Before You Join

1. Introduction

There was once a guy that took the stairs as often as possible to avoid having to talk to people in elevators. He just wanted to do his engineering-type work, and not be bothered. However, he knew that to advance in his career, he needed people skills. He found out about Toastmasters, and resolved to go to one.

He went to his car one evening, having decided to attend one meeting. He started to put the key in, and...decided that tonight was not that night. Off and on again for half a year, he would repeat this ritual. Finally, someone prompted him to finally take that leap.

Fast forward a few years, and he was the District Governor (now District Director) for Toastmasters over all of Houston, College Station, and Galveston, and a few years after that, running his own consultant business. You would never know he was that introvert from earlier.

This is just one success story from Toastmasters. It's not mine (my own is slightly less dramatic). I've heard many more, and it's always surprising that many of the people who think they can't speak or can't lead end up succeeding beyond anyone's expectations, never mind their own. The program works - if you apply yourself to it consistently and earnestly. 

The intention of this lesson is to make you aware of what you're getting into. If you're not ready to change your life, Toastmasters isn't for you. If you're only in it to get something for yourself, Toastmasters isn't for you. If you can't or won't make the time for it, Toastmasters isn't for you. If you want to make excuses instead of putting in the effort, Toastmasters isn't for you. 

However, if you put the time, the energy, and make it a habit to give back, you'll find that you're going to be a better person for it. Your speaking and leadership skills will continue to be improved and refined, and your improved confidence will spill over into the other areas of your life. I've seen it happen for so many people that put in the work that I'm confident that if you do the same, you'll be all the better for it.

2. Reviewing the Toastmasters Promise

One of the most skipped, but also important, portions of the new member application is the Toastmasters Promise. It's a series of pledges that every Toastmaster is supposed to live up to. In this section, I'll be offering my commentary on them. You can find the most current Toastmasters Promise here. 

• To attend club meetings regularly

Simple enough - if you're not going to attend meetings, you're not going to benefit. It's understood that you won't attend every meeting, but you should be able to attend two-thirds of them.

• To prepare all of my projects to the best of my ability, basing them on the Toastmasters education program

This means that you don't come into a meeting and just wing a speech when you know you've been scheduled (signing up last minute may be a different story). Doing so cheats your development. 

• To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments

Like preparing for speeches, you should be preparing for your meeting roles as necessary. The "Getting Roles Right" segments from the RDG TM Meetings course will help you do this.

• To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations

This means using skill and tact when delivering evaluations of any kind, not just speech evaluations. Evaluations shouldn't be abrasive, but they also shouldn't sugar-coat either. 

• To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow

About what it says on the tin. If you have abusive club members, the club climate can quickly go south.

• To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so

Every Toastmaster should be giving back. Being an officer is a great way to do this, but is not the only way to do so. 

• To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy

Ties into the positive, friendly environment line item above.

• To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits Toastmasters membership offers

Without new members, clubs die, no matter how good they are. People move, change jobs, or otherwise can't attend even when they would otherwise want to.

• To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters education and recognition programs

Follow the rules and requirements for completing your educational ranks. Make sure your progress is documented.

• To act within Toastmasters’ core values of integrity, respect, service and excellence during the conduct of all Toastmasters activities

3. Expectations

While the Toastmasters Promise gives you most of the expectations for you, this will go a bit more in-depth. 

Something that can't be stressed enough is that Toastmasters clubs are run by volunteers, and depend on people serving as officers, working on committees, and filling meeting roles. No matter how many members are in the club, if these go undone, the club will weaken and fall apart in time. That's why it's critical for every member to contribute in some way. 

Many prospective members want to know how much a membership costs, but usually don't ask how much time outside of the meeting is needed on a weekly basis to realize the benefits. This can vary depending on your responsibilities at the upcoming meeting, but a reasonable expectation is one to two hours. If you become a member, there is an initial setup period that will take a little time as well.

As a minor aside, you will also need some fairly common supplies, as will be discussed in future lessons. This includes a 1" (or bigger) binder, paper, pens, a printer, and so on.

4. Finding the Right Club for You

If you're in an area where there are several clubs available to you, you may be wondering how to pick from them. Here's some ways to narrow it down.

• First & foremost: Is the club in a place and meeting at a time you can consistently go? A 7am club that's next door might sound feasible, until you find you can't be bothered to wake up that early to get to it. A club with a good meeting time that's too far to get to isn't any good either. If the club has eligibility requirements (common to corporate clubs), that may rule it out as well.
• Meets at least three times a month: A weekly meeting schedule is best, but if the club meets three times a month, this is good too. Advanced clubs usually only meet one or two times a month, however.
• Is aiming to be distinguished or has a history of doing so: This shows the club generates results. If you're in it to be a RDG member, that's what you're after too. This is usually noted on the club's website.
• Is the club's website updated, or at least, look decent? It should, at minimum, indicate upcoming meetings.
  

Try to isolate down to 3-5 clubs that are viable, and visit them. You will likely want to call ahead to verify they're having a meeting, especially near or on holidays. Note the following:

• Was there a guestbook or some way of capturing your contact information?
• Did the club do any follow up after you visit?
• Does the club have the hallmarks of a RDG club (or trying to get there): "RDG" is not an official designation, but if you like what these courses teach, it's in your interest to find a club that hits a good selection of criteria. You can always point the club officers to this material.
• Are there too many people (over 35 is a decent number)? A rare find, but does happen. This will reduce your participation time.
• Are there not enough people? If the club is at 6 people or less and no one is trying to resuscitate the club, stay away. On the upside, you can almost always get more speaking time at clubs with lower membership counts.