JIm K Toastmasters Saint John

As September draws to a close, Toastmasters clubs in southern New Brunswick are again in full swing.  Many of our clubs that meet in the evenings take a summer recess although those that meet in the early morning or noon tend to keep operating throughout the summer.  We Canadians treasure our warm, summer evenings!  With five public clubs, and one closed club for employees of CRA, between Saint John and Sussex there are a number of options for people who join and develop and practice their communication and leadership skills.  While the public is conditioned to a semester like approach to learning, Toastmasters clubs run regular recurring meetings where the individual learning is self-paced so people can join at any point.     Around the world participation continues to grow.  At the recent Annual Convention held in Chicago it was announced that we have now had 24 years of continued growth, although these days the fastest growth is skewed ...

My previous blog post was on the topic of storytelling and how we need to voice our stories to find areas to emphasize and add color, and to learn what aspects resonate with an audience.  On the date I published that blog post there was yet another mass shooting in the U.S.A,. this time at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  Seventeen people died unnecessarily as a result of easy access to guns that can fire dozens of rounds in seconds.   The students from the high school are now professionally and calmly demanding that their schools be safe and that changes to gun accessibility be made. On television and social media platforms students are offering clear, simple, honest stories on their experience in losing their friends in such a horrific way.  Unimaginable to me. Those students in the media ten days after the tragedy are articulate and applying great pressure on politicians with their entrenched positions on gun ownership rights...

I’ve been a member of Toastmasters since 1987.  Sometimes I’m asked why I continue.  It seems that some have a perception that once you know how to plan and deliver a speech you’ve developed the skills and you’re good forever.  That’s not the case.  Public speaking is a skill that requires practice.   The skill involves planning a message, delivering the message, interacting with the audience, gauging audience response and adjusting when necessary.  I stay in Toastmasters predominately because I need to practice these skills.  When it comes to public speaking, I want to be much better than average. But among other reasons that I stay are because meetings are fun, and I enjoy seeing people develop in the Toastmasters club environment. I’ve also come to realize that speaking is largely about telling stories. We need to discover our stories on our own, and then we need to voice them in order to shape and add color, and to fully understand ...

2018 - Practicing public speaking, communication skills, and soft leadership skills As we begin 2018 many people consider resolutions to improve their skills, performance, and personal and professional circumstances.  It is always interesting to me as a Toastmaster of more than thirty years to see an influx of new members joining to work on their communication skills and soft skills.   My perception is that new Toastmaster members stick to the new routine longer than new members at health clubs.  Public speaking, communication skills, and soft leadership skills do require practice.  Skills require practice.  The best athletes in the world consistently practice basic and advanced skills.    There are currently six Toastmaster clubs between Saint John and Sussex providing people many opportunities to practice these skills between Monday and Thursday night, from 7:15-8:30 in the morning until 7:00-9:00 in the evening.   Club meet...