Speech is the oldest form of communication, and in a world filled with fleeting fads it’s easy to assume that means that speech is the most obsolete. Nothing could be further from the truth, according to the Toastmasters in Manhattan Beach. We live in an era of digital communication, where many of us conduct the majority of our correspondence without ever seeing the face of who we’re talking to, yet the spoken word retains its power. The transcript of a speech can inform, but to hear it spoken by a skilled orator can inspire. Toastmasters in Manhattan Beach is an organization devoted to developing and exercising that skill that so many of us take for granted: the art of public speaking. The Toastmasters are firm believers that public speaking is an invaluable ability that anyone can learn with practice.
Far from a coalition of stuffy anachronisms, Toastmasters in Manhattan Beach is a thoroughly modern association of volunteers working to combine the oldest form of communication with some of the newest. Rather than becoming outmoded, the advent of Skype and teleconferences have created a greater need for sound speaking skills than ever before. Unfortunately these are the very skills that are no longer valued and taught in a culture fixated on the typed versus the spoken word. Therein lies the mission of Toastmasters, who work to educate and train members in proper and powerful speaking.
Manhattan Beach is fortunate to host one of the preeminent public speaking organization in the world, but it is far from alone. The Toastmasters in Manhattan Beach is one of thirteen thousand spread across 116 nations. The Toastmasters club was founded in1924 in Santa Ana and has since become one of the largest non-profit associations devoted to public speaking, with more than 270,000 club members and an incredible record of success.
There are countless professional situations that call for a strong ability to speak in front of others, from the boardroom to sales to marketing. Yet there are more than just business opportunities for those who are comfortable speaking in front of others. Toastmaster members are sought out for commencement speeches, rallies, parties and motivational meetings, to name a few. There are also many other benefits of being formally trained in public speaking.
Business is all about having that extra advantage over your competitors. Being a skilled speaker gives you more than just an advantage, it can put you in an entirely different league. Your competitors may be intelligent, they may have good ideas, they may even have decent social skills, but the person who can speak their ideas clearly and eloquently will have an edge others can only envy. That is one of the reasons there are Toastmaster clubs in association with many of the biggest companies in the world.
Certainly one of the most powerful benefits of public speaking is the dramatic increase in your confidence and self esteem. People regularly state that they are more afraid of public speaking than death; being able to confidently face what others fear can leave you feeling on top of the world. The Toastmasters don’t expect you to arrive without any fear of public speaking, obviously. One of their main goals is the addressing and overcoming of that hurdle in their members’ lives.
There are moments in our lives when we would like to step up and be heard. Whether we’re saying goodbye to a colleague at a retirement party, giving a wedding speech as the best man or just explaining something you care passionately about, we all want to find the right words to show our loved ones exactly how we feel. Toastmasters excels at teaching its members how to know those words and, more importantly, how to use them well.
Toastmasters in Manhattan Beach offers more than just training in how to speak well in public. They offer a skill that others admire and the power to speak your mind with clarity and verve. While it’s that speech is the oldest form of communication, it has never been more important than now.
To find out more, go to www.SouthBayToastmasters.org
