11K Toastmasters, chartered in February 1976: approaching fifty years. They caught District 50’s attention earlier because of their long-standing charter. Now, they have captured the attention as a successful corporate club. They are a closed, corporate club at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Bank pays for their memberships and considers Toastmasters a training benefit. They have a page on their Bank’s internal website, and they also participate in benefits fairs each year to invite interested members. They also have various Bank clubs, and they speak before those clubs. This article contains some insights which may help your club.
When asked why she wants to be a member of this club, Becky Smith, Club Vice President of Membership, replied, “I love meeting people and talking. I did not realize how much confidence it has given me to speak before larger groups.” Their club’s success can be attributed to, “Active members that enjoy the experience and want to grow.”
The best sentence to describe this club is, “We are a small but mighty club.” By small, the dashboards indicate that they have twenty-two members of which ten to fifteen tend to participate during each meeting. How does your club compare?
Becky responded, “We reserve a room and serve cookies and other types of treats. We also meet and go to training together,” when asked what the club members do for fun.
Here is their advice to other corporations considering Toastmasters. “It is a great benefit to help employees gain confidence in speaking while meeting others and becoming leaders. Our employees can use it as a goal on their reviews.”
Currently, they are a hybrid club that meets on the second Wednesday and fourth Thursday of each month at noon. A good portion of the members still work remotely. Thus, it has been tough to meet in person. They are meeting in a hybrid setting. If you are a member of the Bank, you can reach them via the Toastmasters International Find a Club website or through the internal resources previously mentioned.
Recent Comments