the magic of manchester! (12-14 may 2017)d71toastmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/june... ·...

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017 Compiled by: Division “E” & District 71 PR Team The Magic of Manchester! (12-14 May 2017) The May 2017 District 71 Conference was held in the impressive and stylish surroundings of The Worsley Marriott Hotel in North West Manchester. Led by Jonathan Noble, Angela Scott and Jim Gregory, members of Warrington Toastmasters, Manchester Orators and Didsbury Speakers delivered a professional Conference over three days, preceded by an Anglo-Irish meeting on Thursday evening at Manchester Orators’ city-centre venue. Approaching two hundred delegates from all nine Divisions in District 71 attended the Conference weekend. The overriding atmosphere was one of fun and education, existing friendships renewed and new ones forged. Those who attended the Friday evening buffet were entertained by a table magician. Band, disco and traditional craic followed the Saturday night Gala Dinner.

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Page 1: The Magic of Manchester! (12-14 May 2017)d71toastmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/June... · 2017-06-24 · (12-14 May 2017) The May 2017 ... puts patience, relationships and

District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

The Magic of Manchester! (12-14 May 2017)

The May 2017 District 71 Conference was held in the impressive and stylish

surroundings of The Worsley Marriott Hotel in North West Manchester. Led by

Jonathan Noble, Angela Scott and Jim Gregory, members of Warrington

Toastmasters, Manchester Orators and Didsbury Speakers delivered a professional

Conference over three days, preceded by an Anglo-Irish meeting on Thursday

evening at Manchester Orators’ city-centre venue.

Approaching two hundred delegates from all nine Divisions in District 71 attended the

Conference weekend. The overriding atmosphere was one of fun and education, existing

friendships renewed and new ones forged. Those who attended the Friday evening buffet

were entertained by a table magician. Band, disco and traditional craic followed the Saturday

night Gala Dinner.

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

On Saturday, a keenly-contested International Speech Competition was won by Vinette Hoffman-Jackson (Division G) with a speech entitled ‘Breaking Point to Turning Point’: on Sunday, the winner of the Evaluation Contest was Colm McGlade (Division C). At this level, the quality of the speakers and evaluators needs to be matched by the diligence and expertise of the judges. Very often, the difference between winners and runners up can be a matter of a point or two, based on subjective and experienced interpretation…and that ‘X’ factor of speaker and message.

Conference delegates expect speakers and workshops of high order. Both Keynote Speakers – John Hotowka and Ross Mackay – engaged their audiences with quality speeches that both educated and inspired. Workshops included ‘Stagecraft Magic’ (Vincent Delaney), ‘How to find your TEDex talk’ (Craig Miller), ‘Five Steps to Referrals’ (Ewan Sturman), ‘Persuade on Purpose’ (Eric Fitzpatrick) and ‘Keeps Popping Back up’ (Kay Reeve). May Conferences also involve elections for the following year’s District and Division officers. At the meeting of the District Executive Committee on Saturday afternoon, there was competition for several posts. Such are the procedures required for elections that DEC needed to be reconvened on Sunday morning to complete the process and voting.

Producing an event on this scale tests leadership and management skills to the limit and puts patience, relationships and a sense of compromise to the test; there is also a need to react positively when unforeseen events need immediate attention. To pick out one member of this focussed team may hardly be fair to the rest but Angela Scott deserves recognition for her energy and purpose. As Division E Director for 2017-2018, Angela’s experience will be invaluable to the team hosting the ‘Steel City’ Conference in Sheffield in a few months’ time.

Ken Siviter Division E Director (2016-2017)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

A Year - and more! – in Division E!

Geographically, Division E is the largest

administrative sector in District 71, extending from

Morpeth and Newcastle in the North East of

England down to Shropshire in the south, from

Chester in the west to Lincoln in the east. My

predecessor as Division Director, Jan Antons,

resigned in February 2016, due to work and other

pressures, and as her then-assistant, I was

launched into the unexpected role of Division

Director. Therefore, my first task was to get to grips with the six Areas that comprise the

Division as soon as possible. As a Northerner returning from exile in the south, I was at least

familiar with the ‘parish’ but had no knowledge of the many clubs and engaging personalities

that are the life blood of any Toastmaster Division.

Many club visits, even more miles and innumerable e-mails later, I am a wiser man! The goal

I set myself was to show up to as many clubs and events as often as I could, to be available

on the end of the ‘phone and e-mail and support the Area Directors.

