How Aspire Achieves Smedley Distinguished

Aspire Toastmasters in Subiaco is a happy, welcoming place to spend your Saturday afternoon. This atmosphere is created through a team effort. On arrival you will be warmly greeted by an Aspire committee member and invited to write in the visitor’s book. An Aspire name badge will be created for you and you will be presented with a welcome pack. You will be invited to choose a seat in our venue, Tom Dadour Community Centre (East Wing), supported by a member who will answer any questions you may have.

It’s not unusual for Aspire Toastmasters to welcome 10+ visitors at each meeting, along with our members this creates a good-sized audience of approximately 35 people for our speakers and a fun meeting.

A supportive atmosphere for public speaking development, for members and visitors, is created through opportunities, meaningful feedback and Pathways progression. Aspire provides a varied agenda featuring speaking games, prepared speeches, meaningful evaluations and afternoon tea with networking opportunities.

Aspire’s winning vision statement embodies the club’s spirit perfectly…

Aspire Toastmasters, Subiaco, ignites personal growth through powerful communication and leadership. We foster a friendly and professional community where every voice matters, every story inspires, and every member thrives. As part of District 17, we lead with vision, speak with impact and grow together toward excellence.

Our Vice President of Education, Eric Davies, has shared suggestions on how to run a successful Toastmasters club:

·         Ensure meetings are well attended. For smaller clubs invite people from bigger clubs. Take advantage of people in bigger clubs who are often looking for more speaking opportunities.

·         Ensure meetings feel organised and professional and that meetings follow the agenda. This means everyone agreeing to their role beforehand and get emailed guidelines 2 days before the meeting. Then everyone knows exactly what is expected from them. Print the agenda as close to start time as possible to avoid late changes, which looks unprofessional. Late changes mitigate against a relaxed feel for the meeting.

·         Create laughter early in the meeting. Once people laugh once they laugh more readily later. When people laugh, they enjoy meetings and attend more regularly. At Aspire we have Story-One-Sentence-at-a-Time, where we work around the room with everyone adding one sentence trying to make a story. In smaller clubs Speaker-of-the-Last-Word works better where you work around the room with everyone speaking for 20 secs. At the end of 20 secs the timer chimes a glass and the speaker stops in mid-sentence. The next speaker speaks on the topic of the previous speaker’s last word.

·         Ensure all members get equal opportunities. Note who responds to Table Topics each meeting and notify the TT presenter to select any member who has not been selected for several meetings.

·         Eliminate politics from your club.

·         Try for roughly equal numbers of men and women members, which creates a better feel in meetings.

Aspire’s committee creates a Club Success plan that is honest and achievable. Our education, membership, administration and training goals are visited regularly and updated as necessary. Our president encourages speakers at each meeting to complete their project’s ‘paperwork’ on Pathways and CSP goals are ticked off.

Aspire Toastmasters is thrilled to be awarded Northern Division Club of the Year and Smedley Distinguished ‘in recognition of outstanding leadership and teamwork.’