What I wish I had known about Toastmasters from the start?

Speaking lessons learned

I’ve been a member of Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club for the past decade.

I’ve learned a lot during that 10-year period, but if I could go back to day one, with the knowledge I have now, here are six things I wish I knew.

1. Nerves never completely go away

It’s OK to be nervous. Even after 10 years of working hard on my presenting skills, I still get slightly nervous before almost every speech I give. In my conversations with professional keynote speakers, it turns out many of them get anxiety before delivering presentations as well.

The good news is, one of the biggest benefits I’ve gained from Toastmasters is reducing the level of stress I experience before speaking. Since Toastmasters members get used to speaking in front of a group of people every week, over time, the experience seems less daunting.

2. Prepare content before meetings

Each week, the Toastmaster who is leading that week’s meeting will send an agenda and a meeting theme.

Most Toastmasters only think about preparing for the roles they have signed up for, but something I’ve learned to do is to be prepared whether I’m signed up for a role or not. This process typically involves me thinking of a personal story related to the theme.

If you come to a meeting prepared, it won’t feel too daunting if you’re asked to participate in a spontaneous speaking opportunity (such as Table Topics).

3.Take on roles quickly

When I first joined Toastmasters, I was hesitant to sign up for roles because I assumed I wasn’t experienced enough and that I might do something incorrectly.

Looking back, that was a silly mindset to have because the other members aren’t there to criticize, they’re there to help attendees grow and improve their speaking, listening and leadership skills. Each Toastmasters role focuses on unique skills, jumping in quickly accelerates your growth.

4. Use your mentor effectively

I was given a mentor when I started with Toastmasters, but a few weeks later, my mentor stopped attending meetings. Thankfully, Kelowna AM Toastmasters is a strong club and others were able to help answer my questions. If I could go back to day one, I think I would request a new mentor so I could more deeply engage with the Toastmasters program.

I also think new members should take accountability and clearly communicate what they’re looking for from their mentor to set the tone of the relationship from the very beginning.

5. All feedback is valuable

Similar to why I was hesitant to take on roles in the Toastmasters program, I was also hesitant to give constructive criticism or evaluations.

“Who am I to tell an experienced speaker what he/she should do to improve?” I thought.

What I’ve learned is everyone’s perspective is valid, and new members should not only sign up for speaking roles but also for evaluation roles to provide the club with a fresh perspective and to reinforce their own listening skills.

6. It’s a long-term commitment

I compare Toastmasters with working out. If I take two months off from exercising, I will begin to notice the negative physical and mental impacts. If I take two months off of Toastmasters, my speaking skills will also begin to deteriorate.

Improving (and maintaining) communication skills is a long-term process. I’ve attended Toastmasters since 2014, and I think I’ll probably still be a member in 2034.

If you’re thinking about joining Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills, the Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club is always looking for new members.

If you’re interested in learning more about Impactful Communication, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

A private way to practice public speaking

Practice speaking at home

Do you want to become a better public speaker without leaving the comfort of your own home?

Here are three ways you can practice public speaking on a regular basis without leaving your house.

Record yourself practicing

Like most things in life, the best way to become a better presenter is to practice. If you want to take this practice to the next level, try recording yourself.

When you hit the record button, you create a bit of pressure on yourself to perform. While this pressure isn’t the exact same as the nerves you will likely experience on the day of the speech, it’s good to create an environment where something is at stake so you can become comfortable with overcoming anxiety.

Another major benefit of recording yourself is you can watch back the recording and evaluate potential areas of improvement. Does your speech flow well? Are you using filler words (such as “uhh,” “ah,” “umm,” “like,” and “so”) instead of silence between sentences? Are you incorporating vocal variety to capture the audience’s attention?

Next, you can watch the recording with the volume turned off. That will allow you to focus on your body language. Do you have any distracting tendencies (such as hands in your pockets, unnecessary swaying back and forth, or awkward hand movements)? Are you making purposeful movements, which add to your speech? Are you smiling and incorporating appropriate facial gestures?

By recording yourself speaking and then evaluating that recording, you can quickly notice opportunities to take your skills to the next level.

Move around the house

The next way to enhance the practice of your public speaking skills is to change the room you practice your speech in.

If you have an upcoming presentation, you may not know exactly what the room layout is going to look like on the day of your speech. By switching up your at-home practice environment, you will get used to delivering your speech in different settings, which will give you confidence when you present the real thing.

If you do have an idea of the room you will be presenting a future speech in, do your best to re-create that setup at home. As an example, If you’re delivering a slideshow presentation and your laptop will be connected to a projector via HDMI, try connecting your laptop to a television in your house and get used to presenting with large slides on a screen behind you.

You can also practice your speaking skills while looking in the mirror. Similar to watching back a recording, you may become familiar with distracting tendencies you didn’t previously realize you were doing when you’re able to see yourself in real time.

