By Sheryl Poirier, DTM

How things have changed! After club meetings, District events, club officer training and even International Conventions being online since March 2020, it might be difficult to believe Toastmasters International did not sanction online club meetings or online training back in 2013.

In fact, even for remote clubs such as clubs in Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson,  Toastmasters insisted on in person training if the club wanted credit.  To do anything online, districts had to apply for permission. Imagine being a member of Flin Flon Toastmasters and feeling the obligation to travel to Winnipeg twice a year!

Past District Governor Dorian Guerard heard about a club out of Perth, Australia.  It was operating as a hybrid club. What a wonderful idea to connect with all parts of our District!  Since the technology was unfamiliar to most people, it would naturally be an advanced club. 

There were not many choices for online videoconferencing.  Many were one to one, like video phone calls more than conferencing.  GoToMeeting was our first platform.  Only six people could be on video at one time.  Sharing presentations or files was not easy. Many people were more aware of how others appeared than themselves, not liking to be on camera.  There were few protocols.  We mostly made them up as we went along.

Finding new members was challenging.  Many were horrified at the idea of looking at themselves.  Others do not like cameras.  Still others feared these videos could be used for nefarious purposes.  Many simply did not have the right kind of computer or had no internet connection.  Even internationally there was a problem. If you’ve ever been on TI’s Find a Club, you will see O’s under many club names.  It means the club accepts online member.  That indicator did not exist until recently.

The 21 members who chartered Virtual Toastmasters club all had their own reasons for joining. 

At our tenth anniversary party, we were reminded of some of those reasons: to add a second club to one’s experience from a home outside Winnipeg or Brandon, to maintain skills when away for months at a time, to join in when working on the road, to add a skill set for employment purposes, to see distant friends more often, to step outside one’s comfort zone, to be a pioneer, to help ‘move the needle’ with Toastmasters International or to simply help get the new club chartered.  Except for the last, all those reasons for joining Virtual Toastmasters remain valid today. 

Do we have all the answers for today’s hybrid clubs? We have many but no, we do not know it all. Advances in technology still provide opportunities to learn. (Should we get a new camera to follow the speaker?)  Individual opinions still create opportunities for discussion. Do we really need to see everyone in the room when they appear so tiny anyway?) Lack of Toastmasters International Policies as opposed to recommendations or best practices still leaves members confused. (We leave our video off except for the speaker, even for a humorous speech contest?)

Ten years later, Virtual Toastmasters member list includes six charter members, three Past District Directors and one member who has always been on the club executive (Connie Lo Vasco Burch). 

If you were “there” in our early days, come see who we are today! We always welcome guests and new or returning members. What hasn’t changed?  Our hospitality!