DISTRICT 2 TOWN HALL 5/2/26 | | |
Grab your favorite coffee or tea and join us for a Saturday morning edition of the District 2 Town Hall!
This is your space to share what’s happening in your neck of the woods, catch the latest updates from across the District, and plug into the energy of our D2 community. Whether you’re looking for news or just looking to connect, we’ll see you there!
Date: May 2nd
Time: 9 am AK / 10 am PT
Register here - https://www.d2tm.org/event-details/district-2-may-town-hall
| | |
Empowering Emerging Entrepreneurs
Does District 2 know what you do?
Did you know that securing an ad in the "Stronger Together, Powered By The Future" conference program is a mere $100 investment?
Did you know that investment is tax deductible because Toastmasters is a 501(C)(3)?
Don’t wait. Step into visibility. Secure your sponsorship today and make your impact known.
Our Bronze Tier supporter is only $100 which includes an ad for your club or company in the conference program.
District 2 | 2026 CONFERENCE | Sponsor Committee
| | |
Stronger Together – Powered by the Future
District 2, the energy of an in-person conference is something a screen simply cannot capture. On May 16th, we aren't just meeting; we’re reconnecting at the stunning Silver Cloud Hotel in Point Ruston on the Tacoma waterfront. Check out this video from Michael Bown about why he's excited for the conference!
This is your invitation to step away from the webcam and into the room where it happens. An in-person ticket is your all-access pass to:
-
The Atmosphere: Feel the electricity of the District Speech Contests live.
-
The Connection: Network over a premium catered lunch and savory snacks with friends old and new.
-
The Growth: Dive deep into three future-ready education tracks covering everything from AI and Emotional Intelligence to Bold Communication.
-
The Fun: Exclusive entry into our prize-packed raffles!
While we offer Online Access Tickets for those who can’t travel, nothing beats the "high-touch" experience of being there. Between the waterfront views and the breakthrough sessions, this is the milestone event of our new alignment.
| |
Be the spark!
Bring your employer on board as a Conference Sponsor.
Big changes often start with small actions—and this is one you can take today. You already believe in the value Toastmasters: your growth, your connections, the confidence it builds. As a member, you’ve seen firsthand how powerful this community is. Now extend that by inviting your employer to be a sponsor at the May 2026 District 2 Conference.
By introducing this sponsorship opportunity, you’re helping your employer do both—invest in their people and strengthen their presence, all while supporting a cause you’re already passionate about. You could be the reason- your action can turn possibility into a long-term collaboration. Don’t know where to start? We have you covered with ready-to-use materials - email templates, sponsorship levels at the Club Comms and Sponsor Kit - Google Drive site.
Have more questions? Contact Rekha Nair, DTM
District 2 | 2026 Conference | Sponsor Committee.
| |
Power Together: District 2 Basket Raffle 2026
The 2026 District 2 Toastmasters Conference is less than three weeks away—and there is plenty of time to make our raffle shine! While the
original deadline has passed, clubs can still join the fun by bringing a themed
basket or $50+ gift card to the event. Bonus: you’ll receive a verbal shout-out
during the conference!
Feeling pressed for time? Gift cards are always a hit—think
a cozy “Coffee & Conversation” bundle with local café cards, mugs, and a spark of inspiration.
Keep those photos coming! Send your basket or gift card
pictures by Friday, May 8 to Audrey Perkins at aperkins1888@gmail.com to be featured in Starburst and on the D2 website.
We are thrilled by the creative, generous baskets our District 2 community is contributing to the conference. These raffle items help make the event more fun and support future member programs. Big thanks to our generous clubs:
Redmond Nights, Public Speaking Northwest, Valley Club Juneau, Barkley, Christy Helvajian, Green River, Peak Speakers, Seattle Excelorators, Faithfully Speaking, Greenspeakers, Spokane Uptowners, Eastside, Sparkling Synergists, Extraordinaires, Area 22, Forever Improving Toastmasters, and Edmonds Toastmasters!
Special shout-out to Christy and Katie (Public Speaking Northwest) for sharing this week’s featured photos and stay tuned for other creative works!
Attending the conference? Raffle tickets are easy to grab—pay with cash or credit card at the event.
Let’s raffle up some excitement—see you at the conference!
AI Assistance Disclosure: Portions of this content were drafted or edited with the help of AI tools and have been reviewed and approved by the author.
| | |
Which Ticket is the best fit?
Secure Your Conference Ticket
It is my pleasure to present options to being Future Ready with your Conference Ticket!
🤝 Helping Hands
Here’s your chance to be behind the scenes — and in the action.
Give us 4 hours of service.
Get your conference ticket for just $100.
Serve. Connect. Lead. Experience it all.
