Toastmasters Clubs Adapting During Times Of Social Distancing

In April 2020 people are living through a pandemic as the COVID-19 virus has spread around the world.  The virus spreads quickly with human contact, so many people are living with rules or strong guidance to practice social distancing, or physical distancing. I have seen and prefer the terminology physical distancing with social connecting.  This guidance means people should maintain physical distance from those other than those in your household, and holding no large gatherings, which in some locations means no more than two people. People are limiting the occasions when they leave their homes, and when they do so, must work to maintain two metres of distance between themselves and others.

As a result of these physical distancing measures many businesses have closed, hopefully temporarily, or changed their methods of operation. Restaurants and coffee shops are take out only, for example, if they have remained open.

Toastmasters clubs have adapted as well. We have over 16,000 clubs in 143 countries, and clubs operate quite autonomously while respecting the program and enabling members to work self-paced through the structured learning materials.  At the start of 2020, we had about 30 clubs in the world that operated in a fully online manner.  Now in April, many, and maybe most, have started meeting online using platforms such as Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts amongst others.

The clubs have moved online for several reasons. First, obviously face to face meetings are restricted in many parts of the world to slow the spread of the virus. Second, the skills of organizing your thoughts, whether planned or on the spot, and communicating them effectively remain valuable now and when we emerge from this period of social distancing. Third, in the business world we’re likely to see more meetings take place online even when we emerge from the pandemic, and communication skills while on webcam, in a meeting where people are not in the same physical space, require some adaptation. For instance, attendees need to learn to speak to the camera, to mute audio and video at appropriate times, to correctly share a desktop screen, and even to understand what they look like from various flattering and unflattering camera angles. Fourth, while we’re practicing physical distancing, social connecting remains important for mental health. It’s healthy to meet online with current and new club members, and share some laughs during a learning experience.

 

I have been interested to see the rapid adaptation of Toastmasters clubs to an online environment.  I expect most clubs will return to face to face meetings once physical distancing restrictions are relaxed, but time will tell.  I expect some that do return to face to face meetings will still have an occasional online meeting to exercise these skills.

If you’re interest to visit a Toastmasters meeting, it’s never been easier to visit one of our clubs in your town, or in one of the 143 countries where we have a presence.  Visit https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club , enter your preferred location details, and look for the “O” which indicates online attendance.  There’s never been a better time to see how a club in Harare or Auckland enables their members to develop communication and leadership skills.