Session: Practical Approach To Pathways

Panelists:

Shyamala Sista, DTM, Program Quality Director, 2020-21; Club Growth Director, 2019-20
Ken Braly, DTM, D101 Pathways Guide 2017-Current

Speaker Bios:

Shyamala joined Toastmasters to improve her public speaking skills. She did not anticipate that there would be an added benefit of leadership development the program provides. The leadership opportunities she experienced through Toastmasters have been life-changing both at a personal and professional level. These opportunities included being a Club President, Club VPE, an Area Director, Club Growth Director, and Program Quality Director of the district. Shyamala wants to bring that Toastmasters’ value to each member in our district. As the current PQD of District 101, she works with individual members and clubs in order to reach their educational goals.

Ken has been a member of Toastmasters since 1976 and a member of the National Speakers Association since 1978. He enjoys helping people become confident and effective speakers, which has led him to serve District 101 as a Pathways resource since the new educational system was introduced in 2017.

Session Description:

In this session, we will discuss

• How to pick your path
• How to navigate as a
  • Member
  • Evaluator
• How to pick speech topics
  • Tracker form
  • Best practices
• How to submit educational awards as a Basecamp Manager
• Q&A
• Conclusion

Session: Club Growth: What’s in it for you?

Speaker: Yifang Xu, PI5, Club Growth Director 2020-21

Speaker Bio:

Yifang Xu, PI5, has been a Toastmaster for 5 years and learned first hand what difference a healthy club can make to an individual. She has helped struggling clubs move towards positive directions. She is open to communicating with clubs and treating challenges as opportunities. Yifang has been a Club President, an Area Director, a Division Director. She is now serving as the Club Growth Director at District 101.

Panelists:

Solarzar Dellaporta, DTM, Club Extension Chair
Shoba Rao, DTM, Club Mentor Chair
Alyson King, DTM, Club Coach Chair
Kalpana Aroda, ACG, DL5, Club Consultant Chair
Sue-May Lin, DTM, Club Ambassador Chair
Vinod Nagarajan, CC, CL, Membership Renewal Chair
Melissa Atchley, DTM, Club Open House Chair
Evelyn Belen, DTM, Speechcraft Chair, YLP Chair, Gavel Club Chair
Dave Spence, DTM, Club Growth Marketing Advisor

Session Description:

In this session, you will

• Learn about the Club Growth Team’s vision and programs.
• Explore your growth opportunities.
• Listen to Club Growth Team’s analysis on your situations.
• Embrace ideas of next steps.

The club growth subteam chairs will be there answering your questions on membership building and how to build new clubs.

Session: Members Solution Room – “Happy To Help”

Speaker: Rita Barber, DTM, PDG

Speaker Bio:

Two-time DTM Rita Barber has been a toastmaster for over 12 years. During that time, she has served in 6 out of 7 club officer roles and 5 district officer roles, including District Governor. She’s created a number of district programs over the years, including District 101’s Fall Fusion. To her, Toastmasters is a combo of a great learning lab and fun playground. She highly recommends for everyone that wants to up their personal game of being a better communicator and leader. Among the recognitions she has received, she has been District 101’s Toastmasters of the Year and is a recipient of The Toastmasters International Presidential Citation Award for her continuing work in promoting communication and leadership excellence.

Session Description:

If you have a question or are dealing with a challenge as a toastmaster, Rita is “Happy to help” . You can be anonymous to get Solutions to your questions.

831 Storytellers –

• 831 Storytellers is a place to spin yarns, as well as learn effective storytelling techniques to make any speech connect with your audience.
• Our club was founded in 2015. We meet on the first and third Tuesday evenings of the month from 7:00- 8:30pm.
• Our members are actively engaged in Pathways projects and practice storytelling techniques throughout our Pathways speeches.
• At our meetings, the Storytelling Tip Master shares storytelling tips, we have an Idiom of the Day, and our Grammarian comments on effective use of language including idioms, alliteration, similes, metaphors and vocal variety in our stories.
• We practice our improvisational skills with extended (2-3 minute) Tale Topics where we are encouraged to tell a story.
• Once a month we break loose from Pathways for a “Storytelling Jam.” All who attend present a 4-5 minute speech on the topic of the day.
• We hold PowerPoint Karaoke parties. You tell a story on a topic chosen from a list.  Your speech is illustrated by PowerPoint slides that have nothing to do with the topic.  You learn to think on your feet, react gracefully to the unexpected, use storytelling techniques to engage the audience.
• We’re an Advanced Toastmasters club. Our next PowerPoint Karaoke Party will be on Tuesday, December 15, 7pm-8:30pm on Zoom. Join us and have fun!

