By: Judy Young, DTM, PDD
Are you looking to step up your Toastmaster experience? Do you need a greater challenge? More in-depth evaluations? A new audience?
If you have completed Level Two of a path, consider an advanced club.
Open to Toastmasters who have completed Level Two, advanced clubs offer challenges, evaluations and audiences that promote the advancement of your Toastmaster journey.
A decade ago, I joined PHD Speakers, now called Beyond Excellence. Each speaker received four evaluations – visual, audio, content, and a standard evaluation prescribed by TI – from four experienced Toastmasters. I well remember my first evaluation. Among the four, they caught everything. Word usage, vocal variety, gestures, clarity and more. What a gratifying experience! It was rewarding to feel that they had listened and considered all that I said to be important.
Let’s acknowledge also the other side of the coin: It’s daunting to speak before experienced Toastmasters who are watching and listening closely. It inspires us to prepare well. It is through preparation and practice that we advance as Toastmasters and in our professional and personal lives. You’ll find that advanced clubs, like all our clubs, have a supportive atmosphere in which we can thrive.
More recently I joined SPEAKOUT Seattle Advanced Toastmasters club in District 2. A WOW factor of SPEAKOUT is the Round Robin Evaluation that members provide to each speaker. Each Speaker has an evaluator, who provides an in-depth evaluation from Pathways and then leads a Round Robin, in which each member of the club has opportunity to comment.
Our choices are many – all over the world now that clubs meet online and hybrid. District 32 has fine advanced clubs, including Beyond Excellence. Professionally Speaking and Advancing Alaska.
When you have “graduated” from the beginning of Pathways, you can continue to reap the benefits of Toastmasters in an advanced club.