Here is Part 2 of a report from Postprandial member Ed Oberhofer. Part 1 is here.
The District 65 Fall Conference held at the Carrier Circle Holiday Inn was a full day affair. It began with breakfast, during which we learned from 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, Craig Valentine, about the art of public speaking. Craig explained how to effectively use the skills we practice in Toastmasters to become successful public speakers. At the heart of his presentation were the principles of good story telling and engaging the audience members in ways that they will find both palatable and comprehensible.
There were three educational sessions. The first session offered a diverse set of topics, which ranged from using statistics in presentations to child safety. The second session had topics on leadership and giving good evaluations. The third session was an address by Toastmasters International Director John Rich, DTM to the entire conference. John urged all of us to view that which seemingly stands in our way as the adventure we seek, rather than viewing it as an obstacle to our success.
A luncheon was held to honor the District 65 Communication and Leadership Award recipient, Cedric Bolton. Born in Mississippi, and raised in Patterson, NJ, Mr. Bolton went on to graduate from Western Washington University and teach at the University of Minnesota. He currently works in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Syracuse University. He is an accomplished poet and music producer with a long list of programs he has initiated to use his skills to give urban youth a creative outlet.
The afternoon included a District Business Meeting, followed immediately by the humorous speech contest. All of the speeches were well received and brought light-hearted laughter to the audience. Jason Gardner, a Toastmaster for just two months, carried the day with a hilarious account of a turducken (turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken) incident involving frozen poultry and a deep fat fryer.
The evening concluded with a cocktail reception and banquet. The agenda covered recognition for district work during 2007-2008, including awards for Area Governor, Division Governor, and District Toastmaster of the Year. The conference committee co-chairs were recognized for their efforts. They, in turn, recognized the committee members for their support. Our own Kate Olsen was recognized for her tremendous effort to run the registration process for the conference.
Of particular note, the Spring Conference will be close to home in Canandaigua. Twenty attendees at this conference took the opportunity to pre-register for the Spring Conference. We have been tipped off to an exciting initiative for that conference. A special educational program will include a track for business professionals who are not yet Toastmasters, so that we have the opportunity to learn alongside them while showing them the benefits of our organization. Details will follow, so start thinking about whom you would like to see invited to attend.