DG News

DG NEWS – news from your District Governor

What’s happened to Lois?

Jun 25

Posted by Craig Strachan in News

With Craig having posted a few messages to the DG blog in the last week or so, you may have wondered if I have disappeared off the face of the earth- and probably be justified in asking that!

The truth of the matter is that this is an incredibly busy time of year for many toastmasters, and the DG is no exception.

Just as Clubs are busy handing over to the new year’s officers, so too am I busy helping Craig get up to speed so he can get a flying start to his year in office.

Just as many of you will have attended the Club Officer Training on 20 June, so too did I- as I am a Club Officer in the 2009/2010 year.

And just as many Clubs are finalising their Educational Award submission and their membership payments to WHQ, so too am I assisting Clubs with queries in these areas, trying to ensure that all members, Clubs, Areas and Divisions achieve the credit they deserve for the work they have done this Toastmasters year.

So, though I may be quiet, I am definitely still around and involved- and with only a very few (and increasingly fewer!) days left in the 2008/09 year, let’s all do what we can to complete our tasks and prepare to move into the new year with all tasks complete.

Good luck in these final days- and keep those CCs, ACs, Leadership Awards and membership payments coming in- you have until midnight 30 June!

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Diary for June and July

Jun 23

Posted by Craig Strachan in District Diary

Being year end, June is a busy month, and there is a lot of paperwork to be completed, so best you start early.

The full diary can be viewed here: http://www.toastmasters74.org/calendar/index.asp

June 2009

  • International Proxies: If you have not done so already,
    please send your International Proxies to your District Governor. This is
    the big yellow card inside a big blue envelope that is sent to all outgoing
    presidents. Simply put a stamp on the card, sign it and drop it in a post
    box.
  • Best the Clock: membership challenge ends 30 June
  • Club AGM and Club Officer Lists due: By now, you should
    have held your AGM, and elected your new club officers. Please remember to
    submit the list of new officers on the Toastmasters website. Due 30 June.
  • Club Officer Training: Most of the club officers
    have been trained by now. Outgoing presidents will receive a full set of
    club officer manuals. Please pass onto the new officers.
  • Educationals: For your club to qualify on the DCP
    for this year, all goals need to be submitted by 30 June. We are very close
    to our CC goal, so everything counts.

July 2009

  • District Officer Training: All area and
    Divisional governors will be trained in Johannesburg on 4 July.
  • District Induction Dinner: All are invited to
    celebrate the induction of our District leaders. Details are here:
    http://www.toastmasters74.org/dgnews/?p=70
  • Area Governor Visits: first round of Area
    Governor visits to start. Don’t worry if you don’t know how – you will be
    trained on the 4th.
  • Club Officer Training: Training for the outlying
    areas
  • Club Humour Contests: The logical progression is
    club contest in July, Area in Aug, Division in Sep, and District in October.
    So, start planning early for your club humour contest.

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Toastmasters – Growing People

Jun 20

Posted by Craig Strachan in News

Message presented at Club Officer Training, June 2009

According to the book “Africa Rising”, with a population of over 40 million people, the average age in South Africa is 21. This is a huge opportunity for Toastmasters to grow our future communicators and leaders.

We live in challenging economic times, but in some ways, the depression we are currently facing is a depression of perception. With challenge comes opportunity, and now more so than any other time, we need effective communicators and leaders, a need which Toastmasters is well positioned to meet. Toastmasters provide one of the most effective and affordable communication and leadership programmes in the world, and you as Club Officers are part of that programme.

The district theme this year is GROWING PEOPLE. That is what we do at Toastmasters; we grow our members, our officers, our leaders and our clubs. Some people join for a few months, and other are members for years. But almost nobody leaves Toastmasters without experiencing personal growth.

You may be attending your first training session, you may have been to a few, and you might be here just here to get the DCP point! However, for the next four hours or so, you are going to here, so use the time to best prepare yourself for the year ahead.

If you are a new officer, learn the valuable skills that you will need over the next year, and if you have been here before, share your knowledge, and help others to grow from your own personal experience.

We have a vision of growth – the Big 3 vision

It is a vision of excellence and achievement for Toastmasters Southern Africa. It is a vision of three goals:

  1. 3% net Club Growth
  2. 3% net member growth
  3. 3 Excellence Awards
    • Excellence in Marketing
    • Excellence in Education
    • Distinguished District

Can we do it?

