Learning from visits to clubs

Each Toastmaster club meeting is different, and never completely as expected.

Dealing with the unexpected is a skill one learns with time. How did I panick the first time I was the Toastmaster of the evening and how I admired those telling me "no problem" and calmly changing what was needed.

This week I learned from London Athenians not to panic if the meeting runs longer, and how and what can be cut so it finishes before, at least, three hours. The problems that arrive when success brings 'too many' members at once, too.

Then, how to make a meeting happen smoothly when not only the Sergeant of Arms, the President but even the VP Education, who usually replaces the president, is missing. So many come to rescue and the meeting went on as nothing special would have happened before.

At both meeting, no warm-up, saved a lot of time, and the guests were presenting themselves very briefly only towards the middle at one, the end in the other.

I learned a lot in three years, so much more to learn!