1. Get Started

In the summer of 2008, I became an area governor (now known as an area director) and made visits to my clubs. They all went pretty well, but one club visit really stood out at the time: Voice of Moses. They had a theme of "Battle of the Sexes", and during their theme segments, had two people, in boxing gear with a (simulated) ring. Given I remember that meeting over a decade later, it definitely left an impression.

You don't need to go that far to have great Toastmasters meetings (but hey, it can't hurt). This course will show you how to have Really Dang Good meetings by reviewing how to prepare for and execute meeting roles well, then put it all together. You'll get plenty of tools and resources to print and use at your club so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. You'll also get some solutions to common issues.

This program is intended to dovetail with my other RDG TM programs, and the RDG program is meant to be the culmination of over a decade of Toastmasters experience. If your club needs a supplement for teaching meeting roles, this is it. You should still have mentors teaching this material, but this can be a source book of sorts. If your club doesn't have mentors or teaching materials, this can help accelerate your learning curve and cut down on frustrations. In this course, we'll first go over the roles one at a time, then pull them together to show you how to setup and perform the standard meeting. Afterward, we'll cover how to handle special meetings, such as contests.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about the material in this course, make sure you post in the forum above about it so that the program can be improved. One of the values of RDG is that "nothing's perfect, but we're getting there".

DISCLAIMER: This material is not Toastmasters International-produced or endorsed. The "RDG" label is not an official Toastmasters designation of any kind. This material represents over a decade of Toastmasters experience that is made available here to help members and clubs shave months if not years off their learning curve.