/CouncilPack2010-11 by Malcolm Warden

District 71 Council Meeting Saturday 13th November 2010

Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square 2, Dublin, Ireland C

District Governor: Teresa Dukes ‘Inspire with Passion’

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 1

08/11/2010 11:19:31

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 2

08/11/2010 11:19:31

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

District 71 Council Meeting 11.00am Saturday 13th November 2010 Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square 2, Dublin, Ireland.

AGENDA 1.

Call to Order (Invocation, District Mission, Welcome, Apologies, Minute of Reflection)

Adoption of Agenda

Report of Credentials Committee, Appointment of Tellers

Minutes of Council Meeting 15th May 2010

Confirmation of District Officer Appointments

2009/10 Year End Audit Report

Adoption of District Budget and Treasurer’s Report

Reports of Division Governors and District Officers (Division Governors, Immediate Past District Governor, District Statistician, Public Relations Officer, Lt Governor Marketing, Lt Governor Education & Training, District Governor)

Initial Proposals for the Realignment of Division E

10.

Bids for District Conferences

11.

Any Other Business

12.

Announcements and Adjournment

District 71 Inspire with Passion

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 3

Page 1

08/11/2010 11:19:32

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Minutes of Council Meeting Spring Conference 2010 Sligo Park Hotel, Sligo, Ireland 11am Saturday 15th May 2010 1.

Call to Order ‐ District Governor Joe Gibbs opened the meeting at 11am and welcomed everyone. The following Past District Governors were in attendance and were recognised: Gary Sander (Intermediate Past District Governor), David Thompson, Mary O’Connor, Harry Knox, Ted Corcoran, Cecil Kirk (District Parliamentarian), Linda Molloy. Poh Kim Siong, current international director for TI was welcomed. a. Invocation ‐ The invocation was read by Poh Kim Siong b. District Mission ‐ The District Mission was read by Matt Heslin c. Welcome ‐ District Governor Joe Gibbs introduced those with District Offices sitting on the top table in the following order: District Treasurer Geraldine Smith, LT Marketing Jim Hegarty, District Secretary Deidre O’Brien, District Governor Joe Gibbs , District Parliamentarian Cecil Kirk, LT Education and Training Teresa Dukes, District PRO Freddie Daniels, Immediate Past District Governor Gary Sander, d. Apologies ‐ Apologies for absences were read by Deirdre O’Brien: Jim Gregory Division E Governor James McGinty Division G Governor Bernice Paulin‐Booth Area 20 Governor Peter Farrelly President Kildare Toastmasters Katherine Divine President Naas Toastmasters

e. Minute of Reflection ‐ A minute of reflection was held for all District 71 toastmasters who died during the year including: Chris O’Toole – President of Bray, Anna Dolan ‐ Maynooth f. Procedures for meeting The District Governor stressed the importance of time and the time limits that were set. Speaking from the floor: Please stand, state your name and club clearly. Only members of the district council are entitled to participate in this mornings meeting, Area Governors, Division Governors, President and EVPs of each club (or their nominated proxies), + members of the district executive 2. Adoption of Agenda ‐ Sufficient notice of the Council Meeting having been given, a motion that the agenda be adopted was proposed. Proposed by: Phil Heath. Seconded by: Mary O’Connor, Waterford Toastmasters. Agreed by the council. 3.

Report of Credentials Committee, Appointment of Tellers Cecil Kirk gave the report of the Credentials Committee. He informed the council that the number of Club’s eligible to participate was 229 thereby giving a quorum of 77. The number of other eligible persons (Division Governors, Area Governors, Members of the Executive) numbered 63. The number of clubs registered was 85 (170 votes). The number of other persons present numbered 34. This gave a total number of 204 votes. A simple majority of 103 votes would be needed should a vote be required. Proposed by: Michael J Clarke. Seconded by: Clive Willet. Agreed by the council. Dermot Carey, Pat Connolly and Clive Willet were proposed as tellers. Proposed by: Cecil Kirk. Seconded by: Claire Murtagh. Agreed by the council

4. Minutes of Council Meeting 14th November 2009 ‐ Acceptance of the minutes was then proposed. Proposed by: Antony Day. Seconded by: Harry Knox District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 4

Page 2

08/11/2010 11:19:33

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

5. Realignment Proposals for District 71 Division A – Proposal 1 New Area with four clubs from Area 23. Macroom moving from Area 11 to Area 23. New Area

Area 23

Area 11

Powerdermills

Carrigaline

Beara

Slainte

Cork

Bantry

Bishopstown

Crusaders

Clonakilty

The A Team

Macroom (from Area 11)

Bandon Kinsale

Division A – Proposal 2 New Area with four clubs from Area 23. New Area

Area 23

Powerdermills

Carrigaline

Slainte

Cork

Bishopstown

Crusaders

The A Team Division D New Area being formed with Enniscorthy and Wexford from Area 8 and Gorey from Area 40. New Area

Area 8

Area 40

Enniscorthy

(from Area 8)

DLS Communicators

Carlow

Gorey

(from Area 40)

Dungarvan

Kilkenny

Wexford

(from Area 8)

Tramore

Portlaoise

Waterford

State Street International

Division E & Division G & Division H Area 7 to be moved from Division E to Division G South West Speakers and Armada Speakers moving from Area 22 (E) to Area 42 (H) Area 22 Division E

Area 42 Division H

Area 7 Division G

Cheltenham

Cottonwood Speakers

Bardwell Speakers

Northavon

Solent Speakers

Bicester Speakers Club

Thamesdown

Chaseside Speakers

Isis Speakers

Voice of Wales

Hamwic Speakers

Oxford Speakers

South West Speakers (from Area 22)

Ridgeway

Armada Speakers

(from Area 22)

Division A Proposal 2 has been withdrawn. Helen Hourican outlined the proposal (proposal 1) for Division A. The District Governor stated that a letter has been received from Slainte club signed by 6 past presidents. Liam Cunningham outlined the opposition to the motion on the club’s behalf and requested Slainte be left in its current area. District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 5

Page 3

08/11/2010 11:19:33

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

District Governor Joe Gibbs outlined the process to propose an amendment to the proposal. The amendment was voted on first, followed by the proposal. Amendment to Division A realignment proposal (leave Slainte in current area) Proposed By: Jean Cunningham Seconded By: Helen Hourican There were 2 votes against the amendment with the remaining votes in favour. As the majority vote was in favour the amendment was passed. Division A proposal with amendment Proposed By: Maire Corbett Seconded By: Ann Dinneen The motion has passed in amended form.

Division D Mary O’Connor proposed the change for Division D. Proposed By: Pat Foley Seconded By: Bettie‐Marie Burger Smit Agreed by the council with a vote. (no opposing votes)

Division E, G, H The proposal for these divisions has been withdrawn.

The District Governor (Joe Gibbs) thanked the work of the district in coming up with the proposals. Division Governors and Area governors involved with the proposals were thanked for their work. 6. Report from Nominating Committee

Position

Candidate

District Governor

Teresa Dukes

Lt. Governor Education & Training

Jim Hegarty

Lt. Governor Marketing

Freddie Daniells

Public Relation Officer #

Lucia Hughes Luanne Kent

Division A Governor

Marie Corbett

Division B Governor

Dorothea Stuart

Division C Governor

Peter Kieran

Division D Governor

Pat Foley

Division E Governor #

Phil Heath Oscar Merkx

Division F Governor

Siobhan Doherty

Division G Governor

Graham Frost

Division H Governor

Gordon Piggott

Immediate Past President Gary Sander thanked the nominating committee for their work ‐ Samantha Babister, Jane Cameron, Caroline O’Connor and John Waldron. Oscar Merkx has withdrawn from the race. Everyone else is of good standing and character. All these people can go forward for election.

8. Nomination and Election of Division Governors: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H Nominees as listed in the council pack were read out by the DG. Secretary cast one vote for each of the above candidates. Agreed by council (no opposition).

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 6

Page 4

08/11/2010 11:19:33

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

9. Nomination and Election of District Executive Officers ‐ PRO, LGET, LGM, DG, District PRO: Two candidates for District PRO ‐ Lucia Hughes and Luanne Kent. The District Governor explained that there would be a 2 minute presentation from each candidate. The presentations would be in alphabetical order. District Governor asked both candidates if they had selected a teller to represent them in the count. Both confirmed they had. Candidate 1: Lucia Hughes gave her 2 minute presentation. Candidate 2: Luanne Kent gave her 2 minute presentation. Tellers collected votes and left with District Parliamentarian to count the votes. Votes: 187 votes casts 0 invalid votes cast. Lucia Hughes 105 votes Luanne Kent 82 votes Lucia Hughes reached the majority and therefore was elected as District PRO. District Governor congratulated Lucia Hughes and also thanked both candidates for running excellent campaigns LG Marketing: One nominee Freddie Daniells. No floor nominations. LG Education and Training: One nominee Jim Hegarty. No floor nominations. District Governor: One nominee Teresa Dukes. No floor nominations. There was only one nominee for each position and there were no further nominations from the floor. The District Governor Joe Gibbs asked the secretary to cast one vote for each candidate. The council voted and there were no apposing votes. The District Governor deemed that the three candidates were elected to the three positions for the coming year.

10. 2009/2010 Mid‐year Audit Report District Treasurer, Geraldine Smith gave a presentation on the mid‐year audit. There were no questions from the floor. Acceptance of the audit was then proposed. Proposed by: Michael J Clarke. Seconded by: Phil Heath. Agreed by the council. District Governor thanked the District Treasurer Geraldine Smith for her hard work during the year. 11. Reports of Division Governors and District Officers Written reports were included in the district council pack. All Division Governors and District Executive Officers gave a verbal report in the following order: Division A Division C Division E Division G Immediate Past District Governor

Helen Hourican Luanne Kent Michael J Clarke(on behalf of Jim Gregory) Graham Frost (on behalf of James McGinty) Gary Sander

LT Gov Marketing

Jim Hegarty

District Governor

Joe Gibbs

Division B Division D Division F Division H

Hilary Briggs Mary O’Connor Werner Van Den Hemel Chris Howell

District PRO

Freddie Daniells

LT Gov Education and Training

Teresa Dukes

12. Bids for District Conferences May 2011 – London Tube Talk made a proposal. Full w/e £280 (sharing) £350 (single room). Seeks council’s approval to proceed further with the bid. Draft proposal has been submitted to the executive. Agreed by Council November 2011 – Glasgow. Oscar Merkx made an expression of interest to host the conference in Glasgow. A Business plan has been submitted to executive. May 2012 – Wexford. Expression of interest from the Wexford club to host the conference was received. November 2012 – Talking Heads Garryvoe. Expression of interest from Talking Heads club to host the conference was received. The District Governor stated that the expressions of interest were still welcome from November 2011 onwards. May 2013 – Newcastle. Expression of interest from Newcastle club to host the May 2013 conference. District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 7

Page 5

08/11/2010 11:19:33

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

13. Any Other Business Proposal received for the council after the deadline for the receipt of proposals. “Request that the district form a realignment committee to ‐ take from Colin’s email“. Phil Heath ‐ Division E: Will take it on board to work with G and H division governors and executive to work on this. Point of Order: To get Jim Gregory added to the apologies in the minutes. District Governor: Hoping to help by driving the proposal from the district executive level. Teresa Dukes: Agreed to have it driven from a district executive level. This would allow it to be examined from the level of a District as a whole. District Governor: Joe Gibbs: The district executive form a realignment committee to look at area/division spilt across the district. To deliver a prelim report in November council meeting. To put a formal proposal to the May council meeting in 2011. Proposed by: Nick Theato. Seconded by: Dave Thompson. Point of Order: Noel O’Beara: Competition: 2 minutes at the end of the contest for judges to complete their ballot. Why do we wait for 5 or 6 minutes for judges to complete their ballots? We should enforce it or scrap it. DG: LGET, Chief Judges and judges should take Noel’s comments on board. Point of Order: Maire Corbett: Misprint in the report – name mistyped – Maura should be Maire. District Governor Joe Gibbs thanked the following people: • Cecil Kirk: Thanked for his work through the year and all previous years. • Malcolm Warden and Kit Barritt: Thanked for their work on the website. • Norman Rhodes: Thanked for his work with the regalia. 14. Announcements and Adjournment Judges Briefing moved to the Hazel wood suite straight after this meeting. 15. District Governor Joe Gibbs adjourned the meeting until the November council meeting (Alexandra Hotel, Dublin) at 12:55.

