Comments on Ah, Um, Er... A Toastmaster's Blog: What Do You Think?

Genester- I agree it is important, but I don't thi...

2009-07-23T11:56:01.010-04:00

Genester- I agree it is important, but I don't think it's a way to measure the health of a club. The mission of the club is not to start and end on time. The mission of the club is to be encouraging and supportive of it's members.
To switch things around on you- my home club is very open about our meeting times and their flexibility. Our members prefer the flexible time. We want to make sure everyone learns something and participates. We will run over to make sure everyone gets to do a table topic or do the ah-counter report. We had a guest come, a member of a different club, who was very inflexible with time. Our TM dropped out and she took his place. She enforced her issues with the time on the club. She cut out all the evaluation reports just to get us out on time. We had three newer members who were upset about all the work they had done in the meeting. Two of them had been working so hard to overcome their fear of public speaking. This pushed them right back to where they started and they never came back. We tried talking with them about what happened- had a whole therapy session for the club in the end. A few of us called them, saw them around town, invited them back, asked them to fill specific roles.... all the things you do to try and retain drifting members. It has been a year and a half since and the last time I spoke to one of them I was told to just let them go.
So yes, time is important, but the members and their needs are more important.

Starting on time and ending on time is very import...

2009-07-23T11:03:24.882-04:00

Starting on time and ending on time is very important.

If a guest shows up to a 1 hour meeting that takes 1:20 it shows a lack of discipline and is a poor reflection on toastmasters.

Furthermore, I know for certain that people have left clubs in which I was a member because we habitally went long and they routinely missed their bus ride.

To busy people time is very important.

Most important is enouragement, energy, buzz in the meetings. The ontime part is not as important but should not be neglected.

Gene Grindle ACS ALS

Zaldy- thanks for being one of the proud who stick...

2009-07-20T14:23:28.083-04:00

Zaldy- thanks for being one of the proud who stick to their guns. I admit, I would be tempted. My home club was not made such an offer this year, but then we don't go looking for the help. I am writing a new post now about the other club I am involved in.
If more of us stick to our guns then I think we can send the right message and maybe change things.

Darren- Thanks! I had been reading and keeping qu...

2009-07-20T14:21:33.561-04:00

Darren- Thanks! I had been reading and keeping quiet on that discussion. That ended though- I did post a comment.

Bill- you are the one who got me stared! I am get...

2009-07-20T14:20:58.806-04:00

Bill- you are the one who got me stared! I am getting ready to post a few more comments about this now that the results of DCP have come in.

Will- I had been reading that discussion and final...

2009-07-20T14:19:46.872-04:00

Will- I had been reading that discussion and finally put my 2 cents in (which turned into 10 cents). Another TM member equated this Distinguished District/DCP issue to the inner workings of Avon, Mary Kay and the like. As someone who did Mary Kay for a few years, I have to agree. We all don't win- only one person gets that free trip to international convention. Maybe the rest of us will grow as communicators, speakers and leaders. Still, if we rush members to their awards then do they have the chance to really learn anything?

Genester- I am not sure I agree that starting/endi...

2009-07-20T14:16:42.050-04:00

Genester- I am not sure I agree that starting/ending on time is a sign of a healthy club. A poor club can start and end on time and that's it. Meanwhile, a healthy club could be that relaxed that they start and end a bit late.
At Area Gov. training the start/end time was mentioned a few times. I think people get stuck on these little things. My feeling is that we have to look at the big picture and understand the club's story.
I will agree that offending people is a sign of a poor club. You can not be meeting your members goals if you keep pushing people away.

The padding of members and achievements by some cl...

2009-07-19T03:17:42.873-04:00

The padding of members and achievements by some clubs, areas and divisions in our district was basically to *escape* embarrassment of not achieving recognition. I guess they don't know what Toastmasters stands for.

People think they can get away with it. But in the end achieving a bogus President's Distinguished award reveals itself with a mere visit to such clubs. It simply can't be be faked in a live setting. At one such club, one of the newly signed members demanded his money back as the meeting was of poor quality and demonstrated clearly that it wasn't really a President's Distinguished club "as advertised" at all.

I myself had been offered 10 filler members to achieve a rare feat of two President's Distinguised clubs in a year. I said NO. Just think what people would think if they come visit my club and find 10 people missing.

Hear! Hear! I agree Sara. There is an interesting...

2009-07-01T18:18:31.546-04:00

Hear! Hear! I agree Sara.

There is an interesting thread in ToastmastersPrime Google group you may like to read. One post referenced your blog.

http://groups.google.com/group/toastmastersprime/browse_thread/thread/36f3ec302f9a0809

Sara, I am sorry you had to experience another ep...

2009-07-01T17:29:50.620-04:00

Sara,

I am sorry you had to experience another episode of "Pursuit of the Holy Grail." It can be so frustrating. I have been taking a few arrows lately on the DCP front, but I am still vigilant. Why can they not see it is all about the members and DCP means relatively little. I know - preaching to the choir. Keep up the good work - you inspire me.

Pretty much what I think about the Distinguished D...

2009-06-30T21:58:27.821-04:00

Pretty much what I think about the Distinguished District program, especially since my district gets Distinguished every other year with a 9-year gap between 1994 and 2003 of not being Distinguished. Basically the District Governors are concerned about their legacies and want to be onstage at International Convention when our district gets called up on Friday afternoon. This year it was the CCs that were the last thing we need to get Distinguished and there was a desperate plea to get them done, even encouraged plenty of "speak-a-thons" (see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toastmasters_district30/ under the "Count Down to Become Distinguished!" entries).

I think the Distinguished District issue is a bigger problem in my home district than the DCP, plus I think the reason some of them shove the DCP down our throats is because the more Distinguished Clubs, the better chance the district is Distinguished ("If your club is Distinguished, only the club members are Distinguished. If the District is Distinguished, everyone is Distinguished!" is the quote I remember hearing from a few past DGs).

Also check ToastmastersPrime Google groups (http://groups.google.com/group/toastmastersprime) under "The push for June 30 results" for further discussion.

I agree. DCP numbers are a outcome of good club m...

2009-06-30T18:52:11.123-04:00

I agree.

DCP numbers are a outcome of good club meetings. DCP numbers are not an end unto themselves (as many believe them to be). They are a looking glass into the relative health of a club. Better health..... better numbers. Cooking the membership numbers is like cheating on a cholestorol test. What has been gained?

If a club works towards having fun, encouraging, supportive meetings that start on time and do not run late or offend anyone then everything else will take care of itself.

Let the chips fall as they may.