Ideas for Success 
for Members, Clubs, and Districts

Links to Articles:

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Evaluators

• In Speech Excel, In Life Be Well

• Built to Last - Ten Ideas for Chartering Strong Clubs

• Tips on How to Strengthen Low Membership Clubs

• Seven Tips on How to Collect Semi-annual Dues On Time

• Dilip's Dozen: Twelve Ways to Encourage Members to Present Manual Speeches (How Clubs Can Help Members Achieve Their CTM & ATM)

• Eight Steps to Distinguished Results

• Don't Try to Fill a Holey Pitcher or Why Clubs Fail and How They Can Rebuild

• Ten Major Reasons Why Clubs Fail

• Six Specifications Actions Low Member Clubs Can Take to Rebuild Themselves

• Four Effective Methods for Communicating the Above Information to Low Member Clubs

• Training Skits for Highly Effective Area Governor Club Visits

• Bounce Back from Burnout

Built to Last - Ten Ideas for Chartering Strong Clubs

1. Provide training to Club sponsors and Club mentors.
   
   

2. Have two trained mentors assigned to assist the Club for a minimum of six months, but longer if possible.
   
   

3. Get every Club Officer position filled.
   
   

4. Provide training for every Club Officer. Do this very soon after the Club has chartered. Don't wait for the next round of TLIs or District Club Officer training.
   
   

5. If it's a company Club, get the support of the top officers of the company. Invite them to special Club meetings. Invite them to address the Club members. 
   
   

6. The Club mentors should attend Club Executive Committee meetings and educate the Club Officers on the mission of the Club and how to effectively achieve it.
   
   

7. Focus on the Club running great educational meetings and the members having fun!
   
   

8. Ask the Area Governor of that Club to pay special attention to newly chartered Clubs and visit them as often as possible.
   
   

9. Encourage the Club Officers to watch out for potential leaders among the members and nurture them in to leadership roles.
   
   

10.  Strongly encourage the Club's members to get to know other Toastmasters in the District. Invite them to attend the District Conferences and Area and Division Speech Contests.

Tips on How to Strengthen Low Membership Clubs

• Find out whether there are any members who really want the Club to survive. If the answer is "no," don't force your solutions on them. If the answer is "yes," then the Club can be saved.
  
  

• Discuss with the Club Officers the reasons for the low membership. If any problem can be fixed easily, do it. E.g., Club meets at an inconvenient time or place.
  
  

• Ask the Club Officers whether they would be interested in getting the aid of a Club Specialist. If they are open to the idea, then ask the District Governor to appoint a Club Specialist for that Club.
  
  

• Remind the Club Officers that the best membership-building tool is an excellent Club meeting. Offer help to the VPE to improve the quality of the meetings.
  
  

• Educate the Club Officers on the value and benefits of using the Distinguished Club Plan (DCP).
  
  

• Ask the Club Officers to set a Club goal for the DCP.
  
  

• Challenge the Club and especially the Club President and other officers to implement the mission of the Toastmasters Club.

• Ask the Area Governor to pay special attention to that Club and visit it often.
  
  

• If any of the Club Officers have not been trained, arrange for that training to be given, regardless of the time of the year.
  
  

• Inform the Club Officers about the Speechcraft program and how it can bring in new members and funds for the Club.
  
  

• The LGM or the DG could telephone the Club President to encourage him or her.
  
  

• If the membership very low, request Toastmasters from local Clubs to attend the Club meetings and even take on roles at the meeting.
  
  

• Make sure the Club President is aware of the importance of setting a good tone for the meeting and the importance of a positive Club culture.

Seven Tips on How to Collect Semi-annual Dues On Time

1. Educate the Club treasurer and the Club president on procedures to follow when semi-annual dues need to be collected and submitted. This should be covered at Club Officer training. Explain to them why it is important to the Club members that the Club remains in good standing with TI.
   
   

2. Identify those Club treasurers and presidents who did not receive training. Assign their Area Governor to train those untrained officers, making sure that the why and how of collecting and submitting the dues & member list are covered.
   
   

3. Three months before dues are due, make a list of all Clubs that are currently in arrears on their last dues payment. One of the Top Three, preferably the LGM, should call the Club president and help him or her to develop and implement a plan to get their dues paid. Follow-up in a couple of weeks to see what has been done.
   
