Blog Has Moved

District 27 has moved its blog to blog.d27tm.org. Please update your links and feeds.

September Newsletter Published

The September Newsletter has been publlshed. It contains important news about the International Convention, the upcoming District Conference, the Smedley Award, and District television shows.

District 27 Newsmakers

Sharp eyed and well read LGET John Lesko spotted this item in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper.

Worldwide view

Not surprisingly, casual Fridays hail from Canada and the United States, two countries that esteem relaxation and ease. But according to Jason Hancock, president of Sowilo Consulting LLC, an international business consulting firm in Arlington, Va., a laid-back dress code slaps of unprofessionalism in many parts of the world.

Organizations wanting to do business with Japan or Russia, in particular, should think twice before attending a meeting overseas wearing khakis and a company logo-embroidered shirt.

“The folks from Great Britain and Germany quite often get off to a better start with their initial meetings in places like that simply because they’re dressed better. From the moment they walk through the door, they’re taken more seriously,” he says.

His advice?

“Dress up – even if it’s uncomfortable.”

Jason is a newly minted Area Governor and also a principal in the international business consulting firm, Sowilo Consulting.  He is a member of the 1500 Speakers (club 2940) which meets in Rosslyn, VA.

Contest Season is Upon Us: Know the Rules

Over at the Toastmasters & Etc blog, John Spaith has a timely reminder of how important it is to know the rules if you really want to do well in a contest. He helpfully provides a facsimile of the judging form for the humorous speech contest so that contestants can have a better idea of what the judges will be looking for. If you’re interested, it looks like there’s a series of posts on contests.

Poetry Open Mic

Karen Caldwell sends word of an open mic this weekend:

Inspirational Poetry Open Mic
Saturday, August 23, 2008
7:00-9:00 p.m.

Daily Grind Coffee House and Café
9000 Lorton Station Blvd.
Lorton, VA 22079

Next to Lorton Station VRE
Parking Available
Please call 703-371-3431 for Pick up, 6:00 p.m.
at Franconia/Springfield Metro Station (Blue Line)

For More Information Contact Karen:
kmrpoetry@gmail.com
703-371-3431

Not  only do these events provide a chance to hear and meet some local poets, they also give Toastmasters working in the Interpretive Reading manual an appreciative audience.

Scenes from the Convention

Here’s a last look at District 27 members in Calgary:

District 27 members at the 2008 Convention.

A New World Champion

LaShunda Rundles of Region 3 is the 2008 World Champion of Public Speaking. K. Loghandran of Malaysia placed second, and Region VII’s Katherine Morrison placed third. Check out the blog Six Minutes for pictures and profiles of all the finalists.

Experience the Convention

I just wandered over to the TI web site looking for the results of the International Speech Contest. I was disappointed not to find them, but I did discover that many of the speakers have made their session notes available on the web. It’s a great way for those of us who couldn’t make it to Calgary to benefit from the presentations made at the convention.

Hall of Fame

Also learned from John about the Hall of Fame.

… District 27 was honored in the Hall of Fame several times. We were awarded the Distinguished District Award (#27 in the world), an Excellence in Leadership Award (4th year in a row as a Distinguished District), Excellence on Education and Training Award, and an Excellence in Marketing Award.

… Accepting these awards were Heath Suddleson, Lillian Cooke, and John Lesko. All members of the district in attendance were invited on stage with the D27 Banner.

… Another distinguished year the result of a true team effort.

Seems like there should have been some individual awards and maybe Presidential Citations. Stay tuned for results of the International Speech Contest and any interesting announcements from the Region VII breakfast.

Election Results

John Lesko sent the business meeting results after I had shut down for the day. Michael Notaro carried the race for Third Vice President; Annelie Weber is the new International Director in Region VII. The complete results:

President: Jana Barnhill
Senior VP: Gary Schmidt
2nd VP: Pat Johnson
3rd VP: Michael Notaro
R1 ID: Earleen Norris
R2 ID: Mary Russell
R3 ID: Tim Swearinger
R4 ID: Lyle Appleyard
R5 ID: Michael Rafferty
R6 ID: Kristal DiCarlo
R7 ID: Annelie Weber
R8 ID: Sal Asad
DNAR: Poh Kim Siong

… Distinguished Toastmasters all!