To date, most people joining Toastmasters have joined to become better speakers, to gain confidence when speaking in front of a group. Participating in Toastmasters meetings certainly helps in these respects.
But for many, one of the unexpected benefits of Toastmasters is that it develops and realises leadership potential.
When you join Toastmasters you participate in an interactive assessment which taps into your reasons for joining and your interests and suggests a learning pathway for you to follow. The pathways, to differing degrees encompass five identified core competencies, two of which are ‘Strategic Leadership’ and ‘Management’. By the time you work through your pathway you will have completed 14 speeches and, depending on the pathway, learned a great deal about strategic leadership and management – and of course become a far more confident and competent public speaker than you were when you started off.
The ten pathways are:
- Dynamic Leadership
- Effective Coaching
- Innovative Planning
- Leadership Development
- Motivational Strategies
- Persuasive Influence
- Presentation Mastery
- Strategic Relationships
- Team Collaboration
- Visionary Communication
You can learn more about this whole process by going to the Toastmasters International web site.