How do you do "Club Growth?"

By Hollis Cash, ACB
Area 62 Director, 2016-2017

How do we grow our club? 

It is a question that many clubs ask themselves over and over, right?  Well, while it seems like an easy answer, it is really not. What it the best way then to represent the answer? A set of building blocks. First, the answer to the question is really “Get new members…” Sure, easy, right? This is where the building blocks have to be used. So let’s open the bucket and see what these blocks are…

The first block is “Excitement.”  Let me ask you this... do you want to attend a meeting where everyone is falling asleep or looks like they just ate spoiled fish? Or would you rather attend a meeting where everyone’s attention is on the speaker, where there are smiles and greetings by everyone, where it feel like there is focused electricity in the air? I choose the latter. Ok, so how do you generate excitement? This leads to another building block.  

The second block you have to use is “Involvement.” What does that mean? Be involved in your club. Get others involved in your club. Serve your club as an officer. Serve your club by holding roles. Serve your club by holding each other accountable…LOVINGLY… just like our evaluators. I believe involvement must start with the officers. You should have a good mix of “Old Hats” and new toastmasters serving as officers. The experienced toastmasters should hold the senior roles so that the new officers can learn and take over next year! That is “Officer Involvement” at its best. Next, start filling your roles well in advance of the meeting. Start an excel spreadsheet and circulate it 4 to 6 weeks out with all the roles. Give a speech on involvement and then get sign-ups going! Now that this is starting to look like something, what next?

The third block is “Hosting.” What in the world is hosting? Host an event! Once you have “Excitement” and “Involvement,” you need to host an event. What event? Two specific ones come to mind: one for building membership and the other for building comradery with other toastmasters. First, of course, is to have an Open House! If you have the first two blocks laid out, then you are ready to host. You need a massive public relations blast, a meal, and perhaps an exciting keynote guest speaker. An Open house done right will build membership! The second event is to have a Banner Raid. Get five of your members together to visit another club during their meeting. This allows you to “Take Their Toastmasters Banner.” How do they get it back? By bringing five of their members to your meeting! But beware, if they bring ten, not only do they get their banner back, but they get to take yours! This builds excitement and requires involvement!

Now, you have the blocks, so you need to start building! Get the excitement going in any way you can, training, rewarding, encouraging, doing something new! Once you have the excitement, get everyone involved! Get those officers going, train the new ones! Fill roles in advance! Finally, hold a banner raid and promote an open house! Put those blocks to use, and you will grow!

Finding New Members in a Corporate Club

Submitted by Kimberly McBrayer, ACB, ALB

Finding new members in a Corporate club is as easy as A–B–C.

A – Ask Everyone – You can expect to get a couple of "no, not at this time, this is our busy time of year." Ask anyway and then ask again later. You may find yourself introducing people to Toastmasters for the first time.  After you have asked your co-workers, ask your manager and team members from other departments. Ask to advertise your club meeting time and day in the café, in the breakrooms, and on any electronic signage within the company. Ask and then ask again.

B – Believe in your club by holding consistent meetings.  If only a few members show up for the meeting, hold your meeting at the advertised time and give manual speeches. Assign roles the week or two prior and send reminder emails 2 days and 4 days in advance. Consistently celebrate the accomplishments of the club and always send notifications of your member’s new educational awards to your member’s manager. Consistent meetings are a sign of stability and will improve the skills of those who attend regularly. Be Encouraging, Be Supportive, Believe in your club.  

C –A Corporate Champion is essential to the health and continuity of your club. Chances are, your company President and Officer team will be familiar with Toastmasters. If they are familiar with Toastmasters or even Toastmasters alumnus, they already know how the company will benefit from Toastmasters training which builds leaders and confident communicators. Meet with them and tell them again, and provide specific examples from the members of your club. Get in contact with the club’s Charter Members. If the Charter Members have left your location or left the company, speak with the Charter member about the possibility of joining and attending meetings virtually. Schedule an appointment with Human Resources and ask if the Toastmasters program can be considered as an individual development tool on the company’s performance appraisal. Speak with leaders in various departments including Sales, Marketing, and Information Technology (IT). Your Corporate Champion is just waiting to be asked.

If you are looking for new members to join your Corporate Club, Ask everyone, Believe in the consistency of your club, and get a corporate Champion. It’s as easy as  A–B–C.