It Takes a Little MAGIC
Rancho Speech Masters (Club 9113, Founders District) has achieved the President's Distinguished Club Award five years in a row. Membership is consistently in the 30s, club finances are sound and attendance at meetings is standing-room only. How has this been accomplished?
According to Rancho Speech Masters member and area G2 governor Patrick McClure, ATM-S, it’s simple: the club uses a little MAGIC to get the job done.
Make it Fun
To keep things lively, Rancho Speech Masters schedules parties and get-togethers on a regular basis. Significant others, invited guests, new members and returning Toastmasters are all invited to these social events, which help build enthusiasm and keep new members coming into the club.
Actively Work Together
In Rancho Speech Masters, members work together to help each other become better speakers, better team members and better human beings. Without prompting, members meet outside the club to give private coaching or mentoring. When someone becomes ill and can't attend, they receive a get well card signed by everyone. When a member is trying to win a speech contest, they receive additional coaching, evaluation and tips from everyone.
Genuinely Show Interest
As all Toastmasters know, standing up in front of a group of strangers to give a speech can be very intimidating. What helps Rancho Speech Masters club members gain confidence is the genuine interest and care they feel from—and for—their fellow Toastmasters. Delivering an effective speech evaluation requires concentration, genuine interest and the absolute commitment to do the best you can to help your fellow Toastmasters improve.
Improve Yourself and Others
The members of Rancho Speech Masters make it a point to understand exactly what new members would like to achieve, and focus their efforts on making sure those goals are met. The emphasis is constantly on getting better. They don't accept the status quo. They constantly work to help improve the speaker by giving effective evaluations with tons of suggestions for improvement.
Communicate
With effective communication tools like the club’s very professional Web site (www.ranchospeechmasters.org), a regularly published membership list and a weekly one-page meeting recap, members of Rancho Speech Masters always feel as though they’re in touch with the club, even when they miss a meeting or two. Even former members and guests are kept in the communication loop, which helps the club bring in new members and facilitate re-entry for ex-Toastmasters.
So there you have it. According to Rancho Speech Masters, the 5 steps to achieve Toastmasters excellence are:
Make it Fun,
Actively Work Together,
Genuinely Show Interest,
Improve Yourself and Others, and
Communicate.
Add it all up, and it spells MAGIC!
Has your club put an innovative twist to Table Topics? Concocted a better way to give evaluations to sensitive speakers? Used an unusual meeting format?
Why are you keeping it a secret?
Share your club's constructive, uncommon or just plain practical ideas with clubs around the world by sending them to websubmissons@toastmasters.org.