Toastmasters

In 2005 I am not a member anymore, but who knows when I will join again?

As a member of the Vienna Toastmasters Club for almost two decades I was often asked why I was still a member. (Many people understand Toastmasters as an educational program where you work through your projects and once your finished with your projects you are “skilled”.

Presentation and leadership skills cannot be learned in a day. It takes practice. In Toastmasters the continual exposure to listening, speaking and chairing business like meetings eventually provides you with the feel of security that will help you in surviving any unforeseen and unpredictable situation. In Vienna you also receive the benefit of a repeated possibility to integrate in a fully English spoken community with native speakers that will also help you with grammatical evaluations and hints.

Toastmasters is everywhere

You will find all of the necessary information about Toastmasters and the nearest club for you at Toastmasters International All About Us

If you happen to be a citizen of Vienna, Austria or living close by you might join as a guest and have a look for yourself. The language spoken in the Vienna Club is English.

Can’t I learn the same stuff in a more condensed form?

Of course, you can learn English also in the standard language center environment.

 not only English but presentational skills and various management practices you can also receive by my favorite address: Business Language Center, Charles Lafond.

What are you talking about at Toastmasters meetings?

The material for a typical 12 minute humorous presentation. The text is only sketched to remind of the basic anecdote instances. The structure is opening with a surprise: fear, when laughter is expected. Then points are made to depict funny situation comics from real life, finally resulting in the message and call to action. Take laughter as the appropriate action. In the beginning as well as in the end.

The presentation won the area humorous speech contest in 2001.