Members Matter

Mission Focus

2010-07-28T10:43:00.001-06:00

It's been said many times that what the leader focuses on gets done. It's true in business, in our personal life and in our Toastmasters club. What is it that your club leaders are focused on?

Healthy clubs focus on the Club Mission as defined by Toastmasters International.

"...to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communications and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth".

Club leadership seeks to create an environment that fosters growth. A place where members are setting and achieving goals, actively participating in club meetings, and committing to help each other grow as communicators and leaders.

Something special happens when clubs become mission focused. Members look forward to meetings. They contribute enthusiastically and are committed to helping each other succeed.

Mission focus will give your club a renewed purpose. It can energize the membership and make meetings productive and fun. Focus provides the much needed boost that struggling clubs often lack.

If your club suffers from lack of energy, is struggling with low membership or waning member commitment, why not re-focus your members on the Toastmasters Club Mission?

Intentionally focusing your effort on achieving the club mission can turn things around. It takes communication, It takes leadership. Isn't that what we're trying to develop as Toastmasters?

Is There Turmoil in Your Club?

2010-07-22T18:12:00.000-06:00

Who is going out your back door?

About this time each year Toastmaster clubs the world over look at their membership roster and realize that they have lost members. With the submission of the semi-annual dues to Toastmasters International rosters undergo some change.

Who did your club loose this year?
Statistics show that many Toastmaster clubs experience membership turn over in excess of 25%. That's a huge member turn over. Can you imaging the turmoil a small company would find itself in if it were replacing 25% of its employees each year? Is there turmoil in your club?

Members choose not to renew their Toastmasters membership for a variety of reasons. Some move away, some have job or family conflicts, and some feel that they have achieved their Toastmaster goals. These are obvious reasons.
There are some equally obvious reasons which often go unaddressed that can pose a serious threat to a club's health. They are indicators of a club that is in turmoil. Many members leave a club because they feel a perceived indifference to them as an individual. They desire the benefits that Toastmasters offers, and want to remain active, but they leave because they feel their needs are not being met. Are your members leaving you, or has your club left them?
There's a sure fire gauge to help you determine whether your club is meeting it's member's needs. Its The Toastmaster Promise! It Reads:

As a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise...

To attend meetings regularly
To prepare all of my speeches to the best of my ability basing them on the projects in the Competent Communicator program manual or the Advanced Communicator program manual
To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments
To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations
To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow.
To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so.
To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy
To bring guests to meetings so they can see the benefits Toastmasters membership offers.
To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters educational and recognition programs
To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during the conduct of all Toastmasters activities.

Take a minute to read through the Toastmaster Promise again - more than once if necessary. Then reflect upon each bullet as a separate statement. Think carefully about the meaning contained within. After a short time we quickly realize that a source of member discontent can be attributed directly to disregard for the Toastmasters Promise. If we disregard the tenets of our Toastmaster Promise, how can we expect anything but turmoil?
Toastmasters provides a world of benefit to its members. With those benefits comes responsibility. Those responsibilities are clearly revealed in the words of the Toastmaster Promise. Isn't it time we made this promise an integral part of everything we do in a club?

If every member made it a point to adhere to the promise they made when they signed the membership application, we could go a long way toward reducing the number of members who leave our clubs each year.

Before you Hang it Up

2009-10-31T20:43:00.018-06:00

Is your Toastmasters Club suffering from low membership?

Are you scratching your head trying to find a solution? Do you feel like calling it quits?

Before you do, consider these steps:

Do a club assessment - What's the Scoop on Your Group?
Change the meeting location, day and/or time
Have joint meetings with nearby clubs
Adjust the meeting agenda to reflect the number of members in attendance
Publish a club newsletter/bulletin to keep members informed, include former members on the mailing list
Conduct a Speechcraft program
Invite guest speakers from other clubs
Get the club involved in district activities such as contest, council meetings, officer training and conferences
Hold a Toastmasters "how to" talk at each meeting
Have theme meetings
Create program variety to spark more interest and enthusiasm
Work together as a team to rebuild the club - The Power of Teamwork
Use the Distinguished Club Program as a yardstick to measure progress
Start a continuous member/guest program with the goal on at least one guest per member each meeting - take care of your guests
Conduct an extensive publicity blitz using the local media - What Works for Us
Install signs around appropriate area telling of the club (see Catalog #363 and #363A)
Ask for help from the Area Governor or District leaders, use local talent
Contact World Headquarters to ask for advice

You really can go from dismal to Distinguished

Before you throw in the towel, step back, take a deep breath,

and

ASK FOR HELP!

