Any Toastmasters here?

[Erin Pavlina]

My club meets weekly. Different clubs meet at different times. Was there only one club in your area? There are dozens to choose from where I live. See if you can find a club that meets weekly nearby.

[AmandaP]

Even just the thought of speaking TO people I don't know, let alone IN FRONT of people I don't know makes my chest tight and my stomach sick. I have recently decided to work from home instead of returning to shift work after the birth of our 3rd child. I'm finding it slow going due to my fear of speaking with people I don't know. Toastmasters sounds like a great way for me to overcome my fear in a controlled environment. Looked up the site on where to find a meeting (thanks Erin) and have found 2 in my area both are next week, so I'm committing!! I will head along as a guest and if it even comes close to the reviews on this thread than I think I'm sold.

[Lucas]

I went to a meeting last night for the first time. While I am not too afraid of public speaking, I was well out of my comfort zone, but I did some speaking regardless. I am going to check out the other local clubs, but I am pretty sure I am going to join.

[C33]

...I would like to know how much practice time you get, as a new member.

I am the opposite of most people, I want to get up in front of people and just dive in and learn from the experience!

I am very good at listening, almost too good, and it doesn t serve me to be quiet and just seep in other people's knowledge, I need to get up and do things.If I make the sacrifice of time, energy and a bit of money, I want to make sure I get to speak, work on a presentation, be actively involved each time I go. I don't enjoy " not participating" and just sitting and listening to others.

I am not scared of speaking in public, even though it would make me very nervous, but I want to know how to make effective presentations and to expose my thoughts clearly in front of an audience.

[Erin Pavlina]

I speak at every meeting. Not always doing a speech, but there are jobs you perform at each meeting that you volunteer for. In my club, we make time for anyone who wants to give a speech. We usually have 2 speakers per meeting but sometimes we'll have 3. And sometimes we have a meeting of just speakers, so we'll get through 6 or 7.

[MW11]

I've been a Toastmaster many times in the last 26 years, and over the years I've given approx. 100 speeches; and whenever I speak, I am usually voted the best speaker.

On the positive side...
1 ) There are many Toastmasters Clubs to choose from.
2 ) They always make you feel welcome, and make it easy for you to join.
3 ) Especially in the U.S., you get little or no criticism, and the general attitude tends to be positive. And
4 ) It's also true that you gain valuable speaking skills for life.

On the negative side, however, you want to choose with care. You need to pay attention. Especially before you join. Watch out for the following minor things:
1 ) All clubs have rules. And, using those rules, you'll be pressured to join, to commit, and to give up some of your money ASAP. The welcome you get is not personal. It's only a business decision, and they want your business.
2 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had excessive fees/club dues because the meeting place was a rental.
3 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had officers and others with an "I'm better than you" mentality which I found annoying.
4 ) There are some clubs you want to avoid. One club I joined had a bunch of members who kept flaunting their detailed knowledge of Robert's Rules of Order, which I found annoying.
5 ) There are some clubs you might want to avoid. In one club there were 36 members, 2 speeches per meeting, and the group met only once every other week. This meant I had to wait up to 36 weeks between speeches.

Surely, I was able to speak at every meeting, because there were jobs (e.g. timekeeper, jokemaster, evaluator, etc.) I was able to do at each meeting, but what I really wanted was doing speeches, real speeches. And those 36-week long waiting periods -- even when we were able to shorten them to 26 weeks -- were totally unacceptable to me!

I used to be shy and timid, but not any more. These days I'm the opposite of most people. I want to get up in front of people and just dive in and learn from the experience... from doing speeches!

In my experience, you don't get much time to practice, as a member. Even if yesterday you chose your club well, you also have to be proactive about it today! You have to keep asking for opportunities to do speeches, real speeches!

It's too easy to remain quiet. Of course it's a bit of a challenge to get up and do speeches. They take a bit of courage! Especially the first 10 speeches! You also sacrifice your time, energy and some of your money. In return you want to make sure you get to speak every time you attend a meeting. It's too easy not to participate and just sit there, listening to others. Doing the job of a timekeeper or evaluator is certainly better than doing nothing. But there is a big-big difference between a timekeeper and a speaker!

6 ) Meetings, in general, are time consuming. It takes time to gather the needed information, to research and prepare for meetings, and to write good speeches. You might find that during meetings approx. 95% of your time is spent listening to various speakers. Driving to and from meetings is another waste of time you want to minimize as much as possible.

7 ) Toastmasters gives you an artificial environment and a few bad ideas; especially if you're a new Toastmaster. For example, in real life, in meeting rooms, in work situations, do you always leap on your feet before you tell a joke? Naaaah... only in the movies!

