The Circumstances, the Idea, the Execution, and the Numbers
March 12, 2020 – the day the quarantine started for ME, when my boss at the Boulder Daily Camera told the sales team to start working from home on Monday. This was the day after March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was canceled.
March 12, 2020 – the day the quarantine started for ME, when my boss at the Boulder Daily Camera told the sales team to start working from home on Monday. This was the day after March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was canceled.
The day after my home club, Solar Speak, voted to start Zoom meetings, after I gave an impassioned speech suggesting it was going to have to happen - and sure enough, the next day, our meeting place told us we could no longer meet there. Six days before the official stay-at-home orders came.
It was also the day the idea of a 2020 Toastmasters Zoom Challenge materialized. Thanks to my showings in the World Championship of Public Speaking Finals in 2006 and 2008, and the notoriety I'd gained in the documentary already spoken in person at nearly 20 District Conferences in North America over the last 15 years. I'd also spoken for the Faculty Club in District 9 (my old stomping grounds) via Zoom in February.
What if I could speak in all 120 Districts during quarantine? Toastmasters International was close to mandating all clubs go online - the potential was there to Zoom all over the world! But how?
The easiest answer for me was Facebook. 5000 friends doesn't hurt, when at least half of those are Toastmasters from around the world. In addition, The Official Toastmasters Facebook Group had 25,500 or so members I could reach out to - but I needed the right message.
After a post on my own page, I was able to visit Oklahoma City on April 6, and British Columbia April 7 - thanks to friends Michael Rodman and Sharookh Darawala, respectively. It was time to go after a bigger audience. I assumed some clubs would struggle with online attendance. I also assumed many of my friends would be more than happy to host me as a speaker in their club. So far, I was right.
It was also the day the idea of a 2020 Toastmasters Zoom Challenge materialized. Thanks to my showings in the World Championship of Public Speaking Finals in 2006 and 2008, and the notoriety I'd gained in the documentary already spoken in person at nearly 20 District Conferences in North America over the last 15 years. I'd also spoken for the Faculty Club in District 9 (my old stomping grounds) via Zoom in February.
What if I could speak in all 120 Districts during quarantine? Toastmasters International was close to mandating all clubs go online - the potential was there to Zoom all over the world! But how?
The easiest answer for me was Facebook. 5000 friends doesn't hurt, when at least half of those are Toastmasters from around the world. In addition, The Official Toastmasters Facebook Group had 25,500 or so members I could reach out to - but I needed the right message.
After a post on my own page, I was able to visit Oklahoma City on April 6, and British Columbia April 7 - thanks to friends Michael Rodman and Sharookh Darawala, respectively. It was time to go after a bigger audience. I assumed some clubs would struggle with online attendance. I also assumed many of my friends would be more than happy to host me as a speaker in their club. So far, I was right.