Membership in Toastmasters is your gift to yourself. By being a member you are gifting some time for self-improvement.
Self-improvement comes before learning and growing.
“What we think, we become.”—Buddha.
How true is that statement?
Toastmasters is giving you a chance to delve deeper into your subconscious and find answers to everyday problems. Think of the golden image that you desire, and achieve that!
Retaining membership in your clubs is like lining up a bunch of naughty kittens. It is a Herculean task. It cannot be accomplished single-handedly. It requires a team of competent individuals, not your club officers.
Now, let’s face it, Toastmasters is not the only thing that makes up your life! You have 95% of your life outside of Toastmasters. So the priority of Toastmasters falls to the bottom. How do you emphasize the importance of Toastmasters to the members?
The magic “8”:
This is not the number we are looking at in terms of members for a given club, it is the minimum needed to keep the club in good standing.
The 8 needs to multiply, how? By telling members to get at least one of their friends/family, then two, and so on!
Our goal is to have 20 members, give or take. You want more members for your club to thrive!
I have some tricks that I want to share
- Tell members to have a ” Moment of Truth” game about their speaking journey.
- Measure your confidence
- Look at your career growth, have you changed since you joined TM?
Let’s delve deeper
Moment of Truth
Let’s do a mental exercise. Think of the time you gave your first Ice Breaker speech, what was running through your mind, and think of the last speech you gave in your club now.
Do you see the difference in emotions in the two times that you spoke? That is the difference that the Toastmasters journey is making in your life and career.
See the difference.
The analogy applies to your career as well. Did you start as a Toastmaster when you were an entry-level grad? Or did you start later in your career? Either way, you can vouch for the different person that you are now!
So why give up on the improvement? When you play an instrument, you constantly improve, but when you stop, what happens? You know what happens when you stop doing something, you lose interest and the skill deteriorates. It’s the same story with your Toastmasters journey. Once you stop, you have to start all over again to regain the momentum.
Measure
What measures, grows!
Keep a log of all the speeches you have given in your Toastmasters journey. Each of them would have improved from the previous one. Look at that journey when you are feeling down and want to give up! The exhilaration after every applause for the speech will push you forward!
Career Growth
“Opportunities do not happen, you create them!”
Think of Toastmasters as an opportunity to grow! Seize the bull by the horns and ride high!
Imagine yourself soaring up!!
Best of all, the cost of a Toastmasters membership is $120/year which is menial compared to public speaking classes outside of colleges. You are getting well worth every penny spent! Bang for the buck comes here!
The excitement of learning something new will keep you going further!
As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them!”
Pursue your kittens to retain membership for years to come!
Written By: Priya R. Shastri, DTM
Big Basin Toastmasters Club – Area B4, D101- VPEducation
Women L.E.A.D. Toastmasters Club – Area G5, D101