Wednesday, February 27, 2025
What’s Up Wednesday!
RISE with Integrity. Respect. Service. Excellence!
“The best part of competition is that through it we discover what we are capable of – and how much more we can actually do than we ever believed possible.” — @lifeisworthcompetingfor
Calling All Outstanding Officers!
It’s that time of year where we would like to ask our members to nominate their Club Officers who embody our Toastmasters values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. You can nominate as many officers as you like and multiple club members can nominate those officers for consideration. The awards team has made some updates to the form which will be posted soon. So, think about those board members who do so much to help make your club what it is today. Winners will be announced and awarded a plaque at the spring conference in May.
More Contests March 1st!
Congratulations to everyone who participated in contests this past weekend. For those who took the “contest plunge,” welcome to the thrill of the competition! To those who are moving on to the Division contest, we’re so excited to see you coming back for more! A huge thanks and shout out to everyone who volunteered by taking a contest role and especially to our Chief Judges and Judges (who must remain nameless) for being fair and impartial in your scoring.
If you have not ever experienced a contest, it’s not too late! Join us for our second round of Area Contests! You will get to hear and see incredible speeches, fierce competition, and inspiring performances in person. Check https://d50tm.org/pq/contests/ for contest locations.
Follow District 50 on LinkedIn.
SAVE ALL THE DATES!!
- Youth Leadership Conference: April 26th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital
- D50 Annual Business Meeting: May 6th at 6pm online via Zoom
- District 50 Spring Conference: May 9 – 10 in Richardson Texas
Stay engaged, participate, and let’s make this season unforgettable!
Dues are Due by MARCH 31, 2025
The April 2025—September 2025 renewal period is now open. For just $60 paid semiannually, you have unlimited communication and leadership opportunities in Toastmasters. Prorated, the dues are just $10 monthly. This is cheaper than a Starbucks special coffee. Who needs all those calories? The payment deadline for Distinguished Club Program credit is March 31, 2025. Encourage all club members to renew today!
Talk Up Toastmasters: February 1 – March 31
Toastmasters love to connect, so take advantage of it. The Talk Up Toastmasters membership program is the chance to encourage your members to invite guests to a special meeting where prospective members can learn about Toastmasters’ many benefits. Then add five new, dual or reinstated members with a join date between February 1 and March 31, and you’ll receive a special Talk up Toastmasters ribbon to display on your club’s banner. Qualifying clubs can also earn a special discount code for 10% 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 with a join date between February 1 and March 31 must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31. The addition of transfer and charter members does not count towards Talk Up Toastmasters credit.
The winning clubs will be revealed online within a few weeks of the submission deadline. Winning clubs should allow up to 10 business days to receive their award.
What’s in a word?
This week’s Word of the Week is Bloviate: Verb. Definition: To speak or write at length in a pompous or boastful manner. In a sentence: “Great leaders don’t just direct; they empower their teams to reach new heights.”
Challenge: This week, let’s have fun with the word bloviate! While we aim for concise and impactful communication in Toastmasters, we all know someone who loves to bloviate. Try using this word in a conversation, meeting, or even a speech—just don’t be the one doing the bloviating!
There’s a lot to see in our world!
The past three weeks have been a whirlwind for me, with work. I helped execute two sales kick-offs in the cyber security space. I got the gift to travel to Miami and Dubai for the events. I was able to put into practice so many of the elements that we do on a regular basis within Toastmasters. We ran time-bound activities; I was asked a multitude of questions from people I knew and didn’t know and was able to answer them and not stumble over words. I was able to network with people confidently and knew that I could hold a quality conversation. To be able to have these skills is not something that just comes naturally to so many of us. Many times in the past, I was shy or uncertain when speaking with high level executives and was content to be behind the scenes. In person events such as this remind me how lucky I am to be a part of this organization, and I am able to continuously grow in so many ways with all of you. It’s renewal time; please get your renewals in and continue to invest in you, double down on your goals and aspirations. There are people all over the world, who are growing just like you. What is your next milestone? Is it a speech? Completing a level or a path? Are you going to go after those 3 important letters D-T-M? No matter what your next step is, I am excited to see you take it!
RISEing with you,
Kimberly Ross, DTM
District 50, District Director
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