Toastmasters International

Toastmasters played a significant part of my learning journey, in training and development. While 23 year old Shaun never taught joining a student club would lead to his 20s with this organisation, it played a significant role in my life.

Now for those who are not familiar with Toastmasters International, its an organisation where members practice speaking and leadership; and learn in a peer to peer format. Lets talk a bit of the benefits and my thoughts.

Speeches

Toastmasters is about public speaking and you can do speeches based on their training system. Each speech by right has a theme or objective and it helps you grow as a speaker in overcoming negative areas and increasing positive attributes.

I got my distinguished toastmaster in older competent communicator system. The newer pathways systems I did do a bit but I found the scrafolding of speeches not as good. While pathways focus on self actualising topics that toastmasters want to do, I found it did not drill the basics enough for a solid foundation.

In the end, to improve public speaking is about practice practice and practice. Flying through my speeches, back in the day, I got lots of practice and chances to improve.

Evaluation

As a peer to peer learning organisation, you will have another toastmaster, likely more senior to share with how to improve. Some may give very useful advise to help, others maybe you will have to think a bit if they make sense.

I am blessed with good mentors such as Albert Chan, Guan Hau, Fernando Young to name a few, and peers who helped me like Vincent, Reuben, Faith, Larry and Kin Fung for their help. Many helped me put away bad habits and improve my articulation.

One weakness, at least in the past, was there was an expected a certain style in Singapore toastmasters. Once again it goes down to how industrial our education is and how everyone one is expected to fit in the same peg. Still education means to bring out the best or every learner.

I am lucky many of mentors understood that and helped me find my style which I use today in training.

Table topics

My favourite part of any meeting is the table topics. Where you are given a random topic and to think on your feet. It tests the ability to link topics and to be compelling at the blink of an eye.

One thing I hated was how some people tried to game the system by memorising good phrases and good stories. That they fit the topic to what they know, which is not communication in my opinion. You have to understand and communicate at the same level to get your message across.

Which leads to my emphasis on mastery. That if someone has truely understand something over regugitating, to be able to create something new over memorisation.

Leadership

Now this maybe the part I am quite disgusted to discuss. My leaving of the organisation is due to this that I had enough that everyone wants to be a leader but no one wants to do the work. As unpaid organisation, it takes volunteers to run the meeting and keep the standards up, which is the challenge of the organisation(like many other volunteer organisation)

I would say I have done my part and paid my dues in the organisation. Yet many are critical that I am a young man and I should do more while the mentor me. Its not really the organisation that is toxic but the people who do so. Destroying something I love cos they need to show they achieve something, when they have nothing much to show.

Final thoughts on Toastmasters

Toastmasters is problably the best and maybe cheapest platform to get startrd in public speaking. I enjoyed my time and do visit my friends from time to time. My advise is that dont overstay your welcome meaning if you feel that you feel you are not learning, or benefit, its time to leave.

While there are alot of things to learn and do in toastmasters, it doesnt mean you have to do everything. If you feel you have met your objectives and it doesnt bring you joy, its time to leave. Something I learnt a bit too late in my 30s...