Filling Meeting Roles

This is my weekly Vice President, Education post. You can find information on filling meetng roles on the Toastmasters International site here.

You are the Toastmaster for an upcoming meeting, how do you get the meeting roles filled? You expect everyone has joined because they buy into Toastmasters. They want to speak and lead and learn how to do both better. But does that mean they will volunteer? Does it mean they are available? Does it mean they communicate the same way you like to?

The answer to all three of these questions is often, No! As a Toastmaster, we all have to stretch from our comfort zones every once in a while. That applies to how we fill meeting roles as well.

Last night, Karen Novek approached everyone as they came into the meeting. She had a clipboard and roster for next week's meeting. She asked everyone to fill a role, gave choices, and information about the roles. Well done Karen! If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the number of e-mails you get looking to fill meeting roles, you will probably appreciate what Karen did last night. I expect I will get fewer e-mails this week as a result.

We seem sometimes to fall into the expectation that sending out an e-mail and having the roster available online should work all the time for everyone. We are a very diverse group in many ways. We come from different countries, speak different languages, and have different social norms. That's one of the big advantages I see from our club. It also means, we have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h sometimes in order to be effective.

If you send an e-mail and don't get a response, how about making a phone call? How about starting your planning early enough that you can get members to volunteer face-to-face at a meeting like Karen did last night?

When you take a little time, it's not hard to get the responses you want. Our club always comes through one way or another.

Knowing how many roles available each week makes it easy to find one that fits your needs. Don't wait for an e-mail, phone call, or personal visit, sign-up today using our online roster. Click here to reserve your place for future meetings:

Online Roster

Have a great week!

John Schneyer
Vice President, Education