Midyear 2011 Evaluation Contest Results

The Midyear Conference is held once a year every October. Its main purpose is for the district officers to be able meet and give updates on the progress of District 75. Other districts only have a “midyear meeting”. But here in the Philippines, we have a “conference.”

For this years Midyear Conference one of the highlights was the Evaluation Speech Contest. This was facilitated by the Discon 2011 Evaluation Champion – me. I know. I’m so humble. ^_^ But, nevertheless, I had to pass along my crown to the new champion. There where 10 contestants, one representing each of the 10 divisions in District 75. Division A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K. Although all the contestants where good, there were three that stood out. Sadly there was one who went overtime. But then, I know the contest has been a great learning experience for everyone. For those who weren’t at the conference here are the contest results.

Evaluation Contest Results

Champion: Susanne Lauria Osorio – Division B

1^st Runner Up: Celynne Grace Echeveria – Division E

2^nd Runner Up: Jamielyn Yaneza – Division G

Discon 2012: Sama na sa Samal!

The District Conference is the biggest event of Toastmasters. It is a 3-day event that is held once a year every April. This year it was held in Manila Ocean Park. For 2012, the District officers have opted to go tropical. Why? Because the conference is to be at the beautiful island of Samal in Davao.

The 2012 Discon Chair, DTM Elisa Tay, promises to give her fellow Toastmasters an experience they will never forget. Imagine frolicking at the beach, eating delicious food and having fun with your toastmaster friends. And lest you think Discon is all fun and games, there are also educational sessions where you’ll get to hear well-known speakers from around the country. And, of course, let’s not forget the contests. There are to be three main speech competitions for Discon 2012: Table Topics, Humorous and International Prepared Speech.

Whether you are long standing member of Toastmasters or a neophyte, this is one conference you shouldn’t miss. So mark your calendars people! Here are the details for Discon 2012.

When: April 27-29, 2012

Where: Camp Holiday, Samal Island, Davao (tip: book your flights early to get a good rate)

Registration Rates:

October - December 31, 2011: P3,000

January-February 29, 2012: P3,500

March- on site: P4,000

Where to pay: BPI account number 2030-0046-07

(disclaimer: please check with Discon chair Elisa Tay to verify account number first before making a deposit)

After paying scan deposit slip and email to tmdiscon2012@gmail.com or fax to 082-228-6695.

The earlier you register, the more you save. So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on all the fun. Register today. See you in Samal!

For more info call or text Discon Chair Elisa Tay at 0917-700-8891.

Boracay Midyear Conference 2011

Every year, District 75 holds a Midyear Conference in order for district officers to get together and discuss the progress in their respective areas of responsibility. This is the “serious reason”. But frankly, I think the real reason for holding Midyear conferences is so that Toastmasters can get together and have funnnn! Yes. The once-a-year District Conference isn’t enough for us. That’s why we created another national conference. Did you know that we are the only District that holds Midyear Conferences? For other districts they just have a midyear meeting. The district officers sit down, discuss their progress and that’s it. But for us, we’ve turned it into one big party.

This years Midyear Conference was held on October 22 – 23 on the beautiful island of Boracay. The 2-day conference held at La Carmella de Boracay was packed full of activities. It was opened by a processional of the Past District Governors (PDG’s) present: PDG Elisa Tay, PDG Erni Limkakeng, PDG Mike Chua and PDG Noli Espina – who is currently a Region 14 International Director candidate. The District Officers, the Big 3, Lt Gov for Marketing Katrina “JJ” Letargo, Lt Gov for Education Grace Paras and of course, District 75 Gov Vic Navales also had their runway moments. There were also National and International Officers present such as Past International Director Johnny “Pawe” Uy, NaComPhilTo  (National Commission of Philippine Toastmasters) Chair Jeff Dy and the International Director of Region 14, Christine Temblique – who also happened to be our keynote speaker.


