Toastmasters club helps teach communication arts

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  One member of a Toastmasters International club at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is going to use his newly polished public speaking skills to help those who help warfighters, as he teaches combat logistics at bases around the world. Another said her participation in the club has helped her career in foreign military sales.

Another member said she feels she is getting more respect at both work and home as she has improved her speaking and leadership skills. A fourth member said he is now more purposeful when he speaks.

All are members of the Wright Flyers Toastmasters Club, which meets Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Bldg. 50, Room 015, Area B. Information may be found online at wrightflyers.toastmastersclubs.org. Guests are always welcome.

Michael Callahan, club president and an engineer in the Sensors Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, has been a member of the club for nine years and is understandably enthusiastic about its benefits.

"It should be kept in mind that speakers, just like leaders, are made, not born. The art of public speaking can be learned, and mastery of public speaking can be yours with practice," he said.

The Wright Flyers Toastmasters' meetings are very structured; each segment is timed to stay within the meeting's one-hour timeframe.

Not only does the club work to teach effective speaking skills, but it also helps attendees improve their effective listening through the questions that are asked by the "master listener."

Members are encouraged to volunteer for various roles each week, and are asked to volunteer to write and to present a speech. New members receive a competent communicator (CC) manual that includes 10 distinct speech types that teach the member the basic essentials needed to become an excellent speaker. In order to earn their CC, the members give a speech they write.

The speech's structure, how to use vivid words, the importance of non-verbal communication, vocal variety, a well-researched topic, visual aids and more are emphasized. At the conclusion of giving the 10 speeches, the member receives his or her CC accreditation. There are many other levels of speaking and leadership excellence that are taught through one of the 15,400 Toastmasters clubs in 135 countries that make up the global network of meeting locations.

"Just as important as providing you with speech project manuals and contests, Toastmasters provides you with an audience," Callahan said. "Your fellow Toastmasters are always willing to give you a constructive evaluation of your speech, as well as tips on how you can make your speech better."

Just as with any sport, good speech making requires practice, he said.

"To become a great speaker, you should seriously consider giving between 100 to 200 speeches per year," he recommended. "The key is to speak at every opportunity that you can get, giving speeches both inside and outside of Toastmasters."

Some of the speeches needn't be long. Capt. Michael Schumacher, course director in the School of Systems and Logistics, Air Force Institute of Technology, said he definitely is a more confident speaker primarily due to the one- to two-minute "Table Topic" speeches.

"Having a topic dropped on you with no notice and then being forced to organize your thoughts quickly really helps prepare you for the unforeseen," he said. "As an officer, you will face these situations often throughout your career. Having the ability to quickly, confidently and logically respond could really make the difference in a tense situation."

Without Toastmasters, Capt. Kevin Hadsall said he could easily fall back into his old habits of using filler words like um, uh and so, and making eye contact with the back wall instead of the audience.

"Not only does Toastmasters help me correct my bad habits, but Toastmasters teaches me how to be more purposeful with speech organization, hand gestures, body movement, vocal variety and much more," said the C-130J Block 8.1 Integration lead engineer and vice president of membership of the club.

Schumacher said while he has given only a few speeches during the two months he's been a member, his favorite topics have been about the Vehicle Operations Flight at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and the heroism of "combat truckers." He encourages people to check out the club.

"It's an extremely low-threat environment to practice your flaws," he said. "Whether you have a background in public speaking or have never talked in front of a group, Toastmasters can help you get better."

Sotheavy Jenkins, foreign military sales analyst for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said the club offers "a welcoming and fun environment. There is no pressure to do anything you're uncomfortable with, and it's a great way to meet and get to know people."

Other Toastmasters clubs on or near Wright-Patterson AFB include:

· Huffman Prairie Club, meets in the Bldg. 262-266 complex, Area A;
· Tarmac Toastmasters Club, meets in the same room that the Wright Flyers Club uses but on a different day and time;
· Wright State University Toastmasters Club;
· Beacon Toastmasters Club of Beavercreek.

To find a club that meets near you on a day/time that fits your schedule, go online to https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club.