Does your organization encourage, or even better, provide training to equip your employees with competitive communication and leadership skills? Have you considered your own in-house Toastmasters club or perhaps Fripp Virtual Training? If you are reluctant to allocate employee time or company resources to presentation training because you worry “they might leave,” consider what my friend and colleague Jim Cathcart says, “What if you don’t train them, and they stay?”
When I work with my favorite corporate clients, such as Microsoft and Genentech, I ask, “How many Toastmasters clubs do you have on campus?” Usually for a large company there are several. Some of my smaller clients, such as a large CPA firm, create their own version for bi-weekly meetings to reinforce Fripp Presentation Skills Training. I recommend that Toastmasters Table Topics reflect topics an organization might actually use when talking to their clients. A construction firm – who, by the way, told me “If we had not locked ourselves in a room with Patricia for a day we would never have won a $20 million dollar contract!” – made presentation rehearsal an important part of their meetings and explained to me that this was a great way to teach younger associates what was expected and how to ensure more business. They understood what an enormous difference powerful presentation skills can make. Enjoy this recent piece from Toastmasters International on the benefits of cultivating communication and leadership skills in your employees:
Fortune 500 Companies Develop and Enhance Talent Through Toastmasters
Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and other industry leaders offer communication and leadership development…Nearly one-third of all Fortune 500 companies now offer in-house Toastmasters clubs to help employees become better communicators and leaders. Industry giants such as Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Exxon Mobil, Google, Microsoft and The Walt Disney Company have found the Toastmasters International program to be an effective staff development tool that benefits their organization in a meaningful way.
During the past year, more than 600 new corporate Toastmasters clubs were chartered. The growth of corporate clubs has stemmed from companies seeing the value in having employees with the ability to communicate and lead effectively.
“Providing extensive learning and development programs and resources is a top priority at our company, and Toastmasters is a key partner in achieving that goal,” says Chris Payton, Enterprise Learning and Leadership Development Delivery Executive at Bank of America. “Our more than 60 Bank of America Toastmasters clubs provide ongoing development opportunities for employees, enhancing leadership and communication skills that are critical to our success.”
Toastmasters’ communication and leadership teaches employees how to:
- Conduct effective meetings
- Practice time management
- Enhance their listening skills
- Sharpen their presentation skills
- Boost team collaboration
- Guide successful teams
In the age of texting, email and social media, strong communication skills remain highly prized by employers, which makes Toastmasters’ experiential learning program all the more valuable; it helps employees become better speakers and leaders.
“Forming a corporate Toastmasters club is an effective and inexpensive way to develop, enhance and retain employees,” says Toastmasters Chief Executive Officer Daniel Rex. “We are experiencing record growth as an organization in part because of the large increase in the number of corporate clubs. We expect that trend to continue as the skills we teach are always in demand in the marketplace.”
Organizations looking to provide employee growth opportunities that benefit the company can obtain more information about Toastmasters corporate clubs by emailing corporaterelations@toastmasters.org.
About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization’s membership exceeds 313,000 in more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.
Do your employees have the training, practice, and tools they need to communicate and lead effectively?
Whether you are a beginner or seasoned speaker you can dramatically improve the quality of your presentations with Fripp Virtual Training. Get results on your own schedule.
FrippVT is a state-of-the-art, web-based training platform that emulates live training and coaching. It is almost as if Presentation Expert and Executive Speech Coach, Patricia Fripp were sitting in front of you. FrippVT is designed to be immediately engaging and makes it fun to learn. If you are a novice presenter or a seasoned professional, you will find the content both practical and relevant.
Thank you once again for your speech coaching to prepare me and my team for our Global Sales meeting. You have an amazing talent in helping me pull my corporate message into a meaningful, impactful, and entertaining story. You are always the one to call when my back is against the wall. Your magic always works and hits the mark with every audience!”
– Brian Marlier, Senior Vice President, US Enterprise, Cisco
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Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp works with individuals and companies who realize that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them a competitive edge.
