Episode 22: Navigating the Toastmasters annual conference and training circuit

You'll hear from my fellow Toastmasters and I how this global organization has impacted our lives for the better and how it could impact yours . Now let's get talkative . Welcome , ladies and gentlemen , to episode 22 . This week I'm going to dive into the world of Toastmasters .

Conferences as well as the many training opportunities which form an integral part of the annual Toastmasters calendar . These events are run separately to club meetings and they very much serve to extend the members journey towards self-improvement and success .

So in this episode we're going to explore what's on offer and what are the benefits to Toastmasters in attending them . Firstly , let's look at the different types of conferences in Toastmasters International . Beyond the club , there are area and division level conferences and these typically hang around the contests .

So a couple of episodes ago I spoke about the area and division contests and some areas . It does vary between different areas and how they run them , and the same with divisions , but often the areas and divisions will hang an educational program around their actual four contest structure .

There might be breakout education sessions or there might be a keynote speaker who's speaking on one particular element . It just depends how long those events are , and my understanding is that they can range from half a day to one full day or even sometimes two , just depending on how much of an educational program they want to provide .

Then we have district level conferences and this , I suppose , is always going to be a larger kind of event kind of event , and they tend to be annual conferences and really aimed at both hosting the district speaking contests as well as educational seminars and interactive sessions that are aimed at enhancing communication and leadership skills .

A couple of episodes ago we had Kate Norris on as a guest and she's the convener of the District 69 conference that's coming up this weekend and that conference is organized by the host club , leading Edge but also overseen by district executives .

There's obviously a lot of people involved in the organizing of the conference and rules to be followed and conventions to be followed and at the same time , as host club Leading Edge can put its spin on the conference .

The two main days for that conference are the Saturday and Sunday , but there's gatherings on the Friday evening and on the Monday , so it does extend to a four-day conference effectively if people want to extend it for that long .

Again , this is a typical conference structure where it's going to host the four contests , so the international humorous evaluation and table topics contests , but then as well , there are a range of breakout sessions and this is where they'll bring in , in this case , a couple of professional keynote speakers to do a keynote each day and then they will supplement with

breakout sessions educational sessions that are run by experienced Toastmasters and communicators . It's been fascinating to be on the organising committee for this conference because I haven't actually attended a district conference yet .

This will be my first and in fact I'll be competing on the Sunday in the evaluation contest , so I'm really going to get the full conference experience , from all the networking opportunities to competing , to seeing the behind the scenes organizing of it . So I can't wait and I will be doing a full wrap-up episode on the podcast in a couple of weeks .

There would be district conferences happening all around the world right now , because one of the main objectives of the district conference is to select the winners that will go on to represent various districts in the international speech contest at the world championships . Which brings me to my next point .

The next type of convention is the annual toastmasters international convention . This is the big one and this year it's in Anaheim , california , in about mid-August . It happens about the same time each year and it will move around to different states .

It brings together Toastmasters from around the world and these conventions really do serve as a melting pot of ideas , experiences and insights and really offer attendees the chance to participate in again various workshops , hear keynote speeches and attend networking sessions .

I know a few people going over this year for the annual conference and I can't wait to hear their stories . It's something I would like to do in future , but so this year I'll just focus on attending my first district conference .

Toastmasters also runs online conferences and webinars , and you can see on the Toastmasters website the range of webinars , for example , that they provide , and these can be on a range of topics , and it allows members from around the world to participate from the comfort of their home .

And , again , covid probably really drove this as a delivery mechanism for Toastmasters . That needed to adapt , and there's a backlog of webinars that are available for people to jump onto and watch , and I believe they also run them quite regularly online and live as well . It's just another way that Toastmasters helps to bring people together and serve their needs .

Not everyone can get to their district conference or their annual conference . Again , online is changing the way that people meet and connect and learn , so I think it's fantastic that there are a range of in-person and online options available .

One of the other aspects of Toastmasters outside of conferences and webinars and online types of events are the training opportunities , and there are plenty of them . One of the main ones each year in the annual program is club officer training and also area officer training . There's training for each level of leadership within Toastmasters .

So at the club officer training level , these are held certainly in my district twice a year soon after the new executive come in , so around the May June timeframe , and then there's additional training sessions from about November through until March each year .

Each year , because Toastmasters clubs are run by volunteers and they're elected to serve in various roles , such as the President , vice President of Education , vice President of Membership , vice President of Public Relations , treasurer , secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms .

Toastmasters wants to make sure that whoever is in those roles has some semblance of what they're meant to do , what those roles are meant to look like and how to successfully perform them . Club officer training can run anywhere from a day or half a day , or sometimes in the evening .

Usually there's a number of sessions , provided that ensure that people can attend them at a time that suits them , and club office training really equips leaders with the knowledge , skills and resources to effectively help them fulfill their responsibilities and foster a thriving club environment .

I've been to quite a few of these sessions over the last few years in the role of president and vice president publicity , and I've actually run a few of the VPPR training sessions as well .

