In the Final Analysis – A Message from Your Immediate Past Division Governor

The past 12 months have been interesting, insightful and full of surprises!  Forest Gump taught us, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.”

I would say life in Toastmasters parallels this perfectly.  As a Division Governor (the last one that will ever be because the title is changing to Division Director) you know you are going to be responsible for working with (in my case) 5 appointed Area Governors and you have no idea what you are going to get.  I ended up with a mixed box, two of which had nut filled centers but I won’t say which two.  I personally committed to Chartering five new clubs and had no clue where that was going to take me either.

We set high expectations out of the gate and very early in the year it became evident to everyone that achieving exceptional results was a priority.  In Toastmasters we always talk up the leadership component and in my experience we don’t reflect nearly enough on the leadership experience and the learning opportunities so I made this a priority as I worked with my team throughout the year.  I found myself constantly asking, “What did you learn?”

Here is how our final results looked:

Division G – President’s Distinguished Division 2014/2015

Area G1 – Jocelyn Litiatco, President’s Distinguished Area 2014/2015

Jocelyn served as our Division G Contest Chair for the combined Area International Speech and Table Topics Contest in the spring of 2015.  We witnessed tremendous growth in Jocelyn as she stretched to take on challenging assignments like this.  Thank you for your contributions to the team, we are all very proud of you!  She has decided to continue on in 2015/2016 as the Division G Contest Chair.  Keep up the excellent work!

Area G2 – Linda Robinson, President’s Distinguished Area 2014/2015

Linda was an absolute delight to work with this past year!  She definitely caught the Club Chartering bug!  We inherited a new club start up initiative from the 2013/2014 team and Linda was a key contributor to the success of this Charter.  I can honestly say that Toastmasters of Laguna Beach wouldn’t have launched if Linda and John Barry hadn’t taken the reigns and poured their commitment into this Community Club!  Linda was there every week for months on end and it was her flash of genius that put the icing on the cake and successfully Chartered this club.  Thank you Linda!  Now she’s at it again, won’t be long and the Advance Toastmasters Club, WOW (Wine on Wednesdays) will be official in San Juan Capistrano.  Linda has also committed to the role of Division G Youth Leadership Chair and Founder’s District Conference Co-Chair for the 2015/2016 year.  Go get ‘em Linda!

Area G3 – Iqbal Rana, President’s Distinguished Area 2014/2015

Iqbal was steady with his contributions during his term.  Despite some overwhelming personal and professional challenges he managed to stay on top of his Area Governor duties, get out to visit his initial base of clubs and get his reports submitted in a timely fashion.  Thank you Iqbal for your contributions to the team effort!

Area G4 – Marie-Noelle Palermo, President’s Distinguished Area 2014/2015

Marie-Noelle will outwork most people that is just her nature.  When she takes on an assignment you can count on her to deliver!  I recognized her talent immediately and often joked about the fact that all I needed to do was get her engaged and then get out of her way to make sure I didn’t mess it up!  She is a superstar!  She set the bar super high when she took on the role of Division G Contest Chair for the combined Area Humorous Speech and Evaluation in the fall of 2014!  Marie-Noelle was everywhere this year!  She supported so many initiatives and her contributions were stellar!  Working with her was a blast, I feel blessed that she was a part of this all-star team!  I’m thrilled that she accepted the nomination for Division G Director for 2015/2016, I’m confident that she will do us all proud!

Area G5 – Susan De Laportilla, Distinguished Area 2014/2015

Susan had the toughest Area and we knew this going into the year.  To make matters more challenging she experienced a number of personal difficulties and setbacks that in all honesty would have caused the majority of people to quit!  Susan didn’t quit however, she made the necessary adjustments in order to accommodate the demands on her schedule and fulfill her commitments as Area Governor.  Susan had a character building year and she stood and delivered!  Although we weren’t able to get this Area over the hump and recognized as President’s Distinguished we added two new clubs which will totally change the landscape for the new term.

Most of all we have fun!  Is it possible to be this focused and results oriented and still have a great time?  Absolutely!  We connected with each other, forged new friendships, learned to respect and appreciate our fellow team members for the special skills and contributions that they brought to the group.  Our meetings were energetic, highly productive and socially enjoyable!