   

4. Appoint a Semi-annual Dues Coordinator and clearly explain that person's responsibilities and authority to Division Governors and Area Governors. This person's job is to: (1) work with Area and Division Governors to help and encourage Clubs to collect their semi-annual dues and submit them on time; (2) to telephone presidents and treasurers of delinquent Clubs, reminding them of late dues, and suggesting actions they can take to collect and submit the dues so that their Club will not be delinquent. The bottom line is that the semi-annual dues are submitted for EVERY Club.
   
   

5. Three months before the dues are due, the LGM or Semi-annual Dues Coordinator telephones the presidents of all Clubs that habitually pay their dues late. Ask them what procedures they will follow to ensure that this year, they will collect and submit their dues on time. Follow-up with an e-mail or letter outlining what was discussed and agreed to during that conversation. 
   
   

6. Some corporations pay the dues of members of their corporate Club. Since the check writing and mailing is left to the corporation, there can be a delay in getting the check mailed to TI on time to meet the deadline. In such cases, have the Club treasurer or president submit the request to the corporation far in enough in advance that the deadline is met.
   
   

7. A few weeks prior to the start of the semi-annual dues collection period, send out a newsletter or flyer or e-mail announcement reminding Club presidents and treasurers of the semi-annual dues deadline. Ask Area Governors to mention the semi-annual dues during their Club visits and chats with Club Officers.

Dilip's Dozen: 
Twelve Ways to Encourage Members
to Present Manual Speeches
(How Clubs Can Help Members Achieve Their CTM & ATM)

1. Remind the VPE of each Club to take a survey of the interests and needs of their Club members. Find out why members joined and what they want out of their Toastmasters experience. According to surveys done by WHQ, most members say that they joined in order to become more effective and confident speakers.
   
   

2. Based on the above survey, encourage the VPE of each Club to convey to the Club members the link between giving manual speeches and reaching their personal goals. The VPE could give a speech about this in the Club and also follow-up with telephone calls to individual members.
   
   

3. Encourage every Club to establish a Mentoring program for the inexperienced members. Assign experienced, knowledgeable, and caring members to mentor new members through their first few speeches. This one-to-one attention will help many new members overcome their jitters and get a good start in speaking.
   
   

4. Reward and recognize members who give manual speeches. Examples are: standing ovations for ice breaker speeches; positive comments given informally to speakers by experienced Toastmasters during a break or at the end of the meeting; hand written notes of compliments passed to the speaker after their speech, etc. People tend to want to repeat the things that get immediate positive feedback.
   
   

5. When a member completes their CTM, ATM, -B, -S, -G, or DTM, encourage every Club to hold a ceremony to honor the achiever.
   
   

6. Print the name of every person who achieves the CTM or any ATM or DTM on the District Newsletter and any electronic news. Also print the name of the Club AND the name of the Club President. People like to be acknowledged and honored. Toastmasters who read this will want to be honored too, and they will be motivated to do what it takes to be recognized.
   
   

7. Sell every Club president on the benefits of using the Distinguished Club Program (DCP).
   
   

8. Same as #6 above, recognize and honor every Club that progresses toward achieving their goals on the DCP. Always include the name of the Club President.
   
   

9. The LGET, or someone appointed by the LGET, write an article directed toward all the members of the District who have not yet achieved their CTM. Post this on the District web site and also include it in the District Newsletter. The article could include these topics:
   
   

   • How the Communication & Leadership Program manual is designed to help them reach their goals of becoming more effective, confident speakers.
     
     

   • How they can go about completing the C & L manual, one speech at a time.
     
     

   • How to pick topics
     
     

   • How to set a time table to achieve the CTM
     
     

   • How to pick a mentor and ask for one-on-one help
     
     

   • How to practice and prepare for a manual speech
     
     

   • How to get the most out of the evaluations they receive so that they improve with every speech.
     
     

10.  Publicize the above article via every medium available: telephone calls or e-mails to Division Governors, Area Governors, Club Presidents, VPEs; a flyer e-mailed or faxed and posted at Area, Division and District functions; District Executive Committee Meetings, TLIs and Club Officer Training meetings, etc.
    
