Past District Governors and Their Themes

2010-2011 Sue Francesco

The Ripple Effect

"If you invite a friend or a guest to a Toastmasters meeting...."

If you invite a guest to a TM meeting, they are going to ask if they can join. When their new member packet arrives, they'll probably ask to give their icebreaker. When they're finished, they'll ask you for an evaluation. Then they will likely want to schedule their next speech because their evaluator was so positive and encouraging. Soon, they will have completed five speeches and the club Vice President of Education will present them with a 1/2 Way There Certificate. This most certainly will motivate them to finish their Competent Communicator manual while working on the Competent Leader manual. They might get carried away and schedule the next five speeches. They even might start to think about their advanced manuals!

Along the way, they will likely volunteer to take on an officer role. Current officers will mentor them with support and guidance. They'll take on the responsibility and become comfortable and more confident. They will probably be asked to help out at Division training. And maybe be assigned to explain the Distinguished Club Program. While teaching the DCP they will be excited and want to deliver some educational presentations at their home club. They will ask for the Successful Club and Leadership Excellence manuals. They will l conduct some presentations. When the presentations are finished they will have earned an Advanced Communicator award. They will receive a special note from the District and a Certificate from Toastmasters International.

At a club meeting their achievement will be acknowledged. Which means other Toastmasters in the club will be encouraged to continue with their journey. Reflecting on the journey will remind them of how they got started. So… they will invite a guest to a Toastmaster meeting. And chances are if you personally invite a guest to a meeting…they are going to want to join.

This, my friends is the Ripple Effect.

2009-2010 Wendy Harding

"Take time to dream, for everything worth anything was once a dream, we know the dreams of man will bear the fruit that causes a universe to grow---take time to dream." Celestine Houston

A dream is a vision of something you really want. They don’t just happen however they take hard work, dedication, inspiration and support from others.

Each of us had a dream when we went to our first Toastmasters meeting. To improve our communication and/or leadership skills or maybe at that particular meeting, the dream was to just get through the door and into a seat without anyone noticing us.

“Some of us let great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; they nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.” --Woodrow Wilson

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Are you still letting yourself have Toastmaster dreams? Perhaps your dream is to complete the manual you are working on, or even a specific assignment. Perhaps it is to hold a club executive or district executive office. Whatever your dream is, I encourage you to see the vision, develop an action plan, trust in yourself, ask for help and support if required and allow yourself to make your dream come true. For the members of District 45 the sky is the limit; anything and everything is possible. Tom Bradley said that the only thing that will stop you from achieving your dreams is you.

I have a dream for each member of District 45. My dream is that you will dream and dream BIG! My dream is that you will each be successful in making your dreams come true. My dream is that in 2009-2010, the members of District 45 will be Changing Dreams into Realities.

2008-2009 Candice Buell

We all joined Toastmasters for different reasons. When I joined Toastmasters seven years ago, I was not the same person as I am today. Shy, inward, and naive, I had very little confidence and no self-esteem.

I have been fortunate to travel both tracks of Toastmasters. I first experienced my communication skills when I competed in my club contest and came in second. As luck would have it, the first place contestant was unable to advance I moved forward to the District contest. . Luck again, I drew #1 speaker out of fifteen. I knew my speech was not the best and I knew I did not have the skills to present a winning speech. What I did know was I believed in the message and I wanted to present it. My first time on a stage and in front of so many people, let's just say my microphone was not my best asset. Squeaking and fading in and out I finished. I walked off that stage with more confidence than if had won the International contest What I learned that day was, not every speech will be perfect, but it would be the best I could present that day. I started believing that things could happen.

That year Carl Duivenvoorden introduced me to the leadership track by asking me if I would serve as his District secretary. I was thrilled but unsure if I could do the job. He assured me I could, and “changed my corner of the world” forever. The next year when Gerry Higgins asked me to be his District Secretary, I was convinced I had not done the job to satisfaction. Gerry, giving me his very best assured me that was not the case. The next year Dan Bell, made me an angel. This year I saw just how determined our members were in achieving their educational awards. Heather Perkins taught me to be strong and stand up for what I believed in.

I have been involved with Special Olympics for 21 year's. They have an expression that I strongly believe in “the most important thing is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering or achieving all your goals but believing in the journey”.

Though Toastmasters we become believers. We continuously use our communication and leadership skills to help us become stronger individuals. The more we experience in Toastmasters, the more we gain self-confidence and express our strengths.