Spots are limited — when they’re gone, they’re gone. ONLY ONE LEFT!
Entrepreneurs Check this out:
Silver Mic Sponsor $250
- Featured Quarter-Page Ad in Conference Program
- Verbal Brand Recognition from the Main Stage
- Standard Brand Innovation Site
- One Conference Pass
Broadcast your club:
Consider Sponsorship Options & Club Incentives
Incentive 1: Prime Circuit
Four members purchasing their conference tickets by April 15th entitles your club to have a quarter-page ad in the conference program as well as a shout out!
Incentive 2: Complete Circuit
Clubs with eight members purchasing their tickets by April 15th receive all of the benefits of the Prime Circuit level, plus priority seating at the District Conference!
Many options ACT NOW!
Early Bird Pricing ends April 6TH AT 12:59 AM PT
Click link to compare & choose
2026 CONFERENCE | District 2 Toastmasters
Roxanne Spring, DTM
2026 Conference Marketing Chair
| |
NEWS FLASH
Virtual Ticket Drawing
Exciting news! Thanks to an anonymous donor, clubs who purchases a virtual ticket will be entered to win a grand prize drawing for a year of paid Zoom for their club! A $170. value! Get your virtual ticket today!
District 2 Toastmasters | 2026 CONFERENCE
Marketing Committee
| |
District 2 Achievement
Distinguished Toastmasters Award
Congratulations to our Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM)!
We are thrilled to announce that as of March 31, 2026, 9 members have officially earned the highest educational achievement in Toastmasters International. Reaching DTM status requires years of dedication, multiple leadership roles, and a commitment to communication excellence.
Please join us in celebrating all the District 2 member’s incredible hard work and this major milestone!
Joanna Tavera
Club Growth Director, 2025-2026
| |
March Madness & April Sweeps Incentive
March can be a pivotal month for Toastmaster clubs. The excitement of District contests and the upcoming conference can be offset with the challenge of membership growth and retention.
The key to both is making sure members achieve their goals and get fulfilment out of their Toastmasters journey. There are four factors that influence membership fulfilment.
· Education: Engaging members in Pathways.
· Environment: Creating a welcoming atmosphere and sense of belonging.
· Enrichment: Encouraging members to learn from people outside their club.
· Empowerment: Offering opportunities for continued growth after original goals are met.
The District 2 March Madness Incentive combines all for factors in a fun spring activity to inspire us all to march forth on our Toastmaster Journey. By hosting joint meetings, sharing available meeting roles with other clubs, mentoring members of new clubs, and hosting joint demonstration meetings to PROMOTE area clubs, we can influence membership engagement and fulfilment.
Click the link to see your Club and Area standing in the March Madness & April Sweeps Incentive campaign.
| | |
District 2 Early Bird Incentive Winners
Congratulations to Our Outstanding Clubs!
District 2 is excited to recognize the following clubs earning the Early Bird Incentive award—This achievement reflects strong planning, commitment, and early action. Thank you for your enthusiasm and hard work—your achievement inspires others throughout the district!
To be eligible for the Early Bird Incentive, clubs must have begun the Toastmasters year with a base membership of 20 members and submit renewal dues by March 15.
Congratulations once again to the Early Bird Incentive winners!
| | | | Ballard Weekenders | Greater Issaquah Toastmasters | Richland Desert Wind Toastmasters | | Barkley Toastmasters | High Desert | Seattle General Toastmasters | | Bellingham Evening Toastmasters | Jacobs NW Toastmasters | SKWIM Toastmasters Club | | Bremerton Toastmasters | Kirkland Eclectics Toastmasters | SPOTLIGHT Toastmasters | | Conservatively Speaking | Lake Pend Oreille Toastmasters | ST Sound Toastmasters | | Cosmos Toastmasters | Lynden Toastmasters | Synonym Toast Crunch | | Costco Toastmasters | Northeast Toastmasters | Talk of the Town | | Downtowners Club | Peak Speakers Toastmasters | Thursday Night Live Toastmasters | | Eastside Toastmasters | Public Speaking Northwest | Tree Top Toastmasters | | FAB Toastmasters | Redmond 2828 Toastmasters | Twin Speaks Toastmasters | | Gaveliers Toastmasters | Rhetoracles Toastmasters | Richland Desert Wind Toastmasters | | | |
The Area 34 contest was one of the most rewarding and challenging Toastmasters experiences I have had. Although I had visited Twin Speaks many times as an individual guest, hosting an Area contest inside a correctional facility was a true gauntlet of obstacles, unexpected turns, and moments where I found myself becoming part problem solver and part salesperson. The Twin Speaks sponsors first approached me last summer with the idea of holding the Area contest at their club, which meets inside the Monroe Correctional Facility. I was excited, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering how in the world this was going to work. There are guest applications, background checks, and strict security requirements. How could we possibly pull this off?
