Where Are Practice Fields?

You may well say, “I recognize that before one can command the respect of an audience he must gain self-respect; but where do I find a place to practice?’ Well, learning to swim means finding a swimming hole. Learning public speaking means finding a meeting. Either instance requires a bit of initiative. Where are the practice fields?

Luncheon clubs, lodge meetings, military orders, and community gatherings, afford any ambitious speaker ample opportunity to be heard. Since the school gives parents the first sense of community life and orients them socially, the P.T.A. is a primary starter for making speeches. Toastmasters International of Santa Ana, California, is dedicated to helping any man improve himself as a speaker. This non-profit organization has 2700 local chapters throughout the States. These groups meet weekly and according to their slogan, every member should talk, however briefly, at every meeting.

An Opportunity to Be Heard

Where there’s a toastmaster, there has to be a toast-mistress, so the Toastmistress Club which originated in Huntington Park, California, boasts of some 1500 subsidiaries across the country. Local clubs meet bi-monthly; but being the female of the species they need no slogan to start speaking! Look into one of these groups; membership entails but a nominal fee. College extension courses are available, but bear in mind that an ounce of practice is better than a pound of correspondence. The Dale Carnegie Institute recognizes that “practice makes perfect,” and energtically seeks placements for its pupils as public speakers.

Civic and Service Club Forums

Public speakers became a scarce commodity during World War II. This was particularly true in smaller cities and non-university towns. Kiwanis Clubs solved that problem according to O. D. Peterson, Secretary of Kiwanis International in Chicago, by looking for talent right in their own back yards. They found certain members could express themselves well on certain subjects, and only needed encouragement. This practice of encouraging speaking talent within the Club has become a permanent policy.

Rotary International of Evanston, Illinois, according to Russell Perry, urges its clubs to use local (club) talent whenever possible. Many chapters assign to their own members the task of making commemorative addresses for near and dear ones-Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, etc., and for observing birthdays of famous men.

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