Allen Paul

Happy New Year to all our Leaders and members.  I hope you feel rested, had the chance to catch up with friends and family or simply had some well-deserved ‘me time’.  

Six months down, six months to go before the end of the Toastmasters year and what a start to those six months.  As detailed in the December newsletter we kick off January with four campaigns.  The London Tube campaign* started on Monday 12th for two weeks, remember to enter the PR draw and send in your selfie.  Congratulations to Justyna Rychlicka, President of London Athenians for taking the first Selfie.  See Facebook and Linkedin for the Selfie pics.  

*See London Tube list below

The Bus campaigns (Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff and Reading) start on Monday 19th for two weeks.  Do send in your bus pic to go in the draw, no selfie this time for safety reasons, we don’t want people stepping into roads taking pictures!   

The Digital campaign will start w/c 19th and will last for four weeks.  The ads will be served across a network of companies online from Auto car to Zoopla, targeted to the five campaign areas as well as being seen on Facebook and Instagram.   

 The TMI Global campaign on LinkedIn started on the 8th January for 90 days.  The goal is for the campaign to reach LinkedIn users within District 91. The focus is brand awareness, to connect with individuals who are not yet members and introduce them to Toastmasters. 

 The primary goal of all these campaigns is brand awareness. Toastmasters is not an instant purchase; it’s about building familiarity and understanding over time. The aim is for people in D91 to learn about Toastmasters and recognise it as the leader in communication and leadership. This awareness is intended to encourage prospective members to learn more and ultimately visit a club. 

 Thanks again to campaign team Maria Pardo for the wording, Diane Richardson for the design, Genevieve Stafford Jack for the Socials, Janet Alkema for posters, emails & landing page, Rob Dewing for web page.  

This is the perfect time to look at growing your club. Maximise the campaign effort. Look out for the ‘Grow your Club’ drop-in sessions, the articles on ‘Successful Growth Strategies’ and ‘How to Run an Open House’ below. All of which lead nicely to the ‘Talk up Toastmasters’ incentive. The membership building program where clubs earn a banner ribbon, 10% discount code plus a £25 voucher for adding five or more new, dual, or reinstated members between February 1st and March 31st.  Ensure your club has updated the contact details* on ‘Find a Club’ so all your friends, family and colleagues can be in touch. *See below for details on how to do this  

Growing membership is one side of the coin, growing clubs is another. I am delighted that we have a great opportunity with a new pre-charter community club.  Hemel Speakers, set up by experienced toastmasters, is growing by the day. Read the article below.   If you are interested in setting up a club, either community or at your place of work, please contact: 
club.growth.director@d91toastmasters.org.uk 

New clubs need mentors because there are many moving parts, and early guidance makes a big difference. Mentors are experienced Toastmasters who understand how meetings should run, how roles work, and how the Toastmasters program develops members. They help new officers avoid common mistakes and set up the club correctly from the start. Interested in being a Mentor to support a new club?, then read the Mentor article below.  

One final word from me this month, remember, renewals are coming up.  Please don’t wait until the 31st of March to renew,.  Be kind to your Treasurer and renew early, especially if you are a corporate club where the internal processes can take a while.  There is still so much to gain from being a member.  Renewing your Toastmasters membership keeps your momentum going. It ensures you continue sharpening your speaking and leadership skills, stay connected to a supportive network, and build on the progress you’ve already made toward your personal and professional goals. I have been a member over 18 years now and I am still learning, still gaining, still growing.  Join me.  

January and February Club Growth Drop in Sessions 

• Grow your club – Marketing with Maria Pardo 7th Jan – if you missed it you can catch up here 

• Grow your club – How to run an Open House with Florian Bay 18th Jan  

• Grow your Club -Prospect to Guest to Member with Nadya Hamedi 15th Feb 
• 

Successful Growth Strategies by Kevin Harrington, Area Director A17 

Let me start with the bad news. Most people hope I will reveal some secret tricks that will instantly solve their membership problems.  it doesn’t work like that. The nearest thing to a silver bullet in club membership growth is simply inviting people to join. It’s remarkable how many clubs forget this basic step. 

Before you do anything else, set a specific membership target. Not a vague ‘we need more members’ aspiration, but an actual number. Then, and this is crucial, add 20% to that figure. You are much more likely to hit your target that way.   

