Yeah, I did toastmasters for about a year after I stopped doing speech therapy after my stroke, to give me some kind of structure for making up the gaps between what speech therapy treats (basically, going from anomic aphasia to baseline) and my actual desired performance target. (I stopped doing it when I got good enough that I could confidently start doing community theatre again.)
Results vary enormously, depending on which group you join, but the basic structure of “talk in public, get feedback, talk some more” works pretty well. The quality of the feedback is variable, natch. Still, if you’re looking for a structured environment to practice public speaking in, I recommend it.
How well it works depends on the club you join, and on the quality of feedback you receive. You would also be asked to give feedback, of course; learning how to give quality feedback is a very important toastmaster skill. (Concentrate on how it is said, more than what is said; make the criticism constructive; give praise where it is due, and it’s virtually always due in at least one or two places; bear in mind the aim of the speech, and the experience of the speaker; encourage further speeches).
Yeah, I did toastmasters for about a year after I stopped doing speech therapy after my stroke, to give me some kind of structure for making up the gaps between what speech therapy treats (basically, going from anomic aphasia to baseline) and my actual desired performance target. (I stopped doing it when I got good enough that I could confidently start doing community theatre again.)
Results vary enormously, depending on which group you join, but the basic structure of “talk in public, get feedback, talk some more” works pretty well. The quality of the feedback is variable, natch. Still, if you’re looking for a structured environment to practice public speaking in, I recommend it.
Yes, I have. It worked well for me.
How well it works depends on the club you join, and on the quality of feedback you receive. You would also be asked to give feedback, of course; learning how to give quality feedback is a very important toastmaster skill. (Concentrate on how it is said, more than what is said; make the criticism constructive; give praise where it is due, and it’s virtually always due in at least one or two places; bear in mind the aim of the speech, and the experience of the speaker; encourage further speeches).