Toastmasters – Your Path To Leadership

Every year a variety of Toastmaster leadership roles change hands. Through participation in these roles Toastmaster members develop leadership, organization and management skills. While many of the roles are appointed several of the key District roles are decided by the membership through an election process. What follows here is such a “call for candidates” to participate in the election later this year (May 2020).

District Leadership 101

Are you a leader? Would you like to be a better one? What do you want to get out of Toastmasters? How can you give back to this organization which has provided personal and professional benefits?

Like fresh air and fresh water, fresh leaders are always needed. District 64 needs you. Elections for 6 Division Directors, Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director and District Director will take place the first weekend in May.

“An important part of Toastmasters training is learning about leadership, and the best way to become skilled at leadership is to experience it. Choosing leaders or choosing to be a leader begins at nomination and at the ballot.”

Download: Elections Toolkit

Like everything else in Toastmasters, learning to lead is not only through lectures and listening, reading and thinking; it’s by doing the job to the best of your ability, with your mind and heart invested as strongly as your time.

What Will You Gain?

What can you get from actively participating in District leadership? The experience and training will advance your skills. Even the election process will strengthen you. In any of these positions, you will be an integral member of a dynamic leadership team. You will participate in major decisions affecting District 64.

As Division Director, you will learn about and get practical experience with leading a team of Area Directors, providing motivation, guidance and supervision of their leadership to clubs. You will report to the District Council, gaining experience in summarizing notable events and delivering speeches in front of the District members.

As Club Growth Director, you will work with a team to develop a marketing strategy. You will learn to assess team member qualities. With the approval of the District Director, you will appoint team leaders and oversee tasks such as club building and coaching, starting new clubs and mentoring new clubs.

As Program Quality Director, you will work with a team to enhance member education and training. With the approval of the District Director, you will lead a team providing leader training for District and Club officers. Under your guidance, members will be encouraged to advance and be recognized in the education program.

The District Director is the CEO for the District. You will supervise and guide all elected and appointed district leaders. You will plan, appointment, supervise, and motivate others, delegating tasks and authority as needed and recommended by Toastmasters International. More than other district leaders, you will learn about and practice fiduciary responsibility, recognizing that all funds in clubs, Areas, Divisions, including all events from club officer training, speech contests, the Fall Rally, TLI to the annual Convention are Toastmaster funds, supported (loss or gain) ultimately by the members’ money. A District Director, like a club president, is responsible for everything.

Ready?

You are grateful to Toastmasters for all it’s benefits. You want to learn more. You want to give back in a big way. You don’t just volunteer. There is a process!

  1. There are prerequisites for each position. Do you qualify?
    At the time of taking office, the District Director must have served at least six consecutive months as Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Program Quality Director, Division Director, or a combination of these.
    At the time of taking office, the Program Quality Director must have served at least six consecutive months as Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Club Growth Director, a Division Director, an Area Director, or a combination of these.
    At the time of taking office, the Club Growth Director must have served at least six consecutive months as Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Division Director, an Area Director, or a combination of these.
    At the time of taking office, the Division Director must have served at least six consecutive months as a member of a District Council (composed of district leaders, club presidents, and club Vice Presidents of education.
  2. Complete the paperwork
    To be nominated, all candidates for District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, and Division Director must submit completed Toastmasters International District Leader Agreement and Release Statement, the Candidate Biography Form plus your photo to the District Leadership Committee by February 15. Email completed forms to LeadershipCommittee@District64.ca.
  3. Be evaluated by the District Leadership Committee
    The names of candidates that meet the standards will be presented to the District Director for inclusion on the ballot. If not selected by this committee, members may still declare an intent to “run from the floor”, provided they have previously been evaluated by the District Leadership Committee.

Please do consider giving back by serving as a District leader.


S. Poirier, DTM, PDD (Distinguished Toastmaster & Past District Director)

Make Great Posters and Get Noticed

Getyour next EventNoticed

Looking for an easy tool to make great posters to promote your clubs on your website or social media? I am going to recommend trying Canva.com.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3fnrjq_R4M]

This website provides you with all of the tools you need to make visually-appealing  posters for your club’s next amazing event, or whatever you need.

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to posting images on the internet. Canva also provides users with custom templates designed specifically for emails, websites, Facebook, Twitter and more. Never worry about what your posters are going to look like from one site to the next.

Get creative and have fun.


Bonus Tips for Making Effective Posters:

  • Less is more; keep your poster free of distracting elements that don’t serve the main message
  • Target only 2-3 colours and fonts; too much of either may hurt your poster more than help
  • Read out this really good blog post by Kimberly Mak on how to create effective posters
  • When in doubt, reference the official Brand Manual published by Toastmasters International for information

Use Social Media to Promote your Club Events

During my speech at the 2018 TLI event, I had stated that social media is a tool to help you promote your club and spread your message. I would like to take a moment to correct myself here: social media is not a single tool, but more like a very large toolbox.

Today, I wanted to share a short video by Jerry Potter from Five Minute Social Media that discusses how to create a Facebook Event.  The video outlines the steps and a few best practices that are common for social media marketers.  Watch the video and try it out yourself by posting your next club meeting or special event on Facebook

As an added incentive, send your Facebook Events to the District 64 Facebook Page and we’ll help share it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S_Lx5Cn5Jc]

Create a Digital Workspace for your Club’s Administration with Google and Free Toast Host

One of the continuous challenges of running a club is getting new officers trained and setup to take over club operations. Despite our best efforts, some key decisions and processes are inevitably missed and forgotten over time.

For all of the core things that need to stay with the club, it’s time turn to “the cloud“. By creating a Google Account using the Administrator’s email address from Free Toast Host (FTH), you will be given access to some of Google’s suite of free apps such as Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Docs, and much more. Click here to view an infographic that helps explain Google Apps (pinterest.com).

Here are some of the cool advantages:

  • The account belongs to the club, not an individual. This means that all of your photos, blog posts, (etc) stay with the club.
  • Learn new skills using modern tech. You don’t need to be a “techie” to take advantage of Google’s apps. Start by sharing a few files on Google Drive and build up your expertise from there.
  • End the endless emails and collaborate via the cloud. Files you save on Google Drive can be “shared” with club members of your choice, allowing them to review, edit and comment on your latest work.

Have I got you interested? Great, here is how to get started:


  1. As your club’s FTH site administrator, click here to create a new Google Account using your FTH Admin email address.
  2. Fill out the rest of the form as required, then submit. Don’t forget to write your password down somewhere safe!
  3. Check your email inbox (the one that is linked to the FTH email address you just registered) for your account verification link. As per the instructions, click the verification link in the email to officially activate your account.
    image (3).png
    click the verification link to activate your new Google Account
  4. After your account is set up, you may be prompted to add your mobile number, but we’ll skip that step today.  Instead, click the link to manage your account profile to proceed.

That’s it! You are now setup to start using Google apps with your Free Toast Host account. Have fun!

What did you think of this post? Let us know in the comments below, and send us your ideas for the next article.