All ears on you

Toastmasters gives confidence, advice to speakers

Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo Tim Murphy, a La Plata lawyer, joined Toastmasters to polish his public speaking skills. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

For some, the thought of public speaking is terrifying but Toastmasters can ease the stress of talking not only to a large audience but when it comes to networking and breaking the ice.

A Toastmasters group was founded around 2005 by Charles County government employees who were looking to polish presentations they were asked to give to the county commissioners and the various boards and organizations around the county.

Elsa Ault, a senior planner with the county, joked that she was brought into Toastmasters due to "peer pressure."

Ault, also a member of the Waldorf Jaycees, said she never had to struggle when it came to talking to an audience.

"I was able to grow my presentation and speaking abilities professionally," Ault said. "But I have found ways where it has helped me personally."

Each meeting follows an agenda. Toastmasters isn't a bunch of people just giving speeches, said Tim Murphy, who joined the Mad Chatters — the La Plata meeting — around 2007 after being a member of a group that meets in Camp Springs at Andrews Air Force Base.

The structure of the meeting allows members to act in roles — like a speech timer, a grammarian, an ‘um' and ‘uh' counter.

"It forces you to listen and as you listen to other people you can improve the way you speak," said Murphy, a La Plata-based lawyer who specializes in estate planning.

Founded in 1924 in a YMCA in California, the nonprofit international organization has grown to boast 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries, according to Toastmasters Web site.

Among Toastmasters alumni are Peter Coors of the Coors Brewing Company and Debbi Fields, the founder of Mrs. Field's Cookies.

Members give 10 structured speeches at their own pace — Murphy completed the speeches within months of joining Toastmasters, other members take longer to work up to the public speaking, taking a year or more to complete the 10.

Criticism is constructive and positive, Murphy said. Ault agreed, adding that some also comes as an "Ah-ha" moment.

"One of my evaluations, Tim told me not to wear dangling earrings or jewelry. My clanging bracelets were distracting," she said. It wasn't something she ever really thought about. Now she does. Even two years after the advice was given, Ault said she's aware of those small details.

"It's minor tweaks," she said.

Other criticism might be about talking too fast or too slow (which is something Murphy works on).

The Mad Chatters have segued from county employees to more business professionals who are benefitting from the club's "table topics" component.

Table topics consists of icebreaking or impromptu speaking, skills that people in business might need when it comes to networking.

While some members join the club looking to become more comfortable with public speaking and addressing large audiences, some join looking to overcome their shyness or, as Ault found, brush up their interviewing skills.

Gaining leadership skills is another benefit to joining the club.

"That was one thing I was not expecting to develop," Ault said. But after serving as the club's president, vice president of education and currently as its secretary and treasurer, she has gained leadership abilities.

And a bonus of membership is being in a club with others you wouldn't necessarily cross paths with in everyday life.

"I'm glad I'm a member of Toastmasters," Ault said. "It's a fun group. Sometimes I look forward to that one hour. It's really interesting … the people you meet."

There is a plenty of room to grow in Toastmasters, Murphy said. There are advanced booklets on how to roast someone, how to give a toast, storytelling; how to use handouts or visual aids and hand gestures.

"You keep going as long as you want," he said. "The goal is to just get the confidence level up."

"There is no doubt in my mind," Ault said. "You could be a professional speaker but people can benefit [from] and grow in Toastmasters. We can always learn something."

staylor@somdnews.com

Find a club

Mad Chatters Toastmasters Club meets 5:30-6:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of each month at Murphy & Murphy, 108 La Grange Ave., La Plata. Open to all. E-mail aulte@charlescounty.org or call 301-392-1957.

Energetic Toastmasters Club meets at 11:30 a.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month on the naval base in Indian Head. Open to all. E-mail darlene.exum@navy.mil.

To find more Toastmasters clubs, go to www.toastmasters.org.