    

11.  Ask every Area Governor to talk up manual speeches and completions during Club visits and conversations with Club Presidents.
    
    

12.  Make it clear in your communications that non-manual speeches are detrimental to members' progress and Clubs achieving their mission. Some reasons why non-manual speeches should be discouraged are that they: (1) have no guide or structure given for the speaker; (2) have no evaluation criteria for the evaluator; (3) rob the Club program of a manual speech that could have been given during that time slot and thus the advancement of a member toward their CTM or ATM; (4) usually have no specific objectives on which the audience can focus; (5) encourage impressionable members to pay less attention to the professionally prepared C & L manual and Advanced C & L manuals when planning and preparing their speeches.
    
    For members who have completed their CTM, we have 15 advanced manuals which can be used for almost every conceivable type of speech. Publicize these manuals. Better yet, have them on display at Club meetings.

Eight Steps to Distinguished Results
Dilip R. Abayasekara, DTM, AS

The Buddhist doctrine espouses eight steps to attaining enlightenment. This is called the 'Eightfold Path.' I have discovered eight steps that are not quite so spiritual but that are extremely practical in giving Toastmaster Leaders a path to follow to achieve their short term enlightenment - Distinguished District! Here they are with the hope that you apply them on your journey of success.

Step 1: KNOW YOUR GOALS
Know exactly what you want to achieve. If you don't' know, find out what's needed to excel in your position. Do you know the specific numbers for your District's critical success factors? Do you know exactly how your team members want to be treated? Don't forget this fifth factor in the 'High Five'! As the Cheshire cat said to Alice in Wonderland, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there!"
Know exactly where you want to go.

Step 2: WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS
Write down exactly what you want to achieve. I don't know why this works, but it is a vital step. Write down the critical success factor numbers you want to hit by the end of June. Also write down a description of the quality of the relationship you want to have with each of your team members. I believing this writing step so much that I carry a little card in my wallet in which I have written my personal mission statement. 

Step 3: COMMIT TO YOUR GOALS
Everyday, look at your written statement and commit to your goals. Let your commitment sink in to the deepest recesses of your mind. Visualize success. Bring as many of your senses in to play as possible in this process. For example, in your imagination, see, hear and feel the success you desire. Delete the word "try" from the vocabulary of your mind. Instead, just 'know' that you will attain your goals.

Step 4: KNOW WHERE YOU ARE
Analyze the results you have obtained at present. Determine how far you have to go to reach your goals. Ask yourself what the obstacles are to reaching those goals. Sometimes we have imaginary obstacles. Get serious here; strip away rationalizations. Be honest with yourself. 

Step 5: IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE CHALLENGES
The job you have to do may seem overwhelming. Break it down in to small tasks. Now the job will seem doable. Create a priority list of what you need to accomplish in order to reach your goals within the time frame you have.

Step 6: GET TO KNOW THE PLAYERS - IT'S A RELATIONSHIP BUSINESS!
Every business, especially Toastmasters, is a relationship business. You will not be able to do everything you have to accomplish by yourself. You need other people. You know that by now! As far as possible, find out the human side of those you serve (District leaders, Club officers, etc.), find out about their joys, fears, pains, frustrations, desires. Build bridges of mutual respect. Everyone doesn't have to like you to get the job done, but it is important that your team members respect your integrity and commitment to those you serve and work with.

Step 7: PREPARE A STRATEGY
In order to reach your goals from where you are, you need a game plan, a strategy. Based on steps 4, 5, and 6, you are now in a position to prepare a strategy based on knowledge. The strategy is the plan to take you from where you are to where you want to be. Write this down clearly, step by step. As far as possible, get your team members involved in this. 

Step 8: TAKE ACTION!!!
General Douglas McArthur said, "There is no substitute for victory." An effective Toastmaster leader says, "There is no substitute for action!" Now that you have clearly defined goals and a strategy to achieve them, don't take action in baby steps. Take massive action! It is much easier to achieve success with a massive dose of action rather than by taking small steps every now and then.

So dear District leader, I hope you will find this eight-step path a useful guide to propel you to District and personal success. May you attain your Toastmasters 'nirvana' (heaven)!

