Cassie Bullock
Education Chair
| Education Session Presenters |
| Education Session – 10:10 AM |
| Jason Jett |
Jason Jett
Sponsored by:
San Angelo Toastmasters
HYBRID: Bridging the Gap, Breaking Through the Log Jam
Have you or someone you love been a victim of a hybrid meeting that could use some improvements? Does the thought of a hybrid meeting, where people are both on zoom and in the room, keep you up at night? Do you want to know how to bridge the gap between your live audience and your virtual audience? Jason is here to help with the remedies you might need for a healthy hybrid meeting.
Bio:
Jason Jett is the VPE and Immediate Past President of San Angelo Toastmasters, a club that meets weekly (using a hybrid format since June 2021). By trade and education, Jason is an attorney. Since the onset of the pandemic, Jason has been organizing and hosting hybrid court sessions successfully in courts within many counties throughout Texas, without ever leaving his office. Jason’s technical background includes time working for Dell Technologies and various other technology companies prior to succumbing to a law career. Jason is a lively presenter, and he uses easy tech language (and a few pop culture references) with his audience. Jason has a passion for successfully bridging the gap between live and virtual audiences.
| Jamie Pickering & Chris Raneri |
Jamie Pickering
Chair Raneri
Sponsored by:
Highway to Excellence
Self-Leadership: Bridging the Gap
Using tenants presented in Ken Blanchard’s book, The One Minute Manger, you’ll explore what truly motivates you, identify to remove assumed constraints, and learn how to activate your points of power to Bridge the Gap!
Bio:
Jamie Pickering and Chris Raneri are no strangers to the District 25 stage having presented many times together at TLIs. It’s been a minute since they’ve presented together but feel self-leadership is of such importance that they’re getting the band back together just for you!
Both Jamie and Chris are past District Directors of D25 that share a love for our district and helping its members grow.
Their aim is to make an educational and enjoyable environment for all to learn. Even though Chris hails from outside of Texas, Jamie doesn’t hold it against him, much.
| Karen Coleman |
Karen Coleman
Sponsored by:
Panther City Toastmasters
Moving Forward in Mentoring:
Bridging the Gap between Mentor and Mentee
Moving Forward in Mentoring; focuses on the value of having a mentor who is invested in the success of our journey through the Toastmasters’ experience. Second, it will stress how vital it is to take advantage of the opportunity to be led by an advanced toastmaster. Lastly, it will describe the rewards of transforming a mentee into a mentor. There are four key questions to be discussed in detail to assist the listeners in bridging the gap from what they know into how they want to grow.
Bio:
Karen Coleman is an author, public speaker, and CEO of her Nonprofit youth leadership development company, Teen CEO. She has an inborn passion for training people to develop their potential and master the gifts and skills that are waiting to be discovered and mastered. Karen is focused on bridging the gap between what we know and what we put into practice. Moving forward in mentoring provides a panoramic vision for the journey forward in Toastmasters.
| Education Session – 11:10 AM |
| Tina Bernard |
Tina Bernard
Sponsored by:
Burleson Toastmasters Club
How Good Can It Get?
Starting today you have permission to live your very best life with intention, purpose, and excitement! Learn ways to engage in every aspect of your life by speaking truths into existence. Manifest your wildest desires through learning the power of your words, truly exercising gratitude, and owning the idea that you absolutely deserve to be happy. You are worthy. Because YES!
Bio:
Dr. Tina Bernard inspires and empowers others to embrace all that life has to offer by honoring the power of story and encouraging others to intentionally choose YES! She presents a message of overcoming obstacles and learning to trust the power of positivity with an enthusiasm, humor, and a sincerity that represents who she is. She provides real life tools that are easy to use, practical, and have meaning across multiple contexts. Her conversational style speaking evokes a call to action by encouraging others to intentionally improve their life today with simple ways to say “YES!”
| Eddie Merla |
Eddie Merla
Sponsored by:
Crefmasters Toastmasters Club
Blast Your Way to Powerful Evaluations: Seven Must Know Techniques
Evaluation skills are crucial for every Toastmaster. Every time we are called on to evaluate, we have an opportunity to educate, motivate and inspire with power. The techniques shared in this presentation will not only help your target speaker but will elevate your club’s evaluation experience while you master the valuable skill of evaluation.
