The TEEM Team met on March 11, 2010

TEEM is Toastmasters Enhanced Entertainment Membership

21 potential members were entertained, trained and challenged by Cliff Boer at the Demonstration Meeting held at the Fremantle Bowling Club.

Cliff Boer warming up the group

Why TEEM?

Cliff’s vision is that by enhancing entertainment for members and clubs we will reduce dropout rates and strengthen our new DistrictWA. It will boost membership generally across the State and in particular in clubs where TEEM members have a vital function.

A Different Kind of Club

Of course we will conform to Toastmasters International technical requirements for a club. However, we will interpret those requirements creatively. Here is an example of meetings this month.

Saturday afternoon, March 20

A select group will meet at Cliff’s house to be trained in special techniques to be used at the meeting on March 31.

Wednesday evening, March 31

The club has been invited by Victoria Quay to demonstrate exciting ways to liven up the club meeting. The TEEM VP Education will handle the program for the night, taking over from the Club’s VP Education. There will be demonstrations from TEEM members and Victoria Quay members will be challenged to have a go at the same entertaining and challenging techniques. There will be space for a club member to deliver a speech and be evaluated. Table Topics – with a twist – will be a major feature. Edit will certainly take members out of their comfort zone.

Where and when will we meet?

Our Demonstration meeting and the two meetings detailed above give the answer. We will meet sometimes at a suitable venue like the Fremantle Bowling Club – but not exclusively the Bowling Club in Fremantle. We will meet sometimes at members’ homes. We will meet sometimes at Toastmasters Clubs. There may be other locations which emerge over time.

Already in March we have scheduled a meeting on a Thursday evening, a Saturday afternoon and a Wednesday evening. Our membership is drawn from many clubs. Almost every possible time slot will clash with one of those club meetings. So it will be rare for all our members to be able to attend the same meeting. But that isn’t very different from all our Toastmaster Clubs with a 20+ membership. Have you ever attended a meeting when every member was present? I haven’t – though I have attended a full member rollup – but that was a club which was being revived and had only 6 members at the time.

What did we do at the Demo?

I will give you a few descriptive names and describe one in a little detail. If you aren’t a TEEM member and you want to know more about the fun we have, get your VP Education to contact me and arrange for us to visit.

These were three of Cliff’s exercises

There were two Table Topics exercises – Edit and One Word. Wow!

Then there was Mirror. It was in two parts. In the first we formed into pairs – A & B. A would do a set of body language movements, including facial expressions. B would have to mirror them. Then we swapped and B would do the movements and A would mirror them. With careful attention everybody got quite good at this. That first section was in the early part of the evening. Then, later, Cliff came back to it. We formed into pairs again – different pairs this time. We went through the mirror exercises again, but now the originator was instructed to move very quickly and with exaggerated movements. It was a hoot. The two photos illustrate the early practice and the later no holds barred time.

Who is joining?

After the meeting eighteen of those present filled in the application form. Cliff wan’t one of them. He explained that he sees his role as an inspirational one. He will provide his services free to the members, because he has a passion for it, not because it is his role as a member. We know of several more who couldn’t make it on the night because of other commitments. We will charter next month.

If you weren’t able to attend the Demonstration Meeting, but you would like to join, there is an opportunity up to March 28.

There is a joining fee

It will cost $90 for a year’s subscription. Download the Charter Member Application Form. Print the two pages and fill in your Last Name, First Name or Given Name, your address, your contact phone number and your email. Sign at the top of the second page. Don’t fill in the club detail information at the top of the first page. Scan the 2 pages and email them to me. I will send instructions for paying the $90 joining fee.

If you are interested and have any queries, ring me on 9457 6468 or email me at davidnic@iinet.net.au

David Nicholas DTM
Western Division Governor