Toastmasters International is an eminent global organization that supports leadership, public speaking and professionalism. The organization was first founded at Santa Ana, California in October 1924 and since then, Toastmasters has served about two million people through the broad range of communication and leadership programs that it offers.
Being one of the students pursuing “Communications Management,” I had the rare opportunity of visiting one of the local chapters in Halifax, Nova Scotia called the Sears-Halifax Toastmasters Club. The following is a review of what I experienced on my visit to the abovementioned club.
Unlike other clubs, whereby being a visitor for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience, being a first-time visitor at Toastmasters Club is an exciting experience. When visitors arrive at the club’s gate, the club’s secretary meets them with a warm smile and a hearty handshake.
Welcoming visitors is so important at Toastmasters that it is the first item on the meeting agenda.Following the warm welcome, the secretary asks the guests to fill the visitor’ book, which captures visitor’s basic information such as names, addresses, and how they came to know about the club. Apparently, the club values guests and the case was no different when I arrived. However, at first, I was reluctant to fill the visitor’s book until when the secretary (Karen Caldwell) urged me to do so.
After the excellent reception at the gate, members assemble and introduce themselves to one another. Next, members give quick speeches on current events in a conference called “Table Topics.” Before doing the speeches, members examine newspaper articles and prepare brief speeches depending on subject topics. Common topics for discussion include general politics, national news and world issues. Through giving quick speeches on current events, members heighten their thinking capacities.
Next are the business sessions. The business sessions at Toastmasters International are very lively. In my opinion, this is the most interesting part of the meeting because members take part in debates and follow parliamentary rules. On that day when I visited the organizations, the topic for debate was funding the Sears-Halifax Toastmasters annual Christmas party.
Some members argued that $40 was an adequate amount for making refreshment purchases, while others argued in favor of a higher amount. Eventually, both sides agreed on a maximum of $75 for purchasing the refreshments and they made amendments on the same.
One observation that interested me was the unwavering enforcement of Robert’s rules of order. This was after some new members moved away from the procedure of debate mistakenly. Rather than addressing the chair, they spoke informally to one another. To address the situation, the club used its weekly selected parliamentarian as required by rules of order. The weekly selected parliamentarian was responsible for correcting any uncouth behavior using a positive approach.
Between business sessions, members go for a ten-minute break and then come back for final speeches. Members may decide to make presentations in a freelance way or through curriculum-based lessons. In the course of making presentations, the co-coordinator picks a club member randomly to appraise performance and he presents his opinion at the end of the meeting. On the day I visited, two local club members pursuing their “Distinguished Toastmaster” (DTM) designations were among those making presentations.
The first presenter was a high school teacher who shared his latest teaching experience in Shanghai, China. He was able to present a freelance topic while maintaining the interest of the audience – he used gestures that kept members entertained throughout the seven-allotted minutes.
The second speaker presented one of the curriculum-based lessons as prescribed by the Toastmasters public speaking terms. The subject was “delegating leadership.” I was overwhelmed by how the speaker used real-life illustrations, as well as his prowess in using the visual component (PowerPoint).
A key element that distinguishes Toastmasters from other clubs is how members respond to feedback and criticism. Most clubs do not embrace criticism, unlike Toastmasters club. However, criticism is necessary as it offers constructive feedback. Before the meeting ends, the speech assessor presents his reaction on the two speeches.
The rationale behind analyzing the performance of a speaker is to offer a chance for improvement. Much to their acclaim, the assessor was aware of the feelings of both speakers and gave a positive message of criticism through the “sandwich approach.” However, the assessor reminded the two speakers about the need of keeping time. The first speaker did not surpass the time limit but the second speaker spent 30 seconds more.
Overall, I can openly say that Toastmasters is a club worth investing in. The club has a warm and inviting atmosphere, friendly members, and valuable programs. The club offers programs like public speaking and leadership skills, which are very important to any career-minded individual. Therefore, I plan to visit the Sears-Halifax Toastmasters club during the vacation and may even consider becoming a member of the club. I think that all university students and employers in prospect should plan and visit this organization.