STORY SPACE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The goal of this project is to assemble 100 personal stories from Toastmasters about various experiences that they have had through their involvement with the organization.
In my opinion, Toastmasters offers an incredible number of opportunities for self-development and leadership that can extend far beyond the manuals that form the core of the education program.
The aim of this project is NOT to provide testimonials or reasons why a person should join a club; rather, it is intended to be a space where individuals can share their stories about their experiences both inside and outside the network of clubs and people that form Toastmasters.
1. Please submit stories based on personal experiences and observations. While we are looking for stories that are short and readable, we are not looking for short stories per se -- no fiction please! Reality is stranger stuff anyway...
Examples of stories that you could contribute include observations from visits to Toastmasters clubs or events, accounts of projects done through Toastmasters (such as High Performance Leadership initiatives, Speechcraft and Youth Leadership Projects, contest organization, forming a new club, etc) or in the greater community (such as specific local events, youth programs, volunteer work, etc), or anecdotes about how specific skills developed through Toastmasters proved useful. Speeches are definitely accepted!
Stories do not have to be about Toastmasters per se, but ideally should provide insight into some aspect of the program that the writer found useful or an opportunity/challenge that was discovered directly or indirectly through involvement with the organization.
2. Stories can be from 1 to 5 pages long (100 - 1000+ words) and should be submitted as text, Word or PDF documents. Pictures can be included with stories but please take care to make sure that the file size is manageable!
3. Stories will be reviewed prior to posting. I might offer suggestions to the contributor regarding spelling and grammar if necessary but otherwise intend to post stories "as is" with little/no editing for content. However, please bear in mind that overt attacks against specific individuals or clubs is not recommended and stories with content that may be offensive to particular groups will not be accepted. I don't want everything to be politically correct, but please be polite!
4. Your stories belong to you. All stories will be the "intellectual property" of the contributors and this site will make absolutely no claim to ownership. If the contributor wants a story withdrawn or removed from the site this will be done without dispute. Your stories belong to you, but if you choose to share them through this project then others can potentially benefit from your experience.