“It never ceases to amaze me that intelligent, well-educated, and ambitious people frequently overlook developing the number one skill that is guaranteed to position them ahead of the crowd. Namely, the ability to stand up and speak eloquently with confidence or at very least stagger to their feet and say anything at all.”

Any training program, including speech training, including Toastmasters requires effort on the part of whoever is in charge of training for your company AND organizational managers and executives.

Usually the training function does not rank high on the organizational food chain and is seen as a pair of hands rather than a partner in organizational performance.

On the Toastmasters side, there really does need to be some PROFESSIONAL support for organizations using Toastmasters as part of their communication skills training program.

Yes, many managers are blind to their weak presentation skills and will not take a typical Toastmasters evaluation seriously within the organizational setting… unless the evaluator is seen as a peer or higher. (Not ALL managers. Don’t get upset.)

As a human resources professional and long-time Toastmaster I believe that the Toastmasters training model is absolutely great and yet needs better support from Toastmasters to make it a more viable tool in many organizations.

Great blog, Chris!