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M: Good morning, Mrs. Collins! Welcome to our studio. As a distinguished member of Toastmasters International, could you tell us a bit about the background of the organization?
W: I am delighted to have that opportunity. Toastmasters is an international organization, designed to develop effective speaking and listening skills. It was founded in 1924 by Ralph Smedley and it’s headquartered in California.
M: What is the purpose of Toastmasters?
W: Toastmasters has a two-fold purpose: the personal growth of the individual and strong effective communication skills.
M: Then, who is Toastmasters open to? And what kind of members do you have now?
W: Well, many people think Toastmasters is open only to those individuals who wish to be professional speakers, but that is definitely not true. Toastmasters is open to the public at large. Any individual who wishes to improve his public speaking is welcome. And also, those who just want to increase their overall self-confidence are encouraged to attend.
M: Another question is how can Toastmasters help you in job situations?
W: By becoming involved in Toastmasters, you will learn different methods of communicating what you really want to say, and equally important, you will learn what your audience expects from you so you can deliver that message to them in a logical fashion. Some people are comfortable around friends, but when they appear before a group they don’t know, they get tense. Our organization helps our members to get calm and organize thoughts, and deliver them in an effective way.
M: Is Toastmasters concerned with total communication, not just for speaking but other communication skills?
W: Most often, people assume that when you are listening, you are also paying attention. This is not always true. Many times people are waiting for their turn to speak and are not really listening at all. Toastmasters can develop a person overall in terms of organizing their thoughts, getting input from others and then receiving effective feedback.
M: Then, how does Toastmasters train people?
W: Toastmasters has an approach of learning by doing. The Toastmasters International organization provides a menu we refer to as the basic menu, because it gives a guideline for the development of speeches. These speeches cater to different purposes. For example, one objective might be to develop vocal variety; another might be to organize your thoughts or develop your use of humor in speeches.
M: Can you also learn other skills, such as parliamentary procedure or being master of ceremonies?
W: Yes, different assignments within Toastmasters involve not only preparation of speeches and then presenting these before an audience, but also the opportunity of serving as toastmaster of the meeting. This assignment helps members practice being an MC for a meeting, that is, a master of ceremonies. Other assignments include serving as an evaluator for another speaker, or serving as a grammarian who will monitor use of filler words or phrases, such as "and", "uh", "er" or "you know". Both of these assignments will allow the member to increase or enhance their listening skills.
M: I know that there is an eight-week program for young people and also an eight-week speech craft course offered for adults. What do these involve?
W: They are basically introduction to Toastmasters in general. A sample, providing the opportunity for an individual to determine whether or not they wish to get involved in Toastmasters by joining a club.
M: What can an individual gain from being in Toastmasters?
W: I would say, self-confidence and some tricks of the trade in the development of speeches. But that is only the beginning. As an individual continues to give speeches and improve, he progresses from the point of being fearful to stand before a group of peers to the point where he can address any group of people with a degree of self-confidence. Leadership skills are also developed by learning to organize and conduct meetings.
M: OK. Thank you very much, Mrs. Collins, for talking to us in the studio.
W: You’re most welcome.