Zoom accounts and Virtual Club Support
Dear Division Directors, In order to better support your members and clubs during the COVID-19 group size limit, the Trio has authorized funds to purchase two Zoom Pro accounts per Division. The two Zoom accounts will provide each Division virtual meeting options for Club, Area, and Division meetings and Contests in lieu of cancelling meetings. These accounts will be reimbursed during the months of March, April, May, and June. Here is what we need for each Division Director to do: Find 2 people in your Division that will serve as Zoom Masters for your Division. Each Zoom Master will : Acquire and Manage 1 zoom Pro account for your Division Schedule virtual zoom meetings for Clubs, Areas and meetings in your Division. Serve as Tech Support for Zoom meetings in your Division. Collaborate with Zoom Masters in other Divisions to help share needed resources. Share Division Zoom Master contact information with the Trio Submit 2 zoom receipts in Concur for reimbursement in April, May, and June Contribute to the Zoom Masters group discussion A Zoom Masters page will be created that has information regarding virtual meeting best practices, Zoom Master contact information and other collaborative information to help support our members & our clubs. As always, we appreciate your patience and your willingness to work together for the good of District 39. Thanks, Wes
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Updated March 17, 2020 FAQs have updated, please review ASAP. The Trio is aware of the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) is having on members and clubs in our District. We are in regular communication with Toastmasters International and are closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary steps to support our members. Please revisit this page often. We will update it as new information becomes available. Guidance from Toastmasters International – www.toastmasters.org/COVID (Additional Resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Department of Public Health.) Due to safety and government restrictions, Toastmasters International understands that clubs may not be able to meet in person. Therefore, they encourage you to meet online if in-person meetings are not possible or preferable. Frequently Asked Questions Will Division speech contests be canceled? No. The District Executive Committee decided on 3/16 to continue the 2019-2020 contest cycle. Between March and June 1, 2020 all contests will be conducted virtually. Will District Conference be canceled? Toastmasters has mandated that all Area, Division, and District Events can no longer be conducted in person prior to June 1, 2020. The District Conference has therefore been postponed until June. The April venue will be cancelled. All tickets sold will be refunded. The District will reschedule the event in June. Once we have determined the price for new tickets, we will move ahead with a June Conference. Will District Council meeting be canceled? No. The District Council meeting will be conducted virtually on May 9th, 2020. District Business covered: Club Alignment Elections Proposals What will be the format of the Online Meeting? Online meetings shall have the same format with the regular meeting agenda. The only difference is the medium. Some best practices to follow would be: Unmute only when speaking to reduce noise etc. Turn off all the webcams except the speaker and the timer’s webcam, so that the timing signals can be seen by the speaker. Table topic master can call out the member to respond, at which point the member can unmute and speak. We understand that it’s a far diminished experience in comparison to the in-person club meetings. As soon as in-person meetings are possible, the clubs are expected to switch back to regular meetings at their venue. Tips and Resources Stay at home from community events if you: Feel sick or have symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, etc.) Recently had contact with an individual known or suspected to have COVID-19 Or if you are at a higher risk (elderly or immunocompromised) Traveled to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Iran or other high-risk areas in the past 14 days. Check the CDC website for more details. If your club is holding meetings In-person Completely avoid shaking hands and other physical contact (use elbow bumps, or wave hands, etc.) Create physical space to minimize close contact (one arm length, sit every other seat) Provide hand washing capabilities or hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes, and tissues Avoid touching your face or high touch surfaces with your bare hands (use a tissue) If you’re not able to access your meeting space, meet Online using available video conferencing applications such as: https://www.freeconferencecall.com/ https://hangouts.google.com/ https://www.webex.com/ https://www.zoom.us/
Marching to the goal
It’s the first week of March. There are 17 weeks left until June 30, 2020. Deadlines: Mar 31, 2020 – Membership Renewals Apr 17, 2020 – District Spring Conference May 31, 2020 – Club Visit report submitted (Area & Division Directors) Jun 30, 2020 – Traditional DTM (all requirements completed) Club Status: April Dues renewal status March 4, 2020 57 Clubs – (Part of the quorum) – verified complete – 8 paid members, 3 from previous renewal period 28 Clubs – (Not in good standing) – low – less than 8 members 25 Clubs – (Not in good standing) – ineligible – less than 3 members from last renewal period 48 Clubs – (Not in good standing) – no member dues received Clubs in Good Standing: Minimum renewal requirement is eight paid members – at least three of whom were members of the club during the previous renewal period. Clubs not in good standing are ineligible to cast a vote at District Council or Annual Business meeting and are not included in the quorum. Division Directors Finalize Division Contest Club Visits Retain Clubs New Clubs Area Directors: Finalize Area Contests (help your fellow Area Directors, and Division Director) Club Visits New Clubs Club Leaders: Membership Renewals – make sure your club is in good standing – March 31, 2020 Review Club Success Plan – Education Awards Update Club Success Plan for growth opportunities Club Officer Elections & update Officer assignments in Club Central – May 31,2020 Members: Support your Area / Division contests Renew your membership Take on a new Club Officer role Complete a Path Level Start a New Path
