Page 23 - Voices Feb 2018
P. 23
COACHES CORNER
Create a
LOVE Infusion
Lisa Hutton, ACB, ALB - Club Coach Coordinator
Clubs have four more months in the supportive and safe place to grow – stepping
current Toastmaster (2017-18) year to reach outside of the comfort zone, members can
the goal of being a Distinguished club, or thrive and become the successful leader and
better. In order to achieve this goal, Club speaker they’ve set out to be.
Coaches need to put their plans into action. Membership in Toastmasters is an excellent
Consider what could happen to your club if investment. Yes, the dues are reasonable
you infused LOVE into how the however; that doesn’t exclude
club functions. By Listening, the importance of ensuring
providing Opportunity, Value. It is vital for members
ensuring Value and to feel they are getting their
encouraging Engagement, monies worth. Efficiently
the club’s potential to run meetings that are also
achieve their membership fun require the participation
and educational goals of everyone. It is an ‘all oars
becomes possible. in the water’ kind of moment at
Listening to others is an each and every meeting.
essential part of the Toastmaster Creating a village or, in this case, a
experience. As an attentive audience, club Distinguished club, requires club coaches
members listen to each speaker and in turn and experienced members to encourage
to their evaluator(s) as they share insight and Engagement. Mentor relationships and active
suggestions to improve the quality of the recruitment of newer members to step-up
presentation. This feedback formula is one to serve the club contributes to creating an
of the cornerstones of Toastmasters. Being a inclusive and successful club environment.
good listener has a multitude of benefits that LOVE might be magical or even mysterious
include both personal and professional gains. but, I think the Beatles summarized it best in
The Opportunity to serve as Toastmaster, their song “All You Need Is Love”. Yes, it’s a
General Evaluator, Table Topics Master or as a naïve and simplistic notion to some but, one
Club Officer should be the goal of each member worth trying, since it just might work.
in the club. By actively participating in a
VOICES! | FEBRUARY, 2018 23
