Strong Towns Toastmasters

While I have presented several times over the years to various city and town councils, and I believe been successful in all my applications, I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a competent presenter. Partially, I think this is because I don’t think there is one way you can prepare for or approach city councils. They seem to vary so much from municipality to municipality. Some cities are quite formal, while others, seem more like your neighborhood book club meeting.

I have felt that one of the most important traits, besides being or at least exuding a level of comfort, is to have the ability to be flexible and be able to adapt to different settings and situations. That’s one of my reasons for wanting to be a part of this Strong Towns Toastmaster group, not only to get more comfortable speaking in a variety of situations, but to learn how to better adapt and adjust when presenting or speaking.

A few years back, I realized I was in a fairly common predicament: my social circle was getting smaller. I had fallen into the same routine experienced by many full-time working parents with little kids—that is, work, family, sleep, repeat. I wasn’t involved in a community group like a church or volunteer organization where I could see and meet new people, and since I was on a tight budget, all of our meals were at home.

Then, I had an embarrassing jury duty experience. When the judge called on me to answer some basic questions, I froze. Saying simple things like my name and profession in front of several hundred people was nearly impossible. I shook. I quavered. I managed to say my name (I think?) and mangled my way through the rest of the answers before sitting down in shock and humiliation.

I did some research into solutions for public speaking anxiety and learned about Toastmasters, an international non-profit organization that builds local clubs that support their communities by providing a safe place to practice public speaking and leadership skills. Even better, reviews of the organization suggested it could solve my shrinking social circle problem, as well. Club members reported finding a deep satisfaction in being able to meet other people who were motivated to improve themselves and help those around them.

Fast-forward five years through a job change and worldwide pandemic, and joining my local Toastmasters club was probably one of the best choices I’ve ever made. Not only did it build my public speaking confidence, but the connections I made have been some of the best in my adult life. And the most rewarding part has been seeing the development and successes of my fellow members, resulting in job promotions, career changes, community speeches, and starting new businesses. Every person I’d see come into the club would grow week by week as they took on roles, gave speeches, and helped other members.

This experience made me convinced of this truth: everyone has something important to say. Each person has unique experiences and perspectives that can be shared to help other people who are close to them improve their lives. And many people are not naturally comfortable with public speaking. This means that we, as a community, are not lacking in the knowledge of HOW to make positive changes, we are lacking in the ability or confidence to communicate that knowledge.

I’ve been a member of Strong Towns since 2017 and truly believe in the Strong Town message, and also believe that this message can be difficult to share. A person’s difficulty in sharing a message can be anything from public speaking anxiety (77% people have anxiety surrounding public speaking) to uncertainty of how to build an effective presentation for a particular target audience. Sometimes sharing a message is not about a one-time presentation to a committee; sometimes it’s about having the confidence to take on a leadership role and creating an environment where other people can participate, engage, and have an impact.

Toastmasters has given me the chance to practice all of these skills…so why not bring this powerful resource into the Strong Towns community with a Strong Towns-themed Toastmasters club? This virtual club will be open to people from all over the country and will provide a safe and supportive environment to practice delivering their messages and build confidence. People who join this club as members will have the benefit of speaking to and hearing from other passionate people who can give them feedback on both their speaking techniques and their speech content.

Fellow Strong Towns Advocates,

In study after study, results have shown that up to 75% of the population has glossophobia, or a fear of public speaking. While that may be inconsequential to many in our communities, for a Strong Towns Advocate, it is the power of your voice, your ability to persuade, and the passion that you have for the Strong Towns movement that will turn adversaries into partners and advocates.

I’ve spent nearly all of my adult life making presentations to city councils, planning boards, and governmental agencies. My estimate is that over the course of my career, I have given over 1,000 presentations varying in length from just a few minutes to over four hours. I’ve given award-winning speeches, and I’ve stumbled and fell flat on my face. But in each case, regardless of the outcome, I relied completely on my Toastmasters training to help me prepare and deliver with conviction, clarity, and confidence.

The Strong Towns Toastmasters Club provides an amazing opportunity to practice your messaging. To gain confidence and receive feedback in a supportive, collegial environment, where everyone has the same overarching goal: to advance the Strong Towns movement from town to town, city to city, and state to state.

By taking control of the opportunity given to you when speaking before a council, commission, or committee, you become the subject matter expert. It’s up to you to take charge of the room and use your voice to gain trust, change hearts and minds, and deliver a message of opportunity for positive growth and change in our communities.

It’s also an opportunity to practice responding to critics, in brief impromptu speaking sessions. These short, 1–2 minute responses to random questions hone your skills at responding in a calm, rational, and convincing manner to even the most random of questions, no matter how irrelevant or implausible.

If you’re passionate about the Strong Towns movement, we need you to join us. We need to add your voice to ours so that we can effect positive change in our communities.

I personally invite you to join the Strong Towns Toastmasters Club and learn, practice, and gain confidence alongside some of the best public speakers you will ever meet.

There has never been a better opportunity for you to become a true expert on the Strong Towns philosophy and learn to gain the trust and confidence of your local governing body.

Please join us, and learn how and why the Strong Towns movement is gaining strength throughout the nation.

Speak with confidence!

Dr. Kevin L. Maevers, AICP, CZO

Community Development Director

City of Roswell, New Mexico

I joined Toastmasters to learn how to be a better communicator of things I care about—and that’s exactly what has happened!

My time in Toastmasters has helped me become a really passionate example of the benefits of Toastmasters, as I've grown in confidence as a speaker, perceptiveness as a speech evaluator, and capacity as a leader. As a member of a weekly club, I am able to practice skills and try new things as a speaker and leader without the fear that there will be ramifications for my work life if I mess something up. Our club regularly receives young professionals who are nervous to speak and being passed over for advancement in their work because of it. This is especially the case with members who speak English as an additional language that they are still mastering. Within a month or two, these same individuals blossom into bolder, stronger, and more impactful speakers because they have had a chance to speak up, receive insightful feedback, and try out a bunch of things that help them defeat their nerves and discover a style that works best for them. The transformation from stammering over the basics to articulating complex concepts is remarkable.

People ask me why I'm still in Toastmasters if I spoke as a pastor every week for 10 years. I explain that I love being able to practice all kinds of different speaking techniques in a non-stressful and non-consequential setting. I won't be booed or reprimanded if my efforts to try something new don't really work out as I envisioned it. I'm also a big fan of evaluating other speakers because it forces me to learn about the structures and techniques of effective communication in real time.

Toastmasters clubs can vary, but the three I've belonged to have been fun, friendly, and filled with a diverse blend of people. The same can be said for Strong Towns and I am really excited about bringing those two worlds together in a Strong Towns Toastmasters Club. I have been a member of two Toastmasters clubs for six years and a member of Strong Towns for eight years, and I regularly give speeches inspired by things I've picked up from Strong Towns.

If you'd like to learn how to share your thoughts and ideas with anyone you meet in a convincing way, don't hesitate to get involved! You'll be really glad you did and I'll be really glad to meet you!