Calling All Dynamic Presenters! — Apply to be a speaker at the 2022 International Convention, Toastmasters’ first hybrid event, taking place August 17-20, 2022, in the “music city” of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, and online. If you have experience addressing international audiences of 1,000 or more, submit your video and application by March 28, 2022.

International Women Have Their Day — This year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) is the backdrop of a high-energy conversation among inspiring women leaders. In this free webinar, “Celebrating Women in Leadership,” hear who empowered them as they found their authentic voices as women. Learn their challenges and bias barriers, as well as the positive change that sprung from them. And find out what they’d most like to see evolve for women moving forward. Register now.

Also, meet five members who are using their communication skills to speak out and make their mark on the world, in this Toastmaster magazine article. 

Achieving Club Excellence Webinar Recording — Did you catch the candid conversation between International President-Elect Matt Kinsey and three other leaders last month? You can replay the webinar to refresh the great tips or watch anew!

PRM Communication Plan Updates — Public Relations Managers (PRMs) should continually update their Communication Plan throughout the 2021-2022 program year. The plan helps PRMs to stay organized, delegate responsibilities, and prepare a smooth transition for the incoming PRM. PRMs can access their plan from the Public Relations webpage. If you have any questions or need help getting started with the PRM Communication Plan, please email pr@toastmasters.org.

Schedule Candidate Talk Time — Have you scheduled a conversation with the international candidates yet? Please visit the biography pages on the Toastmasters International website for more information on the International Officer and Director Candidates. To schedule time to talk, candidate calendars can be found on this scheduling site.

Stay On Track To Distinguished — Ensure you reach your targeted District Recognition Program (DRP) milestones by focusing your attention and efforts where they are most needed. View the Performance Dashboard for the latest statistics on your overall District performance. DRP goals must be met on or before June 30, 2022. 

Add Credit for Club Officer Training  — Recognize club officers who attended second-round training by submitting club officer training (COT)  through District Central on or before March 31, 2022. Please check your report regularly to ensure it is accurate. This will help the clubs in your District receive credit towards the Distinguished Club Program.

Have You Completed Your Area Director Visit Report?   — Submit an Area Director’s Club Visit report through District Central on or before May 31, 2022, to receive credit toward the Distinguished Area program. You are encouraged to visit your clubs four times during the program year to ensure clubs are well-supported. Remember that your visits and input affect the future of clubs in the Area and empowers officers and members alike to achieve their goals. To get reacquainted with club visits, please reference Serving Clubs through Visits: A Guide for Area Directors.

Help Clubs Maintain Good Standing   — All clubs without eight paid members during the October 2021 renewal period have already received an email informing them they are no longer in good standing. Ensure membership dues payments for the next renewal period are submitted by March 31, 2022, to keep clubs in good standing. If clubs in your District are struggling with membership, consider offering them a Club Coach, if they qualify.

Bookmark New Photo Library — Toastmasters has a new host (Lytho) for its Toastmasters-branded images. Access and download the images here; there is also a direct link on page 20 of the newest version of the Toastmasters Brand Manual. If you have downloaded a previous version of the Brand Manual, please update to this version.

Looking for an Event Speaker? — District events are fun and informative, especially when they feature a quality speaker who members can get excited about! Remember, there are resources available to support you.  You could invite a World Champion of Public Speaking or review a list of Toastmasters members who have earned the Accredited Speaker designation . You could also promote the Rotary/Toastmasters alliance by inviting a local Rotarian as a guest speaker. Additionally, there are some guidelines to help you when selecting educational speakers.

International Officer Candidates Nominated — The Toastmasters International Leadership Committee has nominated International Officer candidates. Voting will take place as part of the 2022 Annual Business Meeting in August. Find out more about the nominated candidates by visiting the International Officer and Director Candidates webpage.

Tune In to The Toastmasters Podcast  — In honor of its 200th episode this month, The Toastmasters Podcast and Toastmaster magazine held a contest for podcast pitches. Listen to a special interview with the winner and hear all about their first-place idea. Then read on to learn more about the organization’s official podcast and the Distinguished Toastmasters who host it. 

Toastmasters and Rotary: Stronger Together — If you want to go fast, says an old African proverb, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Members of Toastmasters and Rotary International are going very far indeed. Read how the two organizations have shared successes through local collaborations.

New Corporate Webpage — The Corporate Relations Team is excited to unveil a special corporate-focused webpage in March. This new marketing resource will equip corporate clubs and potential sponsors with the tools they need to start a company club. More details and a link will be forthcoming by email when it’s up and ready!

District Translation Program Open — Through the District Translation Program, which is now open to all Districts, Districts can select Toastmasters materials to be translated, which, upon approval, are hosted on www.toastmasters.org or on Base Camp. The work being done in the District Translation Program is helping to build a more inclusive Toastmasters, establish new clubs, attract new members, and keep current members engaged. Requests must come from a District Director, Program Quality Director, or Club Growth Director, and be approved by World Headquarters. Please submit your requests using this online request form. If you have questions, please email districttranslations@toastmasters.org.