DECM Feb 2020
Last D39 DECM was a virtual meeting held on 2020-02-08 at 2pm. NOTE: Next DECM 3/14/2020 at 8am-9:30am 2020.02.08 Meeting Minutes 2020.02.08 Roll Call 2020.02.08 DECM Packet 2020.02.08 Addendum
How to use Leo’s Tools
Leo’s tools are amazing, they give you a graphical picture of what’s happening with clubs in the district. Caution: By default Leo’s tools shows a color view of DCP status, not membership status. This is really cool looking, but not real helpful. We need to make some adjustments to get the true picture. The rest of this article shows how to get the views that will be helpful to assess your Division / Area situation. After launching Leo’s tools https://code.pachogrande.com/leotools/leoboard.html?district=39 you see what appears to be a periodic table. Default view shows club order based on DCP points. Problem, without membership, are technically not in the game yet. Purple = (DCP 9-10) Blue = (DCP 7-8) Green = (DCP 5-6) Yellow = (DCP 4) Orange = (DCP 3) Red = (DCP 1-2) Gray = (DCP 0) NOTE: The thing you don’t realize is the smaller # is the membership qualifier. 0 or more is good. -1 or less is bad. But it’s not that obvious. Do not use the default settings: Current DCP (desc), Grouping Disabled, Render(Change your colors) To see the membership picture, we need to see which clubs are close to meeting the membership requirements and those that are in trouble. By changing Render parameter to Membership we get the qualifying membership picture. Green = (Membership/growth met) Yellow = (-1 to -4 to meet membership/growth) Red = (-5 or more to meet membership/growth) NOTE: You can easily see that green clubs meet the membership. Yellow clubs are close to membership requirement. Red clubs need more help. Use membership settings: Current DCP (desc), Grouping Disabled, Render (Membership) To see the clubs that need the most help, change the view one more time. Sort by Required Membership for DCP (ascending) It will show clubs in ascending order from Danger in Red, to Getting Close in Yellow, to Doing well in Green. Red = (-5 or more to meet membership/growth) Yellow = (-1 to -4 to meet membership/growth) Green = (Membership/growth met) 56 Red – Clubs in Danger 48 Yellow – Clubs close to growth numbers 54 Green – Clubs that are on track This view helps Division Directors and Area Directors quickly see what they need to focus on. Use membership settings: Sort by Required Membership for DCP (asc), Grouping Disabled, Render (Membership) To see the membership view grouped by Areas, choose Grouping Area, Render (Membership) Green = (Membership/growth met) Yellow = (-1 to -4 to meet membership/growth) Red = (-5 or more to meet membership/growth) This view helps Division Directors and Area Directors quickly see what they need to focus on. NOTE: You can easily see that green clubs meet the membership. Yellow clubs are close to membership requirement. Red clubs need more help. Use membership settings: Current DCP (desc), Grouping Area, Render (Membership) Hopefully, what I shared has been helpful. If you need more help, please contact Wes.Johnson@district39.org
22 Weeks – Toastmaster Promise
What should we focus on? With 22 weeks left in the Toastmaster year, we need decide on where to focus our efforts. Deadlines Feb 29, 2020 – Club Officer Training (Club Officers) Mar 31, 2020 – Membership Renewals Apr 17, 2020 – District Spring Conference May 31, 2020 – Club Visit report completed (Area & Division Directors) Jun 30, 2020 – Traditional DTM (all requirements completed) – DCP Credit (Club Officers & Club Members) – New Clubs What is important? The answer to this question is personal, you must decide what is important for your situation. What matters most for you will be based on where you are in your Toastmasters journey and your role in leadership this year. What is urgent? Once you decide what matters most and the associated deadlines your decisions will become obvious. Focus your energies on what is most important and what is most urgent. The Eisenhower Matrix Introduced by President Eisenhower as a time management tool, the Eisenhower Matrix can help everyone focus on what is most important now and how to manage other things on your to do lists. For more info on the Eisenhower Matrix and how it can help with Time Management read this article. What if I’m not a leader? You might be a POT (Plain Old Toastmaster) who is not actively involved in leadership this year. I challenge you to become more engaged and lead by example. You have a responsibility to your fellow Toastmasters. When you joined Toastmasters, you made a promise. I have summarized the Toastmaster promise here. Toastmasters promise summarized: Attend club meetings; be prepared and engaged Work the education program Provide helpful, constructive evaluations Serve as a club officer when asked Treat everyone with respect and courtesy Bring guests to club meetings Follow guidelines and rules for Toastmasters education and recognition programs Conduct all Toastmasters activities within core values integrity, respect, service, excellence Bottom Line Whether you are a District Leader, Club Officer, Past District Leader or a Plain Old Toastmaster we are all leading others by our example. What kind of example are you setting for others? Are you keeping your promise?
