EXCOM officers’ elections and the wedding planning
EXCOM elections are going to be held during the first meeting of June 2018. We are all invited to stand for one of the 7 roles. Imagine it is a wedding. As guests, we are welcomed, we eat, we drink and we dance. On the other hand we are asked to contribute to marrying couple’s happiness with a generous gift. The wedding event would not run smoothly without the nosy mother-in-law-to-be’s choices, the bride tears, the rings forgotten by the groom and the wedding planners’ organization.
It is a matter of giving and taking. It is a promise we made when joining the club. It is a chance to gain experience as a leader. It is an opportunity to learn by doing. It is a commitment to our personal objectives and to the toastmaster community goals. It is a moment to hone our skills. There are so many reasons.
Let’s go through some examples.
As a president, you will lead and motivate a club. You will set goals and delegate. What a great opportunity if you want to be a business unit director or a team manager. That is being operational before the beginning. Ask more to Camille.
As VP Education, you schedule club member speeches in Easyspeak and Pathways , you keep abreast of the latest education programs and developments and know the members progress. The VP Ed role is a valuable experience as project manager. That’s planning, resource allocation, client requirements awareness and coaching. Ask more to Emilie.
As a VP Membership, you enrol new members. That is key role where promotion skills and empathy are developed with a lot of human touch. A warm welcome, a follow up of guests interest in joining and the clarification about the club objectives and activities are key to a successful club growth. Ask more to Milena.
As a VP Public Relations, you will run the social media, give an account of the events, publish newsletters and promote the club among the members and the outside world. That paves the way to become a community manager, a blogger, a vlogger, a web marketer, a web master, a journalist, a writer, a tool geek, an artist, an newspaper humorist. Ask more to Fabrice
As a Secretary, you make the EXCOM team’s clock tick, keep the record of decisions and planned activities and plan the club meetings and calendars. The role can be compared to the human memory and the little voice in our brains that reminds us what we have to do. Rigor, precision, recalling commitment to deadlines, organizing meetings, writing reports are values and skills sought in any professional field. Ask more to Anne.
As a Treasurer, you pay attention to the cash in and the cash out and know all about the legal intricacies about the club registration at the city hall and at the bank counter. Accounting, budget planning and money talks are your obsessions. Well, that is exaggerated. Money brings satisfaction but not happiness and you know it when resources are limited. Ask more to Francoise
As a sergeant-at-arms, you are a logistics manager . The role can also be seen as the management of all the providers. The event happens in a rented room or in a restaurant. The club deploys the banners, sets up the room, estimates the number of persons present, brings in the material and the equipment. That is another skill valued in many professional fields. Ask more to Amit.
In conclusion, there are seven wedding planning roles and all members get married to their communication and leadership goals.
Description of the roles
Check this link to know more about the roles and the club organization:
http://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/E51A693193F749AE91FD79F6DB839534.ashx
1) PRESIDENT
As the person who sets the tone for the club, you are expected to provide helpful, supportive leadership for all of the club’s activities and be the first to assume responsibility for the progress and welfare of the club. You motivate, make peace and facilitate as required. Though you must occasionally step in and make a difficult decision, rarely do so without consulting club members and other club officers. Strive to show respect for all members, even when you do not agree with them, and provide leadership for all.
2) VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION
As vice president education, you schedule members’ speeches, verify the completion of projects and serve as a resource for questions about education awards, speech contests and the mentor program. You are an important source of Toastmasters knowledge for club members and it is your job to become familiar with all aspects of the Toastmasters education program.
3) VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP
You promote the club and manage the process of bringing in guests and transforming them into members. By initiating contact with guests, helping them feel welcome and providing them with the information they need to join, you help maintain a constant influx of new people into your club. You also attentively monitor membership levels and strategize with the rest of the executive committee about how to overcome membership challenges when they occur.
4) VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
You promote the club to the local community and notify the media about the club’s existence and the benefits it provides. You promote the club, update web content and safeguard the Toastmasters brand identity. It’s your job to notify the media whenever your club does something newsworthy.
As vice president public relations, you’ll find yourself writing news releases, creating and distributing fliers and maintaining the club’s presence on the web and in the community.
5) SECRETARY
You maintain all club records, manage club files, handle club correspondence and take the minutes at each club and executive committee meeting. You are also in charge of updating and distributing a roster of the current paid membership and keeping the club officer list current for Toastmasters International. Though some clubs combine the secretary role with the treasurer, it’s best to have a dedicated secretary who can help reduce the workload of the treasurer and occasionally assist the vice president education as well. Order supplies for the club as needed.
6) TREASURER
You are the club’s accountant. You manage the club’s bank account, writing checks as approved by the executive committee and depositing membership dues payments and other club revenues. You are also in charge of submitting membership dues payments to World Headquarters (accompanied by the names of renewing members), filing necessary tax documents and keeping timely, accurate, up-to-date financial records for the club.
Though the treasurer’s duties are usually not the most demanding of all the club leadership positions, the consequences for members can be serious when they’re not completed accurately and on time.
7) SERGEANT AT ARMS
You keep track of the club’s physical property, such as the banner, lectern, timing device and other meeting materials. You arrive early to prepare the meeting place for members and stay late to stow all of the club’s equipment. You are also in charge of the meeting place itself, obtaining a new space when necessary and maintaining contact with the people who allow you to use the space for your club meetings. The sergeant at arms also has a role to play during business meetings, speech contests and other special club events. For example, the sergeant at arms escorts potential new members outside of the club’s meeting place while the members vote on admitting them to the club. The sergeant at arms stands at the door while contestants compete in speech contests to ensure that the speaker is not interrupted by latecomers