What does being a Toastmaster do for me?

The Toastmasters program helps you through various Pathways, such as the Competent Communicator, but is not a formal course such as Communications 111. There are no grades or tests, but instead you get to participate in speaking opportunities like Table Topics and the Ice Breaker Speech to get started. Club meetings help you to work together to study and practice your communication and leadership skills.

You can work with introductions, perform roles during club meetings, and work on projects, such as the ten speech projects in the Competent Communicator. In this pathway you build speaking skills with each new project. Most of the speeches are five to seven minutes, focusing on a single skill. It works on everything from organization, to body language, to researching a topic. This will help you learn to speak with clarity, and confidence.

With each speech you give, you will be evaluated to help you grow and learn. They will point out strengths and offer suggestions on how to improve the speech. This pathway focuses on the basics of public speaking, and your evaluator will focus on the basics as well. If you are working on vocal variety for your speech, they will also focus on it when giving your evaluation. The pathway will help you gain the skills through it's ten projects. At then end of your pathway projects you will receive an Award, for this pathways it is the Competent Communicator Award.

Want to learn more than just the basics? There are plenty more pathways for communication that you can work on, ranging from storytelling, to career related learning. After you have finished the pathway, Toastmasters International can send a letter to your employer if you wish them to, notifying them of your achievement. Different professional organization provide compensation, recognition, and even professional development credit for your participation in Toastmasters. To find out whether your organization has any of these offers contact your supervisors.

At the end of the day the experience of being a Toastmasters member can provide insight, learning, and connections to curriculum and community you may not have access to otherwise. What are you waiting for?

Officer training, Yaquina specific

Make up officer training 8/21 at Yaquina Toastmasters club in Newport, OR. 

We started off with a speech presentation from Area Director, Bob and some great Table Topics that discussed What is your "Why?, Duties of the 7 Officer positions, and Pathways program.

Check out the mostly full video of our meeting. How would you answer there questions?

District 7: How to Chose your Path

Worried about having your speech evaluated?

Toastmasters is a club that helps its members to improve their speaking and leadership skills. In order to do this, when a person gives a speech, they will get an evaluation.When the speech evaluator is listening to the speech, they will look for certain things: body language, content, voice, and confidence. In addition to this, if a person is working out of a manual, they will use the specific guidelines in the book to base their evaluation on.

Example: Speech project 5 Your body speaks
The evaluator would look for the use of stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact to express your message, and achieve your speech's purpose.
Make your body language smooth and natural.
This speech is from five to seven minutes.

Example of a Speech 5 evaluation:
First impression: WOW!
Preparation: Excellent! We learned a lot of history, psychology and about you.
Manner: Satisfactory. Great use of leather
Posture: poised and balanced
Gestures: satisfactory
Body Movement: Purposeful, smooth, and steady!
Eye contact: Established visual bonds
Facial expressions: animated and friendly
Speech purpose: satisfactory
Speech organization: Logical and clear
What could they do differently? You can use fists to emphasize "evil"
What did you like about the speech? The depth of history and educating us all