Believing in myself and being willing to try has changed my whole life. I invite all of you to step outside your comfort zone and believe that you can do any thing you desire. This year I hope you all take a moment to look at your hopes, dreams and future achievements and realize they are all reachable if you... "Simply Believe."

2007-2008 Heather Perkins

I’ve chosen Transform Through Toastmasters as my District theme because I believe Toastmasters provides a unique opportunity for us to transform ourselves. We develop our communication and our leadership skills, in turn improving our self-confidence and our self-esteem. If you think that sounds somewhat familiar, look at the club mission statement.

The transformation that can occur does not, however, magically happen. It depends on the extent to which we involve ourselves in the programs available. If we attend meetings and rarely take on meeting roles and rarely give speeches, there will only be minimal changes. If we make a commitment to always taking on meeting roles and having our performance evaluated using the Competent Leader manual and if we make a commitment to regularly giving manual speeches working toward our next educational designation, then there will be significant transformation.

That transformation will be further enhanced by taking on leadership roles within the club and at the District level, by giving educational modules, by competing in contests and by attending Area, Division and District events. The more we involve ourselves in the opportunities available through Toastmasters, the greater we will be able to transform.

Regardless of the level we have achieved in the organization, we can continue to transform. There are always new challenges available to us as Toastmasters develop new programs. We can mentor new members and new clubs.

The District team invites all members to take the challenge of stepping outside your comfort zone and trying something new within Toastmasters this year. You’ll be amazed at how you can Transform Through Toastmasters.

2006-2007 Dan Bell

My vision for the upcoming year is a simple idea that's reflected in my theme of O.N.E.

Ownership – Every member takes ownership of their personal development by joining Toastmasters.

Nurturing – The essence of the Toastmasters' program nurtures individuals through mentoring, coaching, and evaluating.

Empowerment – The Toastmasters' program empowers people to change even a small part of their lives. We empower people to succeed.

It is extremely important that we focus on the ONE – the member. Each and every member’s success is part of a club’s success. It is through the success of one that the club’s success becomes part of the Area, Division, and District success. Members should be encouraged to set goals. The club’s role is to help them achieve their goals.

By enhancing our efforts in training, mentoring, coaching, and evaluating, we will both attract new members and retain more current members.

Our success is measured in steps. And every goal starts with ONE. We can’t achieve number two until we get number ONE.

Let that be our focus for 2006-07…ONE!!!

2005-2006 Gerry Higgins

I believe:

• That the members are the life blood and strength of this organization. It is the growth in membership and clubs around our District and the world that keeps us vibrant;
• That reaching out to those who need what Toastmasters has to offer, as well as mentoring those already in our membership, will keep our organization strong and healthy;
• That stretching causes us to develop self-esteem and build self-confidence – we grow;
• That establishing concrete goals written, time defined and attainable allows us to be successful in all we do;
• Members completing one project at a time achieve one goal at a time just as the journey is made up of many steps; and
• That our success comes when we utilize the skills learned in our personal, family and career life.

Hidden in the logo but none-the-less there:

Roots
Represent our expectations of the TM program that sustains our growth and is ever changing to meet our needs.

Trunk
Represents the program support and strength of the District team & Toastmasters International.

Branches
Represents the clubs and the connection to other clubs around the world.

Leaves
Represents a membership that is growing and alive.

Sun
Represents the stretching required to achieve our goals.

PowerPoint Show - The 2005/2006 Theme

2004-2005 Carl Duivenvoorden

In 1961, MIT Meteorologist Edward Lorenz developed a complex computer program for predicting the weather. The program would accept numbers representing weather conditions, perform some difficult calculations and then produce a weather model, or forecast. To test the program, Lorenz ran a set of figures through the computer. The next day, he ran the same scenario to verify the previous result – but to his astonishment, the outcome was completely different. When he checked his data, he discovered that a number entered to 6 decimal places the first day had been entered to just 3 decimal places the second day. It was a very small difference, but it produced a huge effect on the outcome. Lorenz's experience led him to speculate that something as small as the flap of a butterfly's wings over Brazil could set off a tornado in Texas weeks later – the Butterfly Effect.

If the Butterfly Effect applies to the weather, surely it applies to people as well: seemingly small actions can lead to the greatest of effects. As Toastmasters, we launch our own butterflies when we triumph over our doubts and fears to accept speaking and leadership challenges – who knows what great currents we may create? And with gentle words, a listening ear, helpful guidance or even the smallest act of kindness, we can help the butterflies of others take flight too.

