The time has come to wrap up my term as Area Director and bring an end to this personal account.
While it would be nice, and perhaps expected in political correctness, to become a cheerleader encouraging all members of Toastmasters International to take on the Area Director role, this would be far from the truth.
I recommend approaching the Area Director role with extreme caution for all members, regardless of their experience level, personal interests, or professional development goals.
In sum, it is a poorly structured, largely unsupported, and almost completely thankless job in the Toastmasters International hierarchy.
Should you become an Area Director, it is important to know what you're getting into. Historically, no Area Director ever has been told the truth or been given a decent idea of what to expect before taking the role. That's one of the major reasons I wrote all of these experiences down this year. I want future members to have at least one perspective to refer to.
Most Area Directors are either pressured into the role or simply want to get their Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award, making this is a box they have to check off. Similar to leadership roles at the club level, many people feel that since they are volunteers, they aren't obligated to perform.
However, it is important to note that it always reflects well upon you as a professional to treat people with respect and perform to your highest ability, regardless of your position. The converse is also true. If you perform poorly in an unpaid volunteer role that has no tangible consequences, you actually prove yourself untrustworthy in the eyes of your peers. Those peers aren't going to say, "Oh, he was just lazy, because it was a volunteer position. I'll still rely on him with my real super important business outside Toastmasters." In contrast, your deeds as a volunteer permeate all aspects of your professional life with those peers. The lesson is this: if you take on a volunteer position, be sure to perform at the same level as you would in any other important task in life.
Keeping this in mind for yourself, accept that the average person taking on a volunteer role still thinks it doesn't matter if he performs well. It must be noted that your fellow Area Directors and your team leader (Division Director) will have an impact on how smoothly your year as an Area Director goes. If you're the only person on the team who is committed to serving in your role, it will be a nightmare. If you happen to get one or two other partners who get their work done, the impact will be tremendous. In addition, hopefully you have an organized Division Director who is good at fostering a positive team spirit and keeping people informed. When it comes to things like organizing massive contests and training events, the collective effort of your team makes a big difference. If everyone shows up and makes a decent contribution, these events can be put together efficiently and engage local community members. If too much work falls on too few people, they end up shabbily thrown together with much stress and frustration without much to show for the pain.
Nevertheless, it isn't all about your local team. There are also factors far beyond anyone's control that will impact you. The culture your District has a direct impact on everything that happens within it. Furthermore, from the very highest levels to the very lowest, Toastmasters International generally lacks coherent and efficient communication channels. This means that anywhere, at any given time, a large number of people aren't informed on what they need to do. Hence, most situations are chaotic and most decisions are made without ample consideration. There is no escaping this reality when you take on the role of an Area Director. It is the lowest level of leadership (above the club level) in a massive worldwide hierarchy.
There's one thing I wish someone would tell all incoming Area Directors. Your entire purpose is to be a communicator of information between your club leaders and the massive worldwide hierarchy of the organization. If you focus on doing this well, you will serve your purpose as a leader, develop excellent relationships with your clubs, and save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress. Keep in frequent contact with your clubs. Feed them the myriad deadlines and requirements imposed by the parent organization on a just-in-time basis. Recognize their efforts and make every visit a positive celebration. Advise them when they ask for assistance. By keeping your clubs informed, you make it easier for their leaders to prolong their clubs for another year. Don't worry about anything else.
While I've noted the imperfections and challenges of the Area Director role, I also want to share the greatest part of being an Area Director. This was found in building relationships with club leaders and members throughout the year. Personally, my clubs were very welcoming to me, which I am grateful for. On visits, you get to meet many different club members, see how clubs struggle with different aspects of quality management, and how clubs express their unique identities (no two clubs are very much alike, even though they all operate within the same framework). You also get opportunities to recognize and complement clubs on what they do well, which motivates their members. Your communication and positive presence allow you to form relationships with your clubs that make the Area Director role worthwhile.
This post officially concludes my term as Area Director. While my personal account ends here, let these experiences inspire future leadership candidates by providing insights into the life of an Area Director.
The Life of an Area Director
The June Area Newsletter
In the final Area newsletter for the 2018-2019 Toastmasters year, I highlighted these items:
- Giving Thanks: I gave thanks to all of my clubs, their leaders, and their members. They welcomed me on visits and encouraged others to participate in many events beyond the club level during the year.
- DCP Status: I noted that my clubs were already approaching or exceeding distinguished status for the year. I created a table showing each club's name, DCP goals met to date, and number of members, so they could all see where they stand at this point in time. I praised their performance to date, despite the fact that some may not reach Distinguished status this year. Indeed, they all had noteworthy member educational progress and completed their club administrative duties, but a couple might fall short of the minimum required number of members by the June 30 deadline.
- Club Officer Lists: I reminded the club leaders to set their next board off on the right foot by entering their newly elected officers into Club Central by the June 30 deadline. Along with on-time membership payments, this awards one DCP point for the next Toastmasters year.
- Final Note: In my final words, I spoke of the importance of club leaders passing their wisdom and encouragement onto their newly elected officers. Good knowledge and mentorship from experienced club members can make all the difference in the officer experience. Lastly, I cautioned the clubs about the impending Pathways program mandate. This upcoming year would be the last they can cling to the traditional program. Meanwhile, all members worldwide will be operating solely in Pathways by July 2020. Of course, anyone who joined a club since May 2018 has been in Pathways (with varying degrees of support, especially from clubs who resisted change) with no option to utilize the traditional program. My advice to all was to embrace Pathways.
The May Area Newsletter
The May newsletter was short and sweet as most of the year's tasks were already complete:
- District Conference: I noted that registration for the annual District conference was now open and provided a link to a webpage containing the event details.
- District Voting: I reminded everyone that annual voting and elections would take place immediately after the District conference. No ticket purchase is required for the meeting. Each club gets two votes, which can be assigned by proxy in the event the club President or VPE cannot attend.
- DCP Status: I noted that my clubs were already approaching or exceeding distinguished status for the year. I created a table showing each club's name, DCP goals met to date, and number of members, so they could all see where they stand at this point in time.
- Special Recognition: I announced an opportunity for my clubs to celebrate special club and member achievements. I invited them to send me a brief description for inclusion in next month's newsletter.
The Spring Division Contest
The spring Division B contests (International Speech and Table Topics) were held on Saturday, April 13. Fortunately, the contests went smoothly without any major disruptions or delays. The experience of the team showed through this time, as things were more organized and streamlined than ever before. Although the Division contests are much smaller than the combined Area levels, we nevertheless finished after just 2.5 hours (well short of our 4-hour time limit for the venue). If only all of the events could go this well. Onward and upward, we are nearly finished with our Area Director positions for the year! This was the last major, mandatory event aside from the final DEC meeting and elections in May. Now there is time to make a few additional club visits, at our discretion and without mind-numbing paperwork, and generally celebrate the accomplishments of our clubs as the year winds down.
The April Area Newsletter
The end of the year is rapidly approaching, yet we still had several key items to highlight in the April newsletter:
- Area Contests: I congratulated the Area 21 International Speech and Table Topics contest winners, while thanking my clubs for the volunteers, competitors, and guests that made the content event a success.
- Division Contests: I provided the event details and volunteer contact information for the upcoming Division contests.
- Dues Renewal: I reminded everyone that the dues renewal deadline was here and encouraged them to track down any unpaid members, even if they already met the minimum requirement to remain in good standing.
- District Conference: I noted that registration for the annual District conference was now open and provided a link to a webpage containing the event details.
- District Voting: I reminded everyone that annual voting and elections would take place immediately after the District conference. No ticket purchase is required for the meeting. Each club gets two votes, which can be assigned by proxy in the event the club President or VPE cannot attend.
- Online Open House Events: I shared details about a Division member who was conducting a series of online open house events.
- DCP Status: I noted that my clubs were already approaching or exceeding distinguished status for the year. I created a table showing each club's name, DCP goals met to date, and number of members, so they could all see where they stand at this point in time.
- Spring Visits: I wrote a special thank-you message to all of my clubs for welcoming me on the spring round of Area Director visits. I noted how much they've grown and thrived over the year, as well as how they proactively overcame challenges that arose. I ensured them that this quality leadership would keep their clubs thriving into the future.
The Spring Formal Club Visits
With a less rigorous pace than in the fall, I conducted formal spring visits with all of my Area clubs between January 10 and March 11. Within 24 hours of each visit, I submitted all of my Area Director's Club Visit Reports through District Central on the Toastmasters International website.
It was wonderful to see how my clubs have grown and improved over the course of the year. For example, one that has struggled with membership for years experienced a revival. A flurry of new members arrived and became highly engaged, which reignited the club spirit. Another club was early with everything - holding contests, renewing dues, achieving awards, and so on. Their stellar level of achievement seemed to attract even more members to them. Yet another club could consistently be counted on to fill the volunteer roster and the seats for District events, which is much appreciated. Their efforts were also rewarded with a boom in club commitment and membership.
Although it is important to recognized these successes, we cannot forget that every club has its challenges from time to time. Some struggle with membership, relationship conflicts, running efficient meetings, motivating members to achieve awards, and a host of other possibilities. Nevertheless, I find that clubs with leaders who take accountability for quality are always able to overcome the challenges. When a club has leaders and members who genuinely care and are willing to improve the situation, it can weather any storm.
It was wonderful to see how my clubs have grown and improved over the course of the year. For example, one that has struggled with membership for years experienced a revival. A flurry of new members arrived and became highly engaged, which reignited the club spirit. Another club was early with everything - holding contests, renewing dues, achieving awards, and so on. Their stellar level of achievement seemed to attract even more members to them. Yet another club could consistently be counted on to fill the volunteer roster and the seats for District events, which is much appreciated. Their efforts were also rewarded with a boom in club commitment and membership.
