Looking to improve your speaking and leadership skills?
Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped more than 4 million people just like you, become more confident speakers and leaders.
Tralee Toastmasters is dedicated to providing an encouraging, positive and supportive environment where you will learn how to overcome nerves and speak with confidence and clarity. You will also learn how to listen to fellow members and offer suggestions for improvement.
The atmosphere at our meetings is fun, friendly and relaxed, leading to an entertaining and educational experience.
Due to Covid-19 regulations, all club meetings have moved online via Zoom. The virtual meetings start at 8pm and finish at 10pm. We have a short break at 9pm.
The first virtual meeting will take place on 6th of September.
If you would like join, please email traleetoastmasters@gmail.com for all membership information.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our meetings.
A Message from John McGillycuddy 2021-2022 president of Tralee Toastmasters.
”Even though Tralee Toastmasters was formed way back in 1993, a lot of people still don’t even know it exists or what it’s all about. This year we hope to spread the word a bit more. The general Idea of Toastmasters is to help people to be able to speak in public. This can range from saying a few words at a local meeting or at a wedding all the way up to large public meeting or more formal setting. Everybody that joins Toastmasters has their own personal goals and challenges. It’s well recognised that fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears and it affects most people and most of us feel self-conscious when speaking in public for the first time.
This is where Toastmasters comes in. It provides a safe supportive environment where you can practise to speak at your own pace. Speaking is a skill and like any other skill it has to be practised, in Toastmasters there is a step by step structure to this. It basically starts with people maybe saying a few words on a topic that somebody else has spoken on, this is called an “add on”. It might be just one sentence, but for people that have never have done this before it breaks the ice for them and they have started on their journey. The next step is to make a short simple speech this is called the “Ice Breaker” building up to more advanced speeches. This is all done at your own pace and no pressure. This is a very broad outline of Toastmasters approach to public speaking and there is lot of other skills to be learned, for example how to avoid humming and hawing, using pauses for effect, structuring your speech, varying tone, pitch and speed of your voice to be a more effective speaker. These are just an example of some of the skills.
Along with learning the skills, there is the social side to it. I have made a lot of great friendships over the years and the meetings can be great fun and you can have a great night with lots of laughs.
To anybody with an interest we would love to see you at a meeting but I would also say to give it there to four meetings before you make up your mind as I found it took me personally that length of time to get a feeling of what Toastmasters was all about.
We would love to see you at our next meeting and you would more than welcome.”
Tralee Toastmasters 