Susan Rayner

by Shaheen Jamshed Mufti, Early Bird Speakers, DivC Area45

Good succession planning in a club ensure the club’s longevity well beyond the departure of the current committee and make sure that the club can continue to grow, thrive and be run efficiently in years to come.

Good succession planning starts early and begins well before the end of this Toastmasters year (30^th June 2019).

Good succession planning makes sure that all members of the incoming club committee/leadership team have been well equipped with the necessary tools, knowledge and data to lead the club in the upcoming year.

It all begins with the current leadership team/committee members starting to talk to club members (both new and longstanding) regarding taking on roles in the upcoming Toastmasters year.

The following excerpt is taken from the role guide I created for my successor:

“As you approach the second half of your Toastmasters year, it is a good time to start planning for succession within Early Bird Speakers.

Request that members of your leadership team members to begin conversations with club members; encouraging them to consider leadership roles in the upcoming elections taking place in May. Perhaps, some of your team members might even consider standing for roles in the coming elections.

Remind your team to highlight the benefits of being part of the leadership team in Early Bird Speakers as well as the expectation of members within to serve on the leadership team (TMI Promise #6 : “To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so”)

Liaise with your Immediate Past President who will also be the leader of the nominations committee*. Working alongside a small team, they will organise any workshops, the nominations process and the elections for the club.

Invite your team members to look out for potential successors not only for their respective roles but also for other roles within the rest of the leadership team as well.”

*This might vary depending on the club culture

Some clubs (particularly newly formed ones) with fewer members might struggle to appoint members to roles due to numbers.  Similarly, some members might stay on and serve in the same role for a couple of terms consecutively as the club grows. One way to alleviate ennui and prevent burn-out would be to ‘cycle’ the roles and have the leadership team members adopt different roles as they begin to ease in new members into those roles, whilst growing the club.

March/April – Creating Role Guides

Any company worth their salt in the modern world has effective systems in place to make sure that future employees, whether temporary or permanent, have all the relevant information they need for the role.

Likewise, it is advisable for a Toastmasters club to create role guides so that successors to each role will have a guide to refer to during the year.

Role guides can include:

-Information about the role’s official responsibilities from Toastmasters International

-Information about the role specific to the club

-Day-to-day activity, at the club and behind the scenes

-Login details and passwords for any relevant software/accounts being used

-Legal documentation (GDPR etc)

-Contact list (relevant to the role)

Also, the guide can be accompanied by a pack containing items relevant for the role, for example:

-Financial documents to the new Treasurer

-Keys, keycards and other bits to the new Sergeant-at-Arms

The TMI website provides the Club Leadership Handbook that provides useful foundations on how to perform roles. A dedicated role guide for each role within your club will capture the nuances and you build upon it over time; adding and removing elements where necessary. If a role guide already exists, then consider how it can be improved upon.

April – Election preparation (depending on the culture of the club)

According to the official TMI Club Leadership handbook (attached), elections should be carried out on the first week of May. April is typically a good time to begin preparing for the elections.

The person to lead and organise the elections may also vary, though it is usually the Immediate Past President. The handbook provides information on how to conduct those.

Club members interested in running for a role can reach out to the leader/organiser of the elections

May – Elections

Elections take place and the club committee/leadership team is elected into office.

May/June – the handover begins

After the elections, outgoing leadership team/committee members can begin the handover process; instructing the successor on what the role involves and other activity surrounding it such as Club Officer Training, etc

Role guide should be given to the incoming members along with the relevant official TMI documents.

The outgoing committee members can begin involving their successors with some of the tasks of the role so that when the time comes for them to fully take over on 01 July 2019, it will be more familiar.

Make sure that the names of the incoming team are submitted on the Toastmasters International website!

1^st July and onwards – A new year and continued advice/support

Once the new leadership team/committee has taken over, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the outgoing team will abandon them!

The outgoing team members can serve as advisors and support for their successor, providing guidance as they get acclimatised to their roles.

I’d also like to add that it might be a good idea to think about succession from the moment a new member is inducted and to be sure that they appreciate the TM Promise rule 6 and why it is important for the whole club.

All going well, the cycle continues and your club will continue to flourish!

3 point Summary:

1. Start talking to your club members about the roles available in the upcoming elections
2. Prepare role guides/packs for your successors
3. Be available to provide support for your successors once they are in office

I wish you and your club all the best in your upcoming elections and that your club and the incoming team have a prosperous year ahead.

By Warren Sheng, Harrovians Speakers Club, DivL Area61

I joined Harrovian Speakers Club in February 2006 because Toastmasters had been recommended in a careers book for women that I had read. (It was “Nice girls don’t get the corner office”. And what’s wrong with being a man but reading a careers book for women?!)

My reason for joining—and for remaining as a Toastmaster for so long—was not because I needed to do speeches at work but because it was a way to make new friends. As 20% of my friends are Toastmasters, this remains a valid reason to join.

