Responses collected were given by Top 3 leaders during Mid-Year Training at the Ontario Marriott Hotel on Saturday January 17, 2004 during a session conducted by Alfred Herzing, DTM, PIP

1. Open House meetings need to be well organized.
2. Should have the involvement in organizing the meeting of some non-Toastmasters in the prospect organization, as well as experienced Toastmasters within the prospective group (if available).
3. There should be at least 30 prospective new members or guests at the meeting.
4. An abundance of Toastmasters promotional materials should be present at the meeting – including back issues of Toastmasters Magazine, District and/or Club newsletters, and brochures from Toastmasters International.
5. Have a printed agenda for the meeting.
6. If possible have some food at the meeting.
7. State the objectives of Toastmasters at the beginning of the meeting.
8. Have enthusiastic Toastmasters as meeting participants!
9. Involve guests by explaining the meeting roles, as each role comes into play.
10. Explain aspects of the meeting and the Toastmasters program in simple terms.
11. Keep the meeting roles basic – it’s not necessary to have every meeting role that would normally be a part of a regular club meeting, just the key roles (Toastmaster, Speaker, Table Topics Master, Timer, Evaluator, and General Evaluator).
12. The Open House team should be composed of people who are as similar in background as possible to the prospective members within the organization – strive for “Open House graphic” compatibility.
13. Have a mix of new and experienced Toastmasters as part of the Open House Team – this will give prospective members a glimpse of what is possible for them to achieve (via the experienced speaker) but not intimidate them by presenting only an example they feel may not be realistic for them to emulate (this by having a relatively less experienced speaker on the team).
14. Have Club Coaches, Area and Division Governors present at the Open House meeting if possible.
15. Know as much as possible about the audience and its composition (are they P.R. people? Administrative? Technical? Marketing? – etc.)
16. Good subject for a speech at a Open House meeting is one that promotes Toastmasters, and explains the benefits of membership.
17. Select appropriate roles for your team members at the meeting.
18. Don’t have difficult Table Topics – use them to Open House demonstrate the possibilities of extemporaneous self-expression, not as a “test” of arcane or specialized knowledge or as a way to “stump” prospective members with “off-the-wall” questions.
19. Allow enough time (at least 10-15 minutes) for a Question-and-Answer session after the main portion of the meeting.  Take 45 minutes or less for the standard meeting so that that additional time will be available.
20. Check into the possibility of doing a one-person Open House, or one using a two to three person team.  This can be effective by having the team members explicate, in an abbreviated fashion, the function of the meeting roles and the structure of a club meeting.
21. It may be advantageous to have any members of the District Top 3 who are present at the meeting to stay in the background until later in the meeting.
22. Even if more than one speech at the meeting is presented, it is best to have just one evaluation – but it should be a good one and not a “whitewash”, emphasizing both positives and areas of possible improvement.
23. While having 30 or more prospective members present at the Open House is desirable, go ahead and start the meeting even if less than 20 are in attendance.
24. If possible make the Open House meeting location and time consistent for future meetings, and commit the group to scheduling those follow-up meetings.
25. Promote expedited club formation via sponsors and mentors.
26. If at all possible, get a commitment as soon as possible, even at the first Open House meeting, from prospective members to join, and to write checks for their new membership fee (or at least sign a list pledging to join).