Introduction

This year, the Brisbane Division of Toastmasters International’s District 69 will run club officer training (COT) in a new and exciting way.  Recognising that people are busy and so prefer brief commitments rather than three- to four-hour (or more!) blocks of time, Brisbane Division has gained consent from District 69* to deliver COT in the following way.

Training Requirement

Each club officer of Brisbane Division must attend a minimum of three hours of club officer training, in each of the two training rounds of the 2023–2024 Toastmasters year.  The first training round runs from June to August; the second from November to February.

How Will it Run?

• Training will comprise one hour for each club officer role, plus two electives of one hour each:  Three hours altogether.
• See the Frequently Asked Questions section if you hold more than one club officer role.
• Every training session will be one hour in duration, and will be scheduled on days and times that no Brisbane Division clubs meet.
• Beyond the minimum number of hours, members and club officers may attend as many training sessions as they wish.
• Training will be entirely online. No on-site or hybrid training will be offered by the Brisbane Division.
• Each training session will be based on Toastmasters International’s sanctioned COT materials, and will be identified accordingly.
• Each training session will have its own Zoom registration link.
• Apart from the club officer roles, different training sessions will not be scheduled concurrently (the same topic may be run concurrently by different trainers). This will allow attendees to attend different topics at different times.

Click the ⊕ on the grey headings to expand their content. Registration links are in the Schedule & Registration section.

Need More Information?

See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about Brisbane Division’s club officer training.

*Districts have full discretion over setting minimum requirements for club officer training.

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.

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.