DECM January 2020
Last D39 DECM was held on 2020-01-11 afternoon at Reno, NV NOTE: There were a few challenges with Audio / Video quality, I am taking steps to improve A/V Quality of future DECM recordings. 2020.01.11 DECM Packet 2020.01.11 Addendum 2020.01.11 Roll Call 2020.01.11 Meeting Minutes
Club Officer Training Standards
On July 13th, 2019 our District had a DECM, a meeting of the District Executive Council, for the purpose of sharing information and making important decisions throughout the District. During the DECM our District Director made a statement regarding Club Officer Training Standards. This is the statement that can be found in the meeting minutes. There has been a lot confusion throughout our District over the Training Standards. Throughout our District there have been differing opinions as to the minimum standards on training. It has been confusing to our Officers and ultimately affects the excellence of our clubs. This year a document was produced by the Quality Team called “District 39 training standards” It was based on the belief that Districts can set their own Training standards. However, upon further inquiry, we now have validated and finalized direction from Toastmasters International. The training minimum has been and always will be based on Training Club Leaders item 217. I was recently reminded by Toastmasters Headquarters that The District Director is responsible to ensure the standards in the Training Club Leaders guide are followed. Therefore, this is the protocol. District 39 will be in compliance with Training Club Leaders guide this year and going forward. Adjustments will be made to training events on the District calendar. Toastmasters Club Officer Training standards will be posted: On our District website Announced on the District Facebook page Sent to every officer in the District so everyone is informed of the minimum Club Officer Training standards. All new Training Events must fulfill the minimum training as specified in the Training Club Leaders guide. NOTE: I have instructed our Program Quality Director to ensure the Quality Team and Trainers will provide opportunities for all Club Officers to makeup their extra training hour they may have missed in previous trainings. At the time of this Post there are five weeks remaining in Training Round 1. Deadline: Round 1 Club Officer Training ends on August 31 Time is running out: Most of the trainings in District 39 Training have met or exceeded the minimum training standard. However, there are some training events or series of events on the calendar that show only one or two hours of training on their agenda. If you are a Club Officer that took one of these shorter trainings, please take the extra training opportunities to ensure Toastmasters will give your club credit for your training.
D39 Vision 2020
Greetings District 39 Toastmasters, Why did you join Toastmasters? Why do you stay? I joined to improve my communication skills. I stay because of what I have learned and the wonderful people who have become my friends along the way. I hope you have a similar story you can share. The Toastmasters New Year begins on July 1st. There are a few changes this year, but our Mission is still the same. If we focus on doing the right things at the right time, we will achieve amazing things this year. How will we know what the right things are? We need to plan for Success. I am asking all leaders in our great District to collaborate with each other and plan for a President’s Distinguished year. Let’s be One Team heading down One Path becoming One District that everyone wants to join! District Mission: We build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence. Vision Statement: District 39 will achieve President’s Distinguished status before May 31, 2020 Slogan: Focus Together on the Most Important Thing Motto: One Team • One Path • One District What is the Most Important Thing? (Execute Success Plan) Core Values: Integrity, Respect, Service, Excellence Big Picture: President’s Distinguished District The One Thing: Execute Success Plan Guiding Principles: Speak with hope about the toughest of issues. Be Solution focused rather than problem focused. Refrain from reacting and giving voice to pessimism, criticism, self-criticism. Speak about problems to the right people in the right way. Replace negative words and thoughts with positive and encouraging words. First 100 days (June 6 – Sep 14): Success Plan – District, Division, Area, Club Training – Division, Area, Club Club Visits – Know your clubs Retention – No member loss, No club loss Growth – New Members, New Clubs Second 100 days (Sep 15 – Dec 24): Quality – 100% Trained Growth – Add net 5 members Distinguished Clubs – Distinguished in December Club Visits – submit reports Nov 30 Third 100 days (Dec 26, 2019 – Apr 4, 2020): Training – Club Officers Contests – Club, Area, Division Final months (April, May, June) Conference Succession Planning Distinguished Clubs Club Visits – submit reports May 31 District 39 Vision 2020
2018 Fall Leadership Summit a Success
I want to personally thank everyone that attended the 2018 Fall Leadership Summit. Your presence helped to make this event such a Success. We had a sell out crowd of 140 members and guests. Awesome speakers! Great Food, Fellowship, and Fun. In order to make next year’s event even better we need your feedback. If you haven’t already completed the survey, please complete the survey here Fall Leadership Summit Survey Don’t forget Spring Conference is only a few months away, Early bird tickets are selling fast. Register Now