Orange Upon A Time (OUAT)
International Toastmasters Club 192 Orange, CA
The Basic Communication Program
As a Toastmaster, you develop your speaking ability in a
self-paced environment, one skill at a time. The first 10 speeches make up the Basic
Communication Program, in which all new members participate.
1. The Ice-breaker, your first speech,
gets you started by talking on a subject for which you
are the expert (you!), allows you to introduce yourself, and to
determine which skills you would like to develop.
2. Organize Your Speech emphasizes
organizing your thoughts into a logical sequence leading to a clearly defined
goal, and building a speech with an opening, body, and close.
3. Get to the Point objectives include
establishing a specific purpose for your talk, projecting sincerity and
conviction, and controlling your nervousness.
4. How to Say It objectives include
understanding the functions and uses of the spoken word and selection of the
precise words to communicate your ideas clearly, concisely, and vividly.
5. Your Body Speaks focuses on the use
of gestures, body motions, and body language as an integral part of your
speech.
6. Vocal Variety explores the use of
voice volume, pitch, rate, and quality as tools used by an effective speaker.
7. Research Your Topic to use information
collected from numerous sources to support your points with specific facts,
examples, and illustrations, rather than with just your own opinions.
8. Get Comfortable with
Visual Aids emphasizes the use of visual aids. Learn the value of props
when speaking and learn how to use them to emphasize your message, focus
attention, and add visual interest.
9. Persuade with Power gives you the
opportunity to practice the skills necessary to convince an audience to accept
your proposal or viewpoint by appealing to their own self-interest, building a
logical foundation, and arousing emotional commitment.
10.
Inspire Your Audience is the final speech in the Basic
Communication Program. The objective of this speech is to select a topic about
which you feel strongly, analyze your audience's mood and feelings, and inspire
them using all the skills you have developed.
The Basic Leadership Program
The
development of leadership skills has always been part of the Toastmasters
program. The 10-project Competent Leadership manual helps you develop
leadership skills while you serve in various club leadership roles. You may
work in both the communication and leadership manuals at the same time if you
wish, or work them one at a time. The leadership projects include:
1. Listening and
Leadership helps you improve your listening skills, enabling you to
identify and clarify issues, make decisions, resolve conflicts, and be
creative.
2. Critical Thinking allows you to
analyze, interpret, and understand information to make better decisions.
3. Giving Feedback helps you improve
the performance of team members by practicing positive feedback.
4. Time Management provides practice in
time-management skills.
5. Planning and
Implementation assists you in setting goals and preparing plans and schedules
to accomplish those goals.
6. Organizing and
Delegating helps you learn how to organize a team and provide the
structure in which the team will operate, with an emphasis on delegating tasks.
7. Developing Your
Facilitation Skills teaches you to establish a team structure that functions
effectively, facilitating the resolution of conflicts within the team.
8. Motivating People helps you create and
maintain an environment in which team members can become motivated.
9. Mentoring helps you cultivate your
team members’ potentials and talents, letting them succeed.
10.
Team Building lets you choose and train a team to achieve
greater productivity.
What Comes Next?
Once
you’ve finished the Basic Communication Program, you are encouraged to
continue with the Advanced Communication Program, designed to prepare you for
speaking situations you will encounter outside of your Club environment. Any of
the following 15 manuals may be used to satisfy requirements for the Advanced
Communicator Awards.
· The Entertaining Speaker
· Speaking to Inform
· Public Relations
· The Discussion Leader
· Specialty Speeches
· Speeches By Management
· The Professional Speaker
· Technical Presentations
· Persuasive Speaking
· Communicating on Television
· Storytelling
· Interpretive Reading
· Interpersonal Communication
· Special Occasion Speeches
· Humorously Speaking
When you
finish the Basic Leadership Program, you are encouraged to continue with the
Advanced Leadership Program. Serving as a Club officer is the primary
requirement for your first Advanced Leadership Award. The second Advanced
Leadership Award is presented after you serve as a District officer, complete a
High Performance Leadership project, and help to start a new Club or revitalize
a low-member Club.
Members who finish
both the Advanced Communication and the Advanced Leadership Programs will earn
the highest award Toastmasters International has to offer: the Distinguished
Toastmaster Award.