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“If you get the chance to attend a celebration and experience another culture... do it. Leave your preconceptions at the door, open your mind to the possibilities, and enjoy.”  - Past International President Richard E Peck, DTM

Hello Dear Reader,

In this season of holiday celebrations, I encourage you to take the advice of our Past International President, Richard E. Peck, DTM, captured in his quote at the top of this newsletter. The holiday season presents a great opportunity to learn about other cultures. Understanding each other's cultures helps us to be more inclusive and cooperate more effectively, and can even provide opportunities to enrich our own traditions.

December is also a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. As Toastmasters, we can reflect on the achievements of our clubs and individual members, and we can look forward to completing our DCP goals. We can also look forward to a new Pathways experience starting in the first half of 2024; more information is in the article: "Get Ready for the Pathways Base Camp Transition" in the PQD Corner, below.

I hope you find this newsletter useful. If you have suggestions or other feedback for future editions, please use the "Provide Feedback" button at the bottom of the newsletter.

Hello District 18 Toastmasters!

It's that time of year again! As your District Director, I want to remind you to take a break from the daily grind and enjoy some quality time with your family and friends. The holiday season is a great time to relax and recharge!

But that's not all! As a diverse organization, let's also take this opportunity to celebrate our differences and come together as one big Toastmasters family. Let's embrace the unique perspectives and experiences that each member brings to the table and continue to grow and learn from each other.

And as we bid farewell to another remarkable year, let's not just wrap it up with a bow, but with the joy of shared laughter and the warmth of friendship. Let's kick off the holiday season together, in person! Join me at the District 18 Holiday Party on December 17th, where we will make memories that will linger well beyond the season. So mark your calendar, bring your festive spirit, and join me in creating a tapestry of togetherness.

Here's to a joyous holiday season and the promise of even brighter horizons in the coming year. I look forward to celebrating with each and every one of you at our holiday gathering. See you there!

District 18 Holiday Party

District 18 wants to celebrate the holidays in person with all our district leaders, members, and friends! This is a potluck dinner party, so come join the fun. There will be great food, music, games, prizes, fun Table Topics, and great fellowship. There will also be gifts: everyone is encouraged to bring a wrapped gift (maximum value $15) to join in the gift exchange fun.

Click on the image below to RSVP

As previously announced, a new Pathways Base Camp user experience is coming in 2024 "to support members in a smooth and seamless experience accessing Pathways education content." There will be a Base Camp outage during the transition; the outage schedule has not yet been announced. During that outage, member education progress will be transferred to a new learning management system. You can help ensure that your progress is accurately recorded in the new system by making sure it's accurate in the current system. Please watch this short video for step-by-step instructions on how to do that.

Additional information can be found on the Pathways Updates web page.

I am pleased to announce a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award to Dwayne White, who is a member of four clubs: Debedeavon Toastmasters Club, Delmarva Toastmasters, Dynamic Leadership Toastmasters, and Southern Delaware Toastmasters. The DTM award represents the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating Dwayne White, DTM!

The Triple Crown Award is one of the most prestigious educational awards in Toastmasters, presented to members who have achieved three or more educational and leadership awards within a program year (July 1 - June 30). District 18 is pleased to announce two more Triple Crown awards - please help me congratulate and celebrate the recipients:

• Leah I. Woodly (SR1, SR2, SR3)
• Michele Canopii (DTM3IP1, LD5, PM4)

The Little Prince author Antoine de Saint-Exupery once commented that “a goal without a plan is just a wish.” Leadership expert Brian Tracy observed that “successful people do things that the average person is not willing to do. They make sacrifices the average person is not willing to make. But the difference it makes is extraordinary.”

District 18 has set the goal of having all clubs reach extraordinary heights this year, and is supporting its clubs every step of the way. As you know, retaining membership and submitting membership payments on time are important parts of Toastmasters International’s Distinguished Club Program. That’s why District 18 is offering its “Early Bird Retention Excellence Award” to all clubs that achieve 100% of their base member renewals by January 31, 2024.

Each club that earns the Early Bird Retention Excellence Award will receive a $50 in gift certificates for the Toastmasters International online store, and the club’s treasurer will receive a document briefcase bag.

