Public speaking is a great fear for many. But what do you do if it is a regular part of your work? How do you overcome this fear? Therapy might help if the phobia is strong, or you can try Toastmasters.
Toastmasters is a international organizations aimed at helping you improve your communication and leadership skills. Founded in the basement of the YMCA in 1924 by Robert Smedley, it is there to simply help you become more confident in a room. Originally, Toastmasters started as a way for Smedley to help young men better preside over meetings and improve their public speaking skills. Fast forward 90 years, Toastmasters is the premiere organization for communication and leadership skill practice.
If you read this blog, then we probably don’t have to sell you on the virtues of personal development. Your presence proves that you are aware of its importance. But, what are you doing to consistently practice your skills, particularly in the area where public speaking, communication, and leadership intersect?
I joined Toastmasters officially in 2013, but I was a guest long before joining. I first went to a meeting to see what it was about. What I found was structure, development, and most important, support.
What You Can Expect At A Meeting
1. The Toastmaster
In the early 1900s, “toastmaster” referred to the person who proposed the toast and introduced speakers at a banquet. Though there is no drinking at club meetings, at least not at mine, the Toastmaster’s job is mainly to introduce the next speaker and keep the meeting moving. You could easily substitute “facilitator” for “toastmaster”.
2. Speakers
To get better at public speaking you have to speak. Toastmasters has various ways to do this. You can sign up to give a formal speech, you can participate in impromptu speeches, also known as Table Topics, you can evaluate a formal speech, or you can recall how many times a person said “um” , “ya know”, and other filler words. There are a lot of ways to speak publicly, in both big and small ways.
3. Assigned meeting roles
Meeting roles are assigned ahead of time, so you have ample time to prepare for your job.
4. Structure
Toastmasters is the only meeting I get to on time. Okay not really. It is an expectation that every meeting starts and ends on time. When you join, you get a communication manual and leadership manual. You go through the projects in your manual and each lesson builds on the last.
5. A lot of clapping
My favorite component of Toastmaster is all the clapping. Okay, at first it was weird but then it grew on me. Clapping before you speak. Then more clapping after you speak. It is the club’s way of showing you support. To give the “go get ’em Tiger” you need before you speak and to give you the “way to go” after you nailed it.
6. A lot of learning
When I say “nailed it”, that doesn’t mean you gave the greatest speech ever. You may have bombed completely. But, failing in a room of people who have failed the same way you just did can put you at ease and teach you valuable lessons. Every member is learning and practicing.
How Toastmasters Can Help You Grow
- Experiential learning. You learn to communicate by communicating. You learn to lead by leading. You learn to speak by speaking. You can read every blog, article, and book ever written on those subjects, but until you start practicing, you are short changing yourself.
- Nurturing Environment. Everyone at the meeting is there to improve. It is a great place to take risks and to get feedback.
- Networking. Clubs are always a diverse collection of professions. In my club I am getting to know a grandmother, retiree, law student, an engineer, a landscape designer, a teacher, a mom of twins etc.
- Not just public speaking. I have never been uncomfortable speaking publicly. I joined toastmasters for the structure and discipline of bettering my craft. I also joined for the leadership development opportunities and I also learned to appreciate how a simple thing like starting and ending on time strengthens groups.
- Self Awareness. You don’t know what you don’t know. If you have ever video taped yourself giving a presentation, you know how revealing it is. Try it sometime. Video or audio record a meeting you lead and play it back. You can hear and see all of the ways your communication was ineffective. Maybe your filler word isn’t “um”, but the phrase “you know what I mean” is used in every other sentence. Your executive presence depends on your self-awareness.
Go to Toastmasters.org and find a meeting in your area and guests are always free. Let me know what you think.