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.