You said you were eager to attend a Toastmaster meeting without leaving the comfort of your own home.

Well, last night you did just that. On Thursday evening, September 3, 2009 eight of us met at our home in Shelley, and you presented a speech about your visit to the World Congress in Mashantucket, using Skype video. It worked well. We could see and hear you clearly. You could see 3 of us and hear all of our comments.

It was a great success.

David

Mark Richards

We need something our small group can achieve as a club immediately, not visions to transform the world (at least not this year).

The club recognizes that while meeting and speaking with a physical group is the best way to provide support and development of communication and leadership skills, there are many people who are unable to attend regular traditional meetings. The internet has the technology and means for improving C&L skills. The club can harness, test and deploy that technology to bring Toastmasters to a wider community.

Arising from this I suggest that Netmasters has two main aims:
1. Netmasters TM Club will focus on the internet as a medium for communicating and furthering the education of its members and to promote e-learning to other Toastmaster clubs.
2. Netmasters TM club will encourage and assist members who may not be able to attend regular physical meetings by reason of remoteness of locality, travel constraints, disability or other reasons.

Three immediate goals for the club are suggested:
1. By December 2009, develop techniques to enable a member at a distant location join in a club meeting.
2. By March 2010, make contact with ex-Toastmasters who now live in a remote town without a local club and have one join Netmasters.
3. By June 2010, conduct a club meeting over the internet with audio and video facilities and with members at three physically separate locations.

I have some comments on the format of club meetings:
1. Use traditional format but with most speeches (impromptu and prepared) relevant to club aims and goals.
2. Project speeches to have standard 2-3 minute evaluations.
3. Members may wish to discuss content of speeches. This is facilitated for 5-7 minutes. If decision or further action is needed, then item is clarified and noted during the 5 minute business session at the end of the meeting.
4. Computer with internet connection will generally be available at meetings for demonstration of item of interest or research.

I think that a number of topics/themes (minimum 20) be listed immediately that would be suitable for standard speeches and impromptu speech themes. These topics will bring all members to a better understanding of current net facilities and practices. Some examples are:
1. Communication (2 way real time) – Skype, Messenger, etc.
2. Information – blog sites; resource sites (Gutenberg Project, speeches, podcasts); special purpose user groups, etc
3. Social networks – YouTube, FaceBook, etc.
4. How to – connect TV monitor, minimum computer specs for VVOIP, interconnection issues between different operating systems (MS Windows, Apple, Linux), etc.

Needed NOW for metropolitan as well as remote clubs: 8-10 minute videos (ultimately downloadable from the Netmasters site of course) on a range of workshops. The list is huge and will take years to complete. Managing and production could be made easier if ordinary clubs could produce and contribute just one or two each year.

No new technologies are needed to get this under way. There are probably many highly skilled video camera operators and graphic designers within Toastmasters. Get started.

There are probably some existing videos on the net or within clubs that would be suitable for a wider audience. Get searching.

Subject Area 1 – to improve COT especially for remote clubs. Video on each club officer role.

Subject Area 2 – to improve DOT for all incumbent and prospective Area and Division Governors. Videos on each role, how to read a District budget, expense reimbursement.

Subject Area 3 – to encourage consistency and high quality in speech contests. Videos on preparing a club/area/division contest; judging contests; chairing a contest.

Subject Area 4 – basic skills workshops. One video for each of the projects in Better Speaker Series, Successful Club Series and Leadership Excellence Series.

Subject Areas 5 – 20. Think of any skill you would like demonstrated!

I think we can expect vigorous discussion on the vision and objectives for Netmasters, given that members expressed different ideas for what had attracted them to Netmasters in the first place.

I like your suggestions of what can make Netmasters a different and exciting club. I would like Netmasters to be future focussed – to introduce the next generation of Toastmaster clubs using various internet capabilities.

I would like Netmasters to be seen as the automatic club of choice in District WA to provide innovative internet based solutions to novel communication requirements for WA clubs. This specialist net function could be similar to the ideals of Marketers Club which aims to assist with quality marketing such as improved club websites and possibly the design of high quality promotional posters and letterbox leaflets.

There is already an overseas Toastmaster club that provides podcasts of its meetings: that would seem to be a good start for Netmasters to learn some diverse skills.