There are people who have been helped by you (me), Toastmasters, and your(my) products and they would not have been if they were not promoted!
I sometimes get criticized for my marketing and promotion. Oh well, as I learned from Ed Tate, “That’s their stuff.” I don’t have to accept that they’re right. They are entitled to be wrong. Some people don’t think I should be able to “offer” my educational tools when I speak some places. If the client is paying my full keynote fee, I’m cool with that. If I am negotiating or speaking for no fee, I’m bringing them. That’s it bottom line. Why? I cannot possibly teach everything I know in an hour. I’m not pushy from the platform. I just offer it for those who are serious enough to take my teaching home with them.
Besides, when I walked off the stage in 2001 with the World Championship trophy, I told the president at the time I would be the greatest ambassador Toastmasters International ever had. Some of my “critics” don’t see what else I do when I donate my time to a District. Everyone has the right to be wrong. Check out this video take to show the behind the scenes at a recent District Conference, and what I did to promote Toastmasters.
I encourage the Districts to leverage the “World Champion” title to get more guests. I will convert them into members with my story. In fact… in the video, you’ll hear that at one of my club visits, their two guests joined on the spot!
Hope this give you some ideas as well for promoting yourself and what you believe in. I’m sure glad Ralph Smedley (Founder of Toastmasters) wasn’t afraid to promote!
Promotion time, promotion time, promotion time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
P.S. CLICK PLAY:
Vitkauskas You say that there aren’t any Toastmasters who try to learn how to be a better speaker just so they can be better speakers during meetings.
I guess what you are trying to say, in a concise way, is that improved Toastmaster speaking will give the member an opportunity to speak better outside of Toastmaster meetings.
I just wanted to add that I believe there are A LOT of Toastmasters who only want to be better meeting speakers. The great leap that they don’t want to take is going outside the club.
I wonder how obliged we are to push the chicks out of the nest. I wonder how obliged we are to push ourselves AND others in the club to speak outside the meetings.