We recite the Four-Way Test at every meeting. But how many of us know where those 24 words came from?

On September 23, I spent five minutes telling the Rotary Club of Newnan the story of Herbert J. Taylor, a Chicago businessman who wrote four questions in 1932 to steer a company facing bankruptcy. It was one of our learning moments, and the district has asked us to share how they work so other clubs can try them.

I’m the club’s Learning Facilitator. About once a month, at the start of a meeting and before the program speaker, I take five minutes to teach one thing every member can use. Afterward, our Public Image Chair, Nick Ramey, turns the session into a module on our Learning Hub, so anyone who missed it can catch up or come back to it later.

What We’ve Covered

We started on July 29 with a tour of our club website, including how to put club events on your own calendar. September brought the Four-Way Test. On October 14 it was “Why Do We Do That? The Bell, the Wheel, and the Pin”: why the president rings a bell, and why your pin does the most good when you wear it away from Rotary.

Next up are Rotary’s Areas of Focus on November 4 and how to find another Rotary club when you travel on December 2. In the new year we’ll look at how our club, district, zone, and Rotary International fit together (January 13), the Rotary Learning Center (February 3), and Rotary Youth Services (March 3).

How It Works

• Plan the year. I set the topics and dates up front.
• Tell the president. Our president gets the dates, so each session has its place on the agenda.
• Go first. The learning moment comes at the beginning of the meeting, ahead of the program.
• Keep it short. Stick to one topic and five minutes. Make it easy for a new member to follow and still useful to a longtime one.
• Post it afterward. Each session goes on the Learning Hub, along with the upcoming topics and their dates.
• Take requests. Members tell me what they’d like someone to walk them through.

Start One in Your Club

There are hundreds of topics, so be creative. I think about ten areas: Rotary knowledge, organizational awareness, membership, personal development, Rotary programs, Foundation education, communication skills, Rotary connections, leadership development, and global impact. The free courses in the Rotary Learning Center on My Rotary are a good source of material.

A page on your club website is all it takes to share the sessions: a short welcome, then a card for each session after it’s presented. Our Hub went live on July 30, 2026, with one module, and it has grown one session at a time.

Club Learning Facilitator is one of the club officer roles in My Rotary. If your club has one, this gives them a regular spot on the agenda. If not, it’s a good reason to name one.

Our Learning Hub is open to anyone at newnan-rotary-learning.netlify.app, so borrow whatever helps. For our one-sheet with the steps, our topic list, and a look at the Hub’s layout, write to rotaryclubofnewnan@gmail.com.

— Kevin Barbee, Club Learning Facilitator, Rotary Club of Newnan