Mini PR projects
This document is designed to provide members of Toastmasters clubs with small, bite sized PR projects. This will help anyone who is trying to complete the New Competent Leader award and may be of great use to new clubs or any club which needs to up its membership. The idea is that the club tries to complete as many of these projects as possible. Each project can be given to different members to complete or a Vice President PR or other keen person could do multiple projects. They are listed in no particular order. This document was created by Samantha Babister of Woking Speakers when the club was first created. At that club, the list is held by the VP PR who gives the whole list to anyone who is interested in helping with the PR. The member in question then chooses the project they would like and informs the VP PR when the project is finished. We recommend that you use it the same way although you might find another way to make this document useful. Similarly, if this list sparks ideas for any other small projects, Sam would love to hear from you at samanthababister@yahoo.co.uk so that the list can be extended. Project 1 Libraries – Get posters up in all local libraries. Start with the most local and add to the list. NOTE: You will need to speak to one person who manages the posters within the library at each location. They need to hear that it is a community group and probably won’t let you put up the poster if they think we charge. This means we need to omit that bit of information rather than lie about it. 2 Ex members – Contact all the old members and invite them to come back. We’d love to see them. 3 Magazines – Get spare magazines for all dual members. Put stickers on them with contact details explaining that “This is your free copy, do come to our meeting” and distribute them in waiting rooms. Doctors, Dentists, Chiropodists, Chiropractors. You can create a useful list of these using www.yell.com
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4 Church – if we have someone who goes to church regularly, ask them to invite their church friends along 5 Create a club poster. It needs to explain why people should come in an encouraging way and give details of when the club meets, where it meets and who they should contact. The poster should be in an easily edited format so that the contact details can be changed 6 Parish Notice Boards - it is free to put posters on Parish Notice Boards. I recommend A4 posters in plastic document wallets. If the club can access or afford a staple gun, it will make life much easier. Take 20 or so posters out and put them on the local notice boards (make a note of where they are so that it is easy to refresh the posters again in a few months) 7 Doctor’s surgeries – Contact the practice manager at local doctor’s surgeries and obtain permission to put fliers on their notice boards. The benefits are: 1)We meet twice monthly – regular contact, 2) We are a positive group of people, 3) We help build self confidence 8 Ex Guests – call all the people who’ve been along as a guest and see if you can get them to come back and try us again 9 Bring a guest night – work with the VPE to arrange a special “Bring a guest” night. Present to the club to encourage everyone to bring at least one guest on that particular night 10 What’s on – Ensure that we are listed in the what’s on guides in all the local press 11 Tom Tom – Add the link to the navigation devices to your website (with instructions on how to add them) – look at http://d71.org/portal.php?page=4 12 Live Topics – Arrange a live topics session with some of the more experienced members of the club. Suggest the Town Centre on a Saturday afternoon. The public get to choose the topic, the speakers respond. Work with VP PR to ensure a press release follows
13 Business cards – Investigate getting business cards printed up with the details of your clubs on. Do this as cheaply as possible (working with VP PR to OK price) then distribute to anyone in the club interested in having them. Explain that they are for giving out to people you meet who may be interested 14 Chamber of commerce – contact the local chamber of commerce and arrange to go in and present on Toastmasters and its benefits 15 Counsellors – Contact counsellors and ask them to recommend Toastmasters to recovering depressed people who may benefit after they leave the counselling relationship. The benefits are: 1)We meet twice monthly – regular contact, 2) We are a positive group of people, 3) We help build self confidence 16 Federation of Image Consultants – Contact them and make sure they know we exist. They need us as they have to present to their customers. Also they might meet other business people who they can sell services to. 17 Gyms – Get flyers put up at local gyms (people who can afford the gym have the sorts of jobs which need public speaking skills) 18 Connexions – Contact the local Connexions office and explain to them that we are the cheapest form of public speaking training you can get. We look great on CVs and help people grow self confidence. Get permission to leave fliers in the offices. 19 Google Maps – get your club listed on Google Maps 20 Contact Life Coaches – they will neeed our help to prepare to present to their clients. You will need to get hold of their contact details and send them a letter or else leverage a contact you already have with a Life Coach 21 Older people – Contact organisations catering for older people and encourage them to come along for an entertaining free night out – tell them we’d love to hear what they have to say. It si worth giving them free tea and coffee just for coming along (after all they are filling out the audience and may well join. Suggestions: Sheltered housing, Go50, Coffee shops for the retired, WI, University of the 3rd Age
