Unexpected Benefits of Toastmasters

This time last year, when a long-time buddy invited me to the Open House of?Cupertino Toastmasters, I figured that I had a 6-month gap between my Cub Scouting leadership and Boy Scout leadership as my daughter was about to transition to the next level of scouting. My plan was to quit Toastmastering in 6 months as a better public speaker, just in time for my leadership roles in the next level of scouting.?

6 months passed. Did I stop? Nope! 12 months have passed and my volunteering at scouting is well underway. Will I stop? No way!?

Many more experienced Toastmasters, who are much better communicators, still go to Toastmasters week after week for continued learning and growing. Why shouldn’t I??

Plus, during the last 12 months, I’ve discovered that Toastmasters is helping me in ways that I never expected. Why should I stop benefiting from it?

In this blog, I’d like to share with you the top 5 reasons why I keep going to Toastmasters week after week.

Benefit #1: Listening Skills

When I joined Toastmasters one year ago, I was thinking that the Number 1 benefit would be on public speaking. Now I know that it’s about listening skills, first and foremost.?

Listening is the most important thing in our daily communication at work or at home, and it’s the skill that gets practiced most often at Toastmasters.?

• I need to listen well in order to be a good Toastmaster of the meeting, Speech Evaluator, General Evaluator, or TableTopics Master.?
• Same when I play a minor role such as Ah-Counter or Word Master.?
• Even if I don’t play any role in the meeting, I still need to listen attentively in order to be able to give each speaker an 1-min feedback and vote for the Best Speaker and Best Evaluator.?

Listening to speeches and evaluations by members of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is how we learn continuously at Toastmasters.?

Benefit #2: Critical Thinking

Just like at home or at work, critical thinking allows us to analyze other people’s statements or speeches, and give positive and critical feedback.?

I may not speak in every Toastmasters meeting, but I have to do critical thinking, just like with active listening.?

• I have to think critically in order to be able to give helpful 1-min feedback to every speaker.?
• This is more evident if I have to give a formal evaluation of a speech or the entire meeting.?
• I also get to practice this skill when I work with my fellow club officers, offering each other constructive feedback.?

By the way, not only do we give feedback to each other at Toastmasters, we take feedback as well, lots of it. To me, it’s multiple times a week (as compared to once or twice a quarter at work), including pre-meeting speech rehearsal feedback, in-meeting formal evaluation and 1-min feedback, post-meeting feedback to my speech or my role played, etc.?

When we take or give constructive feedback at Toastmasters, we keep learning and growing.?

Benefit #3: Speaking and Communicating, obviously

As is well understood, Toastmasters trains us to speak and communicate better.?

It’s not only about public speaking; it’s about speaking or communicating in general. Whether you communicate to 1 person, 10 people, or 100 people, you need common skills that are practiced at Toastmasters week in and week out.?

• How to organize your speech: opening, transitioning, storytelling, summarizing, closing.
• How to rehearse it: by yourself, with a friend, with Zoom recording.
• How to manage time.
• How to deliver it: posture, gesture, voice projection, voice variation, minimizing ah’s and en’s.?
• How to read your audience while you speak and respond appropriately.?

According to Warren Buffet, the famous billionaire investor,?

One easy way to become 50% more valuable right away is to hone your communication skills. If you cannot communicate, it’s like winking at a girl in the dark – nothing would happen.?

Toastmasters provides a safe and supportive environment for us to experiment with different techniques of composing and delivering our speeches. This is another way for us to learn and grow – try and error.?

Benefit #4: Saying the right thing, at the right time

Does it ever happen to you when a meeting is over, and you wonder, “Gosh, why did I think of that comment or response right there and then in the meeting?”?

It happens to me all the time!

What kind of skill is needed here? Responding appropriately right there and then! Saying the right thing at the right time!

Does Toastmasters help us practice that skill? Absolutely!

• As Toastmaster of the meeting, I’d better make an encouraging comment on the 1st speaker before moving on to the next one.?
• As TableTopics Master, I’d better do the same before moving on to my next topic.?
• During my speech on managing a difficult audience, I had to respond appropriately to every question or argument.
• TableTopics requires me to respond appropriately right there and then to the given topic.
• Being a speech evaluator requires me to say the right thing, at the right time, with the right tone, in the right order – positive, critical, positive.?
• If someone babbles on and on and my session or meeting is about to run out of time, I need to intervene appropriately to bring it back on track.

By practicing how to say the right thing at the right time, we improve our intellectual and emotional agility.?

Benefit #5: Projecting a positive and supportive image

Believe it or not, our weekly Toastmasters is usually my most important meeting of the week.

Why? Because I have to be exposed in the Zoom video for the entire 90 minutes. And how I play my role and how I react to other members’ speeches will be evaluated by my fellow Toastmasters.?

What kind of image do I want to project if it’s so important? I want to look polished, sound smart, and appear enthusiastic and supportive!?

• I’d take a nap if I am tired. Some of my fellow Toastmasters take a shower to stay refreshed.
• I’d shave and dress appropriately.?
• During the meeting, I’d stand, adjust my camera angle, and make sure there is good lighting and background.
• I’d be enthusiastic and supportive.?

It turns out that this habit and mentality of looking polished, positive, and supportive is very much transferable. As a result, my image and performance at work and at boy scouting have gotten better.

According to?John Bates,?

Going to Toastmasters is like going to the gym every week.

While going to the gym improves (or maintains) our physical fitness, going to Toastmasters improves our fitness in terms of speaking and communication.?

Based on the 5 benefits I have shared above, many being pleasant surprises, I believe Toastmasters is not just about communicational fitness (or just in terms of public speaking) – it’s about intellectual, social, and emotional fitness as well. It’s about improving or maintaining our IQ and EQ. It’s about continued learning and growing as a person, a communicator, and a leader.?

If you haven’t joined Toastmasters, I hope you take the leap of faith to visit a club or join the program to enjoy these life-long benefits.?