8 Reasons Why I Love Toastmasters
I’ve been a Toastmaster for a little over three years. For the first two and a half years, I didn’t take it as seriously and I procrastinated…A LOT! Why? Because public speaking can be a daunting task. It’s one of those things that is a MUST in any career and the longer you try to ignore it (or fear it), the worst it becomes. Public speaking is like a muscle, the more you do it, the stronger and better you become!
Toastmasters is a non-profit organization that specializes in strengthening public speaking and leadership skills. There are over 15,900 clubs around the world and several clubs right here in Columbus, Ohio. I’ve been a member of two different clubs and both were different in every way. My first club was not a good fit for me. Maybe because I was the youngest person in our group and my former group members were either just a few years shy of retiring or retired. I guess the stigma associated with the millennial generation caused some of the members to view me in a certain light and sadly, my time was cut short.
When I joined my current club, I knew it was a great fit! We have a very diverse group of individuals at various stages in their careers and Toastmastery. Although, it’s a small group, we still have the opportunity to grow as proficient speakers and leaders. And not to forget, we laugh and have FUN too!! I want to share with you why I love Toastmasters and hopefully inspire you to join a club near you!
1. Well-structured Meetings
Each club is structured differently. Our meetings are usually structured with two members presenting prepared speeches from either the Competent Communicator Manual or Advance manuals. The prepared speeches are followed by Table Topics, where someone presents a question and members and guests can volunteer to deliver a one to two minute impromptu answer. Then, we have assigned evaluators give evaluations to those who gave speeches at the beginning of meeting.
Those who aren’t giving speeches still have an opportunity to fill several roles at the meeting such as: Toastmaster of the Day, Grammarian, Timer and Evaluator (as mentioned before). The Toastmaster of the Day leads the meetings and makes sure we stay on task for each meeting. The Grammarian counts the usage of filler words such as “Ah,” “Um,” “You know,” and “So.” The Timer monitors the time of the prepared and table topics speeches and makes sure people stay within the allotted time.
2. The Program is Self-paced
After becoming a member, you receive two manuals a Competent Communicator manual and Competent Leader manual. In the CC manual, there are 10 speeches you have to complete before receiving your CC award. The manual is also what your evaluator will use to document and critique your speech. Each speech has a different area of focus. The first speech is the Icebreaker speech which is a speech introducing who you are to the club. The speech and the ones to follow can be on any topic you desire! There’s a member in our club who did his speech on his obsession with Star Wars. The Leadership manual includes the various roles you perform during a club meeting. A fellow member evaluates your performance within a role using the Leadership manual. I am currently on speech 9 in the CC manual. It’s been a long road, but I’m looking forward to finishing it this summer. After completing the manual, I will move on to completing other speeches in the Advance manuals.
3. Helpful Constructive Feedback
Delivering constructive feedback is not always easy, but in Toastmasters we welcome feedback from our members. The evaluation sheets in the manuals gives a baseline on providing constructive feedback. Receiving constructive criticism is nothing to fear, in fact, it’s helpful with improving your next speech.
4. Opportunities to Lead
Each club has officer roles held by members. Officer roles include: President, VP of Public Relations, VP of Membership, VP of Education, Sergeant of Arms, Secretary and Treasurer. I served as VP of Public Relations for the last two years and I enjoyed informing people of our club. I will be assuming my new role as President this July! My plan is to make our Toastmasters group GREAT again! But what I really mean by great is GREATER! :-)
5. Excellent Networking Benefits
It’s like being part of a secret society! I recently met a photographer whom I admire and found out he was part of Toastmasters. It was interesting talking about our journey with getting through the CC manual. With 345,000 members around the world, it’s pretty cool to know that your next important contact, could be a fellow Toastmaster.
6. Growth in Career
Never underestimate the power that public speaking can have on your career. More people will get to know you as an expert when you become a proficient public speaker. And you just never know when you’ll be asked to get in front of a group at the last minute. At least with Toastmasters, you’ll be prepared!
7. Recruiting Non-Members
I love the idea of recruiting non-members. It gives me a lot of joy to know that they are on a great path to self-discovery and personal fulfillment! Public speaking is a scary thing to do and when I’m able to recruit new members and get them excited about being part of the club, then part of my job is done! The next part is RETAINING them. Unfortunately, clubs like Toastmasters are a revolving door when it comes to members. Life gets in the way or people lose interest and drop. This is to be expected, but the goal is to always make sure Toastmasters is a positive experience.
8. Each Club has its Own Personality
I attended a few clubs before officially signing up and learned that each club has its own personality. Some are more competitive while others take a more laid back approach. I say if you are a more competitive person than find a club that will match you personality. You are not obligated to join after attending one meeting. Although, some clubs do try to push you because they are trying to meet club goals for the year. Our club does not force individuals to join. We want non-members to join by their own free will.
I hope you enjoyed my insight on Toastmasters. If you are interested in learning more or to find a club near you, please check out toastmasters.org. You can also reach out to me by email at contact@tiffanystacey.com. Thanks for reading! Happy Speech Making!
IG: tiffyphotog
Twitter: tiffyphotog
Facebook: Tiffany Stacey Photography & Video
Website: tiffanystacey.com
