Excellence in Education and Training

by

The start of the Toastmasters year provided the perfect opportunity to deliver online training for the new District Leaders. Over the course of a full day and follow up Division Director and Area Directors sessions, I can report 100% of our District Leaders have been trained, which is fantastic.

The support provided has allowed our Divisions and Areas to deliver the club officer training. With the online environment, the Divisions pooled resources to offer training. During the month of July, Toastmasters Leadership Institutes and Club Officer Training have been conducted. With over 725 officers trained so far, what a great start. There is still time for training during August, and targeted training session will become available. There are already plenty of clubs that have had their seven club officers trained and a set of club officer pins will be coming your way.

Program Quality Team 2020/21

The District Webinar series will commence on 2 August. Leading on this is Program Quality Webinar Manager, Andy Hessey, DTM. There are up and coming webinars providing personal development, alongside Toastmasters learning and a key session on running contests. Keep an eye on the District 91 website for details, and on our social media channels.

This year we are re-booting the Trainers Bureau, under the leadership of Trainers Bureau Manager, Sam Warner, DTM. There will be an update page on the District 91 website, providing details of trainers that clubs can request come and deliver training on Toastmasters areas, such as evaluations and table topics, sitting alongside the skills of mentoring and club development.

The Conference Review Committee Chair, Liz Hobbs, DTM, is undertaking a review of conferences for District 91. This is a unique opportunity, factoring in the lessons learnt from switching from an in-person to an online conference which occurred in 2020. It allows for the supportive tools to be put in place and to build on the last six years’ worth of knowledge and experience. 2021 is due to be held in London, more to follow on the bidding process for those wanting to run this conference.

Pathways

Club officers have been busy writing the success plan for 2020/21. The Distinguished Club Program has changed to reflect the education program is Pathways all the way. As members, take the time to check your educational goals for the year ahead, are you aiming to complete your first Path? Consider the steps along the way and how members of your club can assist you in achieving your goal. For those new to the Base Camp Manager role, there will be webinars scheduled for you too.

With international travel paused for many of us, travel the global virtually. Visit online clubs and expand your Toastmasters experience, from Auckland to Karachi, Cape Town to Barcelona, Helsinki to Cardiff, Dublin to Calgary. Happy travels.

Helena Boden-Brewer

Program Quality Director

Welcome 2020-2021

by

Thank you for the trust you placed in me in May. I joined the organisation in 2013 out of sheer puzzlement hearing a group meeting in my workplace that kept clapping and cheering at lunchtime. It intrigued me!

I will also remember Linda, the first person that talked to me about Toastmasters and how it could benefit me as an individual and the organisation at large.

What I did not know then were the tremendous opportunities Toastmasters brings to its members:

  • Practice Public Speaking
  • Develop and Practice Leadership Skills
  • Gain confidence in any situation
  • Master the elevator speech
  • And the list goes on …

In my 7+ years as a member, I discovered or perhaps re-discovered, the power of conversation, the power of words and the power of human interaction. Whether a member, Club Leader or District Officer, we are all volunteers, spending our precious time improving our own skills but also supporting others in doing the same.

Cherish the feedback, praise and celebration you receive at Club meetings.

We have a tremendous District, with deep skills in pretty much any domain that I can think of, this makes us successful, this makes us who we are, tackling challenges one after the other.

This year marks the beginning of Pathways becoming our only and future-looking education programme, allowing our members to develop more skills than ever before. Choose a path and progress to the next level, you will be transformed!

As you prepare for your next meeting, ask yourself … how can I bring this unique experience to others? Will this meeting be the best it can be?

Ask colleagues, friends and acquaintances to attend your next meeting, I am sure they will gain a unique perspective and perhaps even think about joining your Club! Now is the time to reach out and share our experience.

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting, and always remember:

“We learn best in moments of enjoyment”
Ralph C. Smedley

A busy year

by

The new Toastmasters year provides all members with the opportunity to review their personal goals for the year ahead. Already there is interest in establishing new Toastmasters clubs across the District. With many members seeking to complete their Distinguished Toastmasters Award by June 2020, there is support for club sponsors, mentors and coaches and running speechcraft, speaker to trainer and youth leadership workshops for High-Performance Leadership (HPL) awards.

