How to Build an Extraordinary Club, Part 3 of 3: Peeps

The final piece in a 3-part series, today’s focus is on People.

YOUR people. They’re your greatest asset. You know that. Don’t you?

Knowing and showing are two different things. Don’t take your people for granted. It’s the worst mistake you can make.

Lee Goodwin, President of Speak Up Cambridge and a member of Advanced Access Toastmasters Club, recognizes that giving personal attention to your members can transform your Club from predictable to phenomenal.

Here’s what Lee says:

About meetings …

• First and foremost, Lead by Example. Wear your strong sense of purpose on your sleeve. Let there be no mistake about your commitment to your Club’s members and their success.
• Are you checking in with your speakers at least two weeks before each meeting to confirm that they are on schedule, still committed to delivering a speech?
• 4-5 days beforehand, are you checking in with everyone else to make sure that they are still planning to show up and do their roles? You do not want to be scrambling to fill roles at the last minute.
• Engage with your people. Ask them to step in, step up, connect with you … and others.
• Infuse fun. Silly fun. It’s catchy. It’s irresistible. And it could well be the hook that brings your attendees back again and again and again.
• Have you noticed who comes? Who doesn’t? Find out why, on both counts.

About renewals …

• I’ve watched a lot of members come and go, and unfortunately, a lot of members go. I have witnessed that a person’s first weeks and months with a Club play a big role in whether or not they renew. And in many cases, how engaged they are going to be.
• Now this may strike you as counter-intuitive, but I’ve begun to let people know – before they join – that we have expectations, expectations that they will stay engaged with us. There’s a difference – a crucial difference – between signing a Toastmasters application and having someone talk to you about attending meetings, signing up for roles and advancing on a Pathway.
• As leaders, we need to be invested in the success of every member of our Club.  Investment takes time and energy. When an inactive member disappears and stops responding, try laying it on the line for them: We want to support you and help you succeed. And when you’re ready, we’ll be there for you.

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.             — William Arthur Ward