1. Get the Basics Right First. It takes considerable effort to persuade a guest to attend a meeting. Don’t waste that investment by having sloppy fundamentals. Before you launch any membership drive, ensure your social media profiles and ‘Find a Club’ information is up to date. 
2. Have quality follow-up processes. Too many clubs lose potential members because nobody maintains contact after the initial inquiry. Set up template emails so your VP Membership can quickly respond with comprehensive information.
3. Think like Your Prospective Members. To grow membership effectively, understand what prospective members want, what barriers they face, what their career aspirations are, and how their egos might be affecting their decision. Consider their ambitions first. Most people want to communicate and speak better. That’s the message they need to hear.  The messaging needs to be warm and reassuring. Make it clear that nobody needs to deliver a speech to 50 strangers on day one! 
4. The Power of Multiple Touchpoints. Something that surprises many club officers: people need multiple interactions with your club before they’ll join. If someone sees one mention of Toastmasters, they’ll likely forget it completely. But if they read about your club in the local paper, hear a friend mention it, see something online, and notice a poster they are more likely to return.
5. Whilst there are dozens of ways to promote your club, four specific approaches deliver disproportionate results for the effort invested:

• Invite your friends, family, colleagues as this involves every member.  Run a campaign, hold a contest amongst your members.
• Leverage the meeting venue. Put up posters, speak to other community users.
• Speak to local Businesses. This strategy requires more confidence, but it is tremendously effective. The key is not to cold-call businesses randomly. Instead, start with where members work. Ask your members for contacts within their companies, particularly HR or training managers. Request an introduction or offer to visit and explain what Toastmasters provides.  You can involve the Club Growth Director. club.growth.director@d91toastmasters.org.uk 
• Open houses are compelling sampling events, read the following article by Florian Bay on’ How to Run and Open House’.  

These strategies work when clubs apply them consistently. The key is understanding that this is a long game requiring multiple approaches. Set your ambitious target. Get your basics right. Think from your prospects perspective. Run invite-a-friend campaigns. Leverage your venue and community connections. Approach local businesses strategically. Host compelling open houses. Create multiple touchpoints through various channels. Keep the momentum continuous. 

For more information see the You Tube recording on Grow Your Club – Growth Strategies 

How to Run an Open House by Florian Bay – Past District 91 director 

A Toastmasters Club which doesn’t attracts new members can quickly become stagnant and face a bleak future. This is why the start of the new year is the best time for Clubs to organise an open-house meeting, and get a influx of new energy into its membership. 

Why run an open-house meeting? 

An open-house meeting is a special event aimed at raising a Club’s profile in its community or company, attracts numerous guests and turns as many as possible into members. It differs to a normal meeting, as energy levels will be higher, the agenda slightly different and pre-meeting marketing significant.  

“But isn’t every meeting an open-house meeting open to guests?”  Data shows that most Clubs in District 91 see negative net membership growth each year.  So, an open-house meeting is an opportunity to buck this trend. It is finally an opportunity to do an audit of your Clubs marketing presence and bring everything up to date. 

How to run an open-house meeting? 

Organising an open-house meeting is best run as a team, ideally where possible between 3-5 people.  Planning is key and some clubs start 8 -10 weeks before the event takes place to maximise effort. It can be done in less.   The step by step guide below is not exhaustive, further information is available on another article I wrote previously. 

Step 1 – Form action team and agree on the event date.  Additionally decide what your budget to be spent on marketing or catering is.  

Step 2 – Decide on the theme of your event and remember that your target audience may not know about Toastmasters or why it should come to your meeting. “What is in it for me?” must be clear to potential attendees and they must feel as if attending will provide value to them. Here forget about Toastmasters, and focus on how you can convince people to attend en masse. Remember too that energy and fun are key, as my friend Lukas wrote before on the same topic. 

Step 3 – Agree on the format of the event. Using a normal meeting agenda is not recommended. Instead focus on having only 2 prepared speeches, a longer amount of time for Table Topics (timings will only be 30s, 45s, 60s to get more people to speak), interactive audience evaluations of the speakers and potentially a short workshop. Aim for the meeting to last no more than 90mins. 

Step 4 – Create a registration page for the event on Eventbrite or similar platforms. This page should be live, well before the event, and is a gatekeeper to further steps like marketing campaigns. Charging a small fee for guests to attend can be effective as its builds commitment and could boost attendance.   

Step 5 – Begin marketing the event and publish content regularly. Effective marketing will require several posters for social media and video content. Filming short 1min videos with members on why potential guests should attend, and what value they will gain is best. Be warned that editing videos can take time, although templates can be created on Canva to save time. 

Step 6 – Identify speakers and functionaries for the day. You will want to put your best foot forward, so get your best evaluators lined-up for evaluations and a confident Toastmaster. For prepared speeches, having a mix between an icebreaker and an advance speaker is best, as this shows the progress someone can make by joining. 

