A keen individual, let’s call her Carmen, has heard about Toastmasters from a friend and tries to contact her local club via the internet. A few days go by and she hasn’t heard back, so she then picks up the phone to call. Because Carmen is super keen, she manages to get through to a previous committee member who gives her the information required for your next club meeting.
David, on the other hand, has worked up the courage to explore Toastmasters, after hearing about it from his elder brother for years. He hears nothing back and does not pursue things further. Does any of this sound familiar? Every year, between May to July, we go through a leadership transition period in our club’s and Districts. Sometimes it takes a while to for handovers to complete. Toastmasters International remains one of the primary search tools for people looking for their local club. Are the contact details in club central current? How long does it take for your club to respond to an enquiry?
Over the last few months, we’ve all experienced a new member experience to anything ever before. With most of our clubs adopting virtual meetings, our ‘network break’ may not feel the same. In some cases, it’s been a lifeline for long-standing members to get involved as it may be easier for them to dial in and not have to worry about childcare or a commute. Some may wish to stay connected to the club but opt for shorter meetings due to the other screen time they have.
As you plan as far as you can for your club’s success this year, I’d invite you to engage all your members in feedback. This could be by running a survey or facilitating one meeting just to ‘Moments of Truth’ – a way where all members can get involved in quite literally doing an MOT of the club.
Finally, we have a number of clubs in our midst this year that could genuinely do with some additional support. To that end, I have appointed a Club Retention Committee charged with finding and matching appropriate ‘Club Coaches’ to such clubs. Could this be you? More information can be found here: You are invited to get in touch to support the members of these clubs get back on track
I wish you a fantastic start to the 2020-2021 Toastmasters year and every success with your personal educational goals this term.
Last Updated on 7th October 2020 by Susan Rayner