# Is joining toastmasters a good idea for a SA er?



## xi (May 9, 2006)

I wanna join my school toastmasters in order to get rid of my anxious of doing presentation.


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

My psychiatrist suggested joining something like that. He believes that exposing yourself to public speaking can help you manage social anxiety. I joined a debating group recently for that reason. I'm still not _convinced _it will work, but I think it's worth a try.


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## justagirl04 (Sep 17, 2006)

they have one in the town I am in and I thought about it, but I can't really afford the dues! 

its kinda like the rotary club, its nice to volunteer and help out the community...but where exactly is this money going for? I know it pays for more than just a biweekly "newsletter." thus I'm kinda skeptic.


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## Redox (Jan 20, 2006)

toastmasters?


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## bubblepop15 (Jan 25, 2006)

Redox said:


> toastmasters?


Yeah, what the hell is that? It sounds like a cooking class. All I know is Home Ec didn't help much with my anxiety. It just made my belly happy.


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## xi (May 9, 2006)

Redox said:


> toastmasters?


It's a club that allows you to do presentation and improve communication skill. I don't know if it works, but I wanna try.


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## xi (May 9, 2006)

I've just found out my school toastmaster's meeting is hold at the Law Library. OMG :afr :afr :afr :afr :afr :afr


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## pokey (Dec 18, 2005)

ahhh I want to! but I don't want to. haha. you know what I mean. 

anyways, anybody have any idea on the fees? how many hrs per week they meet?


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## saint liebowitz (Apr 17, 2004)

yeah i always wanted to attend but i always put off calling up a local group. I think it would be good for you if your ready to really try at it..


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## yellow53 (May 10, 2006)

--


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## Ll (Jun 14, 2005)

I'm so sad, they don't have a Toastmaster's club in my area  I think it's a great idea for SA'ers...repeated exposure to something is definitely one way to make something less scary!


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

I just found out that there are gazillions of Toastmaster's clubs in my area. However, after reading about what they do, I'm not sure I'd have the nerves to attend.

You present a speech in a big-ish group, then get critiqued. Then people vote for the best speeches. Honestly, it sounds like my worst nightmare :afr


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## whiteclouds (Mar 18, 2004)

I heard that people in Toastmasters are very supportive. And it's not that formal, it's basically a place where people can practice their public speaking skills, get tips, and feedback. May as well try it out.


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## tomcoldaba (Jul 1, 2007)

It is. I have been a member of Toastmasters for 7 months. I have improved my communications skills greatly. I belong to 3 clubs but some of the best speakers I know belong to 6 clubs. They speak all the time. Successful business people are good communicators. Try it out. It may work for you.

PS. You have to be over 18 years. The membership dues are around $38 for six months membership. Most clubs meet twice a month. To find a club nearest you go to http://www.toastmasters.org. Click on find a club, put in your zipcode and you will see the list of clubs in your area.


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

I've thought about this from time to time but it just seems like there's too many unknowns. Like do you have to talk or can you just freak out and not say anything if you want? Or, like do you have to write speeches and they are due like homework? And I don't know the format of the meetings which makes it scarier.


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## tomcoldaba (Jul 1, 2007)

You volunteer for the roles at Toastmasters like giving a speech. You can pace yourself. It is a self help organization where toastmasters help other members become better speakers. People are terrified of giving a speech even if they do not have SA.

I was a timer for 10 meeting. I managed the clock and at the end of the meeting, I gave a report of who spoke for how long. After that I gave inspirational speeches for one minute. One woman read her first speech for 2 minutes and 10 second; she was shaking like a leaf. Normally a speech is about 5-7 minutes long. Now she talks for 10 minutes. 

It will help you tremendously as it has helped me. One officer in my club belong to 5 clubs because he sweats very badly at meetings. 3 years later his career has progressed very well after he beat his SA


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

I tried Toastmasters out a few months ago. It really seems like the best place to challenge one's social fears. Aside from the public speaking aspect, there's also an aspect of casual socializing; the people at my group were very friendly and eager to make associations.


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## tomcoldaba (Jul 1, 2007)

Nicolay said:


> I tried Toastmasters out a few months ago. It really seems like the best place to challenge one's social fears. Aside from the public speaking aspect, there's also an aspect of casual socializing; the people at my group were very friendly and eager to make associations.


I have been a member for seven months. For me, public speaking is not as important as the casual socializing. I belong to three clubs and people at my clubs are very friendly. I even told them about my SA. They do not understand the fear it generates but they are supportive.


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## tomcoldaba (Jul 1, 2007)

Yes it a good idea. A year later my SA is really mild.


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## justin984 (Jun 9, 2005)

I tried it a few times and didn't get much from it. I think it was more because of the age gap though, everyone else there was at least twice my age which made casual conversation kind of awkward. We had nothing in common. It will definitely improve your public speaking skills though, and possibly help with SA if you stick with it.


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## tomcoldaba (Jul 1, 2007)

justin984 said:


> It will definitely improve your public speaking skills though, and possibly help with SA if you stick with it.


That is my point. You have to stick with it. Consider it exposure therapy to overcome your SA. Once you overcome your fear of talking to people, you will be able to talk to anyone young or old.


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