Step 7 – Prepare to sign-up new members and guide guests on the day. Printing out membership forms or sharing a QR code with a link to a membership form is highly recommended. A team of people will also be needed to look after guests on the day. 

Step 8 – Run a show on the day and remember to make it fun and high-energy! 

Differences from normal meetings 

For the Table Topics session, you should ask everyone registering to the meeting this question “Tell us something about you that is unique, funny, interesting or that you are proud of”.  

Gather all answers and have the Table Topics Master select the most interesting ones. When the session runs, the Table Topics Master could for example say “someone here was once stalked by a crocodile” … pause for impact … “Who could this be?” … And then the name of the person who shared this answer. 

Evaluations should last the usual 2 to 3 mins, followed by the same amount of time for verbal audience feedback. The evaluator should prompt the audience to participate by asking open-ended questions such as “what did you like about the speech?” and facilitate the session. 

It is not recommended to have the Grammarian or General Evaluator roles in an open-house meeting. 

Attendance will be larger than at a normal meeting, aim to fill the room and double, triple, quadruple your usual attendance, larger clubs should aim for 50+ people present if possible. 

Suggestions for smaller Clubs 

It may seem as if running an open-house meeting is only something that larger Clubs can do in light of the efforts needed. However, the concept also works well with smaller Clubs and can provide them with the momentum they need to rebuild their membership. Here is what to do differently: 

• Only have one prepared speaker – This saves having to find a second speaker and evaluator. 

• Plan ahead –Time can be spent frontloading the creation of marketing materials for later. 

• Only market on a single channel – Choose either Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and stick to it. 

• Keep post meeting activities simple – You don’t have to serve pizzas or food after the event, as this is only a nice to have and not an essential. 

• Be prepared to double-up on tasks – The organisers of the open-house should plan to step-in as Toastmaster of the meeting, evaluator and Table Topics Master. 

Closing remarks 

Quantity has a quality of its own, so if you are looking to attract 50 people to your meeting, market it as if you want to have 100 people attending! 

Remember to order your Open  House pack from club.growth.director@d91toastmasters.org.uk  Please allow 4 weeks.  Include name and address of contact person (not the meeting venue as packs tend to get lost).  

Hemel Speakers: Creating Confidence, Community, and Future Leaders in Hemel Hempstead  By Sujanth Sivanesan, Area Director A32, D71 

 Hemel Speakers is a newly established Toastmasters club that is already making a strong and positive impact within the Hemel Hempstead community. In just three months since its launch, the club has grown to 12 members, with numbers steadily rising as it moves confidently towards becoming chartered in the New Year. 

 The club was founded by three experienced Toastmasters whose shared vision was to bring the benefits of communication and leadership development to Hemel Hempstead. 

 Ged Byrne, a long-standing member of West Herts Speakers and Pegasus Speakers, has lived in Hemel for the majority of his life. His motivation to help establish the club was sparked after reading an article that labelled Hemel Hempstead as one of the “ugliest towns” in the UK. In response, Ged wrote passionately about why Hemel is, in fact, a beautiful town, rich in community spirit, green spaces, and potential. This desire to champion his hometown became a driving force behind bringing Toastmasters to the area. 

 Imke Hoffmann, founder of Harrovian Speakers Club and a member of West Herts Speakers, was equally passionate about the need for a new club. West Herts Speakers had reached maximum capacity and developed a waiting list, highlighting a growing demand for Toastmasters opportunities in the region. Imke saw the creation of Hemel Speakers as a natural and necessary step to ensure more people could benefit from a supportive environment focused on growth and confidence. 

 Sujanth Sivanesan, also a member of West Herts Speakers Club, had recently moved to Hemel Hempstead and was eager to contribute positively to his new community. With a strong belief in the power of Toastmasters to transform lives, Sujanth was keen to help create a space where individuals could develop as communicators and leaders while forming meaningful local connections. 

 All three founding members are from District 71 and came together to support the establishment of a new club within District 91, demonstrating the collaborative spirit of Toastmasters across district boundaries. Their shared goal is to help develop confident speakers, effective leaders, and engaged community members in Hemel Hempstead. 

 Since its inception, Hemel Speakers has welcomed members from diverse backgrounds who are united by a desire for personal development. Through regular meetings, encouragement, and constructive feedback, the club is already helping individuals grow in confidence and capability, skills that extend far beyond the club environment. 

 As Hemel Speakers continues on its journey towards chartering, it stands as a powerful example of how Toastmasters clubs can strengthen communities and create future leaders at a grassroots level. 

Why be a Mentor By Casper Willcock, District 91, Mentor Lead 

When is a Club Mentor needed?  

