Mission, Values and Envisioned Future

Toastmasters International Mission

We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.

District Mission

We build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence.

Club Mission

We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

Toastmasters International Values:

• Integrity • Respect • Service • Excellence

Toastmasters International Envisioned Future

To be the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership skills development.

4 A self-paced program

4 Speech writing and presenting

4 Weekly interactive meetings

4 Table Topics™

4 Evaluations

4 Participation in meeting roles

4 Opportunity to conduct meetings

4 Small groups

4 Opportunity to fulfill officer roles

4 Affordable dues

4 Flexibility

4 Critical thinking4 Effective presentation

delivery

4 Ongoing experience4 Overcoming fears

4 Thinking quickly

4 Keen listening skills4 Constructive feedback

4 Ease in front of a group

4 Time management skills4 Self-confidence

and poise

4 A supportive environment

4 A positive atmosphere

4 Leadership development opportunities

4 Cost effectiveness

4 Unlimited personal growth

4 Clear communication4 Confidence

4 Skill reinforcement

4 Self-confidence

4 Increased self-awareness4 Positive mentoring

4 Improved leadership skills

4 Effectively lead meetings

4 Relationship-building

4 Leadership growth4 Career advancement

4 Positive return on investment

4 Employee goal achievement

4 Effective employee communication

4 Better leaders

4 Improved morale4 Enhanced performance

4 Better customer communication

4 More productive teams

4 Effective meetings

4 Increased productivity

4 Better teamwork4 Improved retention

4 Better leaders

4 Positive return on investment

FEATURES, BENEFITS AND VALUE

Features Benefits Value to the Individual Value to the Organization

Toastmasters International Flow Chart

The Toastmasters organization is an upside down pyramid with you, themembers, being the most important part of the organization.

Member• District 29 has approximately 2,500 members• Worldwide there are over 300,000 members

• Over 4 million people have been through the Toastmasters program

Club• District 29 has 130 clubs and is growing• Worldwide there are over 13,500 clubs

Area• District 29 has 30 areas (3-6 clubs per area)

• District Governor appoints Area Governors for1- year term

Division• District 29 has 6 Divisions

(4-6 Areas per Division)• Elected for 1-year term

District• 90 Districts Word Wide

• 7 Core officers support themembers

ToastmastersInternational

Rancho SantaMargarita, CA

MAP OF SERVICE TO MEMBERSMembers are the heart and foundation of Toastmasters International. Below is a representation of each service level in support of the member.

Members

Clubs

Areas

Divisions

Districts

Regions

Board of Directors

World Headquarters

Club Executive CommitteePresidentVice president educationVice president membershipVice president public relationsSecretaryTreasurerSergeant at armsImmediate past president

Area Council(Recommended structure)

Area governorAssistant area governor education and trainingAssistant area governor marketingSecretaryClub presidentsClub vice presidents educationClub vice presidents membership

District CouncilDistrict executive committeeClub presidents and vice presidents education

District Executive CommitteeDistrict governorLieutenant governor education and trainingLieutenant governor marketingPublic relations officerSecretaryTreasurerDivision governorsArea governorsImmediate past district governor

Division Council(Recommended structure)

Division governorAssistant division governor education and trainingAssistant division governor marketingArea governors of the division

International OfficersInternational PresidentInternational President-ElectFirst Vice PresidentSecond Vice PresidentImmediate Past International President

International Directors

Region advisors

Achieve Competent Leader award Achieve Competent Communicator or Competent

Toastmaster award Serve at least six months as a Club Officer (President, Vice

President Education, Vice President Membership, Vice President Public Relations, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms) and Participate in the preparation of a Club Success Plan while serving in this office

Participate in a District-sponsored Club Officer training program, while serving as a Club Officer

Conduct any two programs from the Successful Club Series and / or The Leadership Excellence Series

Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB)

New Member(the journey begins)

1 The Ice Breaker 6 Vocal Variety2 Organize your Speech 7 Research Your Topic3 Get to the Point 8 Get Comfortable with Visual Aids4 How to Say It 9 Persuade with Power5 Your Body Speaks 10 Inspire Your Audience

Competent Communicator – (CC)

Achieve the CC award Complete two Advanced Communication Manuals

Achieve the current AC-B award or the old ATM-B award Complete two additional Advanced Communication

