In a world of communication, whether it is motivating workers, information dissemination to constituents, collaborating with folks inside and outside our organisations, or getting an employer to hire us, better communication skills is a benefit. We can accomplish a lot if we present our point of view more persuasively.
Worldwide, people are moving in droves to be members of the Toastmasters International, an organisation that enables members to improve communication skills in a safe, encouraging, supportive environment.
Its mission statement says, ‘Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualisation, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.’
‘Toastmasters’ sounds old-fashioned, right? Well, its roots go back to October 1924, when Ralph C. Smedley held the first meeting of what would eventually become Toastmasters International. People are often confused and think it’s about learning how to give toasts at events. A few even think the organisation has something to do with making toast!
A toast to Toastmasters!
“The term ‘toast’ in Toastmasters refers to short speeches made during special occasions, mostly with the purpose of wishing someone happiness, success or simply congratulating them. While it is easy to give lengthy speeches, short speeches are difficult since they require one to be brief and precise, getting the point across effectively in a short time frame. The maximum stipulated time for a speech never exceeds seven minutes”, explains Prasad Sovani, Lt. Governor, Marketing, Pune, and also a corporate trainer and economist, who incidentally started the Pune chapter.Throughout its history, Toastmasters has served over four million people, and today the organisation has over 332,000 members in 135 countries, in over 15,400 member clubs.
“It is a non-profit educational organisation that operates clubs worldwide, helping members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. Its thousands of member clubs, offer a programme of communication and leadership projects designed to help people”, he says.
The club helps people master the art of public speaking, for to be a successful professional and an inspiring leader, one must be a good speaker.
It enables improvement of skills most in demand by employers; an opportunity to polish leadership skills; help practice in thinking on your feet; experience running time-efficient meetings; legitimately characterise employment gaps constructively; carve an inexpensive training and professional-development programme; provide an excellent networking opportunity and regularly reinforce learning.
The Toastmasters work hard to apply their communication skills to every part of their lives, including in their marriages carefully selecting the words to convey messages!
Best-selling author Harvey Mackay exudes, “I’ve never met anyone who didn’t think Toastmasters was super valuable to their career. We gain self-esteem, self-confidence, and assertiveness, which makes us better salespeople, better managers, better leaders.”
Beyond small talk, there is the art of conversation and the quality of our conversations determines the quality of our relationships. We are losing the skill of communicating emotionally, thanks to better electronic communication.
Glossophobia, what’s that?
Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking is believed to be the most common type of social phobia, afflicting three out of four people. If your fear of public speaking interferes with your daily life, you might suffer from glossophobia, but with preparation and persistence, anyone can overcome this fear, especially by turning to the toastmasters’ programme.
As Roger Love, veteran celebrity voice coach puts it, “The goal is to keep an audience so attached to what you’re going to say that they are wondering what you are going to say next.” He adds, “The tonality of your voice – how you sound when you speak – has a major impact on how you are perceived, whether you’re speaking to an audience of thousands, a room full of colleagues, or the woman you’re asking out on a date!”
“Our beliefs and values drive our emotions and create our perception; therefore in order to get an audience to take action, you must speak to their value system first and then provide them with a clear call to action at the close of the speech’, opines Johnny Campbell, DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster), Illinois.
Toastmasters club adopts a “learn-by-doing” philosophy, wherein each member learns at a pace suitable to his or her developmental needs. The programme is divided into Communication and Leadership tracks, with members progressing along each track by presenting speeches and taking on roles within their club, district, and Toastmasters International itself.
It has today grown from being an English-only organisation to one that develops communication and leadership skills in several languages, which include Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tamil, and Thai, among others.
Distinguished Toastmasters
I spoke to two accomplished Toastmasters, one from Pune, Maharashtra, and the other from Qatar.
A visiting faculty with Symbiosis University, Pune and a research guide at Manchester University U.K., Dr. Udayshankar Bolan has for hobbies, apart from the Club, reading, travelling and social service.
‘Toastmasters to me” he says is “a way of life. As a member in Dubai, since 1998, my desire was to fine tune my communication and leadership skills. Good speeches on various topics enrich your knowledge base. I became a good listener and improved my public speaking abilities in both professional and personal life.”
“It’s different from other organisations in that the benefits of Toastmasters extend far beyond simple public speaking skills, positively impacting life. It is a boon to new members.”
On the position he has risen to, Udayshankar modestly says, “I am a DTM. The Distinguished Toastmaster award, the highest position our organisation bestows, recognising a superior level of achievement in both communication and leadership. The entire district looks to you for guidance and assistance.”
Speaking of mentorship, he calls it “the hallmark of success in the Toastmasters programme. Members excel when helped by a more advanced member – and new and established members alike accomplish goals they might not otherwise reach on their own. Mentees benefit greatly when mentors pass on their own unique brand of knowledge, insight, perspective and wisdom”.
“The Club encourages travel, with an annual conference of all the districts across the globe held every year. This year it will be held from August 17-20, 2016 at Marriott Marquis, Washington, D.C. This gives a golden opportunity to listen to some of the great speakers during the annual contest.”
“Effective gesturing is very important”, he points out. “The Toastmaster prepares a speech project to complement his/her message with his/her body during delivery, emphasising specifically on posture, body movement, facial expressions, and eye contact. If you aren’t aware of your body language, you are missing an incredible opportunity to improve your effectiveness as a speaker. Your body can be an effective tool for adding emphasis and clarity to your words and also a most powerful instrument for convincing an audience of your sincerity, earnestness, and enthusiasm.”
Now settled in Pune, Maharashtra, incidentally, Udayshankar’s wife, Usha is also a DTM, the toastmasters’ skills running in the family and they have been happily married for more than 35 years.
Rammohan M. Rai, formerly a Learning & Development Coordinator, with the Qatar Petrochemical Company, oversaw comprehensive training needs of over 1,500 employees.
Currently, an independent consultant in the field of learning and development, he recalls his becoming a Toastmaster in 1999, saying, “I found it amusing when someone asked me to join the Toastmasters, as I was smug with the thought I was already adept at public speaking. But it has been humbling experience. I am a better human being now, as the club taught me communicating, time management, leadership, humility, effective listening, patience and endurance.”
He further opines, “After every meeting, I come back richer hearing speakers, who have researched extensively on their respective topic; assumed the role of a grammarian, providing speakers with detailed feedback; and also participated at prepared or impromptu speaking sessions. It gives me immense joy and happiness, to be with like minded, motivated and inspiring people, sharing ideas and thoughts.”
On his position in the club, he humbly offers, “I have risen to be a Distinguished Toastmaster or DTM, which entails, making 40 different speeches with varied objectives, taking leadership roles right up to the District level, mentoring fellow toastmasters, creating and mentoring new clubs, undertaking a high performance leadership programme, etc.”
When asked about comparisons to other similar organisations, Rai avers, “This is a unique forum, for only here you get an opportunity to speak every fortnight, fortnight after fortnight, year after year, helping you become a better communicator and thereby a good leader”. He continues, “It is not something you do in your free time. It’s an ongoing process, where one has to internally strengthen himself or herself in the way one communicates. The minute-to-minute agenda in a typical toastmasters meeting itself is proof of the importance given for time. ‘It is not how much you can talk, but when should you stop that is emphasised’.”
He proudly informs that “Toastmaster clubs are increasing rapidly in India. Of the around 3,000 clubs in Asia, around 320 clubs are in India, spread over 47 cities.”
Lastly, he does not forget to add, “I have been blessed with a very supportive and encouraging family who are very proud of my achievements in the Toastmasters.”
