Reviving a Toastmasters Club : A Case Study
Upon first encountering the promotional email for Toastmasters Microsoft Hyderabad, my interest was piqued not by a fear of public speaking — a realm where I felt confident — but by the promise of gaining experience in leadership and strategizing. Little did I know that this initial step would lead to a cascade of unexpected opportunities, highlighting the truth that growth often unfolds when least expected.
The journey through Toastmasters proved to be more than just a series of routine meetings; it evolved into a transformative experience where leadership lessons emerged from unexpected corners. When the opportunity to run for the executive committee arose, I saw it as a chance for personal growth and leadership development. Even though I was just 1 month into the club, I successfully secured the role of VP Education, one of the heaviest positions. Despite the uncertainty, it was the challenge that excited me, and within the club’s camaraderie, I found a space to navigate diverse challenges and learn invaluable lessons in adaptability, communication, and collaborative leadership. Toastmasters became a crucible for developing traits I hadn’t initially anticipated, showcasing that personal and professional growth often flourishes in the most unforeseen moments.
Yet, even within the realm of challenges, there lies an opportunity for transformation. Although everything appeared outwardly positive, the club faced an internal quagmire that, if left unaddressed, could hinder its sustained growth. Recognizing the need for a strategic overhaul, we created a comprehensive list of objectives for the year:
1. Meeting Regularization
2. Memberships enhancement
3. Repository for all member related data
4. Streamlining of education initiatives
5. Activity and engagement of members
6. Mentorship
7. Reward system for members
Despite these well-laid plans, a critical question lingered: are all these initiatives necessary, and if so, in what order should they be prioritized? The only way to unearth the answers was to engage directly with the club’s members, creating a collaborative and informed approach to steer the club towards a successful transformation.
In our quest for insights, we embarked on a user research mission — a real detective gig to decode the club’s challenges straight from the members themselves.
1. User Research: Finding Out What’s Wrong
Approaching it like a detective with a magnifying glass, we opted for an open-ended interview-style survey with our members. And the grand finale — were they willing to give the club another shot?
Like detectives, we decided to survey each of the members to figure out what was going wrong. The idea was to conduct a 1:1 open-ended interview. Armed with a set of questions, our goal was to dive deep into their motivations: What drew them to join? Why the sporadic attendance? What were their aspirations? Their mentorship desires. Were offline meetings a viable option for them? And the toughest of them all — were they willing to give the club another shot?
2. Consistency: The Tough Call
Post-member chats, we made a firm decision — no matter what, meetings would happen. We became the cheerleaders, rallying members to join in. Even on days when the room echoed with silence, we were strongly determined to bring the club back to life.
3. What’s Next?: Goal Setting
Now that we had a consistent approach in place, we needed to figure out how to change the way the club functioned. A single question echoed in our minds: Where did we envision the club in a few months? The answer was clear — a President’s Distinguished Club teeming with members passionately learning, actively participating, and clinching honors in district and division-level contests. The goal was set, and the journey to transform our club had begun.
For this goal to be achieved, 5 things needed to be in place:
a. A common place where we could have all the info about the club, so people could easily access it.
b. Tracking of member learning and progress.
c. A steadfast mentorship program.
d. Motivation through recognitions and awards, perhaps through contests and activities.
e. Regularization of meetings.
4. Prioritization
While we were aware that all of these needed to be investigated, we had to prioritize this based on 3 factors: Impact, Effort and Need.
Based on these 3 criteria, we decided to place them in the below order:
Regularization of meetings > Tracking of member learning and progress > Common place / Repository for members to have everything accessible > Mentorship > Contests
The Action: Implementing Change
As we delved into the actual implementation phase, a new challenge emerged — our committee was slowly dwindling. Losing two members and having two others preoccupied with external commitments left only three of us at the helm. Undeterred, we pressed forward with our commitment to revitalizing the club.