Manuals Conduct any two programs from the Better Speaker Series

and/or The Successful Club Series

Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS)

Achieve the current AC-S award or the old ATM-S award Complete two additional Advanced Communication

Manuals Conduct a Success/Communication Program, Success

Leadership Program, or a Youth Leadership Program Coach a new member with the first three speech projects

Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG)

Communication Track

Achieve Advanced Leader Bronze award (or “old” Competent Leader award

Serve a complete term as a District Officer District Governor Lieutenant Governor Education and Training Lieutenant Governor Marketing Public Relations Officer District Secretary District Treasurer Division Governor Area Governor

Complete the High Performance Leadership Program Serve successfully as a Club sponsor, mentor or coach

Leadership Track

Complete the Competent Leadership manual

Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB)

Competent Leader (CL)

Advanced Leader Silver (ALS)

New

Member

TI’s Educational SystemCompetent

Communicator

Competent Leader

AdvancedLeader Bronze

Advanced Communicator

Bronze

Advanced Communicator

Silver

DTMAdvancedLeader

Silver

Advanced Communicator

Gold

To qualify for Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) recognition, you MUST complete the Communication Track AND the Leadership Track.

ADVANCED MANUALSThere are 15 Advanced Manuals

1. Communicating on Television: Television presentations differ from other presentations, and they require special considerations. With this manual, you'll learn to present editorials, appear as a guest on an interview program, conduct a press conference and use television to train.

2. Humorously Speaking: Audiences love to laugh. This manual shows you how to use humorous stories and jokes throughout your speech to grab and keep listeners’ attention and illustrate your points. You also learn how to give an entirely humorous speech.

3. Interpersonal Communications: Topics covered include conversing with ease, negotiating, handling criticism, coaching someone to improve performance, and expressing dissatisfaction effectively.

4. Interpretive Reading: Provides instruction in developing your interpretive reading skills. Projects include presenting stories, poetry, monodrama, plays and oratorical speeches.

5. Persuasive Speaking: The ability to influence and persuade others to accept your ideas, products, or services is vital. The projects in this manual are all designed to help you develop excellent persuasive techniques and expand your presentation skills.

6. Public Relations: Covers building goodwill through a speech, persuading an audience, speaking to a hostile audience, and speaking to the media.

7. Speaking to Inform: Contains information and ideas on the demonstration talk, the fact-finding report, the abstract concept, and resources for informing.

8. Special Occasion Speeches: Provides instruction in giving toasts, speaking in praise, “roasting” someone, and presenting and accepting awards.

9. Specialty Speeches: Covers impromptu speeches, sales presentations, introductions, inspirational speeches, and oral interpretations.

10. Speeches by Management: How to handle a variety of speaking situations managers encounter in the work environment. Topics covered include giving briefings, technical speeches, motivational speeches and status reports.

11. Storytelling: Types of stories covered in this manual include the folk tale, the personal story, stories with morals, the touching story, and the historical story.

12. Technical Presentations: A complete guide to preparing and presenting briefings, proposals, technical papers and team presentations.

13. The Discussion Leader: Provides instruction in the four different methods of leading a group discussion. An ideal manual for managers, trainers, teachers and administrators.

14. The Entertaining Speaker: Includes valuable information on how to give an entertaining or dramatic speech, where to find material, how to make an audience laugh, and what to do when you're asked to speak after dinner.

15. The Professional Speaker: A guide to preparing and presenting the five kinds of speeches professionals give most often. Covers the keynote address, the entertaining speech, the sales training speech, the seminar and the motivational speech.

PROJECT 1

Competent Communicat ion 9

The Ice Breaker EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

For your first speech project,you will introduce yourself to your fellow club membersand give them some informa tionabout your background, interestsand ambitions. Practice givingyour speech to friends or familymembers, and strive to makeeye contact with some of youraudience.You may use notesduring your speech if you wish.Read the entire project beforepreparing your talk.

OBJECTIVES:

4To begin speaking beforean audience.

4To discover speaking skillsyou already have and skillsthat need some attention.