Although it is important to recognized these successes, we cannot forget that every club has its challenges from time to time. Some struggle with membership, relationship conflicts, running efficient meetings, motivating members to achieve awards, and a host of other possibilities. Nevertheless, I find that clubs with leaders who take accountability for quality are always able to overcome the challenges. When a club has leaders and members who genuinely care and are willing to improve the situation, it can weather any storm.
The Spring Area Contests
Thankfully, the spring Area contests are complete with a bit less difficulty than last time around. The contests for four Areas (20, 21, 22, 23) took place in a combined event on Saturday, March 9. This time we executed the Table Topics and International Speech contests, which are a bit more efficient to run than the fall contests (Evaluation and Humorous Speech). Hence, timing was less problematic. Nevertheless, there were some delays with ballot counting and awards that caused us to finish 20-30 minutes over.
My neighboring Area Director took on most of the heavy lifting as the Contest Chair this time around. He did an excellent job preparing, recruiting, and communicating. Meanwhile, I was able to focus mostly on recruiting. Once again, my clubs cooperated and brought numerous volunteers to the event, which we all greatly appreciate. It's worth restating an observation that I made earlier in the year. That is, having an engaged team makes all the difference in making these events either an insurmountable burden or realistic challenge to overcome. This time, we had more people participating at a high level and the contest preparations went smoothly.
On a side note, there was an odd case that occurred during the competition. A contest functionary made an error that disrupted a contestant's speech. As both an attentive and resolution-minded individual, I quickly sprang into action to confer with the Chief Judge on a course of action. Then, I facilitated passing this message to the Contest Master, functionaries, and contestants. Thus, within a few seconds, the incident was resolved and the contest could proceed. Remember what I've always said: an Area Director needs to be prepared for anything.
My neighboring Area Director took on most of the heavy lifting as the Contest Chair this time around. He did an excellent job preparing, recruiting, and communicating. Meanwhile, I was able to focus mostly on recruiting. Once again, my clubs cooperated and brought numerous volunteers to the event, which we all greatly appreciate. It's worth restating an observation that I made earlier in the year. That is, having an engaged team makes all the difference in making these events either an insurmountable burden or realistic challenge to overcome. This time, we had more people participating at a high level and the contest preparations went smoothly.
On a side note, there was an odd case that occurred during the competition. A contest functionary made an error that disrupted a contestant's speech. As both an attentive and resolution-minded individual, I quickly sprang into action to confer with the Chief Judge on a course of action. Then, I facilitated passing this message to the Contest Master, functionaries, and contestants. Thus, within a few seconds, the incident was resolved and the contest could proceed. Remember what I've always said: an Area Director needs to be prepared for anything.
The March Area Newsletter
With 5 of 6 club visits completed, we headed into March with these topics highlighted in my monthly newsletter:
- Area Contests: I provided full event details regarding the combined Area contests. I asked each club to nominate one member who can be a judge with the goal of achieving fair representation among the clubs. I also made an open invitation for volunteers in other roles and encouraged all members to attend.
- Club Contests: I reminded all clubs to send me notification of their winners.
- Division Contests: I provided a reminder and basic event details for the Division contests.
- New Club Demo Meetings: I provided demo meeting event details for a club which was seeking charter members. I invited interested parties to contact me if they'd like to support the club and to share the details with anyone who might be a potential member.
- Dues Renewal: I reminded everyone that the time has come for dues renewal and encouraged club leaders to set an early deadline, such as March 15, rather than to wait until the moments just before the April 1 deadline.
- TLI Attendance: I congratulated the clubs on their excellent TLI attendance (83% or 35/42 possible officers). I noted that this represents a commitment to preparing officers to serve members and participating in the broader Toastmasters community.
The Fourth DEC Meeting
With a bit of relief for me, I did not attend the February 23, 2019 DEC meeting. I had family in town for the entire week and was busy entertaining and driving my guests to the airport that day.
The February Area Newsletter
I had already begun making formal visits to clubs with a rough goal to complete them around the end of February. Meanwhile, the looming monster of the combined Area contests was approaching for March 9. These were the topics highlighted in my February newsletter:
- TLI Registration: I made a final reminder and call for registration for the remaining TLI events.
- Club Contests: I asked all clubs to complete their International Speech and Table Topics contests. I also reminded them to send me notification of their winners.
- Area Contests: I noted that the combined Area contests were scheduled for March 9 with details still pending. Nevertheless, I reminded them that we would need numerous volunteers and encouraged everyone to volunteer.
- Pathways Welcome Kit: I put together a combined PDF package that includes The Navigator and all three manuals for Level 1 in the Pathways program. Since Level 1 is the same for all paths in Pathways, this can be used by any member. This kit contains the same information your members would find online, but is in a document format. Of course, it does not replace the need for the online system. Instead, this was provided as an alternative way for people to rapidly make progress offline while they are just getting started.
- Club Coach Policy Update: I explained that Toastmasters International made a policy change regarding club coaches for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 program years. Effective immediately, successful club coaches would get credit for both coaching and a year of District-level service.
- Club Coaching Opportunity: I noted a nearby club that was searching for coaches and asked that interested parties contact me.
- New Provisional Club: I highlighted a new club, which just began the organization process. I invited interested parties to contact me if they'd like to support the club.
- Dues Renewal: Lastly, I reminded everyone that the time has come for dues renewal once again. I encouraged club leaders to set an early deadline, such as March 15, rather than to wait until the moments just before the April 1 deadline.
The January Area Newsletter
December is fairly uneventful for Toastmasters, even as an Area Director. Thus, with just over half the year complete, just under half of the work has been done for the term of the Area Director. I started off the new calendar year with these highlighted items in my January newsletter:
- Club Contests: I asked all clubs to complete their International Speech and Table Topics contests between January and March, so they would be ready for the subsequent Area contests. For those clubs with known dates already, I listed their schedules to encourage collaboration. I also invited all clubs to share their contest plans, so they could be included in the next newsletter.
- Area Contests: I noted that the combined Area contests were scheduled for March 9 with details pending.
- Division Contest: I noted that the Division contest was scheduled for April 13 with details pending.
- TLI Registration: I encouraged members and officers to attend the upcoming TLI sessions and provided dates and online registration information. Further, I recognized all clubs for meeting and exceeding club officer attendance goals. Lastly, I encouraged them to have at least four officers trained in this round of TLIs, so they could earn a DCP goal for their club.
- TLI Volunteers: I noted that members were welcome to volunteer for a variety of positions at the TLIs. I welcomed interested parties to contact me for help getting in touch with the Division Director overseeing each particular event.
- Club Coaching Opportunity: I noted a nearby club that was searching for coaches and asked that interested parties contact me.
- Area Director Recommendations: I asked club leaders to recommend members who are interested in or would make good nominees for Area Director positions next year. I welcomed any interested parties to contact me to learn more about the role. In addition, I noted that next year would be the last opportunity for those pursuing the traditional DTM program to earn District-level credit as an Area Director.
- Formal Club Visits: Lastly, I reminded everyone that the time has come for formal club visits once again. I invited the clubs to let me know of any special dates that they would like me to visit. Otherwise, in the absence of special requests, I offered to find a convenient time within the next few months. I ended by thanking my clubs for being so welcoming on prior visits. I noted the effort that they have put into developing their clubs this year and expressed my excitement at being able to see their latest progress in person.
The Division Pathways Leadership Webinar
In coordination with our Division Director and another Area Director, I helped to organize an event for the club leaders (President and Vice President Education) in our Division. The meeting focused on supporting club leaders in the adoption of Pathways and the technical management of their clubs within the new program. In effect, you can think of this as our specialized form of an Area Council and Division Council meeting.
We used an online webinar platform to host the meeting. This allowed members to log in by computer or call in by phone. We were happy to see 15-20 attendees at this meeting. It is often difficult to get people to show up for yet another meeting on a weeknight that goes beyond their normal responsibilities. Also, technology can often cause trouble, especially when people aren't used to attending online meetings. Nevertheless, the turnout was good and we had little to no technical difficulties during the session. Furthermore, the event was recorded. That allowed us to follow up and share the details with everyone who attended, as well as those who did not attend.
To start the meeting, I gave a brief introduction on the importance of adopting Pathways now, while we still have 18 months of transition time left between the traditional program and the new program, rather than waiting to be forced into Pathways all at once after June 30, 2020. Getting some members working through Pathways today is essential to supporting new members, maintaining membership, and sustaining the club's educational progress over time.
The majority of the session focused on key topics for club leaders in Pathways. To conduct this portion, we invited our District Pathways Chair. The District organized a committee for the specific purpose of encouraging Pathways adoption, which is why we had an excellent presenter available to us. There was also lots of time for questions and answers. Here are the primary topics we covered during the session:
I am certain that everyone in attendance learned new things about Pathways. Further, I expect that their confidence in encouraging Pathways within their club and supporting members in the new program is increased.
Our next step is to consider hosting a member-focused Pathways training session. Instead of limiting access to leaders, we would want to invite all members from the Division to attend.
We used an online webinar platform to host the meeting. This allowed members to log in by computer or call in by phone. We were happy to see 15-20 attendees at this meeting. It is often difficult to get people to show up for yet another meeting on a weeknight that goes beyond their normal responsibilities. Also, technology can often cause trouble, especially when people aren't used to attending online meetings. Nevertheless, the turnout was good and we had little to no technical difficulties during the session. Furthermore, the event was recorded. That allowed us to follow up and share the details with everyone who attended, as well as those who did not attend.