Yes, if we all work as a team.

  • Help your members to set and work towards their goals
  • Help your club to grow its membership
  • Help your club to become more effective

Over the past three years our membership has been fairly constant at about 2500 members. We bring in approximately 1000 new members per year, but we loose the same number. If we can reduce our loss by just 100 members (less than one member per club), we will grow by over 4%. Imagine if we can do that, and bring in even more members!
If every club achieves just 2 CC’s, we will exceed our educational goals. It is easy for us to achieve, but we need a small effort from everybody. And by achieving, we will be growing people into better communicator and better leaders.

Enjoy training, grow your members, grow your clubs, and most importantly, grow yourself.

Craig Strachan, DTM

District Governor, 2009/2010

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Presidential Theme: Confidence. Leadership. Service.

Jun 18

Posted by Craig Strachan in News

Please find below a message a message from our President Elect, Gary Schmidt, DTM, Senior Vice President

My theme is Toastmasters: Confidence. Leadership. Service.

Toastmasters International is in the building business. We don’t build homes
or automobiles or other structures;

we build people – with confidence, leadership and service.

Confidence

Before we become skilled communicators and leaders, we first gain the
self-assurance and belief that we can

indeed become who we were meant to be. Toastmasters provides the tools to build
our confidence.

Leadership

After we gain confidence, we develop our talents in leading others. Leadership
is the process of influencing

others to accomplish goals and objectives. Every single one of us is a leader,
whether we serve as an elected

officer, a mentor to a fellow club member, or simply invite a friend to visit a
club. Leading others helps us lead

our own lives in the direction of our dreams.

Service

With our improved confidence and leadership skills, we then serve others. When
you help others achieve their

goals and dreams, they help you achieve yours. Your self confidence continues to
grow and expand, as do your

leadership skills, and when these are combined, your capacity to serve others is
enhanced. The circle of personal

development grows and continues.

Serving the World

Service extends beyond Toastmasters. With the confidence and leadership skills
Toastmasters instills in each of

us, it is our opportunity and responsibility to use those talents to serve and
improve the world. Serve your

family, your community and your profession. Make the world a better place than
it was before you arrived.

Call to Action

I challenge all district officers to keep the ideals of confidence, leadership
and service ever-present in your mind

through the coming year. Continue to engage in Toastmasters’ education programs,
achieve in the distinguished

programs, bring new members to your clubs, and involve yourself in all the
programs and events Toastmasters

International offers. With all these tools for the taking, you will improve your
life, the lives of your fellow

members, and the lives of all those in the world who are touched daily by the
power of Toastmasters.

As you embark on a new journey in your Toastmasters world I wish you every
success. I know that you have the

confidence and leadership to serve your district and our organization. I look
forward to partnering with you over

this next year in Confidence, Leadership and Service.

Sincerely,

Gary Schmidt, DTM

Senior Vice President

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District leadership manuals available

Jun 16

Posted by Craig Strachan in Area Governors, Cabinet, Division Governors

Dear incoming Area and Division Governors

Firstly, congratulations on taking up the challenge of being a district leader for the next Toastmasters year. It is an exciting opportunity to continue developing leadership skills, network with members from other clubs, and to make a difference to Toastmasters Southern Africa.

Please read the two important updates below.

District Officer Training – reminder

District Leadership Toolkit available for free download

District Officer Training

By now, you should know about the District Officer Training scheduled for next month, but here is a quick reminder:

Saturday 4 July, from 8:30am until 3:00pm.

Ambience, Shanahan Park

4 Adjutant Road

Elma Park, Edenvale

Remember that District will pay for your airfare to attend (up to R2000 for local, and R4000 for international; if your airfare exceeds these amounts, you need prior approval), and there is no cost to you for the training, not often you get something for free!

If you have not done so already, please RSVP to Graham Nicholls – graham@nicholls.co.za.

Training will be followed by the District Officer Induction Dinner, for which you should have received an invite.

District Leadership Toolkit
At training, you will receive your District Leadership manuals (assuming that we can get them from customs!), but in the mean time, you can download all of the manuals from the TI website. Click here to download.

This toolkit contains valuable material designed to make your life as an officer easier.

Just some of the contents are:

  • The District Leadership Handbook
  • Effective Club Service and Club Visits
  • Distinguished Programs
  • Club Officer Roles and District Officer Roles
  • The District Success Plan
  • Membership and Club Growth
  • Membership Building Contests
  • How to Build a Toastmasters Club

See you at training!

