TOPIC:

I know that many of you have wished we had a version of the Toastmasters recommended agenda layout available for printing agendas. I had planned to do a version of that for a while, and now I have completed and released an initial draft of that layout for printing agendas.

It is available on the print layout drop-down when you print your agenda:



(A PDF is also attached to this post and can be downloaded.)

This shows the current officers in the left column, and includes a Toastmasters masthead image, but drops the meeting description from the layout for the sake of space. Note that this is a blue themed masthead image... blue the the principle theme color for clubs and red is the principle theme color for districts. Since we are not currently supporting the agenda functionality in district FTH websites, that is why there is not red themed masthead in this. (I could do one though... but keep in mind that blue is for clubs and red is for districts.)

Other layouts could be done in the future... perhaps a wide format (landscape) layout, for example.

BTW... keep in mind that this will likely use a good bit of blue ink to print. ink = $$$

I hope those of you who have wanted this layout have plenty of blue ink.

When I print the agenda it is dropping the masthead and just shows our club name.. Most likely user error, but wanted to check in and see if I may be doing something wrong. I can see it... it just drops during the print. I attached a version so you can see it. Thanks in advance for a response.

Make sure you have your browser printing setup to print the background.

Steve wrote: "keep in mind that this will likely use a good bit of blue ink to print. ink"
Ralph's comment: I don't think the agenda masthead it will use much more ink than using the masthead being on club flyers, minutes, ....
(TI's brochure designers create brochures with deep blue backgrounds that really use up the blue ink (plus leave the paper limp) when printed.)

Steve's original comments said: "This shows the current officers in the left column, and includes a Toastmasters masthead image, but drops the meeting description from the layout for the sake of space"

I can't wait to use it!!! I used to transfer the FTH info into a hand-generated Excel spreadsheet arranged like the new TI format before I began using the FTH agenda format.

Our club uses 3 basic agenda formats: a Regular meeting (3 speakers/evaluators, table topics, ... functionary reports ); a speech contest; and an Open House format (similar to Regular meeting but with 1 speaker/evaluator, now a Pathways presentation, table topics, Keynote guest speaker (10 minutes) but no functionary reports.
I would have liked to have the option of customizing the "Meeting Agenda" to allow a prefix (Regular, Contest, Open House) if TI approves. Or can you suggest an alternate place I can define the type of meeting?
(If the masthead was behind text, one could add text in the white area below the blue band to right of the TI logo, since it is "dead" white background space. I insert club name/number sometime in this "free space" on flyers or business cards headers.)

If you want something put it in the suggestion forum.

By the way you can name your agenda your club agenda templates anything you want.

"By the way you can name your agenda your club agenda templates anything you want. "
I name my templates by date (month-day-year); within the template I customize the meeting format name (ie, Welcome to the Regular/Speech Contest/Open House meeting of Des Plaines Toastmasters).

"If you want something put it in the suggestion forum." Sorry about that, I forgot to compose it as a Suggestion. (I really thought that it may be too late to change since TI already approved Steve's format.) I'll experiment and see how the new TI format impacts the display of my current template content before making a Suggestion.

If one doesn't have access to a color printer, one can always print agendas in black/white or gray scale.

I may need to try printing this from another computer. I can't seem to get it to print. All print previews from explorer and chrome drop the graphics. When I did click on background graphics in chrome it still does not show nor print. Appreciate your help. Will circle back if I figure it out.

I also went to a print screen and the masthead does not show up. However, it does show up when you get out of the print screen

For Club #9557 it only prints three of the officers... It does not print my husband who is President and VP of Membership and it does not print myself, who is VP of Education and Public Relations. Why is that?

LindaMann wrote:

I also went to a print screen and the masthead does not show up. However, it does show up when you get out of the print screen

For Club #9557 it only prints three of the officers... It does not print my husband who is President and VP of Membership and it does not print myself, who is VP of Education and Public Relations. Why is that?

You have to turn on background images... just like for the FTH layout.