The conference was jam-packed with educational and fun activities. We were inspired by the words of wisdom of our keynote speaker DTM Christine Temblique as she shared her experiences as a Toastmaster and a leader. She was introduced by DTM Pawe Uy where he revealed to us her deepest and darkest secrets. That was the longest – and most humorous – introduction I’ve ever heard. If he’d joined a humorous speech contest, he would have won hands down. We were motivated by 2-time International Prepared Speech Champion Michael Del Rosario as he shared with us the 4 S’s on how to “Communicate with Power”. We were also fortunate enough to hear Life Coach and Writer Raju Mandhyan speak to us about “Industry, Innovation & Integrity for Leadership Excellence”.  

Of course we do not only focus on Educational portions. As Toastmasters we have within us a competitive spirit that cannot be extinguished. That’s why no conference can ever be complete without a contest. In last years MidCon we had the Talentadong Toastmaster, Talk N Talk and the Duet Singing Contest (all not recognized by TI by the way). This year we had a “real contest”. One that TI recognizes. We had the Evaluation Contest. It was hosted by the Discon 2011 Evaluation Champion (ahem, ahem), myself. Just trying to be factual here ^_^. For the Midyear 2011 contest results click [HERE].


Now another thing we love to do is to have fun. And that was what Fellowship night was all about. Fellowship and fun. On the night of October 22 we had Ati-atihan Night. It was complete with a festive opening number by sexy babes in bikins, fire dancing and numerous contests – all of which happened to involve alcohol. I should know. I was a contestant. Sadly I didn’t win because my competitor had a more flexible back. I guess this were we got our name – “Toast”masters.

When asked about how he found the Midyear Conference District Governor Vic Navales said, “Fantastic! I had fun and the attendance was higher than ever before. I have received a lot of good reviews from the participants. The only negative comment I got was about the weather.” Well, well. Next time lets ask our Midyear Chair to do something about the rain, shall we? DTM Vic further said, “Mhel did a great job. It was amazing, flawless. It was very organized. All details were considered and no major lapses were observed. The district council meeting was very successful. The nominated district officers were unanimously approved.”

From what I have heard from our District Governor and from other participants it seems that congratulations are in order for our Midyear Chair, Mhel Sillador. But according to Mhel, the success of the conference was not only through his own efforts. He says, “It was ok because I had a very good team. We didn’t have any problems or fights within the committee and that helped a lot.”

All in all it was one heck of a weekend. Boracay was beautiful, the venue was great and the food was delicious. Who can ask for more? Oh that’s right. I know what to ask for. An extension of the conference! I had so much fun I didn’t want to leave Boracay. It’s a good thing I have Discon 2012 in Samal Island, Davao to look forward to. For those who weren’t able to join Midyear, don’t miss Discon 2012. 

How to Improve Your Speaking Skills – Overnight! (Or can you?)

We would all like to improve our speaking skills. Why? So we can give a great presentation, impress our boss at work or break up with a boyfriend – smoothly. There is no doubt about it. Good speaking skills are an asset. But good speakers are made – not born. And most people don’t want to go through all the trouble in order to be a good speaker.

So the question is how can you improve your speaking skills overnight? The answer is – you can’t! Not really. There is no shortcut to developing one’s speaking skills. Just like get rich quick schemes won’t allow you to keep your wealth for long, quick fixes won’t do the trick. The road to becoming a great public speaker is a journey. And it is not the same for everyone. We all travel at our own pace.

They say that practice makes perfect. And that holds true when it comes to public speaking. The more you do it, the better you become. My own journey in improving my public speaking skills wasn’t easy. But it certainly was interesting. Toastmasters often pushed me to step outside my comfort zone. I learned how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I learned how to make it work.

I did many things to hasten my improvement in speaking. And I did see a difference. Only, it didn’t happen overnight. I played an active role in club meetings, gave speeches, said yes to hosting gigs and joined speech contests. And when I was able to compete and win in the 2011 Evaluation contest I felt that it was all worth it. Of course I lost more often that I won but that didn’t matter to me. Because every contest that I joined helped me improve my speaking skills in some way.

