Fellow Toastmaster,
It is a pleasure to have you as the newest member of Club Awesome. We take pride in providing a safe, respectful, and encouraging environment for you to develop your communication and leadership skills. We all want you to succeed in achieving your goals.
We suggest that you take the following steps to begin your Toastmasters journey:
- Today
- Access the Club Awesome website at http://www.clubawesome.org. You will receive a welcome email with member login information.
- Set up your online profile.
- For instance, you may want to add a picture of yourself, your social network or website links, and contact information.
- Note that your contact information is only to be used for Toastmasters-related purposes.
- Sign up for a role using our online agenda.
- Some good roles to choose for your first few meetings are: Vote Counter, Timer, and Videographer.
- If you need help accessing or using the website for the first time, just ask any of our board members.
- Within 3 Weeks
- Choose a mentor. This person will help guide you through your first 3 speeches.
- Pick someone who stands out to you in some way. Perhaps you were really engaged by one of their speeches. Maybe you noticed that they are highly active in supporting our club. Or, they might already possess the kinds of skills you hope to improve upon.
- Choose a mentor. This person will help guide you through your first 3 speeches.
- Within 6 Weeks
- Prepare to give your first speech.
- Work closely with your mentor to prepare. Your mentor has been there before and has excellent ideas for what to speak about and how to do it. It is important to get over any fear or nervousness regarding your first speech.
- Once you complete your first speech, you will truly feel that you are building strong relationships and becoming a valuable member of our club.
- Invite a friend or colleague to visit our club.
- By now, you’re starting to become a part of our club and building great relationships. This is the perfect time to share your experience with others by inviting them to visit. In addition, it’s good to bring some friends along for extra support during your first speech.
- Prepare to give your first speech.
- After Your First Speech
- Start signing up for additional roles, such as Grammarian, Body Language Monitor, and Ah Counter.
- Set a goal for when you want to complete your Competent Communication (CC) program (the first 10 speeches).
- Communicate with your mentor and the Vice President Education (VPE) to set a date.
- For most people, speaking once per month is a good pace. Thus, you can expect to complete your CC in 9 to 12 months.
- After Your Third Speech
- Start signing up for additional roles, such as Toastmaster, Evaluator, and General Evaluator.
- Ask your mentor or VPE about the Competent Leadership (CL) program.
- Every week that you participate in our meetings, you are building your leadership skills and your contributions are recognized through the CL program.
- Set a goal for when you want to complete the CL program. Typically, this can be accomplished within your first year of membership.
Welcome to your Toastmasters journey. There is much to learn and explore as a member of Toastmasters International and Club Awesome. You are encouraged to ask any of our members for help. We are here to support you.