Club Open Houses
New Horizons rises to the challenge!One hot, dusty Saturday last August, the members of New Horizons Toastmasters were given a challenge by their VP of Public Relations, Phyllis Harmon. She told them that the club could not continue to prosper with few members and fewer yet attending meetings. At the time, the club was meeting once a month and was chartered as an advanced club. There was little or no structure to the meetings, and they often ended up consisting of breakfast and chat.
The members accepted the challenge and by the end of the day, had voted to change their starting time to 8:00 am, change to meeting weekly, become a community club, and get serious about making Toastmasters attractive to visitors. New Horizons scheduled an open house on September 10, and Marv Serhan, DTM, was the guest speaker. The open house attracted several people of which three became members within two weeks. Since that time, the club has continued to grow. At last count, eight new members have joined, and the year of rebirth isn’t over yet!
What does the club attribute to their ongoing success? The answer is simple: a positive attitude, a formal meeting structure, and working together as a team. Each week members are scheduled to perform at least one role, sometimes more than one. The members remain engaged, finding ample opportunity to practice their speech craft and leadership skills. Recently the club added a new role, Master Listener. The Master Listener pays attention during the entire meeting and then quizzes the members on what they heard during the meeting. It is a fun way to end a meeting and everyone participates.
The club is looking forward to their next leap in membership by scheduling an open house for mid-March. Lani Chu will be coordinating the open house using her leadership skills as she involves the entire team in planning a gala event.
New Horizons Toastmasters meets every Saturday, 8:00-9:00 a.m., at the Bridge City Café in the Bridgeport Village near I-5 in Tualatin. Learn more about New Horizons through their website. Please come see us now!
Other energized clubs that have taken steps to strengthen and grow their club membership with Club Open Houses are:
- Encouraging Words #4777 – Open House held. Gained 5 members!
- Marylhurst Toastmasters #5588 – Open House held.
- Toasting Excellence #5915 – Open House, February 8th
- SE Sunrise #6869 – Open House February 14th 7:05 p.m. at St. Multicultural Ctr, 4610 SE Belmont St.