an informational report for use by club/district leaders ... · an informational report for use by...

LEEdership LEGACY SERIES™ An Informational Report for Use by Club/District Leaders of Toastmasters International

Written and Provided Courtesy of

Cassandra “D.I.V.A. of Dialog™” Lee, DTM

The 1st District Director for District 103 Toastmasters

This Issue Features the Report:

“Insight, Method, and Format for Conducting Joint Area and

Division Council Meetings”

A Leadership Resource for Area Directors, Division Directors and District TRIO Members

@ 2019 Cassandra “D.I.V.A. of Dialog™” Lee, DTM ● The 1st District Director for District 103 Toastmasters (2017-2018) 2017-2018 District 103 Theme: “Express Your G.I.F.T.S.” – Goals ● Initiative ● Focus ● Technical Skills ● Strengths

E-MAIL [email protected] CALL 773.592.2930 VISIT WWW.DIVAOFDIALOG.COM 2

BACK STORY In the 2014-2015 club year, I served as Division Governor for the South (S) Division of District 30 Toastmasters. This was the second time in my leadership career with Toastmasters that I served as Division Governor. This second-time leadership opportunity gave me a chance to:

• Develop further my management skills;

• Improve upon my delegation skills;

• Continue to learn about Toastmasters from a district perspective;

• Prepare myself to take on more district-level leadership roles; and

• Serve as the last group of leaders known as “Governor.” It is said that you usually “learn more,” “understand better” or “get more out of something” – the second time around. I would say that was true for me in the role of Division Governor. On the second time around, I understood better the concept of:

Area and Division Council meetings.

PURPOSE My new-found understanding of Area and Division Council meetings influenced how I and my Area Governors used Area and Division Council meetings when I was Division Governor. My new-found understanding also influenced how I taught my District 103 team of Area and Division Directors to use Area and Division Council meetings when I was District Director. Finally, my new-found understanding of Area and Division Council meetings inspired the creation of this leadership resource. In its pages, you will find insights, understanding, method, and formats for using Area and Division Council meetings in your role as a district leader. Are you ready to learn what I discovered? Great! Let’s begin.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.divaofdialog.com/



INSIGHT #1 Toastmasters International includes Area and Division Council meetings in the District Leadership Handbook. Area and Division Council meetings are a part of the district structure. Area and Division Council meetings are tools which can be used by Area and Division Directors to provide support to clubs in their area and division, respectively. This information gave me the insight that Area and Division Council meetings were a collective and collaborative way to help our clubs be successful in the club year.

INSIGHT #2 According to the Toastmasters International District Leadership Handbook, a DIVISION COUNCIL meeting is comprised of the following members:

• Division Director,

• Assistant Division Director Program Quality,

• Assistant Division Director Club Growth, and

• Area Directors within the division. The Division Director oversees the DIVISION COUNCIL meeting in-person at least twice in a club year. The Division Director and members of the Division Council use the DIVISION COUNCIL meeting to:

• “Manage division activities;

• Facilitate the achievement of club, area, division, and district goals; and

• Help with administrative activities, such as division contests, meetings, and training.”

The Division Director notifies attendees at least four weeks before each meeting. This information from the District Leadership Handbook provided me with two key insights. First, as Division Governor, I needed at least two assistants helping me at the division level. These two assistants would focus on the same initiatives at the division level in which TRIO members focused on at the district level. The Assistant Division Director Program Quality would be my assistant for getting club officers to club officer training and promoting division and district events, such as, speech contests and conferences. The Assistant Division Director Club Growth would be my assistant for building new clubs and retaining existing clubs within the division.