Let me summarise my journey. Firstly, I have attended nearly every meeting except if I was on holiday. This is called getting value for money. Secondly, I have served in most roles including VPE, President, backup SAA, Treasurer, Area Director. Thirdly, instead of spending 13 years in just one club, I have also been a happy member of Tube Talk and London Business School. I am making slow motion progress towards my DTM award. Fourthly, I have entered speech contests at every opportunity except when I was Area Director. For some reason, you can trust an Area Director to oversee 4 clubs but you cannot trust him to enter a speech contest! My icebreaker speech in March 2006 was about my then recent working visit to Shanghai. I rehearsed this speech 40 times (a sign of dedication and madness). This was several more times than any other contestant. I duly won but I was disqualified as it was my icebreaker.

My greatest win was runner up in the 2017 District 91 Humorous Speech contest. Although I enjoyed this speech, it was tiring delivering it around 20 times, each with subtle changes. You can see the Division and District contest versions on YouTube, by searching for “Warren Sheng”.

What have been the benefits and pitfalls?

Benefits: I am a better speaker and evaluator. I have developed my dry humour. After around 1,000 meeting hours, it would have been hard not to improve.

I have gained many friends and enjoyed many speeches. I am more confident and I cannot remember accidentally saying “er” at a Toastmaster meeting since 2009. (The only exception was when I did a humorous speech about how to erm more effectively and in different languages.)

When completing application forms that require one to demonstrate good communication skills, I just state that I have won 12 speech contests. This is better than stating “I am a really good communicator…”

I have enjoyed Toastmaster meetings in other parts of London, and also San Francisco, Shanghai and Taipei, where I was the recent VIP speaker, doing a workshop on humour.

I have also photographed some Toastmaster events and will be photographing the District Conference in May. (Photography is my other passion. It’s also a form of communication, but without words.)

Pitfalls: Some speeches and meetings have been disappointing because the speakers made fundamental, avoidable errors including a failure to prepare. Some of my evaluations, which have many recommendations, have not been appreciated. Some of the audience hated what I said, even though I believed my comments to have been truthful and helpful. Toastmasters is sometimes too nice. And I prefer to be not too nice. I would rather be remembered than loved. I would rather be unpopular for speaking the truth than popular for using more flattery than is healthy. Sometimes, we need to hear the horrible truth “It would be good if you repeated this speech…” Nearly all speeches improve after feedback and changes. Very few speeches are delivered as a one-off speech. Martin Luther King’s celebrated “I have a dream” speech was given several times in slightly different versions.

Nevertheless, overall I am happy that I am a Toastmaster. It’s a place where I can meet people less than half my age (I am an ancient 59 years old) and people from very different walks of life including a rabbi, an ambassador, Muslims and Hindus. These encounters and friendships remain my most important reason for being a Toastmaster.

By Indra Sikdar, Harrovians Speakers Club, DivL Area61

I joined Toastmasters in 1999.  I had been working but found it quite hard at the time to make friends at work and secondly to work in a logical and chronological manner (tackling a project step by step).

Initially, I found out about Toastmasters after reading some American self help books which implored the reader to attend and to use the organisation as a laboratory to practice public speaking.

The first club I joined was Athenians in Hammersmith and then soon I checked out another club called City of London Speakers Club which met at Liverpool Street (I transferred my membership there).

At the time City of London Speaker Club had less members and so I did not feel as initimidated to start my public speaking journey at that club.

I only spoke without notes when I gave my 10th speech (Competent Communicator).

I remember my first meeting where I was so impressed by the speakers that I felt like getting up and speaking in front of the audience myself !

I always felt that Toastmasters was a good organisation to join – as it is dedicated to self improvement and of course the self improvement generally only happens through team work.

I have tried almost all the roles including Area Governor, President, Secretary, Treasurer and many others roles as the need arose from time to time.

In 2001 I spoke to Imke Halberstadt and she mentioned that she wanted to start a club in Harrow – and as I lived in the London Borough of Harrow – I welcomed a local club.

I remember the day that we launched Harrovians in a pub in Wealdstone.  Imke was on the case assertively recruiting the requisite number of members to launch the club.

Since that day we (Harrovians) have met in a variety of locations including other pubs, Community Halls, and Churches.

We have had our ups and downs but as a club we have kept the vision alive to provide communication and leadership opportunities for the people who live in and around Harrow.

With my own personal journey I went on to receive the prestigious Distinguished Toastmasters Award (after five years).  Prior to that I met with Alan McMahon and we planned for how I would complete the DTM: what assignments were left, what speeches I would do and when.

I have in the past spoken at Speakers Corner, given a Seminar at London Metropolitan University, given a Sunday Service at a Church, spoken on radio and even given a variety of talks at Government Offices.

I now find it easy to make friends and am happy to network and talk to a variety of people, often this experience turns into team working opportunities. 

At present I am looking at an opportunity to do some voluntary work for an English Community Group and am looking at ways to modernise the organisation, make it more inclusive and to blend both my traditions Indian and English into my narrative (if asked to speak) and to understand, English history, culture and where we are today as a modern society.

The lessons I have learned from Toastmasters are:

* When you find something good – take the plunge, find out about an organisation, join and get involved.

* Be consistent in turning up and trying the roles.

* Seek opportunities and when they arise – take on those challenges.

* It is important to have a clear vision of where you want to get to and broadly to stick to that destination.