Don't Try to Fill a Holey Pitcher or
Why Clubs Fail and How They Can Rebuild
Dilip R. Abayasekara, DTM, AS

The major challenge that many District Leaders face has to do with meeting marketing goals - Club goal and percap goal. Look at this critically. The District brings in the new Clubs, BUT the Clubs bring in the new members and sustain the present members. If you look beneath the surface, what that means is if Clubs live up to their mission, members will be growing and achieving their goals, educational goals will be being met, every Club will be adding to their membership, and loss of Clubs will be minimized! 

The bottom line is - if most of the Clubs in your District are successful, you will easily exceed your educational goals and find it easy to meet your marketing goals!!!

Trying to charter new Clubs while not educating Clubs on how they can become successful is like trying to fill up a pitcher when the pitcher has a hole in its bottom!

Sure, some Club loss is inevitable. Some companies go out of business or move. There are some things we cannot control. But most other reasons for Club failure can be avoided. If Club and District leaders know why Clubs fail, they can prevent failure by spotting these problems and taking actions right away. I hope that the ideas below will help you and your Clubs find renewal, insights, and strength. 

TEN MAJOR REASONS WHY CLUBS FAIL

1. Weak Leadership

A. Club President

(a) No vision; not trained; poor leadership skills; lack of service orientation.

B. Other Officers

(b) Not trained; little accountability to members.

2. The Club Depends on Just one or Two Members to Keep it Going

A. If this key member leaves, there are no leaders within the Club to give it direction.

3. The Club Leaders Don't Use the Distinguished Club Program (DCP)

A. They are not educated about the DCP and/or

B. They don't buy in to the value of the DCP and/or

C. The District Leaders don't talk up the value of the DCP.

4. Lack of knowledge and lack of mentoring

A. No knowledge about how to do the basics for effective communication, leadership, and meeting management.

B. Club lacks experienced, knowledgeable members (or they are unavailable) to guide, mentor, and act as role models for the less experienced members.

C. Club leaders and members are unaware of the resources that are available to help them - Area Governor, Division Governor, Materials from WHQ, etc.

5. Attitudinal Barriers of Club Leaders

A. Club leaders foster a feeling that the Club is an island unto itself.

B. Club leaders view the Area Governor visits as interference instead of support, encouragement, and help.

6. Untrained or Uncommitted Area Governor or Lack of an Area Governor


7. Weak Educational Program.

A. VPE is unaware of Club educational standards, OR doesn't aspire to challenge the members live up to these standards.

B. VPE lacks a service orientation.

C. Members are not surveyed.

D. As a result of A above, manual speeches are only an option. This slows the educational progress of the members.

E. Poor meeting planning.

F. Poor delegation of duties.

G. Poor follow-up.

H. New members are given meeting functions to perform without adequate mentoring or guidance (#2 above).

I. No educational sessions involving Better Club Series, Successful Speaker series, Leadership Excellence Series, Success/Communication, or Success/Leadership are conducted for the Club members.

J. Educational achievements are not recognized or praised.

K. Members are not addressed by their educational designations.

L. Members don't wear TM badges or pins. 

8. Relationship Problems

A. Veteran Toastmaster/s forget the mission of the Club and dictate standards to other members.

B. Some Toastmaster members form cliques.

C. As a result of #7 I above, evaluations are poor quality.

(a) "Brickbat" evaluations discourage members; 

(b) "whitewash" evaluations don't help members grow.

9. Poor Guest relations and Little or No Emphasis on Growing the Membership

A. Due to lack of training or unsuitable dispositions, the President, VPM, Sergeant-at-Arms and others don't greet and treat guests properly.

B. No guest book; no follow-up to guests' visits.

C. No/weak membership drive.

D. No new member inductions.

10. Meeting Location and/or Time is Inconvenient to Many Members.

A. Club leadership doesn't seek to address this issue.

SIX SPECIFIC ACTIONS LOW MEMBER CLUBS CAN TAKE TO REBUILD THEMSELVES

The six steps described below are sequential because they build one on another. These steps are based on personal experience. In one case, a Club that had a membership of 8 with only 3 active members began to practice these strategies. In a 12 month time period it grew to 39 members, #1 in the District and #3 in the world. It can be done!