I enjoy these sessions and even if I may have done the role previously , I'll still always go , because you can always learn something new from someone who's more experienced or someone who's doing something differently or someone who may have experienced the challenges that you might be facing in a particular role .

So I just find them really helpful to attend and see who's doing what in the clubs and hear about how other clubs are going In terms of delivering training .

At club officer training at an area level , it just becomes another speaking opportunity and marketing , for example , is something I enjoy talking about and marketing clubs and how to use social media and how to use various strategies to help to get more members into the club is something I enjoy talking about , and it was great to be able to practice pulling all of

that content together for the couple of club officer training sessions I've presented . While I've not attended district officer training , I understand that it happens in much the same way as club officer training and this is helping to train positions like area directors or division directors to be able to do their roles .

Each year on the Toastmasters calendar , certain things have to be done at certain times , or certainly have to be done by certain deadlines to ensure that competitions can run smoothly or the education program runs smoothly .

So my understanding again is that the executive officer training helps people to understand what those deliverables are , what the deadlines are and how to marshal together teams within your jurisdiction . So , whether it's an area or a division or a district , to help you achieve those goals .

As well as the official officer training , there's also a wealth of resources online on the Toastmasters International website , and even areas and districts around the world put up plenty of material that might explain their processes or might provide guides or the like . That's the nature of Toastmasters there's so much information about how to do different things .

It's really just finding a system that works for you and for your club or for your role . There's also resources for Toastmasters who aren't in leadership positions and are looking just for interactive tutorials or articles or videos , and these can provide information on all manner of topics related to Toastmasters .

You know , whether it is about club management or leadership development or public speaking skills or all the things . There's many , many resources online just to ensure that continuous learning and growth opportunity that Toastmasters promises . So there's plenty of training and plenty of conferences and online versions and in-person versions .

But what are the actual benefits here that a member can expect to get from using or attending these types of activities ? Firstly , there's skill development . By participating in conferences and any of the officer training sessions and other training opportunities , members can enhance their communication , leadership and organizational skills .

This is the foundation of what Toastmasters promises , and really everything it creates is around supporting that mission . So through workshops , seminars and all manner of interactive activities , toastmasters can acquire practical knowledge and techniques that they can apply both in their clubs and in their personal and professional lives .

Secondly is the idea of networking opportunities . All of these activities , whether it's conferences or training , serve as fertile ground for networking and this enables members to connect with like-minded individuals , mentors and industry leaders .

I can't think of a Toastmasters event that I've been to where I didn't come away being amazed and inspired by at least one , if not a number , of people I met there .

I feel that the more that Toastmasters get out into the broader Toastmasters community and hear what other people are doing or what other people have done can just provide so much inspiration as well as creating those communities of like-minded people .

It's always nice to reconnect with people who you may have met the previous year or at a previous conference or previous training , and just to see where they are and how things are going for them . Following on from that is benefit number three , which is about the inspiration and motivation that both conferences and the training sessions provide .

So the conferences feature keynote speakers who share their stories of triumph , resilience and personal growth . You're also seeing top class speakers from around the area compete . This can all be very motivating , and you never know what you're going to hear in one particular speech that will trigger something in you that can truly transform your life .

We're dealing with a lot of speakers who have aspirations about becoming motivational speakers , and so the quality of the speeches and the quality of the information being presented is excellent and very motivational .

Similarly , with the club officer training , it instills a sense of purpose and responsibility which empowers leaders to make positive impact within their own clubs , but also , potentially , their community and workplace . Benefit number four is around personal growth .

Perhaps the most significant benefit of participating in any of the conferences or training opportunities is that opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery . Toastmasters , as I've talked many times on this podcast about , provides a safe and supportive environment where individuals can very much step out of their comfort zones .

In a safe place , they can challenge themselves and unleash their full potential . So , whether it's conquering stage fright , refining leadership skills or honing their storytelling abilities , toastmasters emerge from these experiences stronger , more confident and more resilient . So in wrapping up this episode , let's just recap what we've looked at .

We've looked at how the various area , division and district level conferences hang together and how they flow into the global conference in the States each year .

We've looked at how the online training supports that physical event program and we've also looked at whether it's club officer training or division or district level training provides members the ability and resources to do their allocated roles properly , and we also covered the options that are available on the Toastmasters website to attend online webinars and to access the

whole range of training material out there . As Toastmasters continues to evolve and expand its reach , these mainstays of the Toastmasters calendar , I'm sure , will remain indispensable tools for unlocking the potential within each member . If you're ready to unlock your potential , consider joining a Toastmasters club near you .

Check out the find a club link on the Toastmasters International website at wwwtoastmastersorg . It's worth visiting a couple of different clubs as a guest to see which club best suits you . If you do take the leap and visit a meeting , I would absolutely love to hear your experience .

Feel free to message me at talkativetoastmaster at gmailcom or tag me in the comments if you found this podcast on YouTube , facebook , instagram or Twitter . Thanks for listening to today's show . Head to talkativetoastmastercom , where you'll find the show notes for this and all other episodes , as well as links to some awesome Toastmasters resources .

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