http://www.toastmasters.org/resources/district-leadership-handbook





Needless to say, this insight would have been helpful to follow. Why, you ask? Because the South Division did well statistically with having club officers trained and getting members to participate in speech contests. Unfortunately, several clubs closed and were not replaced, preventing the South Division from becoming a Distinguished Division in the 2014-2015 club year. Second, as Division Governor, I could use DIVISION COUNCIL meetings as a way to reward achievement and seek assistance. At my DIVISION COUNCIL meetings, I could recognize the achievement of club, area, division, and district goals. Plus, I could get more collaborative assistance from club leaders to help run division events, such as club officer trainings and speech contests. This insight was followed. Leaders and members of the South Division assisted my South Division team by serving as trainers and facilitators for club officer trainings, as well as, functionaries and contestants for division speech contests. Furthermore, as Division Governor, I used DIVISION COUNCIL meetings as an opportunity to make visible the South Division team. I publicly recognized them before the members and leaders of the South Division. This public recognition made club members aware of district-level leadership positions. Plus, this public recognition made club leaders aware of the purpose and benefit of their assigned Area Governor.

INSIGHT #3 In addition to providing details on DIVISION COUNCIL meetings, the Toastmasters International District Leadership Handbook also provides details on AREA COUNCIL meetings. It states that an AREA COUNCIL meeting is comprised of the following members:

• Area Director,

• Assistant Area Director Program Quality,

• Assistant Area Director Club Growth,

• Area Secretary,

• Club Presidents,

• Club Vice Presidents Education, and

• Club Vice Presidents Membership.

Here is the 2014-2015 South Division Team from left to right: S56

Area Governor Jerome Rowley; S53 Area Governor Dushun

Mosley; S54 Area Governor Lawrence Fields; South Division

Governor Cassandra “D.I.V.A. of Dialog™” Lee; S55 Area

Governor D. Marie Smith; S51 Area Governor Towanna Jelks; and

S52 Area Governor Mary Reed.






The Area Director oversees AREA COUNCIL meetings in-person at least twice in a club year. The Area Director and members of the Area Council use the AREA COUNCIL meeting to:

• “Manage area activities and

• Support each club in the area of fulfilling the club mission.” The Area Director notifies attendees at least four weeks before each AREA COUNCIL meeting. From this information, the real eye-opener for me was realizing my Area Governors needed a larger team to manage their AREA than I did to manage the DIVISION. The Assistant Directors Program Quality and Club Growth would perform similar duties as their counterparts at the division and district levels. Another eye-opener was realizing my Area Governors could have an Area Secretary on their team. This is brilliant, don’t you think? As I see it, an Area Secretary can assist with sending out administrative-type e-mails, such as,

• “Prepare for Your Area Director Visit”;

• “Participants Needed for Area Speech Contests”; and

• “Attend the S53 Area Council Meeting on July 30.” An Area Secretary can also assist with creating an area newsletter which highlights the events, achievements, and news regarding clubs in the area. The final eye-opener for me was realizing the top three officers of every club in the area were members of the area team. By having the Club Presidents, Vice Presidents Education, and Vice Presidents Membership as part of my Area Governors team, we gained better knowledge of the clubs we needed to help by assigning a Club Coach, as well as, the clubs we couldn’t save because they were definitely closing.

METHOD The insights I gained from these sections of the Toastmasters International District Leadership Handbook did help me to realize Area and Division Council meetings were tools to help me and my Area Governors to better manage the South Division. However, I recognized time was limited and tasks were plentiful. My team and I were pressed for time with all of the duties and responsibilities we had on our schedules from work, life, and Toastmasters. We shared concern about how we could schedule and conduct Area and Division Council meetings while we were







conducting area visits, planning speech contests, installing club officers, attending DEC meetings, and submitting Area Visit Reports! That’s when I got a brainstorm.

Conduct joint Area and Division Council meetings!

I saw this as a great idea because joint Area and Division Council meetings would give my Area Governors a chance to meet the requirement of conducting council meetings. It would also boost their confidence with leading their Area Council meeting. The joint Area and Division Council meetings format would also give our division team a chance to be together:

• At the same time

• In one location conducting council meetings for ALL areas within our division. I am pleased to say, the joint Area and Division Council meetings idea worked! My South Division team was able to conduct two joint Area and Division Council meetings within the club year.

