February 2021 Leader Letter



Club News

 

The New Speechcraft Digital Experience is Here! — The best membership-building tool to help your club grow has been updated and redesigned as an online journey. It even gives Pathways credit for Toastmasters who join as participants/Speechcrafters, and gives DTM credit to Toastmasters who sign up as coordinators. Learn more by registering for an informational webinar on February 24 or 25.

Level 1 Completions — Join us and make 2021 a year of growth and empowerment. Work with your club members to ensure they have started working in Pathways and have completed Level 1 in their path. To view members’ progress, watch this helpful tutorial.

Magazine Photo Contest: What Does Toastmasters Mean to You? — If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what would your photo say? Read the contest guidelines, and then send us your best shot between now and February 28, 2021. The winning photo will be published in a future issue of the Toastmaster magazine, and remaining entries will be considered for additional categories. Did we mention that amateur photographer and International President Richard E. Peck will be a guest judge? He will also virtually visit the winner’s club to personally congratulate them!

Ensure Your Club is in Good Standing — Is your club currently in good standing? You can find this detail and more when you view the Daily Reports – October Dues Renewal Status; select your club’s District and ensure your club is listed as Verified Complete. Refer to the Club Status Guide to determine how a club’s status affects different features and areas of the Toastmasters program. Should there be a discrepancy, please contact Club and Member Support at +1 720-439-5050, ext. 1402 from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Mountain Time, Monday—Friday, or email renewals@toastmasters.org. The deadline to return to good standing and avoid suspension is March 31, 2021.

Grow Your Club — A great way to add new members to your club is by participating in The Talk Up Toastmasters membership-building program, which features the opportunity to earn a special ribbon and qualify for 10% off your next club order. To qualify, your club must add five new, dual, or reinstated members join and pay membership dues. Please note that these members must join between February 1 and March 31, 2021.

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Free Path Deadline — Toastmasters showed special appreciation for members during these difficult times by awarding anyone who renewed their membership for the October renewal period by December 31, 2020 with a free Pathways path. For those who did this, remember to visit your Toastmasters profile, click the “Choose A Path” button, and follow the normal path selection process to redeem your free path before March 31, 2021.

Are You a Dynamic Presenter? — Apply to be a speaker at the 2021 International Convention taking place August 24-28, 2021. If you have experience addressing international audiences of 1,000 or more, submit your video and application by March 3, 2021.

April Renewal Dues — To keep clubs in good standing, a minimum of eight members—at least three of whom were members of the club during the previous renewal period—must be submitted, with all payments received on or before April 1. If you have questions, feel free to read our Renewal Dues FAQ, email renewals@toastmasters.org, or call Club and Member Support at +1 720-439-5050, ext. 1402 from 8 a.m.–5p.m. Mountain Time, Monday—Friday. Payments for the next renewal period are being accepted. Club officers can start submitting payments for renewals through Club Central.

Traditional Program Awards — Members striving to achieve their ALS and DTM in the traditional education program have been provided an end date of June 30, 2021. Please feel free to use the Award Application as a checklist to ensure you have all requirements. If you are considering a Pathways DTM, feel free to use the Pathways DTM application as a checklist. You may contact the Education Services team at educationprogram@toastmasters.org, or call Education Services at +1 720-439-5050, ext. 1403 from 8 a.m.–5p.m. Mountain Time, Monday—Friday with any questions.

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International President World Tour — International President Richard E. Peck has already visited 65 countries during his world tour! Follow his journey as he visits every country with a club by viewing this interactive map.

New Member Experience Survey — Ensure your club is providing new members with the best possible experience! Provide new members this survey 30 days after they have joined your club. Gather their feedback and use it to close gaps and improve the process of welcoming new members to your club.

Leadership Self Evaluations — New resources are available to help you in your leadership journey. Club officer self-evaluation forms are now available! Use these evaluations in your club to help track leadership growth and close previously missed gaps.

360-Degree Evaluations — Another exciting leadership development tool, 360-degree evaluations, are now available for club officers! These evaluations allow for peers and club members to evaluate officers and aid in their leadership development. Download these evaluation resources and learn how you can implement them in your club!

Club Officer Roles, Clarified — Check out the club officer documents, featuring descriptions of each officer role, including a list of key responsibilities and transferable skills a member will gain from serving in the position. Use the Role Summary documents to help inspire members to fill officer roles during election season!

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The Formula for Funny — – If you’re looking to incorporate humor into your next speech, this article is for you! Meet a few Toastmaster comedians who share their best tips and techniques, and learn different humor tactics to win grins, giggles, and guffaws from your audience.

The Timer’s Toolkit — An important lesson that Toastmasters teaches is how to convey a clear message within an allocated time frame. When you serve as timer of the meeting, you play a fundamental role in helping fellow club members master this skill. Share this article with new members or those who are looking to take on a meaningful meeting role.

Online Meeting Etiquette — Do you ever come across disruptive members or overzealous hosts in your online club meetings? There has to be a happy balance between allowing for a clean, professional meeting, and understanding that this online experience is still new to many people. In this exclusive online article, club officers can learn how to set expectations and lay the groundwork for maintaining online meeting decorum.

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Announcing the 2021 Online Convention Experience !— Last year marked an exciting time in Toastmasters convention history—the first-ever online convention was born. That experience will continue with the recent Board of Directors’ decision to conduct an online convention August 23-28, 2021; as a result, the previously announced in-person convention in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. will not be taking place. Stay tuned for exciting convention details to come!

Rotary Course Update — All eight Toastmasters-developed courses for Rotarians and Rotaractors are now available on Rotary International’s Learning Center, which can be accessed by their members in several different languages. There are already over 6,000 Rotary members enrolled in the courses! You may hear from some of their members about a club visit or evaluation. Welcoming Rotary’s members to your club meetings can spark opportunities for collaboration, put your skills as communication leaders to use, and demonstrate the value of Toastmasters membership to members in your community. Learn more about the Rotary/Toastmasters alliance at www.toastmasters.org/Rotary.

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Celebrate Achievements — Award competitors in your speech competition with customizable medals! Visit www.toastmasters.org/Medals and use promo code MEDAL to save 10% on Toastmasters medals! Offer valid February 1-28, 2021. Not valid with any other offer.