Sunrise Center Toastmasters

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What is Toastmasters?
A. Toastmasters International is a 78-year old non-profit organization dedicated to helping people develop and improve their public speaking skills.

Q. Why would I want to improve my public speaking skills?
A. The ability to speak in public is a critical component to being a leader in any field. All good managers and leaders have the ability to communicate with confidence to groups of people or one-on-one. In addition, people have found that becoming comfortable with speaking to a group makes their day-to-day interactions much more effective and pleasurable, even if they aren't required to speak in public.

Q. How will Toastmasters help improve my speaking skills?
A. Through practice. The meetings are designed so that everyone gets to speak during each meeting. Over time, your apprehensions about public speaking diminish, and your confidence increases. The value of Toastmasters is that you get to practice in front of a group that won't criticize you, even if you're really bad (I know that from experience). Improvement is dramatic with a consistent weekly effort.

Q. What kind of talks are given? What kind of speaking will I do?
A. Every meeting has a several roles that are filled by members. Each one of these roles has some speaking involved - basically giving a short report. Also, each meeting has one or more prepared speech, along with an evaluator for each prepared speaker. Finally, during table topics most remaining attendees are asked to give an impromptu talk for two minutes on a given topic. Impromptu speaking on a topic can be scary, but it's a valuable learning tool. Topics range from technical subjects to humorous; all subjects are fair game.
The Toastmasters workbook, The Communication and Leadership Program, guides you through ten basic speeches. Each one concentrates on a particular aspect of speaking, such as using voice, gestures, or organization in your speech. The topic for each of your speeches is entirely up to you. Subjects that interest you strongly make good speeches.

Q. What kinds of people are in the club?
A. Actually, the group is very diverse. It includes people from all walks of life, including professionals, retired employees, men and women, unemployed individuals, young and old, entrepreneurs, as well as stay-at-home moms. The only common attribute among members is a desire to improve public speaking, and even then the reasons for doing so are different for everybody. Some would like to advance in a career that requires speaking ability, others seem to enjoy speaking, and some just like to improve themselves.

Q. How do I get involved?
A. The first step is to visit a meeting. You can see the group in action, and see for yourself how it works. You may visit as many meetings as you like, and as many different clubs as you like with no obligation or pressure to join the club. Remember, Toastmasters is a non-profit organization. Visitor Information may answer more of your questions.

Q. Will I be asked to speak if I visit a meeting?
A. Guests are asked at the beginning of the meeting if they would like to participate in the meeting's table-topics session, but there is no pressure to participate.

Q.How will I know whether or not I'm improving?
A. Every prepared speech you give will be evaluated by an evaluator, who makes verbal and written suggestions for improvement, and comments about your speech abilities. You may also ask other members for their feedback. Our club mission puts it best: "Our mission as a club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth." So, while criticism is not part of the Toastmasters experience, it still provides an environment that encourages self-improvement.

Q. I'm already a good speaker! What can Toastmasters do for me?
A. If you are a good speaker, Toastmasters can keep you in shape. Good speaking, unfortunately, is not a skill that is learned once and never forgotten (like swimming or bicycling). It takes constant practice to keep your skills current. Joining Toastmasters will also provide you with opportunities to improve upon your existing skills by experimenting with different approaches and practicing impromptu speaking and evaluating.

Q. How is Toastmasters more beneficial than other forms of speaking improvement?
A. High School and College courses in public speaking usually involve the students sitting through dozens of lectures followed by very few speaking opportunities. When the speeches are over, you get a grade. Often, you get a grade on what you did wrong. This is NOT the way to build reassurance and motivation. Then too, you rarely get much of a chance to practice by doing. You get up at the end of the semester, you do your speech, and you sit down. Toastmasters teaches us through constant reinforcement and improvement. You learn by doing, not by sitting there while someone else lectures for hours.