Sunday, November 17, 2013

Lubbock Pro Club Hosts Awards Ceremony

During it's November 16th meeting, the Lubbock Pro Club hosted a special awards ceremony honoring Lubbock Toastmasters members who received awards during and leading up to the Fall 2013 Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Immediate Past District Governor TK O'Geary recognized the following Lubbock Toastmasters:

  • Robert Barnhill - Treasurer of the Half Year (January to June, 2013)
  • Jef Conn, Robyne Vaughn, Steve Hightower, Robert Barhnill, Jana Barnhill, John Leazar, and Linda Leazar - Keys to the District for Exemplary Service to District 23
  • Robyne Vaughn - Area Governor of the Year for 2012-2013


District Governor Linda Leazar recognized contest winners from the fall contest season.

  • Amber Marsh - Area 61 Humorous Speech Winner
  • ZQ - Area 61 Evaluation Winner
  • Patrick McMahan - Area 62 Humorous Winner and Division F Humorous 2nd Place
  • Tim Evans - Area 62 Evaluation Winner, Division F Evaluation Winner, District 23 Evaluation 3rd Place




Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Robyne Vaughn Named Area Governor of the Year

Robyne Vaughn
Robyne Vaughn, Area 62 Governor for the 2012-13 Toastmasters year, received District 23's Area Governor of the Year award on Saturday, October 19, 2013, at the District 23 Fall Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Robyne and the other finalists, Irelanette Broadnax of El Paso and Jen Cody Martin of Albuquerque, were honored during the Hall of Fame luncheon during the conference and then Immediate Past District Governor TK O'Geary named Robyne as the recipient of the annual award.

Among other notable accomplishments, Robyne was one of only two Area Governors, along with Jen Cody Martin, to achieve a President's Distinguished area.  Robyne was recognized for her tireless marketing efforts.  She engineered the two largest demo meetings in the district's history and brought in over 300 audience members in the two events. She also worked orchestrated a "marketing tables" campaign that made contact with thousands of people across multiple locations and dates.

Robyne is a member of the Downtown club and a frequent visitor and helper to all the Toastmasters clubs in Lubbock.

Congratulations, Robyne!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Rawls College of Business Demonstration Meeting

Monday night, Toastmasters from around Lubbock converged on the Rawls College of Business for a demonstration meeting with the Business Communication classes.

Past Area 62 Governor (2012-13) Robyne Vaughn worked closely with Texas Tech instructors Dianne Anderson and Grace Noyes to orchestrate the meeting, which has become an every-semester event.  Around 70 students attended the Monday night meeting which included current and past district officers as well as a number of members of the Eloquent Raiders club which meets on Texas Tech's campus in the School of Law.

Instructor Grace Noyes opens the meeting.

Instructor Dianne Anderson gives some
background information.

Tracy Thomason and Lt. Governor Marketing Jef Conn
answer a few questions.

Jennifer Brooks leads the meeting.

Uwe Beltz gives a presentation about Toastmasters.

Drew Simmons gives a presentation
about first impressions.

Grace Preston leads Table Topics.

Grace calls upon Jef for a Table Topics question.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Tim Evans Advances to District Evaluation Contest

Tim Evans delivers during the
Division F Evaluation contest
Representing the WWJS Toastmasters club in Lubbock, Texas, Tim Evans won the Division F Evaluation contest on Saturday, October 5, 2013.  

Tim, also a member of the Downtown Toastmasters club in Lubbock, won the District 44 Evaluation contest in Fall 2006 when Lubbock was a part of District 44.  Tim is now going for his second District trophy.


Friday, September 27, 2013

Fall 2013 Humorous, Evaluation Divison F Contests

Lt. Governor Marketing Jef Conn is excited!
Are you?
The Fall 2013 Division F contests for the Humorous Speech and Evaluation contests will be in Lubbock on Saturday, October 5th, in the Lanier Auditorium of the Texas Tech School of Law.

