Area Council

District Leadership Handbook

Area council members include the area director, assistant area director program quality, assistant area director club growth, area secretary, club presidents, club vice presidents education and club vice presidents membership. The area council manages area activities and supports each club in the area in fulfilling the club mission.

It is recommended for the Area Council to meet monthly – the format can be in person, conference call, email, discussion forum, etc.

See Policies and Protocol, Protocol 7.1: District Events, 7. Area Council Meetings.

Serving Clubs Through Club Visits

Before an Area Director visit a club, the Area Director will:

1. Contact the club president, VPE and VPM to schedule a date and request time on the meeting agenda. Ask if club officers will be available immediately after the meeting for a brief discussion.
2. Ask the club president if he or she has any concerns or has already identified challenges.
3. Email the club president, VPE, and VPM
   • The meeting excellence award(formerly known as golden gavel award) criteria
     To EARN this prestigious award upon your Area Director’s visit, a club meeting must meet ALL of the criteria
   • The Area Director Visit Report 
     The more information you can provide your Area Director to fulfill this report, the more efficient the after-meeting discussion will be.
   • Links to TI resources upon club’s request.

One way to build rapport is by sharing your Toastmasters experience with each other.   It would help your Area Director to better serve your club if you can provide some information about the club history. The Area Director will also conduct research about the club base on information from TI and past District leaders.

• Club Performance: TI DCP Dashboard (Change the year to track past performance)
• Additional reports (educational awards, officer list submission, membership renewal submission, etc)

During the visit, the Area Director will share the following information with your members:

• The club mission;
• The Distinguished Club Program; and
• Any upcoming training, District Events, or any other Toastmasters events your members are invited to attend.

You may request the Area Director to speak at special events, such as club officer installation.