8 ) In my experience, making friends at Toastmasters is a definite possiblility; however, it's also a challenge, even if you're well-liked... even if the same group repeatedly votes you the best speaker... even if you make friends pretty easily. You can't make friends during meetings because, during meetings, pretty much all small talk between attendees is frowned upon. However, you can make friends before and after meetings. Have the courage to strike up conversations with strangers/fellow-attendees who may be shy, timid, or have inadequate social skills -- not always, but many times. And don't take it personally, if and when they don't respond to you in the nicest possible way!

I hope this helps.

[MW11]

To answer one of the previous questions...

You DO gain a bit of experience here and there when your fellow toastmasters give you small, temporary jobs (e.g. timekeeper, jokemaster, evaluator, etc.)

However, if you really want experience, then in your own interest what you really want is to be one of the speakers. One issue is, if you just sit back and wait passively, after your Icebreaker you don't get to be a speaker, as a new member. Assuming you chose your club well, at most meetings you want to ask for opportunities to do speeches, real speeches.

I hope this helps.

[elucidate]

You do realise this thread is dated from 2006. I think it's well and truly dead.

Originally Posted by MW11

To answer one of the previous questions...

You DO gain a bit of experience here and there when your fellow toastmasters give you small, temporary jobs (e.g. timekeeper, jokemaster, evaluator, etc.)

However, if you really want experience, then in your own interest what you really want is to be one of the speakers. One issue is, if you just sit back and wait passively, after your Icebreaker you don't get to be a speaker, as a new member. Assuming you chose your club well, at most meetings you want to ask for opportunities to do speeches, real speeches.

I hope this helps.

[Crushable]

I'm in CT and I am looking for a good club to join, have not found one yet.

[MW11]

Originally Posted by elucidate

You do realise this thread is dated from 2006. I think it's well and truly dead.

This thread will never die.

[MW11]

Originally Posted by Crushable

I'm in CT and I am looking for a good club to join, have not found one yet.

Here is an idea. A Google search is a start, but in my experience you can get far more info if you browse Toastmasters International's own web site. On Find a Club Results - Toastmasters International you will find 92 clubs in CT. Once you get to that page, you want to refine the search further by selecting your city from the dropdown list of CT cities and towns. You can further filter your search by selecting the time and day of the meetings you can attend. If you narrow down your search to 3 or 4 clubs, and if you do indeed attend 3 or 4 meetings, it wil be relatively easy for you to make a choice and eventually join.

Keep in mind that all clubs have their own written and unwritten rules that they can and will use against you. For example, they might tell you that you can be a guest only 3 times at their club. And then, using that rule, they might pressure you to join, commit and buy their printed materials, right there and then, usually at the end of the first or second meeting. However, the welcome you get has nothing to do with you. They will welcome you even if they dislike you. Probably because A) you're going to be the only guest, i.e. their only chance to make a sale, and B) Toastmasters wants your money, so they do reward the clubs that recruit the most new members.

Here is another idea. Don't fall in love with the first club you visit. To save money and to give yourself time to decide, visit all 92 clubs, up to 3 times per club. This way all of your (3 x 93 =) 279 visits will be FREE. I.e. no membership fees and no obligation to buy any educational materials. Those 279 visits will also keep you busy for up to 5 years. Look at it as TOTALLY FREE once-a-week (or twice-a-week) education course. Your only expense will be your time and one gallon of gas per week that would've been wasted anyway.

[Crushable]

Originally Posted by MW11

Here is an idea. A Google search is a start, but in my experience you can get far more info if you browse Toastmasters International's own web site. On Find a Club Results - Toastmasters International you will find 92 clubs in CT. Once you get to that page, you want to refine the search further by selecting your city from the dropdown list of CT cities and towns. You can further filter your search by selecting the time and day of the meetings you can attend. If you narrow down your search to 3 or 4 clubs, and if you do indeed attend 3 or 4 meetings, it wil be relatively easy for you to make a choice and eventually join.

Keep in mind that all clubs have their own written and unwritten rules that they can and will use against you. For example, they might tell you that you can be a guest only 3 times at their club. And then, using that rule, they might pressure you to join, commit and buy their printed materials, right there and then, usually at the end of the first or second meeting. However, the welcome you get has nothing to do with you. They will welcome you even if they dislike you. Probably because A) you're going to be the only guest, i.e. their only chance to make a sale, and B) Toastmasters wants your money, so they do reward the clubs that recruit the most new members.

Here is another idea. Don't fall in love with the first club you visit. To save money and to give yourself time to decide, visit all 92 clubs, up to 3 times per club. This way all of your (3 x 93 =) 279 visits will be FREE. I.e. no membership fees and no obligation to buy any educational materials. Those 279 visits will also keep you busy for up to 5 years. Look at it as TOTALLY FREE once-a-week (or twice-a-week) education course. Your only expense will be your time and one gallon of gas per week that would've been wasted anyway.

Thanks for the advice. I did find clubs via Toastmasters website, and I have been to a few different ones, but I have not found a good one yet like I said.

good one = one that resonates with me. I don't want this to be chore I am busy enough with my projects.