What I learned as a Toastmaster

I have never been shy of standing in front of a crowd, in a meeting big or small, but?after years of workshops, townhalls and various professional presentations I felt I was missing something. There were situations when I felt I could do much better than I did.

Hence in June 2019 I decided to join the Novartis Toastmasters club and I picked the “Innovative planning” pathway because the description resonated with my personal objectives of “building skills as a public speaker and leader, developing a strong connection with audience members. […] The projects contribute to building an understanding of the steps to manage a project, as well as creating innovative solutions.”

During these 2 years and a half into Toastmasters I've learned a lot during my pathway, so - after 18 speeches - ?let me share some of the experience with you

1.?It's All About the Audience

Although I am?a good?storyteller and knowledgeable?in various areas of?business,?that?doesn't mean all people will?eagerly listen to?what I?have to say.?They're going to ask, "Why should I spend my time listening??What's in it for me?"?One of the?greatest lessons from Toastmasters is understanding the?importance of connecting with the audience.?It's critical to?help the audience understand why what's being said is so important and why it matters to them.?Connecting with people emotionally and personally allows them to?think, feel, and?take action based upon what they've heard.?Resonance is the key to connection.?

2.?Your Toastmasters fellows want you to succeed -?No One Wants to See?Failure

Similarly, when people listen to a speech, Toastmaster’s members want the speaker?to succeed, not fail.?Letting go of?the?fear of judgement allows a speaker to better entertain, inform, inspire, and move the?audience.?When I realized that people wanted me succeed and weren't judging me, I felt better able to?deliver a?speech with impact.

3.?I'm?Competing Against No One But Myself

I am privileged to be in the company of some truly exceptional speakers in my Toastmasters club.?We are all on different stages of our journeys towards becoming more effective communicators, we have different presentation styles?but all agree on one thing:?It's better to take risks, try new approaches, and fail at Toastmasters?than fall flat in a place where the stakes?are much higher. Instead of comparing myself?to others, I cared only about how I was?developing.?Still today I review where I am in my progress, from where I've come, and where I aspire to go.?

4. Don’t try to be perfect!

Perfection is the enemy of execution, if you are into your own head trying to be perfect, you are not going to do anything. If you try to script the full speech, it would be incredibly difficult to remember the whole thing word by word during the delivery.

Rule of thumb is that it takes 10.000 hours to become a master in anything, whereas it takes only 25 hours to become great at something, so it takes a couple of times to become good enough, so if you get resistance, keep trying, keep going ... you will not be perfect, but you will become better and better at it.

In fact, my toughest speech was the first one (the “icebreaker”) but by the time I was at my 2nd / 3rd speech, I had my 10-15 hours of practice (in writing, putting the composition together, rehearsing etc..) so at the 5th speech, I felt I was good and the improvement was rapid and continuous.

5.?Practice, practice, practice!

Preparation is key!

Too much preparation is bad, Anyone can tell when a speaker?is regurgitating a rehearsed script.?It's robotic and dry?and feels inauthentic

You have to put in the time and effort.?It doesn't matter how many books you read, TED-talks you watch, or speech coaches you hire, they are supplements, not substitutes.?In the end, the best way to become a better speaker is to speak.?Toastmasters is a great place to get that experience because you can understand how to:

-???????Organize the speech?– At Toastmasters we learn from the beginning to get organized, to ensure the speech has an opening, body and a closing and we make sure the transitions are smooth.

-???????Keep it simple and get to the point?– Sometimes there is just so much I want to share! If I am passionate about the subject, have researched it well and have all the data and information in my head, I just want you to have it too! With this overload of valuable information, it is difficult to point out what is most important. The best approach is to keep it short and simple with a strong opening, three key elements, summary and a strong closing message!

-???????Respect the time?– one extra minute, maybe five, oh well, we can just shorten our coffee break. I learned to respect the time. If I am scheduled for a 7-minute speech, I have 7 minutes and 30 seconds before I will be interrupted. There is no excuse, we have to be on schedule and the ability to fit a speech into a precise time frame is a skill I owe to Toastmasters. It helps to keep me on track, focus on key elements and deliver a message before I see the red light.

-???????Use body language and voice?– speech is not only about what you say, but how you say it. The more powerful the expressions, the more impact you will make on those listening. Using body dynamics to show emotions, playing with the voice to strengthen the message.?

6. How to benefit from evaluations without getting defensive

At first I found it a bit unnerving to be evaluated at a TM meeting, but the take-away message is always supportive: you did some things very well, and here are some things you could do to make your speech even better. The model for learning to be a good public speaker is the same as the model for learning just about anything. You try it, get some feedback, try it again using the feedback you got last time, get some more feedback, and so on. And it works!

When I evaluate a speaker, I usually try to figure out the one or two things which would help him make the biggest improvement in the shortest amount of time.

An unexpected bonus in learning to give evaluations has been the ability to evaluate others and help them to improve outside of TM. For example, I’ve used my skills to help friends prepare for a job interview. We role-play the interview, and I evaluate my friend’s responses: What she did well and suggestions for improvement in the real interview.?

What’s next?

Although I have completed my pathway, I plan for remaining active in Toastmasters, perhaps i will choose another pathway, but in due time. For sure I plan to be an advocate for Toastmasters because there are no shortcuts in maturing as a speaker and – as Mark Twain wrote - “There are only two types of speakers in the world: 1) The nervous; and 2) Liars.”??

Antonio Tramontano