Thanks for the heads up on the officers... it was breaking for people that had multiple officer roles. I just fixed that.

desplainestoastmasters wrote:

Steve's original comments said: "This shows the current officers in the left column, and includes a Toastmasters masthead image, but drops the meeting description from the layout for the sake of space"

I can't wait to use it!!! I used to transfer the FTH info into a hand-generated Excel spreadsheet arranged like the new TI format before I began using the FTH agenda format.

Our club uses 3 basic agenda formats: a Regular meeting (3 speakers/evaluators, table topics, ... functionary reports ); a speech contest; and an Open House format (similar to Regular meeting but with 1 speaker/evaluator, now a Pathways presentation, table topics, Keynote guest speaker (10 minutes) but no functionary reports.
I would have liked to have the option of customizing the "Meeting Agenda" to allow a prefix (Regular, Contest, Open House) if TI approves. Or can you suggest an alternate place I can define the type of meeting?
(If the masthead was behind text, one could add text in the white area below the blue band to right of the TI logo, since it is "dead" white background space. I insert club name/number sometime in this "free space" on flyers or business cards headers.)

Thanks for your comments... I still may put back the meeting description text if I can make if fit without looking bad... I understand it could be put in the blank space, perhaps as an option. I figured that I would get some feedback and then "tweak" it a bit.

Now that I have the template file for the layout, making changes is not too difficult. I also considered adding the club website address under the officer names, but then I discovered that the website address would likely be too wide for the column and wrapping it would not look good.

I think I need to play with the 9557 printing format... It still does not show the masthead and my background and header are checked in the print dialog box. My other club 6083 works perfectly.... You are a genius Steve the Techie!

desplainestoastmasters wrote:

"(I really thought that it may be too late to change since TI already approved Steve's format.)

It is fine. Not really my format, per se. The TI agenda layout is modeled after the following:

www.toastmasters.org/resources/club-meeting-agendas

Download this (its a Word doc) and you will see what I mean. I even took the masthead from it.

There is a good bit of dead space in left column under the officers, so if anyone has any ideas of useful things that could be put there (set via an option), that would be good, also.

Leawood Toastmasters, Club 9715

Thank you, thank you, thank you as this new format looks more professional and is similar to the one we used to use but hand to hand enter everything. The sidebar of our agenda template is that same as the one TM offers. It includes meeting times, website, club contact info, and mission. We also have space at the top to add a theme. Not sure how easily this would be to add to print from the ToastHost Agenda online.

On the side; could you maybe add the mission statement for the club and the TI Logo?

So I did add a few more of things from the TI Word Doc example to the left column (like the mission statement).

Lets keep discussing this... However, my push-back is always going to be concerns about how to fit stuff in the available space without it being a confusing mess of information. It is fine to suggest adding more stuff, please do your part and help me figure out where to put what you are suggesting ... also, maybe it should just be another layout?

At some point, it may be more useful to just make an additional layout rather than to trying to jam everything in the same layout via options. Particularly if it is the case that the options only apply to one of the layouts. (please keep this in mind)

Hello Steve;

Can you please also fix the 9557 website agenda masthead to print with the name: Simi West Toastmasters? It states that at the top, but when I click to print, it does not put the west in there...

LindaMann wrote:

Hello Steve;

Can you please also fix the 9557 website agenda masthead to print with the name: Simi West Toastmasters? It states that at the top, but when I click to print, it does not put the west in there...

It is whatever you have in the Club Name that shows up there... If you want it different, change your data.

It says Simi West, but Simi West does not show up on the agenda when asking to print... Try it.... 9557 I would send it to you, but I do not have that option here to send a link...

LindaMann wrote:

It says Simi West, but Simi West does not show up on the agenda when asking to print... Try it.... 9557 I would send it to you, but I do not have that option here to send a link...

That printed agenda layout looks similar to the template Toastmasters International has on their website with the red banner.
Lake Ridge Toastmasters prefers to use that template as it looks nicer than the FTH agenda.

Davin Peterson, Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club #8913
lakeridge.toastmastersclubs.org

davinp wrote:

That printed agenda layout looks similar to the template Toastmasters International has on their website with the red banner.
Lake Ridge Toastmasters prefers to use that template as it looks nicer than the FTH agenda.

Davin Peterson, Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club #8913
lakeridge.toastmastersclubs.org

Red is for *districts* ... you are not following the proper branding guidelines.