Contestants from Clovis to Ft. Stockton and Lubbock to Roswell will converge in Lubbock to determine who will advance to the District 23 contest in Santa Fe, NM, on October 18 and 19, 2013.

The contest begins at 1pm (central time), but contestants and judges should arrive by 12:30pm for the briefings.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Amy Zientek Receives Rising Star Award

Amy Zientek
Toastmasters member Amy Zientek received the Texas Travel Industry Association's Rising Star Award on September 23, 2013, for her leadership and commitment to the Texas Travel industry.

The full story can be found here: http://www.kcbd.com/story/23506503/visit-lubbocks-amy-zientek-receives-acclaimed-award

Amy is the director of sales for Visit Lubbock and has been a member of the Toasters Club for 5 years.  http://www.LubbockToasters.com

Congratulations Amy!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Area 61/62 Humorous and Evaluation Contest Results

Lt. Governor Marketing Jef Conn welcomes the
audience to the Area 61 & 62 Fall Contests
The Texas Tech School of Law, home to the Eloquent Raiders club, hosted the Area 61 & 62 Humorous Speech and Evaluation contests this morning.

Area Governors Ernee Kozyreff and Uwe Beltz put the contest together and recruited Jef Conn, our district's Lieutenant Governor Marketing, to take the role of Toastmaster.  Additionally, Ernee covered the chief judge duties while Uwe embraced the role of test speaker for the Evaluation contest.

The first and second place finishers will advance to the Division F contest on Saturday, October 5th, at the Texas Tech School of Law.

The contest results are:

Area 61 - Humorous SpeechArea 62 - Humorous Speech
1st - Amber Marsh1st - Patrick McMahan
2nd - Weston Waldo
3rd - Lakshmi Muthu Kumar
Area 61 - EvaluationArea 62 - Evaluation
1st - Zhiqiang Wu1st - Tim Evans
2nd - Lakshmi Muthu Kumar

Area 61 Humorous - Lakshmi Kumar, Jef Conn, and
Weston Waldo (Amber Marsh not pictured)
Area 62 Humorous - Jef Conn and Patrick McMahan
Area 61 Evaluation - Zhiqiang Wu, Jef Conn, and
Lakshmi Kumar
Area 62 Evaluation - Jef Conn and Tim Evans
Jef interviews the contestants
Uwe Beltz delivers the test speech for the
Evaluation contest
Good luck at Division, everyone!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Eloquent Raiders - Sponsor & Mentor

Congratulations to Yukun Chen and Stacy Cain for getting their Club Sponsor and Club Mentor awards, respectively, for their work with Lubbock's newest club, Eloquent Raiders.

The Club Sponsor and Club Mentor roles are important for the successful growth of new Toastmasters clubs.  Because of the work involved, this process is one of the biggest steps towards achieving the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award.  Having completed this, Yukun is one step closer to her DTM.  For Stacy, it was the last step remaining before she earned her DTM, so she sent in the paperwork for both at the same time.

Congratulations ladies!  And thank you for helping Lubbock's newest club get off to a great start!

Yukun shows off her Club Sponsor certificate.

Llano Estacado president Amber Marsh (left) presents
Stacy Cain with her DTM plaque.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Lubbock's Second TLI

Area 61 Governor Ernee Kozyreff started Lubbock's second TLI with a discussion of the distinguished club program.

Uwe Beltz, Area 62 Governor, followed up with club officer responsibilities. 

Past Area 62 Governor Robyne Vaughn spoke on the importance of mentoring as well as giving tips on the process before passing the stage to Lt. Governor Marketing Jef Conn who encouraged the attendees with methods for membership building.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Lubbock is Distinguished!

Six clubs in Lubbock and both Areas in Lubbock received Distinguished honors from Toastmasters International.

Distinguished Clubs

Distinguished clubs are clubs that have met at least five of the ten goals in the Distinguished Club Program and have either

  • an active membership of 20 or more members,
  • or, a net gain of 5 members from the start of the year.