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 8

Page 6

08/11/2010 11:19:33

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

2010-2011 District Officers – Appointed by the District Governor District Parliamentarian: District Treasurer: District Secretary: District Statistician: Audit Committee Member: Audit Committee Member: Audit Committee Member:

Cecil Kirk Michaela Talbot Sandra Lawes Rory Marriott Ratan Lele Simon Christley Monica Liljeroth

IRELAND UK Division Governors and Assistants plus Area Governors and Assistants

DIVISION A – Maire Corbett Ann Dineen, Assistant Education & Training Catherine Kelly, Assistant Marketing Area 3: Eddie O’Mahony Area 11: Steven Hanley Area 11 Assistant: Matthew Higgins Area 17: Ray Ryan Area 23: Liam Cunningham Area 36: Bridget Elliott Area 49: John Keating

DIVISION C- Peter Kieran Eddie O’Hanlon, Assistant Education & Training Evangeline Leonard, Assistant Area 2: Elaine Metcalfe Area 5: John Joyce Area 10: Joe Bishop Area 16: Brian Banfield Area 16 Assistant: John Dineen Area 18: Carmel Wynne Area 19: Colleen Hardy Area 19 Assistant: Patricia O’Reilly Area 26: Eric Fitzpatrick Area 26 Assistant: Karl McEntegart DIVISION D – Pat Foley Harry Knox, Assistant Education & Training Bettie-Marie Burger-Smit, Assistant Marketing Area 8: Anne Halpin Area 27: Mary Ryan Area 28: Maureen Giblin Area 40: Declan Gannon Area 50: Ulick Stafford DIVISION F – Siobhan Doherty Area 9: James Armitage Area 12: Philip Walsh Area 13: Glenn Williams Area 24: Maureen Nash Area 24 Assistant: John Brooks Area 38: John Burke

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 9

DIVISION B – Andy O’Sullivan Liz Hobbs, Assistant Education & Training Dick Dixon, Assistant Marketing Christopher Hall, Assistant PR Area 6: Paul Walsh Area 29: David Drew Area 31: Joann Walsh Area 31 Assistant: Greg Ros Area 33: Dr Julia Kowalle Area 34: Ewan Wong Area 45: Ola Aralepo Area 47: Simon Cooper Area 47 Assistant: Robert Carmichael DIVISION E – Phil Heath Area 7: Pieter Oosthuizen Area 15: Gillian Caldicott Area 22: John Evans Area 30: Sheila Fraser Area 39: Tina Swani Area 43: Kes Smith Area 48: Natasha Goggin

DIVISION G – Graham Frost Ann Nunn, Assistant Area 1: Barry Rix Area 4: Jean Gamester Area 4 Assistant: Rose-Marie Calder Area 4 Assistant: Belinda King Area 20: Warren Sheng Area 20 Assistant: Angela Lansbury Area 25: Russell Eden Area 41: Tracey Walker Area 44: Jim Reynolds Area 44 Assistant: Jenny Chalmers DIVISION H – Gordon Piggott Steve Catchick, Assistant Area 14: Alan Donegan Area 21: Helen Elliott Area 32: Dec Cluskey Area 35: Philip Landergan Area 37: Chris Rose Area 42: Shirley Thompson Area 46: Philip Gladwell Page 7

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

2009-2010 Year End Audit Report

Page 1 of 5

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

YEAR END AUDIT REPORT - DISTRICT NO.

D71

Due at WHQ by August 31, 2010 THE JUNE TREASURER REPORT MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO OPENING THIS FORM FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2009

- JUNE 30, 2010 D71

FUNDS AVAILABLE Acct.# A.

D71

(OVER) UNDER

US $

(OVER) UNDER

ACTUAL

BUDGET

VARIANCE

ACTUAL

BUDGET

VARIANCE

BEGINNING BALANCES:

2009

120

Balance in district reserve account at WHQ on July 1,

100

Reconciled balance in district local bank account(s) on July 1, 2009

B. 400 C.

58,138.42

9,593.87

TOTAL BEGINNING BALANCE

67,732.29 A

ESTIMATED NEW FUNDS AVAILABLE - INCOME: Add : Membership income from World Headquarters

81,382.10

76,477.74

(4,904.36) B

Fall conference net income

430

Spring convention net income

480

Interest

490

Other:

II.

N/A

323.16

N/A

17.06

N/A

340.22

149,454.61

144,210.03

N/A

(340.22) C

(5,244.58) D

EXPENSES: 600

A. Marketing

7,702.43

17,620.00

9,917.57

610

B. Communications and public relations

3,727.98

11,470.00

7,742.02

620

C. Education and training

15,099.64

21,390.00

6,290.36

630

D. Speech contests

1,296.99

3,070.00

1,773.01

640

E. Administration

14,690.06

13,530.00

(1,160.06)

650

F. Travel

20,187.92

27,480.00

7,292.08

700

G. Other

62,705.02

TOTAL EXPENSES 570

IV.

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

94,560.00 -

31,854.98

DISTRICT STORE: 450

1. Sales

551

2. Purchases from WHQ

559

3. Other store expenses

200

(3,074.60) G

(D - E - F + G + H)

83,674.99

OUTSTANDING BILLS / OBLIGATIONS (Line 8 from page 2) NET FUNDS AVAILABLE AT JUNE 30, 2010

(3,074.60)

DISTRICT STORE INCOME (LOS), NET

VI.

OTHER INCOME:

TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE (A plus B plus C)

410

Total other income

III.

US $

D71

H I

N/A

3,074.60 3,074.60

49,650.03

(34,024.96)

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

YEAR END AUDIT REPORT - DISTRICT NO.

N/A -

Page 2 of 5

D71

FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2009 - JUNE 30, 2010

VII. DISTRICT FUNDS ANALYSIS (District share of membership fees) 2009

COUNTRY

D71

EXCH. RATE

ACTUAL

1. Balance in District Reserve Account at World Headquarters on July 1,

US $ ACTUAL

58,138.42

81,382.10

3. SUB TOTAL

139,520.52

4. DEDUCT: Funds requests from WHQ during July 1 to June 30 DEDUCT: Purchases from WHQ during July 1 to June 30

(72,000.00)

(3,074.60)

64,445.92

19,229.07

64,445.92

2. Add: Membership income from WHQ

5. District reserve account Balance on June 30, 2010

( line 3 minus line 4 )

(This figure must agree with the district reserve statement at June 30, cell O14) ANALYSIS OF CASH BALANCE AS OF June 30, 2010 6. Reconciled balance in district local bank account(s) June 30, 2010 (Includes funds in any division, area or other accounts) 7. ADD: Balance in district reserve account at World Headquarters (line 5 above) 8. DEDUCT: Unpaid bills / obligations at June 30 TOTAL CASH AVAILABLE (agrees with page 1, Section VI, line I)

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 10

(INPUT NEGATIVE NUMBER)

83,674.99

Page 8

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inspire with Passionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Page 3 of 5

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

YEAR END AUDIT REPORT - DISTRICT NO. FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2009

D71

- JUNE 30, 2010

Following is a brief description/explanation of the actual expenses as compared to what was budgeted. Any variance, positive or negative requires an explanation of what caused the variance. The white rows are not password protected. Users may adjust the white area as necessary by adjusting the row height. Alternatively, a separate sheet may be used. Each section of this narrative page must be completed in order for this report to be considered complete and counted as received by WHQ. Funds available (Section I) Sufficient funds available . Not all budgeted expenditure was drawn down.

Marketing (Section II, A) Total expenditure for the year is well below budget.Funds allocated to building of new clubs and division grants were not taken up.

Communications and public relations (Section II, B) Actual expenditure below the budgeted expenditure. Funds allocated to external marketing were not taken up.There is also a saving of postage as we emailed the newsletter instead of posting it.

Education and training (Section II, C) Actual expenditure below budgeted expenditure. Funds allocated to COT was not drawn down.

Speech contests (Section II, D) Actual expenditure is below budgeted expenditure

Administration (Section II, E) Actual expenditure is above budgeted expenditure. This is due maily to the high level of postage .We will look at reducing this in the future by using email instead . Travel (Section II, F) Actual expenditure below budgeted expenditure

Other (Section II, G) N/A

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 11

Page 9

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 12

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Page 10

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

2010–2011 Annual Budget TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL BUDGET Due to WHQ by September 30th 2010 2011

* British Pound GBP

DISTRICT 1.50710

USD

District Revenue Membership Revenue Conference Revenue Fundraising Revenue TLI Revenue District Store Revenue Donations Interest Miscellaneous-Revenue Total Revenue

53,999 53,999

81,382 81,382

District Expenses Conference Expenses Fundraising Expense TLI Expenses District Store Expenses Marketing Communications & Public Relations Education & Training Speech Contest Administration Travel Other Expenses Total Expense District Net Income/Loss

(no limit*) (25% max*) (30% max*) (10% max*) (20% max*) (30% max*) (10% max*)

24% 13% 19% 3% 17% 24% 0%

^ (18,355) (10,401) (14,757) (2,127) (12,854) (18,971) (77,465) (23,466)

(27,663) (15,675) (22,240) (3,205) (19,373) (28,592) (116,748) (35,366)

* For U.S. Districts leave this cell with the rate of 1.00. For Non-U.S. Districts, insert the appropriate exchange rate (for the budget the rate should be as of June 30th), per the OANDA.com website. See the instruction tab on how to get the exchange rate from the OANDA website. * This is the maximum percent of total expenses a district can have towards the specific account groupings. ^ Total Leadership Institute expense is combined with total Education and Training expense when calculating the maximum allowable expense.

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 13

Page 11

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION A This newly expanded Division is doing well this year so far. Area 49 is a new addition to the Division and has grown since its inception with 2 new clubs. PR: Toastmasters took a stand at the Adult Education Exhibition in Cork and spread the word about Toastmasters with Passion! Some Clubs are feeling the pinch with attendance and expensive meeting rooms and some have changed venue to alleviate this. Club Officer Training went well and many areas focused on promoting the Competent Leader manual and also Judging Standards Maire Corbett Division A Governor

Area 3 Blarney (3579): Seems to be doing well. This Club hosted the Area Final for Humorous Speech and Table Topics. Glanmire (2333): Member attendance at meetings falling off again, but committee meeting held to address this. The Club has changed venue to the Sarsfields GAA complex. Guardian (1153557): Going very well. Visited before their club competition and was impressed with progress of speakers. Midleton (4482): Held their club competition and while audience was small, quality of meeting was good. Talking Heads (3300): Going well. Eddie O’Mahony Area 3 Governor

Area 11 Bandon (7364): Have a new venue in the Town Hall on the Dunmanway Road. They have 2 new members and are planning events such as an open night. Bantry (772301): Had 2nd meeting on 5th of October. 2 new members and 1 potential new member. Beara (678448): Have a new venue in the old convent in North Street, Castletownbere. The first meeting was held on 28th September where one new member and one guest attended. The club was advertised on Southern Star and County Sound Radio. Clonakility (2272): Flying as usual. President Sandra O' Hagan had an article printed on the latest Toastmaster magazine. Kinsale& District (12230850): Up and running in Trident Hotel. Had their competition for Humorous Speech and Topics on the 6th of October. Advertised on the Southern Star and local parish newsletters Steven Hanley Area 11 Governor

Area 17 Fáilte Toastmasters (7508) (Charleville): A club with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Fáilte has 17 members and is making a strong effort to attain the DCP requirement of 20 members this year. Fermoy Toastmasters (2846): The senior club in the Area, Fermoy has attracted notice with its innovative signage and has hosted the area final of the Table Topics and Humorous Speech contests. Speakeasy (9298) (Mallow): Continues with its strong electronic and print publicity campaigns and has followed other clubs in the area in erecting signs. The club goal is to attain Select Distinguished Status. The Galtees (727301) (Mitchelstown): A club with a strong spirit of collegiality, Galtee Toastmasters hosted the area evaluation workshop on November 9th. The club goal is to attain Select Distinguished Status. Ray Ryan Area 17 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 12

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 14

08/11/2010 11:19:34

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 23 Four of the five clubs in Area 23 find it necessary to once again concentrate efforts on acquiring new members. Cork Club is the exception and is in the enviable position of having to close membership as they have over fifty members. All clubs in the area have embarked on an exchange of speakers and evaluators program with the intention of fostering greater cooperation and area harmony. This year also many younger members have become involved in the running of clubs bringing new energy, ideas, and commitment. The results of the cooperation and harmony initiative will be apparent in the second half of the year. Liam Cunningham Area 23 Governor

Area 36 Takes in Tralee, Killarney and West Limerick clubs. There is a wonderful camaraderie between these three Clubs. Killarney (590632): Big plans for a club website in the coming weeks together with plans to begin a Speechcraft programme by Killarney’s members. Meetings always have great local attendance. Members work hard at keeping up standards and are very thorough in all their projects. Tralee (9326): The oldest of the three Clubs. It is a well established Club with a great age mix. Recently went on Facebook . Great enthusiasm shown by all members to have quality meetings. Members are at all stages from Ice Breakers to DTM and beyond. West Limerick (827840): Website up and running and new Committee members very interested in keeping it up to date. Club also on Facebook. Meetings always enjoyable and varied - standards very high in this club. Great welcome always for Guests. Plans to initiate new membership building plans in coming months. It is hoped to have four Clubs in this Area by end of TM year as an initial meeting has taken place in Dingle. Bridget Elliott Area 36 Governor

