Let´s talk about the elephant in the room, Public Speaking. Feared by a lot of people, speaking in public or doing a presentation is always a challenge even for the most confident people. And this will be something we will always have to face at some point in our lives. The thing is, you can only master and feel comfortable at doing something by practicing it. Toastmasters clubs are the perfect environment for you to learn and face your fear of speaking in front of a group of people.
With close to 60 clubs in metro Vancouver and over 16.000 clubs in 141 different countries, the buzz around these groups is growing more and more. If you haven´t joined a Toastmasters club by now, we will give you a couple of reasons why you should.
What is Toastmasters and is it right for you?
Toastmaster, in a short answer, is a group where people meet to overcome their barrier to speak in public. It’s a place where members learn, practice, share and support each other. Here are a few ways you can benefit from joining a club:
- Become a better leader
- Build your confidence when speaking in public
- Develop your listening and interpersonal skills.
- Improve your communications skills
- You will have a lot of fun
- It can be very rewarding
- It’s a great way to meet new people and become more social
Besides all of that, the skills you will learn can help you advance your career, adjust to a new city, new country or even get a new job. If you think you need to work on one or more of the topics above, yes, toastmasters would be a great way to learn, meet new people and have some fun.
How does it work?
Toastmasters’ curriculum offers a proven education program that includes two paths: Communication and Leadership. The program was built on the principles of experiential learning, peer feedback, mentoring and self-paced program.
During the meetings you will develop and practice communication and leadership skills by working through projects and assignments to help you reach your goals at your own pace. Most meetings include a few prepared speeches and some table topics for non-prepared short speeches. Every speaker is evaluated by other members in a constructive way. Even the person evaluating is evaluated. It might sound a bit nerve-racking, but the environment is so friendly that you will feel comfortable to speak, make mistakes and learn from them too.
Interested in learning more about the Toastmasters program and its benefits?
Latin Plaza Hub is hosting an open house and demonstration meeting on Tuesday, October 2nd, 5:45pm at our office located on 406 – 68 Water Street, Gastown. The event is for free, but you do need to register by clicking on this link: https://www.universe.com/events/latin-plaza-toastmasters-club-information-meeting-tickets-vancouver-28PBLY
We will see you there. Cheers!
