The Year in Review

These are my last few words as Club Growth Director. So let’s review the year … 

At the time of writing this article, we have chartered 14 Clubs, and have just welcomed HCL UK Toastmasters Club in J21. Between now and the end of June, we may even have 1 additional Club, fingers crossed!

We also had to say goodbye to 6 Clubs throughout the year. This is never the outcome we wish for the members of these Clubs, but this is part of the lifecycle. 

We have an incredible pipeline of new Clubs coming up in the next few months, from Southern Wales to the South East and London. 

We have celebrated 2 rounds of the Pizza Challenge, and I can’t wait to see the launch of the new and improved award later on in the summer.

We had 3 membership campaigns and rewarded:

  • 18 Clubs with the Smedley Award
  • 35 Clubs with the Talk Up Toastmasters Award (if you haven’t yet received the pack of Pathways ribbons as promised, it will be with you soon)
  • And we are on course for 40+ Clubs being awarded the Beat The Clock Award!

We also recognised many members at conference for sponsoring and bringing new members to their Clubs with the Athena Award. 

Many success stories of Clubs going back to Charter strength after having a membership drop below 12, all recipient of the Phoenix Award (Barings Speaking Club, Ofgem Speakers Club and Connected Speakers Bromley)

Club Support

We have a multitude of new Club leads at various stages, and I am actively looking for sponsors/mentors willing to support a new Club break ground and thrive. If you are a trailblazer, get in touch! Mentors need to be able to commit to 6 months supporting a new Club from Charter. 

The reward is immense, and a successful applicant will also receive Club Building credit towards the Advanced Leader Silver on the Traditional Program. Fancy a different challenge? Becoming a Club Coach may just be the right opportunity. Clubs at or below 12 members qualify for a Coach. Successful Coaches will transform a Club with low membership back to charter strength and for a limited period also gain both Club Building credit andDistrict Officer credit (until 30 Jun 2020 only). This is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference and gain valuable skills. Interested? Get in touch!

Growing Forward together in 2019/20

It is hard to believe that in a couple of days I’ll be District Director for District 91! I am immensely grateful for the trust that members and leaders from London to Ludlow and Cornwall to Millwall have placed in me to lead you to success in the coming year. Little did I know when I joined six years ago that my Toastmaster journey would be one of leadership in addition to public speaking.  

As a new year is beginning, my message to all leaders in the District is very simple, let’s grow forward together and fulfill our vision of 1 – 70 – 100. 

Why do we want every member in the District to achieve an award every year? Because it is a sign that each and every single of our members is supported to achieve excellence and personal growth.

Why do we want to achieve 70% retention each year? Because we want our members to stay with us for at least 3 years so that they can blossom anew.

Why do we want every club to have at least 20 members? Because we want our members to have an audience to cheer them up and a support network within their clubs.

A lot of planning already took place at the District level and all the initiatives for the year ahead are ready to go. Our incentives board has even morphed into a fun board game that I hope many of you will get to play in the coming months. 

Incentives Board

Do you want to collect them all? You can if you plan for it! This is why writing a club success plan is so important. By planning ahead, you can decide early on what you need to do to achieve excellence and help your members grow forward together. 

Promises, Achievements and Way Ahead

I made it through my year as District Director! And it has gone in a flash. To quote Stephen R. Covey – “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” I hope I have invested my time wisely on your behalf this year.

PROMISES

You may recall the three promises that I made after I was elected as District Director at the May 2018 Council meeting:

  1. We will continue to innovate – and that means that sometimes we will make mistakes, which we will learn from.
  2. We will always make those decisions in the best interests of our members. If at any time that is not clear, please challenge us.
  3. We will have fun! We all wish to improve, and we are all volunteers. We owe it to ourselves to enjoy the experience.

Looking back over the past year, I believe I kept those promises.

We have continued to build on previous successes and to introduce new ideas. Many of these can be found in the Incentives Board brochure, which has now been developed as a board game by Florian Bay! Each initiative is designed to encourage and support members and clubs to continue on their journey of success. They include a focus on membership renewals as well as new members, recognition for progress in Pathways and for achieving three or more education awards, and expanding members’ experiences by visiting other clubs.

