Greetings

 

Hello, Toastmasters fellows

It is my great pleasure and honor to be elected as District Governor 2007/2008. However, District76 is facing a serious recession today. Toastmasters activities in Japan began in 1954 with two clubs, one of which is Fukuoka and another is Tokyo. Since then, Toastmasters clubs in Japan had been growing successfully. The number of clubs became doubled from a decade to a decade. The toastmasters clubs in Japan had grown exponentially at the ratio of 10% a year. After 50 years, in 2004, the number of toastmasters clubs became actually 64 as estimated by the calculations (2×2×2×2×2×2=64). However, the growth began to decline in 2006. The membership has remained at approximately the same level in this term(2006/2007) as last term(2005/2006). I call it the recession of District76.

    From the viewpoints, the job of our team is very clear. We have to get out of the temporary lull and get back the 10% growth rate again. There are neither shortcuts nor easier ways to the success as long as we are toastmasters. It is the best way to get back to basics.
Our meetings should be carried out based on the manuals, the bylaw, the constitution or the mission. They should be recorded in the form of minutes. We should check it and evaluate our meetings. Have your clubs done it precisely? It is very important for us to maintain the quality of Toastmasters clubs in District76. I call this way Good Practice of　 Toastmastering. “Good” doesn’t necessarily mean “Excellent”, but just “Standard”. Common people can do it according to the system. An attractive and enjoyable meeting can’t be produced without the quality control.

    Then, we should carry on marketing with the well controlled products. All Toastmasters meetings in District76 shall be attractive showcases for the guests. We must be also active in building new clubs. Why don’t you offer great numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program ? Let’s overcome the recession getting back to basics, and regain 10% growth a year ! 　　　(June 24, 2007)