Public Speaking Platform - Toastmasters SMU

Written by Kritika Gurung

@issasaltier

Photos by Pranit Shrestha

Are you looking for an ideal opportunity to enhance your communication skills? Is it the fear of public speaking that is holding you back from seizing great opportunities on and off-campus? Do you already enjoy public speaking, and you’re looking for a chance to enhance your skill further?

Toastmasters is the perfect solution for all the above queries. It is a global package including the enhancement of better-used speech styles and improving communication skills across all levels of personnel, management, and clientele. The club is also a great way to put your leadership skills to the test. Its headquarters is in Colorado, the USA, that operates clubs worldwide to promote communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.

(left) Ex President Jason, Forerunner Mubdu Alali, and President Pranit Shrestha

On January 30, 2020, Toastmasters was officially chartered as a club at Saint Mary’s University with Pranit Shrestha, a third-year student of marketing and entrepreneurship, as the President. The club was formally started by Mubdu Alali, who is studying and practicing entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s University. 

Every Thursday, at 6:50 pm, in-room Sobeys 160, Toastmasters hold their weekly meetings. The meeting is open to any participant willing to develop their skills in the discipline (s) issued within the club. It is, therefore, not restricted to only SMUdents or students of any group or age. I have been a part of their meeting more than once as a Guest, and it is safe to say that it is quite unlike any other club meetings that I have attended.

The meeting commences when the Toastmaster bangs the gavel dictating the mood or the atmosphere of the meeting. Every meeting a new Toastmaster is declared who then is responsible for introducing the participants with their respective roles assigned to them for that meeting. The tasks taken by the participants interchanges every meeting, just like the position of the Toastmaster, which highlights the encouraging and inclusive behaviour of the club. At the beginning of the meeting, the Toastmaster asks a “question of the day” to the participants. At the same time, they introduce themselves, which acts as an icebreaker between the members, guests and general participants of the club. The meeting comes to an end when the Toastmaster bangs the gavel again. 

Every week two or three speakers volunteer to speak on a topic of their choice. Each speaker is evaluated by their respective evaluators who thoroughly analyze their speech, presentation, and their presence of stage. These evaluators report on the overall performance of the speakers, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, encouraging the speakers to develop their weaknesses into strengths. A general evaluator is also selected whose responsibility is to comment on the overall content of the meeting. 

On the other hand, the grammarian notes down the grammar mistakes made by the speakers and the other participants during the meeting and points out the excellent usage of words and sentences. The grammarian oversees giving an English and an International “word of the day” as well. These words are highly encouraged to be used by the participants during the meeting. Along with with the grammarian, the “ah” counter notes down the repetition of the filler words used by the speakers. 

Towards the end of the meeting, the inquisitor tests the attention skill of the participants by asking questions about the speeches given by the speakers as well as during the Table Topic Session. This only encourages the participants to be respectful and appreciative of the work displayed by their counterparts. Certificates are also given out to the best speaker, best Table Topics speaker, and the best evaluator. 

Toastmasters has so much to offer than just learning experiences, and the encouraging environment helps to build a safe space for novices to sharpen and develop their skills while forming a community with people from different walks of life. 

Reach out to Toastmasters through their Facebook page. Or drop in for their next weekly meeting as a Guest