Each year, District 33 is required by Toastmasters International to review the distribution of its

clubs within Areas and Divisions. This process begins at the new Toastmasters year on July 1.

The Alignment Committee reviews the location and health of our clubs and new club charters (new and pending) and, with this information, determines the best “realignment” that best positions the Area and Division for strength in the coming Toastmasters year.

The Alignment Committee must follow the criteria and guidelines presented in Protocol 7.0 of the Toastmasters Governing Documents. An area must have at least four clubs and at most six clubs starting July 1.

The District Council must approve alignment changes before being submitted to the World.

Headquarters.

In 2022-23, the Alignment Committee, Chaired by Dennis Ham, DTM, PDG, consulted with the Division and Area Director teams and Trio 2022-23. Deborah A. Allmon, DTM, District Director, Tan Pham, DTM, Program Quality Director, and Nico Martin, DTM, Club Growth Director — to develop an Alignment report with the Committee’s recommendation for realignment of clubs in District 33 effective July 1, 2023.

The proposal included reassigning a few clubs to different areas in their division to comply with Toastmasters International policy and protocol and to split Division A into two divisions: a new Division H and Division A.

The District Council approved the proposal at the April 2023 Annual Business Meeting during the District 33 Spring Conference.

Before July 1, 2023, Division A was the largest of all seven divisions in District 33.

It was composed of Toastmasters clubs serving the communities in Kern, Inyo, and Los Angeles counties.

Bakersfield; Gorman; Frazier Park; Taft; Lost Hills; Wasco; Delano; Kernville; Weldon; Palmdale; Lancaster; Tehachapi; Bear Valley Springs; Mojave; California City; Ridgecrest; Baker; Death Valley; the Owens Valley and Bishop.

Beginning July 1, 2023, Division H now includes 15 clubs serving the communities of

Bakersfield, Gorman, Frazier Park, Taft, Lost Hills, Wasco, Delano, Kernville, and Weldon.

The clubs are supported by the Division H team: Jacquelyn Jones, Division H Director;

Suzann Gray, Area H1 Director; Brittney Brim, Area H2 Director; and Toni Green, Area H3 Director.

Division A now includes 18 clubs serving the communities of Palmdale; Lancaster; Tehachapi;

Bear Valley Springs; Mojave, California City; Ridgecrest, Baker; Death Valley, the Owens Valley, and Bishop.

The clubs are supported by the Division A team: Dr. Angelina Dickey, DTM,

Division A Director; Carolyn Moore, Area A1 Director; Denise Schipper, Area A2 Director; Kirk

Hartley, Area A3 Director; and Rachel Taylor, Area A4 Director.

The realignment and splitting of the “old” Division A allows the District to support the

clubs better. For the current listing of the District 33 Leadership Team, including club assignments by

Division and Area, refer to the District 33 website at https://d33tm.org (go to “District Leaders”

under the welcome greeting).

Our District Leaders and Region 2 International Director Jesse Oakley, DTM, Past District 33 Governor, with many of our members, graced the International stage with charm and enthusiasm.

Congratulations to all D33 members for this great accomplishment.

Tan Pham, DTM District 33 District Director, carried the flag representing the country of His Parent's birthplace, Vietnam, across the stage. It was a proud moment for me. Our leaders performed their duties and participated in training and other convention activities.

The Opening Ceremony keynote speaker, Lisa Nichols, opens the convention with a rousing speech, telling us that we can do and accomplish many great things in Toastmasters.

The World Champion of Public Speaking, after beating out 28 other finalists, Jocelyn Tyson. Region 7 and District 38; Nisha Shivran, Region 11, District 116, Second Place;

Maryam Gannni, Region 9, District 61, Third Place.

Accredited Speakers: Verity Price, DTM; Stephanie Anglo, EH5; Dale Rees-Bevan, DTM.

The convention was capped off with the President's Inauguration and entertainment Bahama style.

This is your chance to gather with Toastmasters worldwide in a centennial celebration.

Take a trip to Southern California, where it all began 100 years ago. Come to learn, connect, and participate in the most dazzling communication event on the planet.

And for 100 days, through November 27, 2023, you can take $100 USD off the regular convention rate, now reduced to $625 USD.

Link

Toastmasters core education program is the Pathways learning experience, offering members specialized learning paths with more than 300 unique competencies.

The Toastmasters Pathways learning experience was developed around the five core

competencies identified by the Board of Directors.

Based on Education Team recommendations, the Toastmasters International Board of Directors acted in August 2021 to approve the changes to Level 1.

The five core competencies are Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Strategic.

Leadership, Management, and Confidence. Confidence is unique because it cannot be taught but is gained in every path.

PATHWAYS Competencies

Level 1

Recognize the elements of an introductory speech structure.

Balance preparation and spontaneity when delivering your speech.

Demonstrate self-confidence when speaking in front of an audience.

Identify your communication and leadership skills.

Define communication and leadership goals.

Deliver tactful and constructive feedback.

Use positive language when delivering feedback.

Understand the need to be open to receiving feedback.

Implement feedback in future projects.

Show respect by staying engaged with the speaker's presentation.

Accept feedback from evaluators.

Acknowledge the importance of being open-minded.

Research and present an unfamiliar topic.

Organize the speech clearly to maximize audience understanding.

Craft clear and engaging transitions between the main sections of your speech.

Use and cite sources to support speech content and make source lists available to

audience members.

There are new projects in the education program to sharpen the focus on public speaking

fundamentals. "There is a fresh focus on public speaking basics in this level, which is the foundational first step all Toastmasters take in any of the 11 education options in Pathways."

"Level 1 has four projects—with five speeches—which include a mix of familiar fundamentals

and new skill-building practices. The time-honored "Ice Breaker" project has been substantially

updated with new content. The "Evaluation and Feedback" project remains a two-speech project and is joined by "Writing a Speech With Purpose" and "Introduction to Vocal Variety and Body Language."

Before completing Level 1, members will also need to serve as a speech evaluator."

Those of us who have been around since before Pathway (BP) remember the Competent.

Communicator and the first ten projects that earned us the Title of Competent Communicator.

This upgrade brings us back to the BP skill level and beyond.

"The Toastmasters International Board of Directors, based on Education Team recommendations, acted in August 2021 to approve the changes to Level 1."

The article reveals how "tracking member observations, suggestions, and critiques since the program began its phased rollout in 2017 proved Level 1 needed to make basic speaking and speech writing skills "blatantly obvious."

This is not the end. The article promises more "communication on continuing Pathways news."

"The Education Team will continue exploring potential program changes, such as how to better

meeting role participation, and improvements to the path selection process."

As a DTM, I'm glad to hear that the journey continues.