Around the Areas

I have been fortunate in having a team of Area Directors who have handled the day to day

running of their own ‘patches’ with dedication and perseverance.

This year’s President’s Distinguished clubs were Leicester Leaders (Area 6) with an

outstanding ten DCP points, followed by Spa Speakers (Area 39) and Warrington (Area 48),

both with nine points. In addition, there were a remarkable six Select Distinguished clubs

and two Distinguished clubs.

Area 6

Louise Paling and her team of Club Presidents have had a very good year. All clubs

performed up to and beyond their capabilities whilst Louise was invaluable support in helping

to organise the Division Finals in Derby in October by pulling together the necessary team of

judges ballot counters and others that helped to make this a successful competition day.

Area 15

Area 15 comprises clubs in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, York and Harrogate. Michael

Bottomley’s year as Director has been impressive – two clubs achieved Select Distinguished

status, two reached Distinguished status.

Area 21

Area 21 was formed after the Limerick Conference – now, there’s a memory!) and has

completed its first, and successful, year under Pauline Westrop. Pauline’s experience was

mostly positive, travelling beyond her Area and meeting inspiring Toastmasters wherever

she went.

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Scroll of Honour

Div E Achieved

Presidents Distinguished

Division 2016/17

Active Clubs: 23

Distinguished Clubs : 17

Heartiest congratulations!

Area 39

Tony Brassington and his highly-organised Assistant Director, Tanya Barad, produced a

team of judges, timers and ballot counters well ahead of Division Finals day in Birmingham.

As a venue for the Division E Finals, the Old Joint Stock Pub and Theatre was a unique

location and attracted an audience of sixty Toastmasters from all over the Division.

Throughout the year, chartered clubs in this Area performed to a high level – all four

chartered clubs registered seven DCP points or above.

Area 48

Changes are coming to Division E next year! In Area 48, Chester Connected Speakers (a

corporate club based in Chester Business Park) chartered in February this year whilst city-

based Chester Speakers have recently acquired a new venue and its twentieth member.

Salford Speakers, set up by the energetic Manchester Orators, now has the numbers to

charter. In addition, plans were put in place in March this year to open two clubs in Liverpool,

starting in September. Area Director, Gayna Cooper is confident that a new Area seems to

be inevitable.

Area 51

As the northernmost Area in the Division – it takes four hours by car or train from Cheshire to

Newcastle! – Area 51 is a neat package of three chartered clubs and a pre-charter (Talking

Shop in Sunderland). Director Simon Heal has successfully seen Castle Communicators to

chartered status during his year of office but there is a need open another club in 2017-2018.

Staying in regular touch with all Area Directors, reminding them of deadlines, prompting

them to nudge club Presidents, sorting out the occasional club and personnel issue…this

has been the stuff of my last sixteen months. I have unashamedly relied upon the ‘e-mail

blitzkrieg’ school of communication and I am grateful to all

Area Directors, who have been on the end of my volleys

of messages, for their tolerance and positive responses.

I am fully aware that more ‘social media-savvy’ methods

are available (’WhatsApp’ – could somebody explain,

please?); equally, I know that my successor as Division

Director, Angela Scott, a member of my own club,

Warrington Toastmasters, has excellent skills in that

area. Angela has already established a good, working

relationship with Jane Craggs across the Pennines in

Yorkshire. I wish them both well for 2017-2018.

Ken Siviter

Division E Director (2016-2017)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

No laughing matter! One of key features of the Spring D71 conference was the

visit by Past International Director, Ross Mackay DTM. A

resident of Canada, Ross gave the keynote address at the

‘It’s a Kinda Magic’ conference in Manchester.

It was a pleasure to meet them, and to attend Ross’s

workshop “Humour is no Laughing Matter” Sunday morning.

The title was taken, he said, from Bob Hope’s original

autobiography.

Despite clearly being an authority on the subject of humour, Ross opened his presentation

by noting that he’s never won his club Humourous Speech Contest. He has however, placed

3rd in the World Championship of Public Speaking!

Humour, Ross explained, results when a thought or action unexpectedly derails the mind’s

logical process. For me, this really encapsulated the crux of it -- the “unexpected derailment”

is a great visual as well.

Ross gave a number of reasons why we might want to use humour. These included to

warm-up our audience, to be memorable, to change the tone of proceedings, to leave the

audience on an ‘up’, to make a topic more palatable, and most importantly, to be invited

back!

