As the lt. governor education and training, you are responsible for all aspects of education and training within the district. This includes supporting quality club programming efforts, promoting the Distinguished Club Program, coordinating the training efforts of the district, and planning and executing the district conference.
The lt. governor education and training must have served at least six consecutive months as a club president and at least 12 consecutive months as a lieutenant governor, division governor, area governor, or any combination of these.
Supervise site selection, educational content, speech contests, and all other aspects of the conference.
- Serve as second-ranking member of the District Executive Committee, presiding over that body and the District Council in the absence of the district governor.
- In consultation with and subject to the approval of the district governor, appoint a district conference chair, training coordinators, and committee chairs to promote educational achievements within clubs.
- Provide assistance and backup to the district governor as needed.
- Prepare your successor to assume office, completing all necessary steps for a successful transition by June 30.
- Coordinate and supervise the International Speech Contest and other district speech contests at the club, area, division, and district levels.
The Toastmasters Educational Program
One of your primary concerns as lt. governor education and training is to maintain the integrity of the Toastmasters educational program in all clubs in the district. In order to do this, you must gain expertise in all aspects of the program, and thoroughly understand how all components of the program work together to help members develop their communication and leadership skills in a friendly environment. For a complete explanation of the Toastmasters educational program and a list of requirements for each award, view www.toastmasters.org/membereducation.
Manual Speeches
All speeches that members present in their clubs should be from the projects in the Toastmasters educational manuals. Because each speech project builds on the skills used in previous projects, members must complete projects in consecutive order.
Of course, to allow for the most speaking opportunities for members, clubs should meet weekly. If a club has a large number of members and has difficulty accommodating all those who want to speak at meetings, the club may occasionally conduct a special meeting devoted entirely to prepared speeches. The only reason such meetings may be held is to help the individual member improve speaking skills, and they may be organized only by a club, not by an area, division, or district. However, any meeting held for the sole purpose of giving manual speeches must adhere to the following:
- Each speech should be carefully prepared to allow the speaker to focus on the objective of the project.
- All speeches must be evaluated both in writing and verbally.
- Each Toastmaster is limited to one speech at any meeting for credit toward any CC or AC award.
Meeting Roles
As described in the Competent Leadership manual, participation in club meeting roles can help members develop their leadership skills while simultaneously helping conduct the regular business of the club. For this reason, members should be encouraged to bring their Competent Leadership manuals to all club meetings so that they can receive credit toward their Competent Leader award each time they participate in a club meeting role.
Club Leadership
Members should be encouraged to become club leaders. Serving as a club leader offers practical experience in planning, training, motivating, and managing that can help a member in his or her career and personal life.
Training Club and District Leaders
Providing effective training and leadership opportunities for club and district leaders is one of the most critical parts of the district mission. Without properly trained officers, clubs and districts cannot effectively meet members’ needs or introduce the benefits of Toastmasters to others.
Districts should promote and market club officer and district leader training to encourage maximum attendance and participation at these sessions. Training events should be part of the district calendar and published in district communications, including the district newsletter and website.
Note: Training for the top 3 district leaders is not the responsibility of the lt. governor education and training; these officers will be trained by World Head quarters staff and the region advisors marketing at the International Convention and at midyear training. Training for other district leaders, including area and division governors, should be included in the district’s training schedule. Please go to the Toastmasters website at www.toastmasters.org/districttraining for training materials.
At the initial training of area, division, and other district leaders in June, both the outgoing and incoming lt. governors of education and training should be present. The event should be a collaboration between the two lt. governors of education and training. The incoming lt. governor of education and training should focus on learning what they can from the outgoing officer. This is a good opportunity for the incoming and outgoing district teams to work together to ensure a smooth transition. The outgoing lt. governor education and training should lead the event, while the incoming lt. governor can use the opportunity to build rapport with his or her incoming team.
For more information on training club and district leaders, see pages 42-45 of this document.
Speech Contests
As the coordinator and supervisor of the district’s speech contests, you should encourage members to participate in the International Speech Contest, as well as other contests your district may conduct. Strive to be your district’s primary expert in the Speech Contest Rules, and be prepared to answer rules questions and fairly manage disputes as they arise.
The Toastmasters International Speech Contest Rulebook (1171) contains rules for Evaluation, Humorous, International, Table Topics and Tall Tales contests. When planning a speech contest, be sure your contest chair has both of these important documents and follows the instructions. The Speech Contest Rulebook is available online at www.toastmasters.org/rulebook.
Additional Resources
District Leader EToolkit
www.toastmasters.org/districtleadertoolkit>
District Leadership Handbook (PDF)
www.toastmasters.org/dlh
Speech Contests
www.toastmasters.org/speechcontests
Speech Contest Frequently Asked Questions
www.toastmasters.org/speechcontestfaq
The Toastmasters Educational Program
www.toastmasters.org/membereducation
Training Club and District Leaders
www.toastmasters.org/districttraining
The Toastmasters Learning Connection
www.toastmasters.org/elearning