Introduction
Toastmasters International is a global organisation that aims to improve the
public speaking ability of all of its members, which,
by all accounts, reaps many benefits down the road, in one's life. It has been show to improve a speaker's
self-esteem, not to mention
job prospects. Indeed, while there are many Toastmaster chapters around the world, a very sizable
minority are sponsored by companies. There are some famous Toastmasters out there, as well --
Tim Allen,
James Brady, and
Billie Jean King,
to name a few.
I first found out about Toastmasters through my
ex-housemate, who, upon moving to the
DC area, quickly became
gung-ho about this organisation, signing up with not one, or even two, but three Toastmaster clubs in the area. One of her main
objectives was to improve her
English, as she is not a native speaker. This is just one of many things achieved, as she has found
great succcess within the ranks of the organisation. Toastmasters International has helped her immensely -- not to mention millions of others around the world.
The Process
When one first becomes a Toastmaster, s/he has an
initial goal of becoming a (
CTM), or
Competent Toastmaster. This is accomplished by achieving success with the ten speeches discussed in one's
workbook, each of which have a different focus. For example, one topic might focus on speech organisation, another might focus on
humour, another on
persuasive speech, and yet another on
vocabulary. Each of these speeches are "graded" by the speechwriters'
peers, who give
praise and
constructive criticism.
Once a Toastmaster becomes a CTM, s/he can follow one of two tracks, the
Communication Track or the
Leadership Track. Again, giving more speeches, the former track runs through the ranks of Advanced Toastmaster (
ATM) on the bronze, silver and gold levels -- or, on the latter, accomplishes
criteria necessary to achieve Competent Leader (CL), and then Advanced Leader (AL).
Following the accomplishment of one of these tracks, the paths merge once again, whereupon the Toastmaster continues his or her path to success, culminating in the highly-regarded Distinguished Toastmaster (
DTM) title.
The Format
Toastmaster meetings are generally held once or twice a month and generally last anywhere from
30 minutes to an hour or more. Generally, they start with
table topics, whereupon a speaker opens up the meeting with a
brief talk to try and
warm up the crowd. To do so, s/he will segue into open questions, anywhere from three to five times during the speech, asking club members at random to give an
impromptu, thirty-second response, completely
off-the-cuff. This is done to teach members the skill of being able to
think on one's feet.
Following the table topics, the meeting continues, usually having three to four speeches given by various club members. The general focus of a member's speech is dependent on his or her progress, thus far, in the
workbook.
At Toastmaster meetings, generally
everyone has a role, regardless of if they are giving speeches or not. There are several tasks assigned, before a meeting starts, such as
timer,
speech evaluator, "'
uh' counter" (who counts "
uncomfortable silences") , and the
grammarian. At the end of the speeches, each of these members gives their particular report.
Altogether, it is a very
structured organisation, but it's not all
stuffy meetings. There are worldwide speech
competitions as well. While I suppose this may sound as about exciting as
watching grass grow to some, these competitions are fairly heated -- and at least you know you'll be hearing some good speakers.
I was a Toastmaster for about a year. I only gave one speech (my "
icebreaker"), and did not renew my membership because after giving it a year, it simply did not seem like my
cup of tea. However, it has been a great help to many, many others. I'm not about to
discourage anyone from becoming a Toastmaster -- I've seen what it has done for people. If it sounds like something
up your alley, I'd recommend giving it a shot.