Will your District Officers be busy at the International Convention?

Oh, yeah ... busy we will be! Here's the low-down on what your District 42 Toastmasters officers LGET Tim, LGM Greg and I will be doing while at International.

Tuesday

I'll be arriving on Tuesday afternoon. After a few trips to the airport to pick up our fellow Region District officers (from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Manitoba, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota), we'll be heading out for a late supper; it's a great chance for us to catch up on news from their Districts and visit before we get busy with our duties.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning at 7:30 am Tim, Greg and I will head to Beyond The Basics ... training for District officers that TI has arranged. We'll finish up around noon and then head to the open meeting of the Board of Directors. It's our one time a year to sit in a room and hear what our Board has been up to.

At 3:30 I have to head off for a sound check for the Opening Ceremonies and at 4 Tim and Greg will be joining (hopefully many of) you at the First Timers event. I hope to pop in to be able to say welcome and hello to some First Timers on behalf of our District, but I'm also required to pick up our Credentials and ballots for the Business Meeting at 4:40 pm.

After the opening ceremonies at 7 pm, featuring a keynote by celebrated mountain climber Laurie Skreslet, the first Canadian to summit Mount Everest, we start the round of interviewing the 2 candidates for 3rd Vice-President and the 16 International Director candidates. We'll do 3 on Wednesday evening (2 are being done on Tuesday late afternoon) and the remaining 13 on Thursday.

Thursday

From 8:30 until 11:45 we're doing interviews! And one more in the afternoon to finish them off. Although we haven't arranged to interview candidate for 1st VP Gary Schmidt or 2nd VP Pat Johnson (as they're basically a shoe-in) I'll seek them out Thursday afternoon to have a chat and mention any concerns that I have.

A highlight for me on Thursday will be attending the Golden Gavel Luncheon, where Saskatchewan-born Pamela Wallin will receive the Golden Gavel award. This is similar to the Communication & Leadership Award we present at our D42 Spring Convention each year.

At 4 pm Thursday, Tim, Greg, Ken and I will be attending a special meeting (I can't give you the details as I don't want to spoil the surprise!). At 5 pm the Candidates Showcase begins - this usually lasts about 4 hours and each of the candidates comes through and answer questions. There's usually 3 Regions per room. If you plan on carrying your own ballots (don't forget to pick up your ballots at the Credentials desk Thursday afternoon) please plan to attend this event. Following the Showcase our District will be holding what is commonly called a caucus - where we sit as a group and discuss the various candidates. It is Tim, Greg and my opportunity to report on the interviews that we conducted, discuss the merits of the candidates, and essentially select who we will be voting for. Although we do hold a caucus and I will listen to all input, the responsibility still lies with me to make the final determination as your DG; to vote for the individual that I feel will best represent your interests as a member.

Friday

Friday morning at 8 am is the Annual Business Meeting - this lasts a good 3 to 3 1/2 hours - mainly because of the elections. There will not be any major motions to deal with this year as it was decided to postpone the motion regarding the Region and District governance changes to next year's Annual Business Meeting in Conneticut.

11:30 Friday morning is the Leadership Luncheon (concurrent to this there is also the Guest Luncheon). As a District leader, it is expected that we attend the Leadership Luncheon (and having attended both, I prefer the Leadership Luncheon). And it will be very special as our very own Bob Hooey is the keynote speaker!! It will be so fun to see Bob in his element.

Friday afternoon is the Hall of Fame. This is where awards are handed out to individuals and Districts that have achieved Excellence. Although we did not as a District achieved Distinguished this past year (we certainly plan to next year!) I will be receiving, on behalf of each of our members that achieved educational awards this year, the Excellence in Education & Training Award. Just as important, we will be there to cheer on our fellow Region officers that achieved success - including District 6, who were a Distinguished District this past year.

Friday night we all head to our Region Meeting where we roast outgoing International Director Martha. We also find out who will be the candidates for International Director next year - it is custom to announce your candidacy at this event.

Saturday

Ah ... Saturday morning. The moment we've all been waiting for, when our own Martin Presse will be representing our District and Region in the International Speech Contest. What a great event!! Martin, we know you will represent us well and wish you the best of luck.

