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September 2009 Posts
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Club membership & Public Relations
What can we expect from our VP PR and Membership for 2009-10 Season!
What goals would you be happy to see come out from thier roles?
See you online soon I guess!
Thank you.
J
Hi Justin. First and formost it is essential we hold on to our present membership, we can do this by having productive meetings. We can do this by supporting every member in their efforts to complete their manuals..also any new members need to see that we are serious about making our club succesfull in our area. Regards Des
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Hi, strong membership only prevails if the members are having fun. Most people find work stressful at the best of times, so they want to be entertained and let off some steam if that is possible!!
Spot on Des.
Don't lose your membership if you can help it.
Back to the question. Membership & PR should be a great team, bring in new blood for the club - that is sadly very hard for most clubs. Not sure why that is?
Sarah.
What needs to happen is that PR reminds the members that word-of-mouth is the key to bringing in new members. In my club in North London, we had 130 visitors in QTR4 alone last year.
It takes some commitment to persuade the members - but worth it in the end!!
I agree with Des and Ciara:
To retain existing members and attract new members you have to offer a Toastmasters meeting that people WANT to attend. It should help you improve your communication goals, but it should also be enjoyable.
Our Club -- Park Central Toastmasters-- in Phoenix Arizona has 12 members who have been in the club for more than 20 years. They have continued their membership because its fun attending club meetings. Our meetings are generally high energy, with good speakers and fun table topics. Good meetings occur when people are well prepared.
Adding variety to standard meetings can also help. Years ago our club had a backwards meeting in which the meeting was conducted in reverse order. It was quite funny to listen to people evaluate speeches before they were given.
We have also had debates, roasts, etc. Right now I am thinking it might be innovative to collaborate with a club in another country using a SKYPE videoconference. It would be fun to have people outside the country participate in our table topics.
Thank you for your comments everyone!
Harry - well put! - people must WANT TO come along to the meetings - so fun and the members being prepared is a critical part in supporting the meeting and improving the quality of the club meetings.
One other suggestion I would mention is for experienced club members to bring something new to the role - this could be simply providing a witty intro to the role or adding something to it.
