Coronavirus (COVID-19)

District 112 update 

At midnight on February 3, 2022, the COVID Protection Framework (also known as the “Traffic Light System”) will be updated.  Please familiarise yourselves with the contents for your setting described on the official COVID-19 pages. 

The Framework has a series of guidelines, which are subject to change. Please read all of these relating to masks at this link. We suggest an Executive member be delegated to review the guidelines regularly and report to the club at Business Sessions.

In essence, clubs need to decide how the Framework applies to them. For the “red” setting, the closest match is likely to be the public and private gatherings page. Note the revised guidelines apply to both indoor and outdoor settings.

At all settings, clubs may continue to either meet online or offer a “hybrid” format which mixes the two. The normal online format is Zoom, although any format may be used.

Online Meetings

Even if your club is not meeting online, that is no reason for YOU to miss out!

The intention of this page is to provide help for those not familiar with online meetings.

Lots of information from Toastmasters International:
https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/news%20and%20announcements/online%20meetings

Have a look at these videos from Lauren Parsons, from the PN Advanced club. Lauren has used Zoom for many years both personally and professionally.

Install and set up Zoom: https://youtu.be/1KheKWak6hQ

Getting started with online meetings: https://youtu.be/pOY8I_kgsLY

You may also find the tips in the next section on Club Meetings useful; they cover both setting up Zoom, and things to think about for setting up yourself. To familiarise yourself with Zoom, install it, start a meeting, and play with the set-up until you’re ready to meet with others. You may want to pair with someone more familiar with the product, and Zoom provides short tutorials (link below) to show basic good practice.

More questions? Look on our calendar at https://d112tm.org.nz/district-calendar/ for training sessions, or contact zoomhelp@d112tm.org.nz for one-to-one help.

Club Meetings

Should the New Zealand government need to increase the COVID-19 settings in any area to a level that does not allow “in person” gatherings, District 112 asks that affected clubs have an option for members to experience their club online. 

The safety of members is paramount. Please keep up to date with the  Ministry of Health guidelines and Government announcements.

Clubs need to consider that they may have members who are self-isolating or reducing their social contact.  The District is working to assist clubs with Zoom account access where the club has insufficient funds to procure an account.  Area Directors will be managing this so if your club needs assistance in this area please talk to your Area Director.

Clubs have a unique opportunity to step-up, show leadership, and keep their clubs operational for the good of their members. Some guests may find it easier to join and become a member of Toastmasters through online meetings to build their confidence before, sometime in the future, walking into a meeting.

Adding an online option to your club meetings will also allow people outside your area, or even country, to be able to join your meeting.  Please take this opportunity to look at how your club can help Toastmasters expand itself to attract more members by providing an online option for them to attend.

Many people who are self-isolating will see this as a social opportunity and a chance to learn as well.  Clubs need to be ready for the challenge.

Please ensure your social media presence, website(s) and Toastmasters International Page reflect your meeting format and are inviting to online guests.

For those that are not familiar with online meetings there is helpful material here.

Zoom’s basic tutorial page  covers installing Zoom and using its home menu, while

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-wKdvrlR-aKNYbe1CFvHmtT3naiPCP0-/view contains information on setting up Zoom – and yourself – for your first session.

Zoom itself has introduced new introductory tutorials at

https://zoom.us/docs/en-us/covid19.html

Try the on-demand training sessions, and scroll down the above page for tips on working from home and setting up online meetings.

Contests

The District membership has expressed a strong preference for Area and above events to be in person, which means that some may be delayed. Please refer to the “What you need to know” feature on the home page for current information.

All Area, Division, and District contests will be promoted, including the meeting format, on the District Calendar at https://d112tm.org.nz/district-calendar/

Our thoughts are with everyone at this time, we wish you all personal health and wellness. We will keep you updated as things change.  As always, if unsure, your Area Director is the first point of contact.

On behalf of

Stephen Budai DTM
District Director – District 112
Toastmasters International
Where Leaders are Made
Text/Mobile:   +64 2 7585 4084
Email: districtdirector@d112tm.org.nz