Problem
Is it worthwhile running an event such as a conference or party every year or twice a year? Is it an incentive?
If the organizers get free accommodation and food and attendance at a national or international conference, it's an incentive for them. What about everybody else?
Freebies
Many freelancers don't realise that conference attendance, if it involves training, can be offset against income tax. Also consider whether a spouse can share the room at no extra cost, whether you have a spouse programme, and whether the local tourist board or its members can provide free or discounted tickets to attractions.
Incnetives and Sales
Companies involved in sales are keen on incentive schemes. What about clubs and charities and not for profit organizations? Even if you don't benefit 100 of your membership, that's no excuse for not helping the remainder. Remember the starfish story.
The Starfish Story
An old man on a beach filled with dying starfish watched a little boy approaching, throwing starfish back into the sea so that they survived. The old man shook his head. "What a wasted effort. What a waste of time. It makes no impact."
When the little boy reached the old man, the old man asked, "Why are you bothering to do that? You can't possibly help them all. It makes no difference."
The little boy picked up a starfish and threw it into the sea. He said, "It makes a difference to this one." He continued walking on his way, throwing starfish into the sea, saying: "It makes a difference to this one!"
Here's some feedback inspired by answers I gave on a questionnaire: from Toastmasters
Internal Contests
The autumn contest events should be retained because:
It is important for membership recruitment. Many people, myself included, have joined clubs in order to compete in a contest, or to have second chance to do a contest.
If holidays or family events or business prevent you from entering the spring contest, an autumn contest gives you a second chance.
Certificates
Winning a contest or receiving a certificate of participation is a boost to morale, a measure of your progress, and status for your office wall or c.v.
Mentoring a speaker for a contest is useful team-building.
Entering a contest means you have to improve your level of speech giving. At club level people often prepare at the last moment and there is no incentive to put in more time. For a contest, you must take more care to gain hope of winning a trophy.
Judges
For the judges it is a chance to visit other clubs and network and judging helps you to give better evaluations and to make your own speeches better and to be a better mentor.
Some clubs promote themselves as producers of speech contest winners.
Individual's careers have developed as a result of being contest winners
Mailing Lists and Membership
The contest is another excuse to mail out to former members to attend the contest, and to lapsing members to come back and be in the contest.
I know members who have no time to attend meetings (they officiate at weddings and funerals) and join only to enter contests in the hopes of winning and brushing up their skills pitted against top speakers.
Retaining Seniors
Many clubs are full of first speeches and it is the higher level club contest and area contest and Division contest which helps you hold onto the experienced speakers who might otherwise leave.
The contests are great practice for event planners. Without them how will you complete the projects on event planning?
Juniors can be offered the event as an incentives. Seniors who don't need the information can be asked to teach and paid a salary or honorarium or gain experience and status as trainers.
Remember to inform the local papers and magazines to get publicity for your organization and the members.
Larger Audiences
Many clubs are small and you give (sales) speeches in tiny rooms to half a dozen people including your spouse, the president and two other club members. Without area contests and other venues, many members will never get practice at public speaking, only practise at talking to four friends.
Many community centres, especially ones newly opened, like to hold grand events which attract outsiders. A prestige event puts the location on the map and is Toastmasters contribution to the community and the country. Otherwise we are just small groups of friends talking to each other.
Feedback Needed
We need more feedback forms for clubs - most of which don't have a General Evaluator, and Contests. Clubs and contest venues are so badly signposted, Community centres tell you there's no club meeting or they don't know the room; at clubs and COTs no sign further than two feet from the front door, nothing on the three building blocks, the lift exit; banners are displayed after you have found the venue.
The covering letter to this questionnaire said it must be in by January when I received it in February. I could not open it and assumed it was no longer available. Then a family member found I had to copy the link into chrome (I was on an Apple Mac.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