1. Regularization of Meetings: A Strategic Shift
Our major concern was the irregular attendance of members. Thus, to address this, we initiated a democratic vote on meeting timings and duration. Our committee members even ventured into other club meetings, gleaning insights that crystallized into a crucial understanding: regularity was paramount, no matter what. Armed with this insight, we opted for 1.5-hour meetings every alternate week. However, even after this the attendance remained stagnant, accompanied by grumbles about the time commitment.
Undeterred, we pivoted to a more frequent format — one-hour meetings every week. And we made sure to send across posters not just to enthusiasts from Microsoft but also from other neighbouring clubs. We kept roles open to everyone. Even if we had no participation from club members, we kept roles open to outsiders. The resounding mantra remained unchanged: meetings happen, no matter what. This small adjustment proved to be the magic formula, sparking a noteworthy uptick in attendance. While the initial surge was modest, the certainty of regular meetings and less time commitment motivated members to join, as it meant carving out a brief window during work hours.
In a month, we had 80% of the members with attendance in at least 1 meeting. More enthusiastic members attended more of them. Along with that we also grew a dedicated participation from external club members. Although one hour seemed relatively brief, it quickly became apparent that efficient time management was crucial for sustainability. We thought it could be figured out a little later once we were ensured about the continuous participation of our members.
Lessons Learnt:
· Consistency is the linchpin of success, irrespective of the project at hand. This transformative experience underscored the significance of unwavering commitment in steering a project towards triumph.
· Learn from your mistakes. Iterate and be ready to improve.
· Sudden changes can be confusing. Let the idea settle, give time to review before you move to the next change.
2. Tracking of member learning and progress
With our meetings now running like a well-oiled machine, the next puzzle piece to fit in was understanding how our members were engaging in their Toastmasters journey and whether it was translating into tangible growth. In Toastmasters, members follow a pathway, essentially a personalized learning track chosen at the beginning of their journey. Completing modules and projects within this pathway reflects their progress in developing specific skills. However, there was a hitch — we had no clear picture of how our members were progressing.
My initial attempt involved a humble spreadsheet, a classic move. Yet, reality struck; members weren’t too keen on updating it, especially those who hadn’t even enrolled in a pathway. Recognizing this flaw, I sought guidance from the president, discovering that the data was available on the portal. I was doing unnecessary stuff -> things that happen, when you stick to assumptions or miscommunicate.
Now, there were quite a lot of findings from this data. The worst fact was actually our best finding — many members had still not enrolled into pathways, even some highly active members. This meant that members were either not aware of the resources available or they needed a push to access them. Armed with this knowledge, I started pushing people on the group to update their data and enrol into pathways. For those who didn’t do this, despite the repeated reminders, personal calls were set and we guided them into this until we got a 100% enrolment and update. With that, I also added that data to the spreadsheet, so that we had 100% transparency on it.
While this improved data accuracy, there was still room for enhancement — attendance and participation could be tracked this way too, which could perhaps lead to some interesting findings as well. That’s when I had a thought — a social nudge could be the solution to improving all this. My idea was that of a truth bomb — sending out a monthly email containing a comprehensive report of attendance, pathway progress, recognitions, new member data, and ongoing initiatives. This candid email served as a reality check, revealing strengths and areas for improvement. Now, this simple action could have 2 outcomes. On the good side, members could appreciate and work on their shortfalls but on the bad side, they could leave seeing them score low on the board. And that’s exactly what happened. We saw both the sides come to play when that email was shared. Some members chose to step back due to time constraints, and we appreciated their honesty. For others, the report became a catalyst for positive change, sparking increased participation and even a sense of pride for those consistently excelling.
Lessons Learned
· Embracing change based on real-time analysis ensures the sustainability and relevance of any initiative.
· Make sure you communicate every action that you take. Ensure that you clarify doubts by asking questions before starting out any activity. This can help save on a lot of time and efforts in the long run.
· It’s alright to lose some audience if it means gaining quality. Iteration is key; holding onto methods without adapting is a pitfall.
