Speaking in front of audiences stops many people dead in their tracks.
The sweats, jitters and nervous habits begin. Stammering or forgetting key points one intended to discuss is commonplace.
But effective communication is imperative in many business and personal situations. Practice is key, say some members of a local group focused on speaking in front of groups.
Pele Ugboajah recently started a local Toastmasters group, nicknamed “Icebox Toastmasters.” They first met Sept. 23. An earlier version of the group in International Falls was called “Voyageurs Toastmasters,” so the group may be familiar to area residents.
In 2006, when Ugboajah lived in Minneapolis, he was the district champion Toastmaster speaker for Minnesota and surrounding states. “So I have a history of competing in Toastmasters and I really have a passion for speaking,” Ugboajah said.
“I am passionate that if you want to become a great piano player, you’ve got to practice. That’s what Toastmasters did for me (in public speaking),” he said.
When Ugboajah left a human resources position at Rainy Lake Medical Center this summer, he was looking for an outlet to both teach the skills he knew and practice skills himself, he said.
“There are really two goals, the first is leadership and the second is speaking,” he explained of Toastmasters. “Speaking is something you need for everything you do in life. If you can clearly articulate your point, have people really connect with what you’re saying, it’s really a powerful skill regardless of what you’re involved in.
“Toastmasters is a great place to practice some of these skills that ultimately add up to good leadership,” he said. “And that good leadership is what allows us, in the end, to run great organizations.”
Toastmasters International began in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, Calif. The organization has grown to include nearly 260,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 113 countries.
He called the Toastmasters group a safe environment for both newcomers and seasoned speakers. “It benefits everyone across the board — whether you’re a professional in business, or you are an independent entrepreneur, or you’re a dad or a mom at home.”
But for many people, public speaking, or even meeting one-on-one, is something to dread. Shyness and other issues creep in and can make an otherwise intelligent person miss their mark. But there are few outlets for people to practice such skills where they will not be judged on their performance. Job interviews, important business meetings and such are not good times to hone skills. They are times when the speaker hopes to shine.
“We make it a point to encourage people here. We’re very receptive to any level of speaker or talent. Because we know that if we can encourage people, we all get better,” Ugboajah said. “We are so blessed. This is a small community and we have just wonderful people. People have great hearts, great intentions and they come here to learn.”
Ugboajah said that public speaking is especially important when trying to sell a product or service. Those communication skills, he said, are a key to improving business.
Other jobs, such as those in the medical field, often require good listening and communication skills in order to best diagnose, treat and inform patients.
“Whether you’re a politician and you need to persuade an audience to vote for you, or you’re a sales person, or you’re a teacher,” the skills are important, he said.
Even for those who don’t have aspirations of leadership, Toastmasters helps otherwise shy individuals build interpersonal skills, he said.
Meetings
Each local Toastmasters meeting consists of several agenda items. Roles for the meeting, including general evaluator, timer, grammarian, “ah” counter, tabletopics master and speaker, are assigned.
One or two members will present six-minute speeches, the longest of the meeting. These speeches will be on various topics. For example, at a recent meeting the Rev. Shane Belding gave a short summary of his life from childhood to adulthood. It was called an “icebreaker” speech because it was an introduction of the member to the group. Other group members have performed similar speeches.
In addition, tabletopics is a time for all attendees to become involved in the process. Each is given a simple topic, which anyone could discuss, to talk about for two minutes. Topics at Tuesday’s meeting included set-ups such as “If you had $1,000 and a new RV, describe your vacation” or “If your pet could speak, what would they say about you?” Other questions ask members to recount, for example, where they were on 9/11, describe their favorite holiday or talk about the most influential person in their life.
These impromptu speeches are intended to have members thinking on their feet. Meanwhile, the grammarian is checking for proper sentence construction and word choice and the “ah counter” is counting verbalized pauses such as “um” and “ah.”
Group leaders have a goal of holding meetings each week. The group is currently on a two-week schedule as it grows membership. Members meet at Barney’s restaurant every other Tuesday at 7 a.m. Meetings last about one hour. The group costs $27 per six months to join, but visitors and guests are welcome to attend on a trial basis. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 23.
Ugboajah encourages the community to attend a meeting, even if they do not wish to immediately participate.
For more information on the local chapter of Toastmasters, contact Ugboajah at 612-501-5527 or info@leaderpractice. com.
For more information on Toastmasters, visit www.toastmasters.org.
