More and more in this ‘Information Age’, people feel more at ease communicating by phone or even e-mail. Speaking to small or large groups can be intimidating. According to an American survey reported in the ‘Book of lists’, fear of Public Speaking outranked the fear of death by a two-to-one margin. Unbelievable as it seems, many people do not have the necessary training to deliver an effective presentation.
In 1924, Dr. Ralph Smedley set out to address this problem and set up Toastmasters International. Toastmasters International is one of the leading organizations in the world devoted to the improvement of individual communication and leadership skills. It is a non-profit educational organization with 179,000 members in 8,900 clubs in 70 Countries. Per capita, Ireland has the highest number of clubs in the world.
So how does it work? A Toastmasters club is a ‘Learn-by-doing’ workshop in which you learn to overcome the fears associated with speaking in public in a comfortable, friendly and supportive atmosphere. A typical club would have 20-40 members who usually meet fortnightly. Through active participation, you gradually learn the skills to present yourself and your ideas logically and convincingly. Constructive feedback is at the heart of toastmasters allowing people to learn from experienced members. In addition to learning presentation skills you also learn leadership and management skills. When joining a club, members have opportunities to:
§ Learn and practice techniques of effective public speaking
§ Prepare and deliver formal speeches on topics of your own choosing
§ Give impromptu talks on assigned topics
§ Sharpen listening and evaluation skills
§ Preside as a meeting chairperson
§ Enter speech contests
§ Meet many new people
Engineers Toastmasters were set up almost 30 years ago. It is an open club and anyone can attend. So why not come along to Engineers Toastmaster and experience at first hand what Toastmasters is all about.