Congregating Online

I am intrigued by Toastmasters clubs/members who are navigating coronavirus 2020.  Here is what I’m observing…

Passionate people adapting to an instantaneous shift
Experienced techies and online newbies coexisting
Diverse reasons why individuals and clubs exist

I have been a member of Earlybird Toastmasters since 2012.  We meet Monday mornings for 90 minutes in the Kansas City metro area.  I am passionate, technically-savvy, and growth-oriented.  For the most part, Earlybirds embodies that vibration.  We have a core group of “people like us doing things like this” and it shows.  It is an easy place to self-select into or out of.  A culture exists that is unmistakable.

Other clubs have different but equally distinctive cultures.  Clubs that do not struggle accordingly.

Toastmasters is a diverse galaxy of clubs and characters and purposes.  Perhaps a common denominator between all clubs is that they are a congregating place.  Churches today have taken on a similar role in our culture.  The best congregating places have passionate people driving distinctive agendas for “people like us who do things like this”.

I’ll be curious how 2020 shakes out.  Some clubs will find a groove with online meetings.  Most will not.  Some people will love this experience.  Most will not.  Some meetings will be AWESOME.  Most will not. 

At some point we will return to our regularly scheduled programming.  What will happen then?  Some clubs and members will show back up, while others will go away.  We’ll see the in-person experience through fresh eyes.  Some of us will have a deeper appreciation for it.  Some of us will miss the online experience. 

Toastmasters has been around since Ralph Smedley founded the first club in Chicago in 1924.  It’s likely to be around for a long time to come.  And it will likely have the same success principles:

1. Offer a quality meeting experience
2. Serve growth-oriented members
3. Strengthen core communication skills (prepared speaking, observational coaching, facilitating, introducing yourself, and impromptu conversation)

How does that happen online? 

Some clubs found their groove even before coronavirus.  Others seek their groove this spring.  My gut tells me you cannot simply take the in-person experience and put it online.  As my friend Diane is exploring, it takes different techniques to communicate effectively online than it does in person. 

Perhaps most fascinating is to zoom out and recognize Toastmasters is simply a microcosm of something bigger.  We’ve been adapting to the online world for a generation now.  GenZ is the first digital-native generation.  They are in the workforce already.  Coronavirus 2020 is simply shining a spotlight on this cultural shift.