In This Issue...

Best Practices

The Plan

Division E Governor Richard Elliott details how to expand, retain, and rebuild a company club.
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News

Call for Nominations for 2006-2007

Letters of Intent are now being accepted for elective District Officer positions for the 2006-2007 term. Prospective candidates should e-mail their qualifications to the Nominating Committee Chair prior to February 8, 2006.
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Founder’s Fall Conference 2005

The 2005 Founder’s District Fall Conference was held at the Phoenix Club on Saturday, October 29. District Governor Ken Sisco, selected the Honorable Eileen C. Moore for the Communication and Leadership Award presented at the luncheon event. The evening contests were a clear demonstration of the talents in Founder’s District.
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Volunteer Opportunities

Founder's District Needs You! Check here for a list of volunteer opportunities.
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Clubs

Toastmasters Taboos

Politics, religion, and sex are three major cultural universals; that is, they are topics that all people, in all places, throughout time have considered key features of human society. Yes, they are all controversial, and yes, they are “delicate” subjects that many people consciously avoid in public discourse. Have you ever wondered why these topics are “taboo”?
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Los Escogidos

On Sunday, November 13, the 27-member Los Escogidos Toastmasters Club, #838938, was presented with a Toastmasters lectern during its charter ceremony for chartering in just three meetings. This bilingual club was the first club to earn this honor. The new club, whose name means “the Chosen Ones,” chartered on September 30 and is a Division C club in Area C1.
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High Profile Leadership (HPL) Program

The HPL Program: What's in It for Me?

You might be wondering, “How will I benefit from doing a High Performance Leadership project?”
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High Performance Leadership: Learn as You Go

Are you wondering what the High Performance Leadership is all about? You aren’t alone! I was in Toastmasters ten years before I bought the program so I could see for myself what it was.
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Use this Simple DCP/HPL Plan to Focus Your Club on Success

For the past six years, Westwinds Club 2436, in Area H1, has used the Distinguished Club Plan (DCP) as its roadmap to make the club more successful, while helping one of its members to complete his or her High Performance Leadership (HPL) requirement to earn the Advanced Leader award. The main advantage of following the plan is at least eight to ten of your members each year WILL accomplish their goals and reasons for joining Toastmasters! We have found it even more beneficial than trying to do a Speechcraft to attract members. Why? Guests are drawn to success; if your club is successful, they will join!
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The Deck of Cards

My project was the first phase of a four-year effort. I am President of my Phillips Exeter Academy Class of 1958, and our 50th Reunion is scheduled for May 2008. My project involved recruiting some key participants in the class to work toward creating an outstanding reunion.
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Mother's Day Tour

The timing was perfect for my High Performance Leadership project as we started March 12, 2002, well before Mother’s Day. This was my first year of chairing the House Captains and Docents for the highly successful, long-running Monrovia Old House Preservation Group’s Mother’s Day Tour.
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Saving the Pines

I worked with four other people to plan a spraying project for the Angeles National Forest. The High Performance Leadership process helped me organize and expedite the planning and preparation for the spraying program. The purpose of this project was to save the large, significant pine trees in picnic and campground areas.
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Features

Why Compete?

It makes you nervous just thinking about it. Your heart rate increases, you break into a cold sweat, and you think again to yourself, “Why would anybody ever enter a speech contest?” I started participating in contests almost as soon as I joined Toastmasters. And, based on my experience, I can’t think of a better way to grow as a public speaker than by competing. If you’ve ever thought about entering a contest, but decided not to, consider the benefits of competing.
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Take the First Step

For the Toastmasters organization to be successful, we must have mission-focused, quality leaders at all levels–Club, Area, Division, and District. Our need for good leadership has never been greater than at the current time. Therefore, I encourage each member to take that first step and serve at the next level in the Toastmasters leadership track, either at the Club level, as a Club Officer, or at the District level, as an Area Governor.
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Reports

District Governor

When I chose the phrase “Focused Enthusiasm” as the District Theme for this year, I was thinking of its application to our District Officers. I wanted to make the point that Enthusiasm without Focus is chaos, and Focus without Enthusiasm is drudgery and boredom. I have often noted that Founder’s District has an abundance of Enthusiasm but often lacks Focus. It was my goal to add focus to the mix by making sure that every District Officer knows precisely what his or her job is and how to do it. The trick is to add the Focus without dampening the Enthusiasm.
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Lt. Governor Education & Training

The essence of Toastmasters starts from the most basic unit of our organization, the clubs. Members join the organization because of the value they observed when they attended their first meeting. Members stay active in the club when their needs are being fulfilled. It is important that each club meeting continues to provide value to members. Meetings need to be vibrant, follow club standards, and be of value to the members.
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Lt. Governor of Marketing

We are growing! We’ve got new clubs, Smedley Award–winning clubs and Area Governors, sponsors and mentors for new clubs, new club coaches, and a fantastic achievement by one club that recruited 10 new members between August and September! On behalf of Founder’s District, I applaud the accomplishments of all these people.
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