Here it is — the first vote, to formally nominate me as the regional candidate for International Director. Well, maybe the second, since my own district voted on me at the district council last fall.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Friday afternoon started off with educational sessions, including the usual “Toastmasters International and You”, by Pat Johnson, Third VP, this time. Since most everyone had seen the detailed governance committee presentation at the spring district conferences, she instead focused on the new Youth Project, and on what’s being done to improve support for corporate clubs.
The new Youth Project seems to me more like Junior Achievement. It’s quite different from the existing Youth Leadership series. It has a defined duration and curriculum, split into two parts, “One to One Communication” (like talking to an adult, or a job interview), and “Making a Presentation”. It’s in beta testing at locations near world headquarters.
Pat told us that corporate clubs amount to about 60% of all Toastmasters clubs. Also, recognition visits are a great way to help corporate clubs, with a visiting International Director or President. They’re working on splitting the CC manual into three phases for corporate use — the first three speeches would be phase one, and would NOT require club membership. The second phase, at which point they’re expected to join, is the next three speeches, and the last four speeches make up phase three.
Friday evening concluded with a Kansas City barbecue buffet, with entertainment from the BBQ Queens, and then the humorous speech showcase with the winners of the district-level humorous speech contests.
Saturday morning’s opening ceremonies featured a local jazz band to help everyone wake up, and a keynote presentation by the American Jazz Museum Poet-in-Residence Glenn North, talking about the history of jazz, particularly in Kansas City. The rest of the morning included more educational sessions; I attended a good one on “It’s Not Just a Contest” by PID Dick Poirier.
At the Communications & Leadership luncheon, former Kansas City (Kansas) mayor Carol Marinovich was recognized for her work to turn around the fortunes of that city.
After lunch, there were more educational sessions, but I took time to prepare for the regional business meeting. There’s very little on the agenda (as usual) — really just two things, the International Director nomination, and selecting the following regional conference locations.
Dietmar called on each eligible district in turn to ask if they had any nominees, and I held my breath, wondering if someone would decide to run at the last minute. My home district governor, Carolyn Arthur, nominated me, and no one else had a nomination. Then he called for any floor nominations — none! Whew!! But not done yet!
I still had to deliver my two-minute speech, plus answer questions submitted in advance by the district governors (the “candidates showcase”). I made it through that, and then, as the only nominee, I became the official region nominee. All that’s left is the real vote, the one that counts, in Calgary, where someone could still be nominated from the floor.
Saturday evening’s banquet was a delicious relief, a chance to relax, and many people were congratulating me. I had printed out maps of each district with the club meeting locations marked by division (courtesy of Nigel Reed’s excellent web site), and I presented those to the outgoing districit governors.
The international speech contest was exciting, some great speakers! The winner was quite good, and he’ll do a great job at the final contest in Calgary. The contest ran pretty late, and Pat Johnson (3VP) and Dietmar both had to cancel (or greatly reduce!) their speeches.
All in all, a great conference, and I’m looking forward to next year’s regional in Nashville (“Y’all Come!”)!