To start the meeting, I gave a brief introduction on the importance of adopting Pathways now, while we still have 18 months of transition time left between the traditional program and the new program, rather than waiting to be forced into Pathways all at once after June 30, 2020. Getting some members working through Pathways today is essential to supporting new members, maintaining membership, and sustaining the club's educational progress over time.
The majority of the session focused on key topics for club leaders in Pathways. To conduct this portion, we invited our District Pathways Chair. The District organized a committee for the specific purpose of encouraging Pathways adoption, which is why we had an excellent presenter available to us. There was also lots of time for questions and answers. Here are the primary topics we covered during the session:
- How to review, approve, and submit awards in Base Camp and Club Central
- The information contained in the Base Camp Manager dashboards (emphasis on using the "Individual Progress" dashboard)
- How to complete projects (in particular, the importance of remembering the pre-and-post assessments)
- The projects found in Level 1
- What all leaders should do right now: look at the club roster to determine who is not enrolled in Pathways; find out why they are not enrolled, so they can be supported
I am certain that everyone in attendance learned new things about Pathways. Further, I expect that their confidence in encouraging Pathways within their club and supporting members in the new program is increased.
Our next step is to consider hosting a member-focused Pathways training session. Instead of limiting access to leaders, we would want to invite all members from the Division to attend.
The December Area Newsletter
With almost half of the year complete, just under half of the work has been done for the term of the Area Director. There was a lot of information to share, although the items are much less urgent during this time of the year. I highlighted these items in my December newsletter:
- Division Contests: I recognized the members and clubs of our Area, which took first place in both the Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests at the Division level! These members will go on to compete in the District-level contests at the spring conference.
- Membership Growth: I recognized two clubs that recently added an amazing 10 members to their rosters. I also noted that they made specific efforts to grow membership, such as by organizing open house events. Moreover, I recognized the remaining clubs for their membership growth (all other clubs added two to five members).
- Pathways Training Event: I informed the club Presidents of a special Pathways training event I was coordinating along with a fellow Area Director in the Division. I asked them to save the date and look for details as the event approached.
- Pathways Resources: I provided a number of useful Pathways resources, including path and project descriptions, a video tutorial on how to enroll, and the Base Camp Manager duties guide. This was to support Pathways adoption and educational progress, which has become of increasing interest to clubs lately. I also outlined how Level 1 works in Pathways, since it is the same for all members, regardless of which path they choose.
- Nominations for Elected Positions: I provided a link to the District nomination instructions and forms, noting the deadline of December 15. This is the nomination period for elected positions, including District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, and Division Director. I also asked the club leaders to keep an eye out for potential Area Directors, which would be nominated in April 2019.
- Presenting the Community: I announced that my year-long series of video testimonials from members all over South Florida and The Bahamas officially came to an end. I sent everyone a link to the final video, as well as the entire series, so they could enjoy.
- Upcoming Events: As with the previous newsletter, I provided a simple list of events on the horizon for 2019 to keep everyone focused on what is ahead.
- Special Events and Requests: Lastly, I announced some special events and requests made by individual members and different officials in the Toastmasters hierarchy over the past month, thereby making club leaders aware and encouraging their participation.
The Third DEC Meeting
On Saturday, November 17, we had our third DEC meeting. It began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted until 5:00 p.m. Although people were in good, professional spirits throughout the day and the collegiality among the DEC members is quite high, it wasn't enough to overcome total exhaustion.
Personally, I did not feel this DEC meeting was time well spent. Most items were required formalities that we have to update on that don't have any impact on our work as DEC members at the moment, such as approving prior minutes and mentioning the current status of the budget. There were a couple training sessions on member retention (stock presentation from WHQ) and emotional intelligence (a custom presentation). We also had a special visit from our Region Advisor*.
If you've been in all-day meetings before, you probably know what this is all about. If not, imagine sitting in a seat and listening to people conduct formalized business for eight or more hours with just a few brief breaks in between. It wasn't worth the physical exhaustion, which a single night of rest was not able to cure. The ill physical effects last for days.
In past years, this DEC meeting would have been part of the fall conference. This year, WHQ ended such conferences worldwide. Instead, there will only be a spring conference in May. The details of this conference were just being finalized, so we did get some insights into the potential price and location. One point of interest is that all District-level contests must take place at the spring conference this year. That means an extra day needs to be added to the spring conference schedule (to make up for the fact that no contests are held at the fall conference this year).
One of the more interesting status updates was on the adoption of Pathways within our District. A volunteer team has been assembled with the goal of getting more people into the new program. I am collaborating with another Area Director in our Division to make use of this team's expertise in helping us encourage our clubs to get on board with Pathways. This is likely to be our last major effort for the year. After the holidays, there are tons of things to do as soon as the new year begins.
*A Region Advisor oversees a collection of Districts and helps all of the District leaders achieve their goals.
Personally, I did not feel this DEC meeting was time well spent. Most items were required formalities that we have to update on that don't have any impact on our work as DEC members at the moment, such as approving prior minutes and mentioning the current status of the budget. There were a couple training sessions on member retention (stock presentation from WHQ) and emotional intelligence (a custom presentation). We also had a special visit from our Region Advisor*.
If you've been in all-day meetings before, you probably know what this is all about. If not, imagine sitting in a seat and listening to people conduct formalized business for eight or more hours with just a few brief breaks in between. It wasn't worth the physical exhaustion, which a single night of rest was not able to cure. The ill physical effects last for days.
In past years, this DEC meeting would have been part of the fall conference. This year, WHQ ended such conferences worldwide. Instead, there will only be a spring conference in May. The details of this conference were just being finalized, so we did get some insights into the potential price and location. One point of interest is that all District-level contests must take place at the spring conference this year. That means an extra day needs to be added to the spring conference schedule (to make up for the fact that no contests are held at the fall conference this year).
One of the more interesting status updates was on the adoption of Pathways within our District. A volunteer team has been assembled with the goal of getting more people into the new program. I am collaborating with another Area Director in our Division to make use of this team's expertise in helping us encourage our clubs to get on board with Pathways. This is likely to be our last major effort for the year. After the holidays, there are tons of things to do as soon as the new year begins.
*A Region Advisor oversees a collection of Districts and helps all of the District leaders achieve their goals.
The Fall Division Contest
On one hand, it is fortunate that I had a bit of rest leading up to the Division contest on November 3. During the Area contest, a huge amount of the burden was on me to find volunteers and attendees, while advising the Contest Chair and Chief Judge who were coordinating the agenda. This time around, I did some promotion of the contest among my clubs, but didn't have to worry about managing the volunteer roster or agenda.
On the other hand, this period wasn't entirely peaceful, as the individuals managing this contest were far less organized and timely than our team during the Area contest. As Area Directors, we received flurries of last-second "emergency" emails and requests. This unfortunate lapse in leadership no doubt left certain people, such as contestants and volunteers, less than satisfied with the event. For example, contacting people less than a day before the contest to provide key details and materials is disrespectful. The coordinators could have reached out one or two weeks in advance, especially to contestants, who were known as early as October 13 when the Area contest ended. Moreover, a sloppy event with unprepared participants and disorganized agenda isn't much fun for attendees.
To be honest, the lack of preparation showed in the quality of the event. Previously, I noted that the Area contest was one time when I could see my efforts come to fruition. The venue was packed with an overflow of 20 people in standing room only. That's for an event that featured just 13 clubs (Area 20 and 21). This time, we had about one-third the number of attendees at the same venue for a Division event comprised of 26 clubs. Most of these were the District leaders and functionaries running the contest, rather than members of the participating clubs. Nevertheless, a number of those members that did show up were from clubs in my Area. They were in good spirits as our Area competitors took first place in both the Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests.
I still strongly believe that individual club members should run their own special events, as they did in our Area contest, rather than expecting the same group of people who "have to be there" to do everything. Indeed, this culture of "just get the Area Directors to do everything" is pervasive throughout the Toastmasters hierarchy. I also suspect it is a primary reason most Area Directors refuse subsequent leadership roles.
To make the Area Director experience a bit more palatable during the hard times, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a strong team. Having an organized, well-informed, and communicative Division Director, alongside fellow Area Directors who manage their fair share of the responsibilities, makes the system reasonable for everyone. Of course, there are additional factors, such as processing times and protocols all the way up to WHQ and then down to the District leaders, that come into play. Once any of these pieces, big or small, starts to slip, the burden on Area Directors spirals out of control, since they are stuck with the majority of the tasks and given the fewest resources.
Seeing the contrast between what was accomplished by our team at the Area level compared to the Division level makes me all the more grateful for the people I worked with to execute the Area contest.
Future Area Directors beware - the people you work with make a big difference.
On the other hand, this period wasn't entirely peaceful, as the individuals managing this contest were far less organized and timely than our team during the Area contest. As Area Directors, we received flurries of last-second "emergency" emails and requests. This unfortunate lapse in leadership no doubt left certain people, such as contestants and volunteers, less than satisfied with the event. For example, contacting people less than a day before the contest to provide key details and materials is disrespectful. The coordinators could have reached out one or two weeks in advance, especially to contestants, who were known as early as October 13 when the Area contest ended. Moreover, a sloppy event with unprepared participants and disorganized agenda isn't much fun for attendees.
To be honest, the lack of preparation showed in the quality of the event. Previously, I noted that the Area contest was one time when I could see my efforts come to fruition. The venue was packed with an overflow of 20 people in standing room only. That's for an event that featured just 13 clubs (Area 20 and 21). This time, we had about one-third the number of attendees at the same venue for a Division event comprised of 26 clubs. Most of these were the District leaders and functionaries running the contest, rather than members of the participating clubs. Nevertheless, a number of those members that did show up were from clubs in my Area. They were in good spirits as our Area competitors took first place in both the Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests.
