Member Orientation & Mentoring - District 3

1 Member Orientation & MentoringVP Education, VP Membership Fusion SessionToastmasters Leadership InstituteSummer, 2009 Packet Handout Needed:#4 - Mission/Mission/Promise0:00 0:05 (5 minutes) Welcome Officers to the sessionIcebreaker: Depending on group size, go around the room or break into groups and make introductions with the following 3 items: Your First Name Did you have a mentor help you with your Icebreaker? Have you mentored a new Member with their Icebreaker?Handouts/Tools Used in this sessions Mission/Mission/Promise New Kit Talking Points CL Project #92 Where am I and where am I going? Making new members feel part of the club Starting them off right towards their goals3 Phases of Orientation Welcome/Induction Immersion Negotiation0:05 0:08 (3 minutes) The excitement of joining a Toastmasters club can create a fog from which the new Member must emerge with their goals club officers, you ve committed to helping that new Member become the speaker and leader they are meant to be.

2 It s important that you define a collaborative process for orienting each new Member to your club environment, identity, and you ll be introduced to the three phases every new Member goes through on their way to becoming a seasoned Member of your club. Welcome/Induction Phase Immersion Phase Negotiation Phase3 Phase 1: Welcome/InductionWithin first three meetings Conduct the first conversation with VP Education/Membership to define expectations and immediate goals, and set functionary assignments (roles/dates) Conduct the second conversation with officer or mentor to review New Member kit contents and begin setting speaking dates0:08 0:011 (3 minutes) The Welcome/Induction Phase -- During this time the new Member will reflect on their decision to join get to know their new Member peers set expectations as a Member [refer to The Toastmasters Promise] complete their first Leadership activitiesThis is also the same period in which the first two critical conversations will occur define and set goals review new Member kit contents and schedule their Icebreaker[Refer to New Kit Talking Points handout]4 Phase 2.

3 ImmersionWithin first six meetings Begin a Mentoring relationship Complete Ice Breaker Speech (Communication #1) Complete Listening& Leadership (Leadership #1) Begin planning for second speech project Arrange to serve as Timer to count toward CL #4and understand meeting flow0:11 0:015 (4 minutes) The Immersion Phase -- During this time the new Member will meet their mentor receive their first speech evaluation complete their first leadership project participated as a Topics speakerThe new Member will have now experienced all the four fundamental aspects of a Toastmasters meeting: prepare speeches, impromptu speeches, evaluation and mentor relationship should be in progress and information being gathered their goals for focusing on communication, leadership, or working both in parallel what pace they can commit to for functionary and speech assignments5 Phase 3: NegotiationWithin first nine meetings Serve as speech evaluator (CL #3)to assess feedback skills Assist the SAA with meeting set-up duties Volunteer for club committee or administrative duty (CL #6) Befriend a visitor at a meeting (CL #7) Schedule third conversation for overall review of the Member goals, Mentoring needs, and progress to date, and to revisit the Toastmaster s Promise0:15 0.

4 20 (5 minutes) The Negotiation Phase It s called Negotiation because it s at this point the new members perspective needs to be redirected somewhat to include fulfilling their promise to the club -- Stepping into the role of speech evaluator Serving on a club committee Helping prospective guests make the decision to join the club Considering a role as a club officer or leading a club committeeThis is also the time for scheduling the third conversation with VPE/VPM to check progress and satisfaction levels. The VPE/VPM should also assist the new Member with completing the feedback questions for their Mentor s CL Project #9 (if applicable). In fact, this is a great opportunity for reviewing and reinforcing the Effective Evaluation guide that they received in their new Member Is a Mentor? A new Member s tour guide to the world of Toastmasters and your club environment Supportive and patient Willing to spend time and answer questions0:20 0:30 (10 minutes) Officers also have the responsibility of raising up Member Mentors within their club.

5 What does it take to be a new Member Mentor?(Refer to Competent Leadership Manual Project #9, page 54-55 handout) Availability Patience Sensitivity Respectful Respected Flexible Knowledgeable Confident A Good Listener Concern For Others (Servant Leadership)7 Mentors Understand New MembersThe question is always:What do they need from us?Is it a sense of belonging or do they need a safe place to improve their self-confidence?Either way, a mentor finds their needs and helps fills :30 0:35 (5 minutes) How to Be a Good Mentor(Refer to Competent Leadership Manual Project #9, page 55-56 handout) Offering opportunities for skill development Helping the person recognize areas needing work Providing helpful advice(remember the saying; feed a man to fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.) Being a role model Encouraging people to think for themselves8 The Toastmaster s Promises (for Mentors) To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations; To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow; To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy; To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters educational and recognition programsPacketItem #40:35 0:37 (2 minutes) Include in your mentor guidelines references to The Toastmaster s Promise, particular these four Orientation and Mentoring are critical to improving new Member satisfaction and increasing new Member retention.

