Have you Registered for District 86 Spring Conference 2022?

3 days of Learning, Leadership development, Fellowship, Networking and more awaits you!

Start a new chapter in your life. 

Watch the video for details on WHY you should attend the Conference.

Cont'd Program Quality Team Sessions and Support

The Toastmaster year ends on June 30th, 2022. Are you looking for support with the Toastmasters program or have questions and seeking solutions? Please contact the Program Quality Team, we are here to support you.  

• Haven’t selected a path, use these resources to get started with level one. 
  • Selecting your Path. 
  • Onboarding in Pathways. 
•  Be Part of the “In” Crowd: How to be ‘in’tentional in your ‘in’dividual contribution to diversity, equity, and ‘in’clusion efforts. Hear from Elizabeth Carter, Ph.D. DTM, 2018 – 2019 District 18 Director about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on April 2, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/301138823327... 
• Have questions and seeking solutions join us at the Final Three Member and Club Success session. 
  • Final Three - Member and Club Success – April 12th Afternoon.  
  • Final Three - Member and Club Success –April 12th – Evening.  

Visit the PQD Resource page for other upcoming events. 

Deridor Collier, DTM
District 86, Program Quality Director, 2021 - 2022

Cont'd District 86 Spring Conference 2022 – April 22nd to 24th, 2022

Join me in congratulating all contestants for stepping up and competing in the International Speech and Table Topics contest. In addition, thank you to contest organizers and functionaries for making the contest fun and successful at every level.  

Register now to attend the first Hybrid Spring Conference, a New Beginning in District 86. Invite your friends, family, and others to register to learn and enjoy the Conference.  

Hear from Lark Doley DTM, 2018 – 2019 President Toastmasters International about the Spring Conference- https://youtu.be/OcMaoEO9ejs.  

Why You Should attend 

• Enhance your communication and leadership abilities by listening to leading experts and fellow Toastmasters. 
• Get rejuvenated and learn new things by engaging and sharing ideas and best practices. 
• Experience what Toastmasters has to offer, beyond the club level. 
• Meet new friends and expand your network by connecting with like-minded Toastmasters. 
• Attend workshops and listen to keynote speeches to support your personal and professional growth goals. 
• Cheer on your District’s International Speech and Table Topics contestants. 

Club Officers, please encourage members to attend and experience District 86 Spring Conference 2022. 

District 86 Spring Conference takes place from April 22nd to 24th, 2022. Join us, register now and attend. 

Option 1: Virtual (April 22nd to 24th). Cost - $16.45

Option 2: Hybrid (virtual attendance on April 22nd & 23rd, in person on April 24th at the Hilton Hotel Meadowvale). Cost - $111.47  

Winners of the International Speech and Table Topics contests and DTM award recipients attending the Spring Conference using the hybrid (option 2) will be presented with their respective trophies and DTM medal at the Hilton Hotel.  

Use District 86 Spring Conference to share images on your social media, LinkedIn, and websites to raise awareness of the Spring Conference.  

See the Hilton Hotel's special rate for Toastmasters.  

Deridor Collier, DTM
District 86, Program Quality Director, 2021 - 2022

Cont'd CGD Brahm Memone, DTM

Dare to Lead: 
4 ways being a Club Extension Chair will make you a LEADER.  

A key role on the Club Growth team is the Club Extension Chair, who this year is Stephanie Lam. She works behind the scenes alongside the Club Growth Director by keeping track of new clubs in the pipeline to become chartered. As always, the role described on paper is far from reality; the leadership development from this role is one of the best leadership development experiences Stephanie has encountered as a Toastmaster. 

Organize and lead a team 

Organization and updated records are critical in this role. There are often more than 15 clubs at various stages of chartering and keeping up to date with each club lead is critical for the success of each one. Stephanie says that this has trained her to be prompt in responding to emails and phone calls, accurate in keeping records, and courteous to her volunteer team and club leads. As she progressed with organizing multiple Club Launch meetings, she learned to be highly professional and organized and in the process inspired many of the volunteer Toastmasters members to pitch in. 

Gain confidence in yourself and in your life 

By mastering the details in the Toastmasters charter process, she was able to confidently and concisely explain to a variety of people the steps and instructions on how to charter a club. As Stephanie helped more people with the chartering process, she gained confidence each time she picked up the phone to speak to someone interested in starting a new club. By the 5th phone call, Stephanie was thrilled to speak to anyone about Toastmasters. She knew she could do it in Toastmasters, so why not be as confident in the things she does every day in her life?  

Identify, motivate, and inspire new leaders 

As the number of the club leads increased, she soon realized her ability to help new clubs with Club Launch meetings, with strategic Club Sponsors and Club Mentors as and when needed to step in.  

Stephanie in her own words “How good are you at inspiring and motivating someone? This is the moment you learn to spark the leader in others (both Toastmasters members and non-members). You learn to persuasively influence and inspire others to become leaders. This involves transitioning members to Club Sponsors, Club Mentors, and Executive members.” 

Make a difference 

With every role, there are challenges. One of the most challenging struggles as a Club Extension Chair is to see a club charter slow down or halt its charter process. It's true, not every club lead will charter for a number of reasons; however, Stephanie still makes a difference! A Club Launch meeting still results in allowing 20 to 30 (or more!) people to learn that a feasible and effective program for communication and leadership exists and is available to help them when they are ready.  