Area 49 The A Team (1326749): An advanced club which meets monthly in Cork requires new members and a review of what the club offers its members is underway. Apple – Cork (1496437): A recently chartered club within Apple Computers. It is a truly international, fun and inspiring club. Bishopstown (1269795): Now in year two of operation this club has a very strong membership. Meetings on Saturday morning and weekly clearly meet the needs of its members. Powdermills (4028): A club with a very strong tradition of achievement. High quality meetings are the foundation on which this club is built. Cork Leeside Communicators (Pre-charter): Had its first meeting on Monday 27th September. This club meets in the Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay, Cork City, an after work club, start time is 6pm 7.30pm. First meeting was well attended and there were 3 Ice Breakers during the second meeting. John Keating Area 49 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 13

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 15

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION B Our Division Council is comprised of an experienced team of Assistant Division Governors, Area Governors, and Assistant Area Governors all of whom have the passion to ensure the continued success of our Clubs. Education & Training: We held our first Division wide Club Officer Training sessions of the year, covering over 180 officers, with some members from the neighboring Divisions G & H attending. The 3 separate sessions we held covered how each Club fitted in to the Toastmasters structure, contest planning & the DCP. We also held breakout sessions to discuss in more detail each of the official committee roles. We have already held 3 very successful & well attended extra workshops on ‘How to Create Great Workshops; and Have Fun Doing It’, ‘Starting New Clubs - The Leadership Opportunities’ and the third on using the HPL manual. We have an exciting line up of future workshops planned for the coming months including Non Verbal Communication, Membership Retention and How to be a Better Judge. Club Strength: The vast majority of our Clubs have all started of the Toastmasters’ year in good shape. Some Clubs are facing challenges in growing their membership, which we are actively working with them to address. We have 4 pre-charter Clubs all of whom are developing well, and have received enquires to start 2 new ones. Club Standards: The Area Governors are working with Clubs to help them achieve their DCP goals, with several aiming for President’s Distinguished Status. PR/Marketing: The website www.thelondonspeaker.com continues to provide an excellent method of communication with the members of Division B and those of other Divisions who live or work in the London area. We are developing a mailing list of the hundreds of members \ non members who have attended our events so that we can keep them updated of our workshops, contests, etc. Conclusion: The economic challenges we all face will continue to affect our members and their jobs in London, making membership of the City Clubs more transient than normal. The continuing energy and enthusiasm of the Division Council members will however help to ensure the success of all our members and Clubs in the future. Andy O’Sullivan - Division B Governor

Area 6 Area 6 is comprised of 5 Clubs, in the South Kensington and Victoria areas of London. Although small, the area is diverse enough to contain one of the oldest Clubs in London and the only Polish speaking Club in the District. Covent Garden Speakers (Pre-Chartered): An early morning Club, its meetings are well organised and enthusiastic. The Club is looking to achieve Chartered status this calendar year. London Cardinals (674907): The largest Club in the Area, its membership is just under 60. A consistently high quality Club that is aiming for President’s Distinguished Club. Its key development area will be the formation of a new Club. London Corinthians (7951): A well established high quality Club with a good spread of both experienced and newer members. It is looking to retain its experienced members by offering them the opportunity of workshop delivery. London Olympians (5235): A well established Club which is aiming for President’s Distinguished Club. The ‘The Friendliest Club in London’ it is adding to that position with its recent move to a high quality venue encouraging high quality standards. Polish Your Polish (1095711): A unique Club for Polish speaking members. Despite the downturn of 2010 affecting membership numbers, it retains a solid core membership and has committed leadership. Paul Walsh - Area 6 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 14

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 16

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 29 Area 29 has four diverse Clubs located in West London, all very keen and highly motivated. Athenians (7365): The Club meets every week, is extremely well attended and has an excellent mix of new and old members - hence its high standard. It is expected to reach President’s Distinguished status again this year. Trojans (589261): The Club has run a superb recruitment campaign to gain new members, gaining 10 new members since June. The Club should gain DCP status this year, together with the Talk Up ribbon. Riverside (2731): Another well attended Club within the Area. It has an excellent committee, which will do well over the coming year. This Club will achieve the goals that it has set itself by the end of the year West London Speakers (885179): Meets twice a month, is well attended and has great rivalry with Athenians. Well run and organised Club with a lot of new members. It is working towards Distinguished Club Status this year. David Drew - Area 29 Governor

Area 31 Area 31 has 6 Clubs located on or adjacent to Canary Wharf to the east of London ACCA breakfast Club (1414048): Chartered this summer. A lively, friendly, well attended Club with well run meetings. Active membership participating both within the Club and the division. Strong leadership. Canary Wharf Communicators (778270): The only non corporate Club in Canary Wharf with a large number of guests many of whom go on to join. Membership is diverse and enthusiastic. Citi Criers (589935): The Club celebrated its seventh anniversary with a wonderful meeting including a large group of alumni who continue to actively support this vibrant Club. The Club has a strong committee and membership & a sense of pride in what they are achieving. Speakeasy@Credit Suisse (2656): A strong Club with good core membership which renews itself. The Club has recruited a large number of new members from Credit Suisse again this year. Speakers Corner (1352811): The Club has just celebrated its first year. The meetings are well run and orgainsed in a lunch time slot. Women In Banking & Finance (8923): An established women only Club which provides women in banking, finance and legal industries with both an opportunity to network and improve their speaking skills. Joann Walsh - Area 31 Governor

Area 33 The Area covers part of the City of London. 1st London Toastmasters (1376237): Membership has grown on a constant basis since the Club was launched in September 2009. The Club’s current focus is on introducing and following the Distinguished Club Programme. Highly motivated Club committee. Broadgate Speakers (5964): The Club was split in the Toastmasters year 2009/2010, thus the membership numbers have reduced since the last report. A highly motivated Club committee that aims to achieve President’s Distinguished Club this year. CASS Business School (1182993) (formerly CareerBuilder): Membership was heavily affected by the economic crisis and the Club was re-established at the CASS Business School. The Club’s main focus is to gain new members and follow the Distinguished Club Programme. Energetic and motivated committee. MLP London Bridge (760422): Achieved President’s Distinguished Club status last year and are on target to achieve the same this year. Very motivated and organised Club. St Paul’s Speakers (7989): Achieved President’s Distinguished Club last year and are on target to do the same again this year. The Club committee is very motivated and sets high goals for the Club. The Club benefits from its numerous highly experienced members. NZICA Bank (1107650): They achieved Select Distinguished Club last year and are on target to achieve President’s Distinguished Club this year. Very organised and enthusiastic Club that attracts many guests. Julia Kowalle - Area 33 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 15

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 17

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 34 Area 34 represents five Clubs in Central London. Bloomsbury Speakers (1417626): - Successfully built to charter strength in early 2010 and is now shifting focus to membership development and retention. Recently held its inaugural Club contests. City of London Toastmasters Club (2027): A rejuvenated Club with a fine inclusive culture and engaged committee who have rebuilt the Club membership. Mentoring and succession planning are key watchwords in this year. Holborn Speakers (3149): - Celebrated its 10th anniversary over the summer and continues to be a model of continuity and achievement. Experienced longstanding members are a credit and testament to the wider reach and impact from being an engaged Club. Tube Talk (5257): – A company Club that recently lost its corporate funding. This loss has not affected the Club or its membership, who recently celebrated their 7th anniversary. The Club has a solid core of experienced members and a Club committee who are looking to build upon achievements. London Business School Public Speaking Club (4824): - Meeting weekly and enthused by yearly intakes of students this Club has an abundance of enthusiasm and interested members. Continuity and leadership development are at the forefront of the committee's aspirations. Ewan Wong - Area 34 Governor

Area 45 Area 45 is home to four very dynamic and lively Clubs in the west of Central London. Berkeley Square (2390): - A dynamic early morning Club with a passionate, goal oriented leadership. Meetings are friendly, warm, & supportive. The Club has a good guest to member conversion ratio. Achieved President’s Distinguished Club status last year and on course to achieve similar this year. Early Birds (835375): - A dynamic early morning Club. A very strong point of the Club is the adherence to high standards while at the same time keeping meetings lively and supportive of learning. The Club achieved President’s Distinguished Club status last year and on course to achieve similar this year. Grosvenor Square (4141): - Another dynamic Club, with a focused membership and a passionate leadership. The Club has a very strong member recruitment drive and lively meetings that are supportive of individual members’ learning. Also achieved President’s Distinguished Club last year and on course to achieve similar this year. Whitehall Speakers (Pre-charter): - A company Club of HM Treasury on the verge of achieving chartered status. A very enthusiastic leader inspiring his members to learn and become part of the wider Toastmasters’ network. Ola Aralepo - Area 47 Governor

Area 47 Area 47 represents six Clubs in Central London. Angel Speakers (Pre charter): The President and committee have great enthusiasm. Membership is increasing each meeting, so the Club should soon charter. A great Club to visit. Excalibur (9079): This is the only advanced Club based in London. The Club allows its members to try out new ideas and speaking styles while receiving plenty of constructive feedback from the experienced members. London Communicators (501): - Well established and well run Club with over 60 members. They can expect to achieve President’s Distinguished Club for 2nd year running. Mann (Pre Charter) – A company Club that had a very successful demonstration meeting with over 70 people attending. The new committee are extremely keen and have the support of some experienced members. I expect this Club to charter very quickly. Northern Lights (647094): This Club goes from strength to strength. Membership now totals about 40, and is benefiting from dynamic leadership. Last year the Club achieved Select Distinguished Club status with President’s Distinguished status expected this year. Women In Banking & Finance City (893055): - This Club is currently concentrating on rebuilding its membership and training its new committee. It will require support while it completes this stage of its development. Simon Cooper - Area 47 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 16

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 18

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION C My Division team are working very hard inspiring their Clubs. They are always available to deal with issues that arise. I have 2 Assistant Division Governors, 7 Area Governors & 2 Assistant Area Governors. Education & Training: We had a very successful Division-wide Training where 31 out of the 34 Clubs reached the goal of having at least 4 officers trained. Indeed some Clubs even achieved the magic figure of 7 officers trained. More workshops are planned outside of the scheduled Club officer training with perhaps Saturdays being set aside. Club Standards: Area Governors are reporting a high standard of meetings from their Clubs and confirmed that the Clubs are using the using the Distinguished Club Programme as their guideline. There has been an influx of new members since September and this may be a reflection of the quality of meetings provided. PR & Marketing: Toastmasters in Ireland received a huge boost when Darren LaCroix was featured on 3 radio stations during his visit to Ireland for the District 71 Spring 2010 conference. Many Clubs have received a boost from this and it’s noticeable that websites have improved and Clubs are becoming more proactive in advertising in local newspapers. Celebrations: Fingal - 25 Years in May 2011, AIB - 21 Years, Tara Toastmasters - 15 Years. Iarnrod Eireann - 15 Years. Vox Populi (PRII) - 15 Years. Peter Kieran - Division C Governor

Area 2 Area 2 covers 4 clubs in Dublin City from Temple Bar to the outskirts of Ballsbridge and consists of 4 clubs and 1 pre charter Club. Dublin (2601): Are on course to Achieve President’s Distinguished. They have already registered 11 new members, some of whom came through the Summer Club. Their meetings are well organized and well attended with almost as many guests as members attending. They are looking forward to welcoming you all to the District Autumn Conference which they are hosting. Hellfire (3599): Hosted a very Successful Speechcraft Course last year which was geared towards people who had lost their jobs and who were trying to improve their communication skills and self confidence before seeking Employment again. They gained 3 members out of the course. Their meetings are well organized incorporating speeches at all levels and debates. Iarnrod Eireann (4193): A successful Summer Club and a change of venue have led to a transformation in the fortunes of this once struggling club. They are committed to well organized meetings and the needs of the members. This has led to 5 guests joining, bringing the club membership to 20. Although a corporate club they are open to all. Vox Populi(7147): Are Considered to have the ‘coolest’ website. They are unique in that they host their meetings in 2 Locations - Larry Murphys on Baggot Street & the Burlington Hotel. They are very strong on socializing together . They incorporate themed nights into their meetings which are well organized with a strong emphasis on fun. State Street Bank Dublin(Pre-charter): Are a corporate club who hold at least 1 meeting a month and are hoping to charter in the coming months. Elaine Metcalfe - Area 2 Governor

Area 5 Area 5 stretches from Dun Laoghaire through Bray, Greystones and into Wicklow where we find the most southerly Club in Division C. All 4 Clubs are working towards achieving President’s Distinguished Club status again this year. Bray(4488): Has long maintained a tradition of achievement and hospitality and meets on a weekly basis throughout the year. Its core of experienced members provides the drive and enthusiasm required to provide mentoring to its less experienced members. Fun is the order of the day at their meetings. Dun Laoghaire (3452): The longest established club in the area has a wide experienced membership which offers support & mentoring to its newer members. The meetings held in the Royal Marine Hotel are well organized, vibrant & entertaining. Greystones (9341): Is an extremely well run Club combining achievement and efficiency with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The focus on local PR for the Club regularly attracts both visitors and new members to their spectacular venue - the Glenview Hotel in the Glen of the Downs. Wicklow (674021): The newest club in area 5 has recently moved to the Grand Hotel in Wicklow. This will assist in attracting new members to this warm and friendly club which has a number of highly experienced members. John Joyce Area 5 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 17

