Toastmasters brings out the best in you

More than polishing communications skills, Toastmasters polishes and brings out the best in a person. "It is all about fun, meeting new friends and a venue for learning and improving," say Taipan Toastmaster president Pearl Huang and vice president Jane Mayling Tio.

Being good in English is not even a requirement to join Toastmasters. With an outlook for improvement, Toastmasters opens and ingrains fresh opportunities to be good in English, speech delivery and communication.

Toastmasters are not born. They are trained, honed and polished. Cebu-based, and now Toastmaster International president Johnny Pawe Uy did just that.

A new member is asked to deliver 10 speeches to graduate into competent communicator. Another 10 to become advance communicator bronze, another 10 to become advance communicator silver, another 10 to become advance communicator gold and still another 10 to become a distinguished toastmaster. There are 50 speeches and 50 evaluations in all.

With each evaluation is a window to improve grammar, time limit compliance and refraining or not using "ah" when speaking. These evaluations also give the toastmaster confidence in joining speech delivery competitions in area, division and district levels.

When aiming to become an international president, having joined or won speech delivery competitions are a plus factor. The position to become international president is not a matter of choice. It is a matter of determination, and in many ways, ambition. One must first have been elected or assumed a position in the local club and later move on to area and district positions.

The highlight and dream of a toastmaster is to attend the August convention in Washington. Here toastmasters around the world attend or participate in speech championships. It is also during these conventions that the international president is elected and chosen.

But if one is not cut to become toastmaster officer or president, what is toastmaster for those like you and me? "It is about where you want to improve and in which area or untapped expertise you want to be good at," said Pearl and Jane. It provides a venue for self-discovery.

Other than communication skills, Toastmaster also has leadership training. Toastmaster is all about you and being with the right people at the right time.

It comes with a membership of P4,200 annual fee inclusive of manuals and club magazine. For the fellowship, fun and learning, the fees come with a new world of unveiling the best in you.