Toast, Toast, Master

Hello!

Since I've attended three Toastmasters meetings as an official guest, I now have to pay to play. You get three official visits as an individual to a Toastmaster group before you have to officially join.

From winning two 'Table Topic' sessions I was uncertain whether I needed to do this, riding a high of confidence following my previous sessions was I already a competent speaker? Potentially. However I need to understand how to speak better in public and slay my nervousness.

So, I've decided to officially join the Toastmasters group and work through their course to become a competent communicator. One day that ribbon will be mine!

 

So what lies ahead for me when I embark on this Toastmaster journey?

'Toastmasters International's Competent Communication contains 10 speech projects each focusing on a specific area, such as organizing your speech and using body language. An evaluator offers feedback on each of your speeches, helping you to improve. Earn a Competent Communicator award by completing all the speech projects in Competent Communication.'

http://www.toastmasters.org/en/Shop/Education/Manuals/communication-track/Competent%20Communication_225.aspx

• Speech 1: The Ice Breaker — The first speech of the Toastmasters program is about introducing yourself to your peers, providing a benchmark for your current skill level, and standing and speaking without falling over.
• Speech 2: Organize Your Speech — Introduces the basic concepts of organizing a speech around a speech outline.
• Speech 3: Get to the Point — Clearly state your speech goal, and make sure that every element of your speech focuses on that goal.
• Speech 4: How to Say It — Examines word choice, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices.
• Speech 5: Your Body Speaks — Shows how to complement words with posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
• Speech 6: Vocal Variety — Guides you to add life to your voice with variations in pitch, pace, power, and pauses.
• Speech 7: Research Your Topic — Addresses the importance of backing up your arguments with evidence, and touches on the types of evidence to use.
• Speech 8: Get Comfortable With Visual Aids — Examines the use of slides, transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards, or props.
• Speech 9: Persuade With Power — Discusses audience analysis and the different forms of persuasion available to a speaker.
• Speech 10: Inspire Your Audience — The last of ten speeches, this project challenges the speaker to draw all their skills together to deliver a powerful inspirational message.

http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/toastmasters-speech-0-competent-communicator/

10 speeches, each interesting, challenging and terrifying.

 

Wish me luck!

AT