Best Practices in Toastmasters

Foundations of building membership

Vijayakumar Vijayaratnam DTM

Best Practices in Toastmasters

Foundations of building membership

Introduction

▸ In 1924, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley began his mission of helping others become

more effective communicators and leaders.

▸A Toastmasters club is most beneficial to its members when operating at

charter strength, which means 20 or more active members.

▸To offset membership attrition, each club needs a constant influx of new

members.

With more members, clubs gain:

▸ Increased enthusiasm at club meetings and functions

▸Membership diversity, which enriches all aspects of club programs

▸Greater depth of leadership and collaboration

▸Additional funding for club supplies and events

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under

CC BY

How are we fairing in District 17?

As of 31Jan

2018

As of 1st Feb

2019

Percentage

change

New Members

inc. Charter

District

membership 1823 1754 -4% 422

Division N 526 458 -13% 95

Division C 394 440 +12% 105

Division E 365 370 -1% 92

Division S 538 486 -10% 130

Membership best practice

➢ Clubs that maintain a high standard of excellence

are more likely to attract and retain new members.

➢ If your guests typically don’t join and new members

tend not to stay for very long, the club is probably

not meeting their needs.

➢ To experience sustained growth, a club needs to

be worth belonging to.

.

5 Key Areas of Club membership

Let us look at five key areas in Club membership,

what the challenges are and what we can make as

our best practice to ensure our club growth

➢ Guests

➢ Evaluations

➢ Member Achievements

➢ Member Retention

➢ Mentoring

Guests

Challenges

➢ Guests are not showing up to

visit the club

➢ Guests are coming to the club

but not joining

Possible Causes

➢ Guests may not feel welcome or

may feel left out

➢ Guests may not feel that the club

will support their personal goals

➢ Guests may not be given the

encouragement to join

➢ Guests may have witnessed a

judgmental or negative reaction

Recommendations

➢ Use of a guest book to record guests’ details

➢ Use of name tags

➢ Clarify dress code for guests

➢ Welcome guests and introduce to members

➢ Make meetings, friendly, enjoyable and fun.

➢ Display banner and Toastmasters magazines

➢ Use club website, newsletter and social media to promote the club

➢ Conduct speechcraft programs

Evaluations

Challenges

➢ Speakers are hyper-sensitive

about constructive feedback

➢ Evaluators are superficial and

ineffective

Possible Causes

➢ Honest supportive evaluations rely

on trust within the group

➢ Evaluators may not know how to

deliver effective feedback

Recommendations

➢ Use those who have completed 5 speeches to do evaluations

➢ Focus evaluations on speech objectives from the manuals

➢ Ask experienced members from your club or

neighbouring clubs to model effective evaluations

➢ Schedule club social events to create a friendly,

supportive culture

Member Achievements

Challenges

➢ Members are not earning awards

➢ Members are not improving

Possible Causes

➢ Members are not delivering

speeches from their Toastmasters

manuals or Pathways

➢ Achievements are not recognized

within the club

➢ Mentors are not supportive of their

proteges

➢ Mentors may not understand their

responsibilities

Recommendations

➢ Recognise the delivery of ice-breaker with a ribbon, ceremony or a standing

ovation

➢ Award a memento to commemorate achievements

➢ Ask experienced members to share success stories

➢ Ensure achievements and recognition are clearly explained during orientation

➢ Ensure members are delivering manual speeches or pathways speeches

➢ Clarify the mentor’s responsibilities to mentors and proteges.

Member Retention

Challenges

➢ Members are disengaged

➢ Members are not returning

➢ Members have a negative

attitude towards Toastmasters

and their club

Possible Causes

➢ Members may not feel they are

accomplishing their goals

➢ Members may not feel supported

➢ Meetings may be starting or ending

late

Recommendations

➢ Use the VPE and a formal mentor program to ensure members are actively

participating

➢ VPM should contact members who are not attending meetings

➢ Begin and end meetings on time to show respect for all attendees.

➢ Use the member interest survey so members can share their goals and needs

with the club

➢ Recognise achievements in all roles both big and small

Mentoring

Challenges

➢ Members are not satisfied with

the mentoring program

➢ Members are not taking

advantage of the mentoring

program

➢ Members are not interested in

being a mentor

Possible Causes

➢Proteges may feel their

mentors are not a good fit

➢There may not be a formal

mentor program

➢Members may not be aware

of the mentor program or the

benefits of participating

Recommendations

➢ Emphasise the benefits of the mentoring to new members

➢ Follow up with mentors and proteges to gauge their progress

➢ Encourage mentoring at all levels

➢ Allow members to change mentors if they want to

➢ Devise a formal feedback program between mentor and protégé to foster

accountability

Showcase

our

organization

to the

community

Let us share the benefits we have gained for ourselves with others. – Dr. Ralph C. Smedley

END