Toastmasters brings personal growth opportunity to Incirlik

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kali L. Gradishar
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Imagine standing in front of a room full of people. All eyes are on you. Anticipation rises as the audience waits for your first words. You open your mouth to speak. Nothing comes out. You choke.

Now imagine having an audience of supportive peers, encouraging and coaching you in the art of public speaking. Someone is counting your "ums" and "ahs" while another is keeping track of the time, but the intention is to make you a more eloquent speaker.

If it's the latter scenario you prefer, then look no further than the rising Incirlik Toastmasters Club.

The first demonstration meeting to open up membership is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 20.

Developed in 1924, the Toastmasters Club is an organization of more than 270,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs worldwide, all geared toward improving verbal communication techniques.

To people considering joining Toastmasters, Staff Sgt. Kitsana Dounglomchan, Incirlik's Toastmasters Club president, would ask, "Why are you interested in being in the Toastmasters? What's your level of public speaking? What's your comfort level? Have you got a lot of experience?

"Then I would say, 'You know what? None of that matters, because whether you're the best public speaker or you have zero experience, we can all get better,'" he said. "This is like the perfect opportunity because it provides you a forum to actually practice (public speaking). Where else can you practice it until it's too late and you have to make a speech on something and ... you don't have any experience? This provides you the opportunity from day one."

The Toastmasters Club is a dedicated program that requires time, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. The completion of 10 speaking projects is required to be recognized as a Toastmasters competent communicator. There is also an extended series of progression through both leadership and speaker channels.

"You have to be motivated, though, to do it. It's a committed program," Dounglomchan stated. "You actually have to come to the meetings. ... It's a friendly environment, and it's a fast-paced environment to really improve on your public speaking."

Participants should "be prepared to speak on a variety of topics at a meeting. ... You would need to have some sort of a world view; but even if you didn't, your horizons are broadened by going to the meetings because you're hearing about different topics, different experiences people have," he explained. "So, you're learning while you're going to the meetings, as well."

The fast-paced meetings last one hour and include three to four prepared speeches on a variety of topics, impromptu speaking sessions on the topic of the day and a variety of roles non-speakers can fill.

Roles in meetings include a topics master who develops the impromptu speaking topic, an "um" and "ah" counter, a timekeeper, a grammarian who provides the word of the day and other dutiful positions.

"Just when you think that public speaking is the only thing with Toastmasters, it's not. There are a ton of different roles you can play ... and these rules are constantly switching. They never stay the same from meeting to meeting," Dounglomchan said. "So even if you're not public speaking, you're still getting public speaking experience serving" in one of those roles.

Whether members join with the intent to improve their speaking skills for professional or personal endeavors, the Toastmasters Club provides a "learn-by-doing" environment where "participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a no-pressure atmosphere," according to the organization's website, www.toastmasters.org.

It's imperative to participate in self-improvement opportunities, especially those that can translate between the military and civilian worlds, Dounglomchan promoted. "I feel like we have a lot of good events on base, but let's do something that we can improve on ourselves and our Airmen.

"That's like a certification you can put on a resume, or an (enlisted or officer performance report), and it lets people know (you) have experience in public speaking," he said.

Joining the club requires a fervent commitment, as well as a membership fee that contributes to the club charter fee and provides the introductory competent communicator and competent leader handbooks - a small price for big benefits.

"Come to a meeting," Dounglomchan said. "See what we're all about.

"It's not a club for the best public speakers on base. It's not just a club for people with no experience," he said. "It's a club for everyone."

The Toastmasters Club will meet 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of the month at the community center. Membership costs $55 for new members and $35 for existing members. Members must be at least 18 years old.

For more information, call DSN 676-3326 or 676-2223.