Saturday at lunch I will be attending the District Governors lunch. It will be interesting to see what it's like! I know that each of us will have the opportunity to have our picture taken with (as of Friday and the business meeting) International President Jana Barnhill.

Saturday afternoon is an educational that as District leaders we are requested to attend called Achieving Success in the Distinguished District Program. Our very own Past District Governor Mona will be on the panel.

Saturday night - the President's Dinner and Dance. This is an event not to be missed. Everyone gets dressed up and we have the opportunity to hear outgoing International President Chris Ford (who started Toastmasters here in District 42) and our new International President Jana Barnhill give her opening address. Jana is a sweetheart and I hope you have the opportunity to meet her.

And that's it ... a busy time for us. But it's not all work ... we spend a lot of time with our fellow Region District Officers visiting after our daily work is done, usually late in the evening. And I look forward to seeing many of you there as we welcome the world of Toastmasters to District 42.

I hope that for those of you able to attend that you will enjoy the educationals, the luncheon events and the opportunity to meet Toastmasters from around the world.

Until next time,
Joan

What the heck is On-Line Club Officer Training?

For years now, we have looked for opportunities to increase the number of clubs officers trained. Strong club officers mean strong clubs; this has have been proven time and time again.

Whether you're new to a club officer position, or have been in the position multiple times - being trained helps you be effective in your position. Think of it like this - in your workplace, if you start a new position, you are trained for it. And many companies are now realizing the value of ongoing training for employees that have been a position for years. If you extrapolate that to Toastmasters, you will be more effective in your club officer position if you are trained - whether it's "new" training or "ongoing" training. And that's where experienced officers can be so helpful ... offer to conduct the training using TI's club officer training material. Your experience matters! One of the great benefits I always receive when attending training is the networking opportunity.

In August, your Division Governors will be lining up Club Officer Training for those officers not trained in June. In person training in a group setting is always the best as you have the opportunity to ask questions right there, right then. Even if you're not a club officer, I encourage you to attend the club officer training sessions. However, there are times when the training sessions offered simply do not fit into your schedule, or you live at a great distance. Therein lies the strategy for on-line club officer training.

So ... what the heck is on-line club officer training?

Last September, your District 42 Toastmasters took a bit risk and a giant leap of faith. As your Lt. Governor Education & Training, I contacted Toastmasters International with a plan for a pilot project. I laid out our plan and they say Yes!! In fact, a big resounding yes. In TI's words "There is no doubt we're headed that way -- but we're not quite there yet. ... [W]e applaud you in your efforts to do a pilot on distance learning. We support your efforts ..."

Although still in its first form, our on-line club officer training will evolve to a web-based version; it is currently available only on a download basis. Although it is unlikely it will be web-based during this training period of June-August, we do plan on having it functional by the December-February training period. How does it work? So, how do you participate in on-line club officer training? Visit http://www.d42.org/ (it will be on our banner heading shortly) or follow this 3-step process:

Step 1: Download the appropriate training file for your role and work through it. You can sit back and listen to the PPT as it takes you through the training.

Step 2: Register your on-line training by completing the survey. Our District 42 Statistician will contact the Area Governors to notify them you have taken the training.

Step 3: Your Area Governor will arrange for a follow up meeting to ensure you understand your role and answer any questions you may have. This step is critical as it completes the TI's requirement that there be a face-to-face component of the training (it doesn't need to be a long meeting, it can be done as a group with your fellow club officers). This is also a great time to review your Club Success Plan with your Area Governor.

You must complete all of these three steps in order to get credit for your training.

Special thanks!

The on-line training did not create itself. It took conviction, determination and countless hours by my team members to make it a reality. My sincere thanks to my amazing team of Greg, Kevin, Alice and Glenn. You are each amazing people and you have truly impacted my world ...

Now you know what the heck on-line club officer training is all about! My first preference is that each officer attend the Division training events organized by your Division Governor, however, this is a viable option. And yes, if you attend the group training sessions, you can still participate in the on-line training to supplement and have available as a reference tool. There's no reason we can't have 100% of club officers trained!

With well-trained officers we will Impact Our World in District 42 and can convert even a challenged club into a strong club!

Enjoy!