We haven’t made any significant mistakes, as far as I know! We have identified areas where we can learn and improve.

We held our first ever virtual District Council meeting and District Executive Committee meeting this year, and while both were relatively successful we can certainly improve attendance and make the process easier for attendees. It was also our first three-day District Conference as District 91. It was a hugely successful event in Ashford in May, and the team led by Karen Ince were magnificent. We have reflected on what worked well and where we can improve in future years. We have continued to build on the well-received weekend District Officer Training (DOT) and the Toastmasters Learning Institutes (TLI) as well as enhancing the materials available to support Club Officer Training (COT).

This year also saw each Division taking the lead in one of the monthly newsletters as well as great improvements in our social media presence. Less visible, but just as important, are the improvements in our administration, website and financial management.

Those are just some of the achievements of the fantastic District Leadership Team (DLT) that I have had supporting me this year. In addition, we have had terrific support from the seven Division Directors and 36 Area Directors who have worked so hard for our members throughout the year.

DISTINGUISHED DISTRICT

The official measure of our success is the District Recognition Program, similar to the Distinguished Club Program. Our District has already achieved Distinguished status, and is close to being Select Distinguished. What does that mean to our members? It is a reflection of all the hard work in starting new clubs so that more people have access to Toastmasters, the great efforts of clubs in both attracting new members and retaining existing members through high quality meetings, and the brilliant achievement of so many of our clubs themselves being Distinguished. You can see the details on the dashboard here

I talked earlier about building on success. Our District has now been Distinguished or better in every year since our formation in 2014. To sustain that continual growth and level of performance is testament to our commitment to excellence. I have seen that in all the clubs I have been privileged to visit, in the individual displays of integrity and service, and the outstanding examples of leadership that drive our achievements. When I have the honour of collecting the awards for our District at the International Convention in August it will only be possible because of your dedication.

LOOKING AHEAD

I’m afraid you haven’t seen the last of me yet. I now move on to be the Immediate Past District Director – a title so long it doesn’t even fit on my new name badge! I will still be part of the DLT for 2019-2020, providing support, advice and mentorship to the new team. Having seen them in action at our planning weekend and the DOT I know we are in for another amazing year. The calibre of our leaders across the District is recognised and respected across the Toastmasters International world-wide community. I am so proud that you allowed me the opportunity to play a small part in continuing that tradition. I never imagined the possibility when I first joined Arun Speakers in 2001. You all have the potential and the opportunity to achieve whatever you aspire to, and there is all the support you need available to you.

Together we will continue to change lives – one speech at a time.

Arnaud Sartre: Achievements

We are entering the final month of the Toastmasters Program Year, and the final stretch when it comes to our Club, Area, Division and District Goals. 

I have had the pleasure to attend multiple meetings and events starting with our Ashford conference at the beginning of May, and am humbled to carry on the next Program Year as Program Quality Director. Thank You!

Talk Up Toastmasters Awards – Final results!

By popular demand, I am very pleased to release the winners of the Talk Up Toastmasters Award to an astonishing group of Clubs that have not only met the minimum requirements but most definitely smashed last year’s record number of Club winners! Congratulations to all 35 Clubs that have gained 5+ members during the February/March period! Winning Clubs would have already received a Talk Up Toastmasters! ribbon for their Club banners from Headquarters, with a pack of Pathways ribbons from the District on its way very soon!

