Practice Public Speaking at CapCom (Toastmasters)

Where do we meet?
Quaker Meeting House
7 Victoria Terrace,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JL

A Toastmasters event is a structured yet supportive gathering designed to help members improve their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. These events typically take place in a friendly, inclusive environment where participants can practise speaking in front of an audience and receive constructive feedback. Here’s what a typical Toastmasters meeting looks like:

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1. Opening and Introductions
   • The Sergeant-at-Arms or President opens the meeting, welcomes members and guests, and explains the purpose of Toastmasters.
   • There’s often a brief introduction of the agenda, outlining the roles and sessions for the event.

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2. Prepared Speeches
   • Members deliver speeches they’ve been working on, usually based on specific projects from the Pathways programme (Toastmasters’ structured learning path).
   • Each speech has a purpose — for example, persuading, informing, inspiring, or telling a story.
   • Speeches typically last 5–7 minutes.

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3. Table Topics (Impromptu Speaking)
   • The Table Topics Master calls on volunteers (or randomly selects participants) to speak on a surprise topic for 1–2 minutes.
   • This session helps members think on their feet, organise thoughts quickly, and speak confidently without preparation.

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4. Evaluations and Feedback
   • After the speeches, assigned evaluators provide constructive feedback, focusing on strengths and areas for improvement.
   • There’s also a General Evaluator, who reviews the entire meeting, and role-specific evaluators such as:
   • Grammarian → monitors word usage and introduces a “Word of the Day”.
   • Ah-Counter → notes filler words like “um” and “uh”.
   • Timer → ensures everyone stays within time limits.

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5. Awards and Closing
   • Some clubs give small awards for Best Speaker, Best Evaluator, and Best Table Topic Speaker.
   • The President or Toastmaster of the Day wraps up the event, thanking participants and guests, and announcing upcoming meetings or contests.

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Atmosphere and Purpose
• Toastmasters events are encouraging, supportive, and inclusive.
• Mistakes are welcomed as part of the learning process.
• Members gradually build confidence, develop leadership skills, and become better communicators.