TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL (TI)

Learning to Speak Effectively

Can you imagine that the greatest fear in the world ranked by the vast majority of people is the fear of speaking in public?

Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered non-profit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide to promote communication, public speaking, and leadership (From Wikipedia).

One of the major challenges I faced joining Toastmasters was learning how to speak effectively in public and individually to gain self-esteem and self-worth. This was a life-changing journey for me. I learned to develop good written communication skills through many years of school but was very withdrawn and unable to speak. I would never talk in class when asked questions. When asked a question in class, I would always shy away and reply with the answer, “I don’t know” because of fear of giving the wrong answer and to avoid being laughed at. Of course, I ended up being laughed at with that answer.

I did not speak in class throughout elementary school and high school. It was a disaster for me when I got into my first year of university because I was often forced to speak in front of my professors and classmates.

I started my speaking journey by taking eight sessions in a Dale Carnegie course and then mentoring five students to assist them in their speaking skills. At the end of my experience with Dale Carnegie, I felt I needed more to develop my self-esteem and self-worth and learn how to speak.

In 1995, I joined Toastmasters International (TI) because I was planning to get my Bachelor of Education degree.

To get my Bachelor of Education degree meant that I would have to do presentations at university. I was also required to do a practicum in front of a classroom with approximately 30 students. I graduated with my Bachelor of Education degree in June 2002. At first, I felt that I would never be able to achieve this goal. I was too afraid, especially speaking in my class in front of my classmates. My speech was inaudible because my lips trembled so much and I shook from head to toe! How, then, would I be able to speak in front of a class full of students when my mouth quivered and my lips trembled? In university, a fellow student standing behind me wanted to hold me by my hips to help me from shaking so much. At Toastmasters, even though you don’t lose the initial fear of speaking, you learn what is called making your butterflies “fly in formation”.

I began taking Toastmasters while living in Vernon, BC. Toastmasters allowed me to progress slowly. At first, I was allowed to join as an observer and just observe. I did not have to participate if I didn’t want. Once I joined, I participated in minor roles to get me started such as Grammarian, Timer, Quizmaster, Jokemaster, Inspirator, and Closing Thought before moving on to 2-minute “thinking on your feet” speeches and finally 5 to 7-minute speeches.

All roles are important in Toastmasters. The Grammarian keeps track and reports back all the speakers’ catchwords used such as “um’s”, “ah’s, or “so’s”. For fun, the speaker is charged a minimal fine for using these types of catchwords. The Grammarian also chooses the '“word of the day” and if a Toastmaster member uses this word throughout the evening, their fine is deducted. Any money collected here was for the pizza fund although we never really collected enough to get pizzas.

The Timer’s role was to assist the Chair by helping the meeting start and end on time.

The Quizmaster's purpose was to test his/her listening skills and question the members to test their listening skills. In other words, it is not only important to speak in the group but it is equally important to listen. When members answered a question correctly, they were rewarded with candy. This adds to the fun of the evening.  

We all like to laugh during the meeting. The role of the Jokemaster is to provide a joke with a punch line that sends the whole group off laughing.

As a Toastmaster member gains more experience with speaking with the group, other opportunities are available such as being Chair of the meeting, Chair of the Business meeting, Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, Evaluator, and General Evaluator. Generally, the clubs meet once a week for 1 to 2 hours.

Table Topics Master is a fun and challenging part of the meeting. This is when a member could be called to “think on their feet”. The Table Topics Master develops questions, then asks a member to address this question without prior notice.

My move to the lower mainland disrupted my attendance as a Toastmasters member but I found a new club to join. I was with this club for several years and became a Competent Toastmaster Speaker but a serious accident disrupted me from attending for several years. I survived a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and several injuries from the head down. Since rejoining Toastmasters, I plan to continue practicing my 2-minute Table Topics speeches and move forward to 5 to 7-minute speeches.

Because I joined Dale Carnegie and Toastmasters International (TI), I could return to university, do my required presentations, and complete my Bachelor of Education degree with a very successful practicum. This was a fun year to be in the education program because the curriculum changed. Instead of just teaching subjects individually such as Math, English, Language Arts, Science, Social Science, and Music etc., you were required to creatively integrate topics such as Math with Science and Language Arts with Social Science, etc. This integration of topics made learning the topics more interesting for the students. The students were engaged in learning and I was engaged in teaching. My practicum Supervisor wrote on my final report, “I enjoyed working with you, Anita. Best of luck on what I’m sure will be a successful and rewarding career.” ~ Barrie Irvine, Grade 3/4 Lesson, May 13, 1999.

After graduating, I did presentations, and speeches. I participated in Radio Talk Shows, Podcasts, and presented challenging topics on Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention. I told my own story as an abused child. In addition, I wrote a creative story, a true story, my story written metaphorically and inspirationally about child abuse called, “Anastasia and The Ghostly Owl (The Choice Was Hers!)”. I wrote a second book, called, “Anastasia and The Ghostly Owl (The Sequel)” which is available in my newsletter called, “The Ghostly Owl” for a $5.00 monthly Subscription.