After the annual business meeting: what next?

So you've successfully organised the ABM - found people willing to stand for office, sent around the reports, persuaded enough club members to attend, and even got the wording right on all the motions! Well done! Now that it's all over, though, there's one more thing to do before you relax.

Encouraging someone to be President is half the work - the other half is letting the rest of the world know that you've done it. Well before the new Toastmasters year starts on July 1st, Toastmasters International (TI) need to know who the new President is - and all the other club officers - so that they can get in touch with those people. Otherwise, the new club officers won't be able to access Club Central, and that means the club will have difficulty with everything from paying dues to registering awards and new members.

TI aren't the only people who need a way to contact your club. Members of the public who find your club through the New Zealand club finder will most likely contact you by sending an email to yourclub@toastmasters.org.nz. Is that email going to your current VP Membership - or someone who was in the role two years ago and has since left the club? Updating your details on the New Zealand club finder is important to make sure you don't miss those potential guests.

Any club officer can submit these updates. Here's how.

To submit your new club officer list to Toastmasters International:

• Login to the TI website
• Go to Leadership Central on the top menu, then Club Central
• Click on the name of your club
• Click on the menu option "View/Update/Print my club officer information" (it's the fifth one from the top)
• The next screen shows you your current club officers. Click on "Future" at the top to put in new officers for next year (see the image below).
• The screen will show you a list of positions with drop-down menus next to each. For each position, select the club member on the list who's been elected to that position.
• Click "Confirm" at the bottom to save the officer list and send it to TI.

To update your information on the New Zealand club finder:

• Go to the Club Finder and find the login pane on the right-hand side.
• Login with your member number and password. If you don't know your member number, go back to the TI website and have a look at your profile - your number is shown at the top right.
• On the Members' Menu at the right (see image below), click on "Club Editor".
• Scroll down to the "Email Redirections" section and make sure the three addresses listed are correct.
• Further down the page there's a place to change your current club officers. Make sure you come back closer to the end of the year so you can put in the new officers before they take office!

Taking the plunge: Wellington Risk Toastmasters expand their horizons

Neil Passey knows a good thing when he sees it. After visiting a Toastmasters club just a few times as a guest, the senior manager at ANZ Wellington decided to take the plunge and bring Toastmasters into his workplace.

With the help of experienced Toastmaster Steve Preston, Neil organised a demonstration meeting to show his colleagues what Toastmasters is all about. Interest was strong and the prospective club began meeting regularly in July.

Wellington Risk Toastmasters now has 17 members. "There's a really good dedicated core of people," Neil said. "They're all from the risk department, which is only two floors [of the building]. If we opened it up to the whole office, membership would probably explode!"

Members of club in formation Wellington Risk Toastmasters

At one recent meeting, club members were entertained by an Icebreaker from new member Fiona about her love of travel. She confided that, after working in London for a while, she joined the "FILTH" - "Failed in London, trying Hong Kong".

After Fiona's Icebreaker, members discussed the CC manual and planned how they would work through the various speech projects.

Neil said that, when it comes to understanding the educational program, the guidance of other Toastmasters is invaluable.

"The local community support has been great... everyone wants to help. It's humbling."

As the club gets close to chartering, members are beginning to think about filling committee roles and getting some leadership training. Understanding the world of Toastmasters through educationals will be a priority. In the meantime, the club members are enjoying their regular public speaking practice and having fun getting to know colleagues in a different way through their speeches.