Time: Four to six minutes

By now you’ve heard speech-es by club members andhave probably participated

in Table Topics. This is youropportunity to give your first pre-pared talk and “break the ice.” The best way to begin your

speaking experience is to talkabout a familiar subject – yourself.Of course, this subject is toobroad for a short four- to six-minute presentation. You mustnarrow it by selecting three orfour interesting aspects of yourlife that will give your fellow clubmembers insight and understand-ing of you as an individual. Thesemight include your birthplace,education or family. You couldexplain how you came to be inyour present occupation and tellthe audience something aboutyour ambitions. Or you couldexplain the effect an incident fromyour youth has had on your life.One speaker donned hats as shetalked about her life. She wore achauffeur’s hat as she talked aboutdriving her children to their activities, a fireman’s hat as shediscussed the crises or “fires” sheencountered daily at her work,and a chef ’s hat as she told ofher love of cooking.Once you have the highlights

of your talk in mind, weave theminto a story, just as if you were

telling it to friends around thedinner table. Share significant personal experiences. The morepersonal your talk, the warmerthe relationship will be betweenyou and the audience.

Opening, Bodyand Conclusion Like any good story, your talkneeds a clear beginning and end-ing. Create an interesting openingsentence that captures the audi-ence’s attention. Memorize it, ifnecessary, and use it even if a bet-ter idea occurs to you just beforeyou speak. Then devise a goodclosing and memorize it, too.A memorized beginning and

ending enable you to start andfinish your talk with confidenceand ease. In any speech, it’s best toselect a few main points (three orfour at the most) and emphasizethem by using examples, storiesor anecdotes. If you merely statea fact and then continue, most ofyour audience will miss the point.You should make a point, say itagain in different words, illustratethe point, and then state it oncemore in order to be clearly under-stood. This is a good skill tolearn. Choose your points andillustrations carefully. Too muchinformation may overwhelmthe audience.

1

Competent Communicat ion10

If you think you will need notes, write a briefspeech outline on note cards, which you can placeon the lectern. Refer to them only when you needthem. Remember, you’re speaking, not reading.Many speakers begin by writing out an entirespeech, then breaking it into parts, with a keyword for each part, and finally writing just thekey words on one note card.

Preparing YourselfNow the talk is ready, but are you ready to presentit? Practice the talk until you are comfortable withit. You won’t need to memorize the body of thetalk, since you already know all about the subject.As mentioned earlier, you should memorize theopening and conclusion. Present the talk to a family member, a friend

or your Toastmasters mentor. Ask for comments.They may give you some helpful suggestions. Ifyou have a tape recorder, record the talk and listento it carefully, making any necessary improvements.Using a tape recorder is one of the best ways toimproving your speaking ability.Instead of thinking of this presentation as

“making a speech,” think of it as a talk before agroup of friends, sharing information of interest.Don’t be afraid of the audience. They have alreadyexperienced the same feelings you’re having. Theywant you to succeed and they’re eager to help you!Appearance is important. Be well-groomed

and appropriately dressed for your presentation.When you look right, you feel good about your-self. You’ll then forget about your appearance andconcentrate on your talk. You will have increasedconfidence because you know you’ve made a goodfirst impression with the audience.

Presenting Your TalkOnce you’ve prepared and practiced your talk,relax. Nervousness is common to every speaker, nomatter how experienced. In fact, you can put thisnervous energy to work for you by using it to addexcitement to your delivery. No one is going tonotice a little quavering in your voice, and it willsoon disappear anyway as you become involvedwith what you’re saying. (More information aboutcontrolling nervousness appears on page 72.)While being introduced, take a deep breath and

slowly exhale. This will help your voice sound res-onant and natural. Begin by facing the Toastmaster

and saying, “Mr. (or Madam) Toastmaster,”then face the audience and say, “Ladies andgentlemen…” or “Fellow members and guests…”Pause, then begin with your memorized opening.While speaking, make “eye contact” with

various members of the audience, first lookingdirectly at one person for a few seconds, thenlooking at another, so people feel included in yourtalk. As you do this, glance periodically at thetimer. If the red light comes on while you’re talking,move smoothly to your conclusion and finishquickly. Observe time limits whenever you speak. Don’t worry about what to do with your hands.

Leave them at your sides if this makes you morecomfortable. You’ll have opportunities to practice“body language” later.Finish with your memorized conclusion. Some

speakers say “thank you” at the very end to signalto the audience that they are finished, but this isnot necessary. Instead, after you say your conclud-ing words, nod at the Toastmaster of the meetingand say, “Mr. (or Madam) Toastmaster” and enjoythe applause.