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 19

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 10 Area 10 consists of 5 clubs and stretches from Marino right through Swords and along Dublin Bay to Malahide. Clontarf Marino (767063): The youngest Club in the Area. Has a good combination of experienced and new members. The Club is well run and is open to different ways in which it can develop. Their meetings are lively and vibrant. Following the successful joint meeting with Tube Talk (Division B) they are seeking to hold joint meetings with other clubs. East Coast (889): This club is like phoenix rising from the ashes. It is well on its way to being restored to its former high status. It has a lot of support from experienced mentors from the Lucan & Fingal clubs. Through its redesigned website it has attracted many guests to its meetings, some of whom have converted to members. Meetings are fun, exciting & enthusiastic. Fingal (6255): A strong high quality club with a former International President at its helm. Quality meetings and a good website are factors that are leading to a strong growth in membership. Fingal will host a special meeting next May to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Malahide (2360): The oldest Club in the Area. It is well organized and its meetings are vibrant, humorous and efficient. It plans to hold several joint meetings with other Clubs. The Club also plans to update its website to spread the word about Toastmasters. Swords (1753): A strong, healthy & quality Club with a mixture of experienced and new members. Meetings are punctual and well organized, with plenty of fun and humour. Through their improved website they have seen a steady increase in their membership over the last 18 months. Joe Bishop - Area 10 Governor

Area 16 Area 16 consists of 5 clubs and stretches from Glasnevin in the east to Lucan in the west of the City of Dublin. Castleknock (6467): Castleknock Toastmasters is a very well established club with a membership of over 40. Their meetings are well run with a strong emphasis on fun. They are committed to quality meetings and ensure that the guests are well taken care of. Clondalkin (5181): Clondalkin Toastmasters are 11 years in existence and are using the enthusiasm of their senior members to promote the club locally. They have relocated to Bewley’s Hotel Newlands Cross and they hope this bold step will lead to the Club expanding. Glasnevin (5658): Club & member growth is the motto of Glasnevin this year. They are planning a major PR campaign this year. Diversity of their members both in age & experience leads to interesting meetings where the members share experiences & knowledge. Lucan (1896): Lucan Toastmasters provide quality meetings for their members and guests. This has led to 4 guests joining since the beginning of September. They utilise their experienced members in the provision of educational workshops not only for their members but also for members of other clubs. This leads to strong speeches & evaluations. The Club’s goal is President’s Distinguished Club status. Phoenix Tara (933947): Phoenix Tara utilise their website & Facebook to attract members. They have added 5 new members since the beginning of September. Their meetings are held in the Dunboyne Castle Hotel and are well run & attended. They are welcoming & very friendly. Brian Banfield Area 16 Governor

Area 18 Area 18 extends from Dublin City to the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. Cogito (1214221): The newest Club in Area 18 is the first Polish Club in Ireland. Their meetings are enthusiastic & vibrant. Recently chartered, there is a great sense of teamwork in the running of the Club. Despite the Club being so young, the members grasped the concept of the Club competitions and were well represented in the Area Contest. Engineers (3677): Is a long established and thriving Club. They set a very high standard in their meetings and use the Meeting Manager on the D71 Website to fill their agendas. Their more experienced members are only too happy to pass on their experience and knowledge to the newer Members. Powertalk (6496): Is a small friendly Corporate Club. A powerful PR Programme last year led to an increase in membership which led to the Club achieving Distinguished Status for the first time in a number of years. They hope to continue the trend this year. Members are encouraged to engage in the Communication & Leadership Tracks. District Governor: Teresa Dukes Page 18

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 20

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Rathfarnham (7529): Is a thriving, vibrant Club with lively meetings and ambitious goals. In addition to the Distinguished Club Programme they are supporting the Competent Leader Manual. This year they aim to use the Meeting Manager on the D71 website to fill their agendas. Tara (3141): Have recently relocated to the Stillorgan Park Hotel. Their meetings are entertaining and lively and they are not afraid to have a themed night. They also invite speakers from outside the organisation to address the meeting. They hope that the new venue will lead to an expansion in membership. Their goal is to achieve Select Distinguished Club status. Carmel Wynne Area 18 Governor

Area 19 Area 19 is the largest Area in Division C both in terms of Clubs and geographically. It extends from Navan in the west to Dundalk in the east and to Belfast in the North. In total there are 7 Clubs and the prospect of 2 new clubs. Belfast (1447588): Belfast is the most recently chartered Club in the Area. The Team is very ambitious and keen to reap the rewards of their hard labour. The Club certainly aims to put itself on the Toastmasters map and needs little encouragement to pursue both the Communication & Leadership Tracks. Cookstown (3525): Cookstown is aiming high this year and is very eager to take its rightful place among the thriving Clubs of Area 19. It is progressing well with its meetings and encourages new members to participate fully in the meeting roles. Drogheda (7420): Drogheda is thriving .It’s a very proactive Club and its members are encouraged to share their experiences in the wider community. They encourage and promote Toastmasters in local schools and regularly assist with inter-schools debating competitions. Dundalk (744692): Dundalk is another very active Club and this year the members have commenced promoting the Club through producing and participating in their own show on local radio on a fortnightly basis. This has resulted in many guests and potential new members for the Club. Hillsborough (2033): Hillsborough is a well established Club with members eager to participate in all aspects of Club meetings. At present interpretation of poetry is high on the Agenda and several of the members are presenting projects from the Advanced Manuals at Area level. Navan (9396): Is progressing well and has several new and enthusiastic members this year. The committee is forging ahead with a good public relations strategy planned for the forthcoming year. Newry (977312): Chartered within the last 2 years and keen to take part in the Distinguished Club Programme. It has many guests attending and members are being encouraged to complete both the Communication & Leadership projects. Colleen Hardy - Area 19 Governor

Area 26 Area 26 consists of 5 Clubs all located within close proximity of Dublin City Centre. AIB (5794): 25 Years in existence, this Corporate Club has had its ups & downs. Their challenge is getting members to attend their meetings. The club exists due to the incredible enthusiasm, passion and energy of a small select group of dedicated members. Cupla Focal (1519903): ls a Corporate Club based at Brown Brothers Harrison which chartered in August 2010. The club has a very strong committee which is very focused on ensuring the success of this club. Eblana (3103): Eblana is based in the heart of Dublin and is more than 50 years old. Their location greatly enhances the prospects of getting numerous visitors and new members. Most of their members have been in the club for less than 4 years which adds to the passion and enthusiasm that one gets at their meetings. PWC (1118667): PWC is a corporate Price Waterhouse Cooper club that has been in existence just over 2 years. It has a very strong committee that is dedicated to expanding the membership of the club. They have 15 members and are encouraging the guests at their meetings to sign up. Society (7811): Society are celebrating 21 years in existence. With a base of between 25 -30 members, Society is a very solid and strong club. This club is open to all and consists of members from the accounting & other Professions. Eric Fitzpatrick - Area 26 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 19

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 21

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION D Area 8

Pat Foley Division D Governor

DLS Communicators (6172): Has a solid membership base with several very experienced and committed members. New members are given every encouragement and there is an active membership interest survey in place to identify and deliver individual member’s goals. In the forthcoming season, the club’s experienced and dedicated VP Education will concentrate on an educational program which focuses on organisational and leadership roles and responsibilities within the club. The Distinguished Club Programme (DCP) is given a high priority within the club. Dungarvan (2985): Is a very friendly, settled club with a strong core membership. Its membership profile has changed in recent years with an increasing number of younger members joining its ranks. This is reflected in the current 2010/2011 committee which includes a number of new faces. The Club has gotten off to a great start to the season with 2 members having recently completed their CC awards. Dungarvan is on track to be a Select Distinguished Club by season end. Tramore (9053): Is a small club with a very loyal and incredibly active member group. Its President is intent on ‘spreading the word’ about Toastmasters and has recently delivered an in-depth interview on Co Waterford’s prime-time radio show. Plans to create a dedicated Facebook page for the club are progressing well. Tramore is aiming to be a Select Distinguished Club by June 2011. Waterford (3794): Is an energetic, sociable club with proactive and interested leadership, who are flexible and friendly in their approach. It is extremely well organised and attracts new members consistently. This year, the club leaders are committed to improving uptake of the CL program, particularly amongst their newer members. They also plan to introduce a mentoring system within the club to assist new members whilst also helping retain their longer-term members. Anne Halpin – Area 8 Governor

Area 27

Area 27 is made up of 4 clubs. Cashel: (864624): A relatively new club, chartered in 2006, now into its 5th year. 7 of the members have achieved CC and last year this club achieved Select Distinguished. This club also has a very interesting social aspect, with many gifted talents of drama and dance. Membership number is 23 and the goal is to inform more people about the benefits of joining the club. Clonmel (5462): Another well established and strong club. The membership number is 41. The meetings held are both high quality and stimulating. This club is committed to achieving recognition in the DCP. Emerald (1118241): This club, for speakers using the advanced manuals, is also situated in Clonmel and meets once a month on the first Tuesday and in the same venue as Clonmel club. The members offer help and support to all Toastmasters in Area 27. This club is leading in a way for the other clubs in the Area to gladly follow. Thurles (4173): A well established and energetic club. Several members have a wealth of experience with many having achieved both leadership and communication rewards. This club has given guidance and support to the neighbouring club over the past 4 years. Thurles hosted the Division final for the Humorous and Table Topics competition. Mary Ryan Area 27 Governor

Area 28

Area 28 is a progressive area with four clubs. Three of the clubs are in their ‘early youth’ of formation and have made superb progress to date. The club meetings are well run. The atmosphere is very enriching and rewarding for members and guests. Area 28 displays all the values of Toastmasters. The atmosphere and friendship within and between each of the four clubs is admirable. Athy (866008): Is a young vibrant club, exuding fun, motivation, empowerment and superb progress. The club is guided by an enthusiastic President and committee. The meetings are very well organised and the spirit of the club is very strong and energetic. The Club’s aim is the President’s Distinguished Club Award which was achieved last year. Plans for education workshops including the Leadership Manual are already in progress. The enthusiasm of the members and the very high standards of the club have maintained its ongoing success. Kildare (644057): Kildare is guided by an energetic President and committee with a solid vision for the club. It is a club that provides a challenge re membership. A recent committee meeting addressed this issue and planned an Open Night. This wonderful event was very successful and well supported by the other clubs, and yielded four new members. The committee plan to have more regular meetings and club goal is achieve Distinguished Club status. District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 20

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 22

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Maynooth (950862): Maynooth has had a successful infancy! For the fourth consecutive year, Maynooth Club plan to achieve President’s Distinguished Club status. The club is very well motivated and has gone from strength to strength. The meetings are very lively and exciting and a very welcoming atmosphere prevails for members and guests. Club members are very generous with their time and energy by supporting and assisting other clubs. Education workshops e.g. evaluation, Table Topics and mentoring are already planned. The importance of the Leadership Manual has been highlighted. A recent workshop (CL Manual) was given by our Divisional Governor, Pat Foley who ‘INSPIRED WITH PASSION’. Maynooth is a thriving Club and has made a significant contribution to Area 28. Naas (3669): Naas Club is twenty years in existence. It is a progressive club and continues to maintain a healthy membership. It has many experienced members with a variety of backgrounds and this enhances the quality of the meetings and attraction for new members. The club is well organised and benefits from the expertise of experienced members and officers. This creates an exciting and inspiring environment to progress. Maureen Giblin - Area 28 Governor

Area 40

Area 40 is comprised of 4 clubs, 2 clubs in Kilkenny and one in Portlaoise and Carlow. Carlow and Kilkenny are vibrant clubs with great records of achievement. Portlaoise is an established club with a lot of potential. State Street International Kilkenny, is a fledgling club which needs huge support Carlow (7491): Is a very active club which has the benefit of some very experienced leaders. Carlow along with Kilkenny and Thurles was one of the drivers in the District Conference in Kilkenny in 2008 and boasts an impressive list of experienced Toastmasters involved at the highest level in the District. Kilkenny (5812): Kilkenny club is one of the older clubs with several experienced Toastmasters ready to lend a hand to the committee. Kilkenny has a level of reliable experience which is witnessed whenever there are area contests. The District Conference 2008 proves this point. The club is working on attracting more new members to keep that level of enthusiasm which is characteristic of the club. Impressed by the recent Division D training, there is a drive to get more CL candidates. Portlaoise (9363): Portlaoise club has a great reserve of speakers and members who are prepared to turn their hands to any task which is asked of them. Portlaoise is involved in a drive to increase membership. The club attracts a flow of interested people the job will be to retain them. There is a big hinterland which can be used to promote and draw people to a club with real potential. State Street International Kilkenny (1425307): The only Corporate club in the division, the club needs plenty of attention as the local membership is extremely small. There has been a drive to increase interest in the club in the Kilkenny region with help available from the local established Kilkenny club. State Street has yet to compete in an area contest but will do so when the membership increases. Declan Gannon Area 40 Governor

