Recently talked to someone who served as a Division Governor last year, he mentioned that one problem District 30 could be facing now is the economy, especially as job and corporate cuts have or will be affecting companies here in the Chicagoland area.  That would mean that for corporations that have Toastmaster clubs, layoffs could adversely affect those clubs to the point where a few of them could actually close its doors as those who stay in their jobs may have a difficult time rebuilding the clubs and replacing those who were let go.

Among the corporations that have Toastmaster clubs here in District 30, WaMu Too, the club for Washington Mutual’s Vernon Hills office, has recently folded as the bank has suffered major losses and was just recently took over by JP Morgan Chase.  Sears has been bleeding the last year like many other retailers, resulting in a club that traditionally had 25-30 members now cut down in half.  Motorola, with 3 Toastmaster clubs in District 30, could be affected by any reorganization that the company has been contemplating this year.  There could be plenty of clubs in downtown Chicago that could either lose plenty of members or shut down completely as a result of job losses or changes as most of their members are there due to work.

While a down economy can result in clubs folding, particularly corporate clubs that go through layoffs, it can also result in more people in joining Toastmasters as some can use it to refresh their communication skills for their next job interview, or to expand their skills in the hopes of finding different career choices.  Those that are out-of-work probably have plenty time to go through the Toastmasters program and not have to pay much to take advantage of it.

During the last down economy between 2001 and 2003, District 30 went through massive growth that culminated in reaching the #3 District in the World in the 2002-2003 year.  Not only did plenty of clubs chartered during that time, many clubs found themselves with plenty of new members.  Some clubs that have struggled prior to this period, such as Park Ridge, Saturday Morning Workout and Masters of Opportunity, started to achieve Distinguished Club status and remain strong to this day in which they continued to reach Distinguished Club or even President’s Distinguished Club consistently.

When I served as Division Governor the year we went #3, I’ve encountered plenty of members, including other District officers, that have either were laid off or worried that they were going to lose their jobs, so they were using Toastmasters to get them through the tough times.   Oddly enough when the economy picked up right after that period, I noticed many members struggling to attend their club meetings and District officers having problems fulfilling their roles due to their work demands.

So with all the uncertainty going on these days, perhaps it is time we should promote Toastmasters as a very affordable ticket to better career opportunities.  If this works, we’ll find many of these new members getting more involved in the organization so by the time they get new or better jobs, we hope they’ll love Toastmasters so much that they will make the time to attend and participate at their club meetings.