Your Toastmasters International (TI) club’s Vice President (VP) of Membership just said something that you hadn’t realized when you first joined: YOU play a critical role in finding new members for your Toastmasters club.
You knew that the Toastmasters program worked for you, and you have casually mentioned something about Toastmasters to a few folks you know, but you assumed what many new TI members assume: the VP of Membership is solely responsible for recruiting new members into the club.
This is a common misconception that many club members have when they first join the club, and it is easy to understand why. The VP of Education supports members with their educational goals and the VP of Public Relations promotes awareness and marketing, so one could easily think that the VP of Membership handles membership building. However, chances are you didn’t make your initial contact to your club through the VP of Membership, right? Chances are that someone you know may have been a factor in your decision to check out and then join Toastmasters. In fact, TI statistics show that most members have been referred by other members, which is exactly why YOU play an essential role in membership.
But, how do members go about finding new members? Where do you look? How do you ask? What do you say?
First, suspend your efforts to find new members.
That’s right – put that task on a shelf for a moment.
Instead, relax and focus on your own educational plan. Talk to your VP of Education and/or your mentor and lay out a plan to achieve your own development goals. What will it take for you to complete your initial Competent Communication (CC) designation? Could you commit to one CC manual project a month? Or, if working on your Advanced Communicator series (ACB, ACS, ACG), which two advanced manuals can you complete in the next year? And don’t forget about that Competent Leader (CL) manual – schedule yourself for upcoming meeting roles and map them to a CL project.
Next, start working your plan. Go ahead and give yourself two weeks to give the Ice Breaker. Don’t hesitate in ordering those two advanced manuals. You know you’ll have to volunteer as Timer, or Ah Counter, or Toastmaster of the Day sooner or later – take your CL manual with you and get credit for it! The sooner you start working the plan, the quicker you’ll build momentum that will help to complete it.
Now, back to the subject of this post: membership.
Your educational plan is in place and you are working towards your goals. Evaluators are providing constructive feedback and experienced members may have noted your growth. You have given a few speeches, have handled a few roles and no longer dread tabletopics. You can ‘see’ the program working by your own experiences. This knowledge begins to fuel self-confidence which serves to power-up your energy and enthusiasm.
Guess what? This is your story and it is all you need when communicating Toastmasters to others. Once people hear your story about what brought you to Toastmasters and how the TI program is helping you achieve your personal or professional goals, they are more interested in hearing how the program works.
What is your story? Consider the following:
1. What led you to visit a club for the very first time? Were you tired of feeling nervous when meeting people for the first time, or feeling nauseous when speaking to a group of people? Did your boss or teacher recommend Toastmasters? Did you join to learn parliamentary procedure or how to facilitate meetings? Were you looking to build leadership skills?
2. What was your experience at your first visit? What did you expect to find at the club? Were you surprised at what you saw and heard? Were the people friendly? Did you have preconceived ideas about Toastmasters but ended up saying “This is nothing like I expected!”?
3. What happened in the first three to six months of your membership? Were you assigned a mentor that walked along side you for your first several club roles and speeches? Did you notice a difference between your first (Ice-Breaker) and third (Get to the Point) project speeches? Did you find yourself stepping in to help newer members then yourself?
Your personal story about why you joined Toastmasters and how you have grown in the program is unique. No one has a story like you do, and your story is a powerful marketing platform. Your story starts with a problem that most can identify with and contains a solution that most can understand. You may not feel comfortable explaining how the communication and leadership tracks are connected nor may not be able to define the requirements for each designation (CC, ACB…), but you can tell your story like no one else can.
Your story, not a process description of the TI framework, is what captures the attention of those around you at work, at school, at church, in the neighborhood and in other organizations. You can tell your story, talk about how your skills have changed and describe a typical meeting. Once you tell them your story, simply invite them to an upcoming meeting, one that you know you’ll attend. (A personal invitation is much more effective than a generic flyer on a bulletin board.)
Once people hear your story they may start asking questions. Don’t sweat the details – let the great promotional literature provided by your club’s executive committee or offered on the TI website cover the specifics of the program. I usually carry a trifold brochure or two around, just in case someone wants to know more. Also, you can always offer to put others in touch with more experienced members for detailed answers. If they accompany you to a meeting, coordinate in advance with someone in your club’s Executive Committee to be available after the meeting to answer questions and introduce the membership application.
One final note: your story is not an ending – it is a beginning. Your story describes what will become a completely new adventure as you continue to overcome personal obstacles and achieve new goals. Your story will evolve along with your skills and confidence, and soon, you will be helping others to write their story.
So, what is your story?