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Status Upgrade: DISTINGUISHED

    Reward and recognition are important in any organisation to show value to those enlisted, through a set framework targeted at different levels.

    Each toastmaster has personal goals and certificates to achieve at their club, starting with the competent series, of communication and leadership, and then they can move onto the advanced manuals. Each meeting also presents an opportunity to gain reward, usually through a ribbon as best speaker, best table topics speaker and best evaluator roles, even more reason to take part!

    The club itself then also has goals to work towards and complete each year, such as having two to four of the members complete their Competent Communication or Leadership certificate. A goal assisting in gauging members’ commitment by renewing membership on time. Here is the full list of obtainable points:

    – Two Competent Communicator (CC) awards given to club members
    – Two more CCs
    – One Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB), Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS), or Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG) recognition given to a club member
    – One more ACB, ACS, or ACG
    – One Competent Leader (CL), Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB), Advanced Leader Silver (ALS), or Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) recognition given to a club member
    – One more CL, ALB, ALS, DTM
    – Four new members added to the club
    – Four more new members
    – Minimum of four club officers attending district-sponsored club officer training during each of the two training periods
    – One dues renewal report and one club officer list submitted on time

    The number of these goals you achieve earns you particular recognition

    Five of the ten goals: Distinguished Club
    Seven of the ten goals: Select Distinguished Club
    Nine of the ten goals: President’s Distinguished Club

    I am happy to announce we completed six goals this Toastmaster year:

    The Toast Rack has successfully reached another milestone in being recognised, now as a DISTINGUISHED CLUB.

    This is a reflection of a great team effort, as it requires both members and the leadership team to continually aim for high standard meetings.

    High standard meetings are a result of members taking up speaking slots and functionary roles. When that happens, Competent Communicator and Competent Leadership certificates follow!

    Congratulations to the members who received certificates – it is a great achievement, showing competence in more than public speaking skills, but also listening skills, critical thinking, motivating, time management, etc.

    A distinguished status cannot be achieved without organising competitions, going to other clubs to pick up top-tips, attending training and workshops, running workshops and running the club in general.

    Given that this is all done on a voluntary and ‘extracurricular’ basis it is quite an achievement and a nice pat on the back for the hard work that it often requires!

    The rewards are bigger than a status, the rewards come in seeing members gain additional speaking and leadership skills, by providing an environment in which members can practice and experiment.