Meetings

During July & August, we will meet at 6:30pm-9pm every other Thursday at Ruby Tuesday on Erie Blvd. East in DeWitt. See our Club Calendar for our July & August summer schedule! For more information and directions, look under the Main Menu in the left column or contact our president Sean Becker (president@estm.freetoasthost.info) or our V.P. of Education, Judi Dixon (689-9082, education@estm.freetoasthost.info).  In September, we will resume our weekly meetings.

Our Newsletters

For the latest news from Empire Statesmen Toastmasters including pictures of our newest members, see our Newsletters.

ESTM Earns President's Distinguished Club Status

In May 2009, Empire Statesmen Toastmasters achieved ten out of ten goals!  When a Toastmasters club earns seven of ten goals, they are a Select Distinguished Club, and achieving nine out of ten goals is known as a President's Distinguished Club.  Goals include: at least four members completing 10 Competent Communicator speeches; members  achieving Advanced Communicator and Competent Leadership goals; Executive Committee members attending officer training; and club membership growth requirements.

The fiscal year ends in June, and we earned the President's Distinguished Club award almost two months earlier than we did last year! This makes Empire Statesmen the first club in District 65 to meet the goals for President's Distinguished and we also far exceeded membership growth goals with 15 new members! Congratulations to all our club members for their achievement.

In June 2008, District 65 had only four clubs out of 100 that achieved all ten goals (curiously, one from each division under District 65):

• Empire Statesmen, Syracuse, Eastern Division (33 clubs)
  
• Postprandial, Rochester, Central Division (27 clubs)
  
• Cayuga Club, Ithaca, Southern Division (21 clubs)
  
• Speakeasy Club, Orchard Park, Western Division (19 clubs)
  

Welcome New Empire Statesmen Toastmasters!

Empire Statesmen Toastmasters Club (ESTM) is a Toastmasters International (TI) club founded in 1954. Our meetings take place in Syracuse, NY, and we are part of District 65 Toastmasters. District 65 had only five other clubs when ESTM was founded in 1954. Today it has over 100 clubs divided into four divisions and 19 areas (July 2008).

Our meetings are professionally organized, well-conducted, well-attended. We are a friendly, warm, welcoming club. Guests are always welcome to visit our meetings, where, quite often, many a speech is skillfully delivered with ease, comfort, and humor, in a supportive social environment.

We are proud to have amongst our members many excellent seasoned public speakers with years of experience, each with an amazing array of skills. We also have many recent members with varying levels of skill (that are fast improving). Our new members this fiscal year include:

Sam Mehta Receives Pat Panfile-Ben Luce Award!

Congratulations to Sam Mehta, 2009 recipient of the Pat Panfile-Ben Luce Award, and considered by many to be the most prestigious award given to a Toastmaster in District 65. 

The award is generally given to a Toastmaster who has shown exemplary leadership in organizing, communicating, executing, and spreading the benefits of the Toastmasters program, both within as well as outside the Toastmasters organization. In addition, the award recipient must demonstrate excellent communication skills in all aspects of the Toastmasters program.

The Ben Luce award was first given posthumously to the widow of Mr. Ben Luce, DTM, PDG in 1975. A year later in 1976, the Ben Luce award was given to Mr. Pat Panfile, DTM, PDG, PID, PIP. In 2005, it was renamed the Pat Panfile-Ben Luce award. To date, 34 Toastmasters have earned this prestigious award, of which 23 are men and 11 women. A great majority of the recipients are either DTMs or Past District Governors, or both. Some have even achieved Distinguished District Governor status. The year 1998 was the only year that this award was not given.  Besides Sam Mehta, six other members of Empire Statesmen have earned this award.

Leadership

Our members often step up to the challenges of high office leadership positions in Toastmasters International ranks. We have recently had four members in a role above club level:

• Sean Becker: 2009-2010 Area 7 Governor
• Sam Mehta: 2007-2008 District 65 Immediate Past District Governor; 97 clubs
  
• Ed Parmenter: 2007-2008 District 65 Sergeant at Arms
• Ruth Parmenter: 2007-2008 Area 12 Governor (seven clubs)

We have also had four members that took roles above club level, most significantly, at the District level:

• Sam Mehta: 2006-2007 District 65 Governor; 93 clubs
• Beth Miller: 2006-2007 District 65 Sergeant at Arms
  
• Ruth Parmenter: 2006-2007 Area 7 Governor (six clubs)
  
• Ed Parmenter: 2006-2007 Area 13 Governor (five clubs)
  

Our members also often receive numerous awards in various Toastmaster public speaking contests.

• Sam Mehta: Winner, 2009 Eastern Division Speech Contest
• Sean Becker: Second Place, 2009 Eastern Division Evaluation Contest
• Sam Mehta: Winner, Spring 2009 Area 7 Speech Contest
• Sean Becker: Winner, Spring 2009 Area 7 Evaluation Contest
  
• Glenn Allen: Second Place, District 65 Humorous Speech Contest
• Glenn Allen: Winner, Eastern Division Humorous Speech Contest
• Glenn Allen: Winner, Fall 2008 Area 7 Humorous Speech Contest
• Glenn Allen: Winner, Fall 2008 Area 7 Table Topics Contest
• Carlotta Brown: Winner, Spring 2008 Area 7 Speech Contest

Toastmasters International

Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped millions of men and women become more confident in front of an audience. Our network of clubs and their learn-by-doing program are sure to help you become a better speaker and leader. Why pay thousands of dollars for a seminar when you can join a Toastmasters club for a fraction of the cost and have fun in the process?

Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations, and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

Don’t worry! Everyone in a Toastmasters club was once at the level you are now. The environment is friendly and supportive, and the self-paced program allows you to build confidence with each speaking assignment. And you’ll love the applause! Constructive evaluation is the heart of the Toastmasters program. Each time you give a prepared speech, an evaluator will point out strengths and suggest improvements. At first you’ll be applauded for your effort; later you’ll be applauded for your skill.

You won’t regret it. Toastmasters currently has more than 200,000 members in 80 countries. Our club is just one of the more than 10,000 clubs located around the world. For our meeting information, please see our directions page.

More About Toastmasters...