We did something absolutely unheard of, we Chartered nine new Toastmasters Clubs and helped with three additional club Charters for other Divisions!  What I learned from this experience was the power of a team of people and how rewarding it can be to work with others who are excited about being part of a group that forms a new club.  In each case new leaders emerged and new clubs were birthed!

Congratulations and thank you to John Barry, Division G New Club Chair!  He and I worked very closely together over this past year.  We faced challenges and obstacles along the way and came out at the other end with our heads held high!

Cindy Carpenter was the featured speaker at almost every one of our Launch/Demonstration Meetings!  Yes, she was our secret weapon and John affectionately dubbed her “The Closer.”  Her commitment to Division G and all of the new club activity that we had on the go was spectacular!  We kept Cindy very busy and she deserves tremendous praise for her efforts!

Jeanne Cassidy was the Division G Contest Chair and you hardly knew that she was there.  Why?  She is so experienced and comfortable with this role that she makes it look seamless!  She’s what I would call plug and play.  All Jeanne needed to know was when and where and then I didn’t even have to worry about getting out of the way because she was gone and before I knew it, it was done!  Thanks to Gwen for connecting me with Jeanne, that was an excellent call!

Lauren Kelly is well known throughout the world of Toastmasters having previously served as Founder’s District Governor and International Director.  She was an excellent resource and welcomed addition to the team in the role of Education and Training Chair!  Lauren lightened my load tremendously by assuming responsibility for Division G Sponsored Club Officer Training and she provided much needed statistical analysis of Division G Clubs and Areas as we entered the last quarter of our term!  She directed our attention to the critical “watch outs” and with this knowledge we were able to influence several outcomes that in turn secured the positive results that we achieved!

It takes a minimum of 20 people to Charter a new club that means we introduced a minimum of 180 people in Division G to the Toastmasters program.  Putting that into perspective, Areas are comprised of 4 to 6 Clubs therefore, we added two new Areas and created leadership and learning opportunities to as many as 63 new Club Officers and 2 additional Area Directors!  We exposed these new members to a proven program for personal and professional development.  We did something that will positively impact many people for years to come, we changed lives!

All of this New Club Chartering activity put added pressures on our team and in some cases stretched people thin.  I was pleasantly surprised and in some cases positively overwhelmed with the way in which our team of volunteers leaned into the additional pressures that were introduced by the growth we experienced!  The Area Governors swooped in behind John and I supported the new clubs as they established roots and laid a foundation for success.  Then more volunteers emerged to take on the six month Club Mentor assignments.  At times it seemed like finding another Mentor was never going to happen but people came out of nowhere to support our efforts.  I’ve always known it’s true and what we experienced proved it, “If you build it, they will come!”

Thank you everyone!  It’s been a slice, you’ve enriched my life and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to partner with you and get to know you on a personal level!

Marshall Northcott, Immediate Past Division G Governor, Founder’s District

President’s Distinguished Division 2014/2015

Tips for Chartering Corporate Toastmasters Clubs

As you make preparations to follow up on leads and begin reaching out to key contacts within corporations and organizations it is important to keep in mind that perceptions will be formed based on your actions and the attitude that you project.  As an ambassador, you are an extension of the Division, District and Toastmasters International.  To the prospect that you are contacting initially there will not be any differentiation.  To them you are Toastmasters!  Therefore, there is a need for professionalism throughout your interactions with people.  Always keep in mind that it is the small things that make a big difference when people are forming their initial opinions and perceptions.  You don’t know what their experiences are, you don’t know what they expect therefore, it is critical that you put your best foot forward.  As you start the chartering process, you will be the primary contact, recognized expert and go to person for answers and information.  Prospects will judge you and also the organization based on their experiences.  Therefore, you are encouraged to keep the following key points in mind:

1. Conduct yourself as you would expect a respected business professional to. Schedule appointments for telephone conversations, meetings, etc. and then honor your commitments.  Your appearance is critical!  Make sure that you dress appropriately.  If you aren’t sure what is acceptable in terms of business attire then ask someone who has more experience and a proven track record of success in the business world.

2. As an organization we promote the advancement of communication and leadership skills. Therefore your “A” game is essential!  Communicate with clarity and accuracy.  If you don’t know the answer to a question there is no shame in not knowing.  Offer to find the answer, do so and then respond with the information requested in a timely fashion.  Always keep in mind that there is a great deal to learn for someone who is new to Toastmasters.  Don’t put a firehouse down their throat and turn on the flow.  Provide enough detail to satisfy their curiosity and concerns and direct them to additional resources that they can digest at their own pace and on their own time.  Gage each person independently and give those who seek in-depth detail everything that they ask for.

