Roles and Speeches – Leadership
Certain roles in a meeting lend themselves to leadership skill development. We believe those particular roles are:
In the broadest sense, Leadership is about creating change. To bring about that change in the context of an organisation requires establishing direction through the development of a vision and the strategies to achieve it, assembling a network of people and communicating the vision and strategies to align them and then motivating & inspiring people to take action towards achieving that vision.
Leaving the Speaker role aside for a moment, the roles listed help you to shift your focus and perspective away from yourself and towards others which is essential for leadership. As Topicsmaster you are responsible for ensuring everyone has the opportunity to practice impromptu speaking. It is your job to ensure members have a good experience and to aid them in their development.
As an evaluator, you provide valuable feedback to members they can use to improve their public speaking skills. Again, you focus on their development rather than your own. The Toastmaster role is arguably the most challenging but also rewarding. You are the host for the meeting, you set the tone for the whole event and must ensure that everything runs smoothly and everyone has a great experience.
As Toastmaster you have the opportunity to host and steer the meeting in a direction you choose. You are able to set the theme and can use the event to inspire and motivate members towards constructive ends that meet needs and benefit the club as a whole.
To make the most of the opportunity you will need to be resourceful and use initiative.
The Speaker role can be flexible with regard to leadership. Some Pathways options involve leadership aspects and so some speeches will incorporate leadership elements, but there is nothing stopping you forging your speech with a leadership edge. Present a vision, discuss strategy, consider team building, communicate a mission, inspire or motivate. Your club needs people who take it upon themselves to focus on the act of club building. Perhaps use your speech to inform others of your efforts, or present a vision that can be worked towards as a group. Your creativity and initiative are your limiting factor.
We need you to lead us.
– Seth Godin.
So, if you have had the epiphany and wish to develop your leadship, start by picking these roles.
Next up, Club Development.