Club officers in Brisbane Division must register for at least one role, and at least two electives.

All times shown are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST/UTC+10:00).

Zoom meeting rooms will open 15 minutes before the start time, and remain open until 15 minutes after the one-hour session is completed.

Please join the Zoom meeting before the training starts so you can test your computer’s microphone, camera, and speakers.

Can’t attend Brisbane Division’s training and want to know how to find other club officer training?  This and many more questions are answered in the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

Club officer roles

President

• Learn how to serve effectively as the first among equals on your club’s executive committee, set the tone for your club, and provide helpful, supportive leadership for all of the club’s activities.

Vice President Education

• Learn how to become familiar with all aspects of the Toastmasters education programme so you can confidently schedule members’ speeches and projects, and serve as a resource for questions about education awards, speech contests, and the mentor programme.

Vice President Membership

• Learn how to promote the club and manage the process of bringing in guests and transforming them into members.  You’ll also learn how to monitor membership levels and strategise with your club’s other officers to overcome membership challenges when they occur.

Vice President Public Relations

• Learn how to promote your club to the local community by notifying the media of newsworthy events and achievements, keep your club’s website and social media updated, and safeguard the Toastmasters brand identity.

Secretary

• Learn how to maintain your club’s records and manage its files, handle correspondence, take minutes of meetings, update and distribute a record of the current memberships, and keep the club officer list current at World Headquarters.

Treasurer

• Learn how to maintain your club’s financial records and manage the club’s funds.

Sergeant at Arms

• Learn how to serve as the steward of your club’s equipment, maintain its meeting venue, and support its meetings, contests, and other special events.

Electives

Creating the Best Club Climate

• When a guest visits a Toastmasters club for the first time, the club’s climate is one of the most important things that encourages them to return.  If a new member finds after they join that the club’s climate isn’t optimal, they might not renew and then your club will have membership retention issues. In this session we’ll make sure your club has a ‘vibe’ that says safe, positive and supportive.

Enhancing Evaluations

• This session will provide an effective and engaging process for providing feedback to build members’ skills and confidence.  Evaluations are key to the delivery of a high-quality, member-centred experience, and require you to understand strategies to effectively listen, and engage and support your audience when delivering wisdom and insights. You’ll take away a host of ideas to improve your evaluation skills that are also highly transferable and valued in the workplace.

Going Beyond Our Club

• OK, you joined a Toastmasters club.  You’ve given oodles of speeches and become a competent speaker.  Now what?!  This training session will help you to understand speaking and leadership opportunites that lie beyond your club.

How to be a Distinguished Club

• What is a ‘distinguished club’?  What’s the purpose of the distinguished club programme?  How can your club become distinguished?  Who is involved in leading a club towards becoming distinguished?  These questions and many more will be answered.

Marketing

• Imagine that your club has a social media strategy that makes it easy to make the club look great, and entices people to visit.
  Come along and understand what to post, when to post, and what a club’s strategy needs to include for successful social media marketing. Walk away knowing:
  ✅ the simple techniques for taking photos and videos that make your club look vibrant, active and welcoming, even if you only have a few members!
  ✅ exactly when, how often, and what to post on Facebook
  ✅ exactly how to write captions that are much, much more interesting than ‘Photos from our meeting last night’: no more staring at a blank screen wondering what to write!These tips and strategies are applicable to our clubs, businesses, and personal branding content.

Moments of Truth

• As a club, you want every new and prospective member’s initial interaction with the club to be a positive one. These decisive times when initial impressions are formed are known as ‘moments of truth’. The Moments of Truth club activity is your guide to delivering quality service and outstanding member experiences that enables sustained club quality through guided evaluation and targeted recommendations. A high-quality club encourages and celebrates member achievement, provides a supportive and fun environment, and offers a professionally organised meeting with variety. In those clubs, officers are trained in all aspects of club quality to ensure that members have access to a formal mentoring programme, are provided evaluations that help them grow, and are motivated to achieve their goals. When clubs successfully exemplify the Moments of Truth, members are ensured a safe, supportive environment in which to achieve their goals.

Prospective Member Engagement + Closing the Sale

• This session will share proven strategies for converting prospective guests to members using the prospective member journey.  Perhaps you’ve heard the words, ‘We’re all salesmen in some respect.’ Many of our Pathways speeches are structured around the persuasive approach. Beyond our speech assignments, salesmanship is part of the Toastmasters tradition for an even more important reason.  To have excellent meetings with members who enjoy the club experience,  plenty of active members are needed. To counteract natural attrition and prevent ambivalence among remaining members, every club needs a steady influx of new members. This means all members must be able to sell the club to others.