1. Club Leaders Catch the Vision!
    Important steps to this:

(1) Club Officers get trained.

(2) Understand the mission of the Toastmasters Club.

(3) Understand the elements of effective leadership - this is especially important for the President and VPE.

(4) Understand why people join Toastmasters, why people stay in Toastmasters, why people leave Toastmasters.

(5) Be exposed to knowledgeable, inspired and inspiring Toastmasters.

2. Become Aware of the Resources Available to Help Rebuild the Club and Call on Them

(1) Other Toastmasters
Area Governor, other experienced and caring Toastmasters, nearby strong Clubs, Club Specialist, if appropriate.

(2) Resources from WHQ
'How to Rebuild a Toastmasters Club' booklet, Better Club series, Leadership Excellence series, Success/Leadership, Success/Communication, especially Moments of Truth and the Art of Effective Evaluation.

3. Embrace the Mission Statement of the Club

(1) Begins with the President and VPE, and then the rest of the Executive Committee.

(2) The Club mission statement is shared with the members of the Club.

(3) The mission statement is lived by example by the Club officers.

4. Create a Vision of Success for the Club and Use the DCP

(1) Begins with the Executive Committee and then is transferred to the rest of the members.

(2) Survey the needs and desires of the members.

(3) Set up educational program to meet the needs of the members.

(4) Set DCP goals and strategies to achieve them.

(5) Get members' buy-in for a strong, vibrant Club.

5. Track and Communicate Progress

(1) Track individual members' educational progress and communicate this to the rest of the Club members. (Use wall charts, newsletters, e-mail, etc.).

(2) Track and communicate Club's progress toward its DCP goals. (Celebrate as each goal is reached!).

(3) Engage in other tracking and communicating too, such as Club Toastmaster of the year award.

6. Create a Winning Club Culture

(1) Make consistent educational excellence a standard expectation.

(2) Build and maintain a strong mentoring program.

(3) Build and maintain professional meeting standards (mentoring will be required here).

(4) Have fellowship and fun!

(5) Have a strong public relations and membership building emphasis.

(6) Recognize and show appreciation to members.

(7) Maintain administrative standards (dues collection, Club Officer list, etc.)

(8) Become active in Area, Division, and District activities and beyond.

FOUR EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING THE ABOVE INFORMATION TO LOW MEMBER CLUBS

1. Area Governor
The most effective communication is usually face-to-face. The Area Governor (AG) is the main connection between the District and the Club. The AG is in a unique position to counsel, encourage, and guide the Club officers of low member Clubs in his/her Area. Besides Club visits, Area Council meetings could also be used for this purpose.

2. Club Officer Training Functions and Other Educational Functions
Just as TI provides special assistance to struggling Districts, the District could make it a point to have special educational functions for members of low member Clubs. In the event that members of such Clubs don't attend these functions (as is usually the case), the AGs who have such Clubs in their Areas could get special training on rebuilding low-member Clubs and how best to communicate this information to those Clubs.

3. Communications from the Top Three Officers
Encouraging, Helpful, and Positive Telephone Calls and Other Contacts to the Club President from the District Governor or Lt. Governors

4. Consistent Communication Using Every Available Method
Consistently Spread This Information in the District Bulletin, E-mail News, Area & Division Council Meetings, and District Executive Committee Meetings.

I hope that you found this article helpful. Please share it with the Clubs in your District as well as your Area Governors and Division Governors. Let's make that 'holy' pitcher 'whole'…and then let's fill it to the brim!

TRAINING SKITS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AREA GOVERNOR CLUB VISITS
Dilip R. Abayasekara, DTM, AS

Make it Easy for People to Learn
Have you sometimes wondered why some of your Area Governors don't make the most of their Club visits? The reason may be that they have not fully understood how to achieve a good Club visit. Do use the Area Governor training materials provided to you from WHQ. This is supplementary material. 

The reason why the following skits have been found to be a great learning aid is because of the way people learn and remember. People who are visually oriented can usually learn a procedure by reading a manual. However, those who learn more easily by hands-on applications and by listening will learn more readily with demonstrations. Also, a demonstration is more active, raises the energy level, and captures the audience's interest. 

