by Jacquelyn Martin DTM Division F Director
December can be a crazy time of year between preparing for guests, attending a plethora of holiday parties, and getting all of those gifts purchased and wrapped. With everything else on your plate, it is easy to neglect your Toastmasters responsibilities.
Let me encourage you to stay engaged in Toastmasters as a member, a club officer, or as an elected or appointed officer at the Area, Division, or District level. Our (yours and my) participation at every level makes a difference.
Review the goals you made for your Toastmasters year. If you haven’t accomplished them yet, you still have a few weeks to do so. If you are in a large club with limited opportunities to speak or evaluate, find one of the many clubs in the district who could really use an additional speaker or evaluator, or any role player for that matter. If you aren’t sure which club to choose, reach out to your Area Director. They know when their clubs meet, and which ones would really appreciate a friendly face and fresh perspective.
This is also an ideal time to knock out your officer training at the last TLI of the season on December 12th. You can easily register for it on the events calendar of the D25 website. These TLIs are for everyone. The individual officer trainings are a great way to explore the different offices to prepare for future involvement. If you are working towards your DTM, the supplemental session on Club Coach and Club Mentor could be invaluable.
Your presence is important at club meetings. Sign up for or confirm your role in advance. If there is a role you have been reluctant to take, step up and out of your comfort zone and accept it. If you have been faithfully attending your club meetings, thank you. Take note of who has missed a meeting or two or three and send them a quick text or email and encourage them to come back and let them know they are missed. You might be surprised at what is happening in the lives of your fellow members. Some just need to know that they are seen, others may be in the middle of a health or other crisis and could really use a helping hand.
Finally, before the end of the year I encourage you to take a few minutes and chart a course for your Toastmaster experience in 2026. If you are wanting to get your DTM and haven’t done your year of service, find a current Area Director to shadow and assist. Then, when you step into this role in July, it won’t be like jumping into the deep end of the pool without a life preserver. Your goal might be to complete two or three levels in a Path. Take a look at what is required so you can map out a course to achieve your goal without scrambling at the end of next year. For those of you have been around for a while, look for someone to mentor at the individual and/or club level. Your expertise and encouragement are needed and usually wanted.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas or other holiday you may be celebrating and look forward to hearing how you closed out your Toastmasters calendar year.