One-liners are the speaker’s friend, he said. He reviewed the structure of a joke, which is

comprised of two parts, the ‘set-up’, and the ‘punch’. The set-up creates the premise of the

joke, and the punchline, says Ross, produces the “misdirection”. To illustrate this, Ross gave

us one of comedy’s most famous and most enduring one-liners: American comedian Henny

Youngman’s “Take my wife. . . please.” An oldie, but a goodie!

When it comes to storytelling, Ross said the set-up is key. If you can’t tell a long story, don’t

tell it; tell a short joke instead, advised Ross.

He reviewed his “seven rules of humour”, which are detailed in his book, HUMOUR IS NO

LAUGHING MATTER. Subtitled “A tonic for your speeches, your work and your life”, Ross’s

book sold-out after the workshop! You can order a copy from www.rossmackay.com.

Among Ross’s seven rules, the biggest single mistake speakers he says speakers make:

“Let them laugh, but don’t let them finish!” The trick is to listen to your audience, and take

your cue from their reaction; as soon as the laughter starts to

die, move on.

A very enjoyable Sunday morning, filled with lots of laughs

and lots of learning. My thanks to Ross for helping us get to

grips with humour, and to become more confident about using

humour in our speeches.

Laura Bruce CC ALB

President of Inverness Toastmasters.

Laura Bruce

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Close Encounters

Its 7:45pm and you realise your scheduled

meeting room is without chairs!! The large

funeral party in the bar below our room

required the extra seating! What’s a

Toastmaster to do???

This was the dilemma before me at our last

meeting night….. I was gathering the ‘finishing

touches’ from my kitchen, for the meeting, when my Sergeant at Arms informed me of the

situation. It was too late to find an alternative venue!

As I looked out at my back-garden patio area, I wondered….. where could we host a meeting

on this beautiful warm night…. Why of course, and why not??? The answer lay before

me…. If nothing else, Toastmasters adapt to situations. As I lived just a few minutes from

our regular venue, I rallied up the troops to pop into my garden for our Al Fresco’ meeting.

In true Toastmasters style, we adapted to our picturesque backdrop of what was indeed a

delightful fun-filled meeting. At Baltinglass Speakers we encourage variety, adding ones’

uniqueness to the roles and switching up the agenda. Switching our style of venue did not

phase our Intrepid Toastmasters. They all rose to the occasion and demonstrated their team

spirit and leadership skills.

The theme set by Gearoid Murphy, our Toastmaster of the

Evening was ‘A Night at the Oscars’… very creative awards

indeed Gearoid! And of course everyone got a unique and

fitting award.

There were a few challenges – barking dogs, curious

passers-by & the dusk bird calls! This just added to the fun

of the occasion and we all chalked it down as a most

enjoyable ‘learning curve’.

A most enjoyable evening!

Would we do it again?? Absolutely!!

Karen O’Donnell

President, Baltinglass Speakers

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Q&A with the Admin Manager

As we reach the end of the 2016-17 Toastmasters year, Sam

Warner is completing her term as Administration Manager. This is a

role which is appointed by the District Director, and we thought it

may be timely to ask her about the year she’s had.

Tell us about your role on the District Leadership Team (DLT) –

what are your main duties as Admin Manager?

The DLT meet twice a month so I hosted those management

meetings online and minuted those, the District Executive Council

(DEC) meetings and the District Council Meetings (at Conference). In

terms of time commitment, it varies as the year rolls out, some months are quieter than

others, some require printing and travel, and some are very sedate and only have two

webinars in them.

What sort of person does this role suit?

Someone who is well organised and coachable. The handover takes two days, so this gives

you some idea of the number of tasks over the Toastmasters year. It’s a great way to learn

new software, work with new people on a different level and in particular gain that helicopter

view of the District. You need to embrace the travel side too as it’s going to be very difficult

to fulfil the role if you cannot attend the meetings in person.

What have been your biggest challenges over the past year?

Non-English accents! When writing up the minutes for the District Council meeting, at times I

did find it hard to ensure I captured exactly the correct words for those people. I’ve also had

a tough six months this year at home with three family bereavements, my husband had a

stroke and I had a major operation, but the great support and understanding of the DLT and

DEC enabled me to work round all of that and still deliver.

What have been your greatest satisfactions?

Transforming from an anxious Aspie unsure of how I would fit in and worried I might let the

DLT, DEC or general members down in some way, into a more confident person. I’ve

enjoyed recognition, respect and responsibility. (How’s that for a tri-colon with a bit of

alliteration, grammar fans!)

