Business & Professional Toastmasters
Club#1169
Metairie, Louisiana
The Why and What of Toastmasters
Just in case you were wondering why people would join an organization like ours, or what happens within our meetings - your questions will be answered here.
Why would someone join Toastmasters?
Get over the fear of speaking
Develop the art of communicating
Self-actualization (self-expression)
Learn to think and communicate more quickly
Foster human understanding
Increase comfort level by giving talks
Improve ability to listen
Decrease ahs, ums, and other space fillers
Increase ability to speak more clearly and concisely
Improve interpersonal relationship skills
Present ideas more understandably
Develop leadership skills
Learn to evaluate constructively and positively
Practice parliamentary procedures and rules of order
Learn to motivate
Learn to be more assertive without being aggressive
Develop a more positive outlook on life
Talk about things that are important to you
Improve your social and networking skills
Develop professional credentials by achieving goals
Improve confidence and poise for interviews
- Toastmasters -
Not Your Typical Educational
Setting
It's been said that "the secret of success is to prepare
oneself for opportunity when it comes". Even though many
people have failed to grasp this concept, there are educational
organizations that can help those who wish to prepare themselves, or
those who desire to continually search for self-improvement.
Toastmaster clubs offer a different environment from the traditional classroom
training that most are familiar. As such, common questions asked of those
who attend a Toastmasters
meeting generally include "How was the training" or "What did you
learn?" These questions are met with confusion because even
though there is a structure, it is not of the "sit down, take
notes" variety. Toastmasters Int. supplies its membership with
manuals that set forth a path allowing the membership to
improve itself. Whether it is speaking, analyzing, leading or
listening, we learn. This process is not a subjective one, but
rather an objective form of education.
We, as individuals and as a group, gain from the talents of the
membership. This incorporated with the instruction and
guidelines put forth by Toastmasters Int. make for a more
fulfilling educational experience allowing for diversity
between groups. Therefore, it is recommended that you find a group whose
personality suits yours to better facilitate your personal
development.
What happens during a Toastmasters meeting?
The goal of each meeting is to give every member an opportunity to speak. A typical Toastmasters meeting is divided into three sessions:
Table Topics:
Toastmasters are given a subject or question upon which they must speak extemporaneously for 2 minutes. Guests are welcome to participate and answer a question. This is a great way to practice answering unexpected questions and impromptu speaking.
Prepared Speeches:
Working from manuals supplied by Toastmasters International, 1-3 members (per meeting) present speeches designed to develop specific skills. These speeches allow our members to gain experience in speaking in front of a group, as well as in preparing a speech.
Evaluations:
Speakers get immediate feedback on how well they accomplished their assigned objectives. Each speech has a specific goal that is emphasized in the evaluation, as well as in the general presentation.
Other Meeting Occurrences:
A General Evaluator offers a critique of the meeting as a whole.
Each of our meetings has a short business session, which gives members a
chance to practice parliamentary procedure. Besides speaking,
each member will also have the opportunity to serve as
Toastmaster, Table Topic Master, Evaluator, General Evaluator,
etc., which are rotated among members to provide a
variety of experiences.
Attention! -- Important Site Information - Please Read! -- Attention!
Be it known...
as of October, 2011, due to
changes within the club and the organization, the information
contained within this site may no longer be completely accurate
(including, but not limited to - meeting location, what it is
that we offer our members, possible changes to disclaimers used,
and compliance with newly-imposed guidelines). As such "This
Is Not A Toastmaster Int. Approved Club Website!" Yet, it
will remain in this current form to honor our past, as long as
possible, and to serve as a reminder of the uniqueness,
individuality, standards, professionalism, regards for others'
privacy, and knowledge that this club's long line of members once enjoyed, shared and promoted during our history. To see the new site featuring Toastmasters Int.'s created/designed/approved web template and information - click here!
Thank you for your consideration.
Toastmasters International would like you to know the following about its' name,
logo, trademarks and copyrights...
"All rights reserved. Toastmasters International, the Toastmasters International logo and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are the sole property of Toastmasters International and may be used only by permission."
They also desire us to inform you of the following in regards to "member information"...
"The information on this Web site is for the sole use of Toastmasters' members, for Toastmasters business only. It is not to be used for solicitation and distribution of non-Toastmasters material or information."
Business & Professional Toastmasters Club#1169 would like you to be aware of this...
This club website is intended for use by members as well thoes who wish to learn about us!
We value the privacy of our members and guests, and do not send un-solicited e-mails.
The information and links contained on this site have been submitted and voted upon by our membership before inclusion. However, it should be noted that what is offered and /or linked to is not necessarily recommended or endorsed by all B&P Club#1169 members / the Toastmasters organization, or Toastmasters International.
© Business and Professional Toastmasters Club#1169 Website Committee 1999 through Oct. 1, 2011
(unless otherwise noted)
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