I still strongly believe that individual club members should run their own special events, as they did in our Area contest, rather than expecting the same group of people who "have to be there" to do everything. Indeed, this culture of "just get the Area Directors to do everything" is pervasive throughout the Toastmasters hierarchy. I also suspect it is a primary reason most Area Directors refuse subsequent leadership roles.
To make the Area Director experience a bit more palatable during the hard times, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a strong team. Having an organized, well-informed, and communicative Division Director, alongside fellow Area Directors who manage their fair share of the responsibilities, makes the system reasonable for everyone. Of course, there are additional factors, such as processing times and protocols all the way up to WHQ and then down to the District leaders, that come into play. Once any of these pieces, big or small, starts to slip, the burden on Area Directors spirals out of control, since they are stuck with the majority of the tasks and given the fewest resources.
Seeing the contrast between what was accomplished by our team at the Area level compared to the Division level makes me all the more grateful for the people I worked with to execute the Area contest.
Future Area Directors beware - the people you work with make a big difference.
The November Area Newsletter
With the Division contests just days away, there was a rare upcoming moment of rest for club leaders. I highlighted these items in my November newsletter:
- Area Contests: I thanked everyone for their efforts in making the event a success and reminded them of the winners from our Area.
- Division Contests: I provided the event details for the Divison B contest and invited all to attend. Further, I noted who they could contact if they wanted to volunteer.
- Smedley Award: The final data on the Smedley Award was still not processed by WHQ at this time. Nevertheless, we expected one club to be eligible after recently adding six new members. In addition, I recognized two other clubs that added four new members.
- Club Focus: I noted that the Division contest was the last major event on the District agenda for the calendar year. I suggested that clubs take this time to focus on internal matters of interest. Moreover, I gave examples that I saw the different clubs considering, such as open houses, social events, mentorship strategies, and the Moments of Truth* program.
- Outline of 2019 Events: After, I provided a list of the major milestones coming up in the new year, which included the club contests, TLI, Area contests, dues renewal, Division contests, and District conference/contests.
- A Request for Feedback: Lastly, I invited all of the club leaders to provide feedback that would be valuable to my professional development. Asking for feedback was part of my Level 5 Pathways project in this case, but I think it would be a wise thing to do at mid-year for any Area Director. There is an added benefit to the people providing feedback, since we still have plenty of time to improve our future interactions based on their current feedback.
*Moments of Truth is part of The Successful Club Series. The program encourages clubs to reflect on key areas that are critical to maintaining a quality member experience. It is recommended that all clubs run the program at least once per year.
The Fall Area Contests
At last, the fall Area contests are complete! The last few weeks have involved tons of planning and recruiting for everyone, especially the Area Director team in our Division.
The contests for four Areas (20, 21, 22, 23) took place in a combined event on Saturday, October 13. My primary responsibility was to plan the afternoon session, where Area 20 and 21 would each complete their Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests. That adds up to four total contests with two test speakers (for the Evaluation contests) and over 20 competitors. On top of that, we needed a minimum of five judges per contest, timers, ballot counters, sergeant at arms, and other event support. As you can see, the number of people and hours rapidly add up.
I am especially grateful to the Contest Chair and Chief Judge, both of which completed High Performance Leadership (HPL) projects as part of their duties, for their efforts. Let's note that they weren't merely coordinating a single contest. This was actually four contests crammed into a single three-hour period. That's quite a bit more work than they may have taken on within a contest at the club level. Similarly, the Division and District contests look small in comparison. Combining multiple Area contests into a single day-long event is a daunting task. Thankfully, relying on dedicated members to do the heavy lifting during the contest allowed me to focus more on recruiting volunteers and marketing the event. On the day itself, I also served as the photographer.
Nevertheless, recruiting was the hardest part. It turns out that very few people who aren't competing are willing to commit to a half day or full day of volunteer work. Further, some people might be active inside their own clubs, but don't get involved in the broader Toastmasters community, which has events scheduled almost every Saturday of the year.
For my part, I feel I did well with recruiting. I was able to find a willing Contest Chair, Contest Master, and Chief Judge. Often, these roles fall to the Area Director, who ends up having to do just about all of the contest logistics alone. Beyond that, my Area clubs offered volunteers. Almost all of them had two members competing in the contests as well.
This was a rare case where my efforts as an Area Director were tangible. By far, my clubs had the most volunteers and visitors in attendance. I attribute that primarily to the fact that I keep everyone informed and am in regular contact with club leaders. The fact that we are on good terms and that I also share information more broadly online helps as well.
That said, it still wasn't enough and we were working down to the last minute (including the day of the event) to fill all of our volunteer roles. For instance, getting a balanced set of judges between the clubs or finding enough judges without potential conflicts of interest was difficult. Similarly, finding enough people to have duplicate or backup roles (such as timers, ballot counters, and sergeant at arms) couldn't entirely be accomplished in advance. We had to call upon our neighbors in Division C to fill out the roster. Further, our District Director visited and donated food and refreshments for the contest.
Toastmasters is a volunteer organization and all of these events require the efforts of large numbers of people. I've learned it's a reality that some things cannot be planned for in advance. People will drop out last minute or without notification. People will show up last minute or without having made a prior commitment to serve.
Being an Area Director means being ready for anything. Hosting successful events does require a strong knowledge of what needs to be done and the motivation to plan ahead. Yet, there is a high degree of flexibility required as well, which may be even more important. Things happen on the day of the event, but if you're accepting of that reality, they always seem to fall into place. You must also be prepared to call upon your fellow leaders in times of need.
The contests for four Areas (20, 21, 22, 23) took place in a combined event on Saturday, October 13. My primary responsibility was to plan the afternoon session, where Area 20 and 21 would each complete their Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests. That adds up to four total contests with two test speakers (for the Evaluation contests) and over 20 competitors. On top of that, we needed a minimum of five judges per contest, timers, ballot counters, sergeant at arms, and other event support. As you can see, the number of people and hours rapidly add up.
I am especially grateful to the Contest Chair and Chief Judge, both of which completed High Performance Leadership (HPL) projects as part of their duties, for their efforts. Let's note that they weren't merely coordinating a single contest. This was actually four contests crammed into a single three-hour period. That's quite a bit more work than they may have taken on within a contest at the club level. Similarly, the Division and District contests look small in comparison. Combining multiple Area contests into a single day-long event is a daunting task. Thankfully, relying on dedicated members to do the heavy lifting during the contest allowed me to focus more on recruiting volunteers and marketing the event. On the day itself, I also served as the photographer.
Nevertheless, recruiting was the hardest part. It turns out that very few people who aren't competing are willing to commit to a half day or full day of volunteer work. Further, some people might be active inside their own clubs, but don't get involved in the broader Toastmasters community, which has events scheduled almost every Saturday of the year.
For my part, I feel I did well with recruiting. I was able to find a willing Contest Chair, Contest Master, and Chief Judge. Often, these roles fall to the Area Director, who ends up having to do just about all of the contest logistics alone. Beyond that, my Area clubs offered volunteers. Almost all of them had two members competing in the contests as well.
This was a rare case where my efforts as an Area Director were tangible. By far, my clubs had the most volunteers and visitors in attendance. I attribute that primarily to the fact that I keep everyone informed and am in regular contact with club leaders. The fact that we are on good terms and that I also share information more broadly online helps as well.
That said, it still wasn't enough and we were working down to the last minute (including the day of the event) to fill all of our volunteer roles. For instance, getting a balanced set of judges between the clubs or finding enough judges without potential conflicts of interest was difficult. Similarly, finding enough people to have duplicate or backup roles (such as timers, ballot counters, and sergeant at arms) couldn't entirely be accomplished in advance. We had to call upon our neighbors in Division C to fill out the roster. Further, our District Director visited and donated food and refreshments for the contest.
Toastmasters is a volunteer organization and all of these events require the efforts of large numbers of people. I've learned it's a reality that some things cannot be planned for in advance. People will drop out last minute or without notification. People will show up last minute or without having made a prior commitment to serve.
Being an Area Director means being ready for anything. Hosting successful events does require a strong knowledge of what needs to be done and the motivation to plan ahead. Yet, there is a high degree of flexibility required as well, which may be even more important. Things happen on the day of the event, but if you're accepting of that reality, they always seem to fall into place. You must also be prepared to call upon your fellow leaders in times of need.
The October Area Newsletter
It's hard to believe how far we've come in the Toastmasters year with one quarter officially complete. With the clubs having just completed their contests, all efforts are focused on our Area contests.
Accordingly, the October newsletter focused heavily on contests with these featured topics:
Accordingly, the October newsletter focused heavily on contests with these featured topics:
- Club Contests: I acknowledged the competition and collaboration among clubs in completing their contests. I also reminded the clubs to send me their Notification of Winner forms, so their competitors could participate in the Area contests.
- Area Contests: I provided the details and flyer for our Area contests. I also invited any interested members to contact me to volunteer for a variety of roles.
- Division Contests: I provided the date of the Division contests as a reminder of what is coming next.
- District Contests: Since there had been some confusion this year about the status of competition after the Division level, I clarified that we would hold all District-level contests at the spring conference.
- Semi-Annual Dues Renewal: I acknowledged each of my clubs for meeting the membership renewal deadline, completing DCP goal number 10 (on-time payment of membership dues and submission of officer list), and outpacing the District at large by getting so many members renewed early (about one-third of all renewals were processed by the time my newsletter went out, while our Area had a much higher percentage).
- District Incentives: Lastly, I linked to the District website, where a number of new incentives for clubs were announced. I encouraged everyone to pursue the incentives within their reach, such as achieving 5 or more DCP points by late April.
