What is Toastmasters?

Toastmasters…. Toastmasters….What is Toastmasters?

Is it a bunch of guys in padded shirts and suits standing around pontificating about people? Is it a secret society where everyone peeps from side to side before giving the secret handshake? Is it a cooking class where everyone brings their bread maker and makes the latest recipe and then toasts it to see how it tastes? Or is it a bunch of guys drinking in a bar? – “Here’s Joe, what a schmoe, so grab your beer, let’s cheer Joe up.”

Toastmasters is an international nonprofit organization designed to help people become more confident in public speaking.

Why would anyone want to go to Toastmasters? What are you doing there? What kinds of things do you learn? Do you have to talk all the time? Why would I go? I am afraid to go there. What if someone asks me to get up and speak? I can’t do that, what would I say?

The most common reason given for joining Toastmasters is to overcome shyness, stage fright, or fear of public speaking. Some members have said that they couldn’t walk into a room without worrying about talking to people.

There are many courses designed to help people develop their speaking skills. Most of which cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and may require you to travel long distances to the training site. The cost of Toastmasters is less than $100. per year and training takes place in a supportive environment at local club meetings.

Individuals progress at their own pace through a professionally prepared program. There are manuals that offer a step-by-step approach to speech organization and delivery, covering topics such as: speaking truthfully, organizing your speech, vocal variety, working with words, and using props to add impact.

Did you know that success in your occupation is directly related to how well you can speak? Research shows that people who can express themselves effectively advance further and faster in their careers than those who have difficulty speaking. Toastmasters provides the tools you can use to improve your performance in a variety of situations.

Club meetings include opportunities to practice spontaneous thinking and speaking with an activity known as tabletop topics. It’s fun and the participants are often very creative in their responses to your topic. But Toastmasters isn’t just about talking. It’s also about listening.

At the end of each meeting, the person designated as the Quiz Master questions the group about things that have been said during the meeting. As an “Ah” counter, she’ll hear filler words like um, and, er, or long pauses during a speech. The evaluator listens carefully to the strengths and weaknesses of the speeches or the meeting. Listening is a big part of Toastmasters.

Observe also plays apart in Toastmasters. If you are not the person speaking, you have the opportunity to observe how a speech is delivered, how props can be used, or the effective use of gestures. You can observe the reaction of the audience to the speaker and the connection between them. All of these observations will help you when it’s time to give your first speech.

Toastmasters membership offers:

* Unlimited opportunities for personal and occupational advancement based on enhanced skills and expanded experience.

* Experience in leadership development through training and club involvement.

* Increased confidence, the ability to organize thoughts logically and present with self-confidence,

* The opportunity to develop a better understanding of human relationships.

* Opportunity to help others develop their communication and leadership skills as you develop your own

* The opportunity to share your Toastmasters experience by telling others about the program and inviting them to join.

In the last few years I’ve heard a lot about Toastmasters. I went to the website to check it out and contacted the local club. I decided it was something I had to do. Recognizing that learning is risk, I joined and immediately began my first speech: my icebreaker. My goal was to achieve my CTM – Competent Toastmaster within a year and I made my final speech in June 2003. Although I had experience presenting in workshops, giving a speech was a daunting task for me.

I was able to get ahead with the support and encouragement of my mentor and the other members of the Pembroke Club. They listened as he spoke and made suggestions on how to improve not only what he was saying, but also how he was saying it. I gained confidence with each speech. Acknowledging how much I have benefited over the past year, I can only wonder what my life would have been like if I had started sooner.

I’d like to leave you with this thought…”If you want to grow and achieve…feel confident in public communication or leadership roles…interact with others who have the same goals – Toastmasters is your answer.