1. Subbi P. Mathur, DTM, PDG Region 8 Advisor
Caring for Your Clubs
Subbi P. Mathur, DTM, PDG
Region 8 Advisor

2. You have chartered a Club. What then?
Lay foundations for the Club to stay successful for a long time
Club Growth Directors or District Directors, appoint at least two mentors and charge them to take care of the club for at least 6 months, preferably 12 months
CGD, Train your mentors well so that they know how to nurture the new club
Visit the club often

3. Area Club Visits Make more than one Area Club visit
Get to know the Club Officers
Ask them how you can help
Attend their meetings
Conduct a Moments of Truth Workshop

4. For Established Clubs in trouble
Encourage the Club Presidents to request a Club Coach For an existing troubled club (12 members or less)
Mentor clubs with membership of 14 or less

5. Who Appoints Club Coaches and Mentors?
Club Growth Director or District Director

6. Unofficial Mentors for a Club
Volunteer Mentors for helping clubs with 14 or less members
Area Directors
Division Directors
Club Growth Director

7. Club Mentoring is Your opportunity to:
Develop team-building skills
Expand leadership experience
Increase proficiency as a facilitator and negotiator
Share expertise
Invest in future of Toastmasters

8. Why does a club need a club coach or a Mentor?
Bell shaped Curve in 2 to 5 years
The members are quite content with their ways
Guests are never incorporated into the club because the earlier members have formed their own cliques
The older members are autocratic
Newly chartered club is lost
Club coach or mentor to the rescue

9. Know the foundation Club Mission
We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
District Mission
We build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence.
Toastmasters International Mission
We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.

10. Club Quality Standards: First Impressions

11. Club Quality Standards
First Impressions
Guests warmly greeted and introduced to the club
Guest book and name tags provided
Membership packet with member application form, toastmaster fliers and old Toastmaster magazines
Professionally conducted meetings
Guests invited to participate and comment at the meeting
Guests invited to join

12. Membership Orientation

13. Membership Orientation
Formal Induction, including presentation of membership pin and manuals
Assignment of a mentor by the V.P. Education
Education programs and recognitions discussed
Learning needs assessed
Speaking roles assigned
Member involved in all aspects of club activities
No cliques!

14. Fellowship, Variety and Communication

15. Fellowship, Variety and Communication
Guests warmly greeted and made welcome
Enjoyable meetings are planned
Regularly scheduled social events
Interesting Meeting Themes and Table Topics
Members participate in Area, Division, District and International events
Inter-club events are encouraged
Club newsletter/website/ facebook page published and regularly updated

16. Program Planning and Organization

17. Program Planning and Meeting Organization
Agenda published in advance
Members know program responsibilities and are prepared to carry out all assignments
All projects are from the Manuals
Meetings begin and end on time
Creative Table topics and activities (Club anniversaries, Open house)
Positive and helpful evaluations

18. Membership Strength

19. Membership Strength Club has 20 or more members Members are retained
Active membership building programs
Promotion of the club in the community or within its organization
Club programs varied and exciting
Toastmasters sponsoring new members recognized
Regular membership-building programs

20. Member Achievement Recognition

21. Achievement Recognition
Award applications immediately submitted to World Headquarters
Progress charts displayed and maintained
Member achievements formally recognized with ceremony
Club, District and International leaders recognized
Club and member achievements publicized
DCP is used for Club Success planning and recognition

22. Club Coach/Mentor Qualifications
The District Director or Club Growth Director may appoint up to 2 coaches for each club with 12 or fewer (recommend 14 or fewer) members at the time of appointment
Mentors are appointed to newly chartered clubs, at least 2 per club, typically for 6 months
Not members of the struggling club and who are not currently familiar with the club or its members
They are members of successful clubs and have held club officer positions

23. As Area Director: Build rapport with club leaders and members
Observe and analyze the club environment, then assist the club in generating solutions
Help the club develop a plan with goals for improvement
Make it possible for the club’s leaders and members to implement the plan
Instill enthusiasm, fidelity and a sense of responsibility for the club’s future

24. Toastmasters International Values
Integrity
Respect
Service
Excellence

25. A Great Club Coach or Mentor is
Committed Organized Attentive Consistent Hands-On

26. Difficult Question 1
Can an evaluator require a member to repeat a manual project if the member didn’t meet all of the project objectives?