What advice have you for Sue Eastman, your successor?

Plan your whole year into your diary, so there’s no surprises and you can plan your home life

too. Put in your expenses every month without fail so you keep on top of them. Keep asking

questions and remember that everyone has something going at home that can affect their

state of mind and their communication style, so always respond with kindness and patience.

Finally, what are you looking forward to now that you are wrapping up your role?

Well, in true Toastmaster-addict style, I’ve taken on another role for the District as Youth

Leadership Program Director. I’ll be swapping minutes and emails for webinars and training

and helping members to bring YLPs to many more schools; all this alongside being a dual

member, VPE and President of a pre-charter club and Pathways Ambassador. Somehow I

squeeze a full time job, running my own business and occasionally seeing my husband and

cat in around all that!

Sam Warner,

District Administration Manager 2016/2017

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Q&A with the Out-going Finance Manager

As we reach the end of the 2016-17

Toastmasters year, John Cox is completing his

term as Finance Manager. This is a role which

is appointed by the District Director, and we

thought it may be timely to ask him about the

year he has had.

Tell us about your role on the District

Leadership team – what are your main duties as Finance Manager?

My main role is to help prepare and manage the District Budget, pay DEC members’ and

other expenses, and to ensure we keep to budget. This is all done in three currencies –

dollars, euros and sterling through TI’s computerised finance system.

What sort of person does this role suit?

A good understanding of finance and financial management systems, though not necessary

to be an accountant. You also need to be well organised, patient and responsive.

What have been your biggest challenges over the past year?

Managing in three currencies, having to pay all bills by cheque due to the cost of online

banking, and the quality of some DEC members expense claims.

What have been your greatest satisfactions?

Meeting tight deadlines, reconciling bank accounts every month and successful audits.

What advice have you for your successor, Les?

Try to get DEC members to produce more accurate claims in a timely manner.

Finally, what are you looking forward to getting now that you are wrapping up your

role?

In addition to the Finance Manager role I have also been a club president, a treasurer and

acting president of a pre-charter club, so I’m looking forward to some more free time to

devote to my new role of District Club Growth Director.

John Cox

District 71 Treasurer (2016/2017)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

PR Manager – Karen O’Donnell 2016-2017

Connect, Communicate, Collaborate Congratulations to all members who participated in our various Initiatives….. You were amazing!! External PR Events By connecting & communicating with PR Reps and Leaders in each Division – we collaborated on many projects throughout the UK, Scotland & Ireland. We maximised Toastmasters’ exposure through District visits from Teresa Duke; Aletta Rochat, Olivia Schofield, Julie Kertesz and World Champion Mohammed Qahtani. By having these Toastmasters speak at external events, such as universities, business meetings, Banks, and multiple Chamber of Commerce events – we have developed and strengthened connections with these large institutions. This assists our clubs by raising awareness of Toastmasters; increasing membership and exploring new club opportunities. Ongoing PR Training Providing continued training for VPPRs through online conference calls. Many of these PowerPoint Presentations have been recorded and available on our district website. These sessions also provided a platform for exchanging experience with other Toastmasters – our trial Meetup support for challenged clubs came about from one such session. Newsletters This is our 10th newsletter this year – a record for our District! These have been compiled each month – the first section by a specific Division and the District PR Team compiling the second half. Fantastic articles – you should all be proud of your contributions. Feedback has been very positive from members, expressing their delight in receiving information from other clubs. Club newsletters/flyers/press releases Another incentive which has seen many enthusiastic clubs being rewarded with club ribbons for their PR contributions for their clubs. District Banners & Leaflet Each Division was provided with generic ‘Where Leaders are Made’ banner - which can be used for events throughout their division. Specialised banners have also been provided to groups. Official leaflets have been produced for members to use at events. Available for various events throughout our district. Conference Media Room We successfully ran a Media Room at both Dublin & Manchester Conference. Well done to Sandra Losty & Colin Birnie – you did an amazing job and provided a wonderful resource to all members who attended both conferences. Karen O’Donnell, DTM

District 71 PR Manager (2016/2017)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

District 71 PR Awards

Top Division Travelling Toastie

John Keating Division A

Sandra Losty Division C

Gearoid Murphy Division D

Colin Birnie Division E

Vinette Hoffman-Jackson Division G

Adrian Melia Division M

Nicholas Mockler Division S The Travelling Toastie has seen many Toastmasters visiting other clubs, resulting in positive experiences for both Travelling Toastie and club visited. Points were awarded to Travelling Toasties who completed various tasks, i.e. visiting a challenged club (less than 15 members), taking on a role, or posting a testimonial video on Facebook. We had several Official Travelling Toasties awarded and a Top Divisional Travelling Toastie award for the member who accumulated the most points.

