Beyond Public Speaking

We all know that Toastmasters is about public speaking. That’s what the primary purpose of Toastmasters is but have you ever thought about what else you could learn? Is it leadership? Getting along with others? Civility?

There are a plethora of things that you learn from Toastmasters that people don’t realize.  For one thing, you don’t just learn how to speak but how to listen. It’s not simply nodding your head in agreement. The manuals force you to focus and dissect a speech of its elements to see what works and what doesn’t.  

You also learn how to run an organization in the most general sense. Imagine that the bylaws say one thing but a senior member says another thing or someone is speaking but you have to interrupt them because of time. Should you follow the letter of the rules or the spirit of the rules? Although there might not be a direct answer in how to answer these questions, you get to practice.

Toastmasters is one of the most important things you could ever join. How do you practice communicating a great idea you have? How do you navigate the crevices and nuances of human emotions? How do you help your fellow human being be a better person?

Toastmasters is learning to build relationships with your community, family, and friends. It comes from a place of love. Toastmasters gives you tools in how to be your better self. In this way, Toastmasters is one of the most important organizations you could ever join. 

ESL? EFL? Who REALLY cares?

Often times we think that you need to be a native English speaker to make a good speech in English. How can any foreigner compete with someone who has been trained since birth; living and breathing the language? Surely, making a great English speech is an impossible feet. Or is it?

The answer is an emphatic no. No, you don’t need to be a native English speaker to be able to make a good speech in English. Speech making is an art like painting or music. It’s not all about the technicalities or content, it’s also about how you make the audience feel and how you move them. 

Case in point is the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking for 2016 Darren Tay (Feloni). A 27 year old Singaporean Lawyer, Mr. Tay won the audience with humor, vocal variety and gestures. These are all the techniques that we practice every Sunday in Toastmasters. He was able to wow the audience like nobody else could - native English speaker or not. 

Jack Ma is another great example (Tech in Asia). The Chinese billionaire expresses himself purposefully, speaks slowly and deliberately, and he does it even when he is speaking in his native tongue of Chinese.

Not being a native born English speaker should be the last reason that anyone has for not thinking that they could ever give a good speech in English. If you think that being a foreigner is a huge handicap remember that this excuse was not good enough for Darren Tay and Jack Ma. Remember to practice, practice, and PRACTICE!

Sources

Feloni, Richard. "Here's a breakdown of the speech that won the 2016 World Championship of Public 

     Speaking." Business Insider, 23 Aug. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/ 

     toastmasters-public-speaking-champion-darren-tay-2016-8. Accessed 13 Aug. 2017. Article on how 

     Darren Tay won the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking for 2016. 

Tech in Asia. "Here's how one of today's most engaging speakers captures your attention." 

     Facebook, 2 Aug. 2017, 10:20 p.m., www.facebook.com/techinasia/videos/1524030900968651/. 

     A video on how Jack Ma is able to make effective speeches. 

Failure to Launch

By an FCBC FV Speech Club Member (eh you know who it is)

Come sit here and let me tell you about thee oleden’ days. The year was oooh… 2007. I was but a young lad. I had dreams of grandeur and of traveling to Asia after getting my college degree! All I had to do was defend my thesis to my professors. How hard can it be? Everyone passes!

Well… I didn’t. I was asked a series of questions about what I wrote. “Uh.. uh..” was all I could say. I appeared dumb. I didn’t know how to defend anything that I wrote. It was the worst 10 minutes of my life but felt like an hour. I had failed to get my degree.

My professors told me that I had a second shot but I would have to join Toastmasters to get better at speaking. Great! But then how about my visions of grandeur? Well, I was stuck here until I could finally pass. I had to make sure I could defend my thesis and get on with this segment of my life.

The first day of Toastmasters I cried. I told the Toastmasters in the room why I was there and I started to sob. They were all very friendly and kind. They didn’t judge me. When I joined I went through the motions and did what I had to do in the club. I eventually became a better speaker. And, who would’ve known? I actually enjoyed public speaking!

And guess what? I passed my test the second time around and still traveled Asia. 10 years later I’m still a Toastmaster.

You never know where the Toastmaster journey will take you. Wherever it takes you, it’ll change your life.