Toastmasters International provides a professionally prepared educational program that will improve your ability to communicate and lead. Meetings are conducted by the members themselves in a friendly and supportive atmosphere that encourages self-development. The best way to learn is by doing, and that's how and why Toastmasters works.

The Agenda:

Besides "prepared" speaking projects from the manuals, each member will also have the opportunity to serve in other assigned roles; rotated among all members to provide a variety of public speaking and leadership experiences.

Meeting Roles

Communication & Leadership Program

The key to getting the most out of the Toastmasters' Communication and Leadership Program is active participation. People learn best by doing. Each of the ten project assignments, and the speeches that you will present, are part of a system designed to develop your skills one step at a time.

1. The Ice Breaker
   Objectives: To begin speaking before an audience. To discover speaking skills you already have and skills that need some attention.
2. Organize Your Speech
   Objectives: Select an appropriate outline, make your message clear, use appropriate transitions, create a stong opening and conclusion.
3. Get to the point
   Objectives: Select a topic and determine the general and specific purpose, organise the speech to best achieve the purpose, ensure the into, body and conclusion reinforce the purpose, project sincerity and control nervousnes, strive not to use notes.
4. How to say it
   Objectives: Select eh right words and sentence structure to communicate your ideas clearly, accurately and vividly, use rhetorical devices to enhance and emphasize ideas, Eliminate jargon and unnecessary words, use correct grammar. 
5. Your Body Speaks
   Objectives: Use stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact to express your message and achieve your speech's purpose, make your body language smooth and natural.
6. Vocal Variety
   Objectives: Use voice volume, pitch, rate and quality to reflect and add meaning and interest to your mesage, use pauses to enhance your message, use vocal variety smoothly and naturally.
7. Research Your Topic
   Objectives: Collect information about your topic from numberous sources, carefully support your points and opinions with specific facts, examples and illustrations.
8. Get comfortable with Visual Aids
   Objectives: Select visual aids that are appropriate for your message and the audience, use visual aids correctly with ease and confidence.
9. Persuade with Power
   Objectives: Persuade the audience to adopt your view point or ideas or take action, appeal to the audiences self-interest, build a logical foundation for agreement, and arousing emotional commitment to your cause.
10. Inspire Your Audience
    Objectives: Appeal to the noble motives and chellenging the audience to achieve a higher level of belief, appeal to the audiences needs and emotions, using stories, anecdotes and quotes, avoid using notes.

After you have completed all 10 project speeches, you will receive your Competent Communicator (CC) Award - a major milestone in your communications development.

Advanced Communication & Leadership Program

The Advanced C&L Program has been designed to train you for speaking situations you will encounter outside the Club environment. Each advanced manual focuses on a specific speaking arena/forum or functional type of speaking. The Advanced C&L manuals are used to satisfy the requirements of the Advanced Communicators (AC BRONZE, SILVER and GOLD) Awards.

• The Entertaining Speaker
  How to give an entertaining or dramatic speech, where to find material, how to make an audience laugh, and what to do when your asked to speak after dinner.
• Speaking to Inform
  How to give a demonstration talk, the fact-finding report, the abstract concept, and resources for informing.
• Public Relations
  Building goodwill through public speaking, persuading an audience, speaking to a hostile audience, and speaking to the media.
• The Discussion Leader
  Provides instruction in the four different methods of leading a group discussion. An ideal manual for managers, trainers, and administrators.
• Specialty Speeches
  Covers impromptu speeches, sales presentations, introductions, inspirational speeches, and oral interpretations.
• Speeches by Management
  How to handle a variety of speaking situations managers encounter in the work environment. Topics include: briefings, technical speeches, motivational speeches, and status reports.
• The Professional Speaker
  Covers the keynote address, the entertaining speech, sales training speech, the seminar and the motivational speeches.
• Technical Presentations
  Covers the technical briefing, the proposal, speaking to the non-technical audience, presenting a technical paper, and giving a "team" technical presentation.
• The Professional Salesperson
  How to develop sales presentations, conduct sales meetings, and train other sales people.
• Communicating on Television
  How to present editorials, guest/interview programs, press conference, and training via television.
• Storytelling
  How to tell a folk tale, personal story, stories with morals, touching stories, and the historical story.
• Interpretive Reading
  Instruction in interpretive reading skills: presentation of stories, poetry, monodrama, plays and oratorical speeches.
• Interpersonal Communications
  Build strong interpersonal communication skills including: conversing with ease, handling criticism, negotiating, coaching to improve performance, and expressing dissatisfaction effectively.
• Special Occasion Speeches
  Provides instruction in giving toasts, speaking in praise, "roasting" someone, and presenting or accepting awards.