22 Websites – Ensure that we are listed on as many local community websites as possible eg WindowOnWoking, http://www.woking.gov.uk/leisuretourism/events, 23 Arrange a party - Birthday Celebrations, DCP celebrations, anything you can think of - and make sure you invite the press (warn the VP PR too so they can organise for a press release to be created) 24 Contact the physically disabled (particularly if your venue is wheelchair friendly) eg Shopmobility @ Woking, NWSADP – North West Surrey Association of disabled people 25 Sixth form colleges – Contact the careers advice department. Explain to them that we will give the students better communication skills which will help them get better degrees + it will make them stand out on their UCAS forms and could made the difference between getting a place in their university of choice or not. Ask if we can give them posters/fliers. 26 Singles clubs – IVC, SPICE – we are a community of friends of all ages and both sexes - you could meet someone here… 27 Book marks – create club bookmarks for distribution. They should give details of what, where, when, how and why plus contact details. Lionel Hawkins at Sharp Printing Services 01843 600 or enquiries@sharpprinting.co.uk has been used by other Toastmasters clubs and has a template 28 Local business – get contact details of the HR manager for local large businesses. Contact them and arrange to go and have a meeting with them to explain the benefits. Offer a special demo night for them 29 Wedding fair – find a wedding fair we can have a stand at and arrange details (you will probably need a team)
30 Maildrop – Investigate getting flyers printed up and costs for having an insert put into a local newspaper. If the cost is affordable, run the campaign 31 Business Link – We need to make sure they are telling local businesses we exist. 32 Mother and Toddler groups – Mums who want to spend some time with adults and or mums who are looking to build their confidence prior to going back to work 33 Hospitals – captive audience and a large selection of people spend time there. We might get interest from anyone from staff to patients to friends or family of patients 34 Logo – if the club doesn't have one yet, create a new logo and brand for the club 35 Carer’s groups – this is an opportunity to do something for you 36 The sort of people who like organisations – Rotary, Roteract, WI, Lions, Junior Chamber 37 The University - build your links with the local university and get permission to put up posters and flyers within the University - you will get lots of keen young members 38 Teachers - send a letter to local schools which is designed for all teachers to read. Here are the main points: We know you are great at public speaking. We know you can communicate with groups. So this is easy for you: * How do you feel on parents evening? * does the thought of speaking to an audience of adults bother you? * Are you feeling a bit jaded? * Have you recently been promoted? * Want to meet non-teachers? * Want to tell us your story? * Parent Governors - leadership skills
39 Teachers - send a letter to local schools which is designed for all teachers to read. Here are the main points: We know you are great at public speaking. We know you can communicate with groups. So this is easy for you: * How do you feel on parents evening? * does the thought of speaking to an audience of adults bother you? * Are you feeling a bit jaded? * Have you recently been promoted? * Want to meet non-teachers? * Want to tell us your story? * Parent Governors - leadership skills 40 Unemployment office – Contact them to explain the benefits. Get permission to put up posters and leave fliers. Benefits: * Looks good on CV * Better communication skills * More self confidence 41 Contact local sports clubs – golf and rugby clubs get new Presidents every year who all need public speaking skills 42 Fliers in supermarkets – make them A6 and put them on the community notice boards in your local supermarkets 43 Local Law Schools. If there is a local College of Law, build a relationship with them as many of the students will want to practice their public speaking 44 Fliers in cafés – again make them A6 and put them up on notice boards (every Starbucks has a community notice board) and in piles in more local places 45 Press Release – Parents, get your teenagers to come – it will give them better communication skills which will help them get better degrees + it will make them stand out on their UCAS forms and could made the difference between getting a place in their university of choice or not 46 Press release – Upcoming Humourous speech and topics contest 47 Press release – Winner of Humorous Speech and Topics contests 48 Press release – Upcoming International speech and evaluation
contest 49 Press release – Winner of International speech and evaluation contest 50 Press release – Happy Birthday to our club! Certainly every year for the first 5 and then special occasions - 10, 15, 18, 21, 25, 30, 40, 50 51 Press release – We hit our DCP goals (particularly if you hit all 10) - if not Distinguished, Select Distinguished or President's Distinguished are still all news 52 Police – speak to the police about the benefits – confidence, friendship, public speaking skills, chance to meet the community. Ask them if you can leave fliers in the police station and whether any of them would like to come along 53 Business cards – Create some business cards with details of when and where your club meets plus contact details (you can get these very cheaply from vistaprint). Then go to your local libraries and look in the sections which might appeal to someone who would benefit from Toastmasters – Presentation skills, Business improvement, motivation, selling etc. Take a number of these books off the shelf, slip a card into a random point in the book and put it back on the shelf. 54 Create a magnetic advert for your club and stick it on your car when driving (take it off when you park or it may be stolen). Lynda Carter of Ambassadors of Margate will be able to get these made up for you - sales@allsignsolutions.co.uk or 01483 232 016 55 Leave leaflets/posters in foreign language schools. Foreign language schools often have students who wish to improve their use of English and speaking is an excellent way to do that. Many clubs have foreign members and are much enriched by their contribution. 56 Design and advert to put in the press and investigate the cost of getting it run 57 Stand at an agricultural show – team together with the other clubs in your area and take a stand at an agricultural show. Produce flyers and motivate a team to staff the stand and
speak to people about Toastmasters
58 Run an advert in the lonely hearts column encouraging people to come to the club and maybe meet the partner of their dreams 59 Hold a BAG night – BAG stands for “Bring A Guest” – you could even make up little party bags to distribute containing information about the club and any giveaways your members can drum up