News Search

Shaw Toastmasters promote communication, leadership skills

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Members of the Shaw Afterburners Toastmasters Club gather every Thursday in McElveen Resource Center's conference room at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., to develop speaking skills.

The mission of the Toastmasters is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self confidence and personal growth.

"It is an educational organization that is designed to help people develop their communication skills," said Douglas Wilson, a Distinguished Toastmaster which is the highest level a person can achieve with Toastmasters. "There are three components of that: being a more effective listener and speaker and developing more effective thinking."

Shaw Afterburners was created September 2005, and there are currently 11 members.

"One of the reasons why we created this group here is because after spending 12 years in the military I am convinced that communication skills are the most important skills that you can develop," Wilson said. "Communication skills are important in everything we do in the military. If you can't give an effective and clear order that a person can understand then it can be catastrophic. People can die if you don't properly communicate what you want."

"Communicational skills are also the foundational skills for leadership and we have a great need for good leaders in the military," Wilson added.

There are many additional perks when a person learns better communication skills.

"Developing communication skills can build your self esteem, and improve your view of your self-worth," Wilson said.

Senior Airman Kevin Seney, 20th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician, visited the Toastmasters for the first time as a guest at the meeting on April 18.

"In my career we get opportunities to do public speak at different briefings, ceremonies and events," he said. "Talking in front of people is not one of my strong suits and I want to be good at. Learning better communication skills will make me a more confident speaker and a more confident person."

A Toastmaster meeting is broken into three parts designed to build those skills. One of them is called "table topics."

"It is where we develop and nurture the impromptu speaking skills," Wilson said. "You are asked simple topics that don't need any specialized training or knowledge to answer. You are asked general questions like what do you think or feel about something, what would you do in a certain situation, and between two options what would you choose."

When Seney visited Shaw Afterburners he participated in the table topics.

"I was very nervous and wasn't very sure how to answer the question," he said. "It was very challenging and is definitely something I want to work on. It was good to have positive feedback and encouragement afterwards even though I struggled through it."

The Shaw Afterburners believe in applauding after each person speaks on stage and use it as a positive reinforcement.

"It helps you feel more comfortable with getting on stage," Seney said.

The second part is where specific members give a prepared speech.

"It is where you come up with a topic - it's usually something personal - that applies to a specific project."

A project is an assignment with specific objectives that a person uses to help craft a speech.

"When you complete one project you develop skills that carry over to the next project where you acquire even more skills," Wilson explained. "We learn how to organize our language when giving a presentation; be specific; persuade and inspire people; use vocal variety; use visual aid like slideshows; and use language, facial expressions, and body language effectively to convey our message. These skills are the foundation blocks for effective communication."

The third part of the meeting is an evaluation of all the performances during the course of the meeting. In addition to reviewing how the speakers performed when they gave their prepared speech, they also review the grammar and word usage for the entire meeting.

According to Toastmasters International website, 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.

"This is where we get an immediate, positive and helpful evaluation," Wilson added. "Through this process, we have been able to help more than five million people develop effective communication skills for more than 88 years."

Any person who has access to the base and is 18 years or older is able to join Shaw Afterburners. The initial fee to join Toastmasters International is $21. In addition, there is $36 fee from Toastmasters International as well as a $6 fee from Shaw Afterburners every six months.

Military members change permanent stations frequently and when they do, they don't have to cancel their membership. The Toastmasters have more than 13,500 clubs in 116 different countries that members can transfer their membership to, according to the Toastmasters International website.

If interested in joining, contact Douglas Wilson at 803-778-0197 or dwwilsonstm@eathlink.net. Anyone interested in joining can also visit one of the meetings which take place on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. at McElveen Resource Center's conference room.