Communication and Leadership are the two main aspects of personal growth at Toastmasters. Our meetings’ roles and speaking assignments are designed to foster and develop those same skills. Our meeting agenda shows how speaking practice falls into three main areas:
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- The Business section: Members learn and practice the skills of debate and parliamentary procedure.
- The Prepared Speech section: Members have the opportunity to deliver a practiced speech to the club, the topic of which is chosen by the member.
- The Table Topics section: Members are called upon to speak unrehearsed on a topic chosen by the Table Topic Master.
- The Evaluation section: Members observe the speeches and leadership roles of fellow club members and offer evaluations of their efforts.
- Toastmasters has an educational program called Pathways to help you focus on and learn various skills related to leadership and communication such as speech organization, giving and receiving feedback, speech delivery, using visual aids effectively, and many more. Visit www.toastmasters.org and look at the Pathways section for more information on the program.
Members are scheduled to participate in the weekly meetings. New members are scheduled for short speaking roles then gradually expand their participation as they feel more comfortable.