QUALITY CLUBS

Your club meeting is your product. You can promote the benefit of Toastmasters but guests want to see a quality meeting when they attend. Quality meetings are probably the number one factor for why members stay with the club. A quality club environment is not just about the club meetings. It's also about what happens before and after meetings that make for a quality club experience.

Some questions (by no means all-inclusive) you might consider are:

• Are your members prepared?

• Do you stay in touch with members who haven't attended recently?

• Do you have any social events?

• Are all members equally engaged in a meeting?

• Are roles filled in advance?

• Do members advise if they won't be attending?

• Does the meeting start and end on time?

• Are all members enrolled in Pathways?

• Do members feel connected with each other?

The following are some resources related to a quality club experience.

• Moments of Truth - This document is designed to help you assess the club experience.

• Club Quality Checklist - This checklist is a downloadable file from Toastmasters International. It is similar to the Quality Club Handout but even more extensive.

• Infuse Your Club with Creativity - This article from the Toastmaster magazine gives tips topice up meetings with changes of pace, fresh ideas, and a dose of fun to create a renewed vitality.

• Prescription for Productive Meetings - Another magazine article. Glean tips from veteran club leaders, who are experts at holding well-run and productive meetings, and learn know how to maximize members’ time, help them reach their goals, and maintain a vital meeting culture.

You can find other Toastmasters International at https://www.toastmasters.org/leadership-central/club-officer-tools/club-management/club-quality.