Toastmasters District 18 Spring Conference was yesterday in Dover, DE.  Five of us Chambersburg Toastmasters attended.  This was my first District Conference and I was absolutely impressed.  The special speakers (Ty Howard, Craig Valentine, and Charlie Wilson) entertained and educated.  They set the bar high for us as speakers in training.

Ty Howard highlights:

• Your habits define your future.
• Quit Marking Time and Move Forward–in the military, marching in place is called marking time.  Too many of us are marking time…going through the same routines each day…not moving forward.
• Set UNSTOPPABLE written goals.

Craig Valentine highlights:

• Don’t get ready, stay ready.  When opportunities present themselves we need to be prepared.
• Be crystal clear with your message…your foundational phrase must be fewer than 10 words.
• Keep learning…READ.
• When speaking, one major point and one story for every 10 minutes that you speak.  The 10 to 1 rule.

Charlie Wilson highlights:

• Growth…Stretch a little…then a little more…then a little more…etc.
• Failure…If you aren’t failing, you aren’t learning.  Extend yourself…be willing to learn.

The contests were also exciting.  Erica Goodridge rocked the Table Topics!   The speech contestants were fantastic.  They all brought their A games and were fun to watch!

My favorite part…I won Craig Valentine’s The Edge of Their Seats Storytelling Home-Study Course.  Gotta say after listening to three of the CD’s on the way home…I understand how Craig can charge $297 for the program.  The tips in the course are subtle but very effective.  Can’t wait to try them out.  Thanks, Craig!!!