Bio:
Eddie Merla, DTM, has had the unique opportunity of evaluating 7 past World Champions of Public Speaking in person. Recently, in Spring 2022, he won the District Evaluation contest in District 25. Eddie has been in Toastmasters for 20 years, serving as a District Governor, achieving 3 DTMs and completing Level 5 in two separate pathway programs. Eddie is also one of the founders of the Master Evaluators Toastmasters club in District 56 (Houston).
| Patty Wyatt and Jon Lukacher |
Patty Wyatt
Jon Lukacher
Sponsored by:
Crefmasters Toastmasters Club
Building an Accountability Structure for Success
We will identify the difference in a mentor and an accountability partner, understand the benefits of an accountability partner and how to choose one. Participants will learn how to find an accountability partner, establish the framework of the relationship, manage expectations and implement accountability measures. We also will do breakouts and debriefing on basic scenarios that an accountability system may work through.
Bio:
Patty Wyatt has been a member of Toastmasters for four years [by November]. She is the Keller Communicators Club President, Area E53 Director and the winner of the most recent District 25 International Speech Contest. She has worked for the Texas Society of CPAs for 35 years.
Jon Lukacher has been with Toastmasters for 12 years. He is currently a member of Airport Toastmasters. Jon credits Toastmasters with expanding his career opportunities and giving him the ability to practice public speaking in a safe place. A published author, Jon’s a copywriter and teaches people how to engage audiences through storytelling.
Patty and Jon bonded together over a mutual respect during their competition at the district-level international speech contest. They became accountability partners in an organic manner by sharing their journeys through self-image reflection, confidence building and positive affirmation and motivating one another to become better communicators and public speakers.
| Education Session – 1:25 PM |
| Amy Shirley |
Amy Shirley
Sponsored by:
Burleson Toastmasters Club
Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
If you’re putting yourself out there in the world, you’re bound to receive negative criticism at some point. Whether it’s in the form of someone who didn’t like your presentation, mean comments on content you created, or well-meaning loved ones who disapprove of your choices, those remarks can feel like a sucker-punch to the gut. In this lighthearted presentation, learn how to keep Negative Nancys and trolls from getting under your skin, silence your inner Karen, and reach for the stars with confidence and grace.
Bio:
Amy Shirley has been a certified coach for two decades, working with small business owners and corporate teams alike in the areas of sales, leadership, and business growth before pivoting in 2019 to focus on her passion—helping people with autoimmune and other chronic illnesses to have less pain, more energy, and more joy so they can get back to living life on their terms, not their illness’. She presents messages of hope and healing centered around creating your best life and overcoming obstacles by harnessing the power of your body’s most powerful organ—the mind! —to improve productivity, positivity, and health using real world tools that are simple and easy to apply. All while she inspires and empowers others to make healthy choices that are simple, delicious, and fun. Want an anti-inflammatory green smoothie that tastes like your favorite Girl Scout cookies? Ask her, she’s got you covered!
| Jim Jameson |
Jim Jameson
Sponsored by:
Crefmasters Toastmasters Club
Toastmasters and The Meaning of Life
I will introduce three models to illustrate motivations, needs, and meaning. The goal is to first help people understand what ‘meaning’ is to them, and how they can find meaningful experiences through Toastmasters. This may enable us to help others draw their bridges and empower their legacy as they find meaning in life!
Bio:
Jim Jameson first joined Toastmasters in 1997 in a newly formed company club in Virginia, where he served as charter President. His most recent career was in the field of Organizational Effectiveness and Change, and his Toastmasters experience in several clubs has contributed to his success in that profession. He currently volunteers as program coordinator for the DFW Organization Development Network, a professional association.
After moving to Keller in 2006 and retiring in 2017 Jim has been an active member of Keller Communicators, where he is currently Vice President of Education. He is also currently serving as the D25 Pathways Coordinator. He enjoys training, and he frequently presents Pathways related programs at TLI and in clubs.
| Michelle Debenport & Kim Story |
Michelle Debenport
Kim Story
Sponsored by:
Arlington Nooners Toastmasters Club
Into The Comedy Zone
While attending the D25 Spring ’22 Conference, Michelle & Kim realized they had more than just Toastmasters in common. A decade apart, they had both studied stand-up comedy with Dean Lewis. From this realization, a vision was born. A uniting of two different comedic styles and a desire to share these principles of comedy to help their fellow Toastmasters take their speaking to the next level. Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone and into the Comedy Zone? Bridge the gap between average presentations and excellent, entertaining presentations that get more callbacks.