These Three Skits Cover the Gamut of Quality
Following are three skits that illustrate three levels of competency for an Area Governor visit. Skit #1 shows what a very ineffective Area Governor visit is like. Skit #2 demonstrates a passable Area Governor visit that still could be improved further. Skit #3 illustrates an excellent Area Governor visit.

Getting the Most from these Skits
To get the most from this training exercise, immediately after all the skits have been presented, ask the audience leading questions and let them discover the ingredients in a successful Area Governor Club visit. Sample questions are given at the end of this article.

The following is written in a format suitable for eliciting volunteers from your audience to play the roles that are described. Prepare a sufficient number of copies of the script. In advance of the training session, find the right people for the right roles in the skits. Fill in the blanks in the scripts with the names of the actors. Have each participant read their portion out loud at the appropriate time, so that the audience can follow along. I recommend that one person take responsibility to keep everybody organized and give cues to them to speak their parts at the right time, if necessary. The parts that are in bold are to be read out loud by the narrator. This is a lot of fun. Go with the flow. This is learning by doing!

SKIT #1: Clueless Cleo

Area Governor #1 (The following is based upon a real experience that the author had)
Actors:

• Narrator

• Area Governor

• Club President

• Sergeant-at Arms

• VPE

• VPM

• Club Member

• Club members = the audience

Scene: The Club meeting is about to begin. A "stranger" (actually the Area Governor) walks in hurriedly.

Sergeant-at-Arms: "Hello! Welcome to the Pitter Patter Toastmasters Club! Glad to have you with us. Is this your first visit to a Toastmasters Club?"

Area Governor: "No, no. I'm the Area Governor. I need to speak with your Club President. Can you point him out to me?"

Sergeant-at Arms: "Sure. Let me introduce you to him."

The Sergeant-at-Arms introduces the Area Governor to the Club President.

Area Governor: "I meant to call you earlier, but just got too busy. I'm your Area Governor. My name is __________________________ (insert name of actor). I'm here to visit your Club and complete my report to the District."

President: "Oh? Are we supposed to do anything special?"

Area Governor: "No".

The meeting begins. The Club president introduces the Area Governor to the Club members. The meeting proceeds in the usual manner.

Just before the evaluations are to begin, the Area Governor speaks up:

Area Governor: "Excuse me, Mr. President. I have a report to write and so, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions in case we run late."

President: "Oh? I guess that's OK."

Area Governor: "Thank you. The first question - how many members does your Club have? 

President: "Well…I think we have around 15 members."

Area Governor: "Down to 15?? Hmm. Do you have a VPM? Anyway, next question - How many members do you have who are working towards completing their CTM?"

Meanwhile, the club members are getting restless.

President: "I'm not quite sure. Let me ask my VPE. Helen (looks at VPE), what's the number?

VPE: "We have two."

Area Governor: "Two?"

At this time, the VPM breaks into the conversation very agitatedly.

VPM: (In an angry tone of voice) "This is a District audit, isn't it? You are auditing us, aren't you?

Area Governor: " Uh. I wouldn't call this an audit, but…"(gets cut off by a club member)

Club Member: "Why do we have to go through all this administrative stuff during the meeting? I came here to learn something and have fun. Is all this necessary?"

Area Governor: "Well, let me tell you …(The Area Governor gets cut off by the angry VPM)

VPM: "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but we only have an hour for this Club meeting. You people from the District can't just march into our club meeting and fire questions at us."

President: "Hold it, everyone."

It's too late. This meeting is lost. 

SKIT #2: Able Abe

Featuring Area Governor #2
Actors needed:

• Area Governor

• Club President

• Narrator

Several days Before the Club Meeting, the Area Governor telephones the Club President.

Club President: "Hello."

Area Governor: "Hi, _________ (insert first name of actor who is portraying the President)! This is your Area Governor, ____________________ (insert full name of actor). I'd like to visit your Club meeting to introduce myself. I understand you meet every Wednesday at noon. May I visit your Club this Wednesday?"

Club President: "Yes. We'd love to have you. Do I need to do anything special?"

Area Governor: "No. Just introduce me to the Club. I have some paperwork to take care of. We can talk about it when we meet."

