Happy New Year to All Members of District 69

2014 is the Chinese Year of the Horse. People born in this year are clever, kind, animated and energetic. While they sometimes talk too much, they are cheerful, perceptive, talented and love to be in the centre of a crowd. Horses are popular among friends, active at work and have a great sense of humour. They sound like Toastmasters to me!!

Interestingly, 2014 is the year of the Green Wood Horse. Wood Horses are strong and stable and have a better ability to make decisions. Excellent at interacting with others, they are successful personally and professionally. Definitely Toastmasters!

Regardless of when you were born, let’s all be a Wood Horses in 2014 – especially at Toastmasters. Let’s make great decisions for ourselves and our personal development.  When we continue to grow our confidence as speakers and leaders we will be successful-personally and professionally.

Let’s ensure that we also make great decisions for our Toastmasters clubs so they are also successful and professional: make 2014 the year of the Wood Horse Toastmaster club!

Another New Year tradition dating back to the ancient Babylonians and Romans is making new year resolutions, setting new goals. I propose that instead of setting new ones, we refocus on the goals we’ve already set. What goals did your Toastmasters club set?  Did you aim to complete a particular Toastmasters award?  Did your club aim for Distinguished? Or did they raise the bar and aim for Select or even President’s Distinguished?  Are you on track to achieve these goals?  “Are you there yet?”

1^st July last year the district team set our goals, raising the bar”

District 69 will be Distinguished in 2014 with a focus on all clubs being strong clubs.

Like Clubs, District has to achieve certain goals to earn the title of Distinguished.  These criteria include:

• the number of clubs in the district.
  By July 2014 we need a minimum of 200 clubs-currently we have 191
• the number of membership payments made
  By July 2014 we need 7,773 membership payments made-currently we have 3,590
• the number of clubs that are Distinguished
  By July 2014 we need at least 78 Distinguished clubs.

Immediately you’ll see how district can’t be Distinguished unless the clubs are Distinguished. And your club can’t be Distinguished unless your members, existing and new, are motivated and continue to grow their skills.

Your district team – Ian Pinker, Lt. Governor Education and Training and Chris Lennon, Lt Governor Marketing have some great ideas and ways that we can all work together to make your club and our District Distinguished!  Their reports are attached – please read them.

                                 District 69 – we are on a countdown.  Five months to go!                                                  

 Let’s show Toastmasters International that we have what it takes to be Distinguished!