How To Keep Old Members Active - Lessons Learned at Harrovians Speakers Club

Angela Lansbury

Photo by Angela Lansbury

Harrovians Speakers in London.

The first club I joined. Thanks to S for giving me a lift there and back. I find the debriefing conversations after a meeting so useful. 

On the way home he told me, 'I wasn't going to come to the meeting, until you phoned me.'

 I commented on the number of people attending.

 He said, 'Yes, we had lots of guests. But how do we get our regular members to turn up, not just when they are giving speeches?' 

I replied, 'You answered your own question earlier. By phoning people up; and (If you don't go all go off to coffee afterwards, or between meetings,) by arranging for people to travel together to the meetings so they get extra socialising and information about future meetings.

'When I first joined it was the Toastmaster's of the meeting's job to spend the weekend before the meeting chasing everybody on the phone to check they remembered and prepared and felt needed and wanted. 

'At very least send a reminder email. 

'At best the evaluators or mentors should meet the speakers and rehearse the speech'.

'My mentor used to come to my house and hear my speech, and the revision I made after he made comments. Then I heard his speech and gave feedback. 

'Then each speaker feels confident and has to prepare the speech and is looking forward to trying it out. That reduces people dropping out because 'I didn't have time to prepare a speech.'

Author Angela Lansbury ACG ALB
Member of Harrovians
HOD
Braddell Heights Advanced
Tampines Changkat Advanced

Photo shows:
Angela Lansbury in red on right. I was talking about American English.