60 | JULY 2011

COMMUNITY

Picture this: you’re standing in the wings of a lecture hall full of listeners; you are excited,

but nervous. Your heart’s racing like a Arabian horse. You’ve got chilled palms, a stomach filled with butterflies, and a mouth parched like the Saharan desert.

Sweat dribbles down your forehead as you try to rehearse, frantically flipping through the cue cards as the moment draws nearer. Your name is called out, the floor is yours, and all eyes are on you. You wish you could just crawl into a hole and die... but you don’t have to.

Nervousness is a natural emotional response often stemming from stressful situations like delivering a speech, meeting new people, or confronting fears. Everyone gets apprehensive, but for many the anxiety can be crippling. Fortunately, there’s a solution to public speaking anxieties!

It all boils down to effective communication skills, self-confidence boosting, and the ability to cope with stress. These are the skill set that non-profit organization Toastmasters International seeks to hone the world over through its 12,500 member clubs.

Founded by educator and youth activist Ralph C. Smedley in California in 1924, Toastmasters started out as a social club where men were trained to deliver speeches and preside over meetings. The term “toastmaster” refers to those who propose toasts and introduce speakers at banquets and other functions. What started out

Go’s Annisa Rochadiat learned what it takes to compose and deliver a great speech with a little help from Jordan’s chapter of the world renowned Toastmasters International

Hear, Hear!

as an informal meeting, eventually developed into a 260,000-strong global communication and leadership-training fellowship for those seeking to master the art of public speaking, or for those who simply wanted to be more confident in front of a large audience.

Today, a typical Toastmasters chapter consists of 20 to 40 members who meet regularly each week, fortnight, or month. At the meetings — also known as “learning-by-doing workshops” — participants work on their speaking and leadership skills in a friendly manner through assignments assessed via a peer-based evaluation and feedback. Each speaker prepares his or her speech according to guidelines outlined in a manual (a series of ten speaking subjects focusing on skills such as gestures, eye contact, organization, and delivery) and is allocated a peer-evaluator who delivers a short evaluation presentation and written feedback.

Since Toastmasters first opened its Jordanian chapter 11 years ago, with the founding of the International Toastmasters Club of Jordan, the initiative has branched out into 11 groups, each with its

If you’re thinking of joining Toastmasters, bear in

mind that each group is different, so you may want

to explore your options

Amman International Toastmasters Club, Marmara Hotel, Mecca St., (078) 665 1122, aitc.freetoasthost.org

Al Bayan Toastmasters Club, (Senior Citizens’ Forum) Muntada Ruwwad Al Kibar, Mecca St., (077) 753 4767, www.jordan-toastmasters.org

Black Iris Toastmasters Club, Senior Pioneers Forum, (079) 517 1598, blackiris.freetoasthost.org

Creative Toastmasters Club, #61 Abdalhamid Badis St., Shmeisani, (079) 561 1360

Friends Toastmasters Club, (Senior Citizens’ Forum), Muntada Ruwwad Al Kibar, Mecca St., (078) 855 1275, friends-tm.com

5 StepS to Joining

toaStmaSterS1. Locate clubs

nearby, narrow down the list based on a

meeting schedule that fits your routine.

2. Touch base with a club representative(s) to verify meeting schedule.

3. Attend a few club meetings; don’t limit

yourself to one club. The more you explore, the likelier it is for you to

find a club culture that suits you best!

4. Found a nice niche? Let a club officer know

and fill in an appropriate membership form.

5. Sign up! Club dues are inexpensive and a promising lifetime

investment.

Membership fees are paid

biannually. It’s 30 JOD for the initial six-month membership and 20 JOD

after. Some clubs also collect a small sum

for snacks and drinks.

NEED TO KNOW

toaStmaSterS near You

JULY 2011 | 61

Ad-LibToastmasters’ speaking exercises not only deal with presentation...

One interesting portion of the meetings focuses on building participants’ ability to deliver extemporaneous, or “off-the-cuff”, responses. Being able to organize your thoughts and create a well structured, concise, and compelling response within a short period of time is, no doubt, a valuable skill.

Participants also get to train their timekeeping ability since at each meeting a designated timer ensures each speaker keeps to his/her allotted speaking time. And, each gathering has officers assigned to keep track of grammar mistakes and use of filler words (like “um”, “uh” and even “ya’ni”) accordingly.

Further, in terms of building managerial skills, all Toastmasters clubs follow an organizational structure that goes all the way up to the Toastmasters headquarters in Santa Ana, California!

own schedule varying in frequency, language, time of day, and age group. Ten of the clubs convene in English, one is in Arabic (“Al Bayan”), and another club, a Gavel, was set up at King’s Academy for those under 18. According to one of Jordan’s Toastmasters’ founders, Vicky Ferrer Mustafa, a French-speaking club is in the works too.

Apart from improving communication, public speaking abilities, and organizational skills, many club members are in it to

International Toastmasters Club of Jordan, Royal Automobile Club, (079) 597 3642

New Horizons Toastmasters Club, AUB Alumni Club, Abdoun, (077) 777 9010

Pioneers International Club, (Senior Citizens’ Forum) Muntada Ruwwad Al Kibar, Mecca St., (077) 746 0469, pioneers.freetoasthost.net

Stars Toastmasters Club, 3rd Circle, Jabal Amman, (06) 551 8903, www.jordan-toastmasters.org

Rainbow Club, Orthodox Club, Cairo St. Abdoun, (079) 585 7238, rainbow.freetoasthost.org

improve their English and expand their general knowledge. Hala Ayyash, a member of the Black Iris Toastmasters Club, said she’s learned a lot from her membership as each speech project involves extensive research, which varies according to presentation topic.

Toastmasters’ Jordan chapter is part of District 79 — one of the largest districts in the Toastmasters world with 17 divisions, 76 areas, and over 10,000 members spread across eight Middle Eastern

countries. Each district holds a three-day District Toastmasters Annual Conference (DTAC) that allows for the members from all walks of life to come together, network, learn, and compete for the region’s “Best Speaker” title and also represent the district at the annual Toastmasters International Convention.

With wedding season at its peak, stop worrying about fumbling through your toast and check out a Toastmasters club near you!

Search “Toastmasters in Jordan” on

Facebook to join the online group.

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