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| Andy Brown, DTM |
About a year ago, I was approached by the leadership of Safe Words. I was asked to consider becoming their 'Club Coach'. The relatively new club had already dealt with transitional pressures and their membership had fallen to 11. Toastmasters International deems a club eligible for an official club coach once your membership falls below 12.
The ‘Club Coach’ is not a well-known position and it is even less understood. I believe it is one of the most important positions all of Toastmasters. TI knows how difficult the position can be. It is grouped with the ‘Club Sponsor’ and ‘Club Mentor’ roles required for your ALS. However, TI allows you 2 years to become successful as a Club Coach.
Safe Words officers understood the value of a club coach and reached out. I decided to put all of my big soapbox talking about how important the Club Coach role was and take this challenge to help Safe Words. I became their club coach.
At my first meeting, I knew that this was a great decision for me. Safe Words is one of those clubs that for me, exemplifies what the Toastmaster experience should be. The officers, remaining members, and I took Toastmasters International, its mission, and the DCP program as seriously as any group of Toastmasters ever had.
At my second meeting, I told this group of dedicated Toastmasters that they were going to make me look good, not the other way around. Was I ever correct! Safe Words became a “Presidents Distinguished Club”, met the minimum net gain of 5 new members and I found myself in rare ‘Toastmaster Air’. I was suddenly a "successful" Club Coach.
Aside from being an outstanding club, Safe Words is somewhat of an ‘oasis' for those who may consider themselves ‘different’, ‘outcast’ or ‘misunderstood’. Safe Words is a club that is part of an LGBT/BDSM/Alternative Lifestyle support network.
This club was not what I thought it would be nor, as I suspect, what most think it is. I was overwhelmed by the honesty, transparency, openness, and mutual trust of the members and their speeches. Anonymity and identity protection are simultaneously paramount and held sacred to the members and must be reciprocated. This club was a breath of fresh air and my new friends.
If you are working towards your second or more ALS and DTM, consider stepping up to the challenge and become a ‘Club Coach’ when the opportunity presents itself to you. You will be in ‘rare airspace’ and you may just learn something about yourself.
See you in May at the Spring Conference!
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