Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Toastmasters Educational Program

(This talk was delivered at the Aug.20, 2009 Toastmasters Meeting of the ACT Club.)

There are two tracks in the traditional program, the communication track and the leadership track. The core of the communication track is the Competent Communicator manual. It contains 10 speech projects to help you gain the basic skills needed to present an effective speech.


(video credits: Andre Marcelo-Tanner)

The core of the leadership track is the Competent Leader manual. It contains 10 leadership projects to help develop the basic skills needed to be an effective leader.

The two tracks are not mutually exclusive; you may participate in both at the same time, if you wish. There are many opportunities for awards and recognition along the way.



Competent Communication

The 10 speech projects in the Competent Communication manual help you develop your speaking skills one step at a time. When you finish all of the projects, you are eligible for the Competent Communicator award.


Competent Leadership

This is the core of the Leadership track. The Competent Leadership manual features 10 projects that you complete while serving in various club meeting roles. An evaluator will give you feedback on each project, helping you to improve. When you complete the manual, you are eligible for the Competent Leader award.