With so many Toastmasters clubs there is the likelihood you haven’t started a club. That first Toastmasters meeting that you attended where you thought “Wow, I want to join this!” had probably been going for a few years at least, and had that perfect mix of people learning leadership skills but benefitting from the experienced members in their club.  

 But how does a new club get to that point? …………………..With a Club Mentor. 

For the leader of a newly chartered club, fresh faced and eager, the struggles of gaining new members, navigating Pathways, maintaining momentum and delivering a great Toastmasters experience that gets people coming back each time can be overwhelming! It’s a big ask and, especially if that new club’s leadership is new to the role of President or VPE, it has a steep learning curve. 

What does a Club Mentor do? 

 A Club Mentor will be that early support as the club takes its first steps, guiding and providing that experience so that the new club’s leaders can do the right things right! 

 It involves being at the end of the phone when the President isn’t sure of the next step, saying “Yes we had a similar issue, and this is what we did and how it worked out.”  

 It involves attending their meetings, so you can see firsthand what they need help with and so you can show not just how far Toastmasters can take someone that’s committed, but also how big our community is. 

 It involves a desire to use your experience to support another Toastmasters club to reach the same heights that I’m sure your own club has. 

How’s my experience of mentoring a club been? 

 After ten years of Toastmastering, I wanted to earn my DTM, and one of the requirements is to be a Club Coach or Club Mentor. I had had some practice getting a club back to a healthy place when I had been an Area Director, and I realised how fulfilling supporting a club could be. The chance to practice a new set of leadership skills called out to me, and I sought a Club Mentoring opportunity.   I took on the role as District Mentor Lead and also took on the role of mentoring a new club.  These are the steps I took. 

1. I spoke with the Division and Area Directors for the club beforehand, confirming I would be a good fit to mentor the new club.
2. Was introduced to the Club President and identified as the Club Mentor to Toastmasters International. 
3. I started out with a phone call with the President, this was so I could understand where they were with their Toastmasters journey, and if there was anything I could advise on immediately. I was pleased to find I was talking with an energised and excited Toastmaster, full of ideas but not certain on how all of them could be fulfilled. We spoke at length about how to advertise their club, and how I could join them for their next meeting. 
4. I’ve visited a few times now, acting as an Evaluator or a Toastmaster, showing how far a Toastmasters education can take a persons’ public speaking skills, showing how far reaching our Toastmasters community is.  
5. After each meeting sitting with the club leadership and answering questions, sharing advice and giving tips on how to make the next meeting even better. 

 It has been the new leadership challenge I hoped for, and much like the joy that I get from being a mentor to someone in my club, seeing the people I’m mentoring develop in their roles is incredibly fulfilling. 

 Whilst a Club Mentoring role typically lasts six months, I’m sure I’ve gained new friends in the club leadership of the club I’m mentoring which will last long beyond that. 

Why should you become a Club Mentor? 

 You should consider becoming a Toastmasters Club Mentor if…………………….  

• You’ve been a Toastmaster for a while 

• You’ve been around the block and have helped your own club face down a variety of challenges 

• You’d like to attain your Distinguished Toastmaster qualification 

• You just recognise the value of new clubs bringing more opportunities to people to grow within this amazing organisation you’ve found your voice in 

 Once you are mentoring, as Club Mentor Lead, I’ll be there to support you in your journey too. 

How do you become a Club Mentor? 

 Speak to the Club Mentor Lead   casper.willcock@gmail.com or Club Growth Director club.growth.director@d91toastmasters.org.uk about Club Mentoring opportunities, and we’ll find the right new club for you to work with. Become a Club Mentor 

How to Update Club details for Prospects and Guests looking to  ‘Find a Club 

The club officers, specifically the Club President, Vice President Membership, and Secretary, are the individuals who can access and update the club’s contact email address listed in Club Central on the Toastmasters International website. When a prospective member uses the “Find a Club” page to message a club, an automated email is sent to these three officers.  

The club itself decides which email address to use for general inquiries, and officers can set this information in Club Central. 

To update Club’s contact information: 

1. Log In: Go to toastmasters.org, log in as an officer. 

1. Access Club Central: Navigate to Leadership Central and click on “Club Central”. 

1. Edit Info: Select “Club Contact and Meeting Information” to find the contact email field. 

1. Update & Save: Enter the new email and click “Save” at the bottom. 

1. Note: Please allow up to 24 hours for the update to appear on the website.  

Monthly Top Tip From Maria Pardo, President of West London Speakers.  

Promoting your club on social media is a great way to attract members.  Video your members, one after the other saying one word as to what they gain from being a member and post it on your clubs socials. It’s fun, it helps member engagement, it reinforces why they joined and promotes why others should join too.  

London Tube Stations for reference