FORMATS The secret to our success for using joint Area and Division Council meetings was in the format we used. I, as Division Governor, found a location large enough for all six of my Area Governors and their council members. In addition, I served as host of the council meeting giving opening and closing remarks, as well as, facilitating general training sessions. My Area Governors served as the facilitators for their individual Area Council meeting. They led the group conversations. They focused on best practices for each club. They

Area S53 Governor Dushun Mosley meets with Amy Clay, President of Toast of Oakdale Toastmasters Club. She was able to receive one-on-one help with the pending closure of her club.

VPE of Renaissance Bronzeville Toastmasters club, Michelle Ingram, shared her thoughts in the Area S54 council meeting led by Area Governor Lawrence Fields.





recognized the achievements of their clubs and members. They also shared practical solutions for the challenges faced by their clubs. Here is the format we used for our very first joint Area and Division Council meeting: SAMPLE FORMAT #1 Welcome Cassandra R. Lee, DTM, South Division Governor

Invocation/Prayer/Words of Inspiration

Purpose of It All Cassandra R. Lee, DTM, South Division Governor

Area Council Meetings South Division Area Governors and Area Council Members

Wrap-Up Cassandra R. Lee, DTM, South Division Governor

Awards/Announcements/Comments/Questions

Adjourn Cassandra R. Lee, DTM, South Division Governor

In the next format, you will notice the South Division team conducted the joint Area and Division Council meeting in conjunction with make-up training for club officers. This was done by the August 31 deadline for club officer training. In addition, the South Division team provided a training session for teaching and preparing speech contest judges – at the same event. Take a look at sample format #2 below.

Area S55 Governor D. Marie Smith (left) and Area S56 Governor Jerome Rowley (right) lead their Area Council meetings on July 30 at Christ Universal Temple. Club leaders were appreciative of the opportunity to learn from fellow club leaders.





SAMPLE FORMAT #2

When I was District Director, I provided my Area and Division teams with a more refined format of the joint Area and Division Council meetings. In the format below, you will notice I asked them to schedule their second-round of club officer training along with their Area and Division Council meetings. They, too, were asked to secure a location large enough for a main room along with six to seven breakout rooms. Enough space to accommodate all Area Directors and their Area Council members.





In addition, I provided them with a “script” of what to discuss during each segment of the agenda. Take a look at sample format #3 below: SAMPLE FORMAT #3

AGENDA 4:30 p.m. Doors Open 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Registration Begins with Networking and Light Dinner 5:10 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Opening Remarks Delivered by Division Director

NOTE: Division Director will serve as MC for event 5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. GENERAL SESSION #1: “Building on Achievement for Continued

Success” DISCUSS: Moments of Truth; Club Success Plans; and Best Practices of Club. Require MOT and CSP be completed BEFORE training

Facilitated by: Program Quality Director, Division Director OR Seasoned DTM of D103 as GUEST SPEAKER 6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. BREAK (move to breakout rooms for Club Officer Role Breakout

Sessions) 6:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSION #1: Club Officer Role Breakout Sessions

DISCUSS: Duties and Responsibilities for Role; Review Calendar and Resources for Role; Share Best Practices for Role; Answer Questions About Role. Require Use and Review of Club Leadership Handbook Facilitated by: Area Directors and/or Seasoned DTMs of D103

7:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. BREAK (move to breakout rooms for Area Council Meetings) 7:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSION #2: Area Council Meetings

DISCUSS: Status of Clubs in Distinguished Club Program (i.e. list of educational awards earned, number of members recruited, along with stats for round one club officer training, dues paid, and club officer lists submitted); Distribute club and/or member awards; Secure date, time, and location of Area Table Topics and International Speech Contests; Distribute flyers for any upcoming area, division, and/or district events; Answer Any Pending Questions; Complete Survey Using QR code and SurveyMonkey.com; Make Closing Remarks; Adjourn. Require Review of Distinguished Performance Reports on TI Website Facilitated by: Area Directors and/or District Leaders





WRAP-UP What do you think? Do you now have a better understanding of the purpose for Area and Division Council meetings? Is it helpful to know who makes up your Area Council or your Division Council? Are the sample formats useful for you? Overall, I found the joint Area and Division Council meetings allowed me and my division team to bring our clubs together for information, recognition, and support. In addition, I found the joint Area and Division Council meetings maximized time for my district team while providing the second-round of club officer training. Test it out for yourself and your team.