3. Be quick to listen and slow to respond. Prepare yourself with questions in advance and seek first to understand the organization, the people you are meeting with, the culture of the company, their experience with Toastmasters and the motivation for their interest in chartering a club.  Listen first and speak second!  The information that is provided will help you better understand the needs that exist, the motivating factors and sense of urgency to move forward.  Information offered will provide you with clarity regarding their internal decision making process and how they intend to introduce Toastmasters to their employees.  The sweet spot is a minimum employee base of 300 which should be enough to start a club and also replenish members as churn occurs.  Be sure to include this question in your initial assessment.  Smaller companies sometimes start off thinking about forming a Corporate Club and then decide to open it up to the community once they understand the dynamics involved.

4. Make it look and sound easy! Remember that you are often collaborating with someone who already has a full time job.  Many of the Corporate Club inquiries that are generated through T.I. originate with someone who was given an assignment or task by a coworker, supervisor or employer.  There is a possibility that they are looking for a reason, justification or excuse for why this isn’t a good idea.  If they think that starting a Toastmasters Club is going to add unwanted workload to an already jammed schedule or the nature of what is required is overwhelmingly complex then they are going to report this information back to the decision makers and kill the opportunity.  That’s why understanding their motivation is vital.  You need to keep things simple!  Your first and most important goal is to explore whether or not there is enough interest to proceed.  The best way to accomplish this is holding an informational session (Lunch and Learn) at their facility.  Ask for a very low level of commitment.  The only thing you need upfront is a confirmed date and their willingness to promote the event and fill the room with as many people as possible.  If upon the completion of this session there is a respectable level of interest (15 or more people) then you can move on to the next step, if not, no harm at least you’ve done your best.

5. Think in terms of next steps! You are the trusted advisor and expert.  Once the ball is in motion your priority is to maintain momentum and keep it moving in a forward direction.  Like an expert strategist you must be thinking about what needs to happen next and where you need to go from where you are.  They don’t know what to do otherwise, they wouldn’t need your assistance.  Therefore, you must take the lead and make sure that you end each conversation, meeting and step in the chartering process with where we need to go from here.  As long as you lead the process in a professional and respectful manner they will trust and appreciate your guidance.

6. Identify an internal champion(s)! If you are on a mission to charter new Toastmasters Clubs then you want to work the process.  With that in mind you need to identify the emerging leaders within the new group that is forming.  The quicker you can get these people to seize ownership of “their” club, the quicker you can move on with confidence to the next start up opportunity.  What their people can and will do behind the scenes and within the company when you’re not there (or able to) will magnify your efforts a thousand fold!  They have access to internal email distribution lists and information that you cannot tap into.  Often, they will take the ball from your initial contact (because they don’t want to be involved) and run in into the end zone!  They are also able to influence others and the outcome that you desire. Look for the people who lean forward a little further, express their excitement and interest in getting involved as more than a member.  Seek those who already have a foundation of leadership skills and core competencies that will help to establish a solid foundation.  Not the ego maniacs, the people who have a servant attitude and the desire to help this new club on the road to success.  Get these people what they need in terms of information and training, set them up for success and then go somewhere else and duplicate the process!

7. Be consistent and timely with your follow up and follow through! Your sense of urgency and responsiveness to questions speaks volumes!  Although we are all volunteers, it is very important that we provide our new club prospects with the highest level of service!  Your sense of urgency will set the pace and will often be reciprocated in their sense of urgency to follow through and expedite the chartering process.  Do as you say you will do, be consistent in your actions and do so quickly as a sign of respect for their time and interest in starting a club.

Starting new clubs is an absolute blast!  It is simple but it isn’t always easy.  It requires some strategic planning and some advancements in the thought process.  It promotes the development of leadership skills and the outcome is tremendously rewarding!  As you begin Chartering Corporate Clubs you will discover that implementing these tips into your routine will make a massive difference in how quickly you are able to expedite the process and the degree of success you experience!

Marshall Northcott, Immediate Past Division G Governor, Founder’s District

2014/2015 President’s Distinguished Division