“We
learn best in moments of enjoyment.” Ralph Smedley, founder of
Toastmasters.
We go beyond the normal routine of practice and
learning - we have laughs, fun and friendship.
Each
meeting has an agenda, organised by the 'Toastmaster'
of the day. Some meetings are quite different from others,
especially
if there is a competition or special theme.
The meetings will
consist of the following people:
- Sergeant at Arms (sets up the meeting
room)
- the Toastmaster (runs the meeting,
introduces the speakers of each section)
- Speakers
(formal speeches from the
club manuals - see below)
- Evaluators
(give an evaluation of all
the speakers)
- Table Topics Master (there
the audience
is randomly asked to do sort, unprepared speeches -
usually quite
fun)
- the Timer (helps keep speeches
within
time and the meeting on time)
- and a few other
roles
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Club Manuals give
the guidelines and ideas for the speeches.
When someone begins Toastmasters, they begin with the 'Competent
Communicator
Manual'. This manual gives the
speaker a list of themes, ten
in total.
Each speech sets progressive challenges for speakers.
- The Icebreaker - introducing yourself,
the beginner, to the club
- Organise your
Speech - sort your speech
into logical thoughts
- Get to the Point -
learn to speak with
sincerity
- How to Say It - getting rid of
the
jargon, targeting the audience
- Your Body
Speaks
- using body movements and gestures
- Vocal
Variety - controlling your volume
and pitch
- Research your Topic -
collecting and
presenting information from various sources
- Get
Comfortable with Visual Aids - using props
effectively
- Persuade with Power
- get the audience to see your point of view
- Inspire
your Audience - your most important
speech so far
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The other main manual is the 'Competent Leader' manual. This is
the other parallel track in learning,
but it doesn't
involve speeches as such. It guides you
through a leadership course which involves
criteria such as running meetings,
evaluating, running
contests, and contributing
to the club in almost every other area. It's a true course
that is
developed for the leader in you.
Once you've done
these first Competent Communicator speeches, you start the
advanced manuals,
and
the fun continues!
The advanced manuals have specialised topics such as:
- The Entertaining
Speaker
- Speaking to Inform
- Technical
Presentations
- Storytelling
- Public Relations and
- The Professional
Salesperson
Each manual has five speeches. You will
never be short of ideas!
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A few key points to note:
- when a speaker is evaluated by someone, it always
consists of recommendations and commendations.
It's always
positive
and is a great learning experience - everyone gets an
evaluated during the meeting, even
the Toastmaster of the day
- the evaluators learn by
fine-tuning their listening
skills and giving constructive criticism
- the audience
learns by experiencing everything that
is happening