See how it works for you and your Area, Division, and/or District team. If you are an Area Director, see if the insights, method, and formats provided here boosts your confidence level with hosting an Area Council meeting. If you are a Division Director, see if the insights, method, and formats provided here give you direction and guidance for hosting a successful Division Council meeting. If you are a District Director, see if the insights, method, and formats provided here help to increase the number of club officers trained and clubs supported within your district. I believe when you follow the insights, method, and formats provided here, you and your Area, Division, and District teams will have more success in encouraging, educating, informing, and supporting your clubs. Much success to you with using joint Area and Division Council meetings!





ABOUT THE D.I.V.A. OF DIALOG™

MISSION: Education and Empowerment.

PASSION: Teaching through Speaking.

These motivators have guided Distinguished Toastmaster Cassandra “D.I.V.A. of Dialog™” Lee to dedicate her life and career to using Divine Inspiration Vocally Applied™ to educate and empower professional audiences toward workplace satisfaction and career success. She is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach who has educated and empowered over 50,000 participants with “a learning good time” in over 1,800 seminars nationwide.

A 21-year veteran of Toastmasters International, she has demonstrated her servant leadership to this world-wide organization by helping members become better speakers and stronger leaders for the benefit of their jobs, careers, families, and communities.

In the 2017-2018 club year, she became the first District Director for the newly formed District 103 Toastmasters. She encouraged club members, club leaders, district leaders – including herself – to “Express Your G.I.F.T.S.” This district theme made everyone conscious of using their Goals, Initiative, Focus, Technical Skills, and Strengths to achieve personal, professional, and Toastmasters success. Below is a synopsis of how she has expressed her G.I.F.T.S. throughout her Toastmasters experience:

Goals (the end toward which effort is directed)

• Start a club that serves as a quality, professional development resource for the Greater Ashburn community on the Southside of Chicago (ACHIEVED: March 23, 2005 with the formation of the Wrightwood-Ashburn Overcomers (WAO) Toastmasters Club #771880)

• Become a Distinguished Toastmaster (ACHIEVED: January 2010)

• Earn the Excellence in Program Quality Award (ACHIEVED: June 2017)

• Become the first woman in District 103 to become an Accredited Speaker with Toastmasters International (IN PROGRESS)





Initiative (the energy and desire that is needed to do something)

AND

Focus (directed attention)

Technical skills (abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks that are

practical and often related to mechanical, IT, mathematical, or scientific)

• Participated as a guest speaker during the D30 Retention Chair Virtual Educational Series in 2015

• Incorporated technology into every WAO club meeting during “The Year of Technology” in 2015-2016

• Created six (6) quick tip videos on recruitment and retention as the 2015-2016 Club Retention Chair

• Facilitated the January 2016 “WAO Wednesday Virtual Workshops” series

• Conducted the 2016-2017 monthly PQD/VPE Teleseminar Series featuring the “7 Habits of Extremely Productive VPEs”

• Incorporated video-based inspirational messages at District 103 DEC meetings featuring guest speakers Darren Hardy and 2017-2018 Toastmasters International President Balraj Arunasalam, DTM

• Facilitated a team-building workshop for District 103 DEC members during virtual meeting in February 2019

YEAR ROLE(S)

2018-2019 District 103 Immediate Past District Director (IPDD); WAO Treasurer

2017-2018 District 103 Director (DD)

2016-2017 District 30 Program Quality Director (PQD); WAO Club President (President’s Distinguished)

