It can be challenging during meetings to take effective notes and be present at the same time. I learned this over several years of taking minutes for a nonprofit’s board of directors meetings. I recorded each meeting, but I also jotted down my own notes on the items I wanted to be sure made it into the final record. The more closely I focused on capturing everything, the less I could engage in the conversation.

Toastmasters depends on members voluntarily taking on leadership roles, but most clubs approach recruitment backwards. They list open roles and ask members to pick one, rather than starting with the member's goal and the skills they want to build or improve.

This is backwards. It led me to build the Goal to Role app, a tool that starts with what a member wants to achieve and works toward the role that can help them get there.