"Confidence Through Communication"
Capital Toastmasters, Concord, New Hampshire
Why do people join Toastmasters?
People join Toastmasters to:
· Practice public speaking and enhance their presentation skill
· Develop the skills to persuade and convince others
· Learn to put their ideas across clearly and with conviction
· Improve their self-confidence before a group of people
· Learn to think quickly and clearly under pressure
· Learn to listen effectively and critically
· Learn to supportively evaluate someone else's presentation
· Train to become a good leader
What specifically will you learn to do as a Toastmaster?
· How to give an impromptu speech
· How to give a prepared speech
· How to evaluate what you hear
· How to introduce speakers
· How to be a more effective leader of people
· How to Chair and run meetings
How do you learn these skills?
When you join a Toastmasters Club you receive a complete training kit covering all aspects of speaking and evaluation. This kit includes both a Communication manual and a Leadership manual. These manuals reflect the years of experience Toastmasters has in helping people just like you. They take you step by step through the art of making and evaluating speeches and developing leadership skills.
In particular you learn by doing with your efforts evaluated by your fellow Club members. You will be gradually introduced to the various roles within a Toastmasters meeting. Gaining proficiency in these helps build up your skills.
TEN WAYS THAT TOASTMASTERS CAN DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS:
1. Develop valuable communication skills
Employers value, seek out, hire, and promote people who communicate effectively. Customers are also drawn to good communicators.
Here’s what business guru Tom Peters had to say:
Join Toastmasters. Oral communication skills count enormously. A lot of managers aren’t bad at public speaking. But aren’t bad” ain’t good enough, not if you’re wise – and especially these days when jawing with the same old gang from year to year is becoming rare. Height and hair color may be in the genes. Public speaking isn’t. It’s a skill that can be studied, polished, more or less perfected. (Toastmasters) does a fabulous job of helping people shape up their communication skills.
(Tom Peters, The Pursuit of WOW, 1994)
2. Develop valuable leadership skills
As a toastmaster, you have an opportunity to take advantage of a range of leadership opportunities. You can do so within the club from week to week (e.g. Chair, Toastmaster, and General Evaluator).
You’ll also have the opportunity to move beyond the club and exercise leadership in the broader Toastmasters Community: e.g. Area, Division, and District.
3. Develop valuable teamwork skills
Teamwork skills are extremely important. In Toastmasters, you’ll learn how to do this and other aspects of team building.
· How do you pull a team together to implement a vision?
· How do you inspire and motivate people to achieve a collective goal?
4. Develop listening and interpersonal skills
· A good Toastmaster is a good listener. He or she learns to be sensitive to an
· As a TM Evaluator, you also learn to be tactful in conveying feedback to others.
5. Form great contacts . . . and some new friends!
Through Toastmasters, you will have a chance to meet people from various walks of life – people you probably wouldn’t have had the chance to meet otherwise. Some long-lasting friendships have originated at Toastmasters!
6. Develop and grow as a speaker
· Ever had a ‘peak’ speaking experience?
· Ever really ‘connected’ with an audience? Find out what’s it is like!
7. Gain valuable feedback on yourself
· It is not easy to gain an understanding of how we come across to others
· In Toastmasters we will help you become more aware of how others perceive you.
8. Think through issues – and a captive audience to get things off your chest!
The act of preparing a speech is a wonderful way to focus the mind.
What better way to vent your spleen or share your passion about something than having regular forum for sharing it with others!
9. Feel better about yourself – and you’ll be making a difference to those around you
· Toastmasters does wonders for our self-confidence and our self-esteem.
· You will come to appreciate yourself more, to have greater confidence in yourself.
· Those around you will begin to look to you as a mentor and a leader.
10. Take advantage of these opportunities week-in-and-week-out – at a fraction of the cost of other forms of communications skills training!
Capital Toastmasters Club
Casey Family Services
11 South Main Street, Suite 201, Concord, NH 03301
Monday Evenings from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm *
Free parking in the Capital Commons Parking Garage after 5:00pm, drive to the top floor,
entrance door to Casey Family Services
*Note - in the summer we will have reduced hours and will be meeting from 6:30-7:30 pm
