District 36 Toastmasters - District 36 Home

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan To Receive C&L Award At District 36 Toastmasters Spring Conference

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) will receive the District 36 Toastmasters Communication and Leadership (C&L) Award at the District 36 Spring Conference May19, in Silver Spring. Dorgan’s appearance is sure to add a special “spark” to the conference. He is widely recognized as one of the best speakers and debaters in recent U.S. Senate history, and is also a popular, New York Times best selling author. He is a frequent guest on national television and radio talk shows and public affairs programs.

The District 36 Toastmasters Spring Conference is scheduled for May 18 and 19, at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in downtown Silver Spring. Dorgan, one of the highest profile winners of the award in decades, will be the featured speaker at the C&L Award Luncheon, Saturday, May 19.

To register for the conference, click here.

“I am thrilled Senator Dorgan is able to join us, personally, to accept our C&L Award,” District 36 Governor Barry Piatt said in announcing Dorgan’s selection. “He has a unique ability to discuss even the most complex issues in a way that is both accessible and engaging for everyone. District 36 Toastmasters will have the rare opportunity to hear one of the nation’s premier public speakers and leaders talk – not about politics or policy – but about how to talk about complicated matters in a way that makes people want to listen and even take action.”

In addition to serving serving thirty years as a member of the U.S. House and Senate, before retiring in 2011, Dorgan is an established New York Times best selling author. His new novel, “Blowout,” an eco/energy thriller was released in April 2012 to highly favorable reviews. His novel follows two earlier books, both non-fiction, “Take This Job and Ship It,” and “Reckless…How Debt, Deregulation and Dark Money Nearly Bankrupted America (And What We Can Do to Fix It.)”

During his time in the U.S. Senate, Dorgan was a stand-out speaker in an institution which has, throughout America’s history, served as a platform for some of the nation’s greatest orators. The Chicago Tribune once compared Dorgan’s communication skills to those of President Ronald Reagan, who was known during his White House days as “the Great Communicator.” The Tribune described Dorgan as “the Democrats’ Ronald Reagan.”

In the Senate, Dorgan was a recognized leader in the fields of energy policy, economic issues, aviation policy, Indian issues, trade policy, health care and more. He chaired important committees and subcommittees, served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and was a top member of the Senate Democratic leadership team.

Copies of Dorgan’s latest book, “Blowout,” will be available at the conference.

District Council Will Meet at District 36 Conference in May

District 36’s District Council will hold its semi-annual business meeting on Saturday, May 19 as part of the Spring Conference at the Double Tree by Hilton in Silver Spring.

The official announcement of the meeting, as well as a description of the business to be conducted there has been posted on the website (Click here for more details). Each Club has two votes at the District Council meeting, one to be cast by the Club President and one to be cast by the Vice President Education. Proxies are available to assign those votes if those officers are unable to attend.

There is no registration fee or charge for attending the District Council meeting.

Major items of business at the Council meeting will include election of the District 36 Leadership team for 2012-2013, (District Governor, Lt. Governor Education & Training, Lt. Governor Marketing, and Division Governors) and a proposal for realigning clubs within the district.

Dues Tool Available for Club Treasurers

There is a new feature in the FreeToastHost 2.0 websites which is extremely valuable to club Treasurers in collecting and keeping track of club dues. With one click you can send an email invoice to all club members. You customize the invoice with names, addresses, dates, and dues specific to your club. You can also keep track of who has paid with this tool and resend invoices only to those members who have not paid. When theTreasurer accesses the website,there will be a new menu item called "Treasurer Function - Dues" under the Members Only section. Site Administrators also have access to the tool.

HumorCraft

Do you want to insert humor into your speeches? Using humor is a skill that can be learned. Humorously Speaking Toastmasters is sponsoring a HumorCraft where you will learn how to inject humor into your speeches. Learn from the masters! The HumorCraft will be taught by past winners of District 36 Humorous Speech Contests, with an appearance by professional comedian and storyteller, Adam Ruben. When you sign up, you will be able to attend all three sessions, where we will teach, give demo speeches, and at the final meeting allow you to try your hand at giving a humorous speech (of course with feedback from our masters). Cost is $36 and if you decide to join Humorously Speaking after the HumorCraft, the entire $36 will be applied toward your dues. The sessions will be taught on Tuesday evenings (Apr 24, May 15, May 29) from 7-9 PM at GEICO. To register send an email to humorcraft@verizon.net. For the flyer with additional information, click here.

Put Your Toastmasters Leadership Skills into Practice

In Toastmasters we recognize the value of “servant leadership” and commitment to the member. We have nearly 200 clubs in District 36 with active memberships where members share their experiences and nurture growth. However, we also have clubs that need help. They need a helping hand to guide them to recommit to the program, to grow in membership and be successful.

Now is a great time to put your leadership skill to work and demonstrate your commitment to the mission and values of Toastmasters. Become a club coach to club that needs and wants the help. Click here for more details.