2. SilvanaDTM@yahoo.com 2
Why Do an HPL Project
Fulfill Toastmasters requirement for
Advanced Leader Silver award
Get one step closer to becoming
Distinguished Toastmaster
Build your leadership skills
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What is an HPL Project
Can be any project with these characteristics:
has specific goals and timeframe
requires advance planning, tracking, execution
requires organizing a team (exercise leadership!)
produces lessons learned
Can be a project you are already planning, e.g.
Within Toastmasters:
Organize an Area/Division/District Contest
Club PR campaign
Starting a New Club, Reviving an Existing Club
Outside Toastmasters: at work, community,
association, professional group
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The 7 Steps to an HPL Project
1. Select a project – where you exercise leadership
2. Recruit a Guidance Committee (4+ members)
3. Select Action Team to work with
4. Establish goals, success criteria, timeframe, and a
work-plan to achieve goals; use SMART formula
5. Work the plan, meet periodically with the team &
guidance committee: status update & fine-tune the plan
6. At project end present “Results and Lessons
Learned”; get a written evaluation
7. Submit to TI the written evaluation and 4 signatures of
members of the Guidance Committee
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Examples of HPL Project + Goals
Conduct a Blood Drive in October ’06;
Goal: 200 donors in 2 days
Conduct District Conference
Goal: 200 attendees, 8 training sessions, break even
Club Coach to Santana TM Club;
Goal: sign 6 new members, 5 DCP goals by June ’07
Organize Community Fair on 9-10 August,
20 sponsors, 50 vendors, 1000 attendees
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NOT a Candidate HPL Project
Achieve Competent Communicator in 6
months
– does not involve coordinating a team
Swim from SF to Alcatraz some day
– time is not specific
Run Meetings On Time
– does not have a defined timeframe
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Select a Guidance Committee
People who can advise you, have experience,
can help refine the project goals and objectives
Subject-matter experts
People you respect
People who have done a similar project
People on your team
At least one person is active Toastmasters member
Need 4 people
- they sign off at completion on Signature Sheet (p.70)
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Mission, Vision, Goals
Vision: Imagine what you’d like to happen,
decide what needs to be done to make that
vision a reality.
I have a dream….
Mission: simplified vision, defines purpose,
benefits, who will benefit.
Becomes foundation of the efforts.
Goals: specific results to achieve, how the
goals are organized, prioritized, measured
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The Secret to Goal-Setting
The clearer the goals, the easier to achieve.
Clear goals are:
Easy to communicate
Easy to delegate
Easy to rally behind
Increase a chance to success
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Action Plan
Example: Plan for Division G Contest - April 2006
# Action Item Lead Due Date Status
1 Select Venue Div. Governor 30-Jan Complete
2 Get Chairpersons for Committees Div. Governor 20-Feb
3 Get Toastmasters Contest Chair 10-Mar
4 Solicit Door Prizes Program Chair 9-Apr
5 Get Names and Contact info of Area Winners Area Governors 2-Apr
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Status Check
Periodically meet with Action Team,
Guidance Committee (together or separately)
Status update, check on progress
Any course corrections needed?
Need to update goals/metrics?
Define next steps to achieve goals
Need two or more status check meetings
over the lifetime of the project
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Leadership Skills
Evaluate your leadership style and
tendencies at beginning of project
Discuss with Advisory Committee
Observe – any changes / growth in your
leadership style throughout the period of
the project?
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Submit Report to TI
Present Results and Lessons Learned to home
club, get a written evaluation (p. 65)
Get signatures from 4 members of the
Guidance Committee (p.70)
Get signature from club’s VP Education
Fax the two forms to TI HQ (949) 858-1207
DONE!!!