Membership Review
I've been a member for over seven years, and my experience in Poland was mainly positive. Now, let's take a deeper look.
The Good Parts:
1) I discovered a second family in Poland. As a foreigner, I found a place where I met new friends who accepted me for who I was.
2) I rediscovered my artistic side. In Toastmasters, you must perform multiple projects where you practice your body language, eye contact, etc. But you can go farther and experiment with other things like becoming a magician. Something you might not do openly in front of your friends or coworkers.
3) You can expand your network physically/virtually. There are some regional or international conferences where you can expand your network and meet new people.
4) Feedback is our backbone. You'll constantly get constructive feedback from other members after any activity you perform.
5) You can learn about leadership and other skills when you join your club board and after the District.
There are several roles like the President, Vice-President of Public Relations, District Director, etc. It allows you to know how politics work in the real world, deal and reach agreements with new people and develop many other skills.
6) You follow standards for performing speeches. You have an educational program (Pathways) that allows you to go from zero to hero in a safe environment.
7) It's a safe place to make mistakes and share your speeches before an important presentation (at work or during your studies).
8) You can improve your language skills. If you are a foreigner, and you don't know Polish, German, Czech, etc. You can meet locals who speak their language, express your ideas and get feedback. It minimizes the need of going to bars or "language exchanges".
The Challenging Parts:
1) There is no way to bring new proposals to the organization. What if you would like to translate the Paths into Hungarian or Bulgarian? There is no way to do it officially even if your District wants to do it or sponsors it. You must wait for around a year for the mysterious proposals (that came out of "nowhere") that are voted during the International Conference.
There should be at least a website where the official members can submit and vote for their proposals. It will improve our organization and empower the regular members, allowing the international board to identify what is affecting its members globally.
2) Too much focus on Storytelling (we don't have a path) or Comedy and a little about regular jobs. I'm a storyteller, but I am also a manager.
My everyday work has nothing to do with storytelling. It's all about optimization and numbers. Most people don't tell stories or jokes to their managers. If you don't work in HR or PR, it's nearly impossible you will be sharing stories all the time.
3) Lack of Elevator/business-related pitching. Most pitches we perform aren't related to our daily duties but what you can share during a date/wedding.
You can adapt your new club to this area, but this is extra work. Also, you'd be alone since most Toastmasters lack this experience.
It isn't the same to win the International Speech Contest that trying to persuade one of Shark Tank's Investors. The Sharks are way harder since they expect a prototype, potential investors/clients, a business plan, identify a problem, etc. A very different speech style.
4) The current educational program isn't mobile-friendly. You must use a PC (or large tablet) to utilize it properly.
Generation Z or later might feel uncomfortable that there is no support for iPhones, Galaxies, etc.
5) The new educational program became too easy and repetitive. The first two levels are almost the same. Why would you perform 10 icebreakers if you belong to the same club and city for 3+ years?
Also, the previous program had more complex evaluation forms. Presently, you must follow the same pattern: the good parts, the improvement parts, and the challenge. It creates confusion even for seasoned Toastmasters who completely ignore the speeches' purpose/objectives.
Many people consider complex speeches (High-Performance Leadership Program) as common ones. The old evaluation forms from the same projects should be rescanned and reuploaded to Pathways to improve the members' experience and avoid the current confusion.
6) Too much pressure on creating new clubs. It shouldn't be part of your progression. Not every place needs new clubs, and that's why they close sooner than expected. Many are unnecessary and lack short/medium/long-term plans (business plans?) for their survival.
7) Over time, most members "lose track", and almost everyone wants to become a coach or trainer. It might not be an issue in Toastmasters itself, but the way it's organized tends to create this tricky situation.