Top Club Video

1st Place Greystones Toastmasters 2nd Place Belfast Toastmasters

3rd Place Athy Toastmasters

Top Club Website 1st Place Strictly Speaking Harrogate

2nd Place Cork Toastmasters 3rd Place Linlithgow Speakers

Best Video & Best Website The response was outstanding…. Fantastic imaginative and informative videos have been submitted. Websites depicting the true spirit of us Toastmasters have delighted the panel of judges.

Spring Conference Ticket Winners

Christine Rusk Erne Speakers

Essie Rewane Eldergate Toastmasters

Articles Published, our PR professional, Chantal Cooke, has succeeded in publishing

articles relating to Toastmasters in over 80 publications. These articles were written by

members of District 71 – well done!! In total, the estimated reach to date is 10 million

views, with a combined editorial value of £450,000.

Karen O’Donnell, District 71 PR Manager (2016/2017)

District 71 PR Awards 2017

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

International Speech Contest

Our District International Contest was held in Manchester at our Spring Conference on May 13th 2017.

We had 9 amazing speeches. Well done to all the speakers who put so much time and effort into delivery these amazing speeches.

VINETTE Hoffman-Jackson from Division G, won our District International Speech Contest.

Her speech ‘From Breaking Point to Turning Point‘, won huge audience applause and support from nine judges. She emerged as the overall winner and moves on to the next stage of the competition.

Vinette will represent District 71 at the International Convention in Vancouver, Canada this august. She will compete with the best speakers from all over the world to be crowned World Champion of Public Speaking 2017. The speaking competition has been running from 1938, only missing 1948 and 1949 due to the war.

Don’t miss your chance to celebrate with members from around the world at the 86th Annual Toastmasters International Convention at Vancouver, British Columbia August 23–26, 2017

Semi-finals - The 2017 Toastmasters International Speech Contest Semi-finals take place this August at the International Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Final - The winner from each district International Speech Contest competes in one of 10 semi-final speech contests. The 10 winners of the semi-final contests will progress to the Final on Saturday 26th August. Road to Vancouver – 15th July - University of Law, Bunhill Road, London EC1Y 8HQ

Cant make it to Vancouver?? Why not see our District Champion at ‘The Road to Vancouver’ Event. This is where the 4 districts in Europe will be coming together to showcase their finalists as well as offering valuable feedback from expert evaluators and speakers who have won 17 District Championships between them. There will also be 3 essential educational sessions to take your speaking to the next level. This is a great opportunity to network with attendees from 33 countries including district and regional leaders. For more details checkout roadtovancouver.com

All at District 71 wish Vinette the very best of luck .

Karen O’Donnell

District 71 PR Manager (2016/2017)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Life on the road:

Scotland’s award-winning Travelling Toastie

shares his thoughts

Nick Mockler ACB CL, is the incoming VPE at Perth Toastmasters

(Division S, Area 43). He is officially ''Scotland's most travelled Toastmaster''

(which he notes is rather embarrassing. . . given that he's an Irishman!). Nick

took full opportunity to partake in this year’s new Travelling Toastie initiative run by the

District PR Manager, Karen O’Donnell. In what was originally intended to be a few

opportune visits to other clubs, Nick unexpectedly went on to join a second pre-charter club

in Dunfermline, and become Assistant Area 43 Director in the process!

As an individual, and much like others who were top Travelling Toasties in their Divisions,

Nick also went on to achieve multiple education awards, fulfilling a coveted 'Triple Crown'

(comprised of CC, CL, ACB), and also placing 3rd at the Division S evaluation contest held

in the Scottish Parliament. During the past year, he also served as VPM of Perth, on the

contributing to the club's amazing “10/10” on their DCP this year.

My thoughts on the “Travelling Toastie” programme

In Toastmasters we sign up to four core values: Respect,

Integrity, Service, and Excellence. My home club has

Respect and Integrity in spades; but as for the Service

and Excellence part, I was unsure. This was as a

consequence of my limited experience in Toastmasters --

up to that point, my experience in the organization was

limited to my home club.

