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