Last week I was honored to be selected to engage the hardworking leaders of District 5 Toastmasters, all of whom volunteer their time in service to approximately 100 active clubs in San Diego County and Yuma (Arizona not Thurman. That’s Uma not Yuma.)
Whenever you take the stage, it’s a good idea to immediately take control of the room by asserting your authority — even if your bravado temporarily creates a bit of distance between you and the audience.
Conflict creates electricity, electricity creates energy, and everybody is in the room.
Case In Point: I did not know until the meeting started that District 5’s core values are:
Integrity
Respect
Service
Excellence
Move a couple of pieces around and you have the perfect acronym for Toastmasters, a century-old, educational, non-profit organization devoted to producing confident leaders who communicate with authority and humor, making them more effective, persuasive, and influential at work, at home, and in their communities.
Respect
Integrity
Service
Excellence
Instead of IRS and a displaced “E”, you have RISE. Done and done.
CHAPTERS
0:06 Introduction to Branding
5:47 Building Relationships in Hi-Fi Speakers
8:56 Engaging Guests and Members
12:28 Creating a Path for New Members
15:03 Enhancing Recruitment Strategies
18:22 Distinguishing Our Club from Others
A.I. GENERATED TRANSCRIPT
I was invited to speak tonight because we've been doing some things differently at Hi-Fi Speakers. The audience that is our club, every club is unique, as you know. Our audience is comprised almost 100% of people who work in the private sector They're mostly professionals They tend to be engineers, lawyers, entrepreneurs I would say most of them have advanced degrees That's just 92130 For some reason, they decided me, the high school graduate, the C student, should be a president So I just go to these meetings to try to give it a little class, But when I was elected president, it was because I started giving some speeches talking about process and speech craft and how to write for speaking. And the interest in that was palpable. So once I was elected president, I immediately started creating some systems where we could build relationships with the members of our club and the guests that came into the club.
[1:52] So the first thing I want to show you is when somebody comes to a meeting of hi-fi speakers, they get one of these nameplates and it sits in front of them. We meet in a boardroom at noon. It's a big boardroom. But we don't want it to feel like a business meeting. So everybody gets a big nameplate. And there are two reasons for this. One is vanity. People love to see their name on things. But the name points are angled toward the lectern so that the person at the lectern can easily see the names of each person sitting at the tables. Our club is growing. There's usually 20 or 22 people that are meeting. Last year at this time, there were four or five people that are meeting. So the club is growing quickly. We grew by 20% in January. The other thing we've done is we mined the competent communications manual off of Toastmasters website and we private labeled it. So everybody gets a printed copy of the competent communication manual, which is, in our opinion, the gold standard. So it's got their name on it. It's got the name of the club, which has a custom logo. And we have a slogan, keep banging Just keep banging, keep banging at it And then we have our own website Which is myhifi.club M-Y-H-I-F-I dot club.
[3:20] That website is hosted on the Substack platform, which is free. Substack charges nothing. Substack is famously a newsletter website, and writers are leaving the New York Times and the Washington Post to become Substack writers so they can make a half a million dollars a year instead of $100,000 a year. If you want to sell subscriptions to your newsletter on Substack, you can do that, but we don't do that. We just use it for free. Here's what happens when you come to our club as a guest we make sure we get your email address if we get your cell phone that's fine what we really want is your email address we run two databases one database is comprised of paid members dues paying members the other database and we call those active. That's the active database. The other database includes the active members as well as any guest who has ever come to a meeting.
[4:24] And we don't refer to guests as guests. Once they've been to one meeting, we consider that guest to be a passive member, a passive member. In other words, they've been to one meeting at least and that is a guest who has not yet joined. Those former guests are combined with our members in a separate database, and they are registered automatically, without permission, as subscribers to our Substack website, MyHiFi.Club. Once we have them in that database, they receive a lot of communication from us during the week. Three or four times during the week on this website, we publish an example of great speaking. Today, we published a speech that Jason Kelce gave when his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, won the Super Bowl in 2018. Jason Kelce is a gifted public speaker. He just did a $100 million deal with Amazon for the podcast that he does with his brother, Travis. We're always looking outside Toastmasters, for example, of good speaking.
