How to Create a Dynamic Open House for Your Club
Use this system as a guide. Remember the keys to creating a successful open house for your club are careful planning, proper execution, and following up with your guests. Allow your club plenty of time to plan this event. Make sure your members are behind the idea and are willing to take ownership of it!
Pre-Open House Planning
1. What do you want to accomplish by creating an open house? Be specific! Are you looking to increase your membership or looking for a fun project for your club? 2. Analyze your club. What types of meetings do you have? Are they fun and dynamic? Are your members accomplishing their goals? How long has it been since your club held a planning session or ran the Moments of Truth Program. Does your club have a Club Brand? (Visit the District Two web site and use the worksheet created by Bruce Bulloch. He is an expert on helping companies and organizations create brands that work!) Does your club actively work the distinguished club program? Do you run sharp meetings that start and end on time? You may have to do some club house keeping before you invite your guests to an open house. Check out the out the tips below for maintaining a healthy, vibrant club that has a positive impact on you and your members. It is important to put your best foot forward. (We should be doing this at every meeting.)
• • • • • • • What would you do at home if you knew you had company arriving for a special event? The answer to that question is the answer to running sharp meetings in your club. It means we do everything a little better! Make sure your guests feel welcome! Have the Sergeant at Arms involve club members in the set up and take down of the meeting. Have the Sergeant at Arms call the meeting to order and introduce the club president. The club president welcomes everyone and asks the timer to lead in the flag salute and give us a thought for the day. (Some clubs don’t do the flag salute because of time or members personal beliefs.) When you have guests have each member give a brief introduction of who they are and how long they have been involved in TM - if time permits. The club president introduces the toastmaster for the meeting. (The toastmaster should give the club president a written introduction.) The president will ask for feedback from guests, announce the schedule for the following week and handle any club business at the end of the meeting. (Some clubs start their meetings with the business meeting. I think it works best at the end of the meeting.) The Toastmaster works from a prepared agenda with a theme and he or she has contacted the speakers several days before the meeting. The speakers provide the toastmaster with their times and introductions. Additionally, the toastmaster confirms the rest of his or her team preferably by phone.
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The General Evaluator leads a team of evaluators and evaluates the overall meeting. He or she contacts the evaluators and encourages them to TALK to their speakers! High tech email is a wonderful tool but high touch personal contact is stronger! The Evaluators work with the speakers and will give them a written evaluation if a speaker is working from one of the manuals. Additionally, each evaluator will give a speaker an oral evaluation. The evaluators discover what the speakers are trying to accomplish and ask how they can help. It is easier to evaluate a manual presentation because there are clear goals. The speaker may not be working out of a manual but the speaker should still be trying to accomplish something worthwhile not just push air. The Speakers deliver presentations of their choice. The manuals all have clear objectives but the speaker selects the topic. Not all presentations are from the manuals but all presentations should have a clear purpose. (When your members aren’t completing their manuals it should be a warning sign that your club may be tipping in the wrong direction.) Speakers should always write their own introductions! The Table Topics Master can tie into the theme of the meeting to help give it continuity. It is important to involve members that don't have speaking roles and to ask guests if they want to participate. The Grammarian/ah counter offers a word for the day and listens for good and poor grammar. Try to use the word of the day for all speaking parts of the meeting. The Timer keeps the meeting running on time. Most speeches are for 5 - 7 minutes in length. The evaluations are 2 - 3 minutes and table topics (impromptu speaking) run for 1 - 2 minutes. (The timer needs to be firm to keep the meeting flowing. Use the 30 second contest rule. When the red light or card is on the speaker, evaluator, or table topics contestant that person has thirty seconds to wrap up or be disqualified! You can carry things a step further by having the timer tap a glass or start clapping if the person isn't wrapping up.) The Vote Counter gathers and tabulates the voting after each portion of the meeting. The vote counter encourages the members to write some comments for the speakers and other members who stand out. Additionally, he or she helps the president hand out the awards. This should be done with class!