Distinguished Clubs (5 or 6 DCP goals achieved)

  • South Plains Toastmasters


President's Distinguished Clubs (9 or 10 DCP goals achieved)

  • Articulate Club
  • Downtown Club
  • Lubbock Club
  • Toasters Club

(A Select Distinguished status exists for clubs achieving either 7 or 8 goals and meeting the membership requirements.)

Distinguished Areas

Both Area 61 and Area 62 also achieved Distinguished status.

Area 61 achieved Distinguished status by having 50% of the clubs in the Area achieve Distinguished status. Those clubs were the Articulate and Lubbock clubs.

Area 62 achieved President's Distinguished status by having 50% of the clubs in the Area plus one achieve Distinguished status as well as adding one new clubs to the Area.  The Distinguished clubs were Downtown, South Plains, and Toasters.  The new club was Eloquent Raiders.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Toastmasters at Texas Tech

The Eloquent Raiders club (http://www.eloquentraiders.com/) is taking advantage of Texas Tech's Red Raider Orientation (sometimes known as "freshman orientation" or "new student orientation") to introduce Toastmasters to a whole new group of incoming students.  At last count, they had picked up several hundred names of interested students while also advertising Toastmasters to the parents of the incoming students.

Uwe Beltz, incoming Area 62 Governor and Eloquent Raiders founding member,
and Dipika, a recent visitor and possible new member, are ready for students.

Jennifer Brooks, president of Eloquent Raiders, talks to
incoming students and their parents.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Uwe Beltz It Out

Incoming Area 62 Governor Uwe Beltz leads a group workshop on Officer Roles and Responsibilities.

Ernee Leads Off

Incoming Area 61 Governor Ernee Kozyreff starts the Lubbock TLI with a session on the Distinguished Club Program.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Jumpstart TLI in June


View Larger Map

Mark Your Calendars! Lubbock is excited to host a Jump Start Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) on June 21, 2013 at the Texas Tech Law School. We will meet from 6-9 pm.

ALL Toastmasters are encouraged to attend. TLI is more than just officer training; it helps you understand the leadership path within Toastmasters and gives you the opportunity to network with fellow Toastmasters in other clubs. It is guaranteed to be a fun time! Invite your club members!

For those who attend the Jump Start TLI, your name will be entered into a drawing to win a Toastmasters Padfolio!

Please register by clicking this link so we know how many to expect.

It's Time to Elect Officers!

Hey Lubbock clubs ... if you haven't already voted in your officers for the next term, it's time to get that done.  It's a quick and easy goal to accomplish towards next year's Distinguished Club Program and it's as simple as ...

  1. Getting your slate of officers together
  2. Getting them voted in, 
  3. And getting your new officers filed online with Toastmasters International.

Watch for new about the summer TLIs.  They're coming up soon!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Congratulations Robert!

Schmidt, Barnhill, Jersak, and Addison
Last night, April 27, 2013, Lubbock Toastmaster Robert Barnhill won the District 23 International Speech Contest with his speech "Presidents Don't Sing ... Do They?"

Representing Lubbock and the rest of Division F, Robert competed against 5 other Toastmasters who represented the other Divisions in District 23 during the Spring Conference in Lubbock, TX.  Along with this prestigious victory, Robert also took the first place trophy in the District 23 Table Topics contest which took place Friday night.

In August, Robert will move on to compete in the Semi-Finals of the International Speech Contest during the Toastmasters International 2013 Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The Semi-Finals is a contest of the district champions from all across the world.  There will be 10 semi-final contests, each with 8 to 10 contestants.  The winners of each of those contests will move on to the finals two days after the semi-final round.

Visiting Past International President Gary Schmidt presented the top three finishers of the contest to the audience of 125 during the Saturday evening awards ceremony.  Along with Robert, Merv Jersak of Albuquerque finished second with "My Marble," while Sarah Addison of Las Cruces came in third with "Humpty Dumpty."

