If you are a visitor, a new member, or maybe even someone who has been in Toastmasters for awhile but not yet familiar with all of the vocabulary, you might wonder what it means when you hear the term “Distinguished”. As the term implies, it is a great honor to be awarded with, at every level from the member, “Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)”, to the Club, Area, Division, and even District. Read on for more information on each one.
The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)
The DTM is the highest award level a member can achieve. Recipients receive a beautiful plaque, and they can also choose to have a letter sent to their employer. While the DTM is the highest recognition level, it doesn’t mean the member has to stop there. Some members have earned multiple DTM’s. Each Spring at our District Conventions/Conferences, DTM’s are recognized with a medallion.
For the Toastmasters year 2019-2020, there are two methods a member can use to complete their DTM award:
- Traditional Education Program: To earn the Distinguished Toastmaster award in the traditional education program,
- Earn the Competent Communicator (CC) award.
- Earn the Competent Leader (CL) award
- Serve at least six months as a club officer
- Serve a complete one-year term as a district officer.
- Serve as a club sponsor, mentor or coach.
- Participate in the preparation of a Club Success Plan.
- Earn your Advanced Communicator Gold or Advanced Toastmaster Gold award.
- Earn your Advanced Leader Silver or Advanced Leader award.
By following both the Communication and Leadership tracks in the Educational Program, the DTM is awarded upon successful completion of both the Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG), and the Advanced Leader Silver (ALS), and submission of the Advanced Leader/Distinguished Toastmaster (AL/DTM) Award to TI World Headquarters. Note that Toastmasters International will be discontinuing this method of earning the DTM award after June 30, 2020. All members are encouraged to finish their Traditional Education Program awards as soon as possible and get started in their Pathways Learning Experience.
- Pathways Learning Experience: To be awarded a DTM, a member completes the following:
- Complete two learning paths,
- Serve as a club officer for 12 months and participate in a district-sponsored club officer training program. (If your club has six-month terms for officers, you can fulfill this requirement by serving as a club officer twice, but you don’t have to do it in consecutive terms.),
- Serve a complete one-year term as a district officer,
- Serve successfully as a club mentor or coach,
- Serve successfully as a club sponsor or conduct a Speechcraft or Youth Leadership program,
- Complete the DTM project. (Members are required to create and implement a project of their own design, in which they demonstrate the skills and expertise they have gained.)
The Distinguished Club Program (DCP)
The DCP is a term you will likely hear often within your club, especially if you are a member of the leadership team. The DCP has a set of goals that the club works toward over the course of the year.
Depending on how many of the goals are met, the club can be
- Distinguished (5 of 10 goals),
- Select Distinguished (7 of 10 goals) or
- President’s Distinguished (9 of 10 goals.)
District 6 also gives special recognition to those clubs who make 10 for 10, by awarding them with a ribbon for their Club banner. To qualify for the Distinguished, Select or President’s Distinguished recognition, a club must have 20 members or a net gain of 5 members.The following is a sample of a DCP report. For more information, see the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) and Club Success Plan.
| Achievement | Goal |
| (1) CCs | 2 |
| (2) Additional CCs | 2 |
| (3) AC | 1 |
| (4) Additional AC | 1 |
| (5) CL, AL, or DTM | 1 |
| (6) Additional CL, AL, or DTM | 1 |
| P1 Level 1 Awards | 4 |
| P2 Level 2 Awards | 2 |
| P3 more Level 2 Awards | 2 |
| P4 Level 3 Awards | 2 |
| P5 Level 4 Awards | 1 |
| P6 Level 5 Awards | 1 |
| (7) New Members | 4 |
| (8) Additional New Members | 4 |
| (9) Officers Trained (BOTH REQUIRED) | |
| June – August | 4 |
| and December – February | 4 |
| (10) Submitted on time (BOTH REQUIRED) | |
| October or April Membership Report | 1 |
| and Officer List | 1 |
The Distinguished Area & Division
As with the Distinguished Club Program, Areas and Divisions also have a set of goals to meet. The minimum qualifying requirements:
- Areas must have no net club loss.
- Areas must submit the Area Director’s Club Visit Report for 75 percent of their club bases for first-round visits by November 30 and for 75 percent of their club bases for second-round visits by May 31.
There are also the designations of Distinguished, Select Distinguished, and President’s Distinguished.
To become Distinguished Area is:
-
- Distinguished clubs equal to at least 50 percent
of the area’s club base
To become Select Distinguished:
- Distinguished clubs equal to at least 50 percent of the area’s club base plus one more Distinguished club
Finally, to become Presidents Distinguished:
- Distinguished clubs equal to at least 50 percent of the area’s club base plus one more Distinguished club and a net club growth of one
Divisions also have a set of criteria for each level of the Distinguished Division Program. To become Distinguished, a Division must achieve the following two goals:
- No net club loss
- 40 percent Distinguished Areas
To become Select Distinguished, a Division must achieve the following two goals:
- No net club loss
- 45 percent Distinguished Areas
For a Division to become President’s Distinguished, the following two goals must be achieved:
- Net growth of one club
- 50 percent Distinguished Areas
For complete details and more information on each goal, visit the Toastmasters International website.
The Distinguished District
The Distinguished District Program recognizes districts that meet Toastmasters International’s goals in growth and educational achievement. The program is also a management tool for district leaders to focus on increasing membership, forming new clubs and ensuring clubs are meeting the needs of their members. Ultimately, success in the Distinguished District Program is derived from focus on the member.
Every district that meets recognition program prerequisites and goals may become a Distinguished, Select Distinguished or President’s Distinguished district. The program is designed so that earning recognition is based
on performance, not district size.
Qualifying requirements:
To be considered for recognition, districts must meet two qualifying requirements:
1. They must submit the Division and Area Directors Training Report to World Headquarters by September
30 showing that 85 percent of division and area directors were trained.
2. They must submit the District Success Plan to World Headquarters by September 30.
DISTINGUISHED, SELECT DISTINGUISHED, PRESIDENT’S DISTINGUISHED AND SMEDLEY DISTINGUSHED RECOGNITION:
| Achievement | Recognition Earned |
| One and a half-percent net membership payments growth, one and a half-percent net club growth and Distinguished clubs equal to at least 40 percent of the district’s club base |
Distinguished District
|
| Three-percent net membership payments growth, three-percent net club growth and Distinguished clubs equal to at least 45 percent of the district’s club base | Select Distinguished District
|
| Five-percent net membership payments growth, five-percent net club growth and Distinguished clubs equal to at least 50 percent of the district’s club base |
President’s Distinguished District
|
| Eight-percent net membership payments growth, eight percent net club growth and Distinguished clubs equal to at least 55 percent of the district’s club base | Smedley Distinguished District
|
TRACKING PROGRESS
A district’s goals are established for the year based on its membership payments base and club base. These goals are reflected in reports available on the Toastmasters International website at
www.toastmasters.org/distinguishedperformancereports.