A busy year ahead beckons.
To support all the activity, it’s all about teamwork. With the backing of the District Director, Florian Bay and Program Quality Director, Arnaud Sartre, this year, I will be assisted by Club Extension Chair, Bob Bowes and Member Retention Chair, Seema Menon. With the addition of each Division providing a nominated representative to service on the Club Extension Committee.

With this experienced team, members wishing to set up a demonstration meeting to set up new clubs, help is available. Each division has expressed a projected level of new club activity, there may well be an opportunity to be involved, right on your doorstep. There are plenty of occasions for members to volunteer to serve to support and learn more about themselves along the way. Help is at hand. The District will provide you with a demonstration box to assist you in running the meeting. Along with volunteers to assist with the running of the meeting too.

Many clubs organise membership drives, during the year. Interest in hosting an Open House Meeting for this year has already begun. You may find members wishing to manage this event as their HPL project. The District will support your club when you undertake this activity. There is an open house box of goodies too.
For your events, you are not alone. Established members are often seeking openings both inside and outside their own clubs. Their experience is invaluable; from running advanced club meetings, organising club, area and division events, Toastmaster specific training sessions and to cutting-edge and forward-thinking workshops on speech and leadership. The great gift of being a member of Toastmasters is when you ask for help, it will be there. If you are hosting an event and seeking support, ask for help.

Member retention will be a key focus this year. Our District is ahead of the curve in putting in place provision for membership numbers before this becomes an aspect of the Distinguished Club Program. To encourage our clubs this year, there is a new incentive this year of 10+. This award will be given to clubs that grow from their membership base number as of 1 July 2019, to 10+ members by 30 June 2020. The 10+ is in addition to the member retention element to the pizza challenge.

I am looking forward to serving all our members and driving the Club Extension Committee. It’s going to be a fantastic year ahead.

Imagine this

by

A keen individual, let’s call her Carmen, has heard about Toastmasters from a friend and tries to contact her local club via the internet. A few days go by and she hasn’t heard back, so she then picks up the phone to call. Because Carmen is super keen, she manages to get through to a previous committee member who gives her the information required for your next club meeting.

David, on the other hand, has worked up the courage to explore Toastmasters, after hearing about it from his elder brother for years. He hears nothing back and does not pursue things further. Does any of this sound familiar? Every year, between May to July, we go through a leadership transition period in our club’s and Districts. Sometimes it takes a while to for handovers to complete. Toastmasters International remains one of the primary search tools for people looking for their local club. Are the contact details in club central current? How long does it take for your club to respond to an enquiry?

Over the last few months, we’ve all experienced a new member experience to anything ever before. With most of our clubs adopting virtual meetings, our ‘network break’ may not feel the same. In some cases, it’s been a lifeline for long-standing members to get involved as it may be easier for them to dial in and not have to worry about childcare or a commute. Some may wish to stay connected to the club but opt for shorter meetings due to the other screen time they have.

As you plan as far as you can for your club’s success this year, I’d invite you to engage all your members in feedback. This could be by running a survey or facilitating one meeting just to ‘Moments of Truth’ – a way where all members can get involved in quite literally doing an MOT of the club.

Finally, we have a number of clubs in our midst this year that could genuinely do with some additional support. To that end, I have appointed a Club Retention Committee charged with finding and matching appropriate ‘Club Coaches’ to such clubs. Could this be you? More information can be found here: You are invited to get in touch to support the members of these clubs get back on track

I wish you a fantastic start to the 2020-2021 Toastmasters year and every success with your personal educational goals this term.

High Impact Online

by

How to look and sound professional in an online world

Online communication is now a way of life, even when we return to what was considered “normal”. The world has changed and there will be some sharp changes in the workplace. Every interaction is a moment of truth, and leaves an impression, whether in person or on-line.

This webinar will be focusing on looking professional on camera and communicating with impact and authority, so that your first, second and last impressions is a positive experience.

We will look at three essential elements of online communication to develop an online presence to maximise the impact:

Being professional and developing an impactful online presence will help you stand out positively, increase visibility and demonstrate professionalism to your manager, your customers and your peers

It could be the difference between:

  • Winning or losing business
  • Being promoted or being passed over
  • Keeping a job or being made redundant

There are two scheduled dates to choose from

Friday 19th June at 8 pm – Register now

Sunday 21st June at 6 pm – Register now