Area 50

Area 50 is the newest Area in District 71 and includes the 3 clubs in County Wexford. It was formed with the New Wexford town club joining Enniscorthy from Area 8 and Gorey from Area 41. All clubs in area 50 are open to all. The area's twitter name is toastarea50. Enniscorthy (4): Is the oldest club in the Area and moved to a new location in the Riverside Park hotel last year. The club has a very lively atmosphere and most members usually continue Monday club meetings in the bar afterwards. The standard of humorous speeches within the club is very high with a member representing the Division at the Humorous Speech contest last year. The Area Governor is a long term member of this club. The club has an active website and uses twitter (Toastmasters04) for meeting reports and notices. Gorey (921760): Was established 4 years ago but includes among its members many experienced Toastmasters from other clubs. The club has represented the Division in District speech contests. It has moved this year to a larger brighter room in the Loch Garman Arms Hotel and is growing from strength to strength. Its Wednesday meetings are lively and members continue to enjoy each others company in the bar after meetings. Members of this club have been very supportive nurturing the new Wexford club. Wexford (1287343): The newest club in the area, chartered last year and meets at White's Hotel in the county town on Thursdays. The new club counts among its members and founders two former Area Governors. This new club has ambitions to host the Spring Conference in 2012 and is preparing a business case for the District Executive. The quality of speeches is very high and the club has a diverse membership that includes members for whom English is a second language and a visually impaired member. Ullick Stafford - Area 50 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes Page 21

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 23

08/11/2010 11:19:35

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION E The largest Division in D71, we are also one of the most active, most buoyant and we are having the most fun in 2010! We are developing many new clubs across the Division and we are maintaining steady growth in members. Our mature clubs continue to build skills and our younger clubs are continuing to grow. Education & Training: The entire club officer training has been carried out with only two clubs not achieving their full complement of members attending. My thanks go to my team of Area Governors. Club Strengths: We have some excellent clubs throughout the Division. The majority are above the minimum member levels. A few are in need of support and are continuing to provide that at Area and Division level. Club Standards: The Area Governors are working with clubs to help them achieve their DCP goals, with several aiming for President’s Distinguished Club status. Conclusion: We have the enthusiasm and commitment to continue the success of Division E. The challenges of the size of the Division are decreased by the internet, Skype and e-mails. It is also helped by the enthusiasm and commitment of my Area Governors. Our target for ten new clubs looks set to be met. Phil Heath - Division E Governor Area 7 Area 7 is comprised of 5 clubs, with 3 of the clubs based in Oxford and the other 2 clubs in close proximity to Oxford. Even though the area is small, it still maintains a high degree of diversity. Club Growth: The three Oxford based clubs naturally get a high ‘churn’ due to international visitors and academia, but this is a healthy situation. The Ridgeway also have a high churn. ISIS is currently low on members, but is in the process of joining forces with Said Business School. This should strengthen the club in many ways, but will need careful integration management. Education & Training: The first Club Officer Training was well attended with a focus on building leadership and increasing the number of Educationals in the Area. We now have 15 Educationals in this Area and are working on more. There is wider engagement in the CL manual. Visits between clubs have increased. PR/Marketing: The PR/marketing differs in each club. Oxford use web-based approaches and daily event bulletins. The Ridgeway focus on events. All clubs supported a Skills Fest event at the beginning of the year. Bardwell and Oxford have revamped their websites. All clubs are now receiving regular visits from guests. Bardwell Speakers (4166) – Bardwell has a good mix of experienced and less experienced members. It also has strength in depth with high standards of speeches and evaluation. Thanks to the highly experienced and professional committee, the club is doing well. Bicester Speakers (5503) – The high level of experience in this club is complemented with a very enthusiastic club committee consisting of less experienced members. Standards of speaking and evaluations are high. A well establish mentoring program is in place. Isis Speakers (1045890) – Isis, the youngest club, has historically struggled with membership, but is working very hard and now the club attracts many guests and the retention of members is improving. One member is doing his HPL project on “Recruiting and Integrating blind members into each club”. The excellent work at ISIS in recruiting and integrating blind members into clubs in the Area will roll out into the rest of the District. Oxford Speakers (3297) – Oxford celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Thanks to the dedicated and professional committee, the club is going strong, with over 25 enthusiastic members. The members are quite competitive too, with some highly polished speakers. Oxford has always performed well in Area and Division contests. One member is doing his HPL project on “Leadership promotion and engagement”. Ridgeway (6874) –Ridgeway has high spirit, enthusiastically run meetings and high standards of speeches and evaluations. Another club with a good mix of very experienced and less experienced members. Pre-Charter Clubs: The Area is looking at one towards Banbury (Bloxham) and is also looking at another potential in Buckingham. Chartering of these clubs would most likely begin sometime next year. Pieter Oosthuizen - Area 7 Governor Area 15 Area Fabulous Fifteen is a vibrant growing Area covering Yorkshire and the North East of England. It comprises 4 Chartered Clubs and 4 pre-Charter Clubs, all of which are likely to charter soon. Leeds City Toastmasters (6640) – The oldest and biggest club in Area 15. There is a good mix of experienced and less experienced members, with consistently good performances in speaking competitions. Members are from different professions and age groups, adding diversity and fun to the meetings. Leeds regularly attracts guests and has a good conversion rate. York EbOrators (705274) – York EbOrators is a 10/10 club. The reputation for fun is a cover for the serious side of York EbOrators. Established members take the mentoring of new members very seriously and new Toastmasters are supported to take an active role in the club and achieve their Competent Communicator and Leadership Awards. York EbOrators have been successful in achieving President’s Distinguished Club status three times in succession and they plan to gain the maximum 10 DCP points again this year. District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 22

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 24

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Strictly Speaking Harrogate (1022885) – Harrogate has started this year with a flourish, attracting a steady stream of visitors and converting some of them to members. Enthusiastic and supportive committee. A1 Speakers (1272681) – The second largest Club in the Area with a strong and growing membership. A1 are now firmly established and have a good mix of established and newer members. There is a strong culture of supporting others, including the pre-Charter Club in Durham. Pre-Charter Clubs: Sheffield Speakers – A rejuvenated pre-Charter Club who are growing quickly and likely to Charter before Christmas. Sheffield Speakers have an enthusiastic team running the Club and regularly attract a number of visitors to each meeting. Doncaster Speakers – These “new kids” on the Area 15 block are keen to Charter and to take a full part in everything Toastmasters can offer. Their meetings are fun and inspiring and their members throw themselves enthusiastically all Area events. Elvet Speakers – Elvet are a confident young club, although when you visit you would think they have been established for years. They have a good strong core of members and are successful at attracting visitors. They will shortly submit their Charter paperwork, the first of the Area 15 pre-Charter chicks to hatch this year. Kingston Communicators struggled with their membership this summer. However, the core group have refocused and are planning a relaunch. I am confident that the Club will finish this Toastmaster year in a much stronger position. Gillian Caldicott - Area 15 Governor Area 22 Area 22 is geographically large, comprising of 6 clubs, and a few new possibilities Armada Speakers (1249064) – After a shaky last year they are coming back strongly. A strong committee is working hard to build up numbers. They will undoubtedly have 20 active members come next June. Cheltenham Speakers (1182918) – Continuing to learn how to be a Toastmaster club. Despite numbers for meetings being on the low side, the meetings are great fun and well run. Steady progress is being made in recruitment and member support. They are hosting the area speech contest which they are excited about. Northavon (8580) – A very strong club with almost 40 members. Meetings are well organized and have up to 5 prepared speeches, just so people get a chance to speak. There is a lot of support here for the planned Bristol club. They would possibly support a club in Bath, if find a few leaders willing to get one moving. South West Speakers (907029) – Another club with a small membership but a dynamic committee that will make great progress this year. Fun and well organized meetings are attracting new members. Thamesdown Speakers (5161) – Another well established club, full of hugely experienced toastmasters. Their meetings are fun and visitors get a great welcome. A strong contender for a D71 contest winner. Voice of Wales (1014712) – A strong club with a strong committee. They all work well together and the club meetings feel very warm and supportive. Could probably support another Welsh club in a couple of years. Pre-Charter Clubs: Bristol Keynote – Close to having its first meeting, this club should take no time to charter, there is a huge catchment area, and many Northavon members would prefer a centre of Bristol club. There is also some support for other new clubs in the Forest of Dean, in Bath, and in Taunton – watch this space. John Evans - Area 22 Governor Area 30 Area 30 comprises of 5 clubs that spread over the central belt of Scotland. The area has recently started an Advanced Toastmasters group called ‘Thistle Speakers’. Capital Communicators Club (7584) – This is the oldest club in the Area established in 1995. Last year it spread its wings and established another Edinburgh club, Waverley speakers. A highlight for this club is the annual Burns Supper, which all the other clubs in the area are invited to join the bash! Glasgow Club (7574) – This club meets in the centre of Glasgow and has a large membership with a high turn over of members coming from the local student population. Linlithgow Speakers (709694) – This club is now 5 years old and has established itself as a small friendly club. Its members come from a wide area over the central area of Scotland and many travel over 25 miles to visit the club. The local paper covered their 5th birthday party celebrations resulting in a new member joining. Southside Speakers (825232) – Southside Speakers is a small, but very friendly club. This summer they were displaced from their usual venue. One of their members is a pharmacist and has a shop. They were creative in adapting the shop venue to accommodate a Toastmasters meeting. Waverly Communicators (1322093) – This is the newest club to this area established in 2009. This now means there is a Toastmasters meeting every week in Edinburgh and visitors to Edinburgh have an opportunity to join a club when on holiday. This club has established itself quickly and has an increasing membership. It meets in the heart of Edinburgh at the Central Lending Library. Sheila Fraser - Area 30 Governor

Area 39

Heart of England (6824) – About 23 members. On track for President’s Distinguished Club status. 3-4 visitors per month – most convert after 2-3 visits Great atmosphere. The President attributes this to a great District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 23

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 25

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

committee who are active and motivating, real supportive membership who always look after visitors, visible personal growth in members and the support of the Area Governor who is an active part of the club. East Midlands (1200787) – 40 members but recently lost 2 members who moved to London. Goal is President’s Distinguished Club status. Recently approached by a corporate organisation to form an incompany club and also considering a lunchtime club. Hoping to get Youth Leadership Programme started recently President identifies the highlights at the club as the number of guests attracted - 8 so far this year– 2 transfers plus 2 new members and the members’ demo evening to the corporate organisation. Their challenge is to address the challenge of forming a new club without losses to the existing club. Bull Ring (901652) – Membership holding its own. Should get Distinguished Club status. Committee and shared responsibility remains difficult – down to same 2-3. President identifies his recent podcast as a highlight at the club. Their challenge is motivating other members to share committee roles. Spa (654755) – On track for President’s Distinguished Club status – again! Vibrant meetings. Healthy membership with guests at most meetings. The President identifies the highlights of the club as the energy members bring to the club and the support from members to each others’ learning. Pre-Charter Clubs: Shropshire Speakers Struggling to get members. President stepped down due to new job so core member doing it all. Aim to charter this year – but will need support from all the other clubs. Tina Swani - Area 39 Governor

Area 43

Area 43 is comprised of 4 clubs, all in eastern Scotland. Two of the clubs are in Scotland’s 4 big cities, Aberdeen and Dundee. The clubs are diverse and consist of different characters. Aberdeen (770338) – Oldest club in the Area, Aberdeen was established 22/02/2006 and has a reasonable throughput of members due to Oil and Gas workers rotating through international positions. At some point there are plans to start a new club to release more speaking slots in the city. Committed core membership. Great club to find your voice. Maturity is developing in the Area as the standards of event management / organization is improving with the successful hosting of the last Area International and Evaluation contest. Dundee (1121121) – The club was established 23/06/2008 and has a thriving and committed membership. Venue is the modern Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) and is excellent. Speaking standards and meeting organization are high. Enthusiastic membership. Time permitting there may be the possibility of helping to help establish a club in Perth. Successfully hosted first round of Area training in the beautiful DCA venue. Forres (997339) – Established 04/02/2008. A very enthusiastic and well run club of committed core members. For a small town they recently had a turnout of 35 at the Club table topics and humourous speaking contest. Forres are helping the pre-charter club in Inverness to chartered / establish. A very friendly and welcoming club. Pre-Charter Clubs: Inverness – A pre charter club in the Highland capital started by a core of Toastmasters members who had been members in other clubs and had re-located to Inverness. Dedicated pre-charter core. Plenty of room in the highland capital for a new club. Interesting name “Inverness Toastmonsters” Kes Smith - Area 43 Governor

