District News

Train Your Newly Chartered Club Leaders — It is beneficial to train all club officers, regardless of when their club is organized. Clubs that organize between September 1 and February 28 will receive club officer training credit for session one and two, when at least four club officers attend session two training held November 1 – February 28.

Round One Club Officer Training Due — The last day to enter club officer training through District Central is October 31. If corrections need to be made, email the club number and club officer position(s) that need to be removed to districts@toastmasters.org for processing.

District Directors: District Elections — The District Leadership Committee (DLC) Chair must be appointed no later than November 1. Reference Protocol 9.0 for additional details. It is crucial that the DLC chair and its members are appointed by the specified date to ensure the validity of their work.

Area Directors: Conduct an Effective Club Visit — Support your clubs and understand their needs through quality club visits. Serving Clubs through Visits: A Guide for Area Directors can guide you for a successful visit. Submit your Area Director Club Visit reports through District Central no later than November 30 for credit toward the Distinguished Area Program. While it is only required to conduct visits twice a year, clubs may benefit from additional visits and support. We recommend visiting your clubs at least four times per year.

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes — Have you ever wondered what recent decisions the Board of Directors has made? Explore the dropdowns on the Meeting Minutes page to find out more. You can also check back throughout the year; the page is updated regularly.

New Round 2 District-Sponsored Training Materials — To go along with the new Round 1 District-sponsored club officer training materials launched earlier this year, new Round 2 District-sponsored club officer training materials are now available! These materials were developed by the Club Officer Training Project Development Team, a group of past District leaders. They worked under the guidance of the Club Officer Training Working Group, a team of Past International Presidents dedicated to strengthening District-sponsored Club Officer Training. Give the new tools a try today!

Keep Your District on Track — Check the status of your District’s progress in the District Recognition Program by reviewing the dashboard, located on the Distinguished Performance Reports webpage.

New District Report — The new District Summary Report is available through the Weekly Email Subscriptions card in District Central. This report replaces the report commonly known as the Rafferty Report. All current District leaders and Region Advisors can subscribe, unsubscribe, or update their District subscription preferences at any time.

Learn From the Champions — Every World Champion of Public Speaking launches with their District contest speech. Could the next champion be from your District? Read about the journeys of this year’s top 3 winners and learn more about the support they received from their District.

An Easy Way to Help Guests Find Your Clubs — If any of your clubs are struggling with low membership, look at their digital presence. Can search engines find and suggest their club when someone is looking for public speaking help? Learn how to help them claim their club profile, centralize their contact information, use social media purposefully, and demonstrate trust and credibility.

Send the Right Signals as a Leader and Speaker — Make sure your words and mannerisms convey your authority. Discover three ways you can boost your executive presence and gain people’s trust when you’re speaking at a District event or on any stage.

Mid-year Training — Throughout the month of January, Toastmasters International will conduct in-person Mid-year Training for 2026—2027 District Directors, Program Quality Directors, and Club Growth Directors. District leaders will continue to develop core leadership skills, share best practices and lessons learned, and network with others from around the globe. Dates, locations, region groupings, have been sent directly to District leaders via email. More information about registration, travel, and accommodations will be sent via email in the coming months.

Coming Up: Club Officer Training, Round Two — The second round of club officer training begins November 1. Club Officer training entered on or after November 1 will count toward Round Two training.

Responsible AI Use: New Guidance — As AI tools become more common, Toastmasters has established guidance in Protocol 4.0 to help members use them responsibly. The new section outlines expectations for ethical AI use, data privacy, intellectual property protection, brand compliance, and disclosure of AI-generated content. Review the updated protocol for details.

Education Series — Motivate your District and help lead your clubs to distinction by presenting content from the Toastmasters Education Series, which includes the Successful Club Series, the Better Speaker Series, and the Leadership Excellence series. The presentations in these series have tips for gaining new members, improving the openings and closings of your speeches, giving feedback that will help members thrive, and more. Find these on the Toastmasters website to get started!