12. “ Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual.” — Dr. Ralph C. Smedley Founder, Toastmasters International
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17. “ The idea of getting in front of a group, not as Mrs. Fields but as Debbi, made my knees shake. But the Toastmasters group understood. Here’s a place where you can learn, grow, develop – and where other people are doing and feeling the same thing.” — Debbi Fields Rose Founder, Mrs. Field’s Cookies .
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19. “ Toastmasters is the best and least expensive personal improvement class you can go to.” — Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii
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Notas do Editor
Toastmasters International was established in 1924 by Dr. Ralph Smedley as a safe haven for practicing public speaking and leadership skills. Today, there are over 250,000 members in more than 12,000 community and corporate clubs in 106 countries. Businesses and government organizations have discovered that Toastmasters is an effective, cost-efficient means of meeting their communication training needs. That’s why thousands of corporations sponsor in-house Toastmasters clubs. Toastmasters groups can also be found in government agencies, educational institutions and state and local agencies. This includes community organizations, prisons, universities, hospitals, military bases and churches. Currently, there are more than 5,000 corporate clubs in more than 4,500 corporations or organizations worldwide. But what does this mean to your organization?
Toastmasters International was established in 1924 by Dr. Ralph Smedley as a safe haven for practicing public speaking and leadership skills. Today, there are over 250,000 members in more than 12,000 community and corporate clubs in 106 countries. Businesses and government organizations have discovered that Toastmasters is an effective, cost-efficient means of meeting their communication training needs. That’s why thousands of corporations sponsor in-house Toastmasters clubs. Toastmasters groups can also be found in government agencies, educational institutions and state and local agencies. This includes community organizations, prisons, universities, hospitals, military bases and churches. Currently, there are more than 5,000 corporate clubs in more than 4,500 corporations or organizations worldwide. But what does this mean to your organization?
A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop, typically made up of about 20 people who meet for one hour. Scheduling of meetings is flexible depending on your organization’s needs. Participants enjoy opportunities to practice and build skills by participating in meetings and filling various roles. They might give prepared or impromptu speeches or serve as timer, evaluator or grammarian. Members may also be called upon to lead a volunteer committee or serve as a club officer. There is no instructor. Members evaluate one another’s presentations and offer constructive feedback.
A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop, typically made up of about 20 people who meet for one hour. Scheduling of meetings is flexible depending on your organization’s needs. Participants enjoy opportunities to practice and build skills by participating in meetings and filling various roles. They might give prepared or impromptu speeches or serve as timer, evaluator or grammarian. Members may also be called upon to lead a volunteer committee or serve as a club officer. There is no instructor. Members evaluate one another’s presentations and offer constructive feedback.
The Toastmasters educational program offers each employee training in communication and leadership skills. The communication and leadership tracks are not mutually exclusive; employees may participate in both at the same time, if they wish. Employees progress along each track by working through a series of manuals, and each manual offers a set of projects to complete. Each project includes an evaluation guide, which gives employees an easy way to provide and receive immediate feedback.
Members learn communication skills by working in the Competent Communication manual, a series of 10 self-paced speaking projects designed to instill a basic foundation in public speaking. By completing these projects, members learn a variety of public speaking skills, including: Speech organization, Eye contact, Gestures , Use of humor and Overall delivery. Each project focuses on a different skill and also includes an evaluation guide, which gives employees an easy way to provide immediate feedback as the project is completed.
Members learn communication skills by working in the Competent Communication manual, a series of 10 self-paced speaking projects designed to instill a basic foundation in public speaking. By completing these projects, members learn a variety of public speaking skills, including: Speech organization, Eye contact, Gestures , Use of humor and Overall delivery. Each project focuses on a different skill and also includes an evaluation guide, which gives employees an easy way to provide immediate feedback as the project is completed.
When finished with the Competent Communication manual, members can choose from 15 advanced manuals to learn public speaking skills related to specific interests. Many of the manuals are career-oriented. Members choose the manuals they want to complete and the skills they want to learn.
Toastmasters participants learn to lead when they take on responsibilities and accomplish goals. The Competent Leadership manual is the core of the leadership track, and offers 10 applicable projects in listening, critical thinking, giving feedback, time management, planning, delegating, facilitating, motivating, mentoring and team building, each of which will be completed while serving in various club meeting roles. A peer evaluator will offer feedback on each project. By s erving as officers or fulfilling meeting roles, participants have fun learning leadership skills!
