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Promoting a Toastmasters Club is an exercise in communications
and professional development all on its own. By helping others
to understand the importance of communications skills, you not
only sharpen your own, but help others to develop their abilities,
too. There are several channels you can use to promote the club,
some of which are detailed, below. Please contact the current
VP Public Relations, Lisa Labelle, for more information on how to encourage others
to try the Toastmasters Experience.
Public
Relations
Public relations is commonly defined as a set of communications
activities that promote a positive relationship between an organization
and the public. It is also often considered "promotion
without a price". Public relations activities can include:
- press
releases
- presentations
to other organizations
- word
of mouth
Press
Releases
A press
release is a specially-formatted document designed to get the
attention of news editors with newspapers, radio outlets, and
television stations. Toastmasters' clubs can increase awareness
of their activities and events by issuing press releases that
invite members of the media to promote the event in question.
This should be done in conjunction with the VP Public Relations,
in order to reduce duplication and possible confusion. Sometimes,
press releases will be printed or broadcast nearly verbatim,
while at other times, a reporter may call to arrange an interview
or a photoshoot. It's critical to make your press release sound
factual, interesting and intriguing, so that it will ultimately
attract the attention of not just the general public, but of
the media themselves. For a sample, previously successful, press
release, click
here to download a PDF document:
Note the format of the press release. It contains the Who, What,
When, Where and Why of the activity in the first paragraph.
The entire document is spaced at 1.5 lines to make it easier
to read, and it takes up only one page. The contact information
is clearly marked at the top of the page, and it indicates that
the contents are for "immediate release". The press
release ends with a single line upon which the characters -30-
are placed. This is an old tradition from telegram times that
means the the reader has reached the end of the press release.
Presentations
Toastmasters members might want to consider making presentations
to schools, service groups, and other organizations interested
in improving their communications skills. If arrangements are
made ahead of time, some of these presentations may even be
counted towards a CTM or ATM certification. A toastmaster member
might consider making presentations such as these:
|
Group
|
Topic
|
Comments
|
| College
class |
Impromptu
speaking tips and how-tos for job interviews |
Use
table topic "how-to"s to demonstrate, and involve
class in a table topics session modelled on job interview
questions |
|
Service
groups
Work colleagues
|
Importance
of good communications skills |
Use
Toastmasters membership material to discuss the importance
of good skills in the context of the organization's interests |
| High
school class |
How
to present a good speech |
Use
Toastmasters educational materials to help students develop
a structure for delivering school presentations |
| Work
colleagues |
Powerful
presentations |
Use
existing presentation materials (ask VP Education) to present
overview of how to manage good communications sessions |
Word
of Mouth
Many of our members frequently speak at conferences, workshops
and seminars. A brief mention of Toastmasters membership in
your speaker's biography can help promote the club at conference
engagements and networking sessions.
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