Wow! Reflecting on this year that has just flown, I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed the role and responsibilities that come with being Club Growth Director. I have learned much so far from the work that has been done, looking at the work that is still to be done and into some new ideas of how we might improve further moving forward in Toastmasters. Never stop that hunger to improve!
Many of you have been involved in the Area Speech Contests lately and special thanks to ALL those who have helped with such. I’ve been so pleased to see a great wave of new leaders emerging and learning new skills as they perform in these roles. Well done Toastmasters!
With the second round approaching, we have opportunities for members to assist with Club Visits in most Divisions. If you’d like to get to know the clubs in your Area (and/or beyond), maybe complete a High Performance Leadership (HPL) project within Pathways, and fill out a Club Visit Report to assist with clubs accessing the resources we have on offer in the District (sometimes they just need a gentle reminder of these), then contact:
Juls or Alison Do .
Opportunities also exist in our District for Club Coaches currently. Our Club Coach Coordinator, Simon Walliker DTM has been working diligently to match members with eligible clubs and there is a revised training module for such freely available on Basecamp. Half an hour well spent for all members to revise best club management practices.
Toastmasters is a safe place where we grow our skills. We are not held back by our mistakes, and we can (and will) learn more from mistakes than from our successes. Please don’t see this as a recommendation to purposely muck things up (lol), but as encouragement to try new and exciting experiences within the Toastmasters framework, that might take us out of our existing comfort zone. I was reminded by one of the students from Swinburne University recently, of the mastery that comes from introspection into previous personal (maybe somewhat negative) experiences, when we learn to perceive them as neutral (or even somewhat positive); dealing with the fact that they are now gone, and they are part of our learning moving forward. A ‘jhana’ (right concentration) in Buddhist teaching. Keep it ‘half full’ guys…no matter what you are facing.
I wish each of you a very happy and safe festive season, and please, for any reason at all, contact your leadership team for a chat because we’d all love to hear from you, even if only to say G’DAY!
With Metta (loving kindness),
Juls Davey
Club Growth Director 2022-23