6 Being a mentor is part of fulfilling The Toastmaster s Promise and can also help complete the requirements for the Competent Leader achievement. Successful mentors are great candidates for club leadership, new club mentors, and club :37 0:38 (1 minute) Recap the session key points10 Before We Break Parking Lot Q&A Evaluations0:38 0:40 (2 minutes)Review any parking lot itemsAddress or capture any remaining questions (time permitting)Homework assignment: If you are a mentor, contact your mentee within the next 48 hours. If you don t have a mentor at all or don t have an active mentor, contact the point person for your Mentoring program and ask for one. Mentors aren t just for new participants complete evaluations and leave them in room. The undisputed expert in communication and leadership skills development. The Mission of Toastmasters InternationalToastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide its Member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership, foster human understanding and contribute to the betterment of is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide network of clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its Mission of the ClubThe mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every Member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills.

7 Which in turn foster self-confidence and personal Toastmaster s PromiseAs a Member of Toastmasters International and my club, I To attend club meetings regularly; To prepare all of my speeches to the best of my ability, basing them on projects in the Communication and Leadership Program manual or the Advanced Communication and Leadership Program manuals; To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments; To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations; To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow; To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so; To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy; To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits Toastmasters membership offers; To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters educational and recognition programs; To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during the conduct of all Toastmasters a Toastmaster means more than simply making a commitment to self-development.

8 Everyone who joins a Toastmasters club is making a commitment to the club, to its members , and to the organization as a whole.#4 New Member Kit Talking PointsWelcome Letter The welcome letter, signed by Executive Director Donna Groh of Toastmasters International details five items the new Member is recommended to do. 1. ASK FOR A MENTORIf you are the mentor assigned to this Member , check this item off the list. If you are not, use this opportunity to explain to the new Member how the mentor selection process works for your club. Mentor Assigned: _____ 2. ASK TO SCHEDULE THE ICE BREAKER SPEECH Toastmasters International recommends the new Member be scheduled to give their Icebreaker speech within the first 3-4 weeks of membership. Start the Mentoring process by working with the new Member to select the meeting date for their Icebreaker project. If you are not the VP Education, be sure to communicate the selected date with the VP Education so they have ample time to coordinate the duty roster/schedule for that meeting.

9 Icebreaker Date: _____ 3. READ PAGES SIX THROUGH EIGHT IN THE COMMUNICATIONS MANUAL & THE SECTION ABOUT YOUR CLUB WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE 62. These pages explain about Toastmasters, meeting roles, and Club leader responsibilities. Encourage the new Member to complete this review prior to their next Mentoring session. Next Mentor Session Date: _____ 4. STUDY THE EFFECTIVE SPEECH EVALUATION MANUAL Evaluations are one of the four foundations for success to the Toastmasters program, but learning to give a great evaluation takes practice. Encourage the new Member by reminding them that every speaker wants to hear how their speech impacted the listener. As long as they are listening, they can begin practicing their evaluation skills by providing feedback to the speaker on how the speech made them feel or what they learned from the speech. Completed: _____ 5.

10 BEGIN PREPARING THE ICE BREAKER Review the introductory pages for the Icebreaker project and encourage the new Member to prepare their speech outline before the next Mentoring session (See #3 above). At that time, the mentor and new Member will have the opportunity to discuss the evaluator objectives and how best to refine the speech content to meet those objectives. New Member Profile & Mentor Request Form If the new Member has not already done so, encourage them to complete their profile/request form and give it to the VP Education at the next meeting. Tools for New Toastmasters This is an abbreviated list of items available through the Toastmasters store. New members should spend some time, as is convenient for them, browsing through the online store at to see all the available items. For now, they have been provided everything they need to get started. Encourage the new Member to become familiar with the Advanced Communication manuals over the next few months because they will need to select their two FREE manuals with their Competent Communicator award achievement.