On Saturday, April 21, we had a fantastic day at Club Leadership Academy, where over 200 club members attended and took advantage of over 40 classes offered, some examples being leadership development, executive coaching and club engagement.

 

My favorite class was the Priority #1 Plus training facilitated by Steve Lingenbrink and Vicki Puliz, who both hold membership roles with Zone 25/26. Okay, I might be a little biased! It was a joy to see passionate members focusing on enhancing the culture of their clubs.

We went over some fantastic resources to survey clubs and put an action plan together. One that was very helpful is the importance of identifying your club brand. What does your club represent? Who do your members represent? Is everyone aligned on the experience you hope to bring to people visiting your clubs? One place to start is to practice your ROTARY ELEVATOR SPEECH! When someone asks you, “What is Rotary?” Is everyone in your club prepared to answer in a way that is engaging and sparks their interest to visit? Then, did their visit align with what you told them?

 

Utilize the tips below and start on your Rotary brand today!

Practice your elevator speech; you have two seconds to capture someone’s interest, so ensure you have practiced many times so you are ready and it sounds natural.

Find a way that speaks to all reasons why someone would be interested in joining. Better yet, you can have different versions of your elevator speech depending on the situation.

Be passionate! People will see how excited you are and proud, and that excitement will speak louder than any words.

Ensure your club vision is consistent among all members and that everyone’s elevator speech aligns to accurately reflect your unique club culture.

 

Here is an example for you from the Priority #1 Plus Workbook:

 

“We’re a membership organization of local business, professional and community leaders. We meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships, and through that, we’re able to get things done in this community. Rotarians are people of action.”

 

The best thing Rotary has, is YOU! Be the inspiration. Join the conversation! If you are interested in joining the district membership committee, let me know!