#rochestercvb

[rochestertoastmasters]

A Sunday Salute to fine art - the more times you view us, the more you appreciate us #Toastmasters 

[rochestertoastmasters]

Saturday Salute to dishing about dishes in  "Jollof Wars: Nigeria Vs Ghana"- Watch here: https://youtu.be/h5Y7-lXWjZs

[rochestertoastmasters]

Saturday Salute to "Bargaining, Bikers & Beers" (need we say more?)- Watch here: https://youtu.be/N5CxQK-ODAk

[rochestertoastmasters]

Kudos for Achieving while Overcoming Adversity and Change!

Rochester Chamber Toastmasters is a President's Distinguished Club (PDC) again for the Toastmasters year of 2020/2021, but maybe we should really be congratulating ourselves for resilience and embracing change.

The PDC award is based upon several factors including educational achievement in the Pathways education program, attendance by club officers at semi-annual training sessions, and membership growth.

This Toastmasters year is the first in which all clubs had to achieve their educational goals in Pathways versus the older, legacy program. As the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way” and this applies to Pathways education awards being earned by clubs in District 6 (which includes clubs in Southern Minnesota and half to the Twin Cities metro area). According to District leadership, clubs that want to earn Pathways education awards are doing so easily.

More than a few Toastmasters have resisted the online learning program that is Pathways and was introduced less than a handful of years ago. But there was no other option other than doing non-manual speeches or quitting altogether when the pandemic hit. The Pathways program proved to be a doubly prescient change when nearly every club was suddenly forced into becoming an online meeting.

The more daunting challenge has been attracting new members and keeping the people we already have. In District 6 the pandemic is being blamed for membership loss and the loss of several clubs over the past year. For some, the change to online meetings is a welcome switch, for others, it is not the traditional Toastmasters experience they expect, and they don’t want any part of it.

Chamber Toastmasters has been fortunate to meet online and then in a hybrid, online/in-person format over the past year. It has boosted our geographic reach by helping us not only attract local members but one in Berkeley, California, and another in Boston, Massachusetts. As the pandemic begins to ease, the number of people who choose to meet in-person is far greater than those who check-in online.

We are grateful for their membership and for all the Chamber members who have stuck with us through our technical issues; whether they prefer to attend in-person or online. By offering up their feedback they have made each weekly meeting just a little better and hopefully, an improved experience is a more rewarding hour of Toastmasters as well.

We also thank them for giving Pathways a try and finding value in the online learning modules that can be demanding and a little challenging at times. Your achievements place this club in exclusive territory. As of mid-June, Chamber Toastmasters is one of only a half dozen clubs in the District to earn the PDC award this Toastmasters year (the Toastmasters year runs through the end of June), and the only club to do so in our Division; a rare honor indeed.

We can affirm we not only survived, but thrived in this year of pandemic, challenge, and change. There are many reasons to be grateful, but each of us deserves credit for maintaining and embellishing our brief hour of normalcy in a vastly abnormal time. Thanks for helping us preserve what can only be described as a weekly helping of family, fellowship, learning, and fun.