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FIELD NOTES

A Toastmasters Club PRoduction
CHARTED BY ACCIDENT

Charissa Yang, IP4

Public Relations Support Group robin feedback about any PR or media piece, or
Last January, I met a group of D7 Club VPPRs, any PR question! The group felt we could make it

who had formed their own support group after fun and useful and still stay true to the purpose
meeting at Club Officer Training. They were of solving club PR challenges.
planning to meet regularly to share, brainstorm, We held demo meetings in February, March,
and help each other collectively solve Club Public April, May, and June—during which time our

Relations concerns. My home club Yammertime’s following grew. At first we advertised mainly on
VPPR, Chris Baunach, introduced me to the Facebook, forming our own Facebook group,
group. and sharing our demo meeting announcements
Intrigued by the energy of these Toastmasters to other groups. Later, we created a new website

peers from different clubs and impressed by their and started a LinkedIn page. We recorded all
commitment to continue meeting regularly, I was the demo meetings and provided them online
suddenly inspired. Why don’t we form our own as a PR resource to share with others. People
Toastmasters Club? We were already meeting, who came to our meetings told us they found us

were all Toastmasters, and had a purpose. The through our various Facebook posts, and word of
timing couldn’t have been better: Toastmasters mouth. In one case, a visitor wanted to become
International was now allowing online-only clubs a charter member based on having watched our
to be included in District Club counts, and they meeting recordings!

were offering a money-savings incentive, which Our intent to charter as an “advanced” or
had just been extended through June 30th, to specialty club came with unique challenges.
start a new club. Wanting a creative focus on PR forced us to
carefully consider how we would balance the
What About A Toastmasters Club? “familiar” and “novel.”.If we got too experimental,

I didn’t know how the idea of chartering a the format might feel complicated and strange.
new club would be received by this group. But Most of all, we wanted to be fun, engaging,
they were open-minded and willing to advance informative, and offer valued PR insights and

it. As quickly as questions arose, we developed collaboration. Our demo meeting iterations,
answers. What will the speeches be about? PR along with many planning meetings, gave us
Success stories and lessons learned! What will the opportunity to trial unique tools and agenda
the Table Topics be about? We could offer round variations. For quick engagement, we used

32 ONE COMMUNITY