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A Short Comparison Of Public Speaking Schools Of Thought: Toastmasters &
Carnegie
by: James Masterson As everybody will certainly agree that having the confidence to speak
publicly is a valuable skill, there is much debate as to which technique of
public speaking is the most effective. Currently, the most recognized public speaking associations are
Toastmasters International and the Dale Carnegie Course. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the
promotion of the principles of communication, public speaking and leadership
skills. It achieves this by promoting a “learning-by-doing†program
in which members move up by making presentations in the presence of certified
examiners. The Dale Carnegie course is a program for self-improvement in which the
emphasis is to be able to get the message across to the audience utilizing the
speaker’s naturalness. There are fewer rules and lots of practice
sessions. The course consists of twelve evening sessions; all participants are
required to present a short speech. Toastmasters Pros Toastmasters certainly makes everything clear-cut when it comes to passing
the exams. Each member is provided with a Communication and Leadership Manual
containing ten speech projects the member has to fulfill. Members will then be
evaluated and his speech criticized according to a set of rules. When the member completes these projects, he is recognized to have
achieved a level of competence. Advanced projects are also available after the
“basics†are done to move the member up some more. Members are encouraged to frequently attend meetings and enjoy a sense of
camaraderie with fellow members. Toastmasters Cons The Toastmasters system seems to not be suited for people who wish to
speak well but would like to retain their informality as speakers. For example:
Fillers, the areas in a speech when a speaker pauses and makes an involuntary
sound like “uhm†and “ahâ€Â, is a very human habit and is
considered an area for improvement in Toastmasters. The ranking system, though effective to show where the members stand, can
also deter people from joining due to the perceived “elitist†nature
of the ranking system. Carnegie Pros The course encourages the participant to use what works for him to an
extent. The rules are few but fundamental. Fillers are acceptable as long as
they do not distract the audience from the speech. There are facilitators but there is no certified examiner. All
participants in the session are asked to give their opinion about the speech in
their terms. Some would consider Carnegie a course to understand the target
audience whether it is laymen or intellectuals. Carnegie has a positive perception with many businesses. Carnegie Cons The Carnegie system has been criticized by some that the time spent in
particularly large classes is wasted waiting for others to finish their
speeches. Some feel that this time would be better spent having two or three
speeches in one night instead. This goes to show that there are many systems to choose from but only one
goal in public speaking. That is to get the message across in a manner that does
not hinder the speaker.
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