I found out yesterday–or rather, had it confirmed, because I had heard rumours–that my original Toastmasters club is closing after 18 years. I’ve gotten an invite to a final virtual farewell meeting, which I may or may not be able to attend, and I’m feeling a profound sense of ambivalence.

Two days ago would have been my eighteenth anniversary at my former workplace. It wasn’t long after starting, as a still new and shiny employee there, I attended a demo meeting and soon became a charter member of the Bay & Adelaide Speakers Club. We were sponsored by my company, but were an open club, which meant that soon thereafter, we began to attract members from outside the company. My company offered meeting rooms, reimbursement for Toastmasters fees–but honestly, not a lot more. But we didn’t need a lot more in those early days. We were a Distinguished Club that first year, despite having chartered four months into the Toastmasters year. I served as VP-PR and earned my Competent Communicator and Competent Leader awards. The next year, I was President; the year after, Area Governor, and the year after that, Division Governor (winning Division Governor of the Year). I completed my first Distinguished Toastmaster award at the beginning of my year as Division Governor. I was a mentor for Sunrise Orators, a club I subsequently stayed with as a member, and in 2010 I chaired the District 60 Fall Conference. All the while, I enthusiastically continued to present speeches and to perform various leadership roles in my home club. I was one of the two people most associated with the club, and we never had an issue staying above 20 members with both external and internal interest.

Toastmasters made me a better meeting facilitator, instructor, and speaker. It even made me a better herald. It gave me opportunities for teaching (starting with Club Officer training), managing projects, and learning about people while still introverting. And my home club was always a special place. After that first year, we had a run of over ten years as a President’s Distinguished Club, meaning we met all of our educational goals at the highest level.

I think it was after our company moved to the new building that things began to change–and not for the better. By then, I was working from home half time, but making sure to come in on Thursdays for meetings. We changed our name to 1 York Speakers. Unlike like our old location, the new place was not centrally located, and we lost foot traffic from the PATH. There were several other established clubs in the area as well. By this time, internal membership had dropped to about 40% of members, and we seemed to have very little support at my company beyond a couple of advocates in Learning & Development. There was little buy-in from management. Not long after, Toastmasters transitioned over to the new Pathways program. I served as a Guide for the rollout and quite liked the new program, but it never seemed to catch on with some of our members. For the first time, we missed Distinguished status as our membership dipped below 20. I was tiring of serving as a club officer every year, and the club seemed stagnant. We had started experimenting with what would eventually become known as a “hybrid” meeting in 2019 as a key member was now located at a branch office. She became our president that year, and along with another former employee who had stayed with the club after leaving, helped bring the club back to President’s Distinguished status in 2020–right in the middle of the early months of the pandemic. Our experiments with hybrid meetings had positioned us to pivot quickly into online meetings. And for awhile, we seemed to thrive again, as one of the few clubs who had been able to keep meeting without losing a beat.

In June, 2022, I remember starting to pull back from the club, however. I had been involved in chartering a new club in Stoney Creek in late 2020–one which had also managed to go virtual after just a few initial in-person meetings, but which was now also moving towards hybrid meetings. Reenergized by this new club, I was feeling less and less connected with my original club–probably part of my general growing disaffect with my job, which would end with my layoff in early August. At that point, I immediately ceased attending my original club’s meetings. Even though they were completely virtual, there were still several members who worked for my former employer, and I just wanted to put that part of my life in the rear view mirror. The club was struggling again, but I had checked out.

I completely lost contact with the club after that, especially after starting my new job, which sponsored its own club–which was growing rapidly as the company grew. I knew the club already–my old club had done several joint meetings with them over the years, and I’d even been into their office a couple of times pre-pandemic. But as I learned, 2019 was a turning point for my new company, leading to rapid growth. And this club was completely backed by management–the CEO was (and still is!) a member, and membership is paid for by the company. There was also the fact that if it weren’t for Toastmasters, I would not be in this new job. Toastmasters gave me chances to be a regular instructor, gave me knowledge to develop workshops, and helped me network.

I felt a little wistful about ghosting the old club–I was the last remaining charter member, and it had been a huge part of my life–but I figured they would survive, perhaps resuming hybrid meetings. But when my former co-worker who had helped revive the club starting in 2019 also ended up moving over to my new company, I suspected the writing was on the wall.

Now, within a couple of weeks, that story will have been written. They’re not the only club that has struggled in the downtown core–even the mighty Bay St. Breakfast club, which once limited membership to 50 and still had a waiting list, is at below charter strength. Sunrise Orators, the morning club I left in 2019, also soldiers on at below charter strength. But 20 Bay Pros of Prose–the second club I mentored, over a decade ago, a club once down to three members, a club which 1 York shared meetings with for awhile during the early pandemic, a club I ran a Speechcraft session for a couple of years ago to help rebuild membership, is now back to 18 members, and perhaps headed for better days. Toastmasters as a whole is in the midst of a rebuilding phase–and I am hearing rumours they are also refocusing their branding on speaking and communications skills, rather than leadership. A lot of community clubs are thriving, and some corporate clubs (like mine) continue to do so as well. But it’s not 2006 anymore–for me, for Toastmasters, for the world.

*****
We were supposed to be in Ottawa this weekend. Instead, we’re home, worried a bit about Zoya, who has been exhibiting some OCD-like behaviour. We have a vet appointment for her next week. I had taken a half day off work to drive up today, so instead I used the time to write an article I’ve been researching for several weeks and will be settling in shortly to work on my current sewing project. Tomorrow I’ll work on that project some more, and perhaps I’ll get it done for Coronation next week. I’ve finished up two other projects with Coronation target dates as well. Next week is busy–D&D Monday, Zoya’s appointment Tuesday, car tire swap and CWH volunteer dinner Wednesday, work in-office day and TSO concert Thursday, and then Coronation on Saturday and another concert Sunday. I’m also awaiting the OSM’s season announcement to make some final decision about concert travel for the 2024-2025 season.