I highly encourage you to improve your communication and leadership skills by joining Toastmasters. Recently, I celebrated my 25th anniversary of joining Toastmasters, and I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned since then.

I joined my first club to help me improve my abilities as a salesperson, as I’d never been in that field before. Not only did I become a better speaker, my listening and feedback skills improved as well.

Why am I bringing up Toastmasters in this blog post? This week I led a panel presentation on Toastmasters’ educational platform at one of my Toastmasters clubs. Plus, a business colleague invited me to speak on this platform at her Toastmasters club this week.

In addition, this past weekend, I attended a Toastmasters conference with members from all over Colorado and Wyoming. Our presenters included a past president of Toastmasters International as well as other Toastmasters leaders.

 

Why Communication and Leadership Skills Are Important

Do you ever get frustrated with how managers, team leaders or group facilitators run their meetings? Have you had to sit through presentations that could have been given more effectively?

Perhaps you are the person running these meetings or giving these presentations, and you know you need to improve.

One of the best ways to improve your ability to lead a meeting is to join a Toastmasters club. There you can observe experienced members running meetings that are both efficient and enjoyable.

Also, you’ll get to see a wide range of presentations at Toastmasters meeting. Some will be more informative, often supported by PowerPoint presentations. Others will be inspirational or humorous in nature. You see all kinds of talks in a Toastmasters meeting.

There are a variety of ways that communication and leadership skills I’ve learned in Toastmasters play out in my life. I use these skills in online interactions, over the phone conversations, and face-to-face situations.

 

Presentation Skills

  • Developing a presentation that is well-organized, informative and impactful
  • Delivering that presentation in an engaging and enthusiastic manner
  • Anticipating equipment needs and other logistical arrangements in advance, and knowing how to carry on if things go wrong

 

Feedback Skills

  • Really listening to the challenges my clients share, so I can adapt my tutoring accordingly
  • Critiquing a client’s social media profile in a kind and direct manner
  • Being able to offer suggestions diplomatically to fellow leaders in business organizations and other groups

Impromptu Speaking Skills

  • Answering questions directly and clearly in a question-and-answer session after a presentation
  • Developing a positive rapport with a potential client – over the phone, via Zoom or in person
  • Succinctly sharing information about myself and my services when meeting one-to-one with a business colleague
  • Discovering more about that colleague by asking open-ended questions in a friendly manner

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 55 and up to be more effective using social media, with a special focus on LinkedIn and Facebook. She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com