10 Public Speaking Tips from a Woman Leader

1. Ditch the idea that you are joining a program to show off innate skills. You are there to develop as a speaker and leader.
2. Don't fight against your personality. If you're not an early riser, don't join a club that meets in the morning and vice versa.
3. Go to weekly practice to rid yourself of distracting habits such as ums and you knows. Take the critiques.
4. Have fun. Don't be a robot. Be a spectator at roasts. Watch a speech contest. Compete as a humorous speaker. Learn in more than one way.
5. Make use of your assigned mentor. Don't go it alone when you are surrounded by professionals from diverse backgrounds. Winning over this audience will make you a hit with any audience.

6. Apply good speaking and listening habits outside of the club meetings and watch your life transform for the better.
7.Practice without fear of rejection. Trust the support of your friends in the club. Where else can you have a "redo"? Life outside is a live test. Here it's practice.
8. Teach others. Hone what you've learned by passing it on to others. If you can teach it, then you've truly mastered the effective public speaking concept.
9. Develop your leadership by applying project management business principles taught in the curriculum.
10. Set future goals for public speaking. Know that you are never done. You can always become better at informing, persuading or entertaining audiences.

Q. Many individuals are underemployed or out of work, how can effective public speaking help job-seekers at interviews?

A. I joined my first public speaking club, fresh out of college for that very same reason. I knew I needed training how to answer interviewers. Though I felt comfortable speaking to friends 1-1, as you know, speaking to a panel of interviewers is a different challenge. The public speaking program that I belong to lets individuals witness their weekly progress. For example, we have a designated officer of the day in charge of counting ahs, ums and you knows. If someone misses two weeks of public speaking meetings, they are certain to notice an increase in guffaws.

I've experienced 10 after being away for two weeks, even as a seasoned veteran. My usual track record of distracting ums is two. Before my public speaking training, I would freeze up. People would describe me as a bird that looked ready to be shot or like a deer in headlights. After effective public speaking training, I can joke at interviews and participate in just about any conversation with a group.

Q. Since there are so many options in overcoming fear of public speaking, why did you choose this vendor in particular?

A. The structure of workbooks with 10 speaking projects each, weekly practice and evaluation process by mentors works for my learning style. It may not be for everyone. I am a determined person, shy or not, and when I was given a mentor I made use of her. I called her to brainstorm speech topics with me. I met with her to rehearse my presentations. I contacted my mentor when I felt stuck in organizing a roadmap for the audience or varying vocal variety. This works for the proactive learner.

Q. What were your expectations? How soon did you see results? How did it change your life in more than one area?

A. I set out to develop into a good public speaker. There is a misconception about public speaking clubs. The misconception is that people who join such clubs have innate ability and they go to show off. Not me. My expectation was to learn the research-tested methods of effective public speaking such as doing a winsome icebreaker, organizing my thoughts, getting to the point quickly, telling a vivid story and selling a call to action.

I saw results every week and in the past five years, I've grown as a speaker and leader. The leadership training is a component that not many know about. That's another misconception. Instead of an individualistic process, the program I chose is cooperative. This means that members wear leadership hats as well perform speaking duties. These duties are not dull by any means. For example, I'm running a speech contest in one month and our club is organizing a roast for one of our funniest characters in the group.

Like I mentioned before, I've become more relaxed and jovial as a sales professional. Customers and supervisors alike have enjoyed my jokes. They also remark on how well I listen to customer wants.

Q. So who do you learn from in the group besides your mentor and through your self-paced workbooks?

A. I joined a club with such diversity of professions and life stages. For example, one of our public speaking club members is 73-years-old. He has a strong country accent and he tells stories that are sometimes not PC. That's who we are roasting next week at our seasonal dinner. By this I mean that we learn from each other, visiting officers from other clubs, area officers, through conferences, workshops, competitions, and our monthly digital and print international magazine.

Q. How would an individual know if he or she needed some public speaking intervention. What is some self-assessment Squidoo Readers can do?

A. Do you grab the lectern when you stand at the podium? Do you sweat and become frozen with fear in groups larger than 10? Do you fear saying the wrong thing at networking events so much that you don't say anything? If so, it's time to find public speaking help that works for you. My tip? Don't force yourself against type. For example, you'll never find me visiting a public speaking club that meets at 7 A.M. on weekdays. Are you kidding me? I found a program that meets at 7:30 on Monday nights. That meeting time works for my schedule and personality.

Q. What's next for your Karrie? You've been in the public speaking program for five years. It's worked for you. You've seen results that carry over into your work and personal life. Is it time to quit and move on?

A. Nope. Not for me. I'm interested in taking a greater leadership role in the public speaking community. I want to challenge myself using the public speaking tips that I've learned as President, Vice President and Secretary. My goal is to earn the Distinguished Toastmaster Award. That's usually a lifetime achievement award that some earn in a decade. What are some stops along the way? I want to be a club coach, fix problems in clubs that aren't running as well. I'm currently mentoring several newbies. I plan to be an Area Governor and oversee four public speaking programs. I have a lot to look forward to. Like I said, I'm determined. I believe I'd get rusty if I dropped out of the program for 6 months. I bet I'd go back to old form and bad habits. Plus, I want to do a rotation for the top 10 speeches in the first workbook. A person can always improve as a speaker and leader.

Q. We both knew Joyce Stone, President.

A. I miss Joyce. Did you know that she wasn't sure that I'd return after my first visit to the public speaking club? I surprised her how stubborn I was. I went from shaking at the lectern to being a president like her.