When I got appointed onto my home club's committee in

June 2016, I felt compelled to take the initiative and visit

other clubs to see how they do things. It’s clear this was never for the sake of the Travelling

Toastie initiative -- as I had only found out about that later on!

On reflection, I believe that the ideas I've brought back, in tandem with an excellent

committee-wide effort, have made a contribution to improving the Service we offer to all our

members in Perth. The Excellence bit? We must be doing something right, as we achieved

10/10 DCP this year!!

My individual achievements can also be attributed to the Travelling Toastie

programme. Congratulations to Karen O'Donnell District PR Manage, for this

initiative; I hope it continues, but in any case I'm already planning which

clubs I want to go visit for this coming TM year!

Nicholas Mockler,

Assistant 43 Area Director

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

What’s ahead for D71 PR

Fellow Toastmasters, I was thrilled that you elected me D71 PR Manager, and I look forward to assisting you in continuing to increase awareness of Toastmasters. To help me do this, I am looking for volunteers across

the District. Ideally, I’d like at least one PR assistant in each Division. If you would like to take part, of share your PR

ideas with me, please contact me. In my experience, one of the most simple and yet most effective ways to raise awareness is to contact your local newspaper with news about your club. So that’s where we’re going to start. I have a suite of tools to help you do this, including a standard media release (aka press release or news release) template from Toastmasters International HQ. This template will help to take the anxiety out of creating a news release, so please use it as a starting point for sharing news about your club and your members with your local media. Our first media release will announce the members of your new club committee. To help you with this, I’ll be emailing VPs PR and Club Presidents a media release template I have created specifically for you to “let the world know” about your new committee. I am happy to review and quality-assure your release before you send it out. Best of all, there will be rewards for clubs who issue this release, and even more rewards for clubs who document media coverage of their news! In my campaign speech, I stated, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and I am going to stick to that. We have had a number of successful PR initiatives, and I plan to continue these in 2017-18. Among them was the fabulous Travelling Toastie programme. One of a number of super ideas put into action by my predecessor D71 PR Manager Karen O’Donnell, this was hugely popular and really helped to motivate people to visit other clubs and document their visit. For me, one of the highlights of the spring conference was the presentation of awards to each Division’s champion Travelling Toastie! Congratulations to you for taking part, and to Karen for such an innovative and clearly winning idea! Another winning initiative was the Club Video competition. I believe that club videos really help people to understand what we’re about, and what to expect. I plan to reward clubs for creating videos, and will announce details of the Video Campaign for 2017-18 this autumn. The Club Website competition encouraged clubs to take a fresh look at their websites. Again, I want to encourage everyone to ensure their club website addresses the main reasons why a visitor would land on your site, and helps take them to the next step: visiting your club. I will be announcing details about the Club Website Initiative very soon. And we’ll continue the PR tips monthly webinar. If you have a topic you would like covered, or if you would like to lead a session, please let me know. Ultimately, my role as PR Manager is to help you -- help you to promote your club, your division, and most of all, the achievements of our members. I look forward to helping you in any way I can. My email is [email protected] and my phone number is +44 1463216226. Laura Bruce, Incoming District Public Relations Manager (2017/2018)

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

Letters or articles for submission:

Letter, Max 200 words – longer is an article! The next edition, July

2017, is being compiled by incoming District PR Manager Laura

Bruce.

Laura is looking for articles and contributions

for the newsletter. If you have news, views, or

articles of interest, please send them before

10th July 2017 to Laura Bruce at

[email protected] depending on

space, we will endeavour to put a compilation

of these in future issues.

Publishers note:

The District 71 Newsletter is published by the District 71 PR Team

headed by Karen O’Donnell, PR Manager with assistance from

Sandra Losty & Brendan Haughton. Each edition contains articles

compiled by one of our Division Directors and their team.

ANY MEMBER CONTACT INFORMATION IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR THE SOLE USE OF TOASTMASTERS’ MEMBERS FOR TOASTMASTERS BUSINESS ONLY. IT IS NOT TO BE USED FOR SOLICITATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NON-TOASTMASTERS MATERIALS OR INFORMATION.

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District 71 Newsletter June 2017

Compiled by: Division “E”

& District 71 PR Team

YOUR 2016/2017 PR TEAM!

We have thoroughly enjoyed serving you as the District Public

Relations Team and wish Laura Bruce every success in her role. We

know that Laura will employ her PR expertise to support & offer

guidance to all clubs in District 71.