Even more Toastmaster Skills

While most of public speaking/toastmaster training is centred on a person giving a presentation and the audience listening, i.e. you talk, they listen. This type of communication is training is extremely important when one’s job or community activities require such presentations.

Think about your daily life, however, and another kind of communication becomes equally important.

Each day we interact with many people in a variety of situations. We may deal with clients and co-workers at work, our family and friends. We may be called upon to calm an upset customer/friend/relation or convince a sales assistant to refund your money. Persuade your son or daughter to clean their room or negotiate a raise with your employer.

And especially in the times we live in (I will not use the “r” word), being a good communicator and member of Toastmasters International can and will, give a person the edge over someone who is not.

Special skills are needed to successfully handle the above types of situations and Toastmasters International; “Interpersonal Communications Program” will help you to develop them.

The program consists of five projects that require different interpersonal communication skills.

In the first project we learn how to start a conversation with a stranger.
Project two requires one to negotiate using win/win strategies to achieve a goal.
In the third project, we learn how techniques on how to diffuse verbal criticism.
In the next project we practice coaching someone who is not performing on your satisfaction and finally, you’ll learn to assert yourself effectively.

The projects in this program are challenging but they will provide you with valuable experience in communication with others.

As with all Toastmasters programs, toastmasters are firstly required to complete the basic program, called “The Competent Communicator” program in which all the basic skills of speaking are learned and practiced.

So why not come along to any of our meetings and see for yourself? Speak Easy Toastmasters meet in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow on alternate Thursdays from September to May.

Toastmaster meetings are not a classroom but a workshop in which members learn at their own pace in a mutually supportive atmosphere where the emphasis is on fun and friendship.

Summer is almost on us, we hope, and there are only two more Speak Easy Toastmasters meetings left before our summer break. Now is the time to experience the “Speak Easy Toastmasters” experience, think about what we have to offer come back to us in September when we start our meetings again.

You’ll be glad you did.

You are welcome to come along as our guest for as often as you want and rest assured, you, as a guest, will never be asked to speak.

Our final two meetings are May 14th and 28th and tonight April 30th of course.
Further information on Speak Easy Toastmasters can be had by visiting our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com or contact our Club PRO Seán on 086 6054784

Whirlpools and Crocodiles

It’s not too often in our lives that we are encouraged to tell whoppers but that is what happened at the Speak Easy Toastmasters meeting last Thursday night as the club hosted its Tall Tales Contest.

The meeting was as usual opened by President, Ray Ryan , and Michael Cronin was our Toastmaster for the evening.

The programme for the evening was started by a type of speech and speaker that every toastmasters club looks forward to hearing and that is the “Icebreaker” speech. It is the first speech that a new toastmaster delivers to the club in which he/she introduces themselves.

On Thursday night the members were privileged to hear a speech entitled, “The Vibrant 70’s….Not” by Norrie O’Sullivan which was her view of growing up in 70’s Ireland.

Taking the lectern after Norrie was Máire Corbett from The Galtees Club in Mitchelstown with an interpretive reading project in which she delivered Shirley Chisholm’s Speech to Congress.

And finally after Máire was another guest speaker also from The Galtees Toastmasters Club, Conor O’Brien with his speech, “You are what you eat”.

Then it was the turn of Pat Sexton who was Topicsmaster for the evening who had us all thinking about things that we were not prepared for, which is exactly what the a topics session in toastmasters is all about. Practicing, speaking “off the cuff”.

After the coffee break it was the Tall Tales contest and boy, what tall tales they were.
There were three club members in the competition and they were Jerry Mulcahy with his speech, “My Transport” in which he told of his unusual car. Jerry was followed by Ray Ryan with this speech, “Arthur and I”, a tale of his pet crocodile, and finally Grant March with, “A Close Call” which was a story about being caught in a giant whirlpool.

When the votes by the judges were counted, Jerry Mulcahy was declared the winner.

Last Sunday, the Division A finals of the International Speech and Evaluation Contests took place in the Oriel House Hotel in Ballincollig where representatives of toastmasters from Cork, Kerry and West Limerick took part in the contests.
Pat Sexton and Tony O’Regan represented the clubs in North Cork and fantastic performances were delivered by both.
When the votes were counted, Tony was in 3rd position in the Evaluation Contest. Congratulations Tony.

Speak Easy Toastmasters meet again on Thursday, April 30th in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow and you are invited to attend. If you would like to learn to speak comfortably before an audience on any subject, learn how to give constructive feedback, learn how to speak completely unprepared and to do all this in an atmosphere of fun and friendship, why not come along to the next meeting of Speak Easy Toastmasters?

We meet in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow on alternate Thursday’s at 8.00pm and we would be delighted to welcome you as our guest to come along and experience, the toastmasters experience.

You will not be asked to speak, guests never are and you can come along as our guest as many times as you like without obligation.

Further information from our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com or from our PRO, Seán on 086 6054784.