Benefits of a Do-It-Yourself Banner Stand Every type of banner stand has their disadvantages. I believe that for many clubs, the best solution is to make your own. Inspired by the examples of other Toastmasters have build banner stands, such as the very tall version from District 53 or the one mentioned in District 37 Sergeant At Arms training or the beautiful...

Many Toastmasters clubs are wide open to anyone who is 18 or older, can pay dues and is voted into the club. When a club is listed as “membership eligibility required,” it’s typically because the club is for a specific group of people: employees of a company, members of the military at a base, students or faculty or employees of a university, that...

In December 2013 and January 2014, I delivered a number of workshops in the Toastmasters Leadership Institute for San Antonio. Here are my notes on what I did in my sessions, and general Toastmasters tips and info on the relevant topics. Table Topics Why are Table Topics Called “Table Topics”? How to Run Table Topics Should Table Topics be Evaluated? Why...

In January of 2014, I had the opportunity to train sergeants at arms at a COT (Club Officer Training) event in District 55. You know what officer training needs? Weapons. Ok, break out the Nerf guns! The sergeant at arms is technically the lowest role in Toastmasters, coming after all other six in matters of seniority. However, I argue that the SAA is the one whose...

One of the greatest challenges in setting up a new club is selecting a place to meet. Sometimes you have to find a new location for an existing club for several reasons. Managing Facilities Technically, the sergeant at arms is in charge of managing facilities, but that usually refers to simple logistical duties for existing meeting spaces. For some clubs, especially...

To liven things up, clubs are encouraged to set unusual and fun themes for their meetings. Note that this is completely different from the Vice President Education’s responsibility to occasionally schedule a special type of meeting: focusing on impromptu speaking, bringing in guest speakers, holding a backwards meeting, and so on. That relates to different...