In This Issue:

• Final remarks from District Director
• Program Quality Director reflects on the year
• Education Programs
• Distinguish Club Program
• Needed up Dates
• Club Growth Director TLI information
• Club Support
• Reflection By Immediate Past District Director

Dear Members of District 35,

In a few short weeks, we will close the books on another Toastmasters year. When we started the year in July 2019, my theme was “Reach for the Stars” and I genuinely believe all of us have worked toward this goal throughout the year!

We have had so many changes that were unexpected, not just in Toastmasters, but in our lives in general. Yet we rose to the occasion to do what we needed to do to help ensure our members continued to build their self-confidence along with their communication and leadership skills. And unexpectedly, we developed new skills we never thought we would, such as the online meeting platforms to help us to continue meeting so that we would not get out of practice using our regular speaking skills in Toastmasters.

I am so proud of everything that we have accomplished this year. I know that we did not meet the actual numbers for our goals, but many members were put in situations that we never imagined—losing jobs, layoffs, remote work, additional work. Financially we lost members because of their own personal situations. It doesn’t matter if your club hit the DCP goals or membership numbers, but rather be proud that we pulled together and did something unimaginable and outstanding—we in fact, did “Reach the Stars.”

In my heart I believe we are all distinguished. I want to thank every one of you for your support and dedication to Toastmasters this year. I am truly humbled and honored to have served as your District Director.

Thank you, District 35!

Rozaline Janci, DTM

District Director

A Whirlwind of a Year!

Kris Pool, DTM – Program Quality Director

What a year it has been! Back in July 2019 at the start of my term as Program Quality Director, I never imagined the changes that this Toastmasters year had in store for us.

We started out strong with summer TLI sessions and training for officers and continued with the Winter TLI. Something new that we tried at Winter TLI was a 50/50 raffle and basket raffle; this was extremely well received. We had plans and great prizes lined up to “Reach for the Stars” at the Spring Convention…. And then COVID-19 hit us. Everything that we took for granted changed in an instant. Spring Convention was cancelled as well as the Division and District speech contests. We focused on the clubs and members to get them prepared to hold club meetings online; tutorials were offered and I continue to learn something new every time I attend a club meeting or online event.

Monthly conference and Zoom meetings were held for the club VP Education and Program Quality Director. With small attendance, individuals were given the time for their specific questions regarding Pathways, agenda planning, and general Toastmasters information. Looking back, it probably would have been more successful had there been an actual topic/agenda for each month. This has been taken into consideration as plans for a monthly Zoom call with the incoming PQD as 2020-21 is being planning.

With only a few weeks remaining in the 2019-2020 year, what can you do? Don’t give up on meeting regularly. Continue giving project and manual speeches and receive an oral and written evaluation. Volunteer regularly for the functionary roles during a meeting. Visit another club meeting; since travel is not an issue at this time, why not visit a club in another Division, or perhaps another state or country?

Don’t forget to check out the district website and calendar. Most activities are promoted on our district Facebook page, but if you’re not on Facebook, then visit our district website at https://district35.org/district-35-on-facebook/

HUGS from your Program Quality Director

DEADLINE – June 30 – Traditional Education Awards

Just a reminder that submissions for the traditional education awards must be submitted through Club Central by June 30, 2020. This includes awards for the Competent Communicator, Advanced Communicator Bronze, Silver, Gold, Competent Leader, and Advanced Leader Bronze. Don’t delay – enter today!

The requirements for the Advanced Leader Silver and Distinguished Toastmaster (traditional program) have been extended to June 30, 2021.  Correction 6-24-20 – this is the ALS that has been extended, not the ACS as originally published 

Reminders – Pathways Education Awards

Remember there is a two-step process when approving levels in Pathways. A Base Camp Manager (VP Education, President, or Secretary) must first approve the level in Base Camp. This is an electronic verification that all the work for the level/award has been completed; this is comparable to looking through a manual to ensure all evaluations have been done and the Project Completion Record has been signed off. Second, any club officer needs to go into Club Central and submit the education award for the member; it’s probably just easiest for the Base Camp Manager to do this since they just approved the level in Base Camp and are already logged onto the computer.

If the education award is not submitted to through Club Central, then the individual and club will not receive credit for the completed education goal.