Area 48

Area 48 covers the northwest of England and has 3 clubs: 2 community clubs in Manchester which have a thriving, active membership, many of whom come from far afield and 1 in-company club based in Warrington. Manchester Orators (6726) – Orators was the first club in the area and benefits from the experience and dedication of some of those members who joined over seven years ago. It has a large and thriving membership and has been the sponsoring club for the other clubs which have started more recently in the area. Orators demonstrated the experience of its members by fielding competitors who won both the Area Table Topics and Humorous speaking contests. Orators meet every 2nd and 4th Thursday in the city centre. Didsbury Speakers (1366695) – Didsbury Speakers has grown rapidly since chartering less than two years ago. It now has a membership list as large as that of Orators and is strong enough now to potentially sponsor another, well-attended club over the coming year. Didsbury Speakers has recently had to move venues and now meets every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Parrswood Hotel, South Manchester. MWH Speakers (Club 1181523) – Formerly Dominion Speakers, MWH is an in-company club who welcome non-company visitors. As such, it currently acts as a gateway for Toastmasters into the region to the west of Manchester (including Warrington, the Wirral and Liverpool). It provides a good example of how a company can use a Toastmasters club to improve the speaking skills of its employees for both specialist work presentations and also to improve their self-confidence and speaking skills more generally. Chesterfield Speakers (1227757) – Unfortunately this club had to temporarily suspend its meetings due to a loss of committee. We have kept the club going and many members who meet in Sheffield are keen to reestablish the club. Relaunch January 2011. Natasha Goggin - Area 48 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Page 24

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 26

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION F Division F is led by a team of Area Governors and Club committees who embody the District motto ‘Inspire with Passion’. It is interesting to note how each Club and Area faces the challenges presented as the Toastmasters’ year begins. Each Club is endeavouring to publicise itself through either the media or meeting the public in shopping centres and volunteer fairs. I am impressed with the idea of ‘Speechcraft’ workshops which are being run in Area 38; I would like to encourage other Clubs to make contact with Erne, Sligo and Letterkenny – maybe running such a workshop would be the way to let the wider community know what Toastmasters has to offer? Siobhán Doherty - Division F Governor

Area 6 Athlone (6573): A well organised and active Club; this Club is continuing with its membership building programme. Longford (610578): A well run Club. A high level of participation in the recent Club contests shows the commitment of members. Mullingar (8824): A well established Clubs with a very good membership base. A core of experienced members provides and support for newer members. Speak Easy Roscommon (1289933): A relatively new Club but growing steadily. Tullamore (3727): A friendly and welcoming Club. A mix of new and experienced members provides a welcoming meeting environment in their new home. James Armitage - Area 9 Governor

Area 12 Galway Club (9215): is a well established group with a solid core following. As it moves into 2011 the Club is keeping an anxious eye on membership because it signed up 23 new members last year. If this continues the Clubs will need to divide. Tuam Club (1139752): has just been chartered. It has a vibrant committee and an enthusiastic President. The major challenge is to make this a sustainable Club. Everyone involved is aware of the difficulties involved and all are willing to work hard to achieve this goal. Oranmore Clubs (637668): this is a well established group with a loyal core of members. It is currently on a recruitment drive to attract new members and the Club plays an active part in the District. Westport (5684): is in existence for 10 years and has a good group of active members. Its membership is steady around the 30 mark and committee members foresee no particular difficulties ahead. Ballina (831897): has been in existence for 4 years. It has an enthusiastic committee and dedicated members. The Club is working hard to increase membership. Philip Walsh - Area 12 Governor

Area 13 Shannon (2989): So far, one new member has joined, although the Clubs reports a fall-off in returning members. The committee has created a new Club website. Also, the President and Club members have been promoting their Club, with two newspaper interviews to date. Kilrush & District (743192): is aiming for Select Distinguished Club by June 2011. It is envisaged that two members will achieve AC and three members will complete the CL manual. To date, one new member has joined and a few guests have attended. The committee is busy promoting the Club via radio, newspaper and parish newsletters in surrounding areas. Ennis (3360): is aiming for Select Distinguished Club by June 2011. The members are promoting the Club via media and stands at local shopping areas. Their efforts are paying off as two new members have joined already. Raheen (7603): is aiming for Select Distinguished Club by June 2011. So far, two new members have joined and numerous guests have attended each meeting. The committee has promoted the Club at a volunteer fair and via the local media. Glenn Williams - Area 13 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 27

Page 25

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inspire with Passionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Area 24 Limerick Toastmasters (5342): is a long standing Club which maintains high standards. They are perhaps a little over dependent on the experienced members of the Club and should encourage the new members to challenge themselves take on new roles Nenagh Toastmasters (7197): This warm, friendly, enthusiastic Clubs is led by a well organised committee. I feel the Club should print Club agendas in advance of the meetings. Roscrea Toastmasters (991758): A relatively new Club, with a Club President, who though lacking in Toastmasters experience, is focused and hardworking, and has an experienced Vice President behind him. Killaloe/ Ballina (771940): A Club which has struggled in the past, but is now doing well. However, it still needs some guidance and support. I am sure it will do well this year if it concentrates on the Distinguished Club Programme. Thomond Toastmasters (7729): is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Thomond is a Club with many experienced members. However, it is struggling with membership attendance this year. It has achieved three of its Distinguished Club Programme goals to date. Maureen Nash, Area 24 Governor

Area 38 Carrick-on-Shannon (758321): An enthusiastic committee is doing a great job, particularly with regard to online promotion of the Club through Facebook. Erne Speakers Clubs (1024092): Formerly known as Enniskillen Toastmasters, the name-change is part of a re-branding exercise to attract new members. A Speechcraft course is to be organised as well this year. Innisfree (857721): Very professionally run Club, with innovative ideas for improving the member experience. This Clubs is very much on top of Distinguished Club Programme goals this year. Sligo (4201): The lowest membership numbers in the area, but this Clubs has started a Speechcraft course to promote interest. Quite a challenge, but the committee has a good enthusiastic approach to building the Club. Talk Club (1229819): This Letterkenny Club is thriving. A combination of Speechcraft courses and good publicity has resulted in record attendances of up to 40 people, mostly guests. Already seven new members have signed up this year. John Burke, Area 12 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 28

Page 26

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION G We are very fortunate to have an extremely dedicated, professional and enthusiastic team of Area Governors, together with a great Assistant Division Governor, Ann Nunn. Division G is on course to achieve President’s Distinguished Division again this year. Education & Training: Each of our six Areas held Club Officer Training in July/August and over 70% of our Clubs were represented by 4 or more of their officers. Club Strength: We have three Clubs in the Division that are currently below charter strength – they are receiving support and guidance to help them back to 20 members. We are fortunate also to have over 20 strong, well-run Clubs in Division G Club Standards: Whilst every Club is different, we have high standards of meetings at the vast majority of our Clubs, with support in place for any Clubs that are challenged in this area. PR/Marketing: We are focusing on helping our 4 pre-charter Clubs to charter before the end of this Toastmasters year. We are also considering running a competition for Division G Club Website of the Year. Celebrations: The Aylesbury Club (Area 4) has just supported a new corporate Club at Bucks County Council, Swan Speakers, to charter within a month, with 25 members. We also have a new Club chartering on Lakenheath U.S. air base (Area 25). We welcome the 40 new members that have joined Div G this year. Conclusion: I am very privileged to be Division G Governor and I will visit as many of our 28 Clubs as possible. I see 28 groups of people dedicated to developing themselves and their fellow Toastmasters and guests! Graham Frost - Division G Governor

Area 1

Area 1 is made up of four Clubs, situated in Essex and Suffolk. Camulodunum (5673): The senior Club in Area 1, Camulodunum. in Colchester, has spawned Clubs in Ipswich and Chelmsford during recent years. The Club has a number of experienced and long-standing core members. Following a difficult year, some membership re-building is under way. This will no doubt bring a well-deserved new lease of life to a very established Club. Chelmsford Speakers (11953920: The youngest Club in the Area, chartered just over two years, full of lively, talented members. The meetings are well-organised and attract many guests. From the committee down, the Club buzzes with enthusiasm. Growth and success are likely to continue, but complacency is a risk. Ipswich Electrifiers (6459): The second oldest Club in the Area, with many long-standing members, well run with a very able committee. This is a professional, stable and interesting Club with strong speakers. A push is being made to attract more guests, and grow the membership. Ipswich Electrifiers will have a good year. Speakeasy @ Martlesham (714161): A very enthusiastic Club with a wealth of knowledge. Semi-rural in location, friendly and welcoming membership. The Club is solid with good leadership and can always be relied upon to lend support at Contests and Training events. Due to the Club’s location, membership increase can be slow, however, the committee are aware and considering new PR opportunities. Woodford Green (pre-charter): This is a new Club and will be chartering by the end of 2010. We thank Past District Governor David Thompson and Past Area 1 Governor Constance Turner for their support. Barry Rix - Area 1 Governor

Area 4

Area 4 consists of 5 Clubs, including the oldest in District 71, Aylesbury, and the youngest, Swan Speakers Aylesbury (762): A positive, friendly, well-established Club with great camaraderie and quality speeches that is in the process of changing venues and is focused on building membership. Berkhamsted (1053038): A friendly Club where members make great progress. There is a strong focus on leadership growth with members using the CL and HPL to develop. Thame (309): This is a well-established Club with high standards and enthusiastic officers, actively involved in helping charities prepare their promoters to deliver strong speeches. Vale (4410): A welcoming Club that is building up membership strength and has an open evening in October to which the local mayor has been invited. Swan (1535757): A new corporate Club that has been set up for the employees of Buckinghamshire County Council and chartered on 1 October 2010. Jean Gamester - Area 4 Governor

Area 20

The Area is made up of six Clubs, in North West London and Hertfordshire, 5 established and 1 pre-charter. Harrovians (7749): This Club continues to attract new, keen guests and members, including some younger people. The Club is about to purchase a projector to help with PowerPoint presentations. Hertfordshire (6327): Excellent ground floor pub venue with many members. Perhaps need to concentrate on developing all their talent. HOD (2326): A new VPE at this Club is really making a mark – a new website has been created and this Club is on track to make great strides this year. District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 29

Page 27

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

West Herts Speakers (8828): A good NHS location although all current members are from outside the NHS. Quality meetings. Friendly atmosphere. Watford (1139794): Superb meeting venue makes this the best venue in the Area. Quality meetings and really enjoyable evenings. Great refreshments too. Ware (pre-charter): This is a pre-charter Club and is in need of support to become chartered by June 2011. Warren Sheng - Area 20 Governor

Area 25

Area 25 consists of 5 Clubs in Norfolk and our pre-charter Club in Lincoln Brandon (2650): A great Club that will benefit from more members – this is being addressed by the Club. Dereham (6844): This is a very lively Club that has grown in membership over the past year. They meet in the local community centre and you are always sure of a warm welcome. North Norfolk (9283): A lively and welcoming Club that recently provided the winners of both the Area 25 Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests Norwich (1292): A friendly and welcoming Club that meets at the Assembly Rooms next to Norwich Theatre. With a fairly healthy membership of around 30 people the Club is always well attended and has regular guests. TATA (1418303): This is a corporate Club that meets within AVIVA in Norwich. There are currently great challenges with sustaining this Club and attempts are being made to interest AVIVA in running this Club. Impishly Speaking (pre-charter): A lot of work is currently being done by the very enthusiastic core team at Lincoln in order to help this Club to charter. Support is being provided from Area 41 Governor Tracey Walker due to geographical location. Russell Eden - Area 25 Governor

Area 41

Area 41 is made up of 4 Clubs in Cambridgeshire. Anglia Communicators (3380): is a dinner Club and currently has 35 members. It is a thriving Club and regularly attracts guests, all of whom comment on how exceptionally friendly and welcoming the Club is. There is a good mix of advanced speakers and new members – all are keen and enthusiastic. The committee are very dynamic and hold regular meetings. Working to achieve President’s Distinguished for the 5th year running. Cambridge City Communicators 1(205233): A relatively new Club having chartered last year. They currently have 11 members and realize that they need to run a membership drive. Cambridge is a university city, therefore membership turnover tends to be high. This Club is looking to run a joint membership drive with Huntingdonshire Speakers and I am providing support to them to help keep morale up. Cambridge Speakers (8105): Although registered as having 42 members, a number of them will not be renewing for similar reasons to their sister Club in Cambridge. The committee are immediately on the case and are looking to run a membership drive. This Club is well established with many advanced members who are always eager to help newer members and ensure that everyone gets the chance to speak often. Huntingdonshire (1027647): Chartered in 2008/9 and is now going from strength to strength. They have a lovely venue and are a dinner Club which creates a very sociable environment. Currently 22 members of varying levels who are loyal and enthusiastic – working towards Distinguished status this year. Tracey Walker - Area 41 Governor

