Greetings District 26, I hope this finds you safe and well.  

In light of the COVID19, District 26’s District Executive Council (DEC) voted on March 15 to have the remainder of our contests online, following the guidance from Toastmasters International.   The DEC voted to proceed with the International Speech only, in an online format.  We had the remainder of our area contests online on March 28, followed by four division contests on April 4, and the remaining four divisions on April 11.  Our District International Speech is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 9:00, via Zoom.  Specific details for the District level competition may be found on our  District Calendar.  Resources for online speech contests may be found here

In addition to online speech contests, many clubs throughout District 26 have followed Toastmasters International guidelines in moving club meetings to an online format.  Division Directors have been provided Zoom accounts linked to the District 26 Zoom account to assist clubs that wish to meet online but may not have individual Zoom accounts.  There was a webinar on March 21 providing tips on conducting successful online meetings and the link to online meeting resources may be found here.

Conducting online speech contests and club meetings has been exciting but has presented challenges.  Nevertheless, I am extremely proud of the leaders and members of District 26 for rising to the occasion, despite the challenges.  I encourage you to review the resources linked here while continuing to conduct Toastmasters business in an online fashion.

Be safe and stay well!!!

Jacqueline L. Smith
Program Quality Director