SPEAK TO A GROUP — WHO, ME?

Build your confidence with Toastmasters

For many people, the mouth goes dry and the palms sweat just thinking about speaking in front of a group, even a small one. Others are at ease at a podium.

Whether you’ve got butterflies in the stomach or a knack for inspiring others with words, Toastmasters International can be a great resource for you.

Many business leaders recommend it to their employees, and for good reason —Toastmasters is widely accessible, inexpensive, challenging and fun. It can help you run small group meetings, network better at trade shows and, in general, present yourself with more confidence and finesse.

Begun in the basement of a California YMCA in 1924, Toastmasters International is now a 200,000-member organization with more than 10,500 clubs in 90 countries.It includes clubs in most major towns throughout the United States and beyond — larger cities often have multiple clubs, most open to anyone. Members pay modest dues to the local and international clubs.

As a Toastmasters member, you work through the basic Communication & Leadership Program, which includes 10 speech projects that teach and build various speaking and presentation skills. Once that program is completed, you can apply to become a Competent Communicator, or CC. From there, you may choose to go on to further training as a communicator, leader or both.

Club Meetings

In most cases, you can just visit a local club meeting unannounced. You’ll find regular people there — people of all ages, occupations, speaking skills and confidence levels — people just like you. Clubs typically have 20 to 30 members and meet weekly for about an hour.

You learn and grow by participating in various roles during the meetings. You might be a speaker, a time keeper, an evaluator or the Toastmaster, who leads the meeting. You might lead Table Topics, in which you’d ask people to address a question or topic of your choice, “off the cuff,” for a minute or so (or someone might call on you to do the same). It can be a little scary at first, but Toastmasters’
positive environment of humor and encouragement eases the anxiety and makes
the effort fun.

Benefits

You’ll reap plenty of benefits from Toastmasters — you’ll learn to overcome anxiety, gain confidence and master multiple organizational, verbal and nonverbal skills that will make you a better speaker. You’ll also meet new people and learn something new from every speech you have the opportunity to hear. And if you choose to go on to the higher levels of the program — even as high as the prestigious DTM, or Distinguished Toastmaster designation, you can learn a multitude of leadership skills.

Speak to a group — who, you? Yes, you can do it!

This article was written by Dawn Ronco, who is a member of High Noon Toastmasters.

There are approximately 40 Toastmaster Clubs in the Triangle Area! Find one that is convenient to you by going to www.toastmasters.org.

Steven Rosenberg, the owner of MarketPlace-Mail.com, is affiliated with 2 Raleigh Toastmasters clubs -- High Noon and Talkmasters.

The names "Toastmasters International", "Toastmasters", and the Toastmasters International emblem are trademarks protected in the United States, Canada, and other countries where Toastmasters clubs exist. Unauthorized use is prohibited.