Bio:
Michelle is an energetic encourager and visionary living out her calling to help others bring their God-given dreams to life. She started a business coaching service in 2020 after years of feeling stuck and discouraged in pursuit of her purpose. Once she found the keys to unlock her purpose and full potential, she began coaching other Kingdom-minded entrepreneurs — helping them get unstuck, find clarity and confidence in their calling, and build the life and business of their dreams.
Public speaking has always been a passion for Kim. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she received her degree in Speech Communication, then went on to teach Public Speaking as a graduate student at Wake Forest. She has performed stand-up comedy at venues such as the Addison Improv, Backdoor Comedy club, and Hyenas. Since joining Toastmasters in 2014, she has used her speaking expertise to compete in district contests and mentor fellow members. Her career in private education and as a presenter has allowed her to become not only a master of speechcraft, but a teacher of it. Her motto is “be the change you wish to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi and she truly believes that “you can have everything you want in life, if you just help enough other people get what they want” Zig Ziglar.
| Education Session – 2:25 PM |
| Gregory Rutledge |
Gregory Rutledge
Sponsored by:
Las Colinas Professionals
What to do in the AFTERMATH of disappointment
Disappointment is all too familiar in recent years but it’s not a new thing, it is a part of the human experience. What is less common is a viable solution to apply afterwards. Find out the 6 steps to bouncing back from disappointment that have been used by countless others for years with 100% success rate. Those odds are never disappointing. Time to stop gambling with your future and move forward the right way!
Bio:
Gregory Rutledge; Father of 5 adult children, UX Designer at Adobe, Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker and host of the Question Everything podcast, came to Toastmasters for the food and stayed for the growth because it was not happening around his midsection!
Gregory will teach you a failsafe method for bouncing back from disappointment that has worked for countless others throughout history. He will share his experience, strength and hope in the form of actionable tips to help enrich the quality of your life and those around you.
| Sarfaraz Nazir |
Sarfaraz Nazir
Sponsored by:
Skymasters Club
How to Design, Develop, and Deliver Powerful, Polished Presentations.
Do you yearn to walk on to a platform and quickly “wow” the audience? This education session will help you build that confidence. It covers winning and proven tools, tips, and techniques designed to add the “Power of Wow” to the content and delivery of your presentation, Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced speaker, you’ll find a tip or two or more to make your presentations more impressive, effective, and memorable.
Bio:
Sarfaraz Nazir is a 5-time DTM and a 3-time World Championship of Public Speaking Semifinalist where he took 2nd place twice; representing D25, he came in 2nd to Ed Tate, 2000 WCPS. He has presented at major corporations, associations, and institutions like Lockheed Martin, Southwestern Bell, Institute of Industrial Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and PhD students at Texas A&M University.
With an MBA and a BS in Industrial Engineering, he has taught at Tarrant County College and UTA.
A Toastmaster since 1993, he was a speaker at the Toastmasters International annual convention in San Diego. He received the D25 Exemplary Service Award, D25 Outstanding Club President award, and he was named the D25 Toastmaster of the Year.
He received Professional Excellence award from the American Society for Training and Development. He is the co-author of Go Ahead and Laugh: A Serious Guide to Speaking with Humor.
| Jai Erwin |
Jai Erwin
Sponsored by:
Heart of Texas Bridge Gappers
FreeToastHost Custom Webpage Design for Beginners
Does your club know how to create webpages on your FreeToastHost website? Does that itty-bitty teeny tiny screen make it hard for you? Do you think that you cannot create web pages? Well, this session is for you!
This session is designed to help non-webpage developers learn simple tricks that will allow them to create new pages for their club’s website.
(It is assumed you will have some familiarity with the Admin Console.)
Bio:
Jai is a certified Project Management Professional. He works in the IT department for a technical college that has campuses across the State of Texas. He was recently elected to serve a two-year term as the Vice President of Operations and Support for the Project Management Institute Dallas Chapter. He joined Toastmasters in April 2021, and is the Area 34 Director for District 25, the President of Centex Clearly Speaking in Waco, and serving his second term as the VPPR for PMI Dallas Toastmasters.