27. Correct Response
No. If a speech does not meet project objectives, an evaluator should point it out but focus on what the speaker did well and how to improve, as in a normal evaluation. The evaluator could then suggest, in private, that the speaker repeat the project. But ultimately, it is up to the member to decide if the evaluator’s opinion is valid and if a speech project should be repeated.

28. Difficult Question 2
If a speaker wants more time for a manual speech than the objectives provide, can he revise the time with the V.P. Education’s approval?

29. Correct Response
No. One of the lessons to be practiced in speech training is expressing a thought within a specific time. Timing is treated the same as any other manual project objective. For example, if one of the objectives of a project speech is to use gestures effectively and the member focuses instead on vocal variety, the member has not met the project objective and this should be pointed out by the evaluator. The same is true if the time for a speech is 5 to 7 minutes and the member speaks for eight minutes. The evaluator should point out that the timing objective for the speech was not met.

30. Difficult question 3
Can the VP Education refuse to sign a member’s Project Completion Record if he/she believes the member could have performed better?

31. Correct Response
No. The Toastmasters program is self- motivated and self-paced. If a member chooses not to do his best when completing projects, that is his choice Although the VPE certainly can encourage the member to do better, the VPE does not have the authority not to sign the Project Completion Record. The VPE should be sensitive to this.

32. Difficult Question 4
If a member’s manual speech went overtime, can she still be included when the club votes for Best Speaker of the Meeting?

33. Correct Response
Each club is free to set its own requirements for the best speaker or most improved speaker award. Note: If you still present the best speaker award irrespective of time requirements, a note must be added that the speaker would have been disqualified under contest circumstances so that the member can work on keeping his speeches within the time period in future.

34. Response: The clubs can set the rule
Difficult Question 5
Can guests to the club participate in voting for Best Meeting role player?
Response: The clubs can set the rule

35. Some Pointers
You’re probably not going to have the answer to every question the club asks
You need to empower the new club and its members to find answers on their own
Suggest resources for finding these answers
By doing this, you’ve answered the current question but also have provided a resource to help the member answer future questions for themselves and others.

36. Status Check
Have the club conduct The Successful Club Series Module “Moments of Truth” and help the club identify its strengths and weaknesses
At the next club meeting, facilitate a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses they have identified

37. Build a Club Rescue Team
Club Officers
Club Members
Mentors
Club Coaches
Area Directors
Division Directors
District Trio

38. Educate the Clubs about DCP
Achieve five of 10 goals Distinguished Club
Achieve seven of 10 goals Select Distinguished Club
Achieve nine of 10 goals President’s Distinguished Club

39. Membership building culture
Fostering a membership-building culture within the club will help it combat natural attrition
Encourage the Vice President Public Relations to publicize the club and its events
Encourage the Vice President Membership to develop and begin implementing a club-sponsored membership contest to run the duration of the term
Hold Open houses with publicity given by the VPPR

40. Toastmasters Membership contests
Annual Individual Member Program
Talk Up Toastmasters
Smedley Award
Beat the Clock!

41. Keep the Members satisfied
Keep the members satisfied = Retaining members
Provides continuity in the club
Assures a strong leadership base
The entire club is responsible for keeping its members satisfied and involved in the program

42. Recognize Achievement
Post member progress charts at every meeting
Formally recognize members achieving educational awards
Mention achievements in club newsletter and on the club website
Brag!

43. Looking to the Future
Create a vision – mental image of what the club members would like to happen in the future – what they want the club to become
Help the members develop a customized vision for the club and get their agreement to fulfill the club mission
Guide the club to specific goals to make their vision a reality

44. The Club’s new Climate
Periodically, you should re-evaluate the club using the Club Coach Troubleshooting Guide
Do this as objectively as possible. Compare these to your original evaluation, then note improvements and areas still requiring work. After four to six months, the club should be functioning normally. The scores will be much improved.
Some of the club’s veteran members may not think the changes being made are to the club’s benefit. Change is difficult, especially when it is a required course of action.
If drastic change wasn’t required, you wouldn’t have been needed in the first place.

45. It takes a Village to raise a Child
It takes the club coach, Area Governor, Division Governor, District, Region and World leadership to raise a club!