Public Relations Manager 2022-2023 - Emanuel Petrescu

Fellow Toastmasters,

I feel humbled and privileged to be serving as the Public Relations Manager for Toastmasters District 60 this year. It’s the biggest hat I ever wore and a position of leadership and great responsibilities. It’s hard to step into the shoes of the outstanding professionals that filled this role in the past. And it’s even harder to be among the individuals who are part of the district leadership this year.

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants!

Supposedly said, Sir Isaac Newton.

Public relations is something easy and difficult to describe at the same time. I won’t focus on the public but on the relations part of the job. Because that’s what I love doing – creating valuable relationships from which everyone can benefit.

My small contribution to creating a better world.

Toastmasters gave me the opportunity to step up – and I encourage you to do the same. Even if it’s a volunteer-based organization, that doesn’t mean there isn’t value or that you can’t learn skills that are transferable to the other areas of your life – family, work, etc.

As a matter of fact, I can probably find a dozen on Toastmasters at the first glance who would testify that since joining the organization, they became a better person, excelled at their job and overall learned to enjoy life.

If you are the VP of PR of your club, you have already taken an important step and I want to congratulate you. It’s a great opportunity to learn. I know I did when I was the VP of PR last year for my club. I’m a digital marketer by trade and I’ve been doing PR in the past so I thought I knew a thing or two.

Boy was I wrong. Things have changed (and are changing daily, which they should, in this domain). Toastmasters has a proven method of understanding and learning what the role is. I made a social media post about the fact that I would have paid money for this manual: Let The World Know. It’s very thorough; I’m pretty sure it can easily be used as a manual for journalism school. Reading this will give you an extraordinary perspective on what the role is and I promise you that you will be using the skills you developed for the rest of your life.

There’s the mandatory Club Office Training (COT). Go check out the district’s calendar on our website to find the dates for these sessions – you’re looking for the VP of PRs. From my personal experience, I can tell you again, that I would have paid money to attend these training sessions.

Roman Smolak, a seasoned Toastmasters has managed this year’s VP of PRs training so far and I can tell you he’s an amazing instructor.

So make sure you attend the next training session.

As a side note, I recommend checking out the district’s calendar frequently (and sharing it with your club members) as we post the most interesting district events, worth attending.

Another material that’s really helpful and I highly recommend reading is the Club Leadership Handbook. Because you are a leader, and you have responsibilities. Again, something I would have paid money for.

If I can help with anything, feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to get back to you as fast as possible. I also encourage you to attend the weekly recurring informal meeting. Each Wednesday, the morning session starts from 7 AM to 8 AM and the evening session, is from 7 PM to 8 PM. This way, if you can’t make it in the morning, try to come in the evening.

These are informal meetings, where we can discuss, debate and come up with solutions and strategies to better promote our organization, our district, our areas and, where all the magic happens, at our clubs. Sign up for these meetings here.

Because at the end of the day, we want to grow our clubs. And your role is essential in doing that.