At my club's most recent meeting, we continued our discussion of how to increase participation from new and shy members. As we were discussing the possible benefits of a "New Member Checklist," something to help new members know what steps to take in their first few weeks or months of membership, one person suggested that we also prepare a "Club Checklist for New Members."
Being so far from the United States, which is where World Headquarters is located, poses some unique challenges for all clubs in Korea. Korea Toastmasters (District 93) is also a young district with a lot of new clubs, so developing "best practices" is still a work in progress for many.
My club didn't have the time to develop a "Club Checklist" at our meeting, but below are a few ideas and suggestions to help your club welcome and integrate new members successfully.
Keep a Surplus of CC and CL Manuals
International shipping takes a long time, as long as 6 weeks. Waiting for CC and CL manuals often creates a disconnect for new members and can cause them to leave Toastmasters before they really get to enjoy the experience.
My club's solution? Buy a surplus of CC and CL manuals, e.g. 10 of each. When a new member submits her membership form and sends money, give her one CC and CL from the surplus and ask that, when her manuals arrive from the United States, she give them to the club.
This allows new members to immediately start working on their new manuals, and the surplus never runs out because it gets filled when those long awaited CC and CL manuals finally arrive. All it takes is an initial financial investment from your club and some extra bookkeeping by your club's Secretary or Sergeant at Arms (whoever you've designated to oversee supplies).
Provide a Written Description of Roles
Do you remember your first Toastmasters meeting? Did you feel overwhelmed, confused by, and/or intimidated by the many roles at the meeting? Even as a native English speaker, I felt quite intimidated by these roles, and I made a point of watching and waiting so that I could try to figure out how each one worked.
To make participation easier and more comfortable for new members, try providing them with a written description of each role. It's true that we explain roles at each meeting, but these verbal explanations are brief, and some people (like me) are more visual learners. For these people, having a paper with a written description can be a helpful and reassuring resource. You can download one example that my club used a few years ago:
Being so far from the United States, which is where World Headquarters is located, poses some unique challenges for all clubs in Korea. Korea Toastmasters (District 93) is also a young district with a lot of new clubs, so developing "best practices" is still a work in progress for many.
My club didn't have the time to develop a "Club Checklist" at our meeting, but below are a few ideas and suggestions to help your club welcome and integrate new members successfully.
Keep a Surplus of CC and CL Manuals
International shipping takes a long time, as long as 6 weeks. Waiting for CC and CL manuals often creates a disconnect for new members and can cause them to leave Toastmasters before they really get to enjoy the experience.
My club's solution? Buy a surplus of CC and CL manuals, e.g. 10 of each. When a new member submits her membership form and sends money, give her one CC and CL from the surplus and ask that, when her manuals arrive from the United States, she give them to the club.
This allows new members to immediately start working on their new manuals, and the surplus never runs out because it gets filled when those long awaited CC and CL manuals finally arrive. All it takes is an initial financial investment from your club and some extra bookkeeping by your club's Secretary or Sergeant at Arms (whoever you've designated to oversee supplies).
Provide a Written Description of Roles
Do you remember your first Toastmasters meeting? Did you feel overwhelmed, confused by, and/or intimidated by the many roles at the meeting? Even as a native English speaker, I felt quite intimidated by these roles, and I made a point of watching and waiting so that I could try to figure out how each one worked.
To make participation easier and more comfortable for new members, try providing them with a written description of each role. It's true that we explain roles at each meeting, but these verbal explanations are brief, and some people (like me) are more visual learners. For these people, having a paper with a written description can be a helpful and reassuring resource. You can download one example that my club used a few years ago:
guideforguests1_(1).pdf |
Assign a Mentor
I know that many clubs still do not have mentoring systems in place. However, even if you don't have your mentoring system set up yet, you can still assign a mentor to help and support your new member. To do this, you might ask your club members who is interested in providing extra help and support to new members; clarify that this extra support might take the form of helping with early speeches, especially the Icebreaker, encouraging the new member to sign up for roles (and then making sure that he knows how to complete those roles), and showing extra interest in the new member, e.g. by greeting him each week and being sure to invite him to second round. This is something that any club can do regardless of whether a mentoring system is currently in place. Even better, doing this might help your club to get a mentoring system started.
New Member Kits
If your club wants or needs more guidance for orienting new members, then you might also consider buying some New Member Kits from the Toastmasters web site, which you can find at this link:
https://www.toastmasters.org/en/Shop/Meetings/new-members-and-guests/New%20Member%20Orientation%20Kit%20for%20Clubs_1162.aspx
The suggestions I've made are not exhaustive, and they may not all be right for your club. Only you and your club members can decide what works best for you. However, I hope this post has given you some new ideas to help you welcome and support your new members even more than before. Finally, if your club has a special way of orienting new members, I hope that you will comment below and share your idea with the rest of the Division. I look forward to hearing from everyone!
I know that many clubs still do not have mentoring systems in place. However, even if you don't have your mentoring system set up yet, you can still assign a mentor to help and support your new member. To do this, you might ask your club members who is interested in providing extra help and support to new members; clarify that this extra support might take the form of helping with early speeches, especially the Icebreaker, encouraging the new member to sign up for roles (and then making sure that he knows how to complete those roles), and showing extra interest in the new member, e.g. by greeting him each week and being sure to invite him to second round. This is something that any club can do regardless of whether a mentoring system is currently in place. Even better, doing this might help your club to get a mentoring system started.
New Member Kits
If your club wants or needs more guidance for orienting new members, then you might also consider buying some New Member Kits from the Toastmasters web site, which you can find at this link:
https://www.toastmasters.org/en/Shop/Meetings/new-members-and-guests/New%20Member%20Orientation%20Kit%20for%20Clubs_1162.aspx
The suggestions I've made are not exhaustive, and they may not all be right for your club. Only you and your club members can decide what works best for you. However, I hope this post has given you some new ideas to help you welcome and support your new members even more than before. Finally, if your club has a special way of orienting new members, I hope that you will comment below and share your idea with the rest of the Division. I look forward to hearing from everyone!