Toastmasters friends,
I know I have harped on this over and over again – in order to get the $6 you pay every month into Toastmasters, you need to put something in to it. The quickest ways to do that is to work the program – give speeches, get involved in events outside of your club (e.g. TLI, Area Contests), or mentor someone. I guarantee that if you do that, you will grow as a communicator, a leader, and as a person.
I have also said that the fastest way to be a better communicator is to participate in speech contests. The reason is that speech contests stretch us as speakers. You think about where you are going to stand when you deliver a particular line, you rehearse until you are tired of hearing your own speech, and you really think through every word to see if it isexactly the right wording to get your point across while still finishing before 7 minutes and 30 seconds. The good news is that speech contests for the International Speech Contest and Table Topics should be starting at your club. If you want to get good very fast, sign up at your club today.
What about leadership? Is there a corollary to speech contest in order to be a better leader fast?
Fortunately, there is.
If you want to be a better leader fast, consider being a leader in your District.
The foundation of District leadership is being an Area Governor. In your role as Area Governor, you are the keystone to building new clubs and helping all clubs achieve excellence. Our District lives and dies due to our Area Governors. If you want to be a better leader, Area Governor is the place to start.
If you have already taken on Area Governor, or you would like to learn to be a better leader in another capacity, I encourage you to run for Division Governor, District leadership, or take on another appointed role. We have been blessed with a bunch of great Division Governors during my three years in the Trio, and I believe that we have a lot of great untapped talent (like you) who could continue this tradition. For those who are looking for a larger role, I can not speak enough about the learning you will get by running for one of the (now renamed) Trio roles: District Director (District Governor), District Quality Director (Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training), or Club Growth Director (Lieutenant Governor of Marketing).
In addition to Area Governor, there are a variety of positions appointed by the District Governor (Director)*: District Secretary, District Administrative Assistant, Treasurer, and a variety of appointed chairs. Again, all of these offer opportunities to stretch yourself as a leader.
So, how do you get a quick $6? If you want to get the most out of the proven Toastmasters program, you have to put something in. I encourage all of you to put something in by 1) entering or running your club speech contest, 2) running for an elected office – either at the Division or District level, or 3) volunteering for an appointed role such as Area Governor, Treasurer, or District Secretary.
Toastmasters is a proven program. You can get a quick $6…all that is missing is your involvement.
Your $6 awaits.
-Mark
District Governor
*For the sake of simplicity, I will use the current titles, but these are also getting an upgrade in the 2015 – 2016 Toastmsaters year.