At the end of the term, Stephanie will have contributed to the foundation of the Club Growth Committee and the chartering of multiple clubs across the district. Sometimes progress is slow but as it accumulates, Stephanie has realized the hundreds of people she has left a positive impact on or helped start or progress their Toastmasters journey. 

MY GRATITUDE 

I am grateful to Stephanie Lam for being on the Club Growth Team. She has excelled and done an excellent job. 

Brahm Memone, DTM
District 86, Club Growth Director, 2021-2022

Cont'd Congratulations Soar to Excellence Toastmasters Club 

Phenomenal membership drive between December and March!! From 10 members to 23 Members!!! Net growth of 13 members. 

Shout out to President Jenny Tse, VPE & VPM Rob Belsby, Club Coach & Secretary Dimitra Bolton!! 

How Did They Do it? 
Please attend the Coaches Corner on April 8th at 7:00 PM to learn how they did it. 

Plus I will reveal my own strategies for how I grow clubs to be highly successful. Mi Speak from 2 active members to 58 members and is globally recognized as one of the top four clubs.  

As well as how my team and I masterminded a club launch (Leadership Speak) to charter in one week in February 2022.  

Invitation to Coaches Corner 
We will also share other success stories from other clubs and how they are succeeding. I hope you can use these strategies in your own clubs.  

The more you know how other clubs are succeeding in the District, the more great ideas you will have to implement in your own clubs 

To attend the Coaches Corner on April 8th at 7:00 PM EST, please register now at:  https://bit.ly/CGD-ClubCoach 

As usual, if there is anything I can do for your club please do not hesitate to contact me at: clubgrowthdirector@toastmasters86.org 

I look forward to seeing you on April 8th at 7:00 PM as we share how we can all succeed together.

Brahm Memone, DTM
District 86, Club Growth Director, 2021-2022

Financial Presentations do not have to be boring to be effective 

One of the issues I have with many financial presentations is when the presenter makes the topic so serious or boring that either no one listens or everyone is so intimidated that they feel like they can’t ask a question.  Finance doesn’t have to be boring or overly serious.  I believe it’s better to engage the audience instead. If a financial presenter is knowledgeable, fully understands their material, and cares about the organization financial presentations can be quite engaging. 

Here are 3 tips to create more engaging financial presentations: 

Why does your club exist?  When presenting, use the financials to remind everyone what you are doing and why you’re doing it.  Tell stories of how the organization accomplished its purpose during the time period of the finances presented. 

For example, when I talk about revenue, I talk about customer experience and how revenue represents how your organization is helping clients.  In Toastmasters “member dues” represent a returning member who reached a new level or gave a speech who wouldn’t if it weren’t for Toastmasters 

          3. Create vivid illustrations for each line item 

Just like regular speeches, vivid illustrations add a lot of flavor to your presentations.  Tell a story about what your club used funds for like an open house that had a world-renown speaker or an event you held that went well. 

Cont'd Avis Brodie

Club Financial Policy
As with all things in Toastmasters, there are rules. Have you considered using club funds to pay member dues? Did you know this is against the authorized use of club funds? The protocol is important, and this little known fact is something that comes up at least twice a year. Here is an excerpt to guide you. For the complete text, please click on this link: 

https://www.toastmasters.org/leadership-central/general-finance/use-of-club-funds 

Club Constitution: Article XI 

Authorized uses include: 

• Educational/administrative materials for club/member use 
• Meeting place rental fees (if applicable) 
• Refreshments for club meetings (must be approved by the club) 
• Donations to the Ralph C. Smedley Memorial Fund 

Unauthorized uses include: 

• Pathways educational materials 
• Parties and social gatherings 
• Scholarships 
• Payment of dues for individuals 
• Donation of money or goods: 
• to outside causes or individuals 
• to individuals at any level of the Toastmasters organization 

Please note that purchasing Pathways paths as member incentives is also against policy while purchasing other educational material such as books is permissible. (“Roberts Revised Rules of Order” perhaps?)  

Avis Brodie 
District 86, Parlaimentarian, 2021-2022 
Email>>

Cont'd Taking the Leap to Post on Facebook

Are you finding it a bit difficult to keep coming up with a variety of unique posts for your Toastmasters Club Facebook page?  

Thinking of a Facebook posting strategy may seem overwhelming at first, but once you start posting consistently on Facebook you will start becoming more comfortable generating your own ideas about what topics to post about.  

Here are a few suggestions to help you get started posting on your Club’s Facebook page. First, be sure to check out Toastmasters International’s website page (www.toastmasters.org ) or our District 86 website page (https://toastmasters86.org/).  

These websites offer a variety of current and past articles, helpful tips, plus blogs to reference and talk about on your Club’s Facebook page.  

Secondly, videos generally garner high fan engagement levels when posted on social media channels such as Facebook.  

Try checking out the Toastmasters International videos available on YouTube; Toastmasters offers many videos with inspirational speakers and helpful tips which are quick and easy to re-share online.  

Finally, just get out there and start posting on your Toastmasters Club’s Facebook page. Try not to over think what to posts about in the beginning - remember after you get comfortable posting regularly on your club’s Facebook page you can continually tweak your Facebook strategy to further enhance its performance.  

Best of luck with your Facebook posts! 

Deann Brown 
VP of Membership MSMTM