Innovations

Quality Improvement and Toastmasters

by Mai Lin Chua

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.” John Ruskin, 19th Century British Art Critic.

Philip B. Crosby… Does the name sound familiar to you? Aside from being a former Toastmaster, he was a leader in quality improvement. He was widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading “quality coaches.” He was the author of nine books on quality and leadership and was perhaps best known as the father of the “zero defects” concept of quality management, which centers on the principle of preventing mistakes before they happen – as opposed to correcting them after they occur.

Successful leadership, said Philip B. Crosby, is not just some mysterious force that rains down upon a sacred few. Instead, he said, leadership can be learned. Crosby was unabashed in his praise for Toastmasters, and he gave the organization credit for helping him develop the communication skills he said every business executive needs to become an effective leader. His success in business, writing and public speaking attests to the power of Toastmasters training.

Regardless of your career path, Toastmasters is a great way to improve your communication skills. Toastmasters can help you lose the fear of public speaking and teach you skills that will help you be more successful in whatever path you’ve chosen. You’ll even learn to be a better listener. You’ll learn to easily lead teams and conduct meetings. You’ll comfortably give and receive constructive evaluations. Perhaps you already have some or all of these skills. In Toastmasters, you will be able to enhance them. A Toastmaster wears many hats. During your Toastmasters experience, you will have an opportunity to serve in many capacities. By participating in all functions, you will receive well-rounded experience in communication and leadership. Two of the Toastmaster hats are “speaker” and “table topics.”

The role of a speaker enables you to write a good speech which requires concentration, thought and practice, practice, practice. A skilled speaker writes tight introductions, focused and highlighted main topics, and a crisp, to-the-point conclusion to engage the audience in your speech presentation. For every speech delivered, there is an evaluator who can give you oral and written comments. You can always self-critique your speeches and make detailed notes of the comments. The goal is to help you improve a little with each presentation.

In order to become successful public speakers, you need to be able to respond effectively to spontaneous questions. This is the purpose of Table Topics. Many people freeze when the Topic master calls for your response. Is it because you’re called upon on an impromptu basis? At Toastmasters Club, you’ll learn the fundamentals of Table Topics which will help you respond to unexpected questions from your boss and other people. You will learn the skills to conquer the unexpected and overcome the helpless feeling of lacking control.