A Guide to Understanding the Importance of The Toastmasters Distinguished Club Program

1. Or
Why
DCP?
Charting a Course for Club
Success

2. What is your
image of the
DCP?

3. A Snapshot of Club Health?

4. An Evil Plan by Black Toastmasters
International HQ?

5. Have NO Idea?

6. DCP is …
The Distinguished Club Program!!!

7. What is DCP?
1. 4 CC
2. ?? More CC
3. 1 ???, ???, or ???
4. 1 More ???, ???, or ???
5. ?? C L, ALB , AL S or ??
6. ?? More C L, ALB , AL S or ??

8. What is DCP?
7. ?? Members
8. ?? More Members
9. ?? Trained Officers in both Summer and
Winter
10.Dues and ?? Submitted on Time.

9. What is the DCP Reward System?
Distinguished Club = 5 Points
Select Distinguished = 7 Points
President’s Distinguished = 9 Points
• Minimum Criteria: 20 Members
• You Get Ribbons for your Banner!
Yeah Ribbons!

10. So What?
Grumpy Cat – Resident Cat Curmudgeon

11. Or to put it
more politely

12. Why Do We
Have These 10
points?

13. Good Question!

14. First, Let’s
Start With

15. The Mission
We provide a supportive and positive learning
experience in which members are empowered
to develop communication and leadership
skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and
personal growth.
*Newest Version the Club Mission as of FY2013
**emphasis by me

16. WWYD: What Would You Do?
• How would you know your club is
fulfilling the Toastmasters mission?
• What would you use so
anyone in the world could
objectively judge that it is?
Thinking Time!

17. What TI Did
1) Set simple goals connected to the mission
2) Created a simple framework to plan &
measure progress against seemingly
immeasurable problems.
3) Called it the Distinguished Club Program

18. Key Words
Develop
Communication Skills
Develop Leadership
Skills
Supportive and
Positive Learning
Experience
CC, AC, etc.
CL, AL, etc.
??????????

19. Supportive and Positive Learning
Experience
1.)Enough paying and physically present
members to run the meeting
2.)Regular attending and renewing
members
3.)Well trained officers who keep the
system going.

20. I understand (sort of) why the
categories are there, but what
about the numbers?

21. What makes a Good Goal?
It is Relatively Realistic
It is Measurable: (or at least you can objectively figure out
how far you need to go to achieve it. )
It has a Deadline
It has Someone Ultimately Responsible

22. The Numbers
20 members:
1 TMOD
1 General Evaluator
3 Speakers
3 Evaluators
1 Grammarian
1 Timer
1 Ah-Counter
1 Vote Counter
1 Table Topic Master
4 Table Topic Speakers
3 Absent Members
20 members:
4 new member 20%
8 new members 40%
4 CC: 20%
2 AC: 10%
2 CL, etc.: 10%

23. New Member!
Does 10 Speeches! 
Leaves 
Does 10 Advanced
Speeches! 
Leaves 
Does CL Manual ! 
Become an Officer ! 
Leaves 
Leaves 
Leaves 

24. Questions
If 4 CCs is hard to get, what are the issues?
Long speech wait time?
No planning by VPE?
Too few new members?
To much member turnover?
Are members really
developing communication
Skills?
Is there really a
supportive and positive
learning experience?

25. Questions
If it is hard to get CL, AL, DTM, what are the issues?
Do experience members
lose interest/burnout?
No planning by VPE?
Members not motivate
to proactively run
events?
Officers not that interested
in training?
Is there really a
supportive and positive
learning experience for
leadership?
Is there really an
opportunity for all
to develop leadership
skills?

26. Why
DCP?

27. 1) To have simple framework to
objectively know the club is carrying
out the Toastmasters Mission

28. 2) To help set simple measurable goals
against seemingly immeasurable
problems.

29. 3) Also to tell if you Club is on schedule
to be even more fit!

30. So What Is Next?
1) Get into groups by club.
2) Review and write down obstacles to each
3) Pick at least five realistic goals
4) Determine what concrete actions you and
your members will take.
5) Determine who will be in charge of each
action (and it isn’t the President for all)
6) Determine a realistic deadline.

31. Get
Planning!

32. Almost The
Last Word

33. Meet Regularly to Track and Correct
Progress

34. And Work With Your Members As One
Team to Achieve Distinguished
Greatness!

35. Any Questions?
*A Q&A Session is at the end of training if you have more questions.