Live Up To Your Potential! 

Apply to be a workshop presenter at the District 86 conference, April 21 to 23, 2023! 

The Conference Committee is accepting proposals for interactive, engaging workshops. Contribute to the Conference’s dynamic and interactive learning environment with a 45-minute virtual presentation or workshop.

Applications are due by March 31, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. The Conference Committee will notify all applicants on or before April 7, 2023.

The conference theme is Live UP to Your Potential! We encourage you to incorporate the theme into your presentation but it is not a requirement for approval. 

Some potential workshop topics include: 

• Insightful Ways to Achieve Educational Goals
• Embracing Change with a Positive Attitude
• Creating a Positive Club Environment
• Engaging Experienced Members
• Being a Toastmaster in the age of social media, influencing and technology
• Mentors Matter: The Role of a Mentoring Program
• Cross Cultural Communications
• Cross Generational Communications
• Club Community Outreach
• Strategies on Rebuilding clubs
• Hybrid meetings – Technical Challenges & How to Overcome
• Publish a book
• Start a blog
• Start your own podcast
• Start your own YouTube channel.
• Membership Challenges
• Career Development
  • Using LinkedIn for your career
  • Leveraging Toastmasters for your Career
• Pathways Topics:
  • Advanced Learning
  • Overcoming speaking Challenges
  • Pathways Tutorial, etc.
• Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility
• Mindfulness
• Change management
• Project management principles for event planning
• Your own Communication, Leadership, Professional Development or Club Excellence topic

Workshop Expectations and Information:

• All presentations are online using the Zoom platform.
• First preference will be given to those presentations that have an interactive element and encourage audience participation, not solely lecture style
• Sessions are usually 30 – 45 minutes in length, including 10 minutes of Q & A.
• Presenters are required to register for the conference.
• Presenters at the conferences are required to cover all of their expenses. No financial compensation or reimbursement of any expenses will be provided. There is no reimbursement for conference registration, equipment or materials.
• All materials, including PowerPoint slides, backgrounds and videos, must conform to the Toastmasters International Brand Manual.
• The Conference Committee will supply an approved PowerPoint slide deck with the Conference logo. No other slide decks, including ones with personal brands, are allowed.
• All slides need to be run through the PowerPoint accessibility checker.
• Presenters are expected to provide the name of an Activator to assist with their workshop. The Activator will introduce the Presenter, act as the timer for the Presenter, and assist with the Q & A. The Activator is a separate role from the Zoom Master. More information will follow.
• The Conference Committee will provide a Zoom Master.
• The Conference Committee will provide a feedback form and share all responses with the presenters.
• No hard selling, pitching or promoting yourself or your products or services is allowed during your presentation or the Conference. If you wish to learn more about advertising your product or your services, please consider becoming a Conference sponsor and email the Conference Chair, conferencechair@toastmasters86.org for more information.
• The selected presenters will be profiled on the District 86 social media platforms. Presenters will also be featured in at least one email sent to our entire D86 membership (2000+).

Persons not eligible to present Workshops:

According to Toastmasters International rules, the following individuals are not eligible to present workshops at the District Conference:

• Members competing in any Area, Division or District speech contest
• Current, nominated and any potential District Leaders: Area Directors, Division Directors and other District Leaders
• 2023 District 86 Conference Committee Members and Speech Contest Officials

ALTERNATE PRESENTERS

The Conference Committee anticipates we will receive more proposals than the number of workshop slots available. To ensure we have a quality event, and in case of a last-minute cancellation, we will contact other applicants to fill the vacant workshop slot. Alternate presenters will present their own presentation. They could be contacted up to the weekend of the Conference. Please ensure we have reliable contact information.

HANDOUTS

All handouts will be posted online to a file repository for participants to download and bring to the Conference. Handouts will be posted approximately 2 weeks prior to the event. Presenters must use Toastmaster branding guidelines on all of their materials.

PHOTOS

To avoid any delays when announcing the workshop sessions, all proposals must include a publishable headshot photo. The image should be in jpg file format and no smaller than 800 x 800 pixels. Only applications with photos will be considered. Please also download, sign, and attach the photo release form from Toastmasters International. https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/photo-release-form