A Year in the Hot Seat

I have just completed a year as Area 39 Director and what a great experience it has been. Being part of the District Leadership Team has been educational, inspiring and fun. I have learnt a huge amount about how the district works and seen all the effort that goes into supporting Toastmaster clubs and members.

Visiting different Toastmaster Clubs

The best part of the Area Director role for me was meeting so many Toastmasters in the five clubs in Area 39. I loved hearing different speakers as I visited each club, seeing how members carried out their roles, meeting their committees and discovering the distinct ‘personality’ of each club. I was met with friendship and smiles, heard some fantastic speeches, and did a lot of evaluations!

Year in the Hot Seat
Area 39 2019 Humorous Speech winners

Running Speech Contests

Another enjoyable aspect was running the Area 39 speech contests in October and March. I loved seeing how Toastmasters from different clubs stepped up to take on roles in each contest or just came to support their contestants. It was also a similar experience at both Club Officer Training events which I co-organised with Mish Barad, Area 42 Director, as members from clubs across our two areas came together to meet each other, share best practice and learn new skills. Hearing the buzz and energy being generated in each break-out group was wonderful.

Successful Clubs

I was delighted that two Area 39 clubs chartered this year: Walsall Speakers in September and New Street Speakers in March, thanks to the hard work and commitment of their leadership teams. Their success and Shropshire Speakers gaining 10 Distinguished Club Points have contributed to Area 39 ending this Toastmaster year as a President’s Distinguished Area. What a wonderful ending to the year.

Area 39 2019 International Speech and Evaluation Contest winners

By Jill Ming, Area 39 Director for 2018/2019

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