Central & South Texas District 55 “Trio” leadership Yiting Liu (District Director), Kevin Clark (Program Quality Director), and Dawn Colvin (Club Growth Director) arrived in Anaheim, CA on August 11th for Toastmasters International District Leader Training.
On Day 1 of training, the District 55 trio met with all leaders from 150 countries for networking, building relationships, and establishing support groups. This empowers District 55 leaders to connect with other leaders from out of state and country for support and advice on best practices. By the end of the day, each leader teamed with an Accountability Partner from another district for further networking opportunities and preparation for the next day’s training.
On Day 2, leaders engaged with their Accountability Partners and others in guided brainstorming exercises to identify and plan best practices for improving district operations and program quality. Meanwhile, the D55 contest and Region 3 Quarterfinal winner for the International Speech Semi-final Competition Luisa Montalvo arrived and engaged in a competition planning meeting with the trio at dinner.
Wednesday marks the first day of the Toastmasters International Convention, celebrating the 100th year of Toastmasters. At a Board of Directors meeting, strategies in district realignment were discussed; the main idea is that each district must have over 100 clubs that are in good standing. In addition, a new Smedley Distinguished program for club level was introduced that has the capacity to offer recognition for exemplary districts. Time was spent among the Trio to review the District Success Plan and renew the District Core Values. District leaders shall then work to implement them throughout the next year.
To mark the opening of the convention, a ceremony recognizes all of the countries that host Toastmasters meetings. Normally, a representative of each country carries their national flag. However, for countries that are unable to send a district leader, a representative is appointed to bear the flag. District 55 Director Yiting Liu will be carrying the national flag for Mongolia during the opening ceremony on August 14th.
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