Your EvaluationAfter you finish, you’ll probably begin evaluatingyourself even before you return to your seat. Youmay think you left out some of the best parts.Every speaker thinks that. Just congratulate your-self on having delivered your first speech, thenwrite down the things you did well and the thingsyou want to improve to make your next speecheven better. To supplement your self-evaluation, an experi-

enced club member has been assigned to evaluateyour efforts. Before the meeting begins, give thismanual to your evaluator so he or she may makenotes on the evaluation page of this project. Thisgives you a permanent record of your progress. Ifyou want the evaluator to observe something in par-ticular, be sure to inform the evaluator in advance.Ask other members for additional comments

after the meeting (some may give you their ownbrief written comments during the meeting). Allof these comments may not be useful to you, butyou should consider them carefully. Remember,each evaluation is an opinion of how that personperceived you and your presentation. These opin-ions usually (but not always) will be helpful toyour self-development.

Competent Communicat ion 11

SPEAKER’S CHECKLIST

4 Bring this manual to the meeting whenever you are scheduled to speak.

4 Review your presentation with your mentor.

4 Discuss any special points with your evaluator before giving the speech.

4 Give the evaluator your manual before you speak, so he or she can make written commentson your performance.

4 Have the vice president education initial the “Project Completion Record” on page 80 afteryou complete each project. This will give you credit toward your CompetentCommunicator (CC) certificate.

4 Don’t be discouraged if your evaluator “missed the point.” Evaluators have varying degreesof experience in speaking, and evaluation is a “learn by doing” skill, just as speaking is.

4 If you have not already done so, read Effective Evaluation (Item 202). It will help youunderstand how to get the most out of the Toastmasters program.

Competent Communicat ion12

Evaluation Guide for

The Ice BreakerTitle __________________________________________________________________________________

Evaluator ______________________________________________ Date __________________________

Note to the Evaluator: In this speech the new member is to introduce himself/herself to the club and beginspeaking before an audience. The speech should have a clear beginning, body and ending. The speaker hasbeen advised to use notes if necessary and not to be concerned with body language. Be encouraging and pointout the speaker’s strong points while gently and kindly mentioning areas that could be improved. Strive to havethe speaker look forward to giving another speech. Your evaluation should help the speaker feel glad aboutjoining Toastmasters and presenting this speech. In addition to your verbal evaluation, please write answersto the questions below.

4What strong points does the speaker already have?

4 How well did the audience get to know the speaker?

4 Did the speech reflect adequate preparation?

4 Did the speaker talk clearly and audibly?

4 Did the speech have a definite opening, body and conclusion?

4 Please comment on the speaker’s use of notes.

4What could the speaker have done differently that would have improved the speech?

4What did you like about the presentation?

Club Leadership / Executive Team Skills You Will Gain President- Serves as the club’s chief executive officer,

responsible for general supervision and operation of the club. He or she will preside at the club and executive committee meetings directing the club in a way that meets the educational growth and leadership needs of its members. With the executive team, the president establishes long-termand short-term goals for the club according to the distinguished club plan.

Vice President Education- Responsible for planning successful meetings and

promoting the educational program for the club. This includes making and maintaining a club schedule of meeting roles, assisting the toastmaster and general evaluator in organizing themeeting, reporting educational completions, recognizing member achievements and assigning mentors.

Vice President Membership- Implements a continuous membership plan for

maintaining membership. Orients new members, assists with assigning mentors, keeps an accurate club roster, works the hotline leads and promotes member satisfaction and retention. This person should also education all members on the proper way to fill out the membership application.

Vice President Public Relations- Develops and directs all marketing efforts internal

and external of the club. This includes but is not limited to a club newsletter, website, news releases and publicity of events and meetings.

Secretary- The keeper of the records is responsible for all club

records and correspondence, recording minutes of the business meetings and ordering supplies. Club records can also include a copy of every club agenda and attendance at meetings.

Treasurer- Responsible for all club financial transactions and

records. This includes the timely submission of new member applications and the semi-annual report as well as collecting the dues and working with the bank.

Sergeant-at-Arms- Handles the logistics of the club meeting – reserves

the room, sets up and cleans up – in addition to keeping the club’s property and opening the club meetings. This person also serves as the Master Host in welcoming people and arranging for food, if necessary.

Problem solving, decision making, organization, teambuilding, delegation, assessing and developing skills in others, communicating a vision, performance tracking, motivating others, conflict resolution.

