Innovations

Toastmasters
A Diverse Approach to Developing Communication Skills

by Norm Englund and Mai Lin Chua

It has been said that the fear of public speaking is among the greatest of all fears. But in line with our “Knowledge Worker” development in Financial Management, we seem to be called upon more and more to stand up and speak before a group of people. If you are among those who share this dreaded fear and wish that there was a way to overcome it, then you may be interested to know that there is a program designed for just that purpose.

Financial Management Toastmaster’s club would like to invite you, as a guest, to an upcoming Toastmasters’ meeting. Toastmasters’ meets every other Tuesday from 12:00 to 1:00 in Schmitz, Room 170. As a guest you would have the opportunity to observe a routine meeting to see how people perform in various roles, with no pressure to participate.

Each Toastmaster’s meeting is organized in advance with individual roles being assigned to various members. The diverse roles assigned from meeting to meeting allow individuals to grow in a variety of areas. A routine meeting would have individuals fulfilling the following roles:

Toastmaster: Leads the meeting
Speaker: Gives a speech, 5 to 7 minutes long
Evaluator: Evaluates the speech according to objectives
Table Topics Master: Leads impromptu discussions
Timer: Times speaking roles of each person
Ah Counter: Counts all the “Ums and Ah’s of each person speaking
General Evaluator: Evaluates overall meeting

As a guest you would see firsthand how a speech is organized and presented, as speakers share stories and information about their lives and experiences which represent a variety of cultural backgrounds. These personal stories provide a glimpse of the diversity that we share among over two hundred employees in Financial Management. And, as these stories are shared, they allow for group members to better identify with one another, which ultimately provides greater comfort for each member as they prepare for their own upcoming speeches.

If you are interested in joining Toastmasters or coming to an upcoming Toastmaster’s meeting as a guest, please contact Diane Cooley at dianec@u.washington.edu.