Techniques to be an Exceptional Club Coach

Club Coach: The Big Challenge

The goal of a club coach is to take a club in trouble up to the Distinguished Club Award level.  To be a successful Club Coach takes a set of skills that most of us don't have without work and determination.  That delicate balance between confrontation and encouragement challenges us.  I think a lot of Toastmasters find this the most difficult task in the trek to the Distinguished Toastmaster Award.  Certainly, this requirement can take the longest - up to two years.

A club coach can't just be assigned to a club.  The club must request a club coach from the Club Growth Director. Often, the club coach is a last-ditch effort by the club and the district to keep a club viable and restore it to health. Walking into a club that's low on membership can be daunting.  The problems facing this club may be entrenched in the club culture or leadership.  Addressing the needs of the club might be painful to the current members.  The effective club coach isn't just about rebuilding the membership - the task requires not just a head count but a commitment to long-term success.

Walking into a club that's low on membership can be daunting.  The problems facing this club may be entrenched in the club culture or leadership.  Addressing the needs of the club might be painful to the current members.

Both the club coaches and the club have to be ready to do some hard work to make the club successful again.  While the club members do the work, the club coach needs to be creative and listening to everyone.

The effective club coach isn't just about rebuilding the membership - the task requires not just a head count but a commitment to long-term success.

Carol Prahinski, Region 6 Regional Advisor

Carol Prahinski has successfully brought several clubs back from the brink.  She's currently working a university club in Michigan that's starting with eight members.  She's sharing her experience with us after presenting her webinar How to Be an Exception Club Coach to several of the districts in Region 6, where she currently serves as the Regional Advisor.

Carol is a three-time DTM who has served as a District Governor.  She is a professor at Michigan State University in the business school.  She and her husband Flemming were recently featured on the St. Vincent Catholic Charities blog with the story of how they married.

Announcements

District 10 is having the Spring 2017 Conference on April 29, 2017, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mayfield Village.  We're looking for volunteers to help chair the committees.   If you're up for the challenge, go to District10.org and contact organizers Lenard Taylor and Tony Green today!

"Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Sweeter Vermouth Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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