World Headquarters will start processing these awards early, beginning June 1, 2020. A member who wishes to apply Club Coach, club officer, or District officer service for the 2019-2020 program year toward a traditional ALB or ALS award can do so by submitting a completed Advanced Leader/DTM Award Application form to World Headquarters via email or fax.

For Club Coach roles, we will rely on preliminary Distinguished Club Program results. If the club is displaying as Distinguished on the Distinguished Club Program dashboard, World Headquarters will treat this as if the Club Coach role was successfully completed, thereby earning credit for the club support role and the exception granted previously for a District leadership role.

For club and District officer roles, so long as the role began on July 1, 2019 for a District officer’s term or January 1, 2020 for a club officer’s term, World Headquarters will assume that the role has been successfully completed through the end of the term.

For these award submissions, World Headquarters will start processing these awards early, beginning June 1, 2020. Please note that all awards looking for this early submission must be emailed or faxed, as they will not be accepted through Club Central. Please ensure that any awards submitted are received to World Headquarters no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Mountain Time on June 30, 2020. Additionally, please ensure the applications are complete, as there will also be no exceptions for applications received with missing information.

Applications for education awards can be faxed to +1 303-799-7753 or emailed to educationprogram@toastmasters.org.

Yes, you should be doing manual projects in order because the Toastmasters program was designed to teach one skill at a time, with each new skill building on the preceding skills.

Yes. Toastmasters is not a pass/fail program. However, keep in mind that you get out of the program what you put into it. If you focus on meeting objectives, this will help ensure that you get the most from the program (this includes time objectives).

When a member is viewed on their club roster or other Toastmasters International resources, an acronym will show behind their name that represents their educational achievement(s). Depending on which program the member has completed work in, this may show different information and here is how it works.

• Traditional education program award credentials are written as follows
• Communication award credential followed by Leadership award credential
• Pathways award credentials are written as follows
• Only the most recently achieved award will show
• Any Pathways award credential overwrites a traditional education program award credential (both Communication and Leadership)
• DTM overwrites all education award credentials, whether traditional program or Pathways

Here is an example:

• Pat Smith ACG, ALS completes Level 1 in Motivational Strategies, their name will now reflect as Pat Smith MS1
• When Pat completes the Motivational Strategies path, their name will reflect as Pat Smith MS5
• Pat Smith MS5 begins a new path Team Collaboration and completes Level 1, their name will reflect as Pat Smith TC1
• Pat Smith TC1 then submits for their DTM in the traditional education program, their name will reflect as Pat Smith DTM
• Regardless of any further education awards completed by Pat after their DTM, their name will continue to reflect as Pat Smith DTM

Yes. You are allowed to do up to two speeches per manual outside of the club environment for credit toward an educational award, as long as you receive prior approval from your vice president education. You must receive a written and oral evaluation from a Toastmaster, although the Toastmaster does not need to be in the same club as you.

Speeches given at Toastmasters club meetings are considered to be in the club environment. Speeches given at any Toastmasters event that is not a club meeting are considered to be outside the club environment.

Giving a speech as a test speaker in an evaluation contest, or competing in a speech contest is considered to be an outside speech as long as it is a manual speech.

There aren’t any, but please review the following:

Members often hear "through the grapevine" that speeches concerning politics, religion and sex are forbidden by Toastmasters International because “such controversial subjects are not appropriate.”

This is not true. Toastmasters International does not prohibit any speech topic, content or language.

Toastmasters International recognizes that club members may learn much about the world around them from listening to others’ speeches on a variety of subjects. This variety can add interest to club meetings and stimulate thoughts and ideas. For these reasons, Toastmasters International does not place restrictions on topics, content or language in any speech.

Toastmasters International also recognizes that a club comprises a diverse group of people and recommends that members be mindful of this diversity, using good taste and sensitivity when selecting speech topics, content and language.

While Toastmasters International has no organizational restrictions along these lines, each individual club does have the right to limit speech subjects, content and/or language, with the consensus of its members. Club leaders should guide their members on how to observe good taste and sensitivity in the context of that particular club. 

Club websites are useful vehicles clubs can use to advise members and guests of any policies that have been decided. Presenting information on a club website helps maintain consistency as leadership changes. Additionally, it allows transparency and clarity for club members so they can periodically review the established practices of their club.

Yes. You receive credit for the first three Competent Communication projects, as long as you completed the entire Speechcraft Program.

Yes, you can get credit for one speech from both manuals.

Yes. If you are repeating an award, you may repeat a manual. If you are applying for a new award, you must use a manual that you have not received credit for yet. Click here for more information.

Yes.

No, you must complete a full manual for credit.

Yes. In order to receive credit, you will need to do two separate presentations of the manual on different dates.

For Advanced Leader Silver credit, a district officer term must be from July 1 – June 30, unless you are a replacement. If you are replacing another officer, the district must submit the change by September 1 for you to still receive credit.

*Term must be completed at the time you submit for the ALS award (e.g. if the term is complete on June 30th the award cannot be applied for until July 1st.)

Advanced Leader Silver.

Club officers are able to apply for education awards online through Club Central. Please note that club officers may not apply for their own awards online. 

No. In any one meeting you can only be evaluated in one leadership role. This encourages participation from as many members as possible in a club meeting.

No, you may present and receive credit for only one manual speech per meeting.

Yes, your district leadership role must be a complete year from July 1 to June 30 to count toward a district leadership requirement for an education award. Here are the roles that count toward this:

• district director
• program quality director
• club growth director
• public relations manager
• administration manager
• finance manager
• division director
• area director

In lieu of these roles, you may have also receive credit toward the district leadership role if you successfully completed one of the following:

• The role of Pathways guide, Pathways ambassador or a combination of the two.
• Serve as a successful club coach, completed on June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020.

If you live in a locality where there is no district, an exception may be granted but this must be submitted to World Headquarters to be reviewed prior to being processed.

Any member who successfully completes their role as a club coach can apply this credit toward an ALS in the traditional program or a DTM using the Pathways education program. The club support role of club coach may be included in the award submission by any active club officer through Club Central or by faxing or emailing the appropriate application to educationprogram@toastmasters.org.

For a club coach who reaches success by June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020, their credit can also count as credit for having served in a district leader role.

Special notes for the club coach double credit for club support and district leadership:

• This only applies to roles successfully completed on June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020. Any club coach roles successfully completed prior to this do not qualify.
• This double credit can be applied toward any DTM, whether it is a first, second or third, etc.
• This double credit does not expire. It may be used now or anytime in the future, including for an award after July 2020.
• This dual credit for club support and district leader can be applied toward two separate awards. As an example, the club support role can be applied to a traditional program ALS (until the traditional education program ends in June 30, 2020) and the district leadership credit applied toward a Pathways DTM.
• While club coaches during this period will be given credit toward a district leadership role, this credit and role will not affect their eligibility to compete in speech contests.

To apply the additional credit for district leadership, a club officer will need to complete a copy of the appropriate education award application and email it to educationprogram@toastmasters.org. Submissions containing the additional credit for district leadership cannot be processed online through Club Central.