OCTOBER 2020 Premiere Issue
PREMIERING The PRESS
Welcome Online Presenters members and friends! Here’s a 1st-run newsletter format to connect us more deeply as members, and share club news. In days ahead we’ll be tweaking things for a good user-experience on desktop, tablet and mobile devices – and maybe even have a full “email version”. Remember – the table of contents above has convenient clickable links to any part of the news letter.
Together, let’s press on with new discoveries and experiences as Toastmasters, and press buttons on our apps and devices to see this news. Remember – you can revisit this anytime on the OP website in the “Newsletter” blog category without having to dig through email!
PRESENTING Club Officers
Who’s at the helm?? On July 6th, 2020 new club officers were installed by our officiant Carol Prahinski, DTM, OP charter member and former International Director of Region 6 Toastmasters. The full slate was completed on August 31st with a new Sergeant of Arms.
They are: PRESIDENT, Nik Lakhani. VPE, Krishn Ramchurn. VPM, Louis Brown. VP-PR, Elaine Nieberding. SECRETARY, Emily Thompson. TREASURER, OP CHARTER PRESIDENT & WEBMASTER, David Carr. SERGEANT-of-ARMS, Andriy Smolenko. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, Lois Margolin.
Your officers hail from 3 continents to lead our 56+ members from 16 countries (and counting!) In our weekly meetings, after-hours conversations and special projects, they are here to serve plus help you grow and savor our human-to-human connection.
OFFICERS & CONTACTS
| President Nik Lakhani – ALB, ACB, MS5, EC4, PM4, VC4 | nik@niklakhani.com | |
| VP Education Krishn Ramchurn, DTM | krishn.tm1@gmail.com | |
| VP Membership Louis Brown, DTM | louisbrown.65@gmail.com | |
| VP Public Relations Elaine Nieberding, DL5, EC1 | speakerelaine@gmail.com | |
| Secretary Emily Thompson, DTM | thomdencollege3@yahoo.com | |
| Treasurer & Charter President David Carr, DTM | david@carrcomunications.com | |
| Sergeant-at-Arms Andriy Smolenko, CC | smolenko@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Immediate Past President Lois Margolin, DTM | loismargolin.speaker@gmail.com |
PRIZES, Achievements
PATHWAYS Progress
Online Presenters members have been busy the first quarter of the club year and have many Pathways achievements. Way to go!!
Congratulations to all those with Level Completions that have been credited to either Online Presenters or another club they also maintain membership in!
- Antoinette Trim, MS5, EC2 – Effective Coaching Levels 1 & 2
- Birgit Starmanns, DTM, EH3 – Engaging Humor 1, 2 & 3
- Elaine Nieberding, DL5, – Visionary Communication Level 1
- Emily Thompson, DTM – Engaging Humor, Level 5
- Graham Cairnes, DTM is in a class all his own….. 3 levels listed have been credited to Online Presenters – thank you! Engaging Humor 3 & 4, Innovative Planning 3, 4 & 5. Leadership Development 1, 2, 3 & 4. Strategic Relationships 1 & 2. Visionary Communication 3 , 4 & 5.
- Latosha Henderson, IP1 – Innovative Planning, Level 1
- Lukas Calafell, IP4 – Innovative Planning Level 4
- Marianne Grady, CC, ALB, EC1– Effective Communication Level 1
- Pamela Benjamin, DTM, IP4, SR4 – Visionary Communication Level 1
- Sarra Idehen, EC5, MS2 – Motivational Strategies Level 2
- Tricia Smith, PM1 – Presentation Mastery Level 1
PRESENTING New Members
12 new members to our advanced Toastmaster Club, July through September, 2020 … even we were surprised! Rapid growth brings challenges, and here at Online Presenters, we are up the to the challenge. What’s so wonderful is new members, so excited about what’s here… inviting friends and colleagues to have their own rich experience, starting their own series of RSVP visits. Welcome new members… and guests!
AMELIA WOODE, PM2 – United Kingdom
ANGELA HEATH, ATMB – Maryland, USA
BUDDY HODGES – Florida, USA
CHANY OKERT, CC – Montana, USA
LATOSHA HENDERSON – New Jersey, USA
LUKAS CALAFELL, IP4 – Florida, USA
MAHFUZUR RAHMAN – Alberta, CANADA
MARY RUTH DILLING, DTM – Texas, USA
PAMELA BENJAMIN, DTM – Texas, USA
ROSENA DUNCANSON, LD5 – Nassau, BAHAMAS
SUSAN HEWITT, ACB, ALB – UNITED KINGDOM
TAIANA MELO – Ontario, CANADA
MAKE KNOWING YOU EASY – (new AND seasoned OP members). UPDATE your PROFILE INFO, PHOTO and more from the convenient links on the Welcome page of the OP website. Add your latest achievement initials. Fine-tune your bio so we can appreciate you even more. Enjoy helping members in some specialty area? You can put it in your profile.
