Professional Learning for Teachers: Toastmasters
- Emma Forrester
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
What comes to mind when you think of the Toastmaster’s Club? Personally, for some reason, I envisioned people dressed in formal attire, delivering eloquent speeches with ‘elite’ accents on topics concerning world affairs. They would ring their dessert spoons against their crystal wine glasses and say things like “hear, hear!” I don’t know why this is the vision I had. Likely I’ve just watched too many movies.
I also assumed Toastmasters clubs were for career people who worked in carpet land. You know the type – they work a corporate job, speak in jargon that almost sounds like another language, love bureaucracy and always seem to be gunning for a promotion. I didn’t think someone like me would find any benefit in joining such a club. I give speeches literally every day.
However, about a week after relocating to Townsville I came across a banner advertising the first Toastmasters of Townsville meeting for 2026 and since I had some free time, I figured I might as well give it a go. I arrived with low-expectations, but left convinced that all teachers, particularly those who teach English and Humanities subjects, should attend at least one Toastmaster’s meeting.
How does a Toastmasters Meeting Work?
Meetings are quite formal in that they follow a set agenda and speakers begin all speeches by saying things like “Thank you Toastmasters and esteemed guests.” But under all of this formality (sans the crystal glasses – this particular club meets at the pub so it’s plastic schooners all the way) there are so many interesting opportunities for participation and skill building.
Personally, there is nothing more frustrating than sitting in a meeting that doesn’t follow an agenda or keep to set time. The first school that I ever worked at used to hold staff meetings following a strict agenda. I feel quite grateful that I got to experience that early in my career as it has helped me better understand how good meetings should function. I was able to transfer this knowledge and skills to other contexts and organisations. Attending Toastmasters meetings will give you opportunities to develop skills in chairing meetings, taking minutes and keeping time – all vital skills for running functional, efficient meetings.
I have included a link to the Toastmasters International website which has an agenda you can download if you want to have a closer look. My club uses a slightly modified version of this template.
Challenge Yourself with Table Topics
Each meeting, one member brings a list of topics that random members of the group are asked to speak about for 90 seconds. While it is daunting the first time you are called upon, it is surprisingly fun. And if I put my teacher hat on for a second, it really does remind you to have empathy for your students. Think about it, how often do we call on students to answer and just expect them to be comfortable and able to? Speaking about a topic in front of an audience in any sort of clear and coherent manner is a skill, and like all skills, it needs to be developed and practiced.
Trying on Different Roles and Responsibilities
As I alluded to in the above section explaining how Toastmasters meetings work, there are a large number of different roles and responsibilities you get to fill during meetings. I have included an infographic below that outlines some of these roles so you can get a bit more of an idea.
From a teaching standpoint, I have found this experience really helpful in developing ideas for student roles in group activities. We've all attempted group task in our classes where students have ended up chatting and not getting anything done. One way to address this issue is to assign students roles and responsibilities. My new favourite role to assign is the time keeper. This is particularly useful if the activity involves several distinct tasks or questions that need completion. Students can easily become focused on finishing the first part of the task, neglecting the rest of the activity. The timekeeper helps prevent this problem.
Some of the other Toastmasters roles I really like include:
General Evaluator – reviews how the whole meeting ran and gives feedback to meeting role holders.
Ah-Counter – notes filler words (“um,” “ah”)
Grammarian – highlights strong language use and introduces a “word of the day”
I think there is realy capacity to utilise some of these roles in the classroom to help students remain focused while also developing theri speaking and listening skills.
Constant Feedback
You would think that attending a Toastmasters meeting would be mostly focused on the speeches, right? I was surprised to see just how many opportunities for feedback are built into the agenda followed in these meetings. For example, feedback is given to those who participate in the table topics section of the meeting, including the table topics master, but the person who gives this feedback is also given feedback.
This feedback cycle applies to each agenda item. While I was initially a bit confused by this, it actually makes sense. Giving someone good feedback is a difficult skill. How you articulate your thoughts, acknowledge strengths and offer areas for growth is important and has power. This process provides a low-stakes environment to develop these skills.
Providing students with feedback on their progress can be difficult, particularly for those students who are operating above the expected level since it can be hard to suggest what their next steps are. I’ve found me experience at Toastmasters meetings to be very helpful in this regard.
Ahs and Ums are Counted
How often do you use fillers like “ah” and “um” when you talk? At each meeting, one person is assigned the role of keeping track of how many ahs and ums each speaker says. It really makes you be more aware of how you speak when you know someone is counting. There is nothing inherently wrong with using these fillers, but it is useful to draw your attention to how often you do use them and whether it is affecting how you are being perceived by your audience.
Linking this back to a school context, I once had a teacher in primary school who made us practice speaking without saying “um” in pairs, and to this day it is something I still think about when I am getting ready to deliver a speech or presentation. I think doing activities like this is useful in helping students build their confidence as public speakers.
Final Thoughts
I do not attend my Toastmasters club for every meeting, in fact my attendance is pretty sporadic. However, when I do attend, I genuinely have a good time and walk away feeling inspired to bring more opportunities for teaching and assessing student speaking and listening skills in my classes. If you haven’t been to a Toastmasters meeting, I really encourage you to give it a try. If you have, what did you think? From a teaching perspective, what skills or resources did it provide you with?
Comments