CLUB of the Month

West Valley Toastmasters

www.westvalley@freetoasthost.com 

At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment.  A typical Toastmasters club is made up of 20 to 30 people who meet once a week for about an hour. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice:
·    Giving impromptu speeches. Members present one-to two-minute impromptu speeches on assigned topics.  This session is called Table Topics.
·    Presenting prepared speeches. Three or more members present speeches based on projects from the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Program manuals. Projects cover such topics as speech organization, voice, language, gestures, and persuasion.
·    Offering constructive evaluation. Every prepared speaker is assigned an evaluator who points out speech strengths and offers suggestions for improvement.
·    Conducting meetings. Meetings usually end with a short business session that helps members learn basic meeting procedures.
The Tools You Use:  Upon joining a Toastmasters club, each new member receives a variety of manuals and resources on speaking.  Members also have access to other books as well as audio and video cassettes on speaking and leading.  They also receive the award-winning The Toastmaster, a monthly magazine that offers the latest insights on speaking and leadership techniques.
Toastmasters and Leadership:  Leadership cannot be learned in a day.  It takes practice.  In Toastmasters, members build leadership skills by organizing and conducting meetings and motivating others to help them.  Club leadership roles and a leadership development program also offer opportunities to learn and practice.  Just as Toastmasters members learn to speak simply by speaking, they learn leadership by leading.

Edited by: Patricia Fox for

West Valley Toastmasters