[5:43] Nobody in our club is interested in being in this club to become a better Toastmaster.
[5:48] Everybody in our club is in that club because they're trying to raise their game and be more effective in their community, at home, and in their careers. That's why they're there.
[6:00] And when they come to our club and you ask them, why did they come to the meeting? They say the same thing as everybody always says, I need to get better at public speaking. But we know that public speaking is really just the pretext for the fact that they need to get better at being uncomfortable. We provide a way for them to do that. And we stay in constant touch with them. A guest, a guest who comes to one meeting is going to get an email from our website with an example of great speaking three or four times a week. Sometimes the example of great speaking that we put up is one of our own speakers. Zach Lyons is a DTM. He's been in Toastmasters forever. He did a master class a couple of weeks ago on how to do a good evaluation based on the fact that he was humiliated once at work, and that caused him to join Toastmasters. We videotape all the speeches And if there's a speech that we feel is worthy of publishing on our website, We ask for permission and we put it up so the day after Zach gave this speech He was headlining our website He was up here at the top where Jason Kelce is today. Three or four times a week former guests receive emails about examples of great speaking We also run a podcast called Writing for Speaking.
[7:29] One of the holes in the Toastmaster curriculum is that there is no explicit recognition that writing for the spoken word is conceptually distinct from writing for the written word. We make that distinction all the time. And writing for speaking is a one or two minute hit. It's a one or two minute podcast that runs Monday through Friday. It runs automatically at four o'clock Monday through Friday. And it's a little tip. It's a tip about how to start your speech, how to end your speech.
[8:01] We're just synthesizing bullets from the competent communicator manual. We're not writing anything originally, and we're also not reading the bullets from the publication. We're just telling a quick little high-energy story about how to do something better with the spoken word. That's five times a week that a guest is going to get an email for that podcast. We're up to like nine or 10 times a week. Just with that. Plus the, like I said, the curriculum and the nameplate. Four days a week, Monday through Thursday, from 5 to 5.30, we have office hours. Anybody can log into a Google Meet from 5 to 5.30 to discuss anything they want. And an officer will preside over that half hour. It's just office hours. It's whatever you're working on a speech. You're stuck.
[8:57] The most popular, it's called AMA, Ask Mark Anything, because I started it, and AMA is kind of a thing on the internet. AMA, it's a good shortcut. People understand what it is. But the most popular edition of our AMA office hour session at 5 o'clock, our meeting happens at noontime on Thursday. It's a quick hour. We have three speeches, three evaluations, three to five table topics, questions, and we're out. It's a fast meeting. Lots of energy. The room is packed. That Thursday at 5 o'clock, the 5 o'clock Thursday session following the noontime meeting is an opportunity for people who spoke that day, who did a prepared speech, to drop in at 5 o'clock and unpack that experience, right? Everybody in this call knows what it's like to do a five-minute speech and unpack it for five days. We encourage them to check in at five o'clock and unpack it in that meeting while it's fresh. They can think about how they might do things differently next time. That's been very popular. Then there's no, there's no session on Friday. The weekends are quiet.
[10:05] 15 or 20 times, someone who is a guest one time, just one time they're getting all this. We're converting 60 or 70% of our guests. I believe by the end of, I think we're at 25 or 26 members right now, we're easily going to get to 50 members by the end of this year. There's no question in my mind that we're going to, last year this time we were five, now we're 25, 26. We're going to easily be 50, maybe 75 by the end of this year. If we have to run a second meeting, we'll run a second meeting.
[10:42] The other thing we're going to introduce either this week or next week, pending ratification by our executive committee, is we're going to institute our own system for helping members have more clarity as to their path. Because you have to be really good at going on a safari to go into Toastmasters.org. And we try to provide great customer service and we do as much navigation of that website as possible. I don't want this to become a thing about that website, but it's a nightmare. What we're going to do is when somebody joins our club.
