How To Grow Your Toastmasters Club

Want to know how to grow your Toastmasters club?

You didn’t join Toastmasters to get good at Toastmasters. You joined to get better at your real life!

Why did you join? And the newest members in your club, why did they join? If you want to grow your Toastmasters club, make sure and keep their dream alive.

Your growth is your club’s growth.

Your progress within your own club means more of your co-workers, friends, and family notice your progress, You’re a walking billboard advertisement showcasing the benefits of Toastmasters. You’re the proof that it works!

You’re the perfect example of a before & after weight lose photo. Your increased self-confidence and public speaking skills are what your co-workers, your boss, your employees, your friends notice. In the real world, your best sales pitch to inviting guests to your club is your personal growth.

Your club is like a garden.

Like plants in a garden, each of your club members is unique. Some need more light, while others are wall-flowers. Some need lots of water, while others can go for long periods on their own. From veteran members to first-time guests, each person has a specific reason for seeking out Toastmasters.

Stories from my own Toastmasters club:

Rona J.: Finance major. Joined because she wanted to be better at public speaking. Didn’t give her first “Ice Breaker” speech until a year after joining. Today, Rona is a badass at speaking, and can smoothly run a club meeting as the Toastmaster.

Ceci D.: Works in corporate America. Hated always being afraid of speaking at work. Presented her 10th speech in her Competent Communicator manual 5 years after joining. Ceci is now the one who always takes on a meeting role, presents a learning moment, and/or participates in Table Topics.

Tianna W.: Just wanted to face her fear of public speaking. Tianna went on to compete in the 2014 Humorous Speech Contest at the District level.

Jenny M.: Her job requires her to read a pre-written update to more than 100 company employees via Skype. Jenny is great at speaking off-the-cuff – she’s funny and a great storyteller. But reading off of a script terrifies the hell out of her! It was my journey from first Ice Breaker speech to winning the District-level International Speech Contest in 2013 – and documenting how I dealt with the fear of public speaking – that Jenny applied in her work environment. In Jenny’s own words:

“Was reading your blog post prior to my 5 minute work presentation via phone to 100 participants. By using the techniques you wrote about, I was able to deliver a better speech. Thank you for taking the time to blog about your approach prior to and during speeches.”

You are a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone in your club – and everyone on your life. Your growth is your club’s growth! When you grow, your core of influence sees it. And when your club members grow, THEIR core of influence sees it. It so much easier to invite guests to your club when you’re growing.

Grow your club with people from the real world.

Molly is a physics major. She told me that she used to be terrified of public speaking. So much so that she dropped many college classes when the teacher mentioned that students would be required to give a presentation in front of the class. Her years of experience as a Barista have helped make her willing to push through her fears, and now she’s much more comfortable in front of a class full of students.

Your Toastmasters club is the only safe place to practice public speaking. You just need to keep an eye out for people that can benefit from it.

It’s like a second family.

Your club is like your second family. That’s not something you can explain to a guest, but like reading a great book or watching a great movie, you can’t wait for them to experience it too. There’s a fellowship in your club.

Look for the people in your everyday life that are thirsty, that are looking for a great book or movie. And as World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren LaCroix, says:

“Toastmasters is a great place to practice screwing up!”

This is a great invitation to someone you know that’s afraid of public speaking, that wants to build their self-confidence, that wants to climb the corporate ladder more quickly.