On the importance of joining a Speechcraft.

Speechcraft is a program of the Toastmasters, that is offered to people who are not Toastmasters, yet may need a similarly designed, however truncated, public speaking improvement program. Normally, a Toastmasters club offers this for free - or with some fee... normally to defray operational costs in conducting such a program (e.g. snacks, certificate printing, etc...) People who join this normally go through several speech projects with each one focusing on one improvement aspect for said speech... be it better organization, gestures, vocal variety... each one being evaluated by a Toastmaster, so the Speechcraft participant gets to know where they may need certain improvements.

So why did I write this? It's a response to a conversation Bryce shared with someone else. When asked what he did this summer, he mentioned that I joined him in a Speechcraft program. Asked why? He said he did not know. I guess the latter is my fault, as I just asked him to join... and I even stuck around to make sure he did join. As to the why... I was hoping it was self-evident. I guess I was wrong.

Anyway... why should one join a Speechcraft? Self-improvement angle aside, let me just mention a few reasons - the first being that Speechcraft does help one build confidence in and for public speaking. Granted, Bryce may not lack in volunteering for certain roles where he gets to prepare and present... but he's riding on the fact that he knows what he's talking about and is confident he can deliver his talk in proper English. But by attending Speechcraft, he learned certain techniques that would further enhance his communication skills - not just from a one-on-one perspective, but hopefully even in front of a lot of people. So yes... Confidence is easier to achieve... and with that, a more believable speaker. After all, would you listen to - much less, be convinced by someone who does not seem confident of what they're suppoed to be talking about?

Second...  Speechcraft helps improve one's stage presence. The program, as I said earlier covers two very important presentation aspects... gestures (including eye contact, proper use of hands to help describe something, or enumerate clearly... anything that - with the use of hands, feet or even facial features. This will hopefully allow people to send their message across real well. After all, any visuals (and I'm not referring to PowerPoint here) that helps the message get across faster and clearer, is a must have for any presentation.

Third... Speechcraft allows people to become better leaders. It may not be an automatic thing... after all, leadership demands several skill sets, but with one's attendance here - by earning the confidence, the capability and craft of speaking and getting your message across clearly, anyone can have the makings of a real leader... not just someone pretending and getting by with filibustering or just pretending to be confident. People demand this communication skill form their leaders. So yes... anyone seriously considering the possibility of leadership should take Speechcraft lessons.

Thing is, these skills are not some hidden mystery. You can read about it in may tomes. But one last thing (well, not really, but in the interest of keeping things short, I'll stop at four), Speechcraft offers a practical experience laboratory. People learn by listening, by practicing and by reflecting on what others say. It's a workshop... and along the way, they become more aware of certain needs for improvement... come next meeting, assuming they are serious in pursuing what their mentors and evaluators say, all Speechcrafters should come out with better results.

And THAT Bryce, is why I made you join this Speechcraft workshop. I want you to be better equipped as a future leader.