Why Attend A Second Club Officer Training?
The Area Director is in charge of under half a dozen clubs. The responsibility is to visit all the clubs at least once every six months, report back to Toastmasters International by filling in a form. Advise the club if they need help finding people to fulfil roles. generally help. Pass on messages from Toastmasters International to the President or VPE so that all the members are kept informaed of changes, events, and opportunities.
When I was area director of S3 one of my clubs said nobody could attend the trainings on the Saturday afternoons allotted. So I offered them an online training just for their club.
I needed to get permission from the Division director. She had to clarify what subjects had to be covered and which resources I could and should use. And to tell me the minimum length of time which every person must spend on the training in order to gain a point for their club. (Four officers had to be trained.)
The two COT trainings are quite different. The first one imparts skills to newcomers and gives an overview of planning ahead for 6 months of meetings, pathways registration, Toastmasters resources, and outlines the responsibilities. All skill related and upbeat.
The second one deals with the sort of problems you deal with later in the year. For example:
conflicts in your team,
people not turning up to meetings and how to motivate them,
declining membership and how to build membership with marketing,
getting your DCP points at the end of the year.
Another vital subject in the second training is planning for succession. How soon do you start looking or dropping hints. How to handover if you are leaving. How to impart skills you have learned and can impart to latecomers. Or whether you can move up to be an area director, or be a club coach.
As with speeches and other roles, if you are facing challenges you can get help. If you are doing well and finding it straightforward you can help those who are floundering and would really like your advice.
For those who join to make friends and network, it is another occasion to bond with their club members, other clubs in the area. The event helps you keep in touch with everybody in charge of your area.
A bonus is that you might get a workshop from a world Champion of public speaking. Followed by a question and answer session.
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About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, blogger, and speaker.
Angela Lansbury is teacher of English. (Advanced English and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, an aspiring polyglot.)
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters speaker training clubs, and speaking contest judge.
Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore.
She has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:
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