Toastmasters teaches you stuff

I joined Toastmasters in April of this year (2010).  I have had a lot of experience with public speaking and have no issues when talking to groups of people.  But even with my love of public speaking have learnt so much it's almost unreal.

Toastmasters is great because it is a slow process of coaching and improvement.  You get to watch others, listen to the commendations and recommendations and even have a turn yourself.

The safe environment of a club is great.  Others in your club know how it feels and can mirror back to you both your good and not so good speaking habits and traits.  Speeches are generally 5 to 7 minutes so the time is very manageable. 

The first lesson I learned was the professionalism of a meeting.  Every speech is timed, every member has a role or a speaking part and once the clock starts ticking everyone (should) act professionally.

Competitions are very interesting.  There is a huge difference between speaking to give a speech and speaking in a competitive way.  Even for the pro's the butterflies come out at competition time so Toastmasters is a great way to conquer your fears.

In our club we have one lady who has developed from not speaking to anyone at all - all the way through to being somewhat confident and able to stand in front of a group of people.  I totally recommend Toastmasters as a professional development tool.  For both the confident and the not confident alike.

Toastmasters - Growing In Confidence

For quite a few people public speaking is a nightmare and something they try to avoid as much as possible.

For other people (like myself) public speaking provides a real thrill and is exciting.

Which category do you fall into?

Either way - if you are scared by public speaking or exhilarated by it - Toastmasters is a great group to join. You can overcome your fears in a small setting or you can develop your skills and grow your confidence levels to new heights.

If you are new to public speaking or are old hat try these hints -

Plan, plan, plan. Think about what you are going to so. Give your speech structure and flow. Throw in a few jokes along the way as well.

Practise, practise, practise. Practise both in your head and in the mirror. Practise in front of your kids or your pets. Doing this will enable you to memorise what you are going to say so you will have far better recall when standing in front of the people you will be addressing.

Reflect, reflect, reflect. After all is said and done consider how it went. What went well? What didn't go well? What could you have done better?

By following these simple tips you too can become a great orator!

"A good orator is pointed and impassioned." Marcus T. Cicero

Presentations that Work

The ability to present ideas is a skill that can be learnt. There isn't a lot of difference between a good presentation and a killer presentation.

Just observe a few simple rules and you too can improve -

1. Know your content!
2. Get early wins with your audience.
3. Have a laugh! Don't be so serious or nervous
4. Stay on track.
5. Practice.
   

Powerpoint is an excellent tool for producing eye catching graphics and creating slides that people enjoy. This website is a library of excellent powerpoint slide shows - http://www.slideshare.net/.

Some can be downloaded, but the main point is to draw inspiration from other people's work to enable you to be creative also.