Most people only see the victories. They look at champions and think, “He’s so lucky,” or “Oh, he must be born that way.” But I’m telling you, luck often has nothing to do with success. You create your own luck in this world. If you want to win in anything you have to be willing to work hard for it. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty and roll in the mud.

Now let me ask you, do you really want to be a good speaker? Do you want to be able to sway people with your reasoning and convince them with your logic? If so, then there is one sure-fire way to do so and that is to speak. Yes. It’s that simple. Just speak. Do it as often as you can. If someone asks you to host an event, say “yes”! If someone asks you to give a presentation, say “yes”!  If your VP for Education asks you to deliver a speech next meeting, say “yes”!  There is no better way to improve as a speaker than to do just that. Speak and improvement is inevitable. 

How to close a Real Estate deal in 1 Week

Last weekend our real estate team, TrulyWealthyRealty Corp., closed another deal. How much time did we spend on the deal? 1 week. For those of you who are in the real estate business you know that closing a deal can be challenging. It requires patience and a great deal of perseverance. Being a real estate broker can be tough. There are times when we get bogus buyers, when clients don’t show up on property viewing schedules or when even sellers refuse to cooperate. In addition to that is the competition. There are a lot of realties, brokers and agents (both accredited and non-accredited) in Cagayan de Oro.

So you may be wondering: what does it take to close a real estate deal in 1 week?

First of all it is vital to recognize that there is nothing “magical” about a successful sale. A sale becomes a success if the important elements are there: hard work, perseverance and, of course, a great deal of marketing. According to marketing expert John Carlton, “Luck” often has nothing to do with success. There is nothing magical about great advertising. So the first factor is Extreme Marketing. This was first introduced to us by real estate guru Trace Trajano in his Think Rick Quick Seminar. Extreme Marketing is the act of advertising your product or service using different media, multiple times. This includes both offline and online marketing. Bandit signs, fliers, online ads and multimedia marketing are only a few examples of the types of media you can use to get your message across to your consumers. Marketing plays a vital role in the success of any business. Think about it. People won’t buy your product – not matter how great it is – if they don’t even know it exists! Look at the most successful businesses today and you will see that they do extreme marketing. Take Jollibee for example. You see their advertisements on TV, you see their billboards on street corners and you see a Jollibee branch everywhere! Heck, there’s even a Jollibee stall inside their outlets. Now that’s Extreme Marketing.

Second, identify your target market. No matter how good your marketing is, if the people you are advertising to don’t need it or can’t afford it, then you won’t make a sale. In the case of real estate, say for example, you are marketing a 5 million peso property. Who is your target market? It’s the high end buyers. Don’t go promoting your property to those looking for a house with a budget of 1-2 million. Even if they liked your property they won’t buy it because they can’t. The bottom line is to give your buyer what he wants. This is pretty basic. But you would be amazed at the number of real estate brokers and agents that violate this basic tip. They try to foist off their properties to their buyers without considering what they really want. As one real estate guru said, “It’s easier to find a house for a buyer than a buyer for a house.” So craft your ads to suit your target market.

Third, act professionally. Never make empty promises and always deliver. Trust is important in any relationship and keeping your word will instill trust. If you say you are going to meet your buyer at 9 am then be there by 8:45 am. Don’t keep your client waiting. If you say you will deliver the documents today then do it today. Being a man (or woman) of your word builds integrity and a good reputation. And that is priceless. 

A Toastmaster President’s Farewell Speech

Leadership by example, these are the keywords of a president. For the past year I have done my best to emulate these words. It wasn’t always easy. There were times when I didn’t feel like attending meetings, when I’d get frustrated with members who promised something but didn’t deliver or when I just didn’t feel like being a leader. But in the past year, I’ve learned that leaders couldn’t be ruled by their emotions. Otherwise, the club would suffer.

