Recent DOT (District Officer Training) saw 87% of Division and Area Directors attending an excellent day of Toastmasters education. A fantastic turnout!
Goals Goals Goals.. yes I know the Euros are on but those aren’t the sort of goals I’m talking about…
I’m talking about your educational awards, your progress in the Toastmasters Program.
Now, not everyone wants to set goals and I’m completely fine with that. One of the many wonderful things about the Toastmasters program is the fact that it is entirely self-paced. It’s up to you when you what to do something and there are lots of people who are quite happy attending meetings and just having a good time not concerning themselves with goals and progress and recognition (oh my!)
This idea is for members and club committees who do want to set themselves goals and do so in a fun way.
I spotted this idea on the The Official Toastmasters International Members Group on Facebook. Many thanks to incoming VP Education Kathy Shine, DTM of Cream City Communicators, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Her club completed Moments of Truth two weeks ago. They have already implemented several suggestions from our members and have begun to develop plans for further action that will be included in their 2016-2017 Club Success Plan.
One suggestion was to find a way to display member goals and progress in a non-threatening and non-embarrassing way for all members, and to encourage others who are taking a slower pace as they focus on building self confidence.
Their solution: they invited their members to sign their name and indicate their goal on a super-sticky post-it note, then placed them all on a large poster board marked simply as “2016-2017 GOALS.” They plan to have a second poster labelled “2016-2017 GOALS COMPLETED” and members can move their post-its from one board to the other in a simple recognition ceremony during a club meeting. What a great photo opportunity!
They have several fun, colorful shapes:
It’s a Club Success Plan on a poster board! Why not try it in your club? If you do, send photos to dltdistrict91@gmail.com.
Why did you join Toastmasters? Why have you stayed?
We all have very different answers to those questions. Maybe a boss told you you really had to improve your presentations or you wouldn’t be able to advance your career. Maybe you had to make a best man’s speech and you didn’t want to let your friend down. Perhaps, like me, you wanted to meet new people with different experiences.
I suspect that, no matter the range of answers to the first question, the answer to the second is pretty much the same for all of us.
Toastmasters has changed our lives.
We discovered capabilities in ourselves we didn’t know we possessed. We felt good about supporting a fellow member. We laughed, cried and developed long-lasting friendships with fellow members, and sometimes more, as I did.
It’s a pretty great place to be, isn’t it!
Wouldn’t you love to share that feeling with others?
When you joined Toastmasters, you made an agreement with your club – The Toastmasters Promise. You might not remember, but it’s there, on the back of the membership form you signed, and in the front cover of your Competent Leader and Competent Communicator manuals. There are ten promises and I’d like to focus on just two of them:
If you look around your club though, is there anyone you haven’t seen for a while? Perhaps a friend, maybe an acquaintance. Do you ever wonder how they are doing? Why not give them a call, just to say hi and let them know you’re thinking of them and ask them to come back to the club for a visit.
I encourage you to invite a friend to your next club meeting. Share with them how Toastmasters has affected you. They’ll probably recognise the changes you’ve made but be unaware of the reasons why. Invite them to your club so they can experience the Toastmasters program.
Grow and be strong!
Best wishes,
Vanessa King, incoming District Director 2016-17
Every year we have membership building activities which result in awards! The Smedley Award runs from 1 August to 30 September. Congratulations to the 21 clubs who achieved a 2015 Smedley Award. You have brought in members who will gain the benefits of increased confidence, communication and leadership skills over the coming months and years.
Clubs which sign up 5 new, dual or reinstated members receive an award including a ribbon for the club banner and a 10% discount on the next club order from the Toastmasters shop.
You can read more about membership building awards at: https://www.toastmasters.org/Leadership-Central/Club-Officer-Tools/Membership-Building/Membership-Building-Programs-for-Clubs
The next membership building award will be Talk Up Toastmasters from 1 February to 31 March 2016.
| Club |
Division/Area | New Member number |
| St Pauls Speakers | L 33 | 5 |
| Holborn Speakers |
L 34 | 9 |
| LBS Public Speaking Club |
L 47 | 8 |
| Canary Wharf Communicators |
K31 | 13 |
| Speakers of Croydon |
K35 | 5 |
| Croydon Communicators |
K35 | 6 |
| Broadgate Speakers |
K58 | 5 |
| Meridian Speakers |
K59 | 6 |
| Lewisham Speakers |
K59 | 5 |
| Berkhamsted Speakers |
J4 | 5 |
| Gloucester Speakers |
J22 | 5 |
| Wessex Speakers |
J46 | 5 |
| Basingstoke Speakers |
J46 | 6 |
| Northavon Speakers |
J62 | 6 |
| Armada Speakers |
J62 | 5 |
| Woking Speakers |
H14 | 5 |
| London Cardinals |
B8 | 5 |
| London Victorians |
B8 | 5 |
| London Athenians |
B29 | 7 |
| Covent Garden Speakers |
B45 | 6 |
| City Limits Speakers |
B45 | 5 |