Toastmasters International -

We are a global organization spanning 143 countries, with a clear mission of empowering people to become more effective communicators and leaders.

Since 1924, more than 4 million people have joined our organization.
With 7 billion people populating our planet, I think we can share the benefits of Toastmasters with more people, don’t you? We can’t expect them to join, however, until we invite them.

Membership building begins with each individual member. We can share our personal enthusiasm by talking up Toastmasters at every opportunity. We can reach out to friends, family, business associates, even people we don’t know. I do it all the time—in restaurants, on elevators, on flights or standing in lines.

At the club level, one of the most successful ways to “show and tell” the value of Toastmasters to potential new members is to host a community open house. A well-planned event, widely promoted, is a dependable recipe for success. An open house event offers potential members a welcoming and informative experience. It is fun for members and guests alike, allowing visitors to ask questions, meet members and get a feel for the unique Toastmasters culture.

Take advantage of tools, such as the Open House Flier and new marketing materials available at www.toastmasters.org, to recruit new members and invite your community to your meetings. Share the benefits of Toastmasters with friends and co-workers. Toastmasters members and guests have a right to expect a consistent, quality club experience anywhere around the world. Let’s raise the bar of every club across the globe to be more uniform and top-performing. Let’s make this our gold standard!

“One of the most successful ways to ‘show and tell’ the value of Toastmasters to potential new members is to host a community open house.”

I firmly believe that Toastmasters offers the highest-quality, most cost-effective professional development programs that individuals or companies can “buy.” Show-and-tell efforts like open house meetings or corporate demonstration presentations are persuasive ways to highlight this.

So use Toastmasters tools, proactively interact with your communities, reach out to businesses and earn buy-in for corporate clubs. Share all you know about the golden benefits of Toastmasters wherever you go. There’s no better feeling than when a visitor says, “Here’s my application. I can’t wait to get started!”

LARK DOLEY, DTM

International President