…Before the meeting begins:

The Area Governor meets the Club President. They chat. The Area Governor shows the President the Area Governor Club Visit Report form. But the President doesn't have enough time to provide all the answers.

…At the meeting: 
The Club President introduces the Area Governor to the members. After the meeting, the Area Governor meets with the Club President and the VPE to get the Club Visit report Form filled out.

SKIT #3: Marvelous Marv

Featuring Area Governor #3
Actor's needed:

• Club President

• Area Governor

One month before the Club visit, the Area Governor telephones the Club President.

Club President: "Hello."

Area Governor: "Hi _______________ (insert first name of actor who is portraying the Club President)! This is your Area Governor ___________________ (insert full name of actor). I'm calling because I'd like to visit your Club, introduce myself, and get to know you and your fellow Club members.

President: "That's great. It's been a long time since we had a visit by an Area Governor. By the way, are we supposed to do anything special? 

Area Governor: "You are not supposed to do anything special, but I would like to be given 5-7 minutes to make some remarks to your Club members. Also, in order for the District Governor to know how your Club is doing and to know how we can be most helpful to you, I will need some information about your Club. In fact, I'd like to meet with your Executive Committee for about 10 minutes after the meeting. In preparation for that, I'd like to fax a copy of my Area Governor's Club Visit Report form to you as soon as possible. This is so that you and your fellow Club Officers can collect the information for me before I attend your meeting. That will make things easier for all of us!"

Club President: "That sounds good to me. Here's my fax number: 123-4567. When would you like to visit us?"

Area Governor: "In about a month; how about ___________ (mentions date)? That way, your VPE can fit me into the program. Also, I'd like to meet as many of your members as possible. You might want to make the occasion of my visit a reason to try to get every single member to attend the meeting!" 

Club President: "Hey, now you are giving me ideas! Let's plan on you visiting my Club on _____________ (date). We can promote the meeting as "Meet Your Area Governor" night!" 

Area Governor: " __________________ (fill in first name of actor who is portraying the 

Club President), I'm really looking forward to meeting you, your fellow Club Officers, and the rest of your Club members. I'll give you a call as we get closer to that date."

Prior to the Start of the Club meeting:
The Area Governor arrives early. The Area Governor is dressed well and has the Toastmaster pin and badge on. The President and the Sergeant-at-Arms greet him/her. 

The President introduces the Area Governor to the rest of the Executive Committee and other members as they arrive. The Area Governor chats and makes contact with many of the members.

At the Club meeting:
After all the prepared speeches, table topics, and evaluations are done, the Club President introduces the Area Governor to make some remarks to the members.

The Area Governor speaks very encouragingly to the members. He/she mentions the things that were done right at the meeting. He/she talks about the vital mission of the Club and it's important role in serving members. He/she mentions the International theme and the District Governor's theme. He/she congratulates the members who earned an educational award and encourages the Club to go for Distinguished and beyond using the Distinguished Club Plan.

By the time the Area Governor concludes the speech, staying within the time allotted for the presentation, the Club members are proud to be Toastmasters and want to build an even stronger Club. 

Immediately after the meeting:
The Club President rounds up the Executive Committee members and meets with the Area Governor. They go over the information needed to complete the Area Governor's Club Visit Report form. The Club Officers also give inside scoop on the strengths and weaknesses of the Club. The Area Governor asks questions, listens carefully, makes notes when necessary, and offers encouragement. 

The Area Governor sends a thank you note to the Club President for the warm hospitality the Club showed to him/her and the cooperation that he/she received.

The Area Governor also signs the Club Visit Report form, makes a copy for his/her files, and mails the original to the District Governor.


To make this really effective, immediately after the 3 skits have been completed, ask everyone searching questions. As far as possible, let THEM come up with the answers.

Sample questions:

1. List every thing wrong with the Club visit in Skit #1 and describe how each wrong act or word spoken could be corrected.

2. What makes the Club visit in Skit #3 so successful? Describe the reason behind each thing the Area Governor did.

3. What happens when the Executive Committee cannot meet with the Area Governor immediately after the meeting because their meeting is held during the lunch hour at their company and everyone has to get back to work? Can we be flexible? What are alternate ways of doing an A+ Club visit?