[11:28] That person is going to be labeled a freshman. And there are eight roles in our meeting, the most difficult of which is the prepared speech. What we want a new member to do is in the first 10 meetings, we want them to do all seven of those roles. And then we want them to do three prepared speeches. The first speech will be two to three minutes. The second one will be three to four minutes. The third one will be five to seven minutes. Once they complete those 10 meetings, they become varsity they become with they join all the other members with the exception of the members who are all-stars and those members are following the competition track and we're going to start a league an intramural league where people who want to be the next Lance Miller can train during the offseason and compete among themselves and I'll be going out to clubs and I'll be talking up this idea and we've got the space to do it and we'll
[12:22] do it once a week this is how I develop material with my comedian friends. We get together at Applebee's at 10 o'clock on Monday night, and we just sit and we talk for three hours. If you've seen Jerry Seinfeld's comedian in cars getting coffee, when Jerry Seinfeld points a camera at himself getting coffee with another comedian.
[12:42] That was Jerry Seinfeld just figuring out a way to make millions of dollars with his life because his life, he only wants to talk to other speakers. I only want to talk to other speakers, really. This is a way for speakers who are interested in doing this as sport to train so that our district can have a world champion. I think our club can produce a world champion in three years. I just interviewed Lance Miller for our podcast. The results are not published yet, but Lance told me it took him 13 years to win the championship because no one ever told him about the hero's journey. We talk about the hero's journey all the time in our club. Those are just some of the things we're doing.
[13:23] And the job of every president, I believe, is to help the officers and the members understand the audience, understand what might be best for the audience. But things we're doing that are simple, you know, private labeling the manual, focusing on the competent communications manual. Anybody who's heard of Lance Miller talk knows that he does the competent communications manual every year. He just redoes it. It's so great. Organize your speech. You can talk about anything as long as it's organized and you get credit for it.
[13:57] These are most of the high points. Let me just check my list here and see. Okay. The other thing we're doing for recruitment is we have hard copy applications in the meetings.
[14:10] Because the last thing we're going to do with a guest is make them go up to Toastmasters and figure out that site. We have them fill out a hard copy application. Our treasurer goes up to the site, registers that person, and then at some point collects a credit card and makes that transaction happen. We don't, it's the difference between, right? If you go to Home Depot and you need a garden hose and you ask them where the garden hose is and they tell you it's down way the hell down there and halfway down the aisle and in the back and take a right and you'll see the garden hoses. I would much rather that guy or gal walk me to the garden hose. We take a customer service approach. We don't send them to Toastmasters website. We do everything we can to avoid that.
[14:59] Until such time as they need to choose a path and then they got to go and do that. But our vice president of education tries to cut as much of that navigation short as possible because you can't look at that website and know what to do with it. This is what you see when you go to our about page, MyHiFi.Club. And if you're able to go to that website and click on the about page, you can read along with me. There are like four or five bullets, okay? Introducing Hi-Fi Speakers Communication and Leadership Academy.
[15:33] HSCLA is a nonprofit training organization headquartered in San Diego's beautiful Carmel Valley. Since May 21st, 2004, HSCLA has produced 50 one-hour spoken word events per year, all of which are free to the public. Our 1,000th one-hour event will be produced on May 15th, 2025.
[16:00] Why would I consider enrolling as a new member? Number one, you can never have enough confidence. Number two, HSCLA produces confident leaders who communicate with authority and humor, making them more effective, persuasive, and influential at work, at home, and in their communities. Number three, you are welcome to audit one or more of our one-hour events as your time permits. Bring a friend, which people often do. What makes HSCLA's training effective?