Once members complete the Competent Leadership manual, they may begin working on the Advanced Leadership Program. The five projects in the High Performance Leadership manual fulfill this portion of the leadership track. This program offers instruction and practice in: Developing a vision, goal-setting and planning, developing plans and strategies and team-building. Because team development and plan implementation are crucial to any business or organization, this program offers interactive case studies that explore various levels of organization and process development. In addition, each study in the series walks the member through the step-by-step process of self-assessment, defining the objective, gaining team support to implement the plan, enacting the plan and analyzing the results.
Since 2004, corporate club growth has been on the rise. At the close of 2008, Toastmasters’ corporate clubs accounted for more than 40% of all clubs worldwide and this number continues to grow steadily.
The Toastmasters program can supplement your existing training programs. With its unique group experience, Toastmasters provides practical presentation experience while delivering personal and immediate evaluation and feedback from an independent third party. This provides a safe place to make mistakes and learn. It’s a great opportunity for your team members to demonstrate personal initiative, as it is a self-motivating and self-monitoring learning process. Within your organization, the training and practice employees receive from participating in Toastmasters acts as a great resource to identify and develop strong candidates for promotion. Additionally, as a sponsor of a Toastmasters club, your organization’s management can recommend or require that employees participate in the program. Mentorship Opportunities Toastmasters enables qualified senior members of your team to be personally involved in the professional development of junior members’ presentation skills. The program offers opportunities for leadership development and practical opportunities to delegate responsibility as well as organize and direct club and/or executive meetings. Toastmasters also fosters empathy and partnership in the skill development of the team.
Toastmasters is a flexible and affordable way for employees to consistently practice their presentation skills. With its emphasis on leadership development and critical thinking, this interactive program offers something for every employee’s skill-building needs.
By participating in a corporate Toastmasters club, employees and managers alike will enhance their critical thinking and listening skills. Employees will grow more comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback, and they’ll feel more at ease in front of a group. Employees will also learn time management skills and develop other leadership skills.
As a member, each employee can find his or her potential for unlimited personal growth. This growth will be fostered through positive mentoring relationships. With improved communication skills, individuals develop the self-confidence This consistent practice will ultimately result in effectively led meetings within your organization and happier, more confident employees, who will perceive this as an educational benefit of their employment.
It is important for your employees to feel supported by their managers in order to maintain a successful rate of goal achievement. With your support of the Toastmasters program and the services it provides to your employees, your organization will see more effective employee-customer communication, better leaders, more productive teams, more effective meetings and increased productivity.
Many well-known people have honed their skills with Toastmasters training. These individuals come from many different fields, such as the Canadian and Australian Parliaments, the United States Congress, the entertainment industry, the Executive Branch of the United States government, professional sports, international space programs, and many others. Listed here are some well known Toastmasters alumni.
As you can see, the initial investment to start a Toastmasters club here at your organization is minimal. Companies often pay their club’s charter fee and new member fees. Sometimes, members pay their own dues. Some companies pay for the banner and other club materials. You have the choice to decide how your company can best manage these fees. Here are a few of the most common levels of support offered by sponsoring organizations: Provide meeting location, or Payment of one-time chartering fee or Reimbursement or payment of full or partial membership dues and new-member fees Each group can charge supplementary dues to help cover other expenses, as needed.
As you can see, the initial investment to start a Toastmasters club here at your organization is minimal. Companies often pay their club’s charter fee and new member fees. Sometimes, members pay their own dues. Some companies pay for the banner and other club materials. You have the choice to decide how your company can best manage these fees. Here are a few of the most common levels of support offered by sponsoring organizations: Provide meeting location, or Payment of one-time chartering fee or Reimbursement or payment of full or partial membership dues and new-member fees Each group can charge supplementary dues to help cover other expenses, as needed.
Why is Toastmasters the answer for your organization? At a cost that is less than half the price of ordinary training sessions run by lecturers, we offer consistent hands-on practice that is tested and proven to deliver.
More than four million people have discovered the benefits of this proven learning formula. Visit our Web site for more information on Toastmasters.