At a Toastmasters Leadership Institute last weekend, somebody invited us to think differently about how we market Toastmasters. We were challenged to market it more along the lines of “Toastmasters will change your life” rather than along the lines of “it’s a structured programme, there are Pathways that will teach …”
In other words, we should begin with the ‘Why’ of why somebody might be interested in joining Toastmasters instead of focus on the ‘What’ and ‘How’.
This approach strongly resonates with me though it often requires thinking outside of the box. As we are in this busy month of February, remember to begin with the ‘why’ when you Talk Up Toastmasters and perhaps organise an open-house meeting to promote your club. Don’t forget to use the ‘why’ when collecting membership renewals and to simply ask ‘why’ if someone is unsure about renewing. We can’t change somebody moving overseas to start a new job, but we can do something about supporting members in our clubs and providing them with new challenges.
Don’t forget too about the #MyWhy campaign that Toastmasters has been promoting for a few years. Your members’ stories are powerful tools to inspire someone to join or rejoin your club. A smartphone is all that you need to begin collecting stories. What’s more, the District created many #MyWhy videos that you can find on our YouTube channel alongside may other goodies too!