4. What are some ways that Area Governor #2 can improve his/her Club visit?

Bounce Back from Burnout
Dilip R. Abayasekara, DTM, AS

Around April and May of every year I often hear from Toastmaster leaders that they feel burned out, tired, or 'stale.' I'm not surprised, because I remember having some of those same feelings when I was serving as a Top Three Officer. Can you bounce back from being burned out, you ask? Absolutely! Here are some ways that you may be able to get back that spring in your step.

Identify what is Causing Most of the 'Burned Out' Feeling
Burn out occurs when you have a high degree of stress with no relief for an extended period of time. If you can identify what's causing all or most of the stress, then you can figure out an action plan to decrease or at least manage the stress. Here are some common stress creators for Toastmaster leaders: (1) unresolved conflict in the person's team; (2) increased work loads at the job decreasing the time they have available to attend to the District's needs; (3) marital difficulties; (4) working very hard month after month to meet the District's goals, but not having much to show for it; (5) criticism of the leader by key people in the District; (6) trying to please everybody; (7) working very hard over an extended period without getting adequate rest; and (8) lack of balance in the person's life style for a long period of time. 

Take Specific, Direct Actions to Relieve the Stress
Don't beat around the bush. If you want to bounce back from burn out, you've got to be bold! One very successful District leader told me that when she spotted those burn out signs, she made arrangements for District functions to be handled by reliable people and went on a week's vacation where she was away from telephones and meetings. My wife and I made it a rule that when our family was at dinner, neither our children nor we would answer the telephone. Some leadership teams that have had conflict have gone so far as to get a knowledgeable mediator to work with them. If the cause of the stress is lack of balance in your life, then reassess the way you spend your time, what your priorities should be in order to regain the balance you need, and then make it happen! 

Here are some examples of positive actions you can take:

Lack of exercise: make appointments with yourself to go to the local exercise Club on specific days at specific times to exercise. If someone tries to book you for that time period, check your day planner and say, "Sorry, I already have an engagement at that time."

Not spending enough time with your spouse: Arrange to meet your spouse for lunch during the week. Arrange for a babysitter and go out on a biweekly date.

Working very hard for the District but little to no progress being made: You might be working very hard at the wrong things. Go back to basics. Study the District mission statement if you are a District Officer. Study the Club mission statement if you are a Club Officer. Focus only on things that will directly have ramifications on the critical success factors for your office. Consult other knowledgeable and successful Toastmaster leaders.

Trying to please everybody: That's a no-win situation. People who tend to do this have low self-confidence and self esteem. Get help from a counselor if necessary. Realize that you are a person of worth and have much to offer. Be grateful for those who help you and also be grateful for those who give you a hard time because they are making you reassess many false assumptions you are laboring under. Focus on getting the job done in the right way and forget the popularity contest. 

Trust The Higher Power of the Universe
The higher power in my universe is God. Whatever your religion and whatever your acknowledged higher power, make room for spiritual growth and peace in your heart. We human beings have a body, mind, and spirit. If we are too busy to pay attention to matters of the spirit, then we are too busy. Take time to mediate or pray. If you can do neither, sit comfortably in a place where you will not be disturbed, close your eyes, and breathe deeply, putting your full attention on each breath, as it enters you through your nose and exits you through your nose. Let all other thoughts fall away gently from your mind. Discover the healing balm of silence. 

Reduce the Clutter
Simplify your life so that you are attending to your priorities first. Reduce distractions. Look at your daily planner, or personal digital assistant, or calendar where you record all your appointments. Ask yourself what you can cut out so that you have more 'white space' in your life. 

Take Time to Play
Don't take yourself so seriously. When is the last time you had a good belly laugh? Do you have a hobby that is different from your work or Toastmasters activities? If so, spend a little time each week on that hobby or interest. You will be able to return to your Toastmasters work with a new zest.

Commit to the Bounce
General George Patton, who barely passed from West Point but later went on to become one of the Second World War's most successful field commanders said, "Success in life is not determined by how high you rise but how high you bounce back from adversity."
Like General Patton, make a decision that your bounce back from burn out is for the long run. Stick to the changes you make in your life. You will wonder how you lived any other way. Good luck. Bounce high!

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