by Jodie Sanders, DTM Past District Director

We’ve all heard the quotation, “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.”

This saying was proven true at D25’s Club Success Workshop on Saturday June 5, where the attendees took a good look at the Club Success Plan from a different angle – not their own club’s plan, but that of another (hypothetical) club.

(Just in case you are unfamiliar with this excellent tool, Toastmasters International provides us with a nifty little digital booklet that explains the Distinguished Club Program with a section called the Club Success Plan, that has fillable pages for documenting how your club plans to be successful for the upcoming Toastmasters year.) You can download the booklet directly from Toastmasters International using the link at the end of this post.

At the workshop, we considered some fictional examples of Club Success Plans and decided that most of these plans would, in fact, fail! It was our challenge to come up with the changes needed to achieve success. We also had simulations where we were given details about the club and had to come up with an appropriate plan to overcome their obstacles and reach the goal.

What was the takeaway?

Sometimes we have trouble seeing our own club’s situation clearly and objectively. So the exercise of looking at these hypothetical success plans and figuring out where they go wrong helps us pull back and look at our own plan with a clearer eye.

This workshop perfectly illustrated four serious errors that clubs make, sometimes without realizing it.

1. Not making a plan at all. (See the quotation above.)
2. Not being correct on the requirements. (Read the booklet referred to above.)
3. Not being realistic about what can be achieved. (If 20 members is a stretch, try for a net gain of five members.)
4. Not making the plan specific to your members. (Put names in the blanks for education awards. Assign responsibilities.)

If your club has never done a Club Success Plan, or had trouble in the past making it work, ask your district leaders for help – because that’s what they are here for!

Download Link: Distinguished Club Program and Club Success Plan