Updates & Posts

September Update and review of the TMI Convention and District Leader Training, from Jean Gamester, District 91 Director, 2015-16

It is a fact that serving as a district leader in Toastmasters is a lot of hard work.

There are many consolations though. For example Vanessa King, Dorothea Stuart and I got to attend district leader training and the international convention in Las Vegas this month.

At the convention, there are elections for board members. All of our clubs have a vote and we were carrying the proxies for the 100 or so clubs in our district who assigned those proxies to us. And because we wanted to make the best possible decisions on behalf of our clubs, we found ourselves conducting around twenty five fifteen minute interviews with board candidates.

Through all of those interviews, a couple of key themes came to light for me;

Let’s start with this one. Dorothea had a killer question on international tax. It became clear that none of the candidates (unless they were tax lawyers) would be able to answer the question perfectly – it was way too complicated a question for an ordinary mortal. It also became clear that the best candidates were the ones who listened attentively, said something like they hadn’t been aware of the issue that Dorothea raised and said that if they got onto the board, they would do what they could to raise awareness. And the weaker candidates would attempt to answer the question like a table topic – just say something, anything and give the impression that you know something about this. It came down to the question of integrity – am I going to say anything to get elected, or am I going to be honest about what I don’t know?

The next one was this. My question was about what challenge they would seek to address when they were on the board. Now I have discovered that there is a fairly standard answer to this question, which goes something like this. “I don’t know which committee I am going to be part of when I get elected so I don’t know which issues I will get to address”. I have to admit I have been a bit frustrated with this – if they don’t know what they want to do, why should we vote for them to be on a board that leads 330,000 members in 135 countries around the world?

I chatted with other people at the convention about this to try to get my brain around this, and then International President Mohammed Murad said something that helped me work it out. Actually, the best leaders are the ones who have the respect for their colleagues to come to the table with an open mind and hear what they have to say, who were prepared to collaborate with them to serve our members with excellence. It wasn’t the people who dominated with the best ideas who we needed to be our leaders, but those people who could work with others to draw out the best ideas and hold the organisation to account to make them work.

It was fortunate then, that Vanessa’s question was all about how they would work with the board as a team – it turned out that that was the most important question of all.

So perhaps, when we are next thinking about your next club officer meeting, or area council, or other group, let’s think not on our own agenda and passions, but on how we can work with the others and hear what they have to say, so we can serve our members together.

Have an amazing September, see you in October!

Jean

Jean Gamester, District 91 Director, 2015-16

From Vanessa King, D91 Program Quality Director

Toastmasters International Convention, Las Vegas, August 2015

Every year in August, Toastmasters from around the world gather for the International Convention. This year it was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m going to try and give you a flavour of what International Convention is like, which might explain why it’s taken me the best part of two weeks to get over it…

Convention for the District Leadership Team actually starts three days before everyone else. On the Sunday we interviewed most of the candidates standing for election to the International Board of Directors. This is a long session of discussion and evaluation of the candidates, followed by analysis at dinner afterwards. A significant part of the decision-making process takes place at these interviews, at least for me, so they’re really important in helping us decide who to vote for on behalf of our members.

District Leader Training

The following two days were training for District Leadership Teams from all over the world, approximately 300 people. We covered topics ranging from organisational updates, finance and delegation, through to team dynamics, creating a culture of success and sharing challenges with other leaders. The opportunity to meet other leaders, gather ideas and share success is incredibly valuable and time very well spent. We also have the chance to renew friends and meet new people, of course. The training is lead by the Region Advisors, experienced Toastmasters appointed by the Board of Directors to support the districts in supporting our clubs.

Training is very tiring, as it runs from 8-4:30 both days, and there is work to do over dinner as well. There’s not much time to catch your breath before the Convention itself gets underway. Seemingly overnight, long empty halls ring with the voices of over 2,000 Toastmasters…

Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony included the parade of flags. I actually find this quite moving, as it’s a visual display of just how far across the world the Toastmasters organisation has spread. In the words of founder Dr. Ralph Smedley:

“Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual, we work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills to help others.”

It’s very exciting to be part of a movement that changes lives, wherever they may be.

Of course, no stage in Las Vegas would be complete without an appearance from The King, Elvis Presley…

And the teams from Districts 71 and 91 managed to get together for a group photograph.

Contests

Contests are an important part of the International Convention. The stages were set and filled with a record 97 district finalists from across the world…

And here’s highlights from the winning speech by Mohammed Qahtani, the World Champion of Public Speaking 2015.

Superb Keynote Speakers

A highlight for me was listening to the recipient of the Golden Gavel Award, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. He took us on his journey from university lecturer in Bangladesh to Banker to the Poor. His vision of the future as one with zero poverty and zero unemployment is not only achievable but mandatory and I am inspired to find out more about his vision. Other speakers included Patricia Fripp, Darren Lacroix, International President Mohammed Murad, author and comedian Judy Carter, entrepreneur and broadcaster Alex Malley and inspirational businesswoman Marilyn Tam.

Did I mention long halls and Toastmasters from all over the world?

The Business Meeting

International Convention isn’t all fun, however. The Business Meeting is where the serious business of setting the direction of our organisation for the next year takes place. The fact that we all got up and had a bit of a dance to Lionel Richie, Elvis and others is neither here nor there. We discharged our duties after a four-hour meeting and elected the incoming Board of Directors. we extend many congratulations to our own past District Governor Teresa Dukes, who was elected International Director for Region 11. Don’t miss her two-minute speech!

Recognition and Awards

The efforts of our members are recognised at the International Convention. I felt very excited to walk out on stage and be presented with awards, but mostly I felt proud to have been able to play my part in helping our members achieve their personal awards. That’s what the awards really mean. Sometimes we can get carried away with numbers and positions on dashboards, but we remember that our numbers represent members and over 3,000 men and women growing and developing themselves.So these awards are for you, guys! Congratulations on being part of a superb district, Number 3 in the world in fact!

President’s Inauguration Celebration

The four days of Convention were closed in style, with a wonderful dinner and ball. Of course there were speeches, but also lots of dancing and good food. There was even a craic at the end of the evening, in a room somewhere off the main ballroom. The Americans called it a sing-along, but it was a touch of Ireland presided over by Past International President Ted Corcoran.

Washington, 2016

The next International Convention will be held in Washington, D.C. Will you be there?