Quality Club Meetings

• Club meetings are the premier venue for member achievement in the Toastmasters programme, providing members with opportunities to practise skills and receive feedback. Meetings affect member retention, promote club growth, and are a venue to recognise achievements. The purpose of this session is to foster a shared understanding of what a quality club meeting looks like and assist club officers in developing strategies to deliver great club meetings consistently.

Resolving Conflict

• Mindful conflict communication training will equip you with the tools to shape meaningful perspectives, make wise decisions, cultivate a supportive environment, and foster positive behaviours, resulting in transformative outcomes.

Annette Marshall, DTM

Annette joined Toastmasters almost a decade ago. In that time she has visited over 50 clubs and has experienced a lot of different club climates. She was the first Moreton Division Director and is currently the Program Quality Director for Eastern Division. In her free time she plays dungeons & dragons and is co-host of the History Tarts Podcast.

Cam Krook, DTM

Cam first joined Toastmasters in 1989 and is a qualified trainer with many years’ professional experience.  He also practises as a consulting business systems analyst and software developer, with over 30 years’ professional experience, so his computing skills are very strong, and he is often complimented on his ways of sharing his knowlege using his training abilities.   Cam’s training style is informal, candid, fun, and engaging.  Aside from Toastmasters, Cam enjoys writing, camp oven cooking, collecting cast iron cookware, volunteering as a Justice of the Peace (Qualified), and practising his dad jokes on his wife and two long-suffering daughters.

Denise Buckby, DTM

Denise agrees with the words of Helen Blanchard, the trailblazing first woman to join Toastmasters in 1970 and later the Toastmasters International President, 1985–1986: ‘If you get out of Toastmasters all there is to get out of Toastmasters you will never get out of Toastmasters.’ Since joining Toastmasters in 2017, Denise has participated in the many opportunities that  Toastmasters International offers its members: from club officer roles and area directorship, through to district director.  Denise has participated in communication, mentoring, coaching and leadership activities, and is a self-confessed ‘Toastmaster for Life’ as she believes she will ‘Never get out of Toastmasters all there is to get out of Toastmasters.’

Graham Cairns, DTM

Graham is a successful club coach, a professional trainer and quite frankly, a ‘Toastmasters Tragic’. As a member of six clubs, Graham has performed every club leadership role — some multiple times — and has been a leader in two specialist training-specific Toastmasters clubs.

Helen Larter, DTM

Helen joined Toastmasters in 2012 as a shy government worker with little experience in public speaking or presenting.  Since then, Helen has developed leadership skills after holding many executive roles in her clubs as well as stepping beyond her club to serve as an area director for 2018–2019. Helen has training experience in her professional life in the field of project management as well as several years of club officer training delivery, and enjoys passing on her knowledge through practical interactive training sessions.

Jenny Owens, DTM

Jenny spent much of a her professional life as a hospital midwife, and in her ‘retirement’ now operates Gojo Name Badges and Awards with her husband Gary, providing items to Toastmasters districts and other organisations throughout Australia and beyond.  Jenny is currently serving as District 69’s Administration Manager.

Jim Fazl, DTM

Jim Fazl joined Toastmasters in 2015 and has held every club officer role multiple times. He is also a charter member of Meeting Masters, an online club focused on mastering parliamentary procedure for executive and club business meetings. Jim is passionate about helping other Toastmasters develop their communication and communication skills, and he enjoys travelling around Queensland meeting other Toastmasters. Jim’s career involves cooking in establishments all over South-East Queensland and assistant nursing in the aged care sector. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and has a New Year’s resolution to visit one new place every month within Australia.

Kate Norris, DTM

Kate joined Toastmasters in 2009, agreeing to commit just two hours per fortnight. That plan went awry pretty quickly when she was made secretary of her club almost immediately.  She’s since started two more clubs—one corporate, one advanced—and has been an area and division director, yet somehow has never filled the sergeant at arms role.  In her business life she teaches data storytelling to technical professionals such as analysts and engineers, to help them communicate with influence.  Kate lives on the bayside of Brisbane with her two kids and husband, and spends an irritating amount of time pushing her cats off her keyboard.

Leonard Scuderi, DTM

Leonard is a computer science professional, specialising in data engineering.

Mark Hegarty, DTM

Mark first joined Toastmasters in the 1980s and has trained professionally in his various work positions for over 20 years.

Pam Holley, DTM

Pam joined Toastmasters in 2012. She has held every club officer role except treasurer, and has served D69 as an area director, district PRM, and parliamentarian. Pam is a Free Toast Host ambassador, and often runs workshops and assists clubs with their websites. She has presented various training sessions for both online and on-site club officer training, and for the 2022–2023 year she was the Eastern Division Programme Quality Director. Pam has had three careers and lived on four continents. She loves travelling but hates roller coaster rides. She would love to be an armchair adventurer but somehow seems to regularly find herself caught up in the middle of real life adventures.

Robert Green, DTM

Robert is a leader both professionally and in the community. He has many years’ experience leading customer service, project and HR teams in both the public and private sectors, having led workforces as large as 800 people. Robert is the District 69’s District Parliamentarian, a Past District Director, and is a member of three clubs within District 69 and a club in District 100.

Sue Pinker, DTM

Sue joined Toastmasters in 1998 and has since filled every club officer role multiple times, been a successful area director and division director, and served twice as district secretary.  Sue is a very organised person who loves to share her skills, knowledge, and resources in training, and she does this in a friendly, relaxed, and inclusive manner.

Thomas Krafft, DTM

Thomas was made sergeant at arms on the day he joined Toastmasters, his 18th birthday. He earned his DTM at age 25, and over a decade after joining, he’s now been a president of five clubs, an area director three times, and Eastern Division Director. He runs a business teaching presentation skills to professionals, helping them communicate their knowledge simply and effectively. Thomas also volunteers as a Geocaching Community Reviewer, and for Ocean Crusaders removing rubbish from local waterways.

Timothy Born

Tim is a transformative force in the realm of effective communication, having founded MindCom over a decade ago. His expertise has empowered individuals to navigate conflicts, conquer public speaking fears, and foster strong relationships. Tim’s unwavering passion lies in infusing mindfulness, empathy, and personal confidence into everyday conversations, enabling people to authentically express themselves in any situation. His dedication to promoting mindful and empathetic communication has made him a trusted expert in taking people from feeling conflicted to feeling content.

Please contact the Brisbane Division Director if you can’t find your question answered here.

1. Who can attend club officer training?

• All Toastmasters International members may attend club officer training.  People who are not members in good standing of a Toastmasters International club may not attend.

2. Do I need to be a club officer to attend club officer training?

• No, you don’t need to be serving, or intend serving in the future, as a club officer to attend the training.  Any member may attend.  It can be a great way to learn more about Toastmasters in general, or to learn about a role before you nominate to serve in the future.

3. Do I need to become a club officer if I attend club officer training?

• No, you do not need to become a club officer if you attend club officer training.  That said, all members are encouraged to remember the Toastmaster’s Promise they made when they joined their Toastmasters International club: ‘To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so’.

4. Do I need to pay to attend Brisbane Division’s club officer training?

• Brisbane Division’s club officer training will be free to attend.  Other divisions may charge a small fee to cover venue hire and catering costs.

5. How many hours of training do I need to attend?

• The officers of each club must attend two training rounds each year: The first between June and August, and the second between November and February.
• Brisbane Division’s club officers must attend three hours of training in each training round: one hour of role-specific training per club officer role, plus two one-hour electives on leadership or club quality topics.  For example:
  • a club officer serving as a secretary for one or more clubs will need to attend three hours per training round: one hour of secretarial training, and two hours of electives
  • a club officer serving as a secretary-treasurer will need to attend four hours per training round: one hour of secretarial, one hour of treasury, and two hours of electives
  • a club officer serving as a vice president education in one club and a sergent at arms in a different club will need to attend four hours per training round: one hour of VPE, one hour of sergent at arms, and two hours of electives
• If you are a member of a division other than Brisbane Division, or a district other than District 69, please note that other divisions and districts may have a different requirement for the number of hours of club officer training you need to attend for your club to receive credit towards the Distinguished Club Programme.

6. How can I credit training for the same role for different clubs?

• Brisbane Division will check the district’s membership records to see whether you hold the same club officer role in more than one club, and will then advise that club’s division director on your behalf.  This service may not be offered by other divisions.

7. How can I credit training for multiple roles for different clubs?

• Firstly, you will need to attend a separate club officer training session for each role you hold.  For each club officer role training session you attend, Brisbane Division will check the district’s membership records to see whether you hold that role in more than one club, and will then advise that club’s division director on your behalf.  This service may not be offered by other divisions.