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Induction Dinner Invite

Jun 16

Posted by Craig Strachan in Events

 
Toastmasters International District 74
Cordially invite you to attend the

District Officer Induction Dinner  

On 4th July 2009
At
19h00
For 19h30
 

Venue:
Ambience,

Shanahan Park,
4 Adjutant Road,

Elma Park,
Edenvale
 

Join us for the Toastmasters party of the year-
as we celebrate the end of a year and install the
District Officers for the 2009/10 Toastmasters year.  

It’s a great time to relax and socialise with other Toastmasters,
and also to get to know the incoming Leaders of our great organization.
 

RSVP: by 25th June 2009

Marie Ribeiro: marie@ribhydraulics.co.za 083 306 1246

Dress Code: Formal

Partners welcome

t promises to be a fun evening, and seating is limited, so book early.  
See you there

Please advise any dietary requirements.

Cost R160.00pp



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Posts from Craig

Jun 15

Posted by Craig Strachan in News

Hi

Craig here, just a quick note to let you know that I will start posting on the DG news blog myself from around now. Technically, I only take over the reins from 1 July, but there is some information that I would like to get out.

So, hope that I live up to Lois’ standards.

Chat soon

Craig

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The Final Countdown

Jun 12

Posted by Lois Strachan in Clubs

With only 18 days to go in this Toastmasters year, the pressure is on at all levels as members, Club, Areas, Divisions and Districts around the world strive to get all their tasks complete before midnight on 30 June.

The pressure is starting to mount- I can see it as I visit Clubs and as I speak to Leaders around the District and around the world.

If we all do what we need to, then we can achieve!

So, before midnight on 30 June, as members and Clubs-

*register any completed educational awards- your members deserve to be recognised, and it benefits the Club, the Area and the District…

*Pay any outstanding member renewals, and join up any new members- remember the Inter-Club Membership Contest being run by our LGM rob Douglas; you could win a set of the Advanced Communication manuals, or R300 stock…

*Submit your new Club Officer List- and help the new Committee get off to a great start in working towards their goals for the year…

Let’s all try to keep focused on what we need to achieve before 30 June- and go for it!

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Club Officer Manuals- where are they?

Jun 12

Posted by Lois Strachan in Clubs

I have had a couple of concerned (and even panicked!) e-mails from Clubs who are looking for the Club Officer Manuals for the coming year.

WHQ informs me that the manuals were posted from the USA on 27 May and should be with Clubs shortly.

If your incoming Officers are eager to get started in learning about their tasks for the coming year, they can always download the manuals off the TI website at the following link – download here:

After selecting the role which applies to them, at the very bottom of the page there is an orange link to the corresponding club officer manual.

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Progress Towards District Goals

Jun 7

Posted by Lois Strachan in Area Governors, Cabinet, Division Governors, News

At each level of Toastmasters there are goals for us to attain so that we can assess our strengths and areas of improvement.  This happens at Club level, where we use the Distinguished Club Programme (DCP), at Area and Division level (Distinguished Area Programme), and at District level (Distinguished District Programme).

Here’s how we are doing at present as we work towards the goals set for us by TI for the 2008/09 Toastmasters year:

Competent Communicators: 79

Target: 165

We still have some way to go to achieve this goal, and I know many Clubs and members are working hard to complete and register their CCs.  If all goes well, we should attain this goal.  

Advanced Communicators: 47

Target: 47

Achieved- well done, District 74!

Paid Clubs: 102

Target: 126

We need 24 paid Clubs before 30 June.  We are working with 17 Clubs who have still not submitted Semi-Annual Dues for the April-September period, and have several new Clubs in process of Chartering.  If all goes according to plan, we should achieve this goal.

Member Payments: 4236

Target: 4826

As our Clubs submit outstanding member dues, our Member Payments needed will decrease.  Also, as we Charter new Clubs, we gain members towards this target.  Finally, we will be encouraging Clubs to submit any outstanding membership dues that they may have.  If we manage to do these 3 things, then this goal is attainable.

We have a lot of work to do if we hope to achieve our goals, and I would encourage all Clubs and members to work to achieve and register their own goals before 30 June.  Let’s get all outstanding members paid up and all Educational Awards registered as soon as possible…

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