Page 29 - 2017 August Voices

SUCCESSFUL CLUB

New Horizons - The FUN Club

by James Wantz, DTM

“How do we distill, bottle, and distribute this?” being serious and
asked one district officer after they attended a quiet—just like at a
meeting of New Horizons Toastmasters. “This funeral. Let fun in.
was fun!” Another way to bring in fun is to have themed
To some, the words “Toastmasters at 8am meetings. In the last year New Horizons has had
on a Saturday” and “fun” don’t go in the same Talk Like a Pirate Day, Love Day, Nerd Day, Cats
sentence. For New Horizons Toastmasters, “fun” vs Dogs, Star Wars vs Star Trek, and Hawaiian
is in every meeting—and every meeting is at Day. We plan themes months in advance to be
8am on a Saturday. Did I mention that we have all about fun and participation. This requires an
40 active members?
attentive, organized, and responsible group of
officers who work together well.
We make lots of room for fun at New
Horizons. We make lots of room for guests too.
If you are interested in getting your own bottle
of “fun” please visit New Horizons at 8am on a
Saturday. You won’t regret it! Visit our website
for more information by clicking on this link.
James Wantz joined Toastmasters in 2008. He
is a member of New Horizons, Feedbackers, and
Storymasters. He is serving as D7 Videographer,
Pathways Guide, Assistant VPE for New Horizons
Last year during our annual Moments of Truth and Sergeant at Arms for Feedbackers.
meeting, members identified the most impor-
tant element of our meetings is “fun”. We are a
successful club: all speeches are from manuals,
guests are turned into members more often than
not, and we are Presidents Distinguished for the
6th year in a row. But our accolades aren’t what
members liked the most; members and guests
liked how “fun” the meetings were.
What does “fun” mean at New Horizons?
Fun is when everyone leaves with a smile on
their face, saying they were glad they came,
and chuckling later in the day thinking about
the meeting. Fun is a meeting in which there
is laughter, humor, and participation. Fun is
when everyone feels supported in their efforts
and encouraged to become even better. Fun is
not criticizing or putting others down. Fun is
growing together and laughing in the process.
The “fun” quotient of a meeting does not just
happen. It needs to be created, nurtured, and
encouraged. How do you inject fun into your
meetings? The first suggestion is to make room
for it to happen. Some meetings are all about

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