Detailed history of the global organisation, Toastmasters International can be found on the international website on this link www.toastmasters.org.
Toastmasters is a community non profit organisation that originated in the States, designed to assist members develop and enhance their communication and leadership skills.
There are many ways Toastmasters can be described. Some may not agree with the following analogy but it could be seen as an organisation that plays as vital a role for anyone who fears public speaking or is frightened of putting themselves forward in social situations as AA is to alcoholics. The similiarities are that
- it provides a systematic tried and proven programme that works
- there are no recognized ‘experts’ lecturing you although certainly there is a sharing of resources
- you are surrounded by other people in the same boat as you, people who likewise fear standing up in public, people who want to develop themselves beyond where they are currently
- all members are committed to assisting each other as well as themselves because they realise that their growth takes off exponentially when they do
- it is a very supportive and friendly environment and no-one is there to judge you … unless you are competing in a competition
While the two organisations may share those features, otherwise they have nothing in common. Toastmasters come from all walks of life, all cross sections of the community. One of the big positives people comment on is the opportunity to mix with people from backgrounds they would not normally meet.
Toastmasters hold regular meetings which have a fairly standard structured format although of course different Club may vary this from time to time.
You will undertake roles that will develop your leadership skills. Below are some examples.
Toastmaster of the Evening
This role is similar to a Master of Ceremonies. As Toastmaster of the Evening, you coordinate and conduct the meeting and act as genial host, including introducing participants. Serving in this role is an excellent way to practice planning, preparation and organisation skills, time management, faciliation, motivation and team-building skills as you strive to make the meeting one of the club’s best.
Ah-Counter
The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note words and sounds used as a “crutch” or “pause filler” by anyone who speaks during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections, such as and, well, but, so, you know. Sounds may be ah, um, er. The Ah-Counter keeps a tally and gives a report at the end of the meeting. This role is an excellent opportunity to practice your listening skills.
Table Topicsmaster
The Toastmasters program has a tradition – every member speaks at a meeting. The Table Topics session is the portion of the meeting that ensures this tradition. The purpose of this activity is to have members “think on their feet” and speak for a minute or so. The Table Topicsmaster prepares and issues the topics; originality is desirable as much as possible. Each speaker may be given an individual subject, or a choice of subjects may be presented from which the members can draw at random. The Topicsmaster provides good practice in such leadership skills as planning, preparation, organisation, time management and facilitation.
Timer
Toastmasters believe in the importance of expressing a thought within a specific time. The timer is the member responsible for keeping track of time. Each segment of the meeting is timed. Being the Timer is an excellent opportunity to practice giving instructions and time management – something we do every day!
Grammarian
Being grammarian is truly an exercise in expanding your listening skills. You have several responsibilities: to introduce new words to members, to comment on the use of English during the course of the meeting, and to provide examples of good grammar and word usage.
Evaluators
One of the most significant features of Toastmasters is their commitment to evaluations. All speeches in Toastmasters are evaluated. Evaluations are intended to motivate the speaker towards greater heights and are designed to include lots of encouragement and acknowledgement of things that worked as well as points for improvement including the ‘how to’ improve.
General Evaluator
This person evaluates everything that has not already been evaluated – for example, the Evaluators, the Toastmaster of the Evening.
Other
Club Speech Contest Chair, Club Special Event Chair, Club Public Relations Campaign Chair, Assistant Club Webmaster.