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Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - 3.1.08 - Index

Vol.XXVI, No.5 © Carver Communications, Inc. March 1. 2008
Toastmasters - How To Communicate More Effectively
By Darin Harwell
President SABOR Toastmasters
The San Antonio Board of
REALTORS® is chartering a new
Toastmasters International Club and
would like to invite anyone in the industry
to become a part of a life altering experience.
The mission of a Toastmasters club
is to provide a mutually supportive and
positive learning environment in which
every member has the opportunity to
develop and practice communication and
leadership skills, which in turn fosters
self-confidence and personal growth.
Most successful individuals give
great credit to their skills in communication.
One does not need to have a career
in public speaking to understand the benefits
of being a great communicator. The
art of communication is not all about
speaking.
A Toastmasters meeting is a learnby-doing
workshop in which participants
hone their speaking and leadership skills
in a friendly atmosphere. A typical group
has 20 to 40 members who meet weekly
or biweekly to practice public speaking
P.O. Box 33862
San Antonio, Texas 78265
techniques. The average meeting lasts one
hour.
Members learn communication
skills by working in the Competent
Communication manual, a series of 10
self-paced speaking assignments designed
to instill a basic foundation in public
speaking. Participants learn skills related
humor, gestures, eye contact, speech organization
and overall delivery. When finished
with this manual, 15 advanced manuals
are available.
Members also learn leadership
skills by taking on various meeting
roles and serving as officers at local and
district levels. In the learn-by-doing
approach, members are not lectured about
leadership skills; they are given various
leadership responsibilities.
There is no instructor in a
Toastmasters meeting. Instead, members
evaluate one another’s presentations. This
feedback process is a key part of the program’s
success. Meeting participants give
impromptu talks on assigned topics, conduct
meetings, and learn concepts related
to timing, grammar and parliamentary
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Why Join?
Survey after survey show that presentation
skills are crucial to success in
the workplace. Many people pay high fees
for seminars to gain the skills and confidence
necessary to face an audience.
Toastmasters International provides an
option that is less expensive and is held in
high regard in business circles.
Members will…
Learn to communicate more effectively
Become better listeners
Improve their presentation skills
Increase their leadership potential
Become more successful in their career
Build their ability to motivate and persuade
Reach their professional and personal
goals
Increase their self-confidence
How you do it. . .
Build speaking and leadership skills with
time-tested methods.
Focus on areas of interest in our selfpaced
curriculum.
Receive suggestions for improvement
through constructive evaluations.
Source: www.toastmasters.org
Jeani Richie, Sales Manager for
Century 21 United-Action, gives high
praise to Toastmasters International for
helping her learn and grow, not only professionally
but personally, as well. She
believes in servant leadership and is currently
serving on the TREPAC, Facilities,
Scholarship and Governmental Affairs
committees of the New Braunfels/Canyon
Lake Association of REALTORS® and
has served her association as President,
president-elect, treasurer, director, and has
chaired the technology, MLS, TREPAC,
budget/finance and fair housing committees.
Deborah Borden, DTM who is now
the Division Governor of our district, suffered
for many years with agoraphobia.
She says, “Toastmasters International
saved my life.”
There are many skills required to
enjoy success in the real estate industry
and many feel communication skills tops
that list. Darin Harwell is a graduate of the
Texas REALTORS® Leadership
Program, current Vice Chair of the
SABOR TREPAC Committee, serves as
an ombudsman for the Texas Association
of REALTORS®, and as a business development
representative for Mission Title,
and understands how important it is to
continually invest in learning and growing.
As a certified (TREC) instructor, he
can promise that members learn something
new at every Toastmasters meeting.
Current club members include those who
have never given a speech, and others
who are seasoned speaking veterans. No
matter what your skill level, you will
leave with a better understanding of not
only how you communicate but how others
interpret what you are saying.
Toastmasters International is a
nonprofit organization that now has nearly
220,000 members in 11,300 clubs in 90
countries, offering a proven and enjoyable
way to practice and hone communication
and leadership skills.
Please feel free to call 219-4579 or
e-mail Darin Harwell, DHarwell@missiontitle.com
anytime for dates and meeting
locations or log on to SABOR.com
and click on the… What is Toastmasters
link under the IN THE NEWS.