吃瓜头条

Have you ever visited a country where they spoke a language you didn鈥檛 know? In 1970, I had visited Japan with my university band. Fortunately, we had tour guides or I would have been lost. I neither spoke nor read the language. I didn鈥檛 even recognize the characters in the alphabet.

When you first join 吃瓜头条, your experience might be somewhat similar. Listening during meetings can make you feel like you鈥檙e swimming through alphabet soup. ACS, DTM, VPE, PDG, TLI, HPL, DCP. While over time you will figure it out, let me bring you up to speed a bit more quickly by briefly describing some of the basics of the 吃瓜头条 culture鈥攁t least those terms you need to know now.

Education Designations

As you have no doubt noticed, many members have letters listed after their names. Those letters designate the progress they have made in the communication and leadership tracks. Many of those members have two sets of letters, corresponding to the two tracks. For instance, 鈥淐C, CL鈥� indicates that they are both a Competent Communicator (CC) and a Competent Leader (CL), having completed the requirements for both of the 颅manuals that you received in your 吃瓜头条 welcome packet.

The Communication track has 15 different advanced manuals from which you can choose, once you complete the CC. Essentially, when you complete two advanced manuals, you become an Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB). Complete two more and you earn the Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS) designation, and two more earns you the Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG). Actually, the last two involve additional requirements, but we won鈥檛 address those here.

The Leadership track has two advanced levels鈥擜dvanced Leader Bronze (ALB), and Advanced Leader Silver (ALS). You earn them by taking on leadership positions within the organization.

When you achieve both the ACG and the ALS, you become a Distinguished Toastmaster, or a DTM.

Leadership Positions

So what are those leadership positions that I mentioned? You may have heard of terms like VPE, VPM and VPPR bandied about during a meeting. These are three of the officer roles within the 吃瓜头条. A 吃瓜头条 functions with a total of seven officer roles that members can volunteer for, and I assume that president, secretary and treasurer are self-explanatory.

VPE, or vice president education, ensures all meeting roles are filled and members are achieving their goals. VPM, or vice president membership, works with guests to bring them into the 吃瓜头条. VPPR, or vice president public relations, promotes the 吃瓜头条 to the outside world. The sergeant at arms takes care of 吃瓜头条 supplies and the meeting setup.

Organizational Structure

To give the individual 吃瓜头条s full support, 吃瓜头条 has an extended organizational structure run by members like you.

The first level above the 吃瓜头条 is the area. Each area has an area director who assists typically four or five 吃瓜头条s to keep them informed of 吃瓜头条 news, meetings, etc. Four to six areas make up a division, that has its own division director. Above the division is the district. The district director, along with a number of other district officers, supports about 200 吃瓜头条s. The district director is the one you will most likely hear about.

I will warn you, though, that up until a couple of years ago the directors were called 鈥済overnors.鈥� You still hear that term used, especially in reference to past district governors, so don鈥檛 be confused. They are the same thing.

I鈥檒l mention one final acronym.

To further ensure 吃瓜头条s are providing value to members, 吃瓜头条 has developed a series of measurement criteria. This is known as the DCP, or the Distinguished 吃瓜头条 颅Program. You will, no doubt, hear frequent reference to it, especially around June, which marks the end of the 吃瓜头条 fiscal year.

There is a lot more to the 吃瓜头条 experience, and with the rollout of Pathways, 吃瓜头条鈥� new education program, there鈥檒l be still more to come. But the information here should get you through a typical meeting without feeling like you need an interpreter. In fact, before long, you might qualify to be one of those interpreters yourself. Now sit back and enjoy the alphabet soup.