When I realized back in 2002 that my first novel was actually being published, I came up against another thought. One that scared me silly. I would have to speak about the book publicly.
I am an admitted introvert, but that does not mean I lack determination. I wracked my brain as to how I could handle this looming obstacle to my career. Two ideas sprang to mind:
- Dale Carnegie Course
- Toastmasters
I didn’t know anything about Dale Carnegie besides that it cost a lot of money, which I didn’t have, and I had no idea if or where it was offered. I checked the websites of various towns and the small city nearby, and discovered a Toastmasters Club forty minutes away. Gathering my courage, I joined.
One of the first things that happens at a Toastmasters meeting is the introduction of members and guests. As I drove the forty minutes to the meetings, I would rehearse my simple introduction. Nine years and many speeches later, I had achieved my Advanced Communicator Silver and Advanced Leader. This accomplishment still surprises me sometimes, except when I look back at what it’s done for me. I have confidently launched four books, presented book readings, classes, workshops and a keynote speech. There are still butterflies and an introvert’s nagging mantra: “how did I get myself into this?” But beyond this, I have the experience of many speeches and presentations to remind me that I’ve done it before and I can do it again.
In my opinion, Toastmasters is a solid and valuable tool for any writer. A different mode of communicating than writing, public speaking draws me out of myself to become involved with others.
How does Toastmasters work?
* The first manual consists of ten speeches. You choose the topic, the speech is timed and evaluated by your peers at the meetings.
* Each speech involves a new communication skill to be incorporated into your speech: eye contact, body language, gestures, vocal variation, visual aids, etc. And every speech presented gives you more confidence that you can do it again…and better.
* One aspect of speech evaluation that I regard very highly is the timing issue. A speech at a Toastmasters meeting is docked for being under or over the time allotted. If you’ve ever sat through an endless address or attended a meeting that went on for hours, you know how important timing is. If you are given fifteen minutes to speak, then you learn to time your presentation to between fourteen and sixteen minutes. The way you assure the length of your speech is to practice it aloud. More than once. After a while it becomes second nature to ask for time allotment and to gauge your speech accordingly.
* You learn to organize your material with a beginning, middle and end, whether it’s a speech or a Table Topic (unrehearsed two-minute speech).
* After the first manual, you are free to choose the next manuals from an extensive and interesting list. As you progress in your manual, you are worked into the meeting schedule in other aspects, including timing, counting “ahs,” leading the business portion of the meeting, and evaluation, to name a few. I often found evaluation experience as valuable as speaking.
* Besides local meetings, Toastmasters offers many opportunities to enter speech and evaluation contests at higher levels of the organization. All along the way, members are friendly, encouraging and inspiring.
So if you are an aspiring writer, get into the action ahead of time by signing up with a local Toastmasters group and learn public speaking in a warm, accepting environment. If you already have some books or articles published, it’s never too late to analyze and improve your presentation skills.
Take a look at this site for more information, and search out a Toastmasters Club nearby.
Janice L. Dick 
Jan, thank you for sharing the Toastmasters experience with others. I was fortunate, perhaps, to learn of Toastmasters before I needed to promote a book or speak. I actually enjoyed those experiences because I had been with the organization awhile. It’ s still part of my weekly plan because I have gained so much from it and now help others also to strengthen their speaking and leadership abilities and it helps keep me up-to-date and ready to speak as well.
Yes, I certainly enjoyed being part of the group, but it was a long way to travel, especially in the cold of winter.
I guess it would be, Jan. My distance is shorter. 🙂
When you talk about a time limit, I thought of one person at a writers night. She, who earlier had been most annoyed with someone who said you should rehearse your talk (‘Never,’ she said. ‘It has to be spontaneous!’) rambled on for 45 minutes, when her time slot was 15. I’ll never forget that, and I’m afraid I might do it if I didn’t have a written script.
The idea of speaking from just an outline makes me nervous. Does Toastmasters include that sort of practice?
Can’t remember who said it, but something about it taking hours to create a short spontaneous speech!
Toastmasters allows you to progress at your own speed until you feel comfortable speaking from an outline. For the first ten lessons you practice a specific thing each time, such as voice inflection, eye contact, hand gestures, etc., building on each one as you go. It’s a very accepting atmosphere, a learning time. No one is expected to be polished right from the start. But you get there. It’s amazing what the program does for people. If you haven’t ever tried it, I highly recommend it.