(Try this simple procedure - the person who is handing out the award should hold it in their left hand close to their body. They start by reaching out with their right hand to shake to other person's hand. The award is passed after they shake hands.) One of the most important tips of all is to have your club members use the CC manual, the CL manual, the advanced manuals and have your club officers read their officer manuals. By making this part of your club culture your members will understand the purpose of the CC, CL and advanced recognition. Additionally, your club officers will understand their roles and the impact they have on the club. It makes it easier to explain to guests and new members what toastmasters is all about.
3. Develop your member profile. List the qualities and characteristics of the type of members you are seeking. This is one of the most important steps you will take! You need to know who you are looking for so you can plan your marketing strategy. 4. Select your open house team. Who will be your team leader? Who will work on the promotional material? Who will serve in the meeting roles for the open house? (It is better to use your own members instead of bringing in outside toastmasters.) Are you
going to offer refreshments and decorate for the open house? If yes – who will be responsible? Engage as many of your club members as you can. Who will follow up with your guests and how will it be done? You need people who are outgoing and understand their roles in the open house. CHOOSE WISELY. JUST DON'T "ASSIGN" PEOPLE TO THIS JOB! 5. Develop a Welcome packet - a nice pocket folder with a club label on the front that has your 'Club Name'. Include some key handouts about the club and how membership in toastmasters will benefit your guests. Include a welcome letter and packet outline. Make sure to include your club's branding statement and information about dues, a blank membership form, and the structure of your meetings. Make several more than needed. Then you can use extras for meetings between this Open House and your next for any guests that visit.
Promoting Your Open House
1. Design your marketing plan to attract the type of people you want in your club. Narrow down your focus to the people you want to attract. All of your marketing efforts should be geared to attracting those people. Know who is coming: asking for RSVP's is important and a way to begin and continue a rapport with the attendees by email - it also give you an opportunity to make name cards or badges too if you have time. Our clubs fall into one of three areas. Some of the same marketing elements work for all three. Create a flier that sends a message about what makes your club special - hence the branding exercise. The flier could be in print, electric of both.
1. Company/Organization Clubs use building wide email and post flyers where appropriate in your building. Try to post information on the company web site. Find a couple of advocates for the club in management. Reach out to your HR department and ask for their support. 2. Community Clubs use local newspapers and try to post fliers with companies and organizations that have the type of potential members you are looking for. Reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce to see if you can post information on their web site or in their newsletter. 3. Specialty Clubs use your members to reach out to their home clubs. Take a high profile leadership role in a district event. Write some articles for the district web site. Let the clubs in your area and division know what you do.
The Open House Meeting
1. On the day of the Open House arrive early. Have your meeting room set up and ready to go before your guests arrive. Don’t forget to use a guest book and get their contact information! 2. Ask your members to look sharp and put some extra effort into their roles. Make your guests feel like long lost relatives! Explain what is happening and why it is important. Always come back to what is in it for them! 3. Have a regular meeting with your own club speakers. Step it up a couple of notches and adjust the agenda so you have at least 10-15 minutes at the end for Q & A. Choose a veteran speaker and evaluator. You may only have one speaker and evaluator depending on the length of your meeting. Make sure you include table topics. Keep the questions fun and don’t be afraid to involve your guests after they have seen how it works. 4. Have the Club President lead the Q & A. Be ready with some questions you think people may have – for example - does everyone know when our club meets? What is expected from a member? How much time does this take? How much does it cost? 5. Closing the sale. Someone near the end of the meeting should ask the question as follows: Now that you have seen us in action - what you see is what you get. Is anyone interested in joining us as a member? (Raise your hand to see if others will raise theirs...this helps people get over their shyness and you get a feeling for how many might want to join the club). Then say I can make it happen right now. (Be ready with membership forms and have your members help people fill out their form. (That means your members need to know how to fill out the form!) 6. Don't worry if some still need to think about it. Since they came to the meeting there is a very good chance they may come to the next meeting or the one after and join then. It's always good to be very low key and let them know the decision is entirely at their discretion. There should be no pressure! People will naturally want to join, especially if they feel comfortable. How can they refuse?
Following Up with Your Guests
1. Develop a process for following up with your guests and use it! Take time to get to know the people who attend your open house. Your follow up will be more effective. Find out what they need and let them know you can fill that need.