How many clubs are missing out on Pathways education goals because they missed this two-step process? Double check your records and make the necessary corrections by June 30, 2020. Anything after that date will be credited to the 2020-2021 program year.

The Path to Distinguished Clubs

As of 6-22-20, District 35 already has 18 clubs that are Distinguished or better! Congratulations!!

Presidents Distinguished – Brookfield Toastmasters (B1)

Presidents Distinguished – Cream City Communicators (D1)

Presidents Distinguished – Eastside Madison TM (C2)

Presidents Distinguished – Keynoters Club (C2)

President Distinguished – NM Speaks! (D3)

Presidents Distinguished – Rockwell Automation A-B Club (F3)

Presidents Distinguished – ROK the Talk (D2)

Presidents Distinguished – Rolling Hills Toastmasters Club (C5)

Presidents Distinguished – Smokey’s Sensations (D3)

Presidents Distinguished – Southwest Toastmasters (F3)

Presidents Distinguished – Waukesha Toastmasters (B2)

Select Distinguished – Church Mutual Club (N1)

Select Distinguished – Eastside Madison Toastmasters (C2)

Select Distinguished – Reedsburg Area Club (C5)

Select Distinguished – Stevens Point TM Club (N2)

Distinguished – Franklin Toastmasters (F2)

Distinguished – Green Bay Yackers (E4)

Distinguished – Southshore Toastmasters (F1)

Distinguished – Spectacle City Club (F1)

Right now, there are 53 clubs that have achieved 5 or more Distinguished Club Program (DCP) goals. And 14 clubs have achieved 4 DCP goals. Membership is the main reason why a  club has not achieved distinguished status.

Clubs are encouraged to continue trying to bring in new members (and have any unpaid members submit their renewal dues) to bring up the membership number. We are still in the “Beat the Clock” membership campaign until June 30.

Did You Update Your Club Officer List?

As of June 3, 44 of our clubs had already submitted their updated club officer list for 2020-2021 to Club Central. This means they have already earned ½ goal in next year’s DCP, new officers are receiving invitations to the club officer training, and incoming area directors can begin to reach out to their clubs.

If you have not yet held your club officer elections, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. If you need tips on holding an online vote for officers, please contact Kris Pool at Kris.pool.dtm@gmail.com.

As a reminder, if an officer role becomes vacant during the year, please elect a new officer and update the officer name in Club Central. If this is not done, the new officer will not receive any updates and the person that held the position will continue receiving notifications. Only a current club officer can update Club Central and your club officer list.

Annual Reminder – Member Profile and Contact Information

Just a reminder that as we move into the new Toastmasters year, your members should review their profile and contact information on the Toastmasters.org website. Most times, email is the main form of communication, and if the email address is not current, they will not receive updated information. Mailing address and phone number (home, work, and/or cell) should also be included. How else will your fellow club members reach out to you?

Summer TLI – You Deserve to Thrive

We are excited to offer three District level, virtual training options for incoming club officers!  Join us on June 20, July 11, or July 30 for Toastmasters Leadership Institute.

Summer TLI is designed to train club officers on how to fulfill their roles in the year ahead.  We want every club to have the best chance of success and it starts with creating a good foundation.  When club officers are trained, they are in a better position to support their members.  Even if you have been to TLI in the past, you will learn something new this summer.  Our club meetings have changed.  Our club dynamics have changed.  Officers need to be ready to lead through these changes and this TLI will help you do just that.

Each TLI will include the following sessions:

Keynote address on building a leadership pipeline

• Learn the steps you can take now to build up leaders in your club and create a succession plan for future club leaders

Club officer breakout

• Learn and share ideas with fellow officers on how you can fulfill your role while improving club quality

Pathways

• Choose between the beginner and advanced Pathways training session

Club Coach/Sponsor/Mentor

• If you are ready for a new challenge and want to share what you know about Toastmasters with other, learn about what it takes to be a Club Coach, Club Mentor, or Club Sponsor.

Guest to member

• Learn some tips and tricks for turning guests to your meeting into new members

Your club will earn credit towards the Distinguished Club Program when 4 of 7 officers are trained in both the summer and winter training seasons.  To have the best chance of success throughout the year, you will want to have all 7 club officers trained.  That is why we are offering incentives for all 7 officers trained.

