August 2024 Leader Letter

Encourage a Convention Watch Party! — Inspire club leaders to take the initiative with club members who haven’t registered for the 2024 International Convention by organizing a fun and inspiring viewing event through the purchase of an online ticket. Advise them to livestream it during the session(s) of their choice and set the club morale to high.

Get Ready for District Leader Training — 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 12 and 13 at the Anaheim Marriot in Anaheim, California, United States of America, prior to the start of the annual Toastmasters International Convention. More information about preparing for training, including Pre-work assignments and individual schedules, will be sent via email in the coming weeks. Remember to complete your Pre-work prior to arriving onsite!

Share Your Centennial Snaps — Toastmasters have been celebrating the centennial in style! Continue sharing your best moments from networking events, leadership gatherings, officer training, and other Toastmasters activities on social media. Follow the fun by using and following the #toastmasters and #Toastmasters100Years hashtags. We can't wait to see all the exciting things happening this August!

Help Clubs Designate a Proxyholder — District Directors are encouraged to contact Club Presidents and ensure a proxyholder is designated for the 2024 Annual Business Meeting prior to August 9. 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 16 at 7 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -7. 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.

Support Club Excellence — Recently, the "Supporting Club Excellence" webinar introduced resources that provide insightful and practical advice for helping clubs in your District thrive. The webinar recording and all the materials referenced during the webinar are available on the District Leader Tools page (club officers can access resources on the Club Officer Tools page.)

Also, the Club Building Curriculum is available again to all District Executive Committee members as a continuation from last year. To access the Club Building Curriculum, log into Base Camp and view “Paths and Learning.”

Convention Fun! — This month Toastmasters is marking its centennial celebration in Anaheim, California! But before you go back to where it all began, take a peek into the past to see how this annual event has been an extravagance of exuberance through the years.

The Area Director — This crucial and fulfilling role helps hone leadership, mentoring, and networking skills. Are you ready to take the lead?

The Language of Leadership — Three characteristics that nearly all strong leaders share are a sense of integrity, the ability to respond to feedback, and strong communication skills. As you develop your leadership skills, learn how your verbal and nonverbal communication come together to create influence.

Managing Team Conflicts — Despite your best efforts to build a high-functioning team rooted in good communication, conflicts can still arise, often because of communication breakdowns. Find out how to help your team succeed together.

Inspiring Trust as a Leader — Trust doesn’t happen by accident—it needs to be built and maintained over time. Discover how you can create a cohesive team with consistency and vulnerability.

Tune In! Meet the 2024 Golden Gavel Award Recipient: Lisa Sun — In this episode of The Toastmasters Podcast, Lisa Sun shares about her journey toward becoming founder and CEO of Gravitas and gives a glance into her upcoming convention presentation, "Cultivating Courage: Reframe Results to Compel Action."

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 Distinguished Districts — For the 2023-2024 program year, 33 Districts met their goals and achieved Distinguished or better status in the Toastmasters International District Recognition program. There were 9 Smedley Distinguished, 5 President’s Distinguished, 14 Select Distinguished and 5 Distinguished District. Well done!

Distinguished Districts

Area Directors: Visit More Clubs — As an Area Director, you 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, which may be conducted online as needed. By visiting at least 75% of the base number of clubs in your Area, you can meet one of the qualifying requirements of the Distinguished Area Program by logging into District Central and submitting an Area Director’s Club Visit Report.

Who Will Advance from the Semifinals? — Get ready to cheer for the 2024 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.

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 as they work toward the District mission. This volunteer position spans a 15–month term and reports to the International President. Applications for the 2025–2026 program year are due by September 30.

Learn more about the Region Advisor position in this three-part webinar. The Leadership Roles Booth at the 2024 International Convention will also have more information on the Region Advisor Program!

New Clubs — Clubs chartering in September (the last month of the dues renewal periods) may wish to submit membership dues amounting to $70 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.