Demo Club Meetings

The demonstration meeting gives you the opportunity to share the benefits of Toastmasters with prospective members. Prior to the meeting, you will assign club roles (listed below) and guide prospective members through a typical meeting.

Toastmasters’ meeting roles are as follows:

• Toastmaster
• Timer
• Ah-Counter or grammarian
• General evaluator
• Speaker
• Evaluator
• Topicsmaster

For more details about meeting roles, refer to Meeting Roles and Responsibilities (Item 295).

Before and at the demonstration meeting, keep the following in mind:

• Choose eight or more Toastmasters to conduct the meeting (although you may still have one with fewer).
• Select a team that mirrors the audience’s demographics.
• Keep the meeting short and don’t go over the time that was specified. Your goal is to create interest. Include a short Table Topics session, a prepared speech, and an evaluation.
• Select one speaker who is relatable to your audience who can speak about a topic that ties into the theme of the new club.
• To form a corporate club, invite representatives from and/or the decision-makers of the sponsoring organization, if any. Their presence will confirm the meeting’s importance. Invite influential members of your community to form a community club.

After the meeting:

• Ask members to share Toastmasters success stories.
• Introduce potential club sponsors and club mentors, emphasizing that when the club is chartered, both will provide support.
• Announce the date, time, and place of the next meeting, and share the video conferencing link and password for an online meeting.
• Let prospective members know that the new-member fee is $20 USD per person and the semiannual membership dues are $45 USD per person. Collect these payments along with completed application forms for those who decide to join.
• Clarify that Toastmasters clubs are required to send payment for membership dues semiannually to be collected by April 1 and October 1. Clubs chartering in March or September may wish to submit their renewal dues at that time to avoid collecting dues from each member twice in two months. For details, please see Form 2, Line 6.
• Conduct a brief question-and-answer session.

Follow Up

Often, prospective clubs meet several times before they can complete the charter requirements. Your goal is to keep everyone enthusiastic and charter the new club as quickly as possible.

To maintain momentum, remember to:
Send a thank-you note to all attendees.
Follow up with a phone call and email a meeting reminder several days before the next meeting.

Communicate with temporary officers and scheduled meeting participants to confirm duties for the next meeting.

Additional Resources

How to Start a Toastmasters Meeting: https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/how-to-build-a-toastmasters-club

Demonstration Meeting PowerPoint: https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/medias/Files/Department%20Documents/Club%20Documents/Demonstration%20Meeting%20PPT_Item%20730

Sample Agenda: https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/demonstration-meeting-sample-agenda

Should you have further questions or would like to participate in a demo meeting send an email to cgd@d50tm.org