For the average person, there is something more terrifying than facing death, spiders, or even a fear of flying. Public Speaking.
The thought of it fills many of us with sheer terror at the thought of making fools of ourselves in front of hundreds of people and stumbling over our words that can add to our social anxiety and rejection from our peers.
Whether it is presenting a speech in the workplace, school, or for a wedding, public speaking is a skill many of us are too afraid to gain and avoid it at all costs. Like most things, practise makes perfect, and developing public speaking skills is something you can choose to do, and have fun doing it.
Since 2002, Franklin Toastmasters in Pukekohe has been assisting the Franklin community in the skill of learning to speak confidently in any situation.
Vice President of Franklin Toastmaster’s Public Relations, Samantha Jung- Fielding says most people find the very idea of public speaking so scary, that they would never consider going along to a group to learn how to do it, but says it is the perfect environment to do so, because of the support and feedback that is invaluable to that person’s development moving forward.
“The way we publicise (Franklin Toastmasters) is getting people to understand that the things we do, can help them in their working life, and as a part of their greater community.” says Samantha
Franklin Toastmasters prides themselves on its fun, friendly, no pressure atmosphere that allows people to develop into confident and polished public speakers, helping them to get over their fear, whether it be presenting a wedding speech, or learning how to do a technical business presentation, without losing their audience.
Samantha says members are men and women from all walks of life, and all with different aims, including business professionals, retirees, stay at home parents with a variety of careers and different stages in life.
“We do get a lot of people from the Agriculture industry, some famous faces, published authors. Franklin Toastmasters is for everyone and they can all learn from one another.” says Samantha.
A typical club meeting consists of a game of two halves, where everyone (members and guests) is welcomed, followed by a presentation of three to four pre-prepared speeches, given by experienced members who follow a manual of speeches, starting with a manual called, the Competent Communicator that consists of ten speech projects. Once new members have completed those ten speech projects, they can then move on to an advanced manual, where all members learn from.
The first four speeches are taken either from the Competent Communicator manual or the advanced, and every speech that is presented receives an evaluation, verbally, and written in a speakers manual, so members have notes to help themselves improve, moving forward.
After an interval, the second half of the meeting is about practising impromptu speaking that is called Table Topics. The Table Topics Master or Mistress presents this, and brings a subject to the table, inviting different members and visitors to step up and have a one to two- minute opportunity to speak on the subject presented. Also evaluated, every person who speaks receives one or two tips for future improvement.
Meetings conclude with those who have taken a role in the evening, whether it be for timing of the speeches, listening to speaker’s grammar and pronunciation, or keeping track of speech disfluency (Umms, Ahhs, and other filler words) The role keepers present their reports so the group has an overall view of how everyone has performed during the course of the meeting. The night is then concluded by the President of the club, who thanks everyone for attending and invites guests to come back.
Samantha says an important part of having guests come along and experience the meetings for themselves, and to talk with the guests on what parts they enjoyed, so they can highlight their areas of interest and talk to them about the mentoring system Franklin Toastmasters offer.
“Occasionally, we have people who come along, and decide this isn’t for them, but often, many come back for a second and third visit, so we are constantly bringing in and welcoming new people,”
Guests who are interested in becoming a new member are assigned an experienced mentor from the club who helps the individual with whatever form of speech they need to do, which can not only give them their confidence for public speaking, but also with the possibility of increasing leadership skills.
Franklin Toastmasters are fore most associated with public speaking, but also run a leadership manual that gives them the opportunity to help others in the team, by mentoring them, and taking on a role that guides each club night meeting. Toastmasters exist all over the world and have been present for the last thirty- four years, with many long- time members still on the path of self- development, giving something back by becoming mentors.
Samantha says she feels many people require the skill of public speaking and leadership in their working lives, but joining a Toastmasters can also be a career goal for some people who want to learn to become paid public speakers.
“Many other reasons why people may join is for personal confidence when speaking to more than one person in a group. There is always something to learn.” says Samantha.
As a non-profit organisation, they try to offer the opportunity for everyone, no matter where they may fit, how much time, or funding they have in the community. With six different Toastmaster Organisations in South Auckland, Samantha says they can set their own fees, and offer its Franklin residents a small, life time registration joining fee and six month or year- long membership that include a monthly membership magazine which covers speaking and leadership techniques, and Franklin Toastmasters activities and events.
Franklin Toastmasters will celebrate its 15th Birthday on the 30th October with a meeting and dinner event, with special guest, award-winning motivational speaker, David Nottage, who was the first New Zealander to win the Public Speaking World Championship in 1996.
