The purpose of Toastmasters is to help members overcome apprehensions about speaking in public and to improve their communication skills. This is accomplished by providing a self-paced, fun and focused speaking programme with a supportive and experienced group of people to assist.
This helps members become more effective in several areas, including:
- Formal public presentations
- Individual communication
- Impromptu speaking situations
- Managing and participating in meetings
- Leading and managing people
These skills are developed through club meetings, designed to provide an opportunity to practice speaking techniques in a variety of situations. A typical Toastmasters meeting comprises of the following sections:
Prepared Speeches
Members of the club practice their speaking skills by giving a prepared presentation from the Communication and Leadership manual or an Advanced Speaking manual as distributed by Toastmasters International.
Each project in the speaking manuals has a specific objective to help members practice and master different speaking techniques. The speech objectives are designed as guidelines to help you think about the various qualities that comprise a good speech. Some members may just be starting out, whilst others may be more accomplished. All Toastmasters begin from the Competent Communicator manual and progress as they improve, speech by speech.
Table Topics
Club members and occasionally guests, are given an entirely random topic to speak about. This is a chance to practice impromptu speaking skills and improvisation! Each speech is typically two minutes long and feedback is given by an evaluator.
Evaluations
Evaluations provide supportive feedback to the speakers and highlight the positive aspects of their speeches while providing helpful recommendations for improvement. Good evaluations are the hallmark of Toastmasters.
The best way to experience a typical London Olympians meeting is a to come along. We believe we are the friendliest speakers club in London. To find out where and when we meet, click here.