District Officer – Toastmasters District 83

Reciprocity

One of the greatest experiences in Toastmasters is reciprocating by helping fellow Toastmasters achieve their goals while you achieve yours. This creates an ever-expanding circle of sharing compared to a one-time experience between two or more people.

Here are ten Toastmasters tips to help you reach milestones whether you plan to achieve a traditional or a Pathways DTM:

Organize a club officer training session in your division with permission from district leaders
Serve as a trainer at club officer training
Assist at club, area, division and district contests if you are not a contestant
Provide advice in your area of expertise for a club member’s speech; he/she helps in a similar way for you
If practical, carpool with fellow club members to contests, meetings, district special events or training sessions
Serve on a guidance committee for a Toastmaster working on a traditional or Pathways High Performance Leadership (HPL) project
If you are a speaker, offer to evaluate another speaker during a club speakout
Help a fellow club member become confident beginning Pathways when you are both ready
Inspire a fellow Toastmaster to take on a club or district officer role for 2019-2020 and share what you learned during your term
Notify club members seeking speaking slots when you learn about opportunities in other clubs

Often, club members are eager to help; Go ahead and ask.

Blog contributed by Su Brooks, DTM 2 District 83 Training Coordinator and Social Media Strategist

Su has been a Toastmaster since July 2000 and has earned two DTM awards in the Traditional program. In Pathways, she is working on three paths: Leadership Development, Presentation Mastery, and Engaging Humor. In addition, she recently began the Pathways Mentoring Program.

For 2018-2019, she serves as the Sergeant at Arms for Talk of Monmouth, an advanced club in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and as the District Training Coordinator and a Social Media Strategist.

She is a member of No Limits Toastmasters in Staten Island, New York, where she serves as the audio technician on the production crew for Toastmasters in the Community, a cable TV show.

For 2019-2020, Su will take on the role of Destination DTM Chair for District 83.

Selecting and Timing Your Leadership Roles

The leadership roles described in this post, unlike speeches, CAN carry over from the Traditional DTM track to the Pathways DTM track. However, credit for these roles must not have been applied to a previous award.

District Officer

Start now and tell Lynda Starr that you are interested in serving as a District Officer for 2019-2020 so you can complete your next award.

You might need to be flexible with the officer positions available. There could be an abundance of people in one geographical area seeking a role and a need to fill a position in another area.

Sponsor, Mentor, Coach

Start now and ask William Markert for an appointment. A Sponsor for a new club receives credit after the club successfully charters. Some clubs charter very quickly, while others take months. Up to two people can sponsor a new club.

A Mentor for a newly chartered club fills the role for a minimum of six months. Up to two people can serve. Mentors may receive credit after they complete their service AND the President of the club signs a form attesting to its completion.

A Club Coach is appointed upon the request of a Club that is in need of support to increase their membership, restore club quality and bring their club to the level of Distinguished status or higher. Clubs qualify for a Coach if their membership is below 12. Two Coaches may work with a club. A Coach is successful if the club becomes Distinguished by the end of the Toastmasters year.

A Coach can request that the appointment be extended another year. Keep this timing in mind if you are seeking to complete a traditional DTM by June 2020.

Successful club coaches traditionally receive credit toward the ALS or DTM award for their service as a coach. In addition, the ALS award also requires one year of service as a district officer. But starting in January 2019, successful club coaches will also be credited with service as a district officer. This means successful club coaches will complete two of the ALS/DTM requirements rather than one. Club coaches will still have two years to help clubs become distinguished—all of this year and through the 2019-2020 program year.

Youth Leadership Program, Speechcraft

Start on your own schedule. Materials for these programs may be ordered through the Toastmasters International online shop.

Talk to Toastmasters who have completed these community programs for insight and helpful advice.

Talk to your DTM mentor, your Club Vice President Education, a District Officer or the District Destination DTM Chair to help determine which roles might be best suited for your goals.

Blog contributed by Su Brooks, DTM 2 District 83 Training Coordinator and Social Media Strategist

For 2018-2019, she serves as the Sergeant at Arms for Talk of Monmouth, an advanced club in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and as the District Training Coordinator and a Social Media Strategist.

She is a member of No Limits Toastmasters in Staten Island, New York, where she serves as the audio technician on the production crew for Toastmasters in the Community, a cable TV show.

For 2019-2020, Su will take on the role of Destination DTM Chair for District 83.

The Value of a DTM Mentor

Your (Distinguished Toastmaster) DTM mentor will support you with your goals whether you have decided to pursue a traditional or a Pathways DTM.

Your DTM mentor can be a member of your club or a member of another club. You and your mentor can discuss how often to meet to talk about your progress and next steps.

A mentor will help you define the timetable for your goal. Requirements for a traditional DTM must be completed by June 2020. A Pathways DTM does not have a deadline specified by Toastmasters International. You and your mentor should discuss the overall timing, then break your goal into manageable segments with short, medium and long-term goals for success.Perhaps you are looking for additional speaking opportunities. I mentored a few Toastmasters who were able to serve as a model speaker for evaluation contests at other clubs, areas, and divisions outside their own.

Your DTM mentor can also let you know about clubs who might have fewer members than your club and frequently look for Toastmasters outside of their club to fill a speaking role on their agenda. It’s a good idea to have your next speech ready to go in case a prepared speaker has to cancel at the last minute and you can readily fill in.

You and your DTM mentor can meet Toastmasters outside of your club(s) at training sessions, contests and conferences. Meeting new people helps generate different ideas to help you reach your goals.

At a conference planning meeting, my DTM mentor informed me about two people seeking their DTM. I learned that they scheduled two educational workshops at a library on a weekend and invited everyone in the district to attend. This way they were able to reach a large audience and could present their training sessions without having to take time away from their regularly scheduled club meeting time.

You might be seeking a leadership role and need advice and connections for serving as a district officer or a sponsor, mentor, or coach. Your DTM mentor can help you with that information to get an appointment. Contact the District Director for more information.

For more information about DTM mentors, please contact the District 83 Destination DTM Chair.

Blog contributed by Su Brooks, DTM 2 District 83 Training Coordinator and Social Media Strategist

For 2018-2019, she serves as the Sergeant at Arms for Talk of Monmouth, an advanced club in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and as the District Training Coordinator and a Social Media Strategist.

She is a member of No Limits Toastmasters in Staten Island, New York, where she serves as the audio technician on the production crew for Toastmasters in the Community, a cable TV show.

For 2019-2020, Su will take on the role of Destination DTM Chair for District 83.