The Budget Vote
The final vote to approve the District budget and officer appointments was originally scheduled for Saturday, September 22. It was to take place online among all DEC members, including club Presidents and VPEs. Unfortunately, due to a variety of scheduling conflicts and technical bugs, we were not successful in achieving a quorum (defined in this specific case as having one-third of the club Presidents and VPEs present). Therefore, we entered the backup plan, which was to vote through an online form distributed by email.
Upon receiving the form on Tuesday, September 25, I voted right away, which took less than two minutes. I also contacted all of the club Presidents and VPEs in my Area and urged them to vote. There was a tight window of opportunity, since the deadline to submit votes was 9 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26. Although it wasn't an easy process, our District was able to successfully approve the budget and officer appointments before the September 30 deadline.
In case you're wondering what this is all about, the District Leadership Handbook describes the requirements regarding District Council Meetings. Two such meetings are required each year. The first is between March 15 and June 1. This must be held in person, whereas others may occur electronically. The first meeting typically involves the election of District leadership and happens during the annual spring conference. Subsequently, the second meeting must occur no later than September 30. It is in this second meeting where the District budget and officer appointments must be approved. Supposing a quorum is not met, as was true in our case, the actions taken during the meeting may subsequently be approved through a majority vote (which can be electronic). That's why we followed up with an online vote a few days after the September 22 meeting.
Upon receiving the form on Tuesday, September 25, I voted right away, which took less than two minutes. I also contacted all of the club Presidents and VPEs in my Area and urged them to vote. There was a tight window of opportunity, since the deadline to submit votes was 9 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26. Although it wasn't an easy process, our District was able to successfully approve the budget and officer appointments before the September 30 deadline.
In case you're wondering what this is all about, the District Leadership Handbook describes the requirements regarding District Council Meetings. Two such meetings are required each year. The first is between March 15 and June 1. This must be held in person, whereas others may occur electronically. The first meeting typically involves the election of District leadership and happens during the annual spring conference. Subsequently, the second meeting must occur no later than September 30. It is in this second meeting where the District budget and officer appointments must be approved. Supposing a quorum is not met, as was true in our case, the actions taken during the meeting may subsequently be approved through a majority vote (which can be electronic). That's why we followed up with an online vote a few days after the September 22 meeting.
The Second DEC Meeting
We got to sleep in a bit later this time around, as the Saturday, September 8 District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting began at 10:00 a.m. It's hard to believe we've all been on the job for almost two months since our previous gathering. While our first meeting was mostly about training, this event was mostly about business.
After brief introductory remarks, we received update reports from our District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director. Each Division Director also briefly gave a status update. Further, there were a number of public relations and incentive initiatives announced, which I was quite excited about. These are specific to our District and year-by-year planning, so I will refrain from mentioning specific details. What is nice to see, however, is how District goals can be closely tied to rewards and recognition for clubs and individual members. This places the emphasis on using District resources to add value to the member experience. It is also a good reminder for clubs to do the same for members.
Most of the day was spent reviewing the proposed District budget for the year. Our District Director led the discussion alongside the Finance Manager. We were given descriptions of every category of the budget and justifications for the amounts. There was also opportunity to discuss specific items and any additional items that may need to be included. Subsequently, we voted to approve the budget among the DEC attendees. The next phase is an online vote among the DEC members and club leaders (every President and Vice President Education). This vote is scheduled to take place online on September 22. If approved, the District budget would be finalized for the year.
As of today's meeting, 51 of 168 Area Director's Club Visit Reports had been submitted online throughout the entire District. The official deadline for these reports is November 30, but our District leaders requested that they be finalized by September 30. This intends to give them time to analyze the reports and proactively provide support to struggling clubs swiftly.
In most cases, it seems that the Area Directors have visited their clubs at least once by now. However, they may not have finalized all of their reports. For instance, many are waiting for additional details from club leaders. Often, those entail the education awards and DCP points the clubs are planning to earn for the year.
Personally, I had all of my first-round visits complete and reports submitted online by August 30. I didn't realize it at the time, but this put me in exclusive company worldwide. To me, I was simply following through on the goal that our Division team had set. That was to get our initial round of formal visits and reports completed by the end of August.
To be honest, it is necessary to have these items completed as early as possible, even if certain details are not yet available. That's because the stream of duties never ceases in the Toastmasters world! That's a universal truth not limited to any particular level, be it in club leadership, up to the District Director, or beyond.
Consider the scope of a Toastmasters year for an Area Director. By the time initial club visits are complete, we have several other things to attend to. Clubs need help getting their speech contests completed by the end of September. Meanwhile, we must lead the planning for our Area contests in October and assist with Division contests in November. Once the new calendar year begins, it's already time for another Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) season, followed by a second round of formal club visits and reports, then a second round of contests. As you can see, the cycle repeats without any breaks throughout the entire year. Getting tasks done efficiently helps things keep moving.
At the moment, my biggest focus is on finding volunteers for the Area contest on October 13. In addition to the formalities, I like to schedule informal visits with my clubs. During the first half of the Toastmasters year, I should have visited each club at least two times.
After brief introductory remarks, we received update reports from our District Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Growth Director. Each Division Director also briefly gave a status update. Further, there were a number of public relations and incentive initiatives announced, which I was quite excited about. These are specific to our District and year-by-year planning, so I will refrain from mentioning specific details. What is nice to see, however, is how District goals can be closely tied to rewards and recognition for clubs and individual members. This places the emphasis on using District resources to add value to the member experience. It is also a good reminder for clubs to do the same for members.
Most of the day was spent reviewing the proposed District budget for the year. Our District Director led the discussion alongside the Finance Manager. We were given descriptions of every category of the budget and justifications for the amounts. There was also opportunity to discuss specific items and any additional items that may need to be included. Subsequently, we voted to approve the budget among the DEC attendees. The next phase is an online vote among the DEC members and club leaders (every President and Vice President Education). This vote is scheduled to take place online on September 22. If approved, the District budget would be finalized for the year.
As of today's meeting, 51 of 168 Area Director's Club Visit Reports had been submitted online throughout the entire District. The official deadline for these reports is November 30, but our District leaders requested that they be finalized by September 30. This intends to give them time to analyze the reports and proactively provide support to struggling clubs swiftly.
In most cases, it seems that the Area Directors have visited their clubs at least once by now. However, they may not have finalized all of their reports. For instance, many are waiting for additional details from club leaders. Often, those entail the education awards and DCP points the clubs are planning to earn for the year.
Personally, I had all of my first-round visits complete and reports submitted online by August 30. I didn't realize it at the time, but this put me in exclusive company worldwide. To me, I was simply following through on the goal that our Division team had set. That was to get our initial round of formal visits and reports completed by the end of August.
To be honest, it is necessary to have these items completed as early as possible, even if certain details are not yet available. That's because the stream of duties never ceases in the Toastmasters world! That's a universal truth not limited to any particular level, be it in club leadership, up to the District Director, or beyond.
Consider the scope of a Toastmasters year for an Area Director. By the time initial club visits are complete, we have several other things to attend to. Clubs need help getting their speech contests completed by the end of September. Meanwhile, we must lead the planning for our Area contests in October and assist with Division contests in November. Once the new calendar year begins, it's already time for another Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) season, followed by a second round of formal club visits and reports, then a second round of contests. As you can see, the cycle repeats without any breaks throughout the entire year. Getting tasks done efficiently helps things keep moving.
At the moment, my biggest focus is on finding volunteers for the Area contest on October 13. In addition to the formalities, I like to schedule informal visits with my clubs. During the first half of the Toastmasters year, I should have visited each club at least two times.
The September Area Newsletter
Another month has passed, but the amount of information that club leaders and leaders throughout the District need to keep track of hasn't reduced one bit. In fact, it appears to have grown!
Thus, the time has come for another monthly newsletter. Here's what I included in my September edition, which was sent out to all club Presidents and VPEs in the Area.
Thus, the time has come for another monthly newsletter. Here's what I included in my September edition, which was sent out to all club Presidents and VPEs in the Area.
- Semi-Annual Dues Renewal: To be eligible for DCP and remain in good standing with Toastmasters International, all clubs must get their dues submitted by October 1.
- Club Contests: I shared the dates of each club's contests and encouraged them to contact each other if they need help with supporting roles, such as test speakers.
- Area Contest: I provided the date for the Area contest and a list of the various roles that need to be filled. I requested help finding volunteers and noted how these roles can be used to support educational awards, such as the High-Performance Leadership (HPL) project, manual speeches, and Competent Leadership (CL) projects.
- Division Contest: I provided the date of the Division contest and noted, as with the Area contest, that we would be seeking volunteers to help make the event a success.
- Smedley Award: This annual membership drive occurs from August 1 to September 30. Clubs get special recognition for adding five members during the period.
- DCP: I reminded clubs of the DCP opportunities, recognized the planning that they were already conducting, and invited them to discuss strategies with me. I also gave an example strategy for Pathways, which makes it very easy for any club to achieve the five points required for Distinguished status.
- World Championship of Public Speaking: One of our own District members competed on the world stage at the International Convention this year and took third place. I linked to a highlight video of this members' speech.
- Presenting the Community: My own HPL project, which featured a series of video testimonials from members all over South Florida and The Bahamas, was featured on the District website. I linked to the website, so they could find and enjoy the videos.
Lastly, I thanked everyone for inviting me for formal visits during the month of August and encouraged them to let me know how I can best support their clubs moving forward.
The Fall Formal Club Visits
Throughout the month of August, I conducted formal visits with all of my Area clubs. To be exact, I met with my six clubs on August 2, 16, 23, 27, 28, and 29. By August 30, I had submitted all of my Area Director's Club Visit Reports through District Central on the Toastmasters International website.