Through a mix of blind faith, trusting the process, and steady teamwork, we pulled it off. Throughout the planning, I had to promote, advertise, and encourage club members and potential contestants to participate in the Area 34 contest at Twin Speaks. I also wanted to be sensitive to any concerns of potential guests and be ready to pivot to a different venue if needed.
Above all, the event exceeded every expectation I had. We had more than 10 outside guests attend, along with an exceptional turnout of Twin Speaks members and guests. Although it was difficult to secure contestants and we ultimately had only two clubs participate with a total of two contestants, the contest was still a successful event.
The can‑do attitude of both the Toastmasters at Twin Speaks and those from across the district was truly inspiring. It showed that the Toastmasters mission is alive and well in every member who participated in the event. The spirit of Toastmasters transcends walls and boundaries, and that was evident at the Area 34 contest. I believe we all left the contest feeling encouraged and deeply inspired.
I am grateful to have been part of District 2 history, and this will remain one of my favorite Toastmasters memories.
Betty Gibbins
Area 34 Director, Division C
| | | |
PROMOTE
DISTRICT 2 INCENTIVE
Use your websites, social media platforms, and other channels to advertise special events like interview prep meetings, panel discussions on current topics, and themed open houses to deliver Public Relations about Our Members Outside of the Toastmasters Ecosystem: PROMOTE.
Upload the evidence into the Incentive Tracker and earn 25 D2$ for your club if these actions are completed between February 16th and May 1st.
P.R.O.M.O.T.E. is a plan that harnesses the power of many to have a singular impact on our club’s prospects. Promoting Public Relations about Our Members Outside of the Toastmasters Ecosystem is the most potent tool we have to attract new members to our vibrant and impactful community.
Reach out to your PRM if there are promotion topics that you'd like us to offer so that we can take our district to new heights!
Let’s leverage one another, Toasties! We possess all the power that we need, and we know how to use it wisely!
Your District 2 Public Relations Manager,
Marty Varela, DTM
| |
VPPR TIPS to Produce Your Powerful Presence™ – No. 41
Toast Don’t Roast
As an Area Director, I have occasionally noticed evaluations that come across a little harsher than intended. It is likely not coming from a bad place. Still, it raises an important question: are we doing enough at the club level to teach members how to give effective evaluations? After all, the evaluator role is a ‘role ‘and people come to it at different levels of expertise.
A strong evaluation should build, guide, and encourage. It should help the speaker grow without leaving bruises. Too often, newer members are handed the role without enough modeling, coaching, or discussion about tone, delivery and structure.
That is why training matters. Check out “Toast Don’t Roast” on the Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters #9406 YouTube channel for a practical and entertaining reminder of how to give feedback with skill, kindness, and purpose, bloopers and all.
https://youtu.be/oXkDm3nvzJg?si=J5mHdj1ZbSEG7-S0
CTA:
At your next club meeting, take a few minutes to model what a thoughtful,
encouraging evaluation sounds like and help set the standard for your members.
Sparkle & Shine, Friends!
Kelly Fallucca
VPPR, Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters
D2 Area Director, C35
Connect with me on LinkedIn
| | | |
|
When Even a Simple Notification Feels Like Too Much
By Vincent Tang
I recently had an unexpected reaction. I picked up my phone, saw a notification, and immediately tossed it aside. It was nothing dramatic. It was a simple question. The kind that takes two minutes to answer. Something like “What do you want for dinner?” or “Do you have time for a call?”, but at that moment, it did not feel simple. It felt like one more thing I had to carry.
That reaction stuck with me. I usually see myself as someone who can juggle a lot. I like being reliable. I like saying yes to things I’ve committed to. And if I’m being honest, I sometimes feel like I should be able to handle more, but at that moment, I couldn’t. It felt like my body was telling me I had reached my limit.
You might recognize this feeling. It can show up in Toastmasters when you take on leadership roles, prepare speeches, or try to finish that last level in a Path. It can also show up when work is busy, life is full, and Toastmasters becomes one more thing you care about, but struggle to keep up with.
Even small tasks can start to feel heavy. I am still figuring this out myself (even while writing this, I am sorting through what actually helps), but here are a few reminders that have made a difference for me.
- Chunk your time, then switch.
Sometimes a task feels overwhelming not because it is difficult, but because we overestimate how long it will take. I might think writing a speech draft will take two hours, when in reality it takes thirty minutes to get something usable down.
When I tell myself I only need to work on something for thirty minutes, it feels lighter. I do not have to solve everything. I just have to start. And if I stop after that block, that is still progress.
