A Golden Reason to Come to Convention — Announcing the 2023 Golden Gavel Award Recipient: Yolett McPhee-McCuin, affectionately known as "Coach Yo." Don't miss this transformational leader/renowned women's basketball coach and her inspiring session, Embracing the Process of Growth. This is your last chance to register; sign up today!

District Leader Training — District Directors, Program Quality Directors, and Club Directors: Develop your core leadership skills and network with others from around the world at this year's District Leader Training! Sessions will take place August 14 and 15 at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Resort in Nassau, Bahamas prior to the start of the annual Toastmasters International Convention. Remember to complete your Pre-work prior to arriving onsite.

Help Clubs Designate a Proxyholder — District Directors are encouraged to contact Club Presidents and ensure a proxyholder is designated for the 2023 Annual Business Meeting prior to August 11. This is an important time for clubs to cast their votes in the International Officer and Director elections. Remind clubs that their designated proxyholder must be able to attend the Annual Business Meeting, either onsite or online, on August 18 at 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -4. If you have any questions, please review the Frequently Asked Questions or email proxyinfo@toastmasters.org.

Train Club Officers by August 31 — When club officers are well trained, club members are better served, leading to increased member retention and greater satisfaction. Help club officers be the best they can be by encouraging them to attend club officer training, which continues through August 31. Clubs will also earn Distinguished Club Program (DCP) credit if the Program Quality Director reports the training details via District Central by October 31.

Leadership Lessons From Unlikely Characters — What are the traits of a successful leader? Get some guidance from some of your favorite fictional cartoons like Winnie the Pooh, Mulan, Olaf, and more.

Mentor Sparked a Lifetime of Learning — A mentor can make a lasting impression, and no one knows this better than Toastmaster Leif Gregersen. Discover how an early experience in the Youth Leadership Program and gaining an invaluable mentor continues to pay off for Gregersen three decades later.

The Secret to Confidently Humble Leadership — Great leaders find a balance between being confident and humble, and the key to that is self-awareness. By being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can lead with confidence in areas where you excel and remain humble enough to seek help in areas where you may struggle.

Be Confident in Casual Conversations — Whether you're attending a networking event, going to a conference, or mingling with new club members, chances are you'll be pulled into some small talk. Find advice and techniques in this roundup of Toastmaster articles to enhance your social interactions.

Tune In! Battling Burnout — It's the start of a new Toastmasters program year, and you're probably feeling ready to take everything on. But what happens in a couple of months when your behavioral patterns begin causing burnout? Listen to this episode of The Toastmasters Podcast to hear advice for managing your mental state.

New club building resources — Learn more about the new club building initiative by accessing the webinar recording and reviewing the initiative's curriculum and resources on Base Camp, found in your Paths and Learning.

New Pathways Content Coming — A completely new learning experience offering is coming to Pathways in 2024! Explorations will each consist of three projects focused on a specific topic to give you more flexibility in how you learn. The first two explorations will focus on inclusive leadership and presenting yourself online and will be available in 2024!

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Distinguished Districts — For the 2022-2023 program year18 Districts met their goals and achieved Distinguished or better status in the Toastmasters International District Recognition program. There were six Smedley Distinguished, four President's Distinguished, one Select Distinguished and seven Distinguished District. Well done!

Area Directors: Visit More Clubs — Area Directors play a crucial role in the positive rapport that Districts maintain with their clubs, largely through club visits. While two visits a year are required, we encourage you to visit your club four times a year. Area Directors who visit at least 75% of the base number of clubs in their Area can meet one of the qualifying requirements of the Distinguished Area Program by submitting an Area Director's Club Visit Report in District Central.

Who Will Advance from the Semifinals? — Get ready to cheer for the 2023 International Speech Contest semifinalists! During the Toastmasters International Convention, 28 contestants will compete in four semifinals for a chance to advance to the World Championship of Public Speaking®. Find out who is competing and view the full agenda for dates and times.

New Clubs — Clubs chartering in September (the last month of the dues renewal periods) may wish to submit membership dues amounting to $55 USD per person (plus $20 USD for new members). The extra $10 USD per person will be used to pay the upcoming prorated renewal dues. By doing this, your club will not have to collect dues from each member twice in two months.

Region Advisor Application Process Opens September 1 — Would you or someone you know like to be a Region Advisor? It is a rewarding opportunity to continue your leadership journey by supporting and coaching District leaders. This volunteer position spans a 15–month term and reports to the International President. Applications for the 2024–2025 program year will be available online beginning September 1. Learn more about the Region Advisor position with this three-part webinar: Region Advisor Development Program.