At our recent Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI), our District Photographer, Ed Cullen, took many high resolution professional headshots of hundreds of attendees. Thank you, Ed! If you have attended any of these TLI sessions, you can find your photo in one of these collections: [Jan 11, TLI Central] [Jan 18, TLI South].
Why do you need a professional headshot? How can you improve your Toastmasters photography? Read on!
I knew it was time to update my 8 year old headshot when my colleagues at work told me that I didn’t look anything like my photo. That might be just a little embarrassing in a professional setting, but what about if you were on a first date with someone that looked nothing like their photo? Not a good experience!
We all know body language is critical and great headshots can make the right first impression. These are ideal for your social media profiles such as LinkedIn or Facebook; or your web presence like your club’s Freetoasthost “Meet Our Members” page, blogs & podcasts or your speaker profile page if you are speaking at an event. For example, take a look at the headshot and profile of William Hung, the keynote speaker at our upcoming 2020 Annual Conference on April 25th in San Ramon.
Headshots are ideal for your own branding. However, branding is not limited to individuals. It is important for your club too. The people and events that make your club lively and attractive need to be represented in strategically compiled photographs.
As our Toastmasters contest season begins and our clubs hold more open houses and other fun events, you can learn to apply these tips to take great Toastmasters photos that recognize your members and promote your club.
Kevin Markl
District Director