One Size Does Not Fit All

2009-10-09T13:22:00.000-06:00

All Toastmasters Clubs Are unique. I've come to realize that each club has its own personality.

One of the great joys of becoming a Toastmaster District Officer is getting to visit the various clubs we are assigned to oversee. During the 2008-2009 year I served as Division G Governor in District 42. The division is a large one geographically, located in Southern Alberta, Canada, with clubs located in a large metropolitan center (Calgary), and clubs located in rural farming communities (Pincher Creek, Brooks).

During the course of the year I visited clubs throughout the division and found each one unique. As Toastmasters we share a common desire to become better communicators and leaders. My visits revealed that each club put its own stamp on how its members achieved their goals.

Urban clubs were more fast paced and time sensitive, a reflection of the hectic pace of life in the big city. Rural clubs were more laid back and social, with members often getting together for coffee after a meeting to catch up with each other. There are thriving clubs, and struggling clubs in each of these settings led by dedicated people who share a common passion, and a common bond.

As an District leader charged with the task of revitalizing a struggling club, one of the temptations we succumb to is to treat each club the same, by completely ignoring the uniqueness the is the very identity of the club. We call this the "cookie cutter" approach, or the one size fits all approach. District leaders often attempt to fix struggling clubs with a predetermined set of solutions that are based on personal experience, or garnered from others, who are all too willing to share their perfect solution, for a particular club despite the lack of any specific knowledge of a club's needs

We see what works in club X and we instinctively try to implement it in club Y. In our exuberance to help, we can completely miss what makes that club tick.

As leaders our goal in revitalizing a struggling club is to work with the club's leaders and its members to develop strategies that will work for them. Where we start? How can we determine those special qualities that define the club? We need to ask the right questions. Questions that provide us with a picture of the club's identity.

Here are some questions to ask that will help us understand a club's personality.

How long has the club been in existence?
Who are the long time members?
What keeps long time members coming back?
Who are the leaders in the club?
Who are the newest members? How long have they been members?
Do club members have goals?
How does the club conduct their meetings? - What are their strengths? What might be changed?

By asking a few well thought out questions and taking the time to really understand the answers, while observing the club's activities, you can gain a true picture of any club. Once you have the snapshot, you can work with their leaders to develop a plan of action specifically designed to revitalize the club.

Any chance of success depends on a buy-in from the club's members. Without that buy-in you have zero chance of success.

Remember, one size does not fit all. Success in club revitalization depends on knowing the club and tailoring your efforts to fit it's personality.

Ask For the Order!

2009-08-31T21:54:00.013-06:00

As I talk with club presidents throughout the district, I'm often asked how to convert guests to members. The short answer is... ASK THEM TO JOIN, or follow-up with them If they're not ready to join at the first meeting.

Many sales people struggle because they have not learned to ask for the order. Often they can give a dynamic sales presentation but freeze when it comes time to ask the prospect to buy what they're selling. An even bigger mistake is failing to follow-up after asking for the order.

When a Toastmaster club is not converting guests to members often it's because they are not asking their guests to join. We can make them feel welcome and at ease, we can wow them with a fun-filled well run meeting, but it means nothing if we fail to ask him or her to join the club.

Why do we get sweaty palms when it comes time to "ask for the order"? We're not selling burial plans here! We're members of an organization that provides positive change in people's lives, Why wouldn't we want everyone to take advantage of the opportunity?

Not every guest is ready to join after their first meeting. Some need to attend 2-3 meetings before they make the decision. Heck, some may take months or years to finally decide they need Toastmasters.

In order to become a club that converts guests to members there must be a way to maintain contact with guests. It amazes me how many low member clubs don't even get contact information from their guests. At the first visit you must get the guest's name, address, telephone number and email address. Toastmasters provides a guest card that's ideally suited to this purpose.

