All talk

Toastmasters helps people conquer fear of public speaking

In survey after survey, people pause before placing death ahead of public speaking on their list of greatest fears.

This universal torment has kept Toastmasters International thriving around the world, including in the Flathead Valley. Clubs flourish in Kalispell, North Valley, Bigfork and Columbia Falls, and through structured meetings, these groups tackle the terror with practice to perfect their communication and leadership skills.

It worked for Tiffany Story, an insurance businesswoman and mother of five who joined the Kalispell Toastmasters about a year ago.

"I use it in every aspect of my life," she said.

Story credited her club work with sharpening her professional sales skills and improving her communications with her children. She was encouraged to investigate the organization by a co-worker who invited her to attend a meeting.

She was immediately impressed.

"I was welcomed from the moment I walked through the door," Story said.

Toastmasters across the valley and a new club in Eureka invite others to follow Story's path to personal and professional improvement at open houses at meetings over the next two weeks.

Visitors won't find champagne or hear celebratory toasts. Instead, they discover the organization's time-tested method for confronting podium-induced panic.

Meetings provide a forum to practice communication and leadership skills learned from Toastmasters manuals. Each member attends with an assigned role.

Some give prepared speeches or respond to a table topic with an impromptu speech. Others serve as evaluators, timers, grammarians or the facilitator called the Toastmaster.

Dixon Rice, an office manager for a local accounting firm, has spent 15 years rotating through the various roles. He considers club meetings an invigorating part of his week and professional development.

"Visit some clubs and see what it's about," Rice said. "It's not for everybody. You have to be able to accept constructive criticism."

While many organizations offer test flights at a podium, Rice points out that Toastmasters stands apart by providing the feedback a speaker or meeting leader needs to improve.

Evaluators listen intently for what a speaker does right as well as areas that need improvement. At a recent meeting, new member Annie Britz got a lot of praise with a suggestion to slow down after her ice-breaker speech on team penning.

Veteran evaluator David Beaulieu gave her high marks for her visual aids and knowledge of the subject matter.

"For your first time, I was totally impressed," he said. "You just need to take a deep breath and rein in those horses."

Everyone else who spoke at the meeting got feedback as well. Marc Rold, the grammarian, gave kudos to those who used "laconic," the word of the day, but panned speakers who slipped in wasted or weak words.

Yet another active listener, Lance Izaac, counted up "ahs," "you knows' and "umms." Each member makes notes and writes suggestions called brief evaluations for each speaker.

The critiques were given and taken in good humor.

"That's what we're about," Rice said. "We try to make it a comfortable environment where you feel like you can make a mistake."

According to Rice, the idea isn't to turn everyone into an orator like President Obama, but to help members improve while finding a style that fits his or her personality. He recalled his own evolution from serious debater to his preferred niche.

"Storytelling really loosened me up," he said.

Both Rice and Story emphasize that public speaking extends beyond standing in front of a large audience. People use the same skills interviewing for a job, asking for a raise or speaking to their children.

"Anytime you have a message you're trying to get to a particular audience, that's public speaking," Rice said.

Story said the skills learned at Toastmasters have direct application today as people look for new jobs and employers face historically tough sales environments.

"You get ideas on how to structure and put plans in place to benefit your business," she said.

Both members said they learned to run a tight meeting from the rigor exercised at Toastmasters, where they progress through strictly timed segments of a preplanned agenda. Story called the meeting the most productive hour of her day.

Rice agreed.

"Anyone who has sat through a three-hour board meeting where nothing happened should come to Toastmasters," he said. "You learn to tactfully keep people on task."

Self-improvement remains the driving force that brings Story and Rice to Kalispell Toastmasters each week. Story said she actually enjoys the adrenaline rush of stepping up to confront that greatest of human fears.

Even after 15 years, Rice said he still enjoys the structure that allows him to periodically evaluate his skills, then choose a new manual of projects to accomplish.

"It keeps me focused on self-improvement instead of the latest reality show."

People interested in more information may call the local Toastmasters hot line at 881-2246.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com

Open house sessions:

Toastmasters International's local chapters invite the public to attend these open houses or any regular meeting to learn about their program of helping members improve communication and leadership skills.

The clubs, contact numbers and their meetings and open house dates are:

n Kalispell Toastmasters (871-5658) meets at noon each Wednesday at 1st National Bank of Montana, on Main Street next to Pizza Hut. Open house scheduled for noon on Wednesday, March 4.

n Columbia Falls Speaks (892-7955) meets at noon on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays in the council chambers of Columbia Falls City Hall, 130 Sixth St. West. Open house scheduled for noon on Tuesday, March 3.

n Tobacco Valley Pros Toastmasters (889-5829), a new club, meets at noon Tuesday at Glacier Bank, 222 Dewey, Eureka. Open house scheduled for noon on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

n North Valley Toastmasters (863-9156) meets at 7 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays at The Wave on Baker Avenue in Whitefish. Open house scheduled for 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25.

n Bigfork Toastmasters (837-3852) meets at noon on the first and third Tuesdays at Glacier Bank located off Montana 35 in Bigfork. Although no open house is scheduled, guests are welcome to attend any meeting.