Last weekend I was kindly invited to
attend, and participate in, a session of Ichikawa's Toastmasters Club
(TMC). The Club, set up by local residents and members from other Toastmasters clubs in the area, and chartered by Toastmasters
International, California in March 2012, meets twice monthly and
gives participants an opportunity to voice their opinion on a variety
of topics that are important to them individually or to society in general.
Toastmasters International is an
organization that offers support to people wishing to learn to be
better speakers, listeners, and thinkers, as well as helping
participants to improve their presentation and leadership skills.
Founded in the States in the mid-20s by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, its
popularity spread, and now it can be found in over 100 countries around the world.
Toastmasters was introduced to Japan in 1953, approved in 2005, and
as of 2013 there are now 129 clubs across 6 divisions in 22 areas,
with new ones forming every year. These clubs take presenting very
seriously and every year there are club (individual), area (5 clubs),
division (Kanto area), and district (Japan) speech contests from
which the eventual winner travels abroad to compete for the title of
"World Champion of Public Speaking."
Each
meeting is set around 3 or more main speakers who have prepared
speeches based on guidelines from communicational competence manuals
provided by the club. The role of participants, including officers
for the day – Toastmaster (host), Table Topic Master (TTM),
Timekeeper, Grammarian, Vote Counter, Um-Ah Counter - is not only to
present but also to evaluate and give feedback to the speakers on
that day - responsibilities are shared so everyone can contribute as
equally as possible.
The meeting started with a thought of
the day (about adversity)*, and a word of the day “inevitably”
from the Toastmaster. This was followed by a short topic feedback
session by the TTM. The topics posed related to events that happened
in 2012 and that will happen in 2013. Participants each took turns
standing up and gave their opinions about these important events.
The main speakers' topics included a talk about
the history and renovation of Tokyo station,
the history of Toastmasters International and its popularity in
Japan, and a discussion on Japan's dwindling birth rate, which
included a feedback session from other participants, giving their
ideas on how to improve things; this also extended to the state of
social security, healthcare, and the economy.
After an hour of presentations we all
marked cards and judged each other's efforts. And at the very end,
prizes were given for the best speeches. I had tuned out for a minute
as I was evaluating the contribution of the Timekeeper, and, to my
surprise, I heard my name called out. I was awarded a ribbon for "Table Topic Speaker of the Day"; my acceptance speech: “I really
don't deserve this.”
At Toastmasters Ichikawa participants
can present their ideas safely in the knowledge that their time spent
at the lectern will be respected, their ideas will be listened to and
points discussed in a mature and non-confrontational manner, and at the
same time they will receive a great deal of constructive criticism
that will help them improve their presentation skills. Part of the Club's
mission statement is that they are there to “provide a mutually
supportive and positive learning environment...which fosters
self-confidence and personal growth.” This was completely fulfilled
on the day that I attended, and the fact that I went home with a winner's ribbon just goes to show how generous in their praise the members of the club really are.
*"If you're feeling low, don't
despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back
up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you
gotta put up with the rain."
~ Dolly Parton
Ichikawa Toastmasters Club
Meeting held twice monthly - venues vary
Next meeting: 2013/1/19 (Sat.)10-12am
市川駅行政サービスセンター I-linkルーム
Ichikawa Station Administration Service Center I-link Room
http://ichikawa.toastmastersclubs.org/