DivisionAreaClub nameGrowth
K581st London Toastmasters 18 
L47London Business School Public Speaking Club 12 
K58City of London Toastmasters Club 11 
B06London Athenian Speakers Toastmasters Club 10 
K13Canary Wharf Communicators Club 10 
A46Newbury Speakers Club 9 
B29Trojan Speakers Club 9 
A14Farnham Speakers Club 7 
B08London Victorians 7 
B29Riverside Communicators 7 
C33Speakerforce London Toastmasters Club 7 
H15Clapham Connectors 7 
K31Ofgem Speakers Club 7 
L56Data Science Speakers Club 7 
L61HOD Speakers Club 7 
A42Ferndown Speakers 6 
C05City Limits Speakers 6 
C05Covent Garden Speakers 6 
H55Brighton & Hove Speakers Club 6 
H37Kent Speakers Club 6 
K12Barking Toastmasters 6 
K03Central London Toastmasters 6 
A46Microsoft Speakers Club 5 
A01Spinnaker Speakers 5 
A14Guildford Speakers Club 5 
C33St Pauls Speakers 5 
C02Holborn Speakers 5 
H35Connected Speakers Bromley 5 
H15Croydon Communicators Club 5 
J21Wokingham Speakers 5 
J11Cheltenham Speakers 5 
K58PMI UK Toastmasters Club 5 
K31Wharf Speakers 5 
L56Deutsche Bank Toastmasters London 5 
L47London Communicators Club 5 

Beat The Clock 

Let’s not forget Beat The Clock! With some amazing rewards to finish the year on a high note if gaining 5+ members during the May-June period.

Beat the Clock Challenge

Zeus Award

What is this? First time hearing about it? Looking forward to it? Well, this little-known District incentive will recognise Clubs that have managed to win all 3 Club Membership contests (Smedley Award, Talk Up Toastmasters! and Beat The Clock) as well as grow their net membership by 10+ members. 

With the results of Beat The Clock out, the following Clubs are still in contention for a truly special reward Zeus Reward:

City Limits Speakers
London Victorians
Barking Toastmasters
PMI UK Toastmasters Club
Covent Garden Speakers
Canary Wharf Communicators Club 
London Business School Public Speaking Club 
City of London Toastmasters Club 
Riverside Communicators
Holborn Speakers

Outreach Awards

Although many members have been involved in one of our outreach programs (Speechcraft or Youth Leadership Program), this is seldom spoken about. 

With the year coming to an end, I intend to formally recognise all these contributions once we conclude the program year on 30thJune. If you have been involved or planning such outreach, get in touch.

Club Support

We have a multitude of new Club leads at various stages, and I am actively looking for sponsors/mentors willing to support a new Club break ground and thrive. If you are a trailblazer, get in touch! Mentors need to be able to commit to 6 months supporting a new Club from Charter. 

The reward is immense, and a successful applicant will also receive Club Building credit towards the Advanced Leader Silver on the Traditional Program. 

Fancy a different challenge? Becoming a Club Coach may just be the right opportunity. Clubs at or below 12 members qualify for a Coach. Successful Coaches will transform a Club with low membership back to charter strength and for a limited period also gain both Club Building credit andDistrict Officer credit (until 30 Jun 2020 only). This is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference and gain valuable skills. Interested? get in touch!

Ending the Year Strong

The 2019/20 Toastmasters Year is slowly drawing to a close, yet now more than ever it is crucial not to drop our eyes on the ball as current and future success is determined by our actions as leaders. Last week-end, the incoming District Trio held a day-long marathon planning session to discuss the key priorities for the year ahead and handover responsibilities. All of us found the exercise very useful and it is something that I am planning to introduce in my own club.

Florian Bay, District 91 Program Quality Director 2018-19

Some elements to discuss in this handover/planning meeting could include:

  • Updating your club success plan.
  • What worked well/didn’t work well in the 2018/19 Toastmasters year.
  • Identifying possible initiatives to introduce at the club level.
  • How your club can achieve our District vision of every member achieving one award each year, retaining 70% of our members every year and maintaining club membership at 20+ and ideally 30+ members throughout the year.

As the year comes to an end remember to do the following tasks as soon as you can or as soon as they arise:

  • Submitting your list of club officers for the 2019/20 Toastmasters Year.
  • Submitting educational awards on club central for any member that achieves an award or a Pathways level. Updating District guidance for Basecamp managers can be found here.
  • Celebrating your members achievement with a special meeting that will also be a great marketing opportunity.
  • Handing over login details of social media platforms, email accounts, bank details etc.

Personally, I am looking forward to see us ending the 2018/19 Toastmasters year on a higher note than last year. I’m also really looking forward to what next year will bring, more on this soon!