· Additionally, acknowledging member feedback and offering transparency fosters a culture of continuous improvement. As we navigate this dynamic landscape, we understand that flexibility and adaptation are the unsung heroes of success.
3. Creating Order: A Unified Hub for Club Information
It was that time of the year when we were set to enrol more members into the club. If you are aware, there is a minimum of 8 members required to sustain a club, and the previous count or 20+ members to hold onto its distinguished status. Knowing this, we needed to ensure that the onboarding process is simple. From previous experience, we knew a few things:
1. There are more chances for people to enrol on the same day as they ask about the initiative.
2. Those who get reimbursement from their team, are more likely to enrol as members.
3. Those who are willing to learn, do it anyway.
From the above findings that we had, we knew that points 1 and 2 demanded easy access to resources relating to enrolment including information about the club, registration details, reimbursement procedures, benefits of joining the club, etc.
For point 3, it was about the experience of joining — which meant that these people would want to know about the club from experience — something like previous sessions recordings, or even invites to the next sessions would make them want to be a part of it.
While until now, this was being shared via chat messages or calls with executive committee members, it was not practical. Navigating through multiple chats, scattered pages, and broken links had become a bewildering maze for those seeking information about the club. The solution? A singular repository that could serve as a one-stop-shop for both members and potential joiners, offering seamless access to every morsel of club-related data.
While I had previous experience in creating SharePoint sites, I offered to create a simple page asap with everything that could be shared with the people. This would have sections for non-members as well as members. We didn’t want more tools; we needed a tool that could collate everything. This website’s aim was just that.
The SharePoint site did exactly that. It acted as a game-changer in streamlining information dissemination. This digital haven not only housed essential club details, enrolment and communication information but also featured an events calendar showcasing upcoming meetings. Additionally, it served as an archive with recordings from previous sessions, providing a snapshot of the club’s dynamic atmosphere. The SharePoint site emerged as a success, proving to be a powerful tool in simplifying access for both existing and prospective members.
Lessons Learned — Simplify, Streamline, Succeed
· People want to save time and have everything they want as accessible as possible.
· Be transparent with everyone. If you give them the answers they need before they even ask the questions, it will help in a more efficient approach.
4. Mentorship / Educational Initiatives : Nurturing growth
With the foundational plans in motion, it was time to turn our attention to the cornerstone of member success — their educational growth. Recognizing that every club member aspired to develop specific skills, our focus zeroed in on three critical components: the mentorship program, educational sessions, and the much-anticipated Bootcamp.
1. Mentorship Reboot: A Personalized Approach — The Toastmasters mentorship program, a pivotal element in members’ journeys, had been shut down for a year due to a shortage of available mentors within the club. To reinvigorate this essential support system, we initiated a member-centric approach. Surveying each member to understand their mentorship needs, we concurrently explored external avenues, reaching out to Toastmasters from other clubs who could lend their expertise. After thorough consideration, we handpicked mentors aligned with our members’ goals. This marked the commencement of a 6-month mentorship program, offering members personalized connections with mentors, opportunities for feedback, and the flexibility to switch mentors if needed.
2. Educational Sessions: Learning Beyond Borders — Educational sessions became a dynamic avenue for continuous learning. Preeti and Lakshay who had a huge network at Toastmasters, helped orchestrate these sessions that not only broadened our members’ knowledge but also fostered active participation and growth. While my focus gravitated towards the logistical aspects, including promotional materials, my colleagues tapped into their Toastmasters contacts to secure engaging speakers. The ripple effect was evident — increased member participation and tangible growth.
3. Bootcamp: A Transformational Experience — A shared aspiration materialized as we envisioned hosting a club bootcamp. Drawing inspiration from successful organizers from other clubs, we meticulously structured our bootcamp with a modified curriculum and smaller, impactful educational sessions. Our aim was to emphasize on growth from practical speeches and feedback gained from it. We worked on a unique system of getting feedback from all the listeners unlike the regular evaluation that most other sessions had. While member interest surged, we grappled with the challenge of setting a reasonable price to ensure inclusivity and generate much-needed funds for the club. Despite hurdles, the bootcamp unfolded with great educational content, exceptional speakers, elevating both the club’s financial standing and member growth. The commitment to end with a contest encountered challenges, yet the overall success of the bootcamp underscored its impact.