All Toastmasters clubs follow the same basic structure, but still manage to have unique identities. It is a pleasure to see how the clubs develop their own culture and strategies for success. Some clubs have difficulty keeping membership numbers up, while others feel the ebb and flow of commitment levels (especially in the summer months). Some host a variety of fun culture-building events inside and outside of the club, whereas others are high achievers who start submitting Distinguished Club Program (DCP) awards early and often. My clubs were most welcoming and I responded by trying to make special contributions to their meetings. This ranged from helping to judge a contest to giving a 3-minute toast honoring the club to filling in for a speaker who was unable to attend at the last minute. An Area Director has to be prepared for anything - remember? My goal as an Area Director is to support each of these clubs in whatever way they see most fit. I do believe all of them can achieve their goals, whether that may be to achieve Distinguished status, rebuild membership, strengthen their online presence, or enhance their fellowship.
Although the club visit reports have a deadline of November 30, getting them done earlier allows me to focus efforts on additional important matters. For instance, all clubs need to hold their humor and evaluation speech contests by the end of September. They often need help with finding test speakers or guest judges. Fortunately, I have already been invited back for informal visits during the month of September. I anticipate attending several contests and filling roles as needed. Furthermore, the Area speech contests are scheduled for October 13 and the Division contest is on November 3. Hence, we have a ton of work to do. The members of our Division team must conduct all of the planning for these events and find numerous volunteers to fill supporting roles.
All Toastmasters clubs follow the same basic structure, but still manage to have unique identities. It is a pleasure to see how the clubs develop their own culture and strategies for success. Some clubs have difficulty keeping membership numbers up, while others feel the ebb and flow of commitment levels (especially in the summer months). Some host a variety of fun culture-building events inside and outside of the club, whereas others are high achievers who start submitting Distinguished Club Program (DCP) awards early and often. My clubs were most welcoming and I responded by trying to make special contributions to their meetings. This ranged from helping to judge a contest to giving a 3-minute toast honoring the club to filling in for a speaker who was unable to attend at the last minute. An Area Director has to be prepared for anything - remember? My goal as an Area Director is to support each of these clubs in whatever way they see most fit. I do believe all of them can achieve their goals, whether that may be to achieve Distinguished status, rebuild membership, strengthen their online presence, or enhance their fellowship.
Although the club visit reports have a deadline of November 30, getting them done earlier allows me to focus efforts on additional important matters. For instance, all clubs need to hold their humor and evaluation speech contests by the end of September. They often need help with finding test speakers or guest judges. Fortunately, I have already been invited back for informal visits during the month of September. I anticipate attending several contests and filling roles as needed. Furthermore, the Area speech contests are scheduled for October 13 and the Division contest is on November 3. Hence, we have a ton of work to do. The members of our Division team must conduct all of the planning for these events and find numerous volunteers to fill supporting roles.
The First Club Visit Report
After receiving input on the members currently working towards educational awards, I was ready to submit my first Area Director's Club Visit Report.
Remember how I said that an Area Director needs to be prepared for anything? That's not only true when you show up to a club meeting or event, but all of the time between as well.
When I logged into the Toastmasters International website, I was unable to find the online form for submitting the club visit report. Ultimately, I realized I hadn't been given access to the required District Central systems to do so. Alarmed, I wrote to my Division Director and asked him to help me pursue proper account access. I received a call from the District Director that night and he assured me he would work on it in the morning. Further, this situation led to the revelation that other Area Directors were also missing access. On Monday morning, a series of messages and calls involving our Division Director, Program Quality Director, and District Director, and representatives at World Headquarters led to the restoration of access for us all. Fortunately, it was a minor account issue with the website that was easily fixed with the prompt communication and support of our District leaders.
Submitting the report online was not too difficult. I had already taken notes in the digital PDF version of the report, so it was mostly copying and pasting from that document into the web form. Take note that every single box must have information in it for the form to be submitted. That means you may need to put something like "NA" for the things which you do not have information for. For instance, a club may not have identified the quantity of members working towards and award that is shown in the form. In this case, I just use a name of "NA" and set an end date of June 30 (the end of the Toastmasters year). Once submitted, the report gets emailed to several people, including the District leaders, Division Director, the club President, and yourself.
Intriguingly, a day after submitting my first report, I received an unhappy email from the club President. This was a strange reaction to me, because I did not say anything negative or suggest that the club doesn't do certain things at all in my report. What I did do was logged my observations in an objective way and stated straightforward areas for improvement based on information from Toastmasters International. Furthermore, I even highlighted many positive aspects I witnessed at the meeting.
One of the leadership lessons for me is that we choose the values we want to live by. An Area Director should follow the Toastmasters International values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. In particular, the value of Integrity comes into play when an Area Director discovers ways in which a club can be improved. Hiding areas for improvement to appease someone, such as a club President, would be a failure of Integrity. It certainly wouldn't speak well to the other values, or support the quality of the club, either. Therefore, I choose to act with Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence.
Yet, just because you live by a certain set of values doesn't mean that others also live by those values. It also doesn't mean that people will react appropriately to your reports, even when they were written in propriety.
Remember: An Area Director needs to be prepared for anything.
Remember how I said that an Area Director needs to be prepared for anything? That's not only true when you show up to a club meeting or event, but all of the time between as well.
When I logged into the Toastmasters International website, I was unable to find the online form for submitting the club visit report. Ultimately, I realized I hadn't been given access to the required District Central systems to do so. Alarmed, I wrote to my Division Director and asked him to help me pursue proper account access. I received a call from the District Director that night and he assured me he would work on it in the morning. Further, this situation led to the revelation that other Area Directors were also missing access. On Monday morning, a series of messages and calls involving our Division Director, Program Quality Director, and District Director, and representatives at World Headquarters led to the restoration of access for us all. Fortunately, it was a minor account issue with the website that was easily fixed with the prompt communication and support of our District leaders.
Submitting the report online was not too difficult. I had already taken notes in the digital PDF version of the report, so it was mostly copying and pasting from that document into the web form. Take note that every single box must have information in it for the form to be submitted. That means you may need to put something like "NA" for the things which you do not have information for. For instance, a club may not have identified the quantity of members working towards and award that is shown in the form. In this case, I just use a name of "NA" and set an end date of June 30 (the end of the Toastmasters year). Once submitted, the report gets emailed to several people, including the District leaders, Division Director, the club President, and yourself.
Intriguingly, a day after submitting my first report, I received an unhappy email from the club President. This was a strange reaction to me, because I did not say anything negative or suggest that the club doesn't do certain things at all in my report. What I did do was logged my observations in an objective way and stated straightforward areas for improvement based on information from Toastmasters International. Furthermore, I even highlighted many positive aspects I witnessed at the meeting.
One of the leadership lessons for me is that we choose the values we want to live by. An Area Director should follow the Toastmasters International values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. In particular, the value of Integrity comes into play when an Area Director discovers ways in which a club can be improved. Hiding areas for improvement to appease someone, such as a club President, would be a failure of Integrity. It certainly wouldn't speak well to the other values, or support the quality of the club, either. Therefore, I choose to act with Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence.
Yet, just because you live by a certain set of values doesn't mean that others also live by those values. It also doesn't mean that people will react appropriately to your reports, even when they were written in propriety.
Remember: An Area Director needs to be prepared for anything.
The First Formal Club Visit
At the start of August, I attended my first formal club visit (of six total that need to be completed prior to November 30). For the most part, it was a normal meeting, just like any other. I got introduced to several club officers, members, and guests. Of course, I was also responsible for observing the general procedures of the club, such as the meeting structure, how guests are welcomed, and the cultural atmosphere.
Prior to my visit, I already had several communications with the club officers by email. I also met some of them at previous events, such as speech contests and TLIs.
On the day of the visit, I did some extra research. This included reviewing the club website, learning about the history of the club, and checking on its current status (using the data available on the District dashboards).
At the conclusion of the meeting agenda, the club reserved a few minutes for me to speak. I used this time to perform a brief toast-style presentation. I noted some interesting historical features of the club, recognized recent accomplishments, and reaffirmed my goal to support the club however necessary this year. Lastly, I made some key announcements, such as the ongoing Smedley Award* membership drive and the District's request to have all club contests completed by the end of September.
After the meeting, I sent a thank-you note to the club officers and followed up on items we discussed. Furthermore, I invited the club officers to contribute to the Area Director's Club Visit Report. I welcomed them to contribute as much or as little as they desired. I requested that they return their contributions within one week.
Ultimately, it is my responsibility to file the report online. However, there are certain aspects that are not easily observed by an outsider and can be better informed by the club officers. An example would be the names of members who are currently working on education awards and their anticipated completion dates. In a complementary way, there are things that are better informed by a third-party observer, such as a description of the club atmosphere from a guest's perspective. Hence, I find it appropriate to both complete the report myself and invite the club officers to contribute. Moreover, the purpose of the report is to identify how the quality of the club can be improved. Achieving this goal requires support from both the District and club officers.
For my part, I filled out the report fully with my own observations immediately after returning home from the meeting. However, I would wait until after receiving the club officers' input to submit the final report online.
I am looking forward to upcoming club visits, both formal and informal. I have five more clubs to visit on a formal basis before November 30. In addition, we already anticipated more informal visits with this club, such as for their upcoming contests and open house events. Likewise, there should be several opportunities to visit my other Area clubs beyond those meetings required for formal reporting.
*The Smedley Award is an annual membership drive available to all Toastmasters clubs. It entails getting five members to join between August 1 and September 30. Clubs that achieve this feat are recognized with a special ribbon and discount on a future order from the Toastmasters International store.
Prior to my visit, I already had several communications with the club officers by email. I also met some of them at previous events, such as speech contests and TLIs.
On the day of the visit, I did some extra research. This included reviewing the club website, learning about the history of the club, and checking on its current status (using the data available on the District dashboards).