By Lynne Cantor, Excalibur Speakers, DivL Area9

‘You must come’. 

‘You need to come’. 

‘You’ll love it’.

I am not sure ‘love’ was the right word back then but twelve years on and I do love Toastmasters. Initially cajoled by a friend to come along and then I was hooked.   It’s funny, we go to hundreds of meetings and often can’t remember what happened when, but we do tend to remember our first meeting.  The girl with the Australian accent, now a dear friend, the guy with the stutter who now runs comedy shows and the visiting speaker talking about body language, a topic I now present on myself.  I’ve a lot to thank my friend for. Bring a friend to your next meeting, the more who know the more we’ll grow. 

I joined the all women club, Women in Banking and Finance – City (now City Women Speakers), a year after it was founded.  I was quickly co-opted onto the committee as Vice President Public Relations.  Do take on a committee role, over time try them all. You may feel ‘how did I get here, what am I supposed to do?  PR was not exactly in my comfort zone.  I had never produced publicity material or written a newsletter. I always think that when you find yourself in that position, you just have to get stuck in.  I found I enjoyed talking to members and getting their stories, researching speaking tips and finding pictures to enhance content.  There was less social media and online activity then than there is now and our newsletters were often printed and handed out.

As I started to enjoy Toastmasters I began to look a little wider than my home club.  I would go and General Evaluate (GE) at other clubs.  There are so many wonderful clubs around each with their own unique feel but all offering the opportunity to learn, develop and grow your speaking ability.  Go visit other clubs, be a GE or simply observe, there is much to gain.   

Workshops are often on offer with great speakers sharing their skills and experiences.  I always come out motivated and buzzing. I also take loads of notes that used to end up shoved in a drawer.   I’ve since learned the hard way not to do that.  When you take notes, use them, don’t lose them.  Go to the workshops, they are usually free.  One of the workshops that interested me was how to be better at evaluations, presented by two former District Evaluation Champions.  For me, having to gather your thoughts in a few minutes, structure a speech and make the speaker feel motivated seemed a tall order. I came out bantering with my friend as to who would win the next ‘Best Evaluator’ ribbon.  My friend did……… every time for two years.   ‘How do you do that’ I asked. It turns out she had implemented all the advice from the workshop whereas I had shoved it all in a drawer.  Ouch!

It was competition time.  ‘Come on members’ declared our President.  ‘Step up.  We need contestants’.  ‘I will if you will’.  Over the years I’ve noticed that some clubs have lots of contestants whereas others have very few.  More chance of winning in the latter!  Contests are a great way to help you up your game.  Always give competitions a chance. Sign up and enter. I’ve heard speakers who have been in Toastmasters for less than six months go all the way to the International competition.  You never know how far you can go unless you try. 

I never entered the evaluation contest to become a champion.  I just wanted to beat my friend, just once.  My friend won best Speaker and I, finally, won best Evaluator.   I remember at Area, warming up my brain and getting myself into evaluation mode.  My main competitor who had won at Area for the past three years received a note from one of her friends.  ‘Lynne is evaluating everything in sight if you are not careful she’ll win’.  I did. You wouldn’t go to the gym without warming up, so why evaluate without warming up.  You can warm up evaluating other speakers or even the Toastmaster.

Audiences get bigger as you go from Club to Area to Division to District.  The Division contest was in a lecture hall with everyone not just looking at you but looking down at you.  A bit unnerving if you are not used to it.  I had been given tips to remember my evaluation so I could do it primarily without notes, one of those tips was to write the words on a mini yellow sticker and keep it in the palm of your hand.  A brilliant idea in practice but in a contest, when you are nervous, when your hands are sweaty, it doesn’t work.  I wouldn’t recommend going without notes for the first time in a contest, challenge yourself to try it in the safety of your home club.  That said, at the time it was a case of ‘I’ll just have to go for it’.  I did.  I won.  Wow.  Who would have thought putting into practice all those tips and tricks from the workshop would have made such a difference. 

When I run Evaluations workshops these days one of the first things I say is ‘Use your notes, don’t shove them in a drawer’. I actually went through the whole Evaluation competition process twice.  After the first attempt when I came second at District I swore I would never enter a contest again, way too stressful.  When I reflected though on how much I had improved in just three months I knew there was something to be gained.  The following year I came away with the UK and Ireland District Evaluation Championship title.   For the past seven years I have helped others improve their evaluation skills through mentoring and workshops. Nothing delights me more than when a new Evaluation Champion is announced.  These days I have added to my workshops, as well as evaluations I run ‘Speaking without words – the power of silent communication’ which is all about using your body to enhance your speaking. 

My Toastmasters journey still continues and every 2^nd and 4^th Wednesday I can be found at Excalibur Speakers, D91’s only advanced club. This May I will be at conference.  Other weeks I attend workshops, visit other clubs and absorb the shared knowledge and ideas that makes Toastmasters such a great organisation to be part of.

Lynne’s next evaluation workshop will be on Tuesday 28^th May at Holborn Speakers. Rugby Tavern, 19 Great James St, London, WC1N 3ES.  Time: 6.45pm to 9pm.