WHEN MAKING A SPEECH, THE EYES HAVE IT

One of the most stressful events most people ever face is speaking in front of a group of
people, particularly for the first time. The only thing worse is anticipating talking to that audience, thinking about it beforehand. The fear builds, the heart pounds, the stomach flutters, the voice changes to a higher pitch. Being able to talk comfortably to an audience is a skill we all wish we had.  And we know it can be a valuable asset as we advance in our chosen careers and in our personal lives.

Skill as an effective speaker can be acquired. It’s learnable and teachable. I know. I taught it for 28 years at Wright College in Chicago. Students would avoid taking the required class in public speaking until it stood between them and graduation. Most entered my classroom with fear and trepidation, but left at the end of the semester with newfound self-assurance and the ability to speak in front of a group without losing sleep over it the night before.

An effective speaker relates to the audience, communicating in a conversational manner, not talking in front of them using a prepared script or a memorized version of that script.  Making eye contact with the audience is vital, as it is in everyday, one-to-one conversation. Most inexperienced speakers avoid it, instead staring over the tops of everyone’s heads or looking down at a script.

The goal is to be your natural, conversational self in front of a group.  The need to prepare can’t be overlooked, but the key to success is eye contact. I watched countless student push themselves to make eye contact, only to discover friendly faces in the audience and a reassurance they didn’t feel before.  I could see them shift to a more relaxed posture as they engaged the audience. It works.
Although most people avoid or even fear public speaking, we give speeches all the time in our everyday lives. Whenever we anticipate talking to someone about something important, we prepare a speech.

Your teenage son prepares a speech as he brings the family car home with a dented fender. Mothers think carefully about how to talk to their young daughters about menstrual cycles. Take a traffic ticket to Court or decide to ask for a raise and you prepare a speech. In these examples, we prepare a speech and judge when to give it.

We think about how to begin, how to get our audience listening and interested in what we have to say. We decide what we want to say, what’s important for that audience to know.  We think about what final thoughts we want them to take with them.  Done—we’ve prepared a speech.
We’re old hands at it, really.  And most important, we know we have to look our audience in the eye to be believed.

The best place to become more comfortable speaking in public is in a safe atmosphere with fellow speakers — other people, like yourself, sticking their necks out. Classes in public speaking are available in our high schools, colleges and community education programs.  Another excellent way to improve those skills is to join a local Toastmasters club, which provides good opportunities for members to practice speaking in a friendly, supportive and social atmosphere.

TOASTMASTERS: FROM A HANDFUL IN THE BASEMENT TO MILLIONS WORLDWIDE

Eighty years after gathering a few people in a basement in Santa Ana, California, to help them improve their speaking skills, Dr. Ralph Smedley would be pleased with what’s become of his idea and his goal.

The first Toastmasters Club has grown into an organization with more than 4 million members in 83 countries worldwide. And the members, men and women of all ages, are from all walks of life,  share similar goals: to improve their communication, listening, and leadership skills.

Toastmasters find the club to be an enjoyable means of self-improvement, in a positive environment where they can progress at their own individual,  comfortable speed.

Everyone gets an opportunity to communicate at a Toastmasters meeting. That’s why you are there!  You will build “quick-thinking” skills speaking “off the cuff,” and prepare more formal speeches of different types and lengths. You can also practice using visual aids, gestures and voice variation. You’ll develop leadership skills and self-confidence, too. Anxieties and fears will diminish each time you speak in front of the small group, as other members  evaluate your presentations  and  offer positive feedback and suggestions for next time.
Upon completion of your first ten speeches, you’ll be recognized as a “Competent Toastmaster.” If you wish, you can proceed into an advanced speaking program.

Each new member gets a “mentor,” and can draw from the skills and knowledge of others in the club. A manual guides members through the program.  Speech contests and workshops with other clubs offer additional experiences. 

There’s always room for improvement for Toastmasters, no matter how long they’ve been memebers. Toastmasters is  fun, as well as an ongoing learning experience, not only from the speeches personally prepared and presented, but also just from listening to everybody else’s.

TOASTMASTERS: A CLUB FOR PARTY PEOPLE?

Twelve years ago, when his supervisor at the State Department of Natural Resources suggested to the staff that they participate in  Toastmaster, Kirk Willis said to himself, “Yeah. Right.”

But when he got around to visiting a meeting, he was surprised. “I expected a “good ol’ boy/good ol’ girl club,” with socializing and proposing of toasts. Instead, “it was crafted like a college course.”
He was also surprised when he was called on to speak during “Table Topics,” an especially lively part of the meeting, featuring 1-2 minute, informal, impromptu speeches.

“I talked for about 20 seconds and then—I just quit.”
“It’s hard.”

Willis, who said he was “OK, but not comfortable,” with public speaking back then, joined the Encouraging Words club. He was active for three or four years, completing the Competent Toastmaster and Able Toastmaster designations.
The experience pushed him out of his comfort zone. When joining a group like Toastmasters, Willis said, “you’re going in . . . as the new kid on the block, wondering, ‘How am I going to do?’”
“When you get the courage up to do that, it’s scary.” But the results are worth it, he said. He learned how to do research for a speech, how to organize and develop a logical sequence and how to employ, “little tricks your learn from other people while you’re there (in the club.)”
Willis said he now encourages others to join Toastmasters.

“You’d be amazed,” he tells them. “It’s well-designed. You learn a lot and make new friends. You can take the path that fits you best.”
And it’s more than just speaking. It’s also about leadership – learning to plan and conduct a meeting, how to answer questions.  In a job or in everyday life, there are times when, “you need to be able to come up on the spot with a mini-speech.”

“Sit in on a Toastmasters meeting,” he suggests. “Check it out.”

SPEAKING WASN'T A MORTAL FEAR

“I wasn’t deathly afraid of it (public speaking), said Mia Hocking, 38, of Hillsboro. But Toastmasters has, “taught me to be more organized and a little bit more relaxed.”

Not knowing anything about Toastmasters, she visited several meetings, at the invitation of a co-worker, before joining two and a half years ago.
“I was always shy in school,” she recalled. But, “more and more, it seemed I was getting into situations,” in her work at Boise Paper Solutions involving involved public speaking. “I do a lot of presentations and meetings,” as Safety Coordinator at the Boise paper mill, she explained. “I thought it would be good training and experience, to be in a non-intimidating group.”
“It’s been very helpful.”

Almost since the beginning, she was involved in the club’s leadership, serving in differenct officer positions. Currently, she’s the president.
The composition of her club,The Columbians, which meets over the lunch hour, fluctuates, she said, and includes a “good mix” of people, including professionals and people with different levels of business experience. Toastmasters isn’t just for career people, however. "It even helps one on one.”


TO GET BETTER

Toastmasters clubs are known for being friendly, welcoming, supportive groups. Julie Rinard knows. After visiting the Early Words club three times, she missed a meeting.

“I got five phone calls,” she said, laughing. People wondered where she was. She has since signed up and paid her dues.

Toastmaster meetings are structured, fast-paced, spirited and fun, said Rinard, Director of Marketing and Health Promotion for Elder Options in Longview. Everybody plays a part, whether it’s taking a turn as Toastmaster of the day, vote counter, grammarian or timekeeper. After working in marketing for 18 years, Rinard, 44, was accustomed to making presentations. But recently, during a speech, a friend in the audience heckled her.  “It was in fun,” Rinard recalled, but “it de-railed me. I realized I wasn’t a very professional speaker."

A good speaker needs to deal with unexpected things, she said. “I want to be better at it.”