Area Training and Area Visit August 2015
Twice a year the Toastmasters Area offers joint training for all club Officers and this month four of us managed to go which is great as it was in Telford this time.
It is at times like these that you feel the community that is Toastmasters and meet other like minded people from other clubs in the Area. There are also events that cover the whole District 71 which is half of the UK and includes Ireland.
If you get a chance to attend outside events please try and take it as it is so valuable even if it is only to attend the next round of the contests.
Our Area 39 has just been divided as it was too large and we have four Chartered Clubs and one Pre-chartered. A Chartered Club needs to have reached twenty members so that it can compete in Speech Contests and take part in the Distinguished Club Programme and in our Area 39 that includes Heart of England Speakers (Knowle), Shropshire Speakers (Telford), Spa Speakers (Leamington Spa) and Bull Ring Speakers (Central Birmingham) we also have one Pre-charter Club in Coventry called Godiva Speakers.
The Area training invites officers from all of the clubs and it is an opportunity for those more experienced to support new officers and to catch up on what the different clubs are doing so it ends up being a fertile exchange of ideas. It is great to see new faces and to catch up with ones we have met previously.
A few things that came from the day was the idea of all of the different officers, Presidents, VPEs, VPMs, VPPRs, etc having group Skype sessions where they can share tips and ideas at no expense and no travelling time. Each club was encouraged to name a single Action they were going to take based on ideas they had heard. Heart of England have agreed to produce certificates of Achievement to be given out as soon as an award has been attained as the official certificates can take weeks to arrive and also to acknowledge new members when they actually join
What also came across quite strongly was how much the clubs need to support each other. Heart of England is going through a very strong phase as are other clubs but Godiva is a very new club and is not yet a year old so is still finding its feet. There was a lot of discussion about how clubs can attract and keep new members and it was agreed also that we should try and visit other clubs on Toastmasters nights to support them and strengthen the ties as it is an International Organisation whose strength is in the sheer range across the world.
On Tuesday this week four Area members arranged to turn up at Godiva's meeting to support them. There were two from Heart of England and two from Spa Speakers. We had let Cath King know in advance so she could add us into the agenda and Tanya managed to deliver a speech from her Storytelling Advanced Manual.
It was a very warm and informal setting, especially as we had met some of them a few times before, and so we have a very enjoyable night. Godiva said they enjoyed having us as they are a small club so far and it boosted their numbers. We will definitely be visiting again in the future and urge any Toastmasters or guests to consider visiting other clubs. Details of dates and venues are always available on the D71.org website.
So I will leave you with the message that, whilst it is great to be a member of a Toastmasters club and there is a lot to be gained, if you spread your wings you can experience so much more from the larger Toastmaster experience and realise that you have a small, but vital, part in an extremely prestigious worldwide organisation.
It is at times like these that you feel the community that is Toastmasters and meet other like minded people from other clubs in the Area. There are also events that cover the whole District 71 which is half of the UK and includes Ireland.
If you get a chance to attend outside events please try and take it as it is so valuable even if it is only to attend the next round of the contests.
Our Area 39 has just been divided as it was too large and we have four Chartered Clubs and one Pre-chartered. A Chartered Club needs to have reached twenty members so that it can compete in Speech Contests and take part in the Distinguished Club Programme and in our Area 39 that includes Heart of England Speakers (Knowle), Shropshire Speakers (Telford), Spa Speakers (Leamington Spa) and Bull Ring Speakers (Central Birmingham) we also have one Pre-charter Club in Coventry called Godiva Speakers.
The Area training invites officers from all of the clubs and it is an opportunity for those more experienced to support new officers and to catch up on what the different clubs are doing so it ends up being a fertile exchange of ideas. It is great to see new faces and to catch up with ones we have met previously.
A few things that came from the day was the idea of all of the different officers, Presidents, VPEs, VPMs, VPPRs, etc having group Skype sessions where they can share tips and ideas at no expense and no travelling time. Each club was encouraged to name a single Action they were going to take based on ideas they had heard. Heart of England have agreed to produce certificates of Achievement to be given out as soon as an award has been attained as the official certificates can take weeks to arrive and also to acknowledge new members when they actually join
What also came across quite strongly was how much the clubs need to support each other. Heart of England is going through a very strong phase as are other clubs but Godiva is a very new club and is not yet a year old so is still finding its feet. There was a lot of discussion about how clubs can attract and keep new members and it was agreed also that we should try and visit other clubs on Toastmasters nights to support them and strengthen the ties as it is an International Organisation whose strength is in the sheer range across the world.
On Tuesday this week four Area members arranged to turn up at Godiva's meeting to support them. There were two from Heart of England and two from Spa Speakers. We had let Cath King know in advance so she could add us into the agenda and Tanya managed to deliver a speech from her Storytelling Advanced Manual.
It was a very warm and informal setting, especially as we had met some of them a few times before, and so we have a very enjoyable night. Godiva said they enjoyed having us as they are a small club so far and it boosted their numbers. We will definitely be visiting again in the future and urge any Toastmasters or guests to consider visiting other clubs. Details of dates and venues are always available on the D71.org website.
So I will leave you with the message that, whilst it is great to be a member of a Toastmasters club and there is a lot to be gained, if you spread your wings you can experience so much more from the larger Toastmaster experience and realise that you have a small, but vital, part in an extremely prestigious worldwide organisation.
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