TABLE TOPICS Contest Winners
“What would you tell your younger self and why??” was posed on our most recent Table Topics competition. Catch the replay here to be inspired (again?!) by all our contestants’ answers from our September 21st contest. First Place winner Roxanne Hosein inspired us with “Keep breathing!” starting at timestamp 55:10. Find Angela Heath at 40:20 and Rosena Duncanson at 52:00. Roxanne Hosein & Angela Heath will compete at the DEC 5 Conference/Contest event.
SPEECH-A-THON Oct 31
PREPARE to JUDGE Oct 19
Have you ever been a TM contest judge? An evaluation judge — or an online-contest judge? Try something new, it’s fun! Let Evaluation Contest Master Lukas Calafell know you’ll sign on — lukas.calafell@gmail.com.
Your judge role will be secret! Lukas will let you know how to get ready. On 10/19, you’ll be called into a breakout room and review how to use the online scoring system.
David Carr, Club Charter President, created this system that growing numbers of clubs are using for contest scoring — and it doesn’t require convoluted sharing of PDF judge score sheets! Two blog articles below provide online scoring info and visual context that may be helpful.
- 03/14/20 Updated Online Judging Tool for Toastmasters Contests
- 04/21/20 Updates to the Online Ballots for Contest Judges and the Vote Counting Dashboard
PREVIEW the DEC 5 Event
Global Online Conference (with contests!) – December 5th! Join the fun that Saturday, starting 9 am Eastern/US time (2 pm London time). This is a mega event with 5 (mostly advanced) toastmaster clubs. Not to be missed — evaluation and table topic contests with our own club winners competing, workshops and special guest speakers.
Mark your calendar now, so you too can get globally Zoom-y with members and friends of Online Presenters, Witty Birds, Firebirds Collective, Plateau Toastmasters, and One Country One World Toastmasters.
- Witty Birds has 40 members from 25 countries
- One Country One World formed during Covid-19 lockdown and chartered with 27 members recently – from 25 countries.
- Both have members from all continents (except Antarctica – I suspect there are not clubs there!)
We’ll arrange enhanced attendance capacity for the Zoom-room, and will let you know how to RSVP and claim your seat.
It’s a great time to join the “lead and help team” now forming. You’ll gain experience with global event coordination and execution that might be perfect for an HPL, DTM or other Pathways project.
Global Online Conference co-directors are Lois Margolin and Nik Lakhani. Contact them to explore how you could assist with PR, talent coordination, zoom mastering, contest roles.
PROJECTS – Help Wanted
The Online Presenters PRESS will evolve in look and features, with your use of it and contributions to it.
Let’s have fun as co-creators, club-collaborators and celebrants of our victories and achievements. What can YOU do, now, and in the future?
- For our PRojects/”Help Wanted” next or ongoing issues, tell what project or support needs you have. Examples — workshop participants or helpers, guest speakers for another club you’re in, HPL or DTM initiatives or Pathways levels 4 & 5 projects.
- Creative juices flowing (writing or video creation)? We’ll review your ideas and submissions. Look over your pathways projects ahead – and imagine one that helps our PR effort and grows your skills.
- Toot your own horn about an achievement – even a Pathway level you’ve credited to another club.
- Enjoy mentoring? Willing to help a new club member, even one brand new to Toastmasters — get sound footing early on?
- JUMP IN NOW to help launch the DEC 5 event. Reach out to Global Online Conference co-directors Lois Margolin and Nik Lakhani to join the event coordination team, and have fun along the way.
FEEDBACK Please!
It’s been a labor of love the past few weeks orienting myself to creating in WordPress (the platform for this website)… and I still have plenty to learn. Future issues will likely contain more video, photos from meetings, humor, quotes, tips…, contributor columns.
Please email me with comments, submissions and contribute to our PR efforts.
PR, PR, PR – starting out with “the PRESS”, I’m having fun with PR wordplay… you can praise the categories… or tell me your ideas and preferences! I sang it before (as I took on this VP-PR role) and I’ll say it again… “Come on Baby, do OP PRomotion with me!”
Your Editor & VP-PR, Elaine Nieberding: speakerelaine@gmail.com.