How does your club earn this Early Bird Retention Excellence Award? First, find out what your club’s Base Membership number is. You can do this by visiting Toastmasters International's Dashboard for District 18, locating your club's name, and clicking on it to display your club's dashboard. Your club’s base membership number is displayed at the top of your club’s dashboard.

Next, ask all of your club members to renew their Toastmasters memberships for the period April 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024 by January 31, 2024. If your club has enabled member self-payment, members can submit their payments directly to TI. If your club doesn’t have self-pay enabled, you can visit https://bit.ly/410LcoU to learn how to set it up.

If your club currently has fewer members than your base membership number, you can still achieve the Early Bird Retention Excellence Award by getting new members to join and having those new members pay their dues through September 30, 2024 by January 31, 2024. As long as your club has the same number of member dues payments for April 1 through September 30 as the club’s base membership number by the early bird deadline, your club will win this award.

District 18 wants you to have an extraordinary, successful year!  Clubs with strong membership have active member participation and productive meetings. Take advantage of District 18’s Early Bird Retention Excellence Award— it’s a win-win for you and your club. District 18 is cheering you on, and wants every club to cross the finish line at the end of this Toastmasters year with flying colors.

Did

You

Know?

Each year, Toastmasters International provides an opportunity for professional-level speakers with expert knowledge in a particular subject to earn the designation of Accredited Speaker. If this describes you or a member of your club, learn more about the Accredited Speaker Program here:

www.toastmasters.org/Membership/Accredited-Speaker.

Applications will be accepted between January 1 and January 31.

The anniversary of a Toastmasters club holds significant importance as a symbol of its journey, growth, and accomplishments over the years. Whether it's a young club celebrating its first years or a long-standing club celebrating decades, its anniversary is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the club's dedication and commitment to communication, leadership, and self-improvement.

Happy anniversary to clubs that chartered in November:

• 39 years: Chesapeake (12/1/1984)
• 35 years: Carroll Creek (12/1/1988)
• 29 years: Greater Elkton Area (12/1/1994)
• 17 years: BAC to the Future (12/11/2006)
• 15 years: T. Rowe Price (12/18/2008)

Let's join these clubs in acknowledging and celebrating their anniversaries. As they reflect on their progress, honor their founders and past members, and set new goals, we wish them continued success!

Note: All times are Eastern Time (ET)

Nominations are now open for 2024/2025 District 18 Leadership Positions

Nomination forms are on the District 18 website at:

https://www.toastmasters-d18.org/district-18-officer-candidate/

POC: Jim Book, District Leadership Committee Chair, dlc@toastmasters-d18.org

Club-Level Contest Period Continues

Wednesday, November 1 - Sunday, January 14

See District 18 Contest Plan Reminder, below

Empowered Leadership Series Session #3: Unleashing Team Synergy, hosted by Division C

Saturday, December 2, 9am - 1pm (doors open at 8:30am)

Location: Asbury Town Neck United Methodist Church, Severna Park, MD

Register here (free, and also open to non-Toastmasters)

Hanukkah

Thursday, December 7 - Friday, December 15

Club Officer Training - Session #3 of 6

Saturday, December 9, 10am - 12pm (online, Zoom will open at 9:30am)

Register at https://bit.ly/COT-20231209

Second Monday Speaker Series, Presented by Northrop Grumman Gavaliers Toastmasters Club

Monday, December 11, 6:30pm - 7:30pm (online)

Topic: The Three Halves of Life: What Matters Most For Your Growth and Development

Speaker: Ron Chapman, Master Coach, Facilitator, Trainer and Strategist, and Accredited Speaker

No registration required; join here (Zoom)

More information is here: https://karenstorey.com/GaveliersWebsite/Second%20Monday.html

Club Officer Training - Session #4 of 6

Tuesday, December 12, 7pm - 9pm (online, Zoom will open at 6:30pm)

Register at https://bit.ly/COT-20231212

District 18 Holiday Party

Sunday, December 17, 2pm - 5pm

Location: Legacy at Cherry Tree, 8430 Ice Crystal Dr, Laurel, MD 20723 (map)

Register here

Winter Solstice

Thursday, December 21

Days start to get longer after this!

Christmas Day

Monday, December 25

Kwanzaa

Tuesday, December 26 - Monday, January 1

Note: Pathways Training and Office Hours will resume in January.

