My home club is City of London Toastmasters. At various points I’ve also held dual membership at a variety of other wonderful clubs in London and I became a Distinguished Toastmaster in 2018. I love competing, having reached District finals 9 times across different contests and winning Evaluation in 2016. I’m a management consultant at KPMG, where I currently head up designing solutions for managed learning services for clients across the globe. So, developing myself and creating the platforms for others to learn and grow has always been central in my career.
This year, I’m supporting the District as Club Coach Lead. If a club has been facing some challenges in membership numbers or need support, I match them to an experienced Toastmaster who helps the club rebuild its membership and improve the overall quality of the club experience. The coach works closely with club officers and members to provide guidance, enthusiasm, and structure within the club.
Recently, my home club celebrated its 29th anniversary in November. As the current longest serving member I’m still in touch with many of the former Club Presidents and it was a joy to invite 7 of them back to a special in-person panel discussion during our club meeting. They shared their leadership lessons and what this club has meant to them. The three things I took away were:
- Each Club President brought their unique personality to the club. They introduced and tested innovations and improvements to the club. Toastmasters is not only a safe space for members to practice their public speaking skills, but also a safe space for people to grow their leadership skills.
- We recognise the courage it takes put yourself out there. All our past Presidents started at the back of the room, eventually getting more and more involved in the meetings until one day, they became the person to stand at front and open every meeting. The importance of encouraging people to get involved and have a go is paramount.
- We’ve always been a very social club. Going to the pub post meeting, the annual Christmas curry get-together and we’ve recently introduced snack and chat and the end of the meetings. Countless friendships have formed in a community where people want to support each other to succeed in their goals.
Coming back to club coaching, Toastmasters is an amazing place, and we want to support every club to help serve its members. Becoming a successful club coach gives you a credit towards your Distinguished Toastmaster award and gives you enormous satisfaction in helping a club succeed and secure its own legacy, I would recommend any Toastmaster to consider it.
Last Updated on 28th November 2024 by Allen Paul