I’ve written numerous times about how joining a Toastmasters club can help your career based on what you learn from going through the program. However, not everyone is interested in joining a speaking club. Also, not everyone’s goals involve communication skills. The good news is that there are hundreds of clubs out there for every interest. You can find clubs for hobbies on topics such as sewing, reading (book clubs), chess, cribbage, car enthusiast and even video games. There are clubs that focus on business or political issues as well as public service. And there are clubs that are community focused that can focus on anything from improving a neighborhood to planning statewide events. My point is that there’s a club for practically every interest and most of these clubs (unless it’s something bizarre such as a fetish club) can give you an opportunity to move ahead with your job or business.
The great thing about clubs is that your involvement is the perfect win-win situation. The club wins because volunteers help run the club and provide the benefits to the members. The volunteer wins because he or she gets experience that otherwise might not be available to him or her with their current job. This experience falls into several categories and depending on the club and the position, not all of them may be present.
Toastmasters Success: The Power of Theme Meetings
I’ll never forget the night I assumed the role of Vice President of Education for my Toastmasters club. I had been a member for only about 5 months and pestered the Club President for the prior week about getting more involved. When I was told I could have the role, I prepared like crazy. I researched everything I could about how to be successful in that role.
So there I was, nervously awaiting my turn to get up to address the club for the first time as an officer. I was very self-conscious about the role because while I had gotten to know most of be active members and gave several speeches, being so new I felt like I needed to prove myself.
Public Speaking Myths: Joining Toastmasters will Make You a Better Speaker
It seems like every business expert that also has speaking experience likes to throw in a line about joining Toastmasters International to become a better speaker. Some of these people joined a club and it helped them become better speakers while others simply regurgitate this advice from other sources. Although Toastmasters has worked for a lot of folks (myself included), simply joining won’t necessarily make you a better speaker.
Tips for Toastmasters: Five Tips for Successful Meetings:
A Toastmasters meeting is what makes a club thrive. If your meetings are run effectively, your members will be more enthusiastic and guests will be more apt to join. So here are some tips to help make your next Toastmasters meeting a huge success:
1. Start and end on time:
Effective time management shows everyone that you value their time as well as your own. If you always start the meeting ten minutes late, people will start showing up later and later. Likewise, if you end late, people will start getting angry and having negative feelings about the group.