Area C1 & C2 Contest

Spring 2016 Contest

AREA C1 & C2 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CONTEST

You are invited!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Registration starts 12:30 p.m.  |  Contest begins 1:00 p.m.

HB Community Church: 8101 Slater Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Cost: $5 w/ RSVP  |  $10 as a walk-in

Continental Fare food selections will be provided

RSVP to Stella Mahakian  |  email to: smpsasing@gmail.com

Explore what Table Topics and International Speech contests are all about [ here ].  Participate as a contestant or help make the contest a success. Your attendance is greatly appreciated!

RSVP to Stella Mahakian  |  email to: smpsasing@gmail.com

Volunteers and Donations are still needed; kindly fill out the volunteer and donation form [ here ]. Donations are tax deductible. When you donate, your club(s) will also be advertised during the contest. Rules and restrictions apply. 

Got Journal?

Are you looking for a reason to journal? Consider these benefits ...

People who journal are healthier than the rest of us — and not just mentally. Documenting thoughts and feelings in writing, whether it's in a leather Moleskin or on a computer screen, has enormous benefits for our physical health.

Website Development

We have a couple of clubs in the Area that want to have a separate website for the club and have asked me about software options. Additionally, there are individual members who are needing to create a personal website for their speaking business. So, if you are in either category this post should be helpful.

When I started creating web sites, back in 1996, all you needed was a text editor. Everyone was coding pages by hand and using tables to control the layout of their information. Those days are long gone and anyone wanting to create a snappy UI needs to know bootstrap, php, css and java. Today, you need to be able to create a responsive layout so that your information adapts to the device of your site visitors. Simply, you need a page that looks as great on a smart phone as it does on a 65" flat screen!

Fall Conference 2015

This past weekend was the Founder's District Fall Conference and Leadership Event. At the District Conference, held in the Fall and the Spring, the District holds a business meeting to vote on multiple initiatives. This meeting voted on the proposed split of Founders District into two districts. By an overwhelming majority, the District leaders voted in favor of forming District 100 - the Century District. Clubs located on and North of Ball Road will be in District 100. Clubs located South of Ball Road will remain in Founder's District. The delegates also approved the realignment to create TEN divisions from the existing EIGHT divisions.

Award Winning Speeches

Friends and followers, the Area C2 and Division C contests have concluded. Again, a special thank you to Stella Mahakian for serving as the Area C2 Contest Chair and who served as the Division C Food Chair at the Division C Contest, this past Saturday (October 24). Stella brings value by her attentiveness to details.


When every club participates in an Area Contest, the quality of the contest improves exponentially. We had representatives from each of the five clubs in the Tall Tale contest. Unfortunately, one contestant in the Evaluation contest was unable to attend. Our guest speaker was Pastor Mike Boswith, who shared his personal story of adversity and how God provided him the strength to continue in spite of immeasurable losses.

Eye Candy!

It's been a while since I last posted an article. Area Contest, getting ready for club visits, speaking, SpeechCraft, and a Debate ... a full plate. Recently I started working on a responsive web page template and was looking for eye catching artwork. You know what I am talking about? The kind of graphics that says, modern, colorful, professional, cutting edge - then I found the perfect source.

Just a Quick Note

My mother was a successful elementary school teacher. She worked her entire life teaching the 3rd grade for the St. Louis City School District. She loved her job. My mother was also consistent in creating hand written notes, whenever she wanted to make a point, show her concern, or express her emotions. At the recent Area C2 Contest, I wanted to express my gratitude to those whose efforts made the event successful. I clumsily wrote notes to everyone who played a key role.

[ EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY ]

Did you read your copy of the LEADER LETTER? This news is HUGE for small, specialty clubs who are looking to grow and become President's Distinguished. Here is the message as it appeared in the email update ...

The Board of Directors met on August 10-11. As a part of the discussions, they approved a two-phased approach for integrating virtual clubs into the Toastmasters experience. Phase 1, which is effective immediately, allows for virtual attendance. In Phase 2, which is expected to begin by mid-2016, clubs may charter as virtual (online only) clubs.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! Effective immediately, it is possible to sign-up members who will attend meetings virtually. This is great news for clubs who are struggling to get members in the door. There are some qualifying rules to consider before you go out and celebrate. Let the smiling and cheesecake eating begin ...

Area C2 - Tall Tale and Evaluation Contest

Tall Tale and Evaluation Contest
by Stella Mahakian

Content:

Date, Time & Venue
Marketing our Division Contest and Club Contest
Club Contest Guideline & Timeline
Opportunity Drawings needed
Volunteers needed

Hey, Pigpen!

Remember Pigpen from the Peanuts comics? The little kid that walked in a cloud of dirt, everywhere he went. Well science now reveals that not only do we ALL have a cloud that follows us around, everywhere we go, but that it is as unique as a finger print. It tells who we are, what we have done and where we have been. The name?