Adrian

// Adrian holding his fresh DTM plaque that delivered to him a few weeks ago.

Interviewee: Adrian
Interviewer/layout: tao
Congrats Adrian, the 2nd DTM
from SZTM!

We hope through this interview, we can know more about Adrian, and how the system of Toastmasters works. Maybe after reading the article, your dream of being a DTM starts today.

01

Tell us something about yourself.

I’m a Canadian born Chinese person. Nothing special.

// Nov 21, 2018 - Toastmasters truly does develop your communication skills. I never imagined myself talking about my company’s smart-home product in front of Hong Kong media and on CCTV. Sometimes you need to prepare for opportunities you have always dreamed of doing. Link to the article: https://bit.ly/3xQnawO

02

When and how did the story begin
betweenyou and Toastmasters？

I became a member in October 2009. I paid for membership after I attended the first meeting. The following week after I did a Table Topics questions, I decided to take a 7-year break from Toastmasters. I realized that I should be a member again after giving that 4-minute presentation in front of 300 people.

As you can guess, that 4-minute presentation didn’t go so well. I rejoined Toastmasters a few years later after doing that presentation.

03

You and Shenzhen Toastmasters?

// SZTM Election - June 2019. Adrian handing over the club banner to Joan after finishing his role as SZTM president. Dinner after the meeting.

A week or two weeks after I arrived in Shenzhen, I looked for a Toastmasters club to join. I looked on the Toastmasters website and saw there are only four clubs on the website. At that time, I thought there were only four clubs in Shenzhen. So I went to the SZTM meetings.

One of the first meetings I went to is a game session with the improv group. One of the games we play is called Statues. One person is at the back and makes a position so that the person in front needs to move people around to match the person at the back. I did a difficult yoga position; April had to adjust everyone to look like me. It was fun. I became a member two months later when I found a job and got paid

When I was president of SZTM, I needed to attend club officer training (COT). Carol did a workshop on “Finding New Members”. She pointed at a SZTM outing photo in her slide and asked, “Do you know this person? She told and reminded the club officers to do lots of outings.

Outings are a great way to get new members. We did a good outing, and now we have a good president for SZTM. Now Carol can add say this, “if you have good outings, you might get a new DTM in your club!”

Adrian’s first Toastmasters District Conference. It’s so much fun to go with your friends and your clubs. You will meet so many great speakers and keynote speakers.

04

What made you want to be
a DTM, and since when?

When I became President of SZTM, I thought getting a DTM would be a fun challenge for me to do. At that time, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be because I wanted to get my DTM under the old education system. For those who don’t know, I need to complete the following:

- Competent Communicator manual
- Competent Leader manual
- Club officer role
- 30 presentations from 6 advance manuals
- Area Director role,
- 1.5 hour workshop
- Four 15 minute workshops
- Club Sponsor, Club mentor, or Club Coach.
- High Performance Leadership project

It’s a lot of work to do before the end of the education system. The deadline to get everything done was June 30, 2020.

However, Covid-19 postponed the deadline for Advance Leader Silver to June 30, 2021. I moved to Shenzhen in January 2018. I have completed eight presentations from the CC manual and most of the projects from the CL manual.

I can honestly say that getting your DTM within 3 or 4 years is hard, but it is doable. Make sure you complete each project to the best of yours ability abland you learn something from doing that project.

// Shenzhen Conference - May 2020. Around 40 people wanted to be one of the hosts for the Shenzhen Conference. I think 18 were chosen, 5 or 6 SZTM club members were emcees at this conference. I remember I really wanted to be the emcee that did the opening and closing ceremonies. All the emcee candidates needed to go to the emcee workshop and do a test. After we did the test, Covid-19 took over China. Zoe Zhang asked me if I wanted to still be emcee. My response, “not really, I don’t think it would be fun. If you want me to do it, I’ll do my best.” I’m really glad she put my name forward because I had a lot of fun preparing for and presenting at the conference.

05

During the process of chasing
after DTM, have you thought of
just giving it up?

I wanted to give up when I needed to have a district officer position. When I was President of SZTM, I asked the incoming Division D Director if I could be an Area Director for Division D. He told me that all the positions were filled.

What am I suppose to do? I went through a difficult and challenging process to become an Area Director for Area A2. It’s a long story that I can share. If you want to know, you can contact me, and I’ll tell you the story.

// June 7, 2020. Outing. Our club had so many outings: D

06

Can you share us about your
DTM project? Every DTM’s
project is unique.

DTM project in Pathways is similar to the High-Performance Leadership (HPL) project in the old education system. I was lucky that the Advance Leader Silver projects were postponed to June 30, 2021, because of Covid-19.

I left Shenzhen end of July 2021. I needed to find a project to do.

Toastmasters District 96 is Vancouver, Northern British Columbia, and Yukon. I went to a High-Performance Leadership workshop held by one of the clubs in District 96. I wanted to know how I can do a project online.

At that time, I was still thinking of doing a project with the SZTM club, but I didn’t know what project to do. A person (last year’s conference chair) at the HPL workshop recommended me to talk to D96 Program Quality Director to see if there are any projects available.

Long story short, I became the D96 Conference Chair. I’m surprised why she asked me to be the Conference Chair because she only had met me for less than minutes. Also, I knew less than 10 people in District 96. Challenges included:

• Recruiting people you don’t know to help you.

• Having a vision and plan for the conference

• Reverse culture shocks on how different things are in D96 and D118

// June 26, 2020. Outing. Our club had so many outings: D

tips

some backgroud for anyone
new to DTM or Toastmasters

The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award represents the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters, and the highest honor for a toastmasters member.

For the rest of your life, you can have your name with a DTM, just like someone puts PhD or MBA after their name.

To know more about DTM, here is the official information from Toastmaster International:

https://www.toastmasters.org/education/distinguished-toastmaster

“To earn the DTM, you are required to:
1. Complete two learning paths.

2. Serve as a club officer for 12 months, participate in the preparation of a Club Success Plan, and participate in a district-sponsored club officer training program.

3. Serve a complete one-year term as a district officer.

4. Serve successfully as a club mentor or coach.

5. Serve successfully as a club sponsor or conduct a Speechcraft or Youth Leadership program.

6. Complete the DTM project.”