Lessons Learned:
· Tailoring programs to individual member needs ensures a more meaningful and effective experience.
· Leveraging your network to strategize and plan what is needed.
· Despite setbacks, a willingness to adapt and modify plans ensures continued success and growth.
5. Contests and Awards
Our focus now shifted to recognizing and celebrating member achievements. We initiated a practice of awarding certificates to members acknowledged for their roles during meetings. Though seemingly small, this effort created a ripple effect, instilling a sense of motivation among members.
While we had successfully streamlined meetings and implemented effective tracking mechanisms, a lingering question persisted: Were our members genuinely progressing? This is where it was time to host contests — the litmus test for our club’s prowess. Despite our club consistently meeting district-level goals and being recognized as one of the top clubs in the division, previous contests had seen lackluster participation. The challenge was clear — to transform this narrative.
1. Revamping Contests: Determined to break the mold, we decided to revamp our contests. With a larger member count and renewed vigour, we set the stage for increased participation. A strategic motivational push resulted in a substantial uptick in participation compared to previous contests. Mentorship initiatives were not just symbolic; they propelled members to the area and division levels, showcasing the transformative impact of tailored support. We won awards in both the contests at Area as well as Division Levels.
2. Awards for Motivation: In addition to the accolades bestowed upon contest winners, we recognized the importance of internal recognition. Awards specifically crafted for outstanding performance in club contests were instituted, ensuring members felt acknowledged and motivated. This dual-pronged approach not only celebrated success at higher levels but also championed achievements within the club.
Lessons Learned:
· A targeted motivational push can yield significant increases in participation, even in areas where past efforts fell short.
· Awards and recognition are crucial for sustaining motivation and fostering a sense of accomplishment. Even seemingly minor recognitions contribute to a positive and motivating culture.
Unseen Challenge: Neglecting Succession Planning
While we had learnt so much over a year, together helping the club succeed, we missed out on planning for a critical hurdle that was to come our way. We hadn’t thought that one year later, we 3 would have to reduce our contributions because of some other commitments or lack of time. We 3 had passionately led the club, fuelled by a shared determination to prevent its demise. With all the passion and determination, we overlooked the impending need for a transition plan.
Despite the accolades and recognition garnered for the club’s success, we faced the harsh reality of needing to step down to attend to new responsibilities. The absence of a designated successor became a stumbling block, as the immense workload proved too much for the newcomers, even with comprehensive handovers. And it was worse as the executive committee had all recently joined members. Even with guidance and preparation, it was a huge challenge for them. The club, once a beacon of success, began facing a decline in membership and attendance.
As the challenges compounded, the new leadership, faced with dwindling motivation and time constraints, made the difficult decision to dissolve the club. This unforeseen turn of events highlighted the importance of foresight and planning for leadership transitions, emphasizing the need to groom and prepare successors to ensure the continuity and vitality of any initiative.
Conclusion
Reflecting on this transformative journey with Toastmasters Microsoft Hyderabad, I am reminded that every success story holds invaluable lessons. The experience of leading and revitalizing the club was a profound chapter in my life, showcasing the highs of achievement and the lows of unforeseen challenges. The significance of succession planning emerged as a powerful lesson, as the oversight in preparing a new leadership cadre resulted in the club’s eventual dissolution. This realization, albeit late, has become a guiding principle in my approach to leadership — ensuring that every initiative is not only successful in the present but also fortified for a sustainable future. The importance of adaptability, strategic motivation, and the foresight to navigate the intricacies of leadership transitions now shapes my perspective on any project or endeavour. In the end, Toastmasters Microsoft Hyderabad became more than a club; it became a profound classroom of life lessons that continue to resonate in my personal and professional journey.