At the conclusion of the meeting agenda, the club reserved a few minutes for me to speak. I used this time to perform a brief toast-style presentation. I noted some interesting historical features of the club, recognized recent accomplishments, and reaffirmed my goal to support the club however necessary this year. Lastly, I made some key announcements, such as the ongoing Smedley Award* membership drive and the District's request to have all club contests completed by the end of September.
After the meeting, I sent a thank-you note to the club officers and followed up on items we discussed. Furthermore, I invited the club officers to contribute to the Area Director's Club Visit Report. I welcomed them to contribute as much or as little as they desired. I requested that they return their contributions within one week.
Ultimately, it is my responsibility to file the report online. However, there are certain aspects that are not easily observed by an outsider and can be better informed by the club officers. An example would be the names of members who are currently working on education awards and their anticipated completion dates. In a complementary way, there are things that are better informed by a third-party observer, such as a description of the club atmosphere from a guest's perspective. Hence, I find it appropriate to both complete the report myself and invite the club officers to contribute. Moreover, the purpose of the report is to identify how the quality of the club can be improved. Achieving this goal requires support from both the District and club officers.
For my part, I filled out the report fully with my own observations immediately after returning home from the meeting. However, I would wait until after receiving the club officers' input to submit the final report online.
I am looking forward to upcoming club visits, both formal and informal. I have five more clubs to visit on a formal basis before November 30. In addition, we already anticipated more informal visits with this club, such as for their upcoming contests and open house events. Likewise, there should be several opportunities to visit my other Area clubs beyond those meetings required for formal reporting.
*The Smedley Award is an annual membership drive available to all Toastmasters clubs. It entails getting five members to join between August 1 and September 30. Clubs that achieve this feat are recognized with a special ribbon and discount on a future order from the Toastmasters International store.
The August Area Newsletter
Due to the overwhelming amount of information that club and District leaders must keep track of, I decided to put together a monthly email newsletter for my Area.
This is simply an email, broken into sections, and sent out to the President and Vice President Education (VPE) of each club. I chose to keep things simple by using text and links, rather than adding graphics or maintaining a separate mailing list through an online service.
The idea is to make a monthly announcement of key items that should be on the club leaders' minds and provide them with essential resources, without overwhelming them with tons of separate messages. The newsletter is something they can return and reference as needed throughout the month. It doesn't have to be read through in full upon receipt. They can visit it when a particular topic becomes of special interest.
Here are the topics I included in the August newsletter.
Lastly, I reminded everyone that I looked forward to visiting over the next month and that they should be sure to let me know how I can best support their clubs this year.
This is simply an email, broken into sections, and sent out to the President and Vice President Education (VPE) of each club. I chose to keep things simple by using text and links, rather than adding graphics or maintaining a separate mailing list through an online service.
The idea is to make a monthly announcement of key items that should be on the club leaders' minds and provide them with essential resources, without overwhelming them with tons of separate messages. The newsletter is something they can return and reference as needed throughout the month. It doesn't have to be read through in full upon receipt. They can visit it when a particular topic becomes of special interest.
Here are the topics I included in the August newsletter.
- Smedley Award: An annual membership drive that occurs August 1 to September 30 where clubs get special recognition for adding five members during the period.
- Semi-Annual Dues Renewal: To be eligible for DCP and remain in good standing with Toastmasters International, all clubs must get their semi-annual dues filed by October 1.
- Proxy Voting: I encouraged clubs to assign their proxy votes for the International Convention.
- DCP: I reminded clubs of the DCP opportunities. In particular, two of the easiest goals to achieve require having at least four officers trained in each round of TLIs and getting renewal dues filed on time. This frees clubs up to work on the challenges of membership growth and supporting members' educational progress. Further, I reminded the club leaders that DCP is not about scoring points, but is a measure of a club's quality. Therefore, DCP should be pursued as a proactive approach to ensure a quality experience for members.
Lastly, I reminded everyone that I looked forward to visiting over the next month and that they should be sure to let me know how I can best support their clubs this year.
The July TLI
The July 28 TLI is complete! We had well over 200 attendees, which was an incredible turnout given a few factors. First, the planning and recruiting timeline of two weeks was rather short. Second, a Club Officer Training* (COT) event had taken place a month earlier nearby, which attracted many of the would-be attendees to the TLI.
For my part at the TLI, I gave the mandatory one-hour training for approximately 30 Vice President Public Relations (VPPR) officers. I covered the required training material, made sure to allow plenty of discussion among the group, and shared my own club-level public relations strategic process. I got excellent immediate feedback from the attendees and heard good word-of-mouth spreading throughout the day thereafter. I wasn't alone, as I heard good things about several of the sessions that day. This suggests we are doing well to attune our event to the interests of members and engaging them, even in the case where training is mandatory. This was all quite encouraging and I would gladly speak at future TLI events.
As soon as I got home, my focus shifted to the next task at hand: club visits. It was time to directly reach out to each of my clubs and make a specific request to have our initial visit. I did so by writing a straightforward, brief message. I offered three date options based on each club's upcoming schedule, asked what their preference would be, and ensured them I would be there for the date they picked. Two clubs had already been scheduled, two new visits were confirmed within an hour, and two remained by the end of the day. Here's what my formal visit schedule looked like at this point: August 2, 16, 23, and 29, with two clubs pending. A soft goal was to get an initial visit completed with each club by the end of August, although we of course have until November 30 to file the formal reports, which leaves plenty of time for adjustments.
*COT and TLI are two different formats that Districts can use to offer annual training programs. The COT focuses on the bare-bones requirements for training club officers, which is required for DCP credit. Meanwhile, the TLI offers a full-featured program that includes COT as well as several other topics of interest to training all members (e.g. Pathways, technology tutorials, speech contests, leadership, coaching and mentoring, maintaining club quality, team building).
For my part at the TLI, I gave the mandatory one-hour training for approximately 30 Vice President Public Relations (VPPR) officers. I covered the required training material, made sure to allow plenty of discussion among the group, and shared my own club-level public relations strategic process. I got excellent immediate feedback from the attendees and heard good word-of-mouth spreading throughout the day thereafter. I wasn't alone, as I heard good things about several of the sessions that day. This suggests we are doing well to attune our event to the interests of members and engaging them, even in the case where training is mandatory. This was all quite encouraging and I would gladly speak at future TLI events.
As soon as I got home, my focus shifted to the next task at hand: club visits. It was time to directly reach out to each of my clubs and make a specific request to have our initial visit. I did so by writing a straightforward, brief message. I offered three date options based on each club's upcoming schedule, asked what their preference would be, and ensured them I would be there for the date they picked. Two clubs had already been scheduled, two new visits were confirmed within an hour, and two remained by the end of the day. Here's what my formal visit schedule looked like at this point: August 2, 16, 23, and 29, with two clubs pending. A soft goal was to get an initial visit completed with each club by the end of August, although we of course have until November 30 to file the formal reports, which leaves plenty of time for adjustments.
*COT and TLI are two different formats that Districts can use to offer annual training programs. The COT focuses on the bare-bones requirements for training club officers, which is required for DCP credit. Meanwhile, the TLI offers a full-featured program that includes COT as well as several other topics of interest to training all members (e.g. Pathways, technology tutorials, speech contests, leadership, coaching and mentoring, maintaining club quality, team building).
The Push for the July TLI
With just over 80 hours left, the TLI is rapidly approaching. I've spent the week making a registration push in the days leading up to the event. I set out on social media to post announcements, flyers, details, and humorous images. In addition, I sent a reminder to the leaders of my Area clubs to keep them informed and ask them to encourage their members to attend.
Overall, we are making progress on our online registration numbers, but we won't know the final result until the day before. Of course, people can always show up to participate on the day of the event, too.
Thus far, I have one presentation session to prepare for at the TLI. There is a good chance I'll need to pick up an additional session if other speakers drop between now and Saturday.
Lastly, some eager club leaders have already started asking for speech contest details at various levels. This is a bit premature, since we are in "TLI season" through mid-August. After that, the District focus will turn to "contest season." However, a general guideline was shared with us at the July DEC meeting. That is, clubs should complete their contests by the end of September. This is all I'm able to share with clubs at the moment. Yet, since the club-level contests are fully within the control of individual clubs, it is sufficient information for them to make progress. Meanwhile, the approximate deadlines for Area contests are early November and Division contests are early December. Once the TLI season ends, I will certainly be looking for more details on contest season.
Overall, we are making progress on our online registration numbers, but we won't know the final result until the day before. Of course, people can always show up to participate on the day of the event, too.
Thus far, I have one presentation session to prepare for at the TLI. There is a good chance I'll need to pick up an additional session if other speakers drop between now and Saturday.
Lastly, some eager club leaders have already started asking for speech contest details at various levels. This is a bit premature, since we are in "TLI season" through mid-August. After that, the District focus will turn to "contest season." However, a general guideline was shared with us at the July DEC meeting. That is, clubs should complete their contests by the end of September. This is all I'm able to share with clubs at the moment. Yet, since the club-level contests are fully within the control of individual clubs, it is sufficient information for them to make progress. Meanwhile, the approximate deadlines for Area contests are early November and Division contests are early December. Once the TLI season ends, I will certainly be looking for more details on contest season.
The Introduction
Toastmasters responsibilities often require waking up early! This time, I had a visit with one of my assigned clubs that drops the gavel at 7:00 a.m. sharp. Since I hadn't the time to get in touch with the club leaders prior to my visit, this was an informal visit. Oddly enough, the club had a speaker withdraw the night before the meeting, so I helped to fill in. In good fortune, a District champion evaluator was also visiting the club as a guest that day. My willingness to step forward was rewarded with a superb evaluation on my speech.