Area 44

This Area covers Milton Keynes, Bedford, St. Albans and Northampton and has 4 Clubs and 1 pre-charter Club. Bedford (911179): This Club has an enthusiastic membership with some really talented and committed members. A President’s Distinguished Club last year, they are committed to achieving the same this year. Cornerstone Communicators (1479472): Recently chartered, this is an advanced Toastmasters Club drawing experienced members from the Clubs in Division G. They experiment with different agenda formats to develop members’ particular interests and skills. Given that this Club does not train CC’s, they are unlikely to achieve President’s Distinguished Club. Eldergate(6078): The founding Club for both North Bucks and Bedford Clubs, this Club has some very experienced members who are active in supporting other Clubs in the Area. Looking to achieve President’s Distinguished Club again. Meadow (pre-charter): A pre-charter Club in Northampton whose development has stalled while they seek more suitable premises. The previous venue, a church hall, was free but did not have priority for availability. North Bucks (660325): The first ‘spin-off’ Club from Eldergate, this Club has a relaxed, informal and friendly atmosphere. Their Christmas panto meeting is now an established theme and a lot of fun! This Club is also looking to achieve President’s Distinguished status again this year. Jim Reynolds - Area 44 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 30

Page 28

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DIVISION H Division H stretches from Sandwich in Kent (home to one of the world’s great golf courses – Royal St Georges), across the south east corner of England, south of the Thames including South London, on to Bournemouth ending at the most westerly position with a pre-charter Club at Dorchester (the Casterbridge of Thomas Hardy fame) and up to the M4 at Newbury and Reading. The Area Governors have all worked very well with great enthusiasm providing an excellent platform for growth. Indeed their actions will reap rewards not only for this year but will also set the tone for next. Education & Training: As a Division, it is somewhat difficult to organise division wide events due to distance. Nevertheless each Area Governor held officer training on time with good attendance and had well supported Area competitions. For those with easy access to London, Division B always make visiting Toastmasters most welcome, and Division H members do take advantage of their excellent events. Club Strength: As in the previous year, some of the company Clubs have challenges in growing their membership and we have suffered only a minimal loss. We do enjoy a low loss of Clubs position. Pre-charter Clubs: Worthing continues to build numbers steadily and Farnham hosts excellent meetings and Casterbridge continues with the help of a number of local committed members. All seek to charter in the current Toastmaster year. A big thank you to those committed Toastmasters who support our pre-charter Clubs. I know personally some of those who have worked with these fledgling Clubs – and our grateful thanks go out to you. Club Standards: The Area Governors are working with Clubs to help them achieve their DCP goals, with many aiming for President’s Distinguished Status. PR/Marketing: The Division H website www.southeastspeakers.co.uk is providing an excellent channel to communicate with existing & prospective members. Thanks to Richard Murray for hosting & managing this site. Conclusion: We have lots of enthusiasm and commitment to continue the success of Division H this year. A big THANK YOU to every one of the Division H Area Governors. It is so encouraging to experience that we are all of one mind – the success of Toastmasters is to help ourselves to progress in public speaking and communicating well – and in so doing we pass these same benefits on to our members. Gordon Piggott - Division H Governor

Area 14 Area 14 is comprised of 6 Clubs, all in the area from London Borough of Merton to Woking down to Guildford. One Pre-charter Club in this Area – Farnham which was started by Nicola Coutts, immediate past Area Governor, sponsored by Guildford and Woking Clubs and 2 Club mentors set the scene for an early charter. Camberley Speakers (961893): – Led by the very able Martin Berry. Camberley Speakers has an energetic membership, membership building well underway – an example of how Toastmasters work together for the common good. Epsom (2487): – Going since 1966 one of the really early Clubs in this Division. One of the more formal Clubs but lively and successful nevertheless. Guildford Speakers (9832): – Large and long established Club that has no trouble attracting new members. Sometimes challenged by sheer size – but that is, perhaps, what makes for its success. Very supportive of the new Club being formed at Farnham. LBM Speakers (1270293): – London Borough of Merton went through a challenging time recently. Well done to all of you who are the fighters who keep this Club active. Very effective new management team. Mole Valley (5391): – Based in Ashtead Surrey and led by Michael McDonnell a long standing Toastmaster. Friendly and supportive atmosphere. Their usual meeting place also being used as the location for Division H Autumn contest. Woking Speakers (886002): – Woking is a thriving, successful and very active Club. The Club, led by Remo Roo the President, hosted the Division H Autumn contest held at Ashtead. Home Club of Samantha Babister, Past Division H Governor. Targeted activity here demonstrates how successful Clubs can run. Alan Donegan - Area 14 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 31

Page 29

08/11/2010 11:19:36

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 21 Area 21 has four Clubs based around the upper reaches of the Thames. Chiltern (4827): – Thriving, happy Club with really good ideas and wonderful PR. So good in fact that it raises the challenge of having enough space. What a challenge to have! Maidenhead (5461): – Steady well established Club. Wonderful atmosphere with the older members helping the newer members providing a great “feel” to this Club. Marlow Orators (1203783): – Advanced Club with really well motivated, hard working and innovative members. As is expected of so many mature Toastmasters in this Club, they are fully aware of and are rising to the membership challenge. Windsor (758236): - A really good Club that has outgrown its venue. The wonderful PR work brings in a steady flow of new members, and with good retention this raises the challenge of finding the right venue large enough to suit their needs. There is no doubt the members will achieve this. Helen Elliott - Area 21 Governor

Area 32 Area 32 has 5 Clubs and one pre-charter Club, from Battle along the coast to Chichester. One pre-charter Club in this area – Worthing – where Meg Heyworth, Past Area Governor who is working tirelessly to get the Club to chartered status. Arun Speakers (7298): – A Club which has a distinctly individual flavour, from the quaint meeting place [a Quaker meeting room] to the membership made up of many dual membership speakers of huge talent. With a membership number which is the envy of many Clubs, they strive to have an innovative edge in their Email management and direct debit systems of membership dues collection. Battle Speakers (1240705): - Although a young Club, Battle got off to a rip roaring start and the quality of speaking and leadership ranks with the best. The meeting place is exceptionally warm, cosy and exciting, the membership is active in competitions and a go-ahead officer team ensure the continuance of quality. Brighton & Hove (5439): – A Club with a long history of success and sometimes membership lows. It is now in a high-flying success period with a respected membership of fine, accomplished speakers encouraging the newer members. Their mentoring programme is the envy of many nearby Clubs and the Club boasts many Toastmaster Leaders. County Communicators (1321786): - The only corporate Club in Area 32, they meet in formal boardroom style with a formal seating set up and formal surroundings. This does not hinder and in fact makes for excellent practice for what most members do in real life - present at formal meetings. A fun-filled and goahead Club which has good stewardship leading an active membership. Eastbourne (941371): – An interesting Club with a mix of new members and very experienced speakers. The Club boasts the Area Governor for the past two years and this year's Division H Governor. The Club meets opposite the Town Hall and timekeeping is very obvious with the bell tolling through the evening. A fun filled Club with a distinct theatrical edge. Dec Cluskey - Area 32 Governor

Area 35 The Area has 5 Clubs, covering the area south of the Thames in central London down to Bromley and Croydon. Bromley (8959): – Well established, well organised, long standing Club with dedicated long-standing members that deserves its reputation for being a Club to follow. Likely to achieve President’s Distinguished status this year. Croydon Communicators (840230): – A Club with some very experienced speakers that produced both Autumn Area winners for the competition. Likely to achieve Select Distinguished status this year. Lewisham Speakers (1246707): – Relatively recent Club developing steadily. Undertook a very successful Table Topics in the local park, which was very well received. Good PR ideas. Likely to achieve President’s Distinguished status this year. The establishment of this Club, which chartered in May 2009, was a joint effort between the current Area Governor Philip Landergan and Chris Howell the Immediate Past Division H Governor. Meridian Speakers (762850): – Lively and very well attended Club that attracts lots of guests. Likely to achieve President’s Distinguished status this year. Speakers of Croydon (625647): – Supportive and very friendly Club which had a very positive write up in the local paper recently. Likely to achieve Distinguished or Select Distinguished status this year. Phillip Landergan - Area 35 Governor District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 32

Page 30

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

The Area has 5 Clubs and covers Kent.

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

Area 37

Ambassadors Speakers Margate (1183673): - This Club has had a difficult last year or two and appears to have turned a corner. The new venue is good, plenty of guests and new members - currently up from 8 to 11. There were 15 people in the room on the night I attended. There is a determination to grow and flourish as a Club. Kent (9934): - As the oldest Club in a young division, Kent Speakers has a distinct culture which balances learning and fun very effectively. The membership is stable and the current officers are keeping up established standards. Premier Communicators (710647): - This Club has seen a healthy increase in membership over the last year. Though still a small Club, with attendances of 10 -15, the atmosphere and spirit in the Club are excellent. A new President has just taken over and looks set to have a galvanising influence. The Toasted Sandwich (782690): - As a closed Club within Pfizers, Toasted Sandwich benefits from corporate support. The Club is very healthy with a strong committee and President. Numbers are where they want to be for a Club that has one hour lunchtime meetings. Tunbridge Wells Speakers Club (739066): - This Club has been through a dip and is clearly pulling up well. Meetings are well attended with plenty of guests and new members. The President has a clear vision for the Club and the committee is working together towards that. Chris Rose - Area 37 Governor

Area 42

The Area has 4 Clubs plus 1 pre-charter, Fareham/Southampton to Bournemouth.

covering parts of Hampshire and Dorset, from

Chaseside (59108): – an established corporate Club, new members, aiming for Distinguished Club award. Cottonwood (742): – An established Club, mix of experience and enthusiastic new members, aiming for Select Distinguished Club. Hamwic Speakers Southampton (1279299): – an exciting new Club, enthusiastic membership, community activities, aiming for President's Distinguished this year. Solent Speakers (5774): – A very well established Club, stable membership, strength in depth of experience, aiming for President's Distinguished award this year. Casterbridge (pre-charter): This pre-charter club is in the town of Dorchester. Shirley Thompson - Area 42 Governor

Area 46

The area has 5 Clubs – in the area south of the M4 and down to Winchester.

Newbury Speakers (2965): – Long standing Club serving the Newbury area which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Very active in the local community with loyal and committed members. Reading Speakers Club (8471): – Steady flow of guests will help the Club to build its member base of this long established Club. Supportive and enthusiastic team. Good reports from guests. Toastmasters@Microsoft UK (1348895): – Up and coming Corporate Club with strong corporate sponsorship. Looking to expand into other areas of Microsoft UK. Vodafone Speakers Club (1098583): – Corporate Club based at Vodafone UK headquarters. Looking to build membership base. Strong focus on the Distinguished Club Programme. Wessex Speakers (9090): – Long standing Club serving the Newbury area. Keen and enthusiastic with established members helping the newer ones. Philip Gladwell - Area 46 Governor

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 33

Page 31

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

IMMEDIATE PAST DISTRICT GOVERNOR - Joe Gibbs It’s an old cliché that even the longest journey begins with the first important step. In 2009 - 2010 the challenge was to “Find Your Voice”. Many people throughout the District took up that challenge and among the many events this weekend we celebrate their achievements. For many their journey to CC, AL or DTM began with their first faltering words in their local Toastmasters Club and along the way they developed skills and discovered talents they never knew they had. They overcame their fears and with the help and support of their fellow members became true Toastmasters. As we celebrate their achievements this weekend we should remember the many others that have not yet begun their Toastmaster journey but who could benefit enormously from this organisation. As we continue to strive to increase our membership and add new clubs it’s always good to remember just why we are doing this – not merely for awards or recognition but in order to allow others the opportunity to learn from Toastmasters and benefits from all it has to offer. Our District Governor Teresa Dukes challenges us to “Inspire with Passion”. It’s a message we can carry back to our clubs and remind them of the passion with which they may have embraced Toastmasters. To remind them of when they realised what they could learn from it and how it has the potential to change people’s lives through giving them the communication and leadership skills to grow and develop in their communities and in their careers. So tell others about all YOU have gained from the organisation. Use your passion to inspire others to take those first steps and begin the journey to self-discovery and perhaps ultimately their DTM. ‘Inspire with Passion’

Joe Gibbs Immediate Past District Governor November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 34

Page 32

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DISTRICT STATISTICIAN – Rory Marriott Imagine being in a position to combine two of your passions into one. That is exactly the position I found myself in when Teresa Dukes invited me to join the District Executive team back in June. Having just completed a year as Area Governor, I knew that my year in office had been made easier by the vast amount of data that is available from the WHQ reporting website. However, sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing and by taking on this role I am hoping to be able to help our future generations of leaders by combining my passion of numbers with my passion for Toastmasters. 2010-11 VISION In conjunction with the District Exec Team, the vision for my role this year is to design, develop and implement a suite of reports that will provide timely and relevant information that will support the D71 leadership teams in achieving their objectives. Or in simple terms give them the information that allows them to manage in order to give them more time to lead. Whilst this is the vision for the current year, the foundations will be laid for subsequent years. This is because the automation of the reporting environment will ensure that the effort required by one District Statistician to produce the suite of reports will be significantly less than individual leaders producing their own information. The first report is already in full scale production and can be found on the D71 website in the Knowledge Base under District Performance Statistics. 2010-11 EDUCATIONAL AWARDS We have witnessed a phenomenal start to the year with the 100th award being registered before the end of the first quarter. This has been achieved almost 3 weeks earlier than last year and over a month quicker than two years ago. Congratulations to all our members who have achieved awards so far this year: By the end of October the following numbers of awards have been registered: 59 Competent Communicators 28 Competent Leaders

11 Advanced Communicator Bronze 12 Advanced Leader Bronze

5 Advanced Communicator Silver 9 Advanced Leader Silver

5 Advanced Communicator Gold 4 High Performance Leadership

And enormous congratulations to the following people for achieving the highest Toastmaster accolade possible by becoming Distinguished Toastmasters: Rex Tyler, Berkhamsted Speakers; Khai-Eng Tyler, Berkhamsted Speakers; Ann Nunn, Speak Easy at Martlesham; Joseph Coleman, Thomand; Mary Ruddy, Fingal; Keith Clarke, Maidenhead Speakers; Patrick Foley, Thurles Club; Gary Sander, Brandon Speakers 2010-11 DISTINGUISHED CLUB PROGRAM Congratulations to Maidenhead Speakers, Croydon Communicators, Thurles Club, Armada Speakers, North Bucks Speakers and Speak Easy at Martlesham for already managing to achieve the number of points required to achieve Distinguished Club status for 2010/11. Although I am sure you will not be resting on your laurels and will be going all out to achieve President’s Distinguished status. A further 16 clubs have already achieved 4 points. This is a great start to the year and I am sure that we will see a record number of Clubs achieving, Distinguished, Select Distinguished and President’s Distinguished status.

