Mastering the Toast

A speaker once stood on the podium and was gasping for words . He kept on starting his speech with "I conceive", "I conceive.." but couldn't progress. The embarrassed but  irritated organizer of the meeting stepped in ostensibly to manage the situation saying "The speaker conceived many a time , but failed to deliver" !

Such anecdotes are rife  in the day to day activities of many. I have seen speakers fumbling for words, people on conference calls mumble incoherently to cover up the shortcomings and in fact some even started coining new words such as "costed"  & "prepone" to maintain the flow. The fillers with "Ah" & "Oh" will be found freely strewn everywhere.  At the interview, one could see the helplessness in the candidate's eyes , as they try to cover up their shortcoming.

Little effort from the parents' side on the selection of the right medium in school or an early self realization could have averted the damage. Better late than never- there are always avenues to manage this.

In one of the organizations I was associated with , we setup Communication and Leadership Improvement Programme (CLIP), wherein the employees were encouraged to speak and the seniors pitching in as evaluators would suggest the improvements in a friendly way. Though, it was paying dividends, a professional guidance instead of a friendly one could have met the objectives at a faster pace, it was felt.

I was exactly witnessing this at the Toastmasters International meeting last weekend. The gathering of around 100 consisting  of members and guests were  a mixture of young and others, though the cubs ruled the roost. A detailed agenda was in place even before the start and the proceedings were professional. I was more impressed by the meeting etiquette that was followed and I felt such meetings could definitely help anyone to overcome the fear of platforms and encourage them to break the mental barriers. A word of the week and theme of the week are announced early and every speaker is encouraged to use to the same in their oration. It was a sheer delight to watch a  meeting starting on time, stick to the agenda with no distractions and break on time for the concluding high tea!

This language shortcoming is prevalent across all cadres- from Managers to Team leads to Junior Associates. At the student level, the tension and anxiety compound the woe and so there is a definite need for almost everyone to correct this basic requirement. There is no point in feigning ignorance about its existence or resisting this, as this is the language which we have adopted to build business with and ultimately the pathway to fill our coffers too!

It is imperative that organizations conduct such specially focused sessions for language improvement and refinement, for their employees to liaise with the peers and clients with ease.

At the college level, the management in addition to arranging mock campus interviews, could also focus on such communication related supports.

For those who have escaped these two but  are still found wanting , organizations such as Toastmasters could prove to be a definite way to success!