Tabling Do’s and Do Not’s

Do’s

Do Not’s

Personally reach out to people walking by your booth:

Don’t hide behind the table; physically and verbally reach out to everyone! Smile and greet people walking by. Ask them if they’re interested in learning more about Circle K to start a conversation with them. This creates a more direct method of contact, especially for more shy people.

Do not be aggressive when approaching people

Do not yell at people passing by your booth to try and get their attention, and do not drag them to the booth. Be respectful and mindful and do not bother people with ear phones in or people that look like they are rushing somewhere. If people are rushing but want information, quickly tell them how long you’ll be out tabling and hand them a flyer, then let them go on their way.

Have personable conversations with people so they remember you

Get to know them and their interests, then suggest events or aspects of Circle K they might enjoy based off their interests. Even if they only like you and aren’t really interested in Circle K at first, that could be enough for them to come out to an event and see if they enjoy Circle K.

Do not immediately launch into your Circle K spiel:

Do not ignore them and their interests and only talk about Circle K. Try not to be repetitive and give everyone the same speech. Make an effort to connect with people and genuinely talk to them about Circle K. When speaking, do not sound dull and monotone.

Hand out flyers outside of your booth

This allows you to expand your outreach among areas that may be far from your booth. Don’t follow people walking away from booths or force flyers on anyone.

Tabling is not a competition:

Do not stand in front of other booths, which will block people from seeing other organizations/clubs and steal people away from them. This is also disrespectful towards other organizations. During down time, create conversation with other clubs – networking never hurts, and small friendly gestures can go a long way.

Make an effort to learn others’ names

This gives them that warm feeling inside and makes them feel special, especially if they decide to check out the meeting. Although it may seem impossible, making the effort is definitely worth a shot in personally connecting with new potential members.

Do not treat everyone as just a prospective member

Remember that everyone is a person! Try to get to know them, and if you’re not vibing with them (which can happen), try introducing them to another member at the table who shares interests with them or may vibe with them better!

Inform them about Circle K

Ask them if they have ever heard of CKI before; if not, give them a brief run-down of the organization (relatively 30 sec elevator pitch). However, avoid giving the full elevator speech in the first run-through unless they seem genuinely interested in knowing more.

Do not overwhelm them with too much information about Circle K

Explain Circle K through sharing your own experiences – make it more personal and relatable. Try to introduce our three core tenets. Avoid using too many acronyms (DSI, DCON, DFI, etc).

Be enthusiastic and confident

People gravitate towards those who are happy, so be sure to smile! If you can, practice your elevator speech or have a general guideline of what you want to say to people. Remember that you are the image of Circle K while tabling, so always be courteous and professional.

Do not be too spirited

Don’t yell or do cheers to attract people; it can scare people away. However, it’s important to be confident! If you believe what you’re saying, others will too, so it’s important to practice your speech and know what you want to say to avoid too many filler words or not knowing what to say.

Wear CKI shirts

Whether it’s your club shirt or past district event shirt, what you wear can promote your organization and help start up a conversation.

Circle K is neither the same as nor a “better version” of Key Club

For those who had a bad experience in or perception of Key Club, this will not make them excited to join. Mention or explain that Circle K is part of the Kiwanis Family, but it’s a whole new world and a different experience.