‘Inspire with Passion’ Rory Marriott District Statistician November 2010 District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 35

Page 33

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER – Lucia Hughes As District 71 Public Relations Officer for 2010/2011, I am focusing on three primary areas: THE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER The executive decided that there would be six newsletters published in the year 2010/2011. To date two have been published. Education and Information will be the two main areas covered. We in District 71 (D71) are fortunate to have a very highly skilled membership and their articles will serve to educate and inform us all. I have included a new page in the newsletter called ‘Internal PR’. This page is designed to create greater connections between the members of our Toastmasters family, spread over four countries which make up District 71. The District Governor’s strapline ‘Inspire with Passion’ is prominent on the first page to remind us of our part in promoting the success of the District in the coming year. The new online reading format of the newsletter is a result of the tireless work of our webmaster Malcolm Warden. It allows the newsletter to be read easily on a computer screen – turning the pages like a book and avoiding the need to scroll up and down. I initiated this new format thanks to feedback received from our ever vigilant membership. The response to this innovation I am pleased to say has been very positive. We at District 71 are encouraging members to subscribe to receive the Newsletter by registering on the D71 website. So far there has been a modest uptake on this initiative. I am hopeful that as the year progresses awareness of this facility will increase as will the subscribers list. PR OFFICERS’ FORUM I have fulfilled my pre-election promise to establish a forum for club PR Officers. This forum serves as a direct link to fellow PR Officers throughout the District where support and sharing of ideas can help in the role. Every club PR officer has been invited to participate in this forum. It is used to share ideas and also to share some success stories of positive publicity campaigns. VISIBILITY At the Officer Training in June in my presentation I encouraged clubs to strive for high visibility. The lifeline of the club is publicity and to that end I promoted the use of signage. A permanent attractive sign outside meeting venues and Toastmaster signs at the town limits were just two examples. The District is encouraged to see so many clubs working on this type of ‘visibility’. A club website is an essential promotional tool and certainly increases a club’s visibility. Updating the club’s website must be an ongoing task to ensure the visitor is receiving valid information. The establishment of a club website for all clubs who have not had one up to now is high on my agenda. Facebook and other social networking sites were also given prominence in my presentation at the Training. I am gratified to see, and be part of, so many club Facebook pages. These pages give a wealth of information, advance notice of meetings and photographs of events. The power of the photograph can never be underestimated. At the District Officer Training in June and also on the PR Forum I have promoted a simple but highly effective slogan “Tell One Person a Day”. In keeping with my desire to support the PR team in D71, I have initiated and attended meetings with PR Officers from Divisions B and H while attending both Division contest finals. Working with the Inspire Conference team to publicise the Dublin conference has been a great pleasure. We have shared ideas and compiled a strategy to achieve some national media coverage. I am currently working on an initiative that will in time bring a new level of exposure to Toastmasters in District 71. More details of this soon. ‘Inspire with Passion’

Lucia Hughes Public Relations Officer November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 36

Page 34

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MARKETING – Freddie Daniells Things are off to a strong start in the District in 2010/11. We are doing a good job of building membership. At District Officer training, we outlined that new clubs are the real engine of growth for District 71, with over 70% of growth from the past five years coming from newly chartered clubs. Indeed, the figure for clubs chartered less than twelve months is over 90%. We also reminded our Area and Division Governors that the Toastmasters mission says: ‘The network of Toastmasters clubs must continually expand, thereby offering more people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters program.’ With this in mind, we set the goal that the District would have at least 30 new clubs for 2010/11. This will require each and every Division to be thinking about the opportunities for new clubs in their geographies. At the District training, many came with ideas for new clubs and we are encouraged to see the positive signs of follow through. New clubs provide one of the major growth opportunities for our members. Anyone who would like to learn more about forming a team, working with that team, agreeing objectives and goals, establishing a team and club culture, finance, public relations, marketing and sales, and being more entrepreneurial should consider setting up a new club. These are invaluable skills that are welcome throughout the world of work. It is great to welcome Apple Cork (Div A), Cupla Focal in Dublin (Div C), Swan Speakers and Lakenheath (both in Div G) to the Toastmasters fold. Both of these clubs chartered in August. By the time you read this, we hope that Covent Garden Speakers (Div B) will have also chartered. Hearing of the ideas for new clubs around the District, we are encouraged that the remaining eight months of this year will be a fruitful period for new clubs. We were also pleased with the response from our District focusing on the October dues renewals deadline. Over 95% of our clubs met the deadline of October 1st. With most of these clubs having also submitted their officer lists on time, they should now be the proud recipient of a Distinguished Club Plan point. Of course, there can be occasional loss of clubs also. One of our corporate clubs, Talkability@Sun, has been taken over and many of the people let go. As such, this club is in the process of folding. Hopefully a number of their members may join community clubs in the area. There do not appear to be any other major losses at this time. Overall, many of our ‘struggling’ clubs made good progress over the last few months with one or two pulling themselves back to the healthy position of being above 20 members. It is noticeable that those clubs that take a club coach (or two) seem to have a higher success rate in their turnaround efforts than those that don’t. As such, we will continue to encourage more clubs to take on club coaches. Overall, a very satisfactory start to the new year. However, a lot of work still to do! ‘Inspire with Passion’

Freddie Daniells Lieutenant Governor Marketing November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 37

Page 35

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

LT GOVERNOR EDUCATION & TRAINING – Jim Hegarty The preparation for the Toastmaster Year, 2010 – 2011, was launched with great enthusiasm, in early June 2010, with the District Officer Training [DOT] sessions, which were held in Stansted and Portlaoise and delivered by members of the Executive Team and by invited Leaders. All of the newly elected Division Governors and appointed Area Governors attended the day-long ‘education and training’ sessions. It was both impressive and inspiring to see such a level of enthusiasm. In July and August, the newly trained Division and Area Governors delivered the Club Officer Training [COT] to our newly elected Club Officers. A minimum of FOUR club officers needed to be trained in each club. However, so great was the enthusiasm of these new leaders that the number of club officers trained per club was well over FIVE. This augers well for the quality of service that these Club Officers will be able to provide to their members throughout this toastmasters year. This year ‘The International Convention’ was held in Palm Springs during the early days of August. Four District 71 Officers were in attendance. Two full days were devoted to Education and Training for our District Leaders. Opportunities were provided for delegates from more than 70 Districts to exchange ideas, and explore opportunities, so that they could provide the best possible service to their members. The emphasis was clearly focused on meeting ‘the needs of each member’ and on ‘leadership development’. Elements of the Competent Leader Programme were discussed. An updated version of the CL Manual is now available from the TI on-line shop. I am confident, that this year, the new and established toastmasters’ members will see ‘parity of esteem’ between the Communication and Leadership elements of the TI Programme. In a recent Telephone Conference Call, the District Executive Team responded to questions from the Division and Area Governors. These questions had been submitted in advance, to allow time for considered responses to be prepared. There were seven questions in all. This is a new facility ‘for on-going development’ of Division and Area Governors, which has been championed by our District Governor Teresa Dukes. At the upcoming District Conference, in Dublin, this November, there are FIVE inspiring Workshops. All of these Workshops will provide the attendees with great learning opportunities in the areas of communication and leadership. The presenters are experienced toastmasters and they will share with you their own experiences, as they struggled to develop and enhance their own performances in these very important areas. In January 2011, there will be further District Officer Training [DOT] for all of the Division and Area Governors. At this day-long session we will continue to look at ways to further develop and assist our leaders in their leadership roles so they can assist our Club Officers towards a successful year for our members. The dates for these th nd sessions will be: 16 January 2011 in Portloaise and 22 January in Stansted. The Education and Training process, which I have outlined above, together with the newly established Conference Calls, for Division and Area Governors, and enhancements to the D71 website and to the TI Programmes, will, I believe, provide an improved service to all our office - holders, and through them to all of our members. Good Communication and Leadership skills are not just optional, in today’s world. They are, in my opinion, an absolute necessity without which ones life’s opportunities will not be taken nor will ones expectations be met. If you are passionate about what you do, others will be inspired, and will reach levels beyond their dreams. ‘Inspire with Passion’

Jim Hegarty Lieutenant Governor Education & Training November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 38

Page 36

08/11/2010 11:19:37

District Council Meeting 13th November 2010

District 71: ‘Inspire with Passion’

DISTRICT GOVERNOR – Teresa Dukes ‘Inspire With Passion’ – Why do I believe this is such an important mantra for D71 this year? The way we learn and develop is through loving what we do – if we lack the enthusiasm then it makes our journey a very boring trip. I believe that we can accomplish so much more if we revisit how we felt when we first joined Toastmasters. The excitement, the challenges and the opportunities were abundant and ready for the taking! I know that I couldn’t wait to tell the world about this wonderful organization and why I made the decision to take the path I have chosen. Inspiration from others helped me make that choice. CONNECTIONS At the beginning of the year we carried out the String Game at our District Officer Training. The point of the game was to show that everyone in District 71 holds a piece of this string and as long as we are all holding tight we remain connected! By our Leaders staying connected with each other it shows that we are not alone and I think it is important for everyone to know that there is a big family out there ready and willing to assist. Our Directory, online as well as the printed version, gives us all a quick way to reach out and increase our connections. It is amazing how much we can learn from each other. TECHNOLOGY We introduced our first ‘Inspired with Passion Question Time’ audio call, which gave all Area Governors and Division Governors the opportunity to raise any questions that were in the minds of our members. This first call was a fabulous success and the District Executives provided thorough answers to the 7 questions as well as opening up the call for some extras. This is yet another way for us to stay connected, understand the needs and concerns of our members and to help change things for the better. Watch this space for more in the future. OBJECTIVES This year our objectives are very similar to those of previous years. However, I believe that by putting them in writing we make it very clear what we will all be working towards. District 71 is a very successful District, which reached 16th in the world last year. I know that we want to continue to be recognized for our achievements at an even higher world ranking this year – I think we need to aspire to be in the top 6! • Leadership is one of the most valuable skills we can learn and I believe that everyone who has taken on a Club Officer role or a District Executive Council role will learn so much during their year. The important thing for us to remember is to “Lead by Example”. Our members are watching and they will follow leaders who show integrity, respect and a passion for this organization. Be proud to be that leader. • Sustainable Growth is something we are all aiming for. If we encourage our clubs to maintain their 20+ status and continue to grow, this ensures that they will be sustainable and will potentially grow into yet another new club! It is fantastic to have so many new clubs on our books at the moment and I look forward to seeing every single one of them become a sustainable Chartered Club. 4 clubs have already chartered this year with many more coming up behind them. Focusing on leadership and commitment to our members’ needs helps us to make this happen successfully. • Engaging and Involving our Experienced Toastmasters – Our Ambassadors. We have a wealth of knowledge in our District and we should be utilizing it to the fullest! Our DTMs and long standing members need to know that they are appreciated and that we value their knowledge and expertise. Start ‘asking’ them to share their expertise - when was the last time you had a workshop delivered by one of these Ambassadors? Ask them! They may surprise you with their answer! • Team. We are a very strong team that can help our members accomplish some fantastic achievements within our leadership and educational awards. Stay connected, focus on what our members want and deliver to the best of your ability! Remember your piece of string - working together as a team we become even more successful! ‘Inspire with Passion’ – How many people have you inspired this year to become the speakers and leaders they want to be?

Teresa Dukes DTM District Governor November 2010

District Governor: Teresa Dukes

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 39

Page 37

08/11/2010 11:19:37

Toastmasters A4 Book.indd 40

08/11/2010 11:19:37