2015-2016 Club Retention Chair; Wrightwood-Ashburn Overcomers (WAO) VPE (President’s Distinguished)

2014-2015 South Division Governor; Toast of Oakdale SAA; WAO SAA (President’s Distinguished)

2013-2014 WAO Club President, VPE, VPPR (President’s Distinguished)

2012-2013 WAO Vice President Education (President’s Distinguished)

2011-2012 WAO VPE, VPPR and Treasurer (President’s Distinguished)

2010-2011 WAO VPPR and Treasurer (President’s Distinguished)

2009-2010 WAO Club President (President’s Distinguished)

2008-2009 WAO Vice President Education (Select Distinguished)

2007-2008 WAO Club President, VPE and Treasurer

2006-2007 WAO VPE and Treasurer (Select Distinguished)

2003-2005 WAO Club Sponsor, Mentor and Treasurer

2002-2003 ABA SPEAKeasies Vice President Education

2002-2003 Conference Chair District 30 Fall 2002 Conference

2001-2002 Central Division Governor

2001-2002 Co-Chair District 30 Spring 2002 Conference

2000-2001 ABA SPEAKeasies President and VPE

2000-2001 Area Governor for Central Division

1999-2000 ABA SPEAKeasies President

1998-1999 ABA SPEAKeasies Secretary and Treasurer





NOTE: Visit either www.youtube.com/DIVAofdialog or http://wao.toastmastersclubs.org for many of these resources.

Strengths (a strong attribute or inherent asset

• Strengths

• Analysis

• Commitment

• Communication

• Creativity

• Decisiveness

• Empowering and developing others

• Financial literacy

• Goal-achievement

• Organization

• Resourcefulness

• Service orientation

• Strategic thinking and planning

• Team building

BRING THE D.I.V.A. OF DIALOG™ TO YOUR COMPANY Need more information on distinguished Toastmaster Cassandra “D.I.V.A. of Dialog™” Lee, visit:

• District 103 Toastmasters at http://www.d103tm.org;

• WAO Toastmasters Club at http://wao.toastmastersclubs.org; and/or

• D.I.V.A. of Dialog™ website at http://www.divaofdialog.com. Want to bring her to your company for a 90-minute lunch-n-learn program; half-day training; or a full-day seminar? Visit http://www.divaofdialog.com to complete an Event Request Form to schedule your program. Mention this report for a 75% discount off her speaking fee.



http://www.youtube.com/DIVAofdialog

http://wao.toastmastersclubs.org/

http://www.d103tm.org/

http://wao.toastmastersclubs.org/





EVENT REQUEST FORM Complete the following form to bring the D.I.V.A. of Dialog™ to your next event:

Code #_______________________________________ Name_________________________________ Title __________________________________ Company/School______________________________________________________________ Address1____________________________________________________________________ Address2____________________________________________________________________ City____________________________________State_______________Zip_______________ Phone______________________________________Fax______________________________ Email________________________________________________________________________

Please provide details on the event in which you need the D.I.V.A. of Dialog™ to speak:

Name of Event ____________________________________________________________ Type of Event_____________________________________________________________ Purpose of Event___________________________________________________________ Expected Attendance_______________ Percentage: Male__________Female__________ Admission Fee______________ Date Preference #1____________ #2_______________ Location of Event___________________________________________________________

Service Needed for Your Event:

Become Your Career Coach Conduct a 1-hour Workshop Conduct a 2-hour Workshop Conduct a 4-hour Workshop Conduct a 6-hour Workshop Deliver a Keynote Speech

Moderate a Panel Participate on a Panel Serve as Guest of Your Radio Show Serve as Guest of Your TV Show Serve as Mistress of Ceremonies Other________________________

Budget for Event (e.g. $2,500; $4,500-6,000)________________________________________ Comments:___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Mail completed form to SSANEE Training & Consulting Group, Inc., P.O. Box 804546, Chicago, IL

60680 or e-mail it to [email protected].




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