Looking for some “out of the box” activity ideas to help promote your club? To get your creative juices flowing, here are four ideas to try, borrowed from other organizations.
Shoot and Click
Invite your kids to take cell photos and/or video of you working on your speech, or you giving your speech in a virtual meeting. Ask them to be as creative as possible: what does the family pet see when you are practising or writing your speech? What is the perspective from the plant on the shelf? The photos might be imaginative or inventive, but that’s the idea – to do something different. Have all members with kids in their extended families, such as grandkids, nieces, and nephews (etc.) participate. Then compile a gallery of submissions and post as a blog, or upload individual photos and videos as a running series on your club’s social platforms, and invite friends and family to like and comment.
Cover Story
Ask kids/grandkids to design a jacket of a book they imagine you –the toastmaster, as the main character of the story. Take a picture of their art, have them write a “teaser” description, then upload onto your club’s social and turn your speech into an event; invite guests to see you in action as a club speaker or other meeting role holder. Invite members, guests, family, and friends to write a “literary review” (one comment about what they enjoyed with your speaking role) on your social posts.
Story Slam
Gather local celebrities, writers, actors, and other storytellers to a literary improv special event (aka extended Table Topics) where guests and toastmasters face each other off to create a 3- min. story on the spot based on a theme. Guests could be a CEO, City manager, politician, news editor or anchor, professional actor/singer/dancer – anyone with a high profile in your community.
Turn the Story Slam into viewer’s choice, where the attendees vote on the least plausible story, the best told story, the story with the most amount of verbal effects – or any other fun category.
Is your club involved with a Gavel club? Encourage the Gaveliers to take part as speakers, or be the event panel of judges (similar to shows such as “X-Factor”), and they make the call if the person moves on to the final round.
Empty Storefronts
Contact your local BIA or the listed real estate agent to find out who owns empty storefronts in your community. Sometimes securing an empty storefront for a short-term project, such as a speech contest, can be challenging but they make great venues so it might be worth the trouble. Explain to the BIA and storefront owner how your club’s event is a great way to revitalize a main street, downtown core, or under-appreciated area. When empty storefronts are creatively occupied, even temporarily, future business owners start to see the potential in a property and the neighbourhood. Post a series of photos and video showing the streetscape, setting up for the event, the event itself, and the guests mingling after. Be sure to invite the local BIA or the listed real estate agent, and tag them in your social posts.
Has your club tried something new beyond a specialty themed, or fishbowl or backwards meeting? Let us know! Email your out-of-the box ideas to publicrelationsmanager@Toastmasters86.org.
Created by Nancy Movrin DTM Public Relations Manager 2021 – 2022