What is LACE?

Leadership And Communication Experience (LACE) started in Founders District as an enhancement to the district officer training.  While serving as Founder's District LGET, Lou Ann Frederick, DTM, approached District Governor Gladys Flint, DTM, and offered her idea for an event that would give members leadership and communication enhancement workshops in addition to quality officer training.  The driving inspiration was to offer education in an informal environment at a low cost to the members.  The first LACE event was hosted in 1993 at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

Master the Skills of Being a Toastmasters Evaluator and You will be a Great Conversationalist Too!

         Have you ever wondered what are the value of the skills you are learning as a Toastmasters Evaluator?  As I watched the TEDx Talk of Celeste Headlee, the value of the skills learned in serving as an Evaluator in Toastmasters became apparent! Celeste is an exceptional radio host and writer.  In her TEDx talk, she shares from her experiences leading hundreds of interviews to identify "10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation." These are her ten points from the perspective of a Toastmaster.  (CH= she said it.  TM= application to TM Evaluations.) Master any one of these and you will be a great conversationalist and a great evaluator. However, note that Number 9 is the most important way to connect with people, in evaluations and in conversations. 

Let's start with number one.....

• 1    Be present.

CH: Don’t multitask, even in your head. Be in the moment.
TM: Let the message be the speaker’s not yours.  Focus on the speakers’ message and delivery for the evaluation.

LACE provides Club Officer and Leadership Training

We are excited for the next LACE events! January 9, 2016 at Chapman University in Orange and January 30, 2016 at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena.

 YOU CAN REGISTER NOW! HERE

 As an officer of a club in Founders District, YOU will have the opportunity to network with like-minded and experienced officers during the various sessions throughout the day. Even if you have been to officers training before, you will be glad you attended because you will learn practical and helpful tips that you didn't know before. New and qualified presenters will share from their wisdom and engage the entire audience to identify useful strategies to improve your club environment. There is an Advanced Presidents Training, and Advanced Vice President of Education Training for those who have served and attended training for more than a full year.

Even if you are not currently an officer, learn the skills of the role you want to play next, or think you might want to try.

 There are featured workshops for everyone, and a special keynote presenter at each event.

 Chapman University LACE will host Ricky Powell, DTM, Actor, Author and Professional Speaker, for "Happiness: The Secret Sauce for True Success. Learn more about Ricky. Sign up for his daily dose of happiness and inspiration. Every day has a treasured tidbit of wisdom that will cause you to smile and have a happy day! His breakout session will enlighten you on "How to Create Your Own 'Successponential' Empire in the Next 30 Days" Check him out!

 Caltech LACE will host Judy Carter, Author, Speaker and Coach for her presentation, "Turning your mess into a MESSage". Judy understands the value of using daily experiences, even failures and turning them into a powerful message. Her humorous manner and insightful strategies will change how you tell stories in your next speech! Her session starts at 8 am and you won't want to miss it! She will also share in the breakout workshop, "Finding Extraordinary Stories in Ordinary Days".

 Watch for more LACE highlights in blog posts.

Chapman University January 9 KEYNOTE PRESENTER Ricky Powell

You may have seen Ricky in 1972 in this L'Eggo My Eggo commercial (see below) or a Bewitched episode or two.  On January 9, 2016, you can see him live and in person, and learn from his amazing life experiences at Chapman University as our Keynote Speaker!  Get there before 8 am so you won't miss a moment!

Ricky knows happiness and he will demonstrate to you how when we are happy first success follows.

During this talk, you will learn Ricky's

• Top 3 skills for discovering happiness instantly
• How to transform your happiness into everlasting success
• Why it's important to stay positively focused
• And much more......

Others are talking about Ricky.........

"Ricky Powell is the man!  A passionate and captivating entertainer and an ambassador of happiness.  He lights up the stage and engages his audience with a unique blend of wit and wisdom.  Ricky's message is both powerful and positive and he offers simple, real-world advice for living the happiest life possible.  If you have to scale a barbed wire fence to see him in action, I promise you, it'll be worth it."

                                - Jenna McCarthy, Author and TED Speaker

"I met Ricky in 2006 when I started at NBC and his positive energy and passion for life go me through some tough times at NBC."

                                 - Nicole Silveira, Program Executive 

After you attend his session, tell us what you would say about Ricky!

LACE Featured Workshop - Discover EMPOWERMENT

Ever wonder what EMPOWERMENT really means?

Join DTM Kevin Graham's session on January 9 at Chapman or January 30 at Caltech, Discover EMPOWERMENT, as he empowers you for speaking success.   His session is in the afternoon, starting at 2:50pm.  You don't want to miss it!

YOU will understand why YOUR vision of the future and yourself is so important to your future outcomes!

YOU will see a path to take your speaker journey to new heights!

Kevin has worked with countless professionals to connect and grow in the professional speaking business. As Dr. Martin Luther King once said: "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Well, you've already taken the first step by joining Toastmasters, so attend this session… you'll discover empowerment and the rest of the staircase will start to come into focus. Onward and upward.

Kevin Graham is a returning presenter to LACE.  Kevin has served as Past President of Greater Los Angeles Chapter of National Speakers Association, and in many leading roles within Toastmasters, namely Former Founder’s District New Club Chair Past Division G Governor, President’s Distinguished Past Area G1 Governor, President’s Distinguished Past President, Saddleback Sunrise Speakers, President’s Distinguished.

A little know fact about Kevin, he is a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) State Referee and officiates dozens of soccer games every month amateur, scholastic, collegiate, and youth programs across the southland.

Featured Workshop - Professional Etiquette Basics

Knowing etiquette gives you confidence!

We can greatly benefit by re-examining traditional "good manners" as they apply to our contemporary lives, in Toastmasters, and even our work world.  Who you are shows how you behave in private as well as in public, and how you appear to others.  How you look, talk, walk, sit, stand, eat and express your feelings will speak volumes about who you really are.

Soft skills are extremely important and gives you the competitive edge in all areas of your life.

The Toastmasters mission is to empower individuals to be more effective communicators and leaders.  Add professional and proper Etiquette and you thrive!

Nancy Hoogenboom is the Founder and President of Daily Etiquette. Nancy brings practical solutions for everyday living and helps clients to feel more confident in business and social settings.  She brings experience as an Etiquette advisor working with individuals and teams to develop soft skills to gain that competitive edge.  

Nancy is a new LACE presenter, so be sure to fill out the Evaluation Form to share your thoughts about her presentation.  On January 9 at Chapman University, her session starts at 9:10 am, right after the Keynote!

3 Reasons To Visit this Blog Regularly

LACE happens twice a year at two locations each January and each June.  Whether your club officer roles have a tenure of 6 months or one year, all officers should attend LACE training each January and each June.  When 100% of your officers are trained at LACE, your entire club members receive $5 off the next LACE training tuition!

So why visit this blog more than twice a year?