(Version geared to message of “Club Quality”)

The Competent Leadership Manual

Outline

  • Survey of current situation in club – 5 questions
  • Visualize the perfect club
  • Congratulations! There’s a manual that can help!
  • Survey regarding current individual use of CL manual
  • How it can help - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • Repeat the survey – say “Yes!” five times
  • Ask for a commitment
  • Who’s filling out my CL book today? 

Props Needed:

  • CL manual
  • “Goal Card” handout (written and designed by Mr. Frank Storey, DTM, of District 18)

Note: Better quality copies of the CL “Goal Card” (as well as guides for numerous other TI programs) are available at:

(Version geared to message of “Club Quality”)

The Competent Leadership Manual

Fellow Toastmasters,

I‘m going to ask you a set of five questions. Please keep track of whether you reply “Absolutely!”, “Uh…no” or somewhere in between.

  1. Do your/our club’s meetings always start and end on time?
  2. Are guests greeted warmly and provided with pertinent information about the meeting?
  3. Do your/our members willingly sign up for roles in advance AND then arrive prepared, ready to follow through with that role?
  4. Are speech evaluations always well done?
  5. Do your/our members work together as a team to achieve club and individual goals?

Did everyone answer “absolutely YES!” to all of these questions? If not, do NOT despair!

Please visualize with me – the PERFECT club. Healthy and happy. New members have mentors to help them “learn the ropes.” Speakers are improving, in part due to the excellent evaluations they are receiving. Ah Counters rarely even need to use their pencils. The schedule is chock full of volunteers –in all the roles -- for weeks to come.

Can you picture this fabulous club in your minds eye? Would you like YOUR/OUR club to look like this one? … Yes?

Well, congratulations! We’re in luck! Toastmaster International has developed an excellent means to help your/our club improve in all these areas. It’s the Competent Leader Manual.

I’m going to ask a few more questions, and this time I want to see a show of hands. Be honest. Don’t be embarrassed.

One: How many of you OWN a copy of the Competent Leader manual?

Two: How many of you – as an individual – are currently working in the CL manual?

Three: How many of you actually brought your CL manual to today’s meeting?

For those of you who raised your hand to all three questions, good for you!

For everyone else, please let me explain why I think the CL manual is a way to help your/our club grow stronger.

Remember those questions I asked at the beginning? Let’s go through them one by one.

  • Do meetings start and end on time?

The CL manual has an entire section devoted to helping us to develop our time management skills. There are sections to provide feedback on our performance as Timer, Toastmaster, Speaker, Grammarian, and Table Topic Master.

  • Are guests greeted warmly and provided with pertinent information about the meeting?

There’s a project specifically designed for that! It’s called “befriend a guest at a club meeting.” Wow! Credit for simply being kind and helpful!

  • Do your/our members willingly sign up for roles in advance AND then arrive prepared, ready to follow through with that role?

The CL manual not only has a section on the development of planning and implementation skills, the ENTIRE manual is designed to encourage members to sign up for meeting roles big and small. The reward for following through is two-fold: credit in the CL manual, and feedback to help us improve our meeting skills.

  • Are speech evaluations always well done?

Evaluations are a cornerstone of the Toastmasters program. The CL manual helps with developing this skill in many ways, from examining whether the speech evaluator is listening carefully, utilizing critical thinking skills, providing useful feedback, and motivating the person whose speech they are evaluating.

  • Do your/our members work together as a team to achieve club and individual goals?

Not only does working the CL manual provide the means for members to help each other become more proficient in our meeting roles, it’s a way to achieve individual and club goals. For example:

  • Individual goals: I want to become a better listener. Project #1 is all about “listening”
  • Club goals: We want to become a Distinguished Club. Completing the CL manual earns the club one point in the DCP program.

This manual has lots of projects that focus on meeting roles, like Toastmaster, Timer and Evaluator. However, there are always opportunities for growth through non-meeting roles, like helping with or chairing speech contests, organizing club special events, and helping someone else with a High Performance Leadership program.

All of these projects can help to make your members more confident, your clubs more effective, and the atmosphere more healthy.

Do, let’s take that survey again. Say “Yes!” to the points you agree with:

  • Who wants wants your/our club’s meetings to always start and end on time?
  • Who wants guests to be greeted warmly and provided with pertinent information about the meeting?
  • Who wants your/our members to sign up willingly for roles in advance AND then arrive prepared, ready to follow through with that role?
  • Who wants speech evaluations to always to be well done?
  • Who wants your/our members to work together as a team to achieve club and individual goals?

So, how many of you will commit to using the CL manual? (via show of hands)

Wonderful! So, who is filling out my CL book today? (Madame/Mister) Toastmaster…

1

Prepared by Karen Holland, DTM

District 28 October 2008