Town Hall October 2, 2026

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The October 2, District Town Hall focused on celebrating achievements and discussing strategies for growing Toastmasters clubs through Speechcraft programs.

The meeting began with Joanna Tavera, Program Quality Director acknowledging the successful submission rates of club success plans, with 85% overall submission from 195 clubs.

Anu Vijayan from Parramatta Toastmasters presented an extensive overview of how clubs can "go big" with Speechcraft, sharing their club's 26-year track record of running consistent Speechcraft courses that have served over 1,000 participants and helped maintain Presidential Distinguished status. Anu detailed the structure of Speechcraft courses, including roles needed, registration processes, and promotional strategies, emphasizing that clubs can charge up to $144 USD per participant.

Victoria Matthew, the Club Growth Director, announced upcoming changes to the club marketing analysis process and introduced a new marketing plan template that will be available on the district website with an incentive program offering $20 rewards for participating clubs.

The meeting also addressed questions about incentive programs, including a $100 value incentive for clubs that are halfway to Distinguished status by December 31st, and discussed the need for area directors to help organize speech contests.

Roberta explained that due to lack of area director participation, the District is proposing the creating a District Contest Committe to relieve the few Area Directors of this responsibility, so they can focus on supporting their clubs on their path to achieving Distinguished, and promoting the benefits of Toastmasters in their comminities.

The Special Executive Committee Meeting is scheduled for October 28th. The District Contest Committee would be responsible for planning and conducting all Area-, Division-, and District-level speech contests while establishing a fixed annual budget and operating procedures for contest administration. The proposal transfers contest management responsibility from Area and Division Directors to a dedicated Contest Committee operating under the Program Quality Director.