• If your club has all 7 officers trained during this summer session, you will receive a banner ribbon for your club.
• If your club has all 7 officers trained at the very first TLI session on Saturday June 20, your club will receive an additional “Early Bird” banner ribbon AND will be entered into a drawing for a new set of club officer pins. We will award 3 clubs a set of club officer pins at the conclusion of the TLI on June 20.

Register via Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/d35-2020-summer-toastmasters-leadership-institute-registration-107018916460?aff=Website

 

Available Support for Your Club

Does your club have 12 members or less?

Could your club benefit from new ideas for attracting guests?

Do you want help to improve your club quality to retain your members?

If you answered Yes to these questions, the Club Coach program is for you.  Club Coaches provide support to those clubs with low membership who are eager to improve.  Coaches build rapport with club leaders and members to instill enthusiasm, camaraderie, and structure within the club.  They use their experience to recommend best practices for success.  Coaches offer a new perspective on the club culture and help to promote that culture to prospective members.   The ultimate goal is for the Coach to help a club reach Distinguished.

Clubs are eligible for club coach appointment provided the following requirements are met:

1. The club must have at least one but no more than 12 members in good standing at the time of appointment.
2. The club must not be suspended or closed.
3. The club must not have more than two coaches appointed at one time.

If your club qualifies for a club coach and you want this support, send your request to Teri McGregor, D35 Club Growth Director – tmcgd35@gmail.com

LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS FROM THE IPDD

It’s hard to believe my time at the top of District 35 leadership is almost over as I complete my year serving in the ex-officio role as Immediate Past District Director (IPDD) at the end of June.  It has certainly been a wild ride these last four years with many successes, failures, disappointments and triumphs.  I wanted to share a few lessons I have been reminded of this year that I think are valuable for any part of your Toastmasters journey.

Delegate and enjoy the success of the team collectively.  In the past few years, I have had many opportunities to do this whether it be brainstorming ideas for new club leads, managing conference and TLI teams, or appointing committees to do various tasks as District Director.  I always felt better about the success of such items because I allowed the team to do its work and we put together great events and ideas by allowing this to happen.

Sometimes the team does not have to be large to feel good about the accomplishments.  The work for our Spring District Council meeting was done by two individuals, Eric Young and myself.  It was gratifying to hear the deluge of positive comments on how smoothly and satisfying everyone felt the credentials and voting process worked for this meeting.

Look for ways to make improve upon processes and make the experience better.  I am used to dealing with this theme of continuous improvement as the subject constantly comes up within my work team given that we have a lot of manual processes and can only automate so much at one time.  I feel the same can be applied to Toastmasters.

I worked to apply this as much as possible for our virtual District Council meeting this year by evaluating platforms and taking into account what might best suit our members needs.  In the debrief meeting with our current Trio, I provided some recommendations for the future which our incoming District team will be reviewing further.  I worked to take this to one of my clubs as part of a High Performance Leadership (HPL) project so that we can start building better sustainability for the club.

You individually always have room for improvement.  This is never a hard concept to embrace as this is part of the reason why all of us are members of Toastmasters in the first place.  However, sometimes keeping yourself in check to make sure you are embracing good constructive suggestions that come your way, especially if you are a seasoned Toastmaster like myself.

While our overall process for the voting at our Spring District Council meeting went well, there were a few things I was disappointed about that had occurred during the process with some last-minute shuffling that was occurring due to some of the activity in the chat room.  Prior to our debrief meeting a couple days later, District Director Rozaline Janci and I had a brief chat and she offered empathy for how I felt, showed how she had encountered similar situations, and easy steps for me to take to proceed the next time something similar occurs.  I felt a lot better after talking about it because of the respectful manner in the handling of the situation.

It has been an honor to serve District 35 in these top leadership roles over the past four years.  Thank you for your confidence in me four years ago when you elected me Club Growth Director that you felt I had the ability to serve our members well.  I hope I have pushed the District forward in a positive manner and will be forever grateful for this experience.  I look forward to continuing to help District 35 in whatever manner needed to keep pushing forward.

Ed Thelen, DTM

Immediate Past District Director (IPDD)