Join Toastmasters…virtually

In many of my columns, I write about the power and benefit of Toastmasters International. The biggest benefit, in my opinion, is the ability to consistently practice speaking to a group of people in-person, week after week. If you are unable to attend meetings in-person, there is still a massive benefit in becoming a virtual member of a club. Those who attend online still have opportunities to speak (and receive evaluations) each meeting.

The best part is you’ll be joining a community of individuals who want to help you take your speaking skills to the next level.

If you’ don’t want to commit to Toastmasters, you can try downloading a public speaking app (such as Speeko). Speeko has various options to practice speeches, interviews and meetings. It also has a random prompt function, which helps you think quickly on your feet for question and answer sessions.

The most important element in becoming a confident speaker is incorporating consistent practice. Hopefully this column has given you some ideas for how you can improve this important leadership skillset from the convenience and comfort of your home.

If you’re thinking about joining Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills, our Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club is always looking for new members.

If you’re interested in learning more about Impactful Communication, subscribe to my YouTube channel

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Mistakes to avoid when making a presentation

Speaking do's and don'ts

Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to hundreds of speeches. In this month’s column, I break down the most common speaking mistakes I’ve observed, with the hopes you’ll avoid these mistakes when delivering your own presentation.

Don’t inject filler words

I, umm, want to, uhh, encourage you not to use, umm, filler words when delivering your speech. And so, umm, I think these, uhh, unnecessary words actually take away from, uhh, what your message is.

Was the previous sentence hard to read? One of the most common mistakes for new speakers is to use filler words (such as uhh, umm, so, but, and) instead of silence. The reason for this is it can feel uncomfortable to stand in front of an audience and be silent for a brief moment between sentences. Instead, amateur speakers feel the need to constantly be talking, so they fill the silence with filler words, which don’t add any substance to the speech. In fact, they do more harm than good.

The first step to eliminating filler words is to understand the filler words you’re using. The Toastmasters program has a role called the “Ah Counter.” It’s that person’s job to listen throughout the entire meeting and take note of all filler words used by speakers during the meeting. The Ah Counter’s report will help you learn what filler words you use most often. You can also identify your filler words by recording yourself practicing your speech and then watching it back.

Don’t use qualifiers

Words such as “just” and other qualifiers take away from what we are saying and water down our overall message.

For example, if I were to say: “This is just my opinion, but, I think our company needs to renovate the boardroom,” it has a lot less of an impact than if I were to say: “Our company needs to renovate the boardroom.”

This tip goes beyond formal public speaking opportunities and is true for everyday conversations and e-mails as well. Next time you’re crafting an e-mail, take note of anytime you’re using the word “just.” My guess is that word doesn’t need to be there, and your message would be stronger without it.

Don’t wing it

We’ve romanticized this idea of spontaneously delivering a speech with no practice at all. There are a small percentage of people who have the natural skillset to pull this off. The reality is, the vast majority of people need to practice their speeches.

There are a few ways to practice your speech. As mentioned earlier, you can record yourself practicing and watch it back to see if there are areas for improvement. You can ask a family member or friend to watch you deliver your presentation and then ask for feedback. Or, perhaps the best way to practice is by joining a local Toastmasters club, where you’ll get a weekly opportunity to speak in front of a group of people who want to see you succeed.

Don’t write (and read) speeches word for word

People often begin their speech-writing process by writing out the entire presentation word-for-word. Amateur speakers will then stand in front of the audience and read what they’ve written down verbatim.

The problem with this approach is it limits our ability to utilize body language and vocal variety, which are two essential elements of what makes a great speech.

A better approach is to build your speech into sections. Start with an introduction, which is a sentence or two you should commit to memory. Then you should organize the remaining speech into sections, and each section should leverage a keyword that will trigger your memory. Your conclusion should also be committed to memory.

For example (my written down notes would be what appears in “quotation marks”):

1 - Intro/hook sentence (commit this to memory): “Today I am Billy’s best man… but in fifth grade, we were arch enemies…”

2 – “Billy 5th Grade Story” (this is a story I know well, so I don’t need to write down the details, I simply tell the story I’ve told many times before.)

3 – “Kind, Courageous, Reliable” (these words will trigger my memory and I can give real life example of why Billy is kind, courageous and reliable without writing down full sentences.)

4 – “Billy’s Partner” (this will remind me to mention the individual who Billy is marrying and why they make a great couple.)

5 – Conclusion (commit this to memory): “Even though my 5th grade self would disagree… I wish Billy and Sara all the love and happiness in the future.”

By creating notes that act as bullet point reminders, we won’t be restricted to reading several words off of a page, and can move around the stage freely and utilize body language and vocal variety.

If you’re thinking about joining Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills, our Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club is always looking for new members.

If you’re interested in learning more about Impactful Communication, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to public speaking

Public speaking exercises