New Toastmaster Club Tips
-------------------------

The following may or may not be useful but might give you a few extra tips (or
 laughs!) in setting up new clubs. These were gathered from direct and indirect
 experience along with presentation from a District conference.

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

Whatever about starting on time try to finish on time
     => new members and guests may have babysitters or other events to go to.

Try and get an interview on a local radio station and prepare your points on
cards which you can lay on the table and read from in front of you.
     => this promotes the club to a very wide audience and might be a novel experience.

Have a short 2 or 3 minute education piece at the beginning every meeting
     => this explains to new members what it is all about and avoids confusion
     with other organisations. Guests also join to improve communications
     skills and this is a way of meeting their needs straightaway.
     (Remember only two to three minutes!)

Along with the Successful Club and Better Speaker Presentations consider 
making up your own educational pieces (e.g. the chartering process, the
Toastmasters structure, speech topics, etc)
     => this might make it easier on yourself.

Have at least one guaranteed entertaining speech per night
     => this enables new members to talk positively about TM to their friends.

Evaluate every speech from a manual, even our entertaining guest speaker.
     => this maintains a standard and guests will join if the meeting
        is well run.

Plan the programs two meetings in advance and try and squeeze this onto the
bottom of the agenda sheet or the back.
     => gives the new members time to see some else in action doing their role

Have times written on the program at least for the prepared speeches part
     => prevents people go way over time by not being aware of 
     the importance of time

Use membership forms
     => they are not needed but are reassuring to new members.

Run good quality meetings - take the meeting seriously but not yourself.
     => Even if there is only a handful of you at a meeting people will come
        and join if the meetings are run well, organised, fun and educational.

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

Ask guests privately to join once using the phrase 'Would you like to join?'
     => people might not be aware that they can join and might be a little
     shy in coming forward or even insulted if not asked.

Talk about their dreams and what guests want out of TM.

Divide up the roles of EVP and publicity between mentors/sponsors at the beginning anyway.

Don't do it alone - otherwise it can be a bit stressful and lonely.

Change tack if isn't working.

Have a nice venue with carpark so the new members feel comfortable attending. 

Enjoy yourself and have a bit of craic with the team 
     => it's alot of effort so you might as well.

Have nice, easy and answerable topics
     => new members may find it off putting listening to or 
     answering complicated or controversial topics in public.
 
My own feeling is that alot of it is up to the town as well whether or 
not they want a TM club but usually they do.

Put out seats for 75% of the expected attendance and stack the remainder.
     => At a minimum everyone is gathered near the top creating an
        atmosphere.

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

Remember the minimum you require is a Toastmasters, GE, Topicsmaster, Timer,
2/3 Speakers and 2/3 Evaluators. A Grammarian, Topics Evaluator or other 
roles can be added later. Mind you these roles will probably never added 
later once a routine is set.
     => You don't an army of friends every night, especially at 
        the beginning when there are few members.

Consider using a guest book and send follow up letters.

Accept help from other Toastmasters if it appears, especially if they're reliable.
 
Welcome guests by name from the top table at the start of the meeting.
     => It is nice to hear your own name :)

Accept deposits as not everyone may have the full amount.

Give receipts.

Have starter kits to give out to anyone who gives a financial committment.
     => New members have something to go on straightaway.

Seek sponsorship from the District and sponsoring clubs for room rental, 
educational material, ribbons, etc and be honest as lies with good intentions 
are still lies and destroy friendships, fun and future assistance.

Choose a wide ranging name for the club.
     => People from far and wide can be associated with the club not 
	 just the local town.

Enquire about sponsorship from the locality - you never know someone might 
sponsor a President's chain or lectern, etc.

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

Talk to guests about their dreams and what they want, i.e. listen to them.

It's about 'improving communications skills' and not debating nor public speaking.

Renew publicity on an ongoing basis.

Have a short meeting summary (100 words) in a local free newspaper and 
consider leaving out the names 
     => guests can see at a distance what its all about and realise that if
     they join their names wont be splashed over the paper.

Allow first-time guests in for free.
     => it also means that you don't have to bring up the topic of money
     but can concentrate on dreams, hopes, etc. In some organisations it's
     called 'selling the sizzle not the sausage.'

Give out ribbons for the best topic and maybe best speaker and best evaluator.

Choose a different weekday night to neighbouring clubs in the Area but suit yourselves first. 
     => Other clubs can then help as the new club feels like less of a
        threat, meeting nearby but on a different night now ..... and also 
        after Christmas.

Have some form of gender balance on the start up team.
     => It looks better than four hurly burly men trying to sign up new members.

Host events like an Area Final or a demonstration night as one off events are
easy to publicise to non members through the local media.

Ask other Toastmasters how they got on sponsoring clubs and seek out winners.

Have a plan and don't do anything you don't want to do. 

Remember that Toastmasters is a voluntary organisation and if it is fun we'll all be there.

With your team design a flier and organise a mailshoot one Saturday to houses in the locality. 
     => It gets the word out to maybe one or two thousand people.

Have a 'champion' in the startup team (maybe yourself) who passionate about
setting up this club.
     => it makes it easier on the startup team if there is at least one person
        who really really wants it to succeed.

Pick a good, reliable, harmonious and enthusiastic team and people you 
can get on with.

Avoid the negative people (including for your team) .... be courteous and just move on
     => these just distract you, sap your energy and enjoyment and that of 
        the team.

Say 'why not, let's do it'.

If you have an idea: mention it, volunteer and be prepared to carry it out yourself.
     => Talking about things and expecting someone else to do them is just 
        so soul destroying but doing it yourself really does inspire others
        to come up with ideas.

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

As time passes change the plan - if you have one :)

Publicity, publicity, publicity.

Enjoy yourself.