Blue Tongue Toastmasters will help your public speaking

People join Blue Tongue in order to:

• Develop their public speaking skills to persuade and convince others
• Learn to put their ideas across clearly and with conviction
• Improve their self-confidence before a group of people
• Learn to think quickly and clearly under pressure
• Learn to listen effectively and critically
• Learn to supportively evaluate someone else’s presentation
• Train to become a good leader

When you join the Blue Tongue Toastmasters Club you receive a complete training kit covering all aspects of speaking and evaluation. This kit includes Communication and a Leadership manuals. This manual reflects the years of experience Toastmasters has in helping people just like you. It takes you step by step through the art of making and evaluating speeches.What specifically will you learn to do as a Toastmaster?

In the Blue Tongue Toastmasters Club you will learn by doing

In particular you learn by doing with your efforts evaluated by your fellow Club members. You will be gradually introduced to the various roles within a Toastmasters meeting. Gaining proficiency in these helps build up your skills. The exercises will teach you how to:

• Give an impromptu speech
• Give a prepared speech
• Evaluate what you hear
• Introduce speakers
• Be a more effective leader of people
• Chair and run meetings

BTTM opens up networking and mentoring opportunities

How we communicate informally at events is every bit as important, if not more so, than being in the spotlight giving a speech. Knowing how to mingle and network may be more important to our overall success in life than anything else. BTTM gives you the skills and opportunities to network and have a mentor or mentoree which will help you grow professionally.Whether you work in a corporate environment or from home, whether you are a student or retiree, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining communication and leadership skills.

You will become a better speaker

Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. By learning to formulate and convey your ideas, you open a new world of possibilities. You will be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations and you will improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

Your leadership skills will improve

Leadership is the art of persuading others to do what you wish. To succeed, you need to communicate, and you need to work as a team. In Toastmasters, you’ll do both. And you’ll find out how to vary your approach to suit the needs of different people, be they the audience for a speech, the committee for a fundraiser or your coworkers and managers.

When you Join you will join 235,000 other members who are wanting to succeed

Toastmaster has more than 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries. The meetings are organised so that everyone will have a chance to speak, should they want to. You schedule your own speaking assignments a few weeks in advance, so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare.

Speaking assignments are varied, with the first one designated as an “ice breaker” – a description of yourself and your life that lasts between five and seven minutes. You’ll be assigned a mentor to help you settle in and get through your first speaking roles. As you grow in confidence, you assignments will grow with you.

Importantly, whenever you stand up and speak, you receive encouraging, helpful feedback on how it went and how you can improve next time.

The membership is great value

While it is free to come along membership offers a range of benefits primarily teaching you to be a better speaker and leader. BTTM and Toastmasters International runs a number of courses for the members to progress from their first speech (the Icebreaker) to being a Distinguished Toastmaster. Membership is $40 (once off) + $50 each six months i.e. $90 for the first six months than $50 for each six months after that. Initially membership includes several manuals to guide you to be a more effective speaker and leader and continues to provide more advance courses as you progress over the years.