I have learned that an Area Director must always be prepared to participate. You never know what kind of help your clubs, Area, Division, or District may need on a given day.
Later in the afternoon, I put together a contact list of President and Vice President Education (VPE) officers from each club. Then, I sent an email out to each of them with the following information.
I have learned that an Area Director must always be prepared to participate. You never know what kind of help your clubs, Area, Division, or District may need on a given day.
Later in the afternoon, I put together a contact list of President and Vice President Education (VPE) officers from each club. Then, I sent an email out to each of them with the following information.
- Identified myself as their Area Director and briefly noted my personal Toastmasters history
- Reiterated that I am here to learn about the needs of their members and support their clubs
- Noted that I hoped they would invite me for a visit in the next few weeks, while providing resources* related to club quality.
- Provided information on the upcoming Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI), such as the event flyer, registration link, and information on how to use the event to support member education awards and club Distinguished Club Program (DCP) credit.
- Gave all of my contact information, including email, phone, and online accounts.
- Shared a list of all six clubs in our Area, so they are aware of their neighbors
At this point, our first informal visit had already taken place and our first formal visit was scheduled for August 2.
*These are the resources I included with my email introduction to the club officers.
- Moments of Truth: This program is the basis for supporting, maintaining, and measuring club quality.
- Club Success Plan: This document allows club officers to collaborate on specific goals for the year.
- Area Director's Club Visit Report: This is a report that I must submit to World Headquarters (WHQ) after each formal visit. I invited the club leaders to review it and contribute to it.
The District Alignment
At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 16, we received email confirmation from the District Director. The alignment had been approved! We were given a complete list of Area Director names, Area numbers, and club names. At last, we all knew which specific clubs we would be supporting this year.
In nearly all cases, including my own, each Area Director was assigned to six clubs. Mine fell within a radius of less than 10 miles. In fact, three of the six clubs met at the same Denny's restaurant. Meeting times varied from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Some met weekly, while others met twice a month.
At this point, I had these primary goals to focus on.
*A variety of topics are voted on each year at the annual International Convention. Clubs often do not have members that attend the International Convention, which is held in various locations around the world. Therefore, the proxy system allows clubs to assign their voting rights to a representative. This ensures that clubs are able to vote, even when a member may not attend the International Convention in a given year.
In nearly all cases, including my own, each Area Director was assigned to six clubs. Mine fell within a radius of less than 10 miles. In fact, three of the six clubs met at the same Denny's restaurant. Meeting times varied from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Some met weekly, while others met twice a month.
At this point, I had these primary goals to focus on.
- Make initial contact to start building good relationships with club members.
- Encourage attendance at the TLI on July 28.
- Encourage clubs to assign proxy* voting rights for the International Convention on August 22-25.
- Schedule the first round of formal club visits, which must be reported on by November 30.
*A variety of topics are voted on each year at the annual International Convention. Clubs often do not have members that attend the International Convention, which is held in various locations around the world. Therefore, the proxy system allows clubs to assign their voting rights to a representative. This ensures that clubs are able to vote, even when a member may not attend the International Convention in a given year.
The First DEC Meeting
I woke up at 6:30 a.m. in the morning on Saturday, July 14 for the first major event of the new Toastmasters year. All of our newly elected and appointed leaders at the District, Division, and Area levels met for a day-long training session. Collectively, this group is known as the District Executive Committee (DEC).
I arrived to the hotel conference room at 8:00 a.m. My fellow Area Directors and our Division Director were all together for the very first time. Our initial stop was a group photo shoot by a professional photographer. Each Division team took a group photo together.
Subsequently, the formal agenda started with an introduction from our District Director. Most of the day was filled with hour-long training sessions on critical topics for our roles. These included developing successful teams, enhancing club quality, establishing and supporting new clubs, and succeeding in the District Recognition Program*. Time was built in for group activities, questions, and breaks along the way. Coffee, water, snacks, and a catered lunch were provided.
In addition to discussing our upcoming schedule and the additional resources available to us, a major challenge was addressed by the District Director in the closing segment. Area Directors still did not know exactly what clubs they were assigned to. This was due to the District Alignment process, which had a submission deadline to World Headquarters of July 15 and would subsequently need to be reviewed and approved. Although we could not leave knowing our assignments that day, we were hopeful that the review would be completed within the next few days.
Needless to say, we were all eager to start building rapport with our clubs, so we can support them in achieving excellence. Furthermore, we were entering our first cycle of Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) events. The TLIs, which occur two to three times per year, offer vital training to club officers and members. Not only are these the very people we serve in our roles, but having officers trained is one measure of success that Toastmasters International tracks annually for each club. The dates for the first round of TLIs were established as July 21, July 28, August 4, and August 11.
In fact, our local TLI was confirmed for July 28. We only had two weeks left to prepare. To make the event possible, I was recruited to lead one of the training sessions, as were many others in the room. Of course, we started announcing the event and encouraging people to attend the instant we were aware of it.
The day ended as it began - with photography. To finish things off, the entire group in attendance went outside for a photo.
I think it is normal to feel overwhelmed by details at this point. There is much to learn. Getting an overview of it all was both helpful and revealing of the amount of work that needs to be done for the year. Key take-away resources were provided to us, such as the District Leader Handbook, District Recognition Program guide, and speech contest rules (after TLIs, speech contests become one of our major focus areas). One of my personal goals was to dive into these materials, so I could start turning those details into an action plan.
I arrived to the hotel conference room at 8:00 a.m. My fellow Area Directors and our Division Director were all together for the very first time. Our initial stop was a group photo shoot by a professional photographer. Each Division team took a group photo together.
Subsequently, the formal agenda started with an introduction from our District Director. Most of the day was filled with hour-long training sessions on critical topics for our roles. These included developing successful teams, enhancing club quality, establishing and supporting new clubs, and succeeding in the District Recognition Program*. Time was built in for group activities, questions, and breaks along the way. Coffee, water, snacks, and a catered lunch were provided.
In addition to discussing our upcoming schedule and the additional resources available to us, a major challenge was addressed by the District Director in the closing segment. Area Directors still did not know exactly what clubs they were assigned to. This was due to the District Alignment process, which had a submission deadline to World Headquarters of July 15 and would subsequently need to be reviewed and approved. Although we could not leave knowing our assignments that day, we were hopeful that the review would be completed within the next few days.
Needless to say, we were all eager to start building rapport with our clubs, so we can support them in achieving excellence. Furthermore, we were entering our first cycle of Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) events. The TLIs, which occur two to three times per year, offer vital training to club officers and members. Not only are these the very people we serve in our roles, but having officers trained is one measure of success that Toastmasters International tracks annually for each club. The dates for the first round of TLIs were established as July 21, July 28, August 4, and August 11.
In fact, our local TLI was confirmed for July 28. We only had two weeks left to prepare. To make the event possible, I was recruited to lead one of the training sessions, as were many others in the room. Of course, we started announcing the event and encouraging people to attend the instant we were aware of it.
The day ended as it began - with photography. To finish things off, the entire group in attendance went outside for a photo.
I think it is normal to feel overwhelmed by details at this point. There is much to learn. Getting an overview of it all was both helpful and revealing of the amount of work that needs to be done for the year. Key take-away resources were provided to us, such as the District Leader Handbook, District Recognition Program guide, and speech contest rules (after TLIs, speech contests become one of our major focus areas). One of my personal goals was to dive into these materials, so I could start turning those details into an action plan.
The Call
I received the call just after 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 8. It was the new District Director on the other end of the line. We shared greetings. I was informed that I was appointed as an Area Director in Division B. The specific Area number and club assignments were pending District Alignment*. Furthermore, we would have a training event for all District leaders on Saturday, July 14. The call lasted a little more than two minutes. My final words were, "Let's have a great year."
Several hours later, I received a call from our Division Director. He confirmed the names of the other Area Directors who would join us on the Division team. We discussed some important informational resources that would be provided regarding our responsibilities for the year. The big upcoming agenda item for our team was the TLI** on July 28. Since this event would take place in our local territory, our team would play a large role in putting it together.
Before bed, I gathered the reading materials our Division Director sent by email and began to review them.
This concluded my first day as an Area Director in Toastmasters International.
*District Alignment is an annual process whereby clubs are redistributed between Areas and Divisions according to guidelines set forth by our parent organization.
**Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) events, which occur two to three times per year, offer vital training to club officers and members.
Several hours later, I received a call from our Division Director. He confirmed the names of the other Area Directors who would join us on the Division team. We discussed some important informational resources that would be provided regarding our responsibilities for the year. The big upcoming agenda item for our team was the TLI** on July 28. Since this event would take place in our local territory, our team would play a large role in putting it together.
Before bed, I gathered the reading materials our Division Director sent by email and began to review them.
This concluded my first day as an Area Director in Toastmasters International.
*District Alignment is an annual process whereby clubs are redistributed between Areas and Divisions according to guidelines set forth by our parent organization.
**Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) events, which occur two to three times per year, offer vital training to club officers and members.
The Purpose
This is a personal account of my experience as an Area Director in Toastmasters International.
I aim to help answer questions like "What is an Area Director?" and "Do I want to be an Area Director?" Unnecessary details, gossip, and judgement about specific people and events are strictly excluded.
I hope future members will be inspired to make informed decisions, set realistic expectations, and undertake the challenge of leadership as a valuable learning opportunity that serves the community.
I aim to help answer questions like "What is an Area Director?" and "Do I want to be an Area Director?" Unnecessary details, gossip, and judgement about specific people and events are strictly excluded.
I hope future members will be inspired to make informed decisions, set realistic expectations, and undertake the challenge of leadership as a valuable learning opportunity that serves the community.