[anirudh24seven]

Toastmasters. Attending my own club meetings, other club meetings, contests and conferences have been fun. We insist that speakers share their own original content and they usually share stories from their lives. Lots of networking offline via WhatsApp, Facebook and phone calls as well.

[no_butterscotch]

So you don't actually have to make toasts?

Haha I'm scared of public speaking. What would a first meeting look like for someone like me?

[anirudh24seven]

No. There are several roles one can play in a meeting.

- Audience

- Prepared speech speaker (usually 5-7 mins. They speak on topics from their manual.)

- Table topics speaker (1-2 mins impromptu. Usually audience & non-role players are picked.)

- Prepared speech evaluator (2-3 mins)

- TMOD (The host of each meeting)

- General Evaluator

- Timer

- Ah-counter

- Grammarian

Usually, most clubs adjust according to guests. If guests are nervous, clubs are very encouraging. If guests are confident, clubs try to improve their speaking skills.

Usually first time guests are asked for their introduction and encouraged to speak on an impromptu topic. They are heavily applauded for getting over their stage fear. Most times, they are also voted as the best speaker of the day to encourage them.