Originally published February 3, 2015 in the Winnipeg Free Press

I am often asked , “Why join Toastmasters? I know how to make presentations and I talk to my staff all the time.”! What I have learned is that we don’t always perform the way we think we do, and no matter your skill level, there is always something new that the Toastmasters program can help with.

Our Toastmasters meetings are structured to be a safe place to try something new. Members start out at their own pace, developing the basic skills of communication and leadership. After that, there are many different paths to follow to take their skills to the next level.

Perhaps you have been promoted to a manager position (or would like to be). The five topics shown in the “Speeches by Management” manual provide ways to help with “The Briefing”, “Appraise with Praise”, “Persuade and Inspire”, “Communicating Change”, and “Delivering Bad News”, all situations a manager is sure to find. Having these tools at hand, and being able to practice the relevant techniques, will make the task much easier whenever the situation comes up.

Advanced Manuals vary from “Humorously Speaking”, to “Communicating on Video.” “Facilitating Discussion”, and “Interpretive Reading”. These are just a few of the advanced presentation skills you can develop from the more than fifteen manuals available.

When you consider the positive feedback given after each presentation, coupled with helpful growth points, it’s clear how easy it is to make each meeting interesting, informative and fun. You wouldn’t believe the variety of topics that members share at meetings and we always leave the meeting energized.

For more information about the Advanced Communication manuals, please go to www.toastmasters.org and search for Advanced Manuals. Drop in to a club near you and see for yourself. We’d love to see you.

To hear more comments about Toastmasters, please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WStG9TnG0Gw

There are Toastmasters meetings every day of the week (day and evening) in Manitoba and North-West Ontario that would welcome you. Go to www.toastmasters.org/findaclub or call 204-338-7401 to find out more. No experience necessary.