Copy-Cat-Copywriting

Recently I came across a forum post where a reader asked about the benefits of joining a Toastmasters group. Frankly, I've never seen this topic discussed anywhere so I jumped right in.

When I moved to Seattle, some professional speakers said, "The best way to get started in speaking is to join Toastmasters."

As it happened, a very nice chapter was meeting just a few blocks away, on Wednesday noon. I went for about a year. During that time I earned a CTM (ie., made 10 speeches) and won 2d place at the region for a humor talk ("Fashion-Challenged in Seattle") based on my personal experiences.

Suggestions for anyone who considers joining:

(1) Choose your chapter carefully. My chapter had several professional speakers including a professional radio announcer and a woman who did stand-up comedy for a few paid gigs, plus others. We were a small chapter so everyone got to speak often.

(2) If you are shy or unsure about speaking, Toastmasters *is* a great vehicle. I saw several people blossom after just a few talks. Again, be sure you've got a good chapter: our people made faster progress because we had so many pros.

(3) I am a very experienced speaker. After all, I taught college for over 20 years. I *love* to give talks. So to be honest, the benefit I got in terms of speaking were not huge. I learned some tips about humor just because we had some pros in my group.

Occasionally Toastmasters will give you exposure for paid and platform speaking. If that's your goal, talk to someone who's done it (not me!) and create a strategy.

(4) Toastmasters takes time. When you're giving a speech, you have to prepare a 7-minute talk. You're penalized for going over or under certain times so you *must* practice.

Besides speaking, you have other assignments in meetings. Smaller chapters mean you get more practice but also more work. When you're in certain roles you have to email others and get responses. Being Toastmaster of the week is HUGE.

(5) Toastmasters has all sorts of rituals and rules and they will either be fun or drive you crazy. New members often say, "It's like Rotary...or Kiwanis...or even Alcoholics Anonymous."

(6) Choose a chapter with people who follow your rhythms. Self-employed people, and those still climbing a ladder somewhere, will have a different time perspective than people who are retired, stay-at-home parents, or long-term corporate employees who are not striving for advancement.

(7) Your chapter will change. My chapter changed completely within a year as some members left town or dropped out. Some members felt more comfortable with the newer version of the chapter; others didn't.

So I recommend reviewing your membership in *any* group, but especially in Toastmasters, on a regular basis. If you're self-employed, you can't afford to invest time unless the activity benefits your business and/or personal goals.

Labels: business development, networking, speaking, toastmasters