This past weekend, I attended a District Officer Training (DOT) organised by District 95 in Hannover, Germany, with around 40 participants.
Toastmasters International is a volunteer organisation where members improve their communication and public speaking skills in a positive and supportive environment. The core values of Toastmasters are integrity, respect, service and excellence, which bind together more than 270,000 members in 150 countries. For me and many other members, Toastmasters is much more than that. It is also an international community where I have made lifelong friends and continue to learn new things, just as I did at this training.
One of the core principles of the Toastmasters educational program is that it is self-paced and focused on learning by doing. Just like many things in life, the more you put in, the more you get out. We covered many topics, listened to different presentations and shared our experiences with each other. All the topics were related in some way to the mission of the District: to build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence.
On the first day of the training, I gave a presentation on DTM and Building New Clubs. DTM stands for Distinguished Toastmaster and is the highest educational award a member can achieve in Toastmasters. Since we had limited time, I had to quickly shorten my session and make last-minute decisions before starting. It was a challenge, but time is something we highly value and respect in Toastmasters, so I embraced it.
I love the community, which is one of the many reasons I am still very active, even after being a member of the organisation for more than seven years. I highly recommend visiting a club! Meetings vary depending on the club you visit, but they are usually 1–2 hours long, with some prepared speeches, impromptu speeches (which we call Table Topics in Toastmasters) and feedback.
You can see if there is a club near you: Find a Toastmasters Club
Growing, Learning and Connecting: District 95 Training
