At our weekly meetings, all members participate in various speaking and leadership roles.
New members are encouraged to begin their Toastmasters education program with a short speaking role, such as telling a Joke or humorous story to lighten the mood, or a Closing Thought to motivate us during the coming week.
Shortly after joining, new members sign up to present their Ice Breaker speeches to introduce themselves to fellow Club members. This is the first exercise in the Competent Communication manual of Toastmasters International, which contains 10 exercises that help develop public speaking skills.
Each meeting, we hear three or four formal speeches presented by members based on exercises from their basic or advanced communication manuals. Each speech has specific objectives that focus on particular aspects of effective public speaking, such as body movements, use of props, facial expressions, vocal variety and effective vocabulary. Each member presents one formal speech about every six weeks.
Each formal speech receives an oral evaluation from a more experienced member to provide insight into what the speaker has done well and offer suggestions to enhance the speaker’s skill. An oral evaluation is also a speaking exercise in better listening and thinking. Sharing the evaluation tips with all members helps us all improve as speakers and as evaluators.
Impromptu speaking is another skill we practise each meeting in a fun exercise called Table Topics. Participants speak off-the-cuff on a particular subject on which they have no advance knowledge. This helps members to think on their feet while giving an organized response with an opening, body and conclusion.
Other members take leadership roles, such as meeting Chair, Timer, Grammarian or Table Topics Master.
Members advance through the program by learning while doing. Toastmasters is not a course but rather a club. At Riverside, members progress at their own pace, taking into account job, family and other commitments. Members begin their program at any time of year. There is no formal instruction. Instead, members coach and support each other, deciding for themselves the techniques that are most comfortable and work best for each individual.
At our weekly meetings, all members participate in various speaking and leadership roles.
New members are encouraged to begin their Toastmasters education program with a short speaking role, such as telling a Joke or humorous story to lighten the mood, or a Closing Thought to motivate us during the coming week.
Shortly after joining, new members sign up to present their Ice Breaker speeches to introduce themselves to fellow Club members. This is the first exercise in the Competent Communication manual of Toastmasters International, which contains 10 exercises that help develop public speaking skills.
Each meeting, we hear three or four formal speeches presented by members based on exercises from their basic or advanced communication manuals. Each speech has specific objectives that focus on particular aspects of effective public speaking, such as body movements, use of props, facial expressions, vocal variety and effective vocabulary. Each member presents one formal speech about every six weeks.
Each formal speech receives an oral evaluation from a more experienced member to provide insight into what the speaker has done well and offer suggestions to enhance the speaker’s skill. An oral evaluation is also a speaking exercise in better listening and thinking. Sharing the evaluation tips with all members helps us all improve as speakers and as evaluators.
Impromptu speaking is another skill we practise each meeting in a fun exercise called Table Topics. Participants speak off-the-cuff on a particular subject on which they have no advance knowledge. This helps members to think on their feet while giving an organized response with an opening, body and conclusion.
Other members take leadership roles, such as meeting Chair, Timer, Grammarian or Table Topics Master.
Members advance through the program by learning while doing. Toastmasters is not a course but rather a club. At Riverside, members progress at their own pace, taking into account job, family and other commitments. Members begin their program at any time of year. There is no formal instruction. Instead, members coach and support each other, deciding for themselves the techniques that are most comfortable and work best for each individual.