| Most people would rather die
than give a speech, according to a survey reported in The Book of Lists.
Fear of public speaking outranked the fear of death by a two-to-one margin! Unrealistic as this may seem, the fact remains that
while many people lack the training and stamina to effectively deliver a clear thought,
today's fast-paced, technological world is in desperate need of good communicators and
leaders. The person with strong communication skills has a clear advantage over
tongue-tied colleagues - especially in a competitive job mark.
Toastmasters International, a nonprofit
educational organization, has been working for more than 70 years to provide for this need
and help people conquer their pre-speech jitters. From one club started at the YMCA in
Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters has grown to become the world's largest organization
devoted to developing people's public and interpersonal communication skills.
Since that first club was organized by Dr.
Ralph C. Smedley in October 1924, nearly three million men and women have enjoyed the
benefits of Toastmasters membership. The organization now has more than 170,000 members in
8,300 Toastmasters clubs in 69 countries.
How Does it Work?
A Toastmasters club is a
"learn-by-doing" workshop in which men and women hone their skills in a
comfortable, friendly atmosphere. A typical club has 20 to 40 members, who meet weekly or
biweekly to learn and practice public speaking techniques. The average club meeting lasts
approximately one hour.
Upon joining a Toastmasters club, members
progress through a series of 10 speaking assignments designed to instill a basic
foundation in public speaking. |
When
finished with the basic speech manual, members can select from among 14 advanced programs
that are geared to specific career needs. They are: Public Relations, Specialty
Speeches, The Entertaining Speaker, Speaking to Inform, The Discussion Leader, Speeches by
Management, The Professional Speaker, The Professional Salesperson, Technique
Presentations, Communicating on Television, Storytelling, Interpretive Reading, Interpersonal
Communication, and Special Occasion Speeches. Members also have the
opportunity to develop and practice leadership skills by working in the High
Performance Leadership Program. There
is no instructor in a Toastmasters club. Instead, members evaluate one another's oral
presentations. This evaluation process is an integral component of the overall education
program. Besides taking turns delivering prepared speeches and evaluating those of other
members, Toastmasters give impromptu talks on assigned topics, usually related to current
events. They also develop listening skills, conduct meetings, learn parliamentary
procedure, and gain leadership experience by serving as club officers.
The effectiveness of this simple learning
formula is evidenced by the thousands of corporations that sponsor in-house Toastmasters
clubs. These clubs serve as communication training workshops for employees. Every year,
more and more business and government organizations are discovering that Toastmasters is
the most effective, cost-efficient means of satisfying their communication training needs.
Toastmasters clubs can be found in the U.
S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as in a variety of community
organizations, prisons, universities, hospitals, military bases and churches.
Contact Brenda Blackmon for more
information. |
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