My mother once told me, “Maybe you can’t change the whole world, but you can change your corner of it.” I want to challenge all District 45 Toastmasters: conquer your doubts, overcome your fears, help someone out – and make a butterfly take flight. Change your corner of the world, and you can change the world!

2003-2004 William D. Tighe

Ed DeCourcy is a local free lance writer in western New Hampshire. As a theme for the District 45 2003 - 2004 Toastmaster year, I have chosen the title of one of his columns; " Success is Speaking Well "

"...the basic purpose of our schools ought to be to ensure that we can talk to one another and say what we mean and mean what we say..."

Edward DeCourcy
Writer and Columnist, Newport, NH.

Toastmasters International is firstly an educational organization. We teach people to communicate, to stand and deliver a presentation, to find our individual comfort zone behind the Lectern or on the Podium. We are a school, a workshop of sorts. Our primary goal is to educate, teach our members to communicate effectively and develop their leadership skills.

We all wish to find our comfort zone, become better speakers, improve our delivery style and enjoy the " Toastmasters Experience."

Quoting the Toastmasters International staff our goal is;" ... making effective communication a worldwide reality..."

Our incoming International President, Mr. Ted Corcoran from Dublin, Ireland, has said; "Your Dreams are Your Possibilities," he quotes American writer Bernard Edmunds;

"... To dream anything you want to dream; that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything you want to do; that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits; that is the courage to succeed..."

Let's have the serious educational moments, the frivolous laugh producing fun moments, the clever Table Topics moments. Let's strive to achieve the long term District growth objectives, bring the Toastmasters Experience to more members and more communities.

We learn by doing. Completing the ten speech projects in our Communication and Leadership basic manual enables our members to develop self-esteem, self-confidence and to grow in a warm friendly and supportive environment. This, per our club mission statement, is our ultimate goal. Seeing and hearing our new members benefit as they grow is its own reward.

We are growing in a methodical manner, we must keep attuned to long term success and growth as individual members develop their Communication & Leadership skills.

Let's move ahead smartly. Good luck in all your endeavors and remember, "Success is Speaking Well."

2002-2003 Shirley Kelly

Step Into the Spotlight

2001-2002 Skip Habina

1 + 1 Equals Success and Growth

Most things in life can be boiled down to basics: Success and Growth are among those things. To succeed you must do the right things, get the checks in the right boxes, then do a little extra. To have something grow you must water it, feed it some nutrients, weed the plants and if necessary give the plants a stick to lean on so they grow up straight. You have to have enough plants because you know some will wither and die along the way. It takes a great deal of work to have a successful garden of any kind and in time most will blossom. Those are the ones we work with, wait and watch to bloom. Those are the flowers we care for a great deal.

While I do not propose to be a poet of any nature, in my mind and heart I just described a Toastmasters Club, any Toastmasters Club. It takes a lot of hard work to have a successful Toastmasters Club; it takes a lot of members to do all the hard work. Many people, just like plants or vegetables in a garden, will fall along the wayside; they must be replaced if we are to succeed.

1 + 1 Equals Success and Growth is the District 45 theme for the 2001-2002 year. If every Toastmaster would do their share, which is to earn one new Toastmaster level and recruit one new member, we would give a new meaning to "Distinguished Club Program." Every Toastmaster would taste Success and the size of the Clubs, Areas and District would double. That my fellow Toastmasters would be Growth – if just everybody would do their share.

I have been a Toastmaster since 1993, all of that time in District 45. I have watched this District grow and grow. I like to think I have been part of that growth process. District 45 is a very well respected District within Toastmasters International. We are large in size and small in numbers but we have great people within our District, capable of very large accomplishments.

A few years ago we were #7 (Select Distinguished) in the world, the following year we climbed to #6 in the world (President's Distinguished) and Distinguished again this past year. I believe we have been the Bridesmaid long enough. It is time to go for the Top Spot, we have the people and the talent. District 45 should be #1 in the world. We will be #1 if EVERYONE does their share of the work. Remember everybody needs to grow one level and recruit one member. Those two factors alone mean: 1 + 1 Equals Success and Growth.

2000-2001 Cliff Fournier

Striving to Better

1999-2000 Olivette Aviso

Conceptualize, Energize, Actualize

1998-1999 Jim Kokocki

Make a Difference

1997-1998 Dianne Cyr

Get Involved and Grow

1996-1997 Dorothy Doyle

Pathway to Progress