Hello to our fabulous District!
This month we tried a few firsts! For most of you, this year has been a series of firsts! I applaud you and commend you for trying new things! I believe if we never try then we will never know what we can do! In the District, we have never had a Virtual Networking event before, but this month, we tried it and it went great! The other new thing we tried this month was PR Webinars! Both events had attendees from all over! We had people from England, Holland, Ireland and other states, as well as people from our District join, meet, mingle and listen and learn from our speakers.
I have heard people say before that they are disappointed when people from the District do not attend, and I have heard that events like these seem to be only the District and that it seems more like a social happy hour or mingling event so they don’t feel the value. Both are good points and both are true. However, neither is a bad or negative result. In today’s times, with so many people being virtual, you never know who will want a dual membership, who is looking to connect with more clubs or Districts in other countries, or who is looking to be a dual District member as well! The other thing to consider is that nowadays, so many people are hopping from meeting to meeting via Zoom and it has been noted that many are experiencing Zoom fatigue. I was elated to hear from our own Linda Rhea, in addition to guests, who said, while Zoom fatigue is true, these types of events are EXACTLY what they are looking for socializing, communication and comradeship with new and fellow Toastmasters.
You too can have webinars or specialized meetings for your clubs. Put on a Virtual Open House, Virtual Happy Hour, or Virtual Networking. Invite one to two guest speakers to come to your virtual event and be the guest of honor. Promote it through brand approved fliers, Facebook Events, EventBrite or other event tools. Does someone in your club have special knowledge that could help others in your club? Have a Webinar or Theme Meeting and invite guests from all around.
If you missed either of recent event you can find them here:
Go out and try new things and the come back and tell me all about it!
Post it on your clubs social media, share in the Toastmasters International FB Group and invite others and you can also share it in our District Members Group for D26 at https://www.facebook.com/groups/d26toastmastersmembersgroup
Was it successful? Do you need other tips or help? I am always here to help you.
Sincerely,
Trixie Hunter-Merrill, DTM,
PRM 2020-2021 (2018-2019)
