Why Should I be a Club Coach?

Why Should I be a Club Coach?

by Robi Ley, DTM

There is a need in our District for Club Coaches, and many members are not even aware there is such a thing. Many clubs are not aware they can ask for one and get help getting their struggling club back on track. This is sad. It’s sad because it means the needs of our members are not being met. If our members’ needs are not being met, we as Toastmasters are not living up to our Toastmasters promise we all made when we joined.

What exactly is a Club Coach? Exactly what it sounds like. It’s an individual who goes into a struggling club and offers them guidance, advice, and encouragement to get back on a growth track. Did you ever play a sport? What did your coach do for you? He or she evaluated what you were already doing and let you know if you were performing well or needed some additional practice. They helped you identify your skills, your strengths, and your areas for improvement. So it is with a Club Coach.

The first step in coaching is the evaluation. There is a Toastmasters module called “Moments of Truth.” This is an evaluation tool a coach can use to help identify the skills, strengths, and opportunities that exist in a club. The club gets valuable information and the coach, who delivers the module, gets credit toward either their ACS or their ALB.

Once these areas have been identified, the coach meets with the club officers and together, they devise an action plan to address the areas that need improvement. The coach offers suggestions, provides information, and directs the officers to appropriate resources, but the officers and the club members are the ones who execute the action plan. Again, think of the role of a coach on a sports team. The coach does not run the plays. That is for the players to do. The club coach does not execute the action plan. That is for the club to do. The coach encourages and guides.

Back to the question; why should I, or you, be a club coach? As Toastmasters, we promised to support our clubs, and support our fellow members. Look on the back of a membership application and you’ll find “A Toastmasters Promise.” If you read it, it doesn’t just apply to your home club. It applies across the board of your club, area, division, and district. It’s also one of the requirements to fulfill the ALS award, which is just steps away from the DTM.

What does being a club coach really do for you though? How will it help you outside of Toastmasters? Simple answer; team building skills. Acting as a club coach gives you real, practical experience in working with a struggling team and building it back into a growing, vibrant, productive environment. If you’ve ever been in a management position, you’ve probably faced the problem of a struggling team. If you haven’t yet, you likely will. Where better to get the experience you need and hone the skills you need? Better yet, you get those skills in a place where it won’t cost you your job if you don’t succeed. Toastmasters offers you the best proving ground in the world for developing, building, and perfecting your leadership skills. A safe environment with all the tools and encouragement you need to succeed. It doesn’t get better than that.

Being a club coach is a rewarding, beneficial experience that helps you grow as a leader and brings life and excitement back to a struggling club. You help the club, you help yourself. I call that a win/win.

Contact me at clubcoach@d50toastmasters.org and let’s get you started on the road to being a club coach.