Friday, July 8, 2011

The Competent Communication manual is just the beginning of learning about public speaking in Toastmasters International




















The fun really starts after you finish the ten projects in that basic Competent Communication manual. Then you get to go in any of fifteen directions and choose which of the Advanced Communication Series manuals to try next. Each of them contains five different speech projects of increasing complexity.

Unfortunately the catalog on the Toastmasters website only says a few words describing each project. Web sites for districts and clubs provide some more details: titles, times and one-sentence descriptions. 

The Speaking to Inform manual is a good first choice, and includes these projects:

1) The Speech to Inform:  5 to 7 min.
2) Resources for Informing:  5 to 7 min.
3) The Demonstration Talk: 5 to 7 min.
4) A Fact-Finding Report: 5 to 7 min. + 2 to 3 min. Q & A.
5) The Abstract Concept: 6 to 8 min. 

Other good choices about business are Persuasive Speaking (sales), Speeches by Management, Public Relations, and Technical Presentations. 

I’ve heard that some companies only pay for their employees to finish the Competent Communication manual. That’s short-sighted, considering that by then you’ve probably only improved all the way up to mediocre.

After you complete two Advanced Communication manuals you will be recognized by the award of Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB). Then after two more manuals (and some other requirements) you will receive your Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS). Finally, after two more manuals (and even more requirements) you will receive your Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG). Details are on the Toastmasters web site here.

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