maybe your club will take home all the best good stuff in the BIG GOLD BOX!