Leadership 101, an Advanced Toastmasters Club – Chartered on November 5, 2016, Leadership 101, an Advanced Toastmasters Club, is the club for you to step up your leadership skills. You don’t need to be a manager to expand your knowledge on leadership and best practices in the workplace. In fact, any contributor will gain useful tips to become a better version of themselves and grow. Our club offers a different perspective on how typical meeting roles apply to our leadership style. We feature unique roles like the Non-Verbalist who watches our non-verbal communication and reports on its effectiveness or the Listen Master who challenges our listening skills by quizzing attendees on the content of the meeting. This club has one of the highest concentrations of current and past District leaders in the Bay Area. Join us the first Wednesday of every month. Sign up on Meetup and on Zoom to get the meeting link.

 Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Leadership-Toastmasters-An-Advanced-Toastmasters-Club/

Mandarin-English Toastmasters, Mountain View – Mandarin-English Toastmasters Mountain View (MET-MV) is a specialized Toastmasters Club where you can develop speaking and leadership skills in English, in Mandarin Chinese, or in both languages. Our members capitalize on this opportunity to improve their non-native language listening and speaking abilities, as well as to provide guidance in their native language to others. Whether you’re just beginning to cultivate your understanding of English or Mandarin Chinese or both languages have been a part of your life for an extended period of time, MET-MV has something to offer you.

Check here for more details.

Peninsula Pros – Peninsula Pros is the advanced Toastmasters club on the Monterey Peninsula.   Chartered in June 1991, we have a consistent record of innovation and excellence.  We provide a venue for longer advanced manual speeches, as well as opportunities to do “dry runs” on planned non-Toastmaster speeches. Evaluations are “round-robin,” allowing for a wide diversity of evaluative opinions. Speakers then get a “rebuttal” to refute or explain their actions. We also feature special programs, such as various workshops, formal debates, Parliamentary Procedure, etc.   One unique club programming feature is our annual “Winners Circle” each spring, where club contest winners can practice in advance of their Area Contest performance and receive multiple evaluations. Peninsula Pros normally meets in a dinner venue (temporarily, ZOOM) to prepare for real-world opportunities in non-Toastmaster events. CTM or CC designation or completion of two Pathways levels is required for membership. Dues are minimal to encourage dual club membership. 

Silicon Valley Improvmasters – Want to improve your speaking and leadership skills using improv theater skills? Then this is the club for you. We are Silicon Valley Improv Masters Club. We meet virtually on every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Mon from 7pm-9pm. Meetings offer members the opportunity to practice thinking and speaking on their feet with speeches, table topics, evaluations and improv games. We are the first Improv Toastmasters Club in the South San Francisco Bay area. While we follow the Toastmasters format, we focus on improvisational speaking skills. YES, the club is open to all, AND we are always happy to have guests as well.

Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/SVImprovMasters/

Silicon Valley Storytellers – Storytelling is an important part of everyday communication and a great skill to develop for your family, career, and entertainment. A skilled storyteller can help others understand the world around them, or take them a voyage through fantasy, escaping the daily grind. Many of our club members belong to another Toastmasters club, and they join this club where members focus on story creation and delivery. Our members bring prepared speeches or engage in story development exercises. It’s fun, lively, and entertaining! What sets us apart from other clubs is the Storytelling Tip every month, and a member who presents the tip will also evaluate speakers if the tip has been applied. Instead of Table Topics session, we host a Tale Topics session for members to practice impromptu storytelling. Silicon Valley Storytellers meet 2nd and 4th Mondays each month through Zoom from 7-8:30 PM.  

www.siliconvalleystorytellers.org

Surf City Advanced Toastmasters – Flexible and full of fun. Surf City Advanced Toastmasters was created for speakers who want to expand their speaking abilities. The members are experienced Toastmasters who enjoy a round-robin evaluation format based on the opportunity for everyone attending to offer a personal oral evaluation to each speaker. The round-robin experience challenges us to sharpen our listening as well as speaking skills. The monthly agenda can be adjusted for longer speech assignments and to fit the needs of a member working on an HPL or other outside the meeting Pathways tasks. The group wants to hear what members are doing in their speaking lives. We also want to evaluate those experiences. Bring your interest and energy to our club. I think you will find kindness and laughter. Contact us through surfcity5127@gmail.com.

Speaker: Solarzar Dellaporta, DTM

Speaker Bio: Solarzar has been a Toastmaster for 25 years and has helped build and close many clubs during that time. New clubs add energy to an Area, Division and District, but they also revitalize the Toastmasters who help bring those clubs to life. In his role as District 101 Club Extension Chair Solarzar is supported by many of the top leaders within District 101, including the talented Club Growth Team. He has been an Area Governor of the Year, a District 4 Toastmaster of the Year, a Division Governor of the Year and most recently a Division Director for Division A. Solarzar believes everything can be made easier if we complete one task at a time as we move forward, which is the heart of the Toastmaster program.

Learn about the process steps for starting a Club, regardless of type. What is a Specialty Club? What is an Advanced Club? How do they differ, can they be the same? Members of the District 101 Club Growth Team will also be present to discuss the consideration of a sponsor, a mentor or other club resources.