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Members of Toastmasters, including Richard Choi, left, Fiona Jackson, fourth from left, and Irving Gusson, right, welcome guests at their banquet in southern Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of Toastmasters |
By John Redmond
Contributing Writer
The next time you are about to receive an Oscar award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it would be wise to get a few tips from someone knowledgeable of public speaking.
Toastmasters International, whose slogan reads, ``Because public speaking skills aren't debatable,'' held a special promotional evening at Jack's Office in Apgujeong, southern Seoul, Saturday, providing its audience with a chance to see public speakers in action.
In today's global village, communication is one of the keys to achieving personal goals. Whether in business, academic or social situations, the ability to be a good communicator is always associated with good leadership skills.
In annual surveys, the number one fear people share is public speaking. This is true of people from all walks of life.
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization consisting of nearly 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven and enjoyable way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.
Formed in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience.
The evening featured members of local chapters of Toastmasters, comprised of foreigners and Koreans, giving examples of prepared speeches and impromptu questions and answers, followed by explanations of how speakers are graded.
To put guests at ease, light snacks and wine were served throughout the presentations, and formalities were kept to a minimum.
Overall, the quality of presentation was very high, considering the speakers were positioned facing a door, with the audience divided by a walkway.
Peter Coors, CEO of Coors Brewing, said, ``As my career grew with the company, I needed to develop my communication skills more and more… For me, it took getting into a formal organization ― such as Toastmasters ― to understand what communication is all about.''
As for those Oscar speech tips, here are some:
1. Write your speech as a script and memorize it.
2. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand. Pause. Begin.)
3. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms the nerves.
4. Control filler words (ums and ahs; ``you knows.'')
5. Keep names to a minimum and get them right.
For more information regarding Toastmasters, check out their international Web site, www.toastmasters.org, or contact one of several local chapters by visiting www.khtoastmasters.com
Redmond_john@hotmail.com
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