Planning, coordinating, scheduling, motivating others,conflict resolution, mentoring, tracking individual performance

Establishing objectives, salesmanship, member focused, telemarketing, motivating others, planning a strategy, teamwork

Delegating marketing tools, oral and written communication, networking, teamwork

Written communication, record keeping, good listener

Detail oriented, record keeping, organization, time management

Meeting facilitation, protocol, parliamentary procedure, conflict resolution

TIPS FOR GUESTSA typical Toastmasters Meeting

(Page - 1)

1. Relax! You will not be called upon to speak unless you wish to speak. However, you willprobably be asked to introduce yourself and share such information how you heard about Toastmasters. Each meeting has an agenda in which tasks are assigned to various members and each meeting has an emcee called a Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD).

2. You might hear the following terms (some of the roles are not filled in every club):

The PRESIDING OFFICER, or SERGEANT-AT-ARMS, ( SAA) opens and closes the meeting.

The INVOCATION, INSPIRATIONAL OPENING, or OPENING THOUGHT is a motivational way to begin the meeting. The INSPIRATIONAL CLOSE or CLOSING THOUGHT presents a similar thought, story, or saying at the end of the program.

The TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY introduces the various participants on the agenda.

The SPEAKER gives a prepared speech using one of the many Toastmasters manuals, usually 5 to 7 minutes.

The EVALUATOR provides oral, effective feedback to the speaker by praising what worked well and giving tactful suggestions for improvement (also gives a written evaluation in the manual).

The TABLE TOPICS MASTER selects a topic or topics of general interest and asks questions of those in the audience that do not have major speaking roles; the answer to the question should be given in 1 to 2 minutes. A guest may be asked to volunteer, but it is not mandatory to respond.

The MASTER EVALUATOR or GENERAL EVALUATOR provides constructive suggestions for all who participated and evaluates the evaluators, but should never evaluate the speakers.

The GRAMMARIAN introduces the Word of the Day,( WOD) and gives a report regarding usage of the WOD and points out the grammatical errors and filler words used etc. and praises creative language usage such as a colorful phrase.

The AH COUNTER counts audible pauses such as ah, uh, and um.

The TIMER records the number of minutes used by each speaker, evaluator and Table Topics respondent. Timing cards, or lights, are used to signal speakers as to time used. A green light or card is shown when the speaker has met the minimum time allotted, a yellow light or card is shown when the speaker is half way between the minimum and maximum time allotted, and a red light or card is shown when the speaker reaches the maximum time allotted. All speakers have a 30-second grace period to wrap up once the red light or card appears.

TIPS FOR GUESTSA typical Toastmasters Meeting

(Page - 2)

3. You might hear the following acronyms:

TM Toastmaster, granted to every member when they first join a club.CC Competent Communicator (finished 10 speeches from the 1st manual)ACB Advanced Communicator BronzeACS Advanced Communicator SilverACG Advanced Communicator GoldCL Competent Leadership ( finished the 1st leadership manual)ALB Advanced Leadership BronzeALS Advanced Leadership SilverDTM Distinguished Toastmaster, granted to every member who completes the entire

Toastmasters Communication and Leadership program. VPE Vice President of Education for the clubVPPR Vice President Public Relations for the clubVPM Vice President MembershipAG Area Governor ( Appointed by District Governor for 1 year term)LGET Lt. Governor Education & Training (elected for 1 year term )LGM Lt. Governor Marketing (elected for 1 year term )DG District Governor ( elected for 1 year term )IPDG Immediate Past District GovernorPDG Past District GovernorRA Regional AdvisorID International DirectorIP International PresidentAS Accredited SpeakerATM Able Toastmaster*ATMB Advanced Toastmaster Bronze*ATMS Advanced Toastmaster Silver*ATMG Advanced Toastmaster Gold*CTM Competent Toastmaster*DCP Distinguished Club PlanPID Past International DirectorPIP Past International PresidentTLI Toastmaster Leadership InstituteWHQ World Headquarter

YOU ARE INVITED TO:APPLAUD after the introduction of each participant and at the conclusion of the duty performed.TELL the presiding officer about your perception of the meeting or tell the person who invitedyou.JOIN the Club or continue to visit as often as you like. If you would like to join, contact any member of the club, or the member who invited you.