Empower Your Leadership: 3 Unique Benefits of Joining a Toastmasters Speech Club

Are you seeking to empower your leadership skills and advance your career? When I lived in San Francisco and we used to read a physical newspaper, I remember reading articles both in the WSJ and the San Francisco Chronicle about career planning. As an alumna of one of the competitive colleges, there was the presupposition that we both wanted to advance our careers and were turning to periodicals to support that journey. Now, professionals turn to Google and LinkedIn and specialty journal sites for career advice.

People often first associate improving our public speaking skills with Toastmasters clubs. And they would be right.

However, Toastmasters was originally founded to promote leadership and management skills via better public speaking. We now have a 100-year tradition of doing building leaders. Your joining a local Toastmasters speech club could be a transformative step in your professional journey. Do not, it might take a few months or before you start to notice that result occurring. And when you, it's like a part of you long dormant awakes and become alive with joy. And the even better part? You won't be alone in experiencing that.

You'll find your Toastmasters club offers a supportive environment for adults to refine your leadership, public speaking, and communication abilities. Read on to discover three unique benefits women can gain from joining a Toastmasters club to empower your leadership. I'm living proof.

1. Cultivate Effective Team Building Skills

Effective leadership often requires the ability to build and lead diverse teams. Your Toastmasters club and service outside the club provide a platform for members to develop and refine your team-building skills through various activities and roles in and outside of the club.

By working collaboratively with other members, taking on leadership roles, and providing constructive feedback, members can enhance your ability to build and lead successful teams in your professional lives. This can happen whether you're a member in a workplace Toastmasters club or full community club. It doesn't happen overnight. It certainly happens over time. Nothing of great accomplishment in life or in Toastmasters ever happens alone.

As much as we admire solo achievement, the truth is that no lone individual has done anything of value. The belief that one person can do something great is a myth.... Nothing of significance was ever achieved by an individual acting alone. Look below the surface and you will find that all seemingly solo acts are really team efforts.

- John Maxwell

2. Enhance Your Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving has been a critical skill for effective leadership throughout history and continues to be essential to this day. Your Toastmasters club offer opportunities for members to cultivate your problem-solving skills through impromptu speaking exercises and speech evaluations. By learning to think quickly on your feet, analyze situations, and propose effective solutions, members can develop the confidence and skills needed to address complex challenges in their professional roles.

Every club meeting provides you these learning opportunities, from pivoting when a member has a last-minute work conflict and is unable to fulfill their meeting role, to adapting the time allotted for segments in the agenda to keep things moving, beginning and ending on time. Meeting timeliness is a core attribute of Toastmasters which fellow professionals and workplace management appreciate.

3. Develop Stronger Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are essential for building strong relationships, resolving conflicts, and inspiring others. Your Toastmasters club provide a supportive environment for members to develop your interpersonal skills through regular interactions with other members during and in between club meetings. By practicing active listening, providing constructive feedback, and fostering a positive and supportive environment, members can enhance your ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

In conclusion, your joining a Toastmasters speech club is a strategic investment in your leadership development and the beginning of an adventure for learning and self-growth. By cultivating effective team-building skills, enhancing problem-solving abilities, and developing stronger interpersonal skills, women can empower yourselves to become more effective and influential leaders. If you're ready to take your leadership skills to the next level, consider joining a Toastmasters club near you today.

How have you experienced the benefits of joining a Toastmasters club yourself? Share your insights and how it has fueled your leadership journey in the comments below!

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April Braswell is a Smith College alumna and an award-winning best Newport Beach Coach and Hypnotherapist. She is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a communication and leadership achievement only 1% of Toastmasters earn. She is thrilled to be honored as Division Director of the Year in Founders District for the 2022/23 Toastmasters International year. She's excited to be leading the next generation of Toastmasters leaders as the North Division Director in the 2023/24 Toastmasters year and is the Club Growth Director Elect in Founders District Toastmasters Trio in the 2024/25 year. If you are looking for a Toastmasters Club, she is happy to assist you in finding one which is a perfect fit for you. You're welcome to PM to assist you in doing so. Follow me here on LinkedIn.