- Learning from World Champions
- Expert-Level Speech Evaluation
- DTM Certification Mentor Program
- District Leader Mentor Program
We meet monthly on the Second Mondays at 6:30 PM EST.
Next Meeting: ZOOM Only!
Monday March 13, 2023
Upcoming “5th Monday” Professional Speaker Meetings”
July 31, 2023
To join us via Zoom, contact us at tooe8888@gmail.com
To attend in person, our current location is:
The Village of Heather Hills
1055 Forest Hill Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Google Maps Link
Visit as a Guest
Toastmasters Links
District 62 Facebook Page
District 62 Web Site
District 62 Speech Contest Resources
District 62 Pathways Resources
LinkedIn – Grand Rapids MI Toastmasters
Toastmasters International YouTube Page
Toastmasters International Pathways Program
Why Join an Advanced Club?
Joining an advanced club provides additional leadership and speaking opportunities. This advanced club consists of newer Toastmasters along with current and former District leaders and Distinguished Toastmasters. Some people may feel daunted by the long-time members. Instead of allowing yourself to feel overwhelmed, take the opportunity to learn from us. We are here for your benefit and to help you learn different speaking and leadership skills. Jack Welch said “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about growing others.” I encourage you to consider expanding your learning. Allow us to help you grow and become a leader so you can do the same for others.
The proven way to help you speak and lead.
In a traditional one hour club meeting, there are two speeches that are typically 5-7 minutes. In Pathways, especially when you get to levels 4 and 5, there are projects that can be upwards of 20 minutes and there are even some that are 40 minutes. In order to do one of these projects in a regular club, you need to make arrangements with your VPE to basically take over the meeting. The advanced clubs in our District meet for 90 – 120 minutes. The meetings can have four to five speakers depending on how long each project is. It also allows for those longer projects and there is still time for other speeches. This is a huge advantage for Toastmaster members.
What’s in it for you?
The other advantage of an advanced club is the extended evaluations. An evaluator is to provide constructive feedback based on opinion. The evaluator is not to judge the content or the person themselves. It should include the effect it had on you as the evaluator, what the speaker did well and recommendations for improvement. The Effective Evaluation Manual produced by Toastmasters International specifically says “The more feedback a speaker or leader receives, the more the person benefits.” This statement is taken to heart in an advanced club. Not only does the speaker get the benefit of a primary evaluator, but he or she also receives round robin evaluations. This type of evaluation style benefits not only the speaker, but also the evaluator since it is the evaluator’s job to facilitate the round robin. This provides a different type of leadership practice by keeping an eye on the time to ensure the evaluation time isn’t gone over.