Leadership through COVID

How I transitioned Storytellers Toastmasters club from fully inperson to fully virtual, as club President

Problem

  • Our Toastmasters club predominantly operates in-person for weekly meetings and competitions, particularly as it revolves around public speaking activities.
  • All materials and officer duties were traditionally communicated verbally, tailored for in-person interactions.
  • Our club has a wide variety of age ranges from 20s-70s, with different levels of technological prowess.
  • Transitioning to a virtual setting meant attracted new members locally and globally, as well as the occasional disruptive individuals.

Solution

  • Consolidated all club materials, including evaluation guides, table topics, agendas, and guest sign-ins, onto a virtual dashboard accessible via a published and redirected Google Docs link for easy access: dashboard.sfstorytellers.org
  • Implemented Zoom account setup with customized rules and restrictions to prevent zoom bombing and unauthorized visitors.
  • Collaborated with club leadership to develop protocols for managing disruptive individuals, including the creation of clear email templates and technology solutions.
  • Instituted monthly leadership meetings to address emerging challenges resulting from the transition, prioritizing effective solutions.
  • Coordinated with Area and District Directors to enhance planning for competition seasons and ensure the smooth execution of speaking contests.
  • Organized occasional social Zoom gatherings to foster camaraderie among new and existing members outside of regular meetings.
  • Arranged 1:1 sessions to aid members, particularly older ones, in adapting to technological changes and encouraging their ongoing participation.
  • Documented all changes, defined leadership roles, and organized documents for easy hand-off to new officers.

Competing Priorities & Personalities

During my leadership tenure, a significant challenge emerged post our transition to digital operations: managing differing viewpoints among key officers. Two prominent figures often clashed over priorities, an example being whether to prioritize sustaining a group newsletter or modernizing age-old Toastmaster terminology within our club. To navigate this, I facilitated individual discussions to understand perspectives, foster impartiality, seek compromises, and prioritize the club's interests over personal opinions. In favor of democratic principles, I introduced club-wide online votes to gauge member priorities. Despite initial discord, I gradually fostered alignment between officers and diplomatically resolved disagreements.

Aside from such interpersonal challenges, I was able to effectively lead my club to unprecedented growth: acquiring more members than ever before, retaining old ones, and fully running operations of this club virtually. This included achieving the highest club status of Presidential for the fist time in club history (12 years running), earning recognition beyond our club, and advancing to the role of Area Director and facilitating numerous online events and contests.

88%
Membership Retained of 18 original members
Status ↑↑
1st time our club was promoted to Presidential Status in 12 years
4+ Yrs
Of my implemented systems still in use
★★★★★
Rating of my Presidential Term, then promoted to Area Director.

From in-person to online the Storytellers persist!

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