Good luck in Cincinnati, Robert!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Division F Contests...APRIL 6

We have a date! We have a time! and We have a location!

The Division F International Speech and Table Topics Contests will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 1:00 pm CDT.  The contests will be held at the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 208 S Marienfeld, Midland, TX  79701 (directions).

Contestants, Judges, Counters and Timers should report between 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm as briefings will begin promptly at 12:30 pm.


Saturday, March 9, 2013

Area 61/62 Contests on March 23rd

The Area 61 & 62 speech contests for Table Topics and International Speech will be Saturday, March 23rd, from 2pm to 4pm at Sunset Church of Christ in Room 210.

The first and second place finishers of each Area contest will advance to the Division Contest (time & location TBD).

The Sunset Church of Christ is at  3723 34th Street Park at the east end of the main building (see below) and  enter the east end door.  You'll walk down a short hall and take a left hand turn.  Just ahead and on the right will be a doorway that opens to a staircase.  Take the stairs up to the second floor and you will be right at room the contest room, room 210.


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Out and About

Over the weekend, several Lubbock Toastmasters came together to set up marketing tables at both Mardel Christian Bookstore and South Plains Mall.  Using the tried and true approach of talking to people face to face, they met hundreds of people from Lubbock and the surrounding cities and invited them to attend Toastmasters clubs and, in a few cases, talked with them about setting up new clubs in their home towns.

The marketing table idea came from Uwe Beltz of WWJS Toastmasters and Eloquent Raiders.  Area 62 Governor Robyne Vaughn organized the event by drafting volunteers from clubs in both of Lubbock's areas, Area 61 and Area 62, and securing venues to host the marketing tables.  Volunteers fed off each others' energy and personally invited hundreds of people to Toastmasters as well as getting them signed up to win one of two books, Tribal Leadership and The 360° Leader.  Visitors also received a Toastmasters brochure which included an insert listing every club in Lubbock along with details like meeting date & time, location, website, and personal contact info for a club representative.

Volunteers included Michelle Leatherwood from Llano Estacado, Gary Johnson from Toasters, Debbie Robertson and Michael Oden from Downtown Toastmasters, and, of course, Robyne and Uwe.

More marketing tables are coming soon.  Come out and support your club! Or if you're not a Toastmaster, come out and find out more.

Marketing table in the Mardel foyer
Uwe and Michelle at Mardel
Debbie at Mardel
Uwe talking up Toastmasters at Mardel
Michael and Uwe at South Plains Mall
Debbie at South Plains Mall
Debbie, Michael, and Gary (facing right) at South Plains Mall
Robyne, Michael, and Gary at South Plains Mall


Friday, February 22, 2013

New Events Planned to Promote Toastmasters....Volunteers Needed!!


We're making a serious effort in Lubbock to increase membership just for the fun of having more members in our clubs.  The related benefit is that we may qualify for a higher Distinguished Club Program status. 

Just like meetings are  more fun when all the roles are filled and the room is full of audience members who provide love and support, volunteer opportunities are more fun with big group!

Here are some new opportunities for Lubbock Toastmasters to take advantage of to try to increase their membership base.

Consider working together as a club to man a certain chunk of time or just dropping by to help for a few moments, even if you don't sign up for a slot.  Drop-ins are always welcome!

All the preparations have been made; we just need you to help man the table. And you could get credit in your Competent Leadership manual for assisting with a membership campaign.  Be sure to bring your manual with you to the event.

You sign up to volunteer for any of the events at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0548ABA72BA31-promoting2 .



Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Talk Up Toastmasters


"Toastmasters love to talk, so take advantage of it. During the "Talk Up Toastmasters!" membership contest, you can encourage your members to invite guests to a special meeting where regular procedures are augmented by a discussion of Toastmasters' many benefits. Add five new, dual or reinstated members to your roster between February 1 and March 31 to receive a special "Talk up Toastmasters!" ribbon to display on your club’s banner. Membership applications and payment for members who join between February 1 and March 31 must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31. Each member's join date as listed on the application must be in February or March. Transfer and charter members do not count for credit. In addition to the ribbon, qualifying clubs will also earn a special discount code for 10% off their next club order. Discount code expires six months from date of issue and is not valid with any other offer. "

In an effort to bolster membership in all clubs in Lubbock, and in concert with Toastmasters International's "Talk up Toastmasters" contest, we've kicked off a city-wide membership drive.

Watch for email invitations to volunteer to man tables, handing out pamphlets and greeting passers-by, promoting Toastmasters and encourage your fellow club members take advantage of this opportunity. You could even man a table as a club.

District 23 leadership is providing the marketing materials for all events and is even covering the cost of an event at South Plains Mall to increase Toastmasters exposure and allow all Lubbock clubs to  reach out to the community.

The first few events on the schedule are at Mardel Christian Bookstore, Saturday, February 23, from 1:00 pm CST to 4:00 pm CST and Saturday  March 2, from from 1:00 pm CST to 4:00 pm CST.  If you are interested in volunteering for either one (or both) of these dates, please sign up here.  Be sure and watch your email, this site or the Sign-up Genius for more dates.

Remember, we will be promoting ALL clubs in Lubbock.  However, the clubs represented at these events  will naturally have greater opportunity to promote  their own club.

Get ready for a whirlwind of opportunities for building membership coming your way.  And don't forget, you can get credit in your Competent Leadership manual for helping with this membership campaign.

International Speech and Table Topics Contests

Contest season is fast approaching.  Are you planning to compete?

The two contests being held this Spring are the International Speech and Table Topics.

Contestants must meet certain eligibility requirements.  Chiefly, they must be members in good standing of a club in good standing and they must maintain their eligibility requirements at all levels of the contests.  Contestants in the International Speech contest must have given at least 6 speeches out of the Competent Communication manual.  However, a charter member of a club chartered since the previous July 1 is permitted to compete without having met this requirement.

The International Speech is a speech that is 5 to 7 minutes in duration. It can be motivational, educational, humorous...the choice is yours. Here's a great example of an International Speech from 2012 World Champion of Public Speaking.


For more information on speech contests, visit the Speech Contests page on the Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org) website and the Run a Speech Contest page on the District 23 website (www.district23.org).


Club Contests should be held no later than March 9, 2013.
Area 61/62 Contests will be held Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 2:00 pm CDT at Sunset Church of Christ, across from the Lubbock Eye Clinic at 34th & Louisville.
Division F Contests will be held Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 9:30 am CDT at Atmos Energy in Midland, TX.
District 23 Contests will be held during the 2013 Spring Conference, right here in Lubbock, TX April 26-28, 2013. Register here today!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Toastmasters Leadership Institute


Jef Conn, Area 61 Governor, and Robyne Vaughn,  Area 62 Governor, encourage all Toastmasters in Lubbock to join them this Saturday, January 12, 2013 for the Winter Officer Training, in the Texas Tech School of Law, Room 109.  Registration starts at 11:50 a.m.



It will be a rare and wonderful opportunity to hear Robert and Jana Barnhill, both Distinguished Toastmasters, Accredited Speakers and Past Toastmasters International Presidents, share their insights and wisdom concerning serving in officer roles.

District 23 has made it possible to receive via streaming media, a presentation by Sheryl Roush, Accredited Speaker, Distinguished Toastmaster, Past District 5 Governor, with her  "Sparkle-tude® with 7 Secrets to Connect with Anyone".

Paula Wilkinson, DTM, Past District Governor, will be presenting insights on credentials, a co-effort with Donna Labatt, DTM, Past International Director, Region 3.

This is an incredible line-up!  Need we say more?

Come hear from experts. Bring all your officers, all your members, and some friends, and we'll see you there.