(Get the full schedule of Pathways Training and Office Hours here.)

This section contains reminders for items that were published with additional details in previous issues of the District 18 Newsletter.

Club Officer Training (Not Just for Club Officers)

The District 18 Winter sessions of Club Officer Training are in full swing. Two sessions were successfully conducted in November, two sessions are planned for this month, and there will be two more sessions after that (one in January and one in February). Clubs need to have at least four officers participate in a Winter Club Officer Training session in order for the club to get credit for Goal #9 in the Distinguished Club Program (DCP). Note: non-officer Toastmasters are welcome to attend as well.

If you cannot attend one of the District 18 sessions, you may attend another district's club officer training session. Regardless of which district's club officer training session you attend, be sure to register in advance so that your club(s) get DCP credit!

District 18 Contest Plan Reminder

District 18 contests are summarized in the accompanying table. All contests will be run in accordance with Toastmasters International's 2023-2024 Speech Contest Rulebook. In addition:

• Clubs in Areas with four or less clubs may send both the first- and second-place winners for each contest to their Area-level contests
• Areas in Divisions with four or less Areas may send both the first- and second-place winners for each contest to their Division-level contests

Area and Division contest dates are being added to the District 18 Calendar. (If you are an Area Director or Division Director, please ensure that your contest dates are posted.)

More information was provided in the October Newsletter and additional details and resources may be found in this Speech Contests FAQ from Toastmasters International and on the District 18 Contest web page.

District 18 Conference - Time to Book Your Room!

Reserve your room for the Spring Conference now, and in April, you'll be thankful that you did! Simply call the Carousel Oceanfront Resort at 800-641-0011 and request the group rate for the Toastmasters room block. The conference is scheduled for April 19-20.

Find more details in the August Newsletter.

2024 Toastmasters International Convention

We will be celebrating Toastmasters International's centennial at the 2024 Convention, which will be held in the Founders District in California - where it all started! There many reasons to attend the convention, including the opportunity to see the International Speech Contest Semi-Finals and the World Championship of Public Speaking.

Ready to make milestone magic? This one-minute-and-five-second video will have you excited about the convention!

Click on the image below for more details and to register.

All Officers

• Conduct executive committee meeting(s) with each officer reporting on accomplishments, challenges, and plans
• Use the Club Performance Report to review progress against the Club Success Plan goals for the current year Distinguished Club Program
• Conduct club speech contests (Table Topics, Humorous, and International); note: your club must be in good standing (with at least 8 paid members) to participate in the contests at the Area level and above. 
• Use other Toastmasters Club Officer Tools as needed

President

• Preside over executive committee meeting(s)
• Ensure that all officers know when the Winter Club Officer Training sessions will be held, and encourage their attendance

VP Education

• Prepare for the Pathways Base Camp transition: help members ensure that their educational achievements are accurately reflected in Base Camp and Club Central (see article "Get Ready for the Pathways Base Camp Transition" in the PQD Corner, above)
• Continue working with members on their educational goals
• Ensure agendas are complete and participants understand their meeting roles
• Reach out to paid/inactive members

VP Public Relations

• Add your club's contest to the D18 Calendar by submitting the District Event Submission Form
• Use your club's social networking sites and outreach opportunities to publicize club activities and achievements
• Publicize your club's and club members' achievements (e.g., on social media and/or in the District 18 Newsletter); this includes publicizing contest participants and winners

VP Membership

• Get ready for the Talk Up Toastmasters program (e.g., plan a Spring Open House)
• Reach out to unpaid members and encourage them to renew
• Greet club meeting visitors and distribute guest packets ("blue folders")
• Follow up with prospective members (club meeting visitors and others)

Treasurer

• Encourage members to renew their memberships early (by January 31) for the Early Bird Incentive
• Continue processing dues submissions from new club members and from renewing club members
• Continue tracking club expenses against the club's budget

Secretary

• If your club officer has semi-annual terms, submit your officer list for the second term to TI by December 31
• Document meeting minutes at executive committee meeting(s)

Sergeant-at-Arms

• Manage and maintain club equipment and materials
• Set up and break down required materials for each club meeting

Your input and feedback is welcome.

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