Stuck in a routine? Plan and announce a special event. Here are five ideas for you to consider.

Celebrity Guest Speaker

I suggested bringing John McCain to your club, and I wasn’t stretching the bounds of the possible. I had the pleasure to shake hands with Arizona’s senior senator about five years ago when he visited my office, with less than ten people there. He was making a strictly social call - so why wouldn’t he visit a Toastmasters club? I think many politicians would enjoy visiting a Toastmasters club, especially if he or she knew that your Vice President of Public Relations had prepared flyers and press releases, ensuring lots of guests. Celebrities LOVE publicity.

The celebrity guest meeting has many possibilities. If you belong to a company club, why not invite your company president, CEO or VP of Human Relations to give a guest speech? (You can be generous and promise no evaluations.) Consider inviting the mayor of your city, a local author, or a firefighter who saved a life.

Do you receive free meeting space? Be grateful. Honor the organization that gives this donation. Present a plaque to the organization representative and a chance to speak to your group. Give that speaker a standing ovation. Why not do this every year?

I once held a very successful meeting by inviting Toastmaster Jeff Young, 1980 winner of the International Speech Contest.   He told us about his speech and his career following his big Toastmaster victory.  My club was filled - not an empty seat in the room!

Open House

If your club has a membership less than 20, you ought to hold an open house meeting at least every six months. Carefully plan this event. Start with a theme.  Give the open house a special reason, and build everything around that idea.   For example, in the month of April, your theme could be "Springtime Flowers."   Ask the table topics master to build questions around that subject. Perhaps one speaker could craft a message with a floral concept. Buy a flower centerpiece - and let your guests have a chance to take that home in a drawing. Give everyone a package of seeds for their garden.

You’ll want someone to bring food - this is often the critical element that ensures happy visitors.

Along with the theme planning, have the public relations officer lead a committee of three other members to help get the message out! You’ll want to have just as strong a PR campaign for the Open House as you do for the meeting theme!

After the meeting continue to remind guests about the benefits of the Toastmasters program. Follow up with signed cards - tell your guests that they’re welcome to visit anytime. And of course - ask the guest to join! Ask during the meeting ("Would you like to become a member?") and after, if necessary.

Past Presidents Meeting

How many years has your club been around? If your club is at least ten years old, why not invite all the past presidents you can find to attend a special meeting to honor their leadership?

Without a doubt, your club has a very rich tradition and memories. Give some of the past presidents a chance to give a speech. Let the past leaders tell you about how Toastmasters has changed their lives. Your current members will find this inspiring, and may be encouraged to become officers themselves.

Take pictures during your meeting, and send them to your newspaper. Write a good press release, and your club may suddenly get inquiries about membership. Your club’s leadership has contributed a great deal to build your club. Give the past presidents a chance to shine again, even if they’ve left your club. They’ll never stop recommending you -- if they know they’re still appreciated.

Spouses / Special Friends Meeting

Bring your sweethearts and double the size of the meeting! Your wives, husbands, and romantic flames will be appreciated and honored. Many of our spouses don’t know exactly what a Toastmasters meeting is all about anyway, so give them a special chance to hang out in your club.

Many of your dates and life partners may be just as bashful about visiting a Toastmasters club as the greenest guest. If this is a special meeting for them, your sweeties can relax - they’re not alone! Don’t pressure them into doing table topics - gently ask for volunteers from the guests at the right time, but show them how its done first! And never push a loved one into public speaking. Just let your special guests know how glad you are for their visit. If you make beloved guests feel very welcome, they may return later - permanently.

Debate Meeting

You don’t have to be Lincoln and Douglas to hold an exciting debate! As Toastmasters, we should celebrate the complete arts of oratory, including the art of gracious word combat!

Let your Toastmaster pose debatable subject from the news - and announce it in advance. Debate subjects are usually posed in the affirmative, such as: