04. The Pros and Cons of Joining Toastmasters

It's episode four of The Presentation Boss Podcast! Your hosts Kate and Thomas are interested in the speaking groups available to the public. Some have strict entry requirements, some focus on business elements, others are for those wanting to tackle the fear of public speaking. So, they want to explore and discuss them over time. This week, Toastmasters International. Kate and Thomas have both been members of Toastmasters in Brisbane for about ten years each. And it was through Toastmasters that they met a couple of years ago. Between them they have been members of 9 different clubs, built 3 new clubs and each has held all club officer roles, been to the District level of speaking contests and been Division Directors. So, it is safe to say they know what they're talking about.. and are deep tragics of the organisation. But what does Toastmasters offer to the average member. What can you expect to get out of the organisation? Should you consider giving it a go? And what will you certainly not get from this speaking organisation? What You'll Learn • What is Toastmasters? • Who joins Toastmasters and what they are looking for • An insight on the education program of Toastmasters • What you can expect from membership • The speaking skills Toastmasters will teach you better than any other organisation • The limitation of what you'll learn at Toastmasters • Thomas' wingspan length • Exactly what happens at a meeting from week to week • How time and verbal feedback brings strength to meetings • How often and how much a member would speak in front of the club • Who provides the mentoring and expertise within each club • The experience in the wider organisation, outside of your local club • The big question; what it costs! Both in money and time Mentioned In The Show • Toastmasters International: https://www.toastmasters.org/ • Find a Toastmasters club near you: https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club Resources and Links • Presentation Boss on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/presentationboss/ • Presentation Boss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/presentation-boss • Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-norris/ • Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-krafft/ • The Presentation Boss Podcast: https://presentationboss.com.au/podcast/ Quotes From This Episode • "We are both members, have been for ten years each.. and to be frank we probably have a lot of bias towards [Toastmasters]" • "[Toastmasters] will take you from someone who avoids, dislikes and maybe even hates speaking to someone who is comfortable speaking" • "[Toastmasters] will make you a good speaker" • "[Toastmasters] kills the terror associated with public speaking" • "People are there to non-judgementally watch, give you time to [practice] what you've gotta do, and they will give honest, helpful and positive feedback" • "That's a big pro of the organisation, there is such a mix of ideas and perspectives and interests that it can suit anyone" • "There is always something more"