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Dates: Tuesday, May 19th OR Thursday, May 21st, 9:30am
Location: Joan Kroc Center
6845 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92115
Tuesday - Rolando Room (From the main entrance, turn right and look for Building F. It will be the furthest building.)
Thursday - Community Room (From the main entrance, turn left. We will be in the building to the left of the pool. It has a set of double glass doors - walk through the doors and continue straight into the Community Room.)
Website: https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/00006243-visionaries-toastmasters-club
Let's Talk!
Let's Talk!
Most people have no problem chit chatting with friends and loved ones in conversation. But standing up in front of a group of people and presenting? Terrifying, for a great many people! In fact, in 2025, around 75% of people the world over reported a fear of public speaking, making it one of the most common social anxieties. About 10% of people actually enjoy speaking in public, and another 10% have an extreme or crippling fear of it. But most people will likely have to speak to a group of people at some point in their lives. So how to get past it? That’s part of what we’ll be learning about this week when we meet with the Toastmasters! Read on to learn about and see some great talks, and then a brief history of the Toastmasters organization.
What makes a great talk?
Some of my favorite examples of public speaking are TED talks. TED stands for ‘Technology, Entertainment, Design’, and their slogan is “Ideas Change Everything” (previously it was ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’). They post international talks online for free distribution. They have been holding talks every year since 1990 and cover topics from science to literature to global issues in more than 100 languages.
You can find a talk on almost any subject on their main site: https://www.ted.com/
Check out this talk, titled “TED’s secret to great public speaking”:
But still worries about stage fright? Check out this 7 minute talk about conquering stage fright.
Looking for one more? Here’s a 15 minute talk about the trick to powerful public speaking:
Ok, just kidding, ONE more! (This one is probably my favorite.) Check out this talk from one of the leading advisors to leaders about public speaking, Richard Greene. In this 18 minute talk, he talks about the 7 secrets of the greatest speakers in history. How many speakers/speeches do you recognize?
A brief history of public speaking
A brief history of public speaking
Public speaking as a specific skill finds its roots in the development of democracy in Ancient Greece. Oral traditions pre-date written language in all cultures, so there have always been public speakers who tell stories and pass along histories and traditions. But Aristotle was considered to be the founder of the study of rhetoric, by compiling his observations about the dynamics of public speaking into a textbook cleverly titled “The Rhetoric”. Aristotle distilled public speaking down to three methods of persuasion. See if you recognize these ‘modes’ from the talks from above:
Ethos: persuading another based on the character of the speaker. Essentially, who the speaker is as a person gives them their credibility. Speakers need to prove their trustworthiness through their delivery and content, so that the audience can judge them and believe them accordingly.
Pathos: engaging the emotions of the audience.
Humans are deeply emotional creatures and are at their most comfortable when beliefs and actions align. Effective speakers generally rely on creating positive emotions, offering the audience a way to act that will make them feel good and avoid negative emotions
Logos: using argument and logical reasoning.
Despite our love of emotions, humans put a lot of emphasis on rational thinking and thoughtful decision-making (Aristotle didn’t know about the internet, obviously)! By using credible evidence, a speaker can apply evidence and logical reasoning to persuade an audience.
The Roman Republic also placed great emphasis on oratory and rhetoric. An orator known as Quintilian (35 - 95 CE) wrote on speaking, styles, and content. He developed what we still teach today, called the five canons of rhetoric:
Invention: compiling the content of the speech.
Disposition: arranging the content in an effective order.
Style: the wording of the presentation.
Memorization: knowing the presentation and content thoroughly.
Delivery: the presentation of the content.
The emphasis on public oratory has waxed and waned over the centuries, though in the United States it saw a resurgence in the late 1800s and early 1900s. During this ‘Gilded Age’ great emphasis was placed on those who could speak at length about events of the day. Politicians and speakers traveled from town to town to deliver speeches on the topics of the day, bringing news with them, as the country lacked mass media coverage.
Now, of course, good public speaking has been influenced by our methods of communication. Radio gave people the ability to hear the voices of leaders in their own homes. Famously, President Franklin Roosevelt used the radio to great effect for his ‘“Fireside Chats” to update Americans on the important issues of the day. In the 1960s, television once again changed the nature of public speaking, giving audiences new ways to experience speeches and talks. It played a pivotal role in the debates between Kennedy and Nixon, as Kennedy simply came across better on television, which helped propel him to the presidency.
Now, with the addition of the internet, it’s more important than ever for speakers to be precise, honest, and accurate. The ability to fact check speakers, in almost real time, has changed the emphases placed on credibility, but also given rise to speakers who manipulate rhetoric to suit their agendas.
But even with all these changes and advances, we still rely on the same techniques and methods of persuasion that orators like Aristotle did all those centuries ago! Who knows, perhaps many of his contemporaries got stage fright too!
toastmasters
toastmasters
Toastmasters got its start right near the turn of the century in 1905. YMCA Education Director Ralph C. Smedley saw that more people needed to enhance their public speaking skills, so he organized a Toastmasters Club, using a reference to a ‘toastmaster’ at banquets. The first club meeting was held on March 24, 1905 in Bloomington, Illinois. The club unfortunately disbanded when Smedly moved on from the YMCA, but the seed had been planted.
In October of 1924, roughly 24 men met in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California to meet in what is officially known as the start of the modern Toastmasters. More clubs were formed around California, expanding internationally to Southport, England in 1935. In 1951, the now international club began holding regional conferences to bring together members from all over to discuss development of public speaking skills.
In 1973, the club finally allowed women to join the organization, making it a more inclusive organization. By 1989, Toastmasters boasted 150,000 members from all over the world. In 2024, the club celebrated its centennial and it continues to impact people the world over.
Join us this week to learn more about this organization and how it works to improve the lives of its members by helping them to become more confident, practiced, public speakers in all areas of their lives!
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