Unless he or she signs a membership application at the first meeting, you've got to maintain contact with the guest. Timely follow up contacts with a guest are crucial.

Each club is a little different, some follow up the guest's visit with a hand written thank you card, signed by the President or the Vice President, Membership. Then after a few days, the club president makes a telephone call to the guest, thanking them for their visit, and inviting them to the next meeting. This is a powerful technique. It demonstrates that the club cares about each person that visits. (Does your club care?)

How many contacts should you have with the guest? There no magical formula here. Personally, I like three "High-Touch" contacts. The personal contact at the meeting, the follow up thank you card, and the a telephone call from the club President or Vice President, Membership. Three quality contacts should help the prospective member decide whether your club is right for them.

In sales they say "The answer is no from 100% of the people you don't ask".

When trying to build membership in a Toastmasters club, you have a greater chance of success if you'll ask guests to join, and follow up with the ones who might need a little more time.

Avoiding the Dues Blues - Fall Edition

2009-08-14T09:13:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it's already mid-August? Where has the summer gone?

As you enjoy the last of those warm summer days with family and friends, you're probably not thinking too much about collecting your Toastmasters club dues. If you're like me you're fully engaged in making sure that the special cut of meat that you just purchased is grilled to perfection on your barbeque.

September is usually a busy month filled with many activities. For those clubs that haven't been meeting over the summer it's even more hectic.

It's not to soon to begin collecting your club dues. For those clubs meeting this summer, now is the time to begin reminding your members that their semi-annual dues are due.

If your club is using a FreeToastHost website www.freetoasthost.org you can prepare invoices for your members and email them or print them off and hand them out at a club meeting. For information on how to use the dues collection tool on your website check out the FAQ sheet HERE.

Most clubs collect dues twice a year. It's just habit. We pay our dues to Toastmasters twice a year, so the treasurer collects dues twice a year. Why not consider collecting dues once a year. Many clubs find that by invoicing their members for the whole year's dues it saves time and energy.

During this year's April renewal, Toastmasters International introduced a new procedure for obtaining a club's renewal reminder. The reminders will distributed by email during the first week of September. An invoice is no longer sent via snail mail.

Beginning the first week of September club officers may view and print a copy of the invoice.club's members. Visit the club business login at www.toastmasters.org/clubbusiness

Dues can be submitted online, by mail, or by fax. DO NOT SUBMIT DUES BY EMAIL - it is not secure. if paying by credit card, dues may be paid online.

Don't wait until all of the dues are collected to submit them to Toastmasters International. At least 6 members must pay their dues. Of those 6, at least 3 must be renewing.

Submit the dues you've collected On Time, you can always make supplemental payments as you receive additional payments.

Remember, Dues are due at World Headquarters by October 1.

Begin collecting your club member's dues today. Act now and you'll avoid the dues blues.

Greg Gazin has an excellent Toastcaster Podcast on the subject. Check it out!

That's all for now!

Chuck

Toastmasters passes 250,000 members!

2009-08-13T10:54:00.001-06:00

At her welcoming address at the Toastmasters International Convention in Mashantucket, Connecticut, Toastmasters president Jana Barnhill told the delegates that Toastmasters now has over 250,000 members in over 106 countries.

Imagine how many lives are being transformed by the Toastmaster programme!

Who have you told about Toastmasters today?

That's all for now!

Chuck

Membership News

2009-08-13T07:07:00.001-06:00

During the month of July District 42 added 74 new members. That's 10 more members than were added during July of last year.

Congratulations to the clubs that have added these new Toastmasters.

A special congratulation to Excallibur's Edge which has already achieved one of its Distinguished Club Program Goals by adding 5 new members.

Meeting in the summer is a great way to get your membership building efforts off to a great start!

This summer there are 80 clubs meeting through out the district!

That's an average of almost 1 new member per club that's meeting -IN JULY ALONE.

How long will it take your club to gain a new member when you get back together in September?

Meeting year-round has its benefits. Not only do you keep your personal skills sharp, but your club can gain momentum that can help propel it toward becoming a Distinguished Club.

That's all for now!

Chuck