According to leadership expert John Maxwell, if you can’t carry the ball you won’t lead the team. There were times during my term when I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was right. But I realized that this was normal. No one starts out in something knowing everything about it. You figure it out as you go along. In a way, leading Iligan TMC has helped me find myself. And I have my mentors, the club officers and club members to thank for that. I could never have done it without them.

Being the president of Iligan TMC has taught me so many things. But if I could sum it up in four words it would be vision, attitude, generosity and commitment.

Vision. You achieve only what you can see. Good leaders create a vision and place them continually in front of the members. In my case, I didn’t have to create one. Toastmasters International did that for me. Yes. I’m talking about the Distinguished Club Program. A compelling vision gives your club direction.

Attitude. More specifically, a positive attitude. What you believe, you can achieve. A positive attitude is extremely contagious. I’ve observed that if leaders exhibit a positive attitude the members catch that and the club becomes a constructive environment that fosters growth.

Generosity. It is the job of a leader to give more than they take for the essence of leadership is in putting others first. I observed this first-hand with ACB Nene Legaspi. I noticed how she would always praise and give credit to other people rather than receive it herself. I have tried to emulate this in my own club and I am amazed at how people seem to bloom and grow right before my eyes with just a few words of praise. 

Commitment. People won’t follow uncommitted leaders. I’ve observed that if you want people to follow you, don’t tell them what to do. Show them.

Being the president of Iligan TMC has been an amazing journey. But if I could name one thing that has been instrumental to the club’s success it is teamwork. Without the support of the members of Iligan TMC and the rest of Division F none of this would be possible.

Leading such an incredible club has been a great honor for me. And I want to thank Iligan TMC for trusting me to fill this important position.

As my term ends, I promise to continue to support and serve the club in any way possible.

To the incoming set of officers, I know that with your commitment and ability, this coming year will be even better for Iligan TMC.

To the next president, ACB Mark Grageda, I trust that you will be able to lead the club well. With your skill and superb leadership I know that you will surpass all that the club has achieved in the past year and carve out a new milestone this year.

This has been a great year for Iligan Toastmasters Club. But I know that we can be better. I believe that we are only a fraction of what we can be. Of what we should be. Of what we are meant to be.

In our club, WE BREED CHAMPIONS.

Iligan Toastmasters, let’s continue soaring high!

Alessandra Victoria D. Zeta, ACB

Immediate Past President, Iligan Toastmasters Club (2010-2011)

Champion, Evaluation Speech Contest, Discon 2011

4 Secrets to Winning a Speech Contest

I have interviewed several District Conference speech champions and I have asked them the vital question, How do you win a speech contest?  What is the big secret of Discon champions that sets them apart from the rest and makes them winners? As it turns out, it’s not really a secret after all. They all had different answers. But if I could summarize them into four points, it would be this:

Secret #1: Acquire the vision. If you can’t see it in your mind, you won’t be able to manifest it in your physical world. Champions see themselves as such before they’ve even won their first trophy. It’s called visualization. The clearer you see your goal in your mind, the bigger the chance that you will realize it. So see yourself on stage delivering that winning speech

Secret #2: Learn from the experts. No matter what we want to accomplish in life, chances are that someone has already been there and done that. Winning a national competition is not rocket science. Thousands before you have already done it. It’s not easy. But it can be done. Ask for the advice of past champions. Watch winning speeches on YouTube. Read books about public speaking. Use every resource you have to your advantage.

Secret #3: Practice, practice, practice! Seeing yourself deliver that winning speech in your head is just the beginning. Nothing can still take the place of practice. Preparation is the key to success. Public speaking is all about practice. The more you practice your speech the better you’ll become. If you can, practice in front of mentors so you can get feedback afterwards. 

Winning a speech contest is often a group effort.

Secret #4: Believe. Have faith in yourself and in your abilities. According to Henry Ford, whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right. In other words what you believe shapes your reality. Our belief is the thermostat that determines what we accomplish in our life. Therefore it is not enough that we want to win. We should also EXPECT to win.