[16:33] The four pillars of effective spoken word training are Number one, content Number two, repetition Number three, accountability And number four, practice in front of a live audience, Also known as not Zoom We leverage the best of the curriculum developed over the course of 100 years by Toastmasters International as the framework through which our members select projects, produce content, and receive recognition for their contributions. How it works. Each week, three members prepare a short speech. Minutes later, three individuals from the audience, also members, provide insightful commentary, detailed analysis, and words of encouragement to each speaker. Our events are frequently hilarious. And then I have a quote from Jimmy Carr or an essay, the British comic Jimmy Carr from an essay he wrote in praise of drugs. And the quote is, if there was a pill you could take that would do what laughter does, you would take it, wouldn't you? And then after building all that value, we put member tuition, $10 a month, Meeting time and location That's it.
[17:54] And they can on our site They can see me speaking They can see our vice president of education Explaining the Hi-Fi speakers Communication and Leadership Academy concept They can see other speakers Doing speeches They have a really good idea Of what they're getting into And this website distinguishes us From every other club, Which is your challenge? That is your challenge.
[18:22] How do you distinguish your club from all the others? This is how we did it. And hopefully there are some ideas here that will be helpful to you folks.
A.I. GENERATED SUMMARY
Hi-Fi Speakers’ President, Mark Whitney, shares insights on branding and the strategic growth of the Hi-Fi Speakers Club, primarily composed of professionals from various fields including engineering, law, and entrepreneurship. The discussion begins with a creative play on words regarding the club’s values of integrity, respect, service, and excellence, drawing connections to the powerful implications of these principles in branding. Whitney humorously reflects on his grassroots journey, highlighting his unconventional background as a high school graduate leading a club of highly educated members, which underscores the allure of authentic and transformational leadership.
The presentation emphasizes the innovative processes implemented at Hi-Fi Speakers to foster a welcoming and engaging environment. A key initiative is the use of personalized nameplates for members, which not only enhances the aesthetic of their gatherings but also facilitates interaction.
A significant component of the club's success hinges on its commitment to communication. Whitney outlines a systematic approach to member engagement, which includes maintaining two databases: one for Active Members and another that incorporates past attendees, referred to as “Passive Members.” This distinction fosters a sense of belonging and continuity, as these individuals receive regular communications and resources aimed at improving their public speaking skills, even if they have not yet officially joined the club. The regular dissemination of exemplary speaking material—from famous speeches to internal recordings—ensures that members have consistent access to high-quality learning opportunities.
Continuing on the theme of educational resources, Whitney elaborates on the insightful podcast, "Writing for Speaking," which serves as a valuable tool that bridges the gap between words written and words spoken. This podcast not only reinforces learning but also enriches the experience of both members and guests, thereby solidifying community ties. An open forum for discussions is established through “office hours,” offering members a platform to seek guidance or feedback in a relaxed environment—a crucial element in maintaining engagement and support within the club.
In discussing future directions, Whitney reveals plans for enhancing member training and clarity on progressing through the club experience. By implementing a clearly defined path for new members that encourages them to engage with various roles and deliver speeches early on, the club aims to build confidence and competence. Here, the speaker introduces the concept of an intramural league aimed at fostering competitive speaking talents, drawing parallels with the sports world to highlight an additional mode of community support.
Hi-Fi Speakers unique approach to recruitment and membership application emphasizes ease and accessibility. This method contrasts sharply with traditional, complex registration processes, showcasing a commitment to excellent customer service. By providing hard-copy applications at meetings, the club caters to the needs of potential members without overwhelming them with administrative burdens.
Whitney emphasizes that the critical pillars of effective spoken word training are: (1) content, (2) repetition, (3) accountability, and (4) practice in front of a live audience.
He highlights how HiFi’s program is designed not only to develop public speaking skills but also to instill confidence and leadership capabilities among members. By leveraging established frameworks while innovatively refining the experience, Hi-Fi Speakers positions itself as a standout organization dedicated to empowering its members, contributing to both personal and communal growth. The implementation of these strategies reflects a deep understanding of the audience's needs and aspirations, offering a model for other clubs aiming to enhance their member engagement and overall impact.
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