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The primary Toastmasters speaking program is called the Competent Toastmaster (CTM)
and consists of 10 speeches. Below is a short description of each assignment including how long the speech should be.
As
part of your membership, you receive a CTM manual with details about the presentation you are to make, suggestions for topics
and organization, and a page for an evaluation of your speech. Each of these assignments focuses on some particular area of
good public speaking, for example, organization, visual aids and gestures.
The Toastmaster Program speeches are:
- The Ice Breaker (4-6 minutes)
- To begin speaking before anaudience; to help you understand what areas require particular
emphasis in your speaking development; to introduce yourself to your fellow club members.
- Be In Earnest (5-7 minutes)
- To convince the audience of your earnestness, sincerity and conviction on a subject
you thoroughly understand; to confront and control any nervousness you may have.
- Organize Your Speech (5-7 minutes)
- To organize your thoughts into a logical sequence that leads the audience to a clearly
defined goal; to build a speech outline that includes an opening, body and conclusion.
- Show What You Mean (5-7 minutes)
- To learn the value of gestures and body movements as part of a speech; to explore
the different ways of using body language; to develop a sense of timing and natural, smooth body movement.
- Vocal Variety (5-7 minutes)
- To explore the use of voice volume, pitch, rate and quality as assets to your speaking;
to apply the principles of a well-developed voice to a particular speech.
- Work With Words (5-7 minutes)
- To gain an understanding of the functions and uses of the spoken word. To select
precisely the right words required to communicate your ideas clearly, vividly and appropriately. To avoid common mistakes
on word use.
- Apply Your Skills (5-7 minutes)
- To bring together and apply the communication skills you have learned in the preceding
projects; to organize your speech in a logical manner, following one of the suggested outlines; to research the facts needed
to support your speech.
- Make It Persuasive (5-7 minutes)
- To present a talk that persuades the audience to accept your proposal or viewpoint;
to achieve this persuasive effect by appealing to the audience's self-interest, building a logical foundation for agreement,
and arousing emotional commitment to your cause.
- Speak With Knowledge (7 minutes +/- 30 seconds)
- To gather accurate, up-to-date information on a subject so you can expand your knowledge
and that of your audience; to write a speech based on the insights gained from your research; to read the speech before the
club in an interesting, lively and meaningful manner.
- Inspire Your Audience (8-10 minutes)
- To understand the mood and feelings of your audience on a particular occasion; to
put those feelings into words and inspire the audience, using all the techniques you have learned so far.
The Able Toastmaster Program
When you have completed all the
above speeches to earn your CTM, you can choose three manuals at no charge from the Able Toastmaster program (ATM). To earn
an ATM, you must complete the assignments from two manuals and give some special presentations for Successful Club Leadership.
The ATM manual speeches are longer than the CTM program and allow for more in-depth research into a topic.
The topics
available in the ATM program are:
- The Entertaining Speaker
- Speaking to Inform
- Public Relations
- The Discussion Leader
- Specialty Speeches
- Speeches By Management
- The Professional Speaker
- Technical Presentations
- The Professional Salesperson
- Communicating on Television
- Storytelling
- Interpretive Reading
- Interpersonal Communication
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