Learning Method

Learning through Doing

The 10,000 Toastmasters clubs world-wide all use the same tried and tested method, which will help you enjoy public speaking.

It’s not a class, but rather a series of opportunities to speak in public: practice is the most effective way to progress. In "The Europeans" there are no "teachers" as such, although members may choose to have a "mentor" to advise and support them. Club members improve by putting into practice the techniques set out in the Toastmasters’ manuals, which all members receive, as well as from positive evaluations of their speeches.

During the meetings, each member is an active participant in the evening, either as a speaker, evaluator or in one of the other roles necessary to run a normal meeting. Therefore, at Toastmasters meetings, you have many opportunities to speak and therefore gain confidence in different ways:

by giving your own prepared speeches
by participating in improvisational sessions,
by Benefiting from evaluations. Each time you speak you will be evaluated by one of the other members. This helps you progress and improve.

With each meeting that goes by, you gradually acquire new techniques and are able to put them into practice.

Prepared Speeches

The Toastmasters’ method is based on a manual that includes the 10 basic skills needed to be an effective speaker. In order to learn and master these skills, you will prepare and present all 10 speeches at your own speed.

In 5 to 7 minutes, you will speak on the subject of your choice, using each of the following studied techniques:

The first speech allows you to introduce yourself to club members.
Speech no. 2 enforces sincerity and conviction about a personal viewpoint.
Speech no. 3 teaches you to structure an effective speech by organising your ideas.
Speech no. 4 accentuates the importance of body language.
Speech no. 5 teaches us to use our voices most effectively.
Speech no. 6 will help you use choose the most effective vocabulary for the spoken word.
Speech no. 7 calls for you to bring together and apply the communication skills learned in the 6 preceding projects.
Speech no. 8 teaches you to use visual aids to enforce your message.
Speech no. 9 helps you develop your persuasive skills.
The tenth speech enlists you to give a stimulating and charismatic speech.

After completing these 10 speeches, you will have conquered the basics of public speaking. You will then be ready to refine those skills and become a masterful speaker, able to successfully handle any type of presentation. You will be ready to work with Toastmasters’ advanced manuals. Each advanced manual treats a specific type of communication (The entertaining speaker, technical presentations, humorously speaking, etc), thus allowing you to concentrate on the type of communication skills most important to you, whether for professional or personal reasons.

Improvisations / Table Topics

We are often asked to speak without being prepared: in meetings, seminars, job interviews, exams, simple conversations, etc. We must be able to get our thoughts together in just a matter of seconds in order to speak in a logical and coherent manner.

During every Europeans meeting, there is an improvisational session. Any member can be called upon to speak on a given subject for one to two minutes, on the spot. This helps you learn to think on your feet, and not succumb to panic but to structure your ideas while you speak.

This exercise, called Table Topics, and the evaluation that follows it, gives us the wherewithal to face up to all questions, and feel more prepared.

Typical Evening

All of the "Europeans" meetings follow the same schedule, in order to create a better working environment. The length of the meetings is approximately 2 hours.

The three main parts of a meeting are:

Table Topics (Improvisational speeches)
Prepared Speeches
Evaluation Session

The work ethic of the club members does not outweigh the friendly atmosphere; we all have the common goal of developing our communication skills. As such, mutual encouragement holds the place of honor at our meetings.

Prior to any meeting, club members have agreed to fulfil one of the following roles:

Speaker: presents a prepared speech, less than 7 minutes.
Table Topics Master: offers the topics for Table Topics (improvisational speeches), which last less than 2 minutes each.
Evaluator: identifies the strong points and areas for improvement of a prepared speech or of the Table topics. The evaluation is the key factor for progress for club members.
Toastmaster of the Evening: organizes and runs the meeting.
Timekeeper: ensures that each speaker respects the allotted time.
Grammarian: The two grammarians listen for proper usage of their respective language: English or French, throughout the evening.
"Ah" and "um" counter: counts hesitations, "ums", "ah’s" and other gaffes of the different speakers throughout the meeting; allowing them to improve.

Every club member has a chance to speak during each meeting.