<p>I’ve noticed some old threads here on this topic, but I wanted to know if Toastmasters could be a good way to nail a particular speech I have been invited to deliver in mid-April, as opposed to, or in addition to developing speaking skills in general. </p>
<p>It’s at a university, part of an annual lecture series, and kind of a big deal. They contacted me based on a book I wrote, and to some extent the speech will be an oral presentation of material in the book–although not a reading per se.</p>
<p>I’ve done some public speaking before, done readings, been interviewed etc., and have had my good days and bad days. This speech, I see as an opportunity to develop gigs and a sideline as a speaker. </p>
<p>There are two Toastmasters in my town. One meets at the local university and meets weekly. It’s open to all. The other meets biweekly. I’m inclined to go to the university one, mainly because it’s weekly. </p>
<p>Any thoughts on evaluating them? I’ll go to both at the start. How about utilizing the experience to prepare a particular speech. (I recognize that seemingly unrelated exercises will help with a speech on a particular topic.)</p>
<p>Have attended a few Toastmasters meetings–two different branches. It’s great that you plan to go to both to find which one better matches you, as each develops its own personality and “culture.” Congrats on taking this step to improve your public speaking and talk about your book! My sister, BIL & niece have all joined a Toastmasters group and have found it boosts their public speaking and self confidence. I have watched them speak at several presentations and watched their skills improve over time.</p>
<p>Toastmasters is a great experience. Its built around a set progression of speeches in what is called the Basic Manual and then you move onto an variety of advanced manual with specificity speeches. </p>
<p>It isnt just an unpaid audience so you might have difficulty in just dropping in, ignoring the project speeches and delivering a work speech and then disappearing from the club. On the other hand we have helped people with plenty of work or “real” speech projects that they were preping so I am sure people would be willing to help. </p>
<p>You should probably pick which ever club has enough open slot to help you get up 3 times between now and April. And you will have to be conscious of the time limits- most members are working professionals so the meetings have to run on time(ish) which means there are time limits on the speeches. You may have to adapt the time limits you are given by the University to the slot that is available in the meeting. </p>
<p>I think you’ll find Toastmasters a worthwhile ongoing experience. Its likely that you will get asked to talk again somewhere so continuing to develop public speaking skills is probably worth the effort.</p>
<p>Can I barge in on this thread to ask some more questions about toastmasters and also Dale Carnegie classes? Can anyone give some feedback on how either of these two organizations might be used to help my shy, graduating ChemE son who has a job waiting for him in a medium-sized city where he knows no one? I think he could really benefit from learning how to be more confident in a public speaking environment (not that he’ll be doing that for his job, but I think it’s a great life skill).</p>
<p>Does anyone have suggestions on how to find a good toastmaster club match. I googled the city and there are 52 different ones :eek:. Are some specific for different employers? Are some age-specific, or at least do they skew to a certain age group? I noticed that many of the clubs say there are ‘entry requirements’, so does that mean previous speaking experience is necessary or are they happy just with a certain level of education?</p>
<p>And along those same lines, should I encourage him to get a jump on things by just doing a Dale Carnegie class when he gets settled in? I am really concerned that his introverted nature will make it very difficult to find friends in a new, big city.</p>
<p>I agree, and it’s one of the reasons I’m interested in Toastmasters, that improving my speaking skills in general ought to help my skills in particular.</p>
<p>Based on your remarks it would also seem to make sense to go to the weekly rather than the bi-weekly group since that may afford more speaking opportunities. The weekly group meet at a university, which might also make sense, since I’ll be speaking in an academic setting.</p>
<p>Both groups do talk about meeting the needs of both beginning to advanced speakers. I consider myself intermediate. I found this on one of the local group’s site: “The Toastmasters Educational Program leads beginning speakers through an initial series of 10 speaking assignments that focus on core elements of public speaking. Experienced speakers can select from 15 advanced manuals geared to specific career goals.”</p>
<p>Part of TM is that they have to have a meeting space- so some clubs meet inside an employers building and are restricted to that businesses employees. </p>
<p>The diversity in clubs comes up because of the meeting spaces and the times they are going to meet. Some people like before work clubs. I liked mid-day. And of course the day of the week varies too. </p>
<p>I dont know from Dale Carnegie but Toastmasters is a good way of meeting people in a new city. One of the usual speeches is “the Icebreaker” so people do get an idea of your history and hobbies, which may be shared interests.</p>