Toastmaster Tips

Being a good club member

Come along to every meeting you can – you will learn public speaking by osmosis and also learn a lot about many things and make new friends.

Respond to calls to check the Rack as fast as you can to keep all the roles filled.

If you have said you will do something do it.

If you are in the audience, concentrate on the speaker – the greatest gift we can give is our attention.

Take the time to greet any guests – be friendly and if possible, take them under your wing through the evening.

Use the speeches to practice your evaluations – write down what you would say and compare it with what the real evaluator says.

Take the time to read “The Toastmaster” as it has lots of secret tips and tricks particularly with reference to evaluation.

Read and understand what being a Toastmaster is all about. The Toastmasters Promise can be found on our new membership forms

Do come along to social events such as at the Sovereigns (every week after the meetings) to build on the relationships we have made within the club.

Be a good audience member

We are all learning and improving and we all need to practise. Because of this, we all need an audience. Remember to attend even when you don’t have a role and give back to the people who are there to be an audience for your presentations. When anyone is performing, try to give them your full attention.

How to progress at warp speed

Generally, we expect it to take between 1 and 2 years to achieve Competent Communicator. If, however, you would like to speed up the process, there’s always a way. Here are our best suggestions:

Always say Yes! Some of our most experienced speakers have got that way quickly by determining to always say yes to any opportunity they are offered at the club. There is always support from other members who have done the role or speech before and always saying yes leads to you being seen as reliable and getting even more opportunities.

Standby Speaking Occasionally people have to drop out of speeches and roles at short notice. When this happens, we need someone to drop in at short notice. Our VPE runs a standby list for just this reason. If you would like to join this list, prepare your next speech and contact your VPE. You will then be contacted when opportunities become available.

Enter contests. Woking Speakers runs 5 competitions each year. By volunteering for each, you will gain extra speaking opportunities and learn and practise leadership skills too.

Speak at other clubs As a member of Woking Speakers, we can offer to find you speaking opportunities at other clubs in our area. Contact your VPE for more information.

How to become a better evaluator

Practise watching every speech as if you are about to be asked to evaluate it. Make notes of the strengths each speaker demonstrates in their speech. Highlight what you would recommend they work on for next time. Think about what you would suggest they do to improve. Always be specific.