Important information for all Toastmasters, Toronto to Belleville

January 2021: It's Here At Last!

Fellow Toastmasters - we always enter a new year with a renewed sense of hope, and that may never be truer than with 2021. I know many of us will be setting new goals for the next 12 months, including Toastmasters goals. Creating a firm base for your journey is crucial, so now may be the moment to ensure that the fundamentals are in place.

For example, have you checked all the details held by Toastmasters International (TI) on your account are correct?

To access your member profile, click on toastmasters.org, and then "Welcome, Name" at the top of the page. Your profile should contain accurate archives of your past educational awards and offices held, along with other records of your Toastmaster journey.

In particular, check the email address TI has for you. If it's an employer address, I strongly recommend you change it to a personal email address, so that you continue to receive all the information you expect.

I wish you every success in the coming year, and look forward to seeing you at one of the many events District 60 will be staging to help you achieve your ambitions.

Wendy Williamson DTM, District Director

For Everyone - An Urgent Deadline!

FINAL CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS. We're just about to close the window on accepting proposals for workshops at Spring Conference.

If you are interested in presenting an hour-long virtual workshop at the annual conference on Sunday April 18th, please download the workshop proposal template from the District 60 website and return to Andrew Mertens at webmaster@toastmasters60.com no later than January 15th, 2021.

Your workshop topic should fall into one of the following categories:

benefit our clubs and our members by making effective use of the virtual world;
help our members' careers soar;
assist our clubs and our members in growth.

For Everyone: Free Webinar

Grab a java and enjoy a virtual, intimate conversation with Patricia Fripp as she answers your questions and discusses her makeover from hairdresser to motivational speaker, coach, author, and sales trainer.

"I used to work on the outside of peoples' heads. Now I work on the inside," she says. "There is only a 1/2 inch difference."

This is your chance to ask Patricia, the keynote speaker at District 60’s Annual Conference, all the questions on your mind, including:

Launching your career as a professional speaker
Trimming excessive and sloppy language from your message
Adding colour to your story so the audience can see what you are saying.

Invite your friends or work colleagues to join the conversation.

For Club Officers, Area Directors and Division Directors: Get Ready For Virtual Contests

International Speech Contest season has arrived! No matter what level you're involved in, you'll want to review some valuable resources from Toastmasters International and District 60.

If you're running a contest:

D60 recently ran a workshop that reviewed all the ins and outs of conducting online contests. Check out the invaluable advice offered by those who have done it here.

If you're participating:

Make sure you know all the rules - including eligibility criteria - by downloading the Speech Contest Rulebook here.
If you're an experienced contestant, make sure you know what's changed this year by reviewing a great synopsis here.

The 2021 schedule for the International Speech Contest is:

Club contests - January
Area contests - February
Division contests - March
District contest - April
World Championship of Public Speaking contest - August.

For Club Officers: Attracting New Members

You know the benefits of Toastmasters. But how to find prospective members, and invite them to your meetings?

Many D60 clubs are using MeetUp with great success, regularly attracting five or more guests per meeting.

If you've never tried it, it can seem daunting - ANOTHER social media channel to learn! But D60 member Grace Archibald DL1 has recorded a terrific introduction to how you can implement it with minimum fuss.

Watch her great workshop here - and see what a difference MeetUp could make to your club.

Grace's advice will stand you in good stead for the upcoming Talk Up Toastmasters membership drive (Feb-Mar).

628 new members have joined D60 clubs since July 1st last year - let's make it over 1,000 soon!

For Everyone: Help Us Get Better - Tell Us What You Value and Complete Our Survey

Thanks to all those members who have already completed our survey. You've highlighted some great opportunities for us to improve our service to you.

If you haven't yet gotten round to it, please take 10 minutes to complete the survey. We're looking forward to hearing what's working well for you and, even more importantly, what we can get better at.

Thank you in advance for your help. We promise to act on your input.

For Anyone Organising A New Club: A New Incentive

Just announced! Any D60 Toastmaster member who starts a new club in D60 and steers it to charter by June 30th 2021 is eligible for a $100 gift card from Toastmasters International.

If you've got a lead on a club, speak to one of our Club Growth Directors and let them know (contact details at the end of this newsletter). They'll be only too happy to help you through the process.

For Area and Division Directors: Update Your Schedules

Don't forget that you're scheduled to attend District Executive Council (DEC) meetings on:

January 16, 9.30am-12.30pm. "Plan With Purpose" - everything you need to know for a successful second half of the year.
February 22, 7-9pm. Voting on the 2020-21 alignment (see below) and announcement of the Nominated Candidates for D60 and D123 elections.

For Everyone - Alignment Proposals Now Viewable

The annual process of alignment - making changes to account for new clubs, lost clubs, and clubs which change meeting location - is well under way. And now you can view the Alignment Committees' first draft recommendations for clubs in District 60 and District 123.

You can see the proposals here for all clubs south of Dixon/Lawrence, and here for all other clubs in District 60 (which will form the brand new District 123 as of July 1st, 2021).

We'll be running Zoom Q&A sessions later this month, to listen and respond to any questions you might have. Look for dates here.

For Everyone: Your Nominations, Please!

Here's your opportunity to recognize great people.

The George Keenan Award

This award is given annually to a past District Officer who continues to serve, visibly and behind the scenes, and promotes Toastmasters within District 60 and beyond.

Visit the George Keenan Award page for the criteria, forms and past recipients. If you know a District 60 Toastmaster who fits the bill, please submit your nomination by March 1, 2021.

recipients.

For Club Officers: Training Now In Progress

After the stunning success of Round 1 Club Officer Training, we're now well into Round 2.

If all seven of your club's officers are trained between November and the end of February, then the club will receive a Chat Pack containing 156 question cards to spark conversation - perfect for Table Topics™!

You can find the training schedule here. Remember that you can attend ANY Division's training event - just choose the one that's most convenient for you.