Have you set yourself your learning goal?

It’s that time of year again. The new year. A time for reviewing where you are and potentially setting new goals. What I mean by that is that we’re a few days into the new Toastmasters program year. As a learning organization, we all progress through a curriculum which has milestones or checkpoints to give us the opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we’re going.

Let’s start at the start – are you fully enrolled onto a Path? If you’re not sure, please double check this with your Club President, VP Education or Secretary. If you are, can you complete at least one Level of your path this Toastmasters year?

I put to you that you can, all it takes is a little planning. For example, if you’re working through Level 1 either for the first time or on a 2nd or 3rd run, that’s 4 prepared speeches and an evaluation. Sure you need to prepare and work through the e-learning in Basecamp in between these, but putting in for them ahead of time may give you something to work towards. There are of course the other roles in a club meeting that you can have a go at or repeat, all of which are opportunities to hone a different skill.

Education and training this year

As you Program Quality Director for the 2021/2022 Toastmasters year, I’m accountable for the education and training in our District. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of what is currently happening and a flavour of what else to expect this year.

If you’re a participant in one of our corporate programs, we’re currently running our Summer Corporate Training Sprint. This is mainly aimed at those that have been elected to lead your club this year however open to all to attend. The full schedule can be found in a dedicated post – Corporate Club Officers Training July 2021.

If you’re a member in one of our community clubs, the same applies to the Toastmasters Leadership Institutes that are running most weekends over the coming weeks.

Prepare every club officer for the year ahead and win Trained to Lead award.

Details of this and other events such as our Sunday night webinar series can be found in our District Calendar of Events. Topics on this month’s schedule include: Club coaching, club mentoring, understanding parliamentary procedure and conducting an annual health check for your club.

Next month, I’ll be talking about the subject of mentoring in Toastmasters. For now, I wish you all the best for the year ahead and with your goal setting activities. Together, all of us can achieve one educational milestone this year.

 

Rupa Datta,

District 91 Program Quality Director 2021-2022