Reach for the Stars: District 36 Spring Toastmasters Conference

Springtime signals the welcome arrival of warm weather. Spring is also a terrific time for fun, renewal, sharing and the learning of new things. An enjoyable and educational time was had by the one hundred eighty-nine members in attendance at Saturday's District 36 Toastmasters Spring Conference.

The day began with a, "State of The District Address" and opening remarks by current District 36 Governor Mike Heney. Toastmasters spent the morning participating in a wide variety of educational sessions which were designed to enhance and enrich their Toastmasters experience.
I participated in, "The Power Of Words" an interesting and informative educational session facilitated by author and recent Toastmaster addition Patricia Daly-Lype. Ms. Daly-Lype combined humor, storytelling, and audience participation in the session. The session was a give and take discussion of the ways that etymological changes in language and word usage have affected our society. In particular, the changes in our interpersonal communications and the ever-increasing lack of interpersonal communications were emphasized throughout Lype's educational session.

In addition, I enjoyed the educational session, "The Five Characteristics Of An Effective Leader." Although originally developed for use in professional consulting, there are many applications for effective leadership in Toastmasters as well. According to session facilitator Andrea Stone, "An effective leader is unselfish and has the best interests of the entire group at heart, not just his or her own." What is effective Toastmasters leadership? A Toastmaster who exhibits effective leadership skills places a higher emphasis on the interests of fellow members and the entire club than on their individual goals and objectives.

For many participants, a highlight of the conference was the District Banquet. Numerous Division, Area and District dignitaries were dressed in formal wear in recognition of this much anticipated conference tradition. Some of my personal favorites were the beautiful dresses worn by Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training Mary Ann Guerra and Division E Governor Imelda Rocha, to name just a few.

Furthermore, District 36 has grown so much over the last few years. As a matter of fact, some members have friends that they don't have much of a chance to connect with outside of the District Conference. For this reason, I was pleasantly surprised to be seated with several Toastmaster friends for both the buffet lunch and the District Banquet. The Spring Conference never fails to be a wonderful event! It is always a great way to wind down another fun, educational, and successful Toastmasters year. For me, reconnecting with friends is an exciting bonus! The cherry on top of the ice cream of Toastmasters!