23 Nov2009

I Had a Vision

Written by Rick Sharon.

Does your Toastmasters club have a vision?

Once upon a time, the Keller Communicators club was struggling. For more than a year, average attendance was 4-6 people per meeting. We had guests visit but most would not return, most would not join the club. David Watkins and I decided the club needed to adhere better to the Toastmasters program, that our informal loosely run meetings just were not sufficient. David was elected Club President, and I was elected Vice President of Education, on the platform of raising our club standards – adding more structure and best practices to the operation of our club.

The result? In the first seven months we recruited 20 new members.

Then I was elected Club President and I had a vision.

I shared “my” vision with our membership to get their refinements, their buy in, to transform it from “my” to “our” vision. Ever since, we’ve had 30+ members and have been a President’s Distinguished Club.

Specifically, the seeds I planted, that our members nurtured and grew into a mighty tree of achievements were...

Keller Communicators Toastmasters Vision

Our club is THE premier community club in our district. We have a large and growing membership base, we are the model for other clubs in our district, we attract a lot of visitors from our community and other clubs to learn our best practices.

We make best practices our minimum standards then find ways to improve them. We constantly practice CANI! (Constant And Neverending Improvement!).

Our Purpose Is

To enable our members to become incredibly effective communicators and leaders enabling them to be massively successful in their personal lives and business roles.

Our Identity

Our club is recognized, throughout our community and District, as creating powerfully successful communicators and leaders.

Our Values

Honesty
Integrity
Ethics
Respect for each other
CANI! – Constant And Never Ending Improvement!
We ain’t perfekt but we ARE improving!
Outstandingly high standards of performance
We make best practices our minimum standards then find ways to improve them.
Teamwork
Caring for each other, supporting each other
Coaching and helping each other
Sharing tips, resources, advice.
If it ain’t fun, we’re doing it wrong!
We are a model club working within the framework of the Toastmasters Program. Our club is the showcase of our District.
We will accept as a member anyone of any caliber provided they are committed to becoming outstanding, adhere to our values, and they are at least 18 years old.

Has our vision been successful?

Shortly after adopting that vision, at a District 25 Conference for about 140 Toastmasters clubs, Keller member David Watkins won the Humorous Speech Contest. Rick Sharon finished second in the Speech Evaluation Contest. Suzie Donskey was awarded the District’s Outstanding Vice President of Membership. Deb Liptak, Ted Martin, and Steve Liptak finished in the “top 3” for District Outstanding Club Officer awards for their respective club offices.

Keller club members have won or placed in the District level International Speech, Humorous Speech, Tall Tales, and Speech Evaluation contests. Several members have won District level Outstanding Club Officer awards. Others have placed in the “top 3” for those District awards. Keller Club has repeatedly been awarded our District Governor’s “Golden Gavel” award for excellence in execution. Keller club members have played prominent roles in District leadership and were hand picked to chair various committees that planned the highly successful 2007 Region III conference. Keller club members have sponsored and mentored new clubs, coached struggling clubs, and continue to do so.

Specifically, our vision, our purpose, our identity, and our values have given Keller club members a “lofty reputation to live up to”. In so doing, we’ve created and continue a contagious culture of excellence that is repeatedly demonstrated by our performance and recognized by the awards and accolades our club and members consistently earn.

doc Click here to download the Keller Communicator's Vision (27 KB) (Microsoft Word document).

I had a vision and look what happened! Does YOUR club have a vision?

Tell us about your club vision. What else have you done to help your club be successful?