8. How do I find alternative club officer training?

• If you can’t attend Brisbane Division’s training, or you’d prefer to attend training on-site rather than online*, you can find other divisions’ club officer training sessions on District 69’s website.

*All online training will be conducted ‘face-to-face’ in that the trainers will be present in-person not virtually or prerecorded.

9. May I attend if I’m a member of a club in another division or district?

• Yes, you may attend if you’re a member of a club in a division other than Brisbane Division, or a district other than District 69.  Members are encouraged to do so if their own division’s or district’s club officer training isn’t scheduled at a convenient time.

10. May I attend a mix of training across divisions?

Yes, you may attend some club officer training in different divisions.  Brisbane Divison will send an attendance report to each District 69 division director, and to your district’s Programme Quality Director if you belong to another district.  However, the onus is on you to check your division’s or district’s club officer training requirement. Brisbane Division requires a minimum of three hours’ training (one hour for each club officer role you will hold, plus two electives of one hour each), but your division or district may require four or more hours.

11. Can my training be credited to another division or district?

• Yes, provided you properly register using one of the links in the Schedule section on this page, at the conclusion of club officer training the Brisbane Division will report your training attendance to your District 69 division’s director. If you belong to a district other than District 69, then your attendance will be reported to your district’s Programme Quality Director (PQD), provided you record your district number in your training registration form via the Schedule section on this page.

12. Will Brisbane Division’s training meet the requirements of my division/district?

• If you are a member of a Toastmasters club in another division of District 69, or a member of a club in district other than District 69, the onus is on you to check your division’s or district’s club officer training requirement. Brisbane Division requires a minimum of three hours’ training (one hour for each club officer role you will hold, plus two electives of one hour each), but your division or district may require four or more hours.

13. How can I provide feedback on the training I received?

• To provide feedback after you’ve attended a club officer training session, please click the link to the evaluation and feedback survey form in the Evaluation & Feedback section below.

14. What is a club officer?

• Each Toastmasters International club has between three and seven club officers serving on its executive committee, each performing an executive role to serve the members of the club.  You’ll find a general overview of each club officer role in the Guide to Toastmasters Club Officer Roles, and more detailed information in the Club Leadership Handbook.

15. Where can I learn about club officer roles?

• Start with the Guide to Toastmasters Club Officer Roles. It contains a great deal of information in an engaging, easy to read format, and many links to Toastmasters International resources.

16. What is District 69?

• District 69 is a service level of Toastmasters International.  The district comprises Queensland, Northern Territory, and northern New South Wales in Australia; Papua New Guinea; and, Fiji.

17. What is Brisbane Division?

• Brisbane Division is a service level within District 69.  The division contains 28 Toastmasters International clubs in the centre of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia.  The clubs are grouped into five areas.

18. What are the training topics?

• See the Schedule section for a list of training topics and times, and the Topics section for a description of each topic.

19. Who are the trainers?

• See the Trainers section for a profile of each of Brisbane Division’s club officer trainers.

After you attend a club officer training session, your trainer will appreciate your evaluation of their training delivery.  Please use this evaluation and feedback survey at https://bit.ly/BDD-COT-Survey.

Please submit one survey per training session.

You may preview the survey before attending training, but please don’t submit your survey until after you’ve attended a training session.

Hover your cursor over each item to see a description.

Club Officer Roles

• Guide to Toastmasters Club Officer Roles: The Club Officer FAQ
• Club Officer Foundation of Knowledge
• Club Leadership Handbook (Item 1310)
• Club Officer Installation Script (Item 495)
• Club Officer Agreement and Release Statement (Item 498)
• Club Officer Tutorials (requires login)
• President Overview (Item 683P)
• Vice President Education Overview (Item 683VPE)
• Vice President Membership Overview (Item 683VPM)
• Vice President Public Relations Overview (Item 683VPR)
• Secretary Overview (Item 683S)
• Treasurer Overview (Item 683T)
• Sergeant at Arms Overview (Item 683SA)
• Immediate Past President Overview (Item 683IPP)

Club Quality

• Distinguished Club Programme (Item 1111)
• Club Success Plan (Item 1111A), recently separated from the Distinguished Club Programme manual
• Moments of Truth (Item 290)
• How to Rebuild a Toastmasters Club (Item 1158)

Trainers’ Resources

Trainers’ materials will be posted here for you to download.