A Year of District Service: Adding to A Life Memory Vault

What can district service do for you?

Think about the special moments of life, the moments that a member creates in Toastmasters. One’s memory serves as a personal treasure chest of experiences and these moments enrich one’s inner world. Certainly, most of us remember the day that we gave an icebreaker speech, and the look on the faces of club members as they listened. Even better: the moment of applause following the speech. Members in our clubs enrich our lives through a collection of “golden” memories that are unique to each of us – and yet are shared by certain universal qualities. Some qualities that we all know are the fears of going to the lectern for the first time, and the joy we feel when we hear the applause and words of appreciation from other club members.

The longer one is a member, the more memories you store. Remember getting elected to a club office or completing a project or a Path? Most of us have earned “Best Speaker” ribbons and perhaps awards for Best Table Topics and Best Evaluator too. Life seems a little sweeter as you think about what you have already created, and the doors of experience that you have walked through. We gain confidence as we remember these moments.

Experienced members can open their memory vault and “hold” their memory like a sparkling ornament or keepsake. It’s nice to reflect from time to time and appreciate those special moments. Wouldn’t it be valuable to keep adding to these special Toastmaster moments – especially those moments that prove to be qualitatively different and new? Most Toastmasters never experience applause, recognition and service that comes to us from district service, because they didn’t take a chance and step up.

Consider saying “yes” to a year of district service.

The Toastmaster year starts anew in July, and our district leaders are searching now for Area Directors, committee chairs and committee contributors for the coming twelve months. District service gives us all the chance to work with talented and motivated Toastmasters in a new setting, contributing to the district mission of club growth and education.

I have collected many happy moments in my memory vault as a district leader and know the joy of creating and leading a Toastmasters speech contest, serving on a district-wide committee, volunteering to speak on a panel, and encouraging clubs to break membership goals. I have smiled into an applause moment before a luncheon of 100 Toastmasters. Most Toastmasters have not had these experiences, and they will never know what they are missing – unless they say “yes.”

The year of district service is an opportunity for experienced club officers. Doors open for leaders willing to face new experiences with positive expectancy. “There is always room at the top,” said Daniel Webster. and Our district leaders find that the “top” welcomes them when they hold and practice our common Toastmasters’ values of integrity, respect, service and excellence. District 3 needs new Area Directors (and other positions of service); the benefit is an enriched memory vault that reflects joy and confidence for the rest of your life.

Ready to join a high-performance team? Discover the life-changing benefits of serving as a district leader.

Contact your District Director-elect for 2022-2023, Karen Hewitt at karenhewittDTM@gmail.com

For more information attend the upcoming AD forums:

May 28th 2022: https://aztoastmasters.org/events/area-director-forum-3/

June 4th 2022: https://aztoastmasters.org/events/area-director-forum-2/

District Service Leadership Handbook:

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

 

Dr. Steve Broe,

Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Program Chair 2021-2022