- Delay instant feedback when needed.
Sometimes the weight of a task is not the task itself, but everything that follows it. You send one message, and now there are replies, follow-ups, and new requests waiting for you.
With instant messaging, that loop can happen quickly. There is no space to recover.
Creating a little distance can help. For emails, I have found delayed delivery useful. It lets me complete the task without immediately stepping into the next one. Sometimes I will choose a quick call instead of a long message thread, just to keep things contained.
- Start anywhere.
You may have heard the advice to always start with the highest priority task. That works when you have clarity and energy, but when everything feels stuck, that advice can make it harder to begin.
In those moments, I have found it more helpful to start anywhere. Pick one small task and finish it. It does not have to be the most important one. It just has to be something.
There is a kind of mental weight that comes from unfinished tasks sitting in the background. Completing even one can make everything else feel a little more manageable.
My personal sign of overwhelm is the urge to throw my phone across the room (I usually settle for tossing it onto the bed). Yours might look different. It might be procrastination, avoidance, or just feeling unusually tired when you think about a task. Whatever it looks like, it is worth paying attention to.
Not being able to juggle everything is not a weakness. In some cases, the most responsible thing you can do is to let a few things go, or at least delay them, so you can fully show up for what matters most. That might mean saying no. It might mean asking for help. It might mean adjusting expectations, even your own. At the end of the day, each task is an opportunity to become someone you want to be, but there are only so many hours in a day (and sleep still matters).
So the real question is not whether you can juggle everything. It is this: which tasks are worth holding onto right now?
| | |
For Those Who Want More
Experience Professionally Speaking
At Professionally Speaking, each speaker receives 17 minutes of in-depth, topic-specific feedback designed to sharpen skills and elevate performance—whether you are a speech contestant, public or professional speaker, or presenter refining your craft.
We meet Thursday, May 7, 2026, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (Zoom and in person).
Come grow faster. Speak stronger.
Find Zoom registration and in-person meeting information on our homepage: https://www.prospeakerclub.com
| | |
Frankly Speaking Open House
Let’s Explore IDIOMS
Hold on to your hat, while we pull back the curtains of your future on cloud nine! Because we are shovel-ready to help you take on your next speaking project and knock it out of the park. Join us at the Frankly Speaking
Open House on May 8, 2026 7:00 – 8:00 pm Pacific.
Frankly Speaking is a place to freely speak frankly, because what's said in Frankly, stays in Frankly. You belong here.
| | | |
Cracking the Interview Code
Save the date, Tuesday, May 12 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. PT, for a panel discussion on job interviewing.
Our first panelist, Jackie Williamson, MBA, is always the person who steps in, sees the moving parts, and builds structure that helps teams operate with clarity, discipline, and measurable impact.
At Microsoft, She served as a Business Program Manager supporting five business areas and more than 690 employees. She is well versed at the hiring process and has interviewed over 5K people at Microsoft to hire at scale for 5 years straight. We look forward to hearing her expertise on hiring and the interview process! Check next week for information about our second panelist.
Hosted by Eastside Leaders Toastmasters. Register here.
For more information, email : secretary-2444484@toastmastersclubs.org
| | | |
Is your club holding a special event? Celebrating a milestone? Or want people to know of a significant upcoming meeting they should join? Want to include your post here for next week's newsletter?
Fill out this form to submit your post request
| |
2025/2026 Starburst Submission Guidelines
We're excited to share our guidelines for submitting articles to Starburst, our official District 2 newsletter. Your club's special activities deserve the spotlight, and we're here to help you shine!
Guidelines for Article Submissions:
-
Topic: Focus on club special events.
-
Word Limit: Try to limit posts to 200 words or less.
-
Images: You may include one image with your article. Ensure it follows the Toastmasters Brand Manual (You may have to login to the Toastmasters main Site to access) and contains minimal text. We're happy to help create one if needed. If the image doesn't meet TM guidelines, we'll work with you or recreate it if we don't hear back.
-
Contact Information: All articles must include your club website and/or a contact email for more information.
-
Event Posts: Submit up to three consecutive posts for a single event.
-
Deadline to Submit: 5:00 PM on the Friday before the upcoming Monday Starburst release.
Submission Process:
-
Use the submission form to send us your article requests.
- We look forward to showcasing your amazing events in Starburst!
If you have any questions or need more clarity, feel free to reach out to Marty Varela
| | |
Register to receive the Starburst Newsletter
| | |
Have a Starburst suggestion? Please check out our Starburst Suggestion Box (only 5 questions), to help us improve the Starburst Newsletter!
| | How did you like this week's Starburst? | | | | This newsletter was edited by - Marty Varela, Disclaimer: The 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. | | | | |
