Coaching in effective speaking

Studies show that the fear of speaking in public is rated amongst the highest stressor for most people.  How does one conquer this fear? The answer is by facing it—yes, actually standing up and doing it! At POWERtalk you are given the opportunity to do this at your own pace. We have members who are keen to speak right away, and members who take many years before giving their first 10 minute speech. Meetings are programmed in advance and you are given plenty of notice before being required to do an assignment. Most meetings do include an impromptu speaking session, but as a guest or new member, you will be asked in advance whether or not you wish to take part.

Accreditation programme

POWERtalk members have the opportunity to work their way through an internationally recognized accreditation process consisting of 5 levels. The accreditation journey allows for personal growth and development through systematic training, encourages a high standard of performance, provides a challenge in the field of continuing education, encourages self evaluation and provides detailed feedback to members on their individual growth. In short, the accreditation process consists of two positive actions—that of officially recognizing achievement and guaranteeing quality.  All POWERtalk short course presenters are specially accredited.

Mentoring

Isaac Newton said “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” What better way to learn to conquer your fears than to learn from others who have been on the same journey? At POWERtalk you will be assigned a mentor who will assist you with practical, sensible advice and hints for improvement. Mentoring is a powerful strategy for personal growth for both the mentor and the mentee and has significant benefits to the organization as a whole. Many of the world’s most successful people have benefited from coaching or facilitation by individuals who provide leadership, direction and the benefit of personal experience. Mentoring is encouraged at all levels in the POWERtalk organization.

Leadership skills and Management training

Members are encouraged to become involved in POWERtalk at all levels, thus giving them the opportunity to develop and reinforce organizational, leadership and management skills. These skills are useful in all walks of life from charing local community committees to organizing international conferences with hundreds of delegates. Members learn to delegate, prioritise and manage their time effectively, thus achieving their personal and professional goals. Team work is valued, and members gain experience in meeting procedure, report writing, planning and organizing functions, marketing, budgeting and giving sales presentations.

Evaluation

Evaluation forms an important part of our organisation. It is carried out at all meetings and often there will be three or more evaluation sessions at any meeting. Evaluation is carried out in a supportive and nurturing manner and will usually contain both commendations and recommendations. The evaluator is always aware of the level of the one being evaluated and will take that into consideration when performing the evaluation.

At every meeting there is a general evaluation session at the end of the meeting at which all the evening is evaluated including the running of the business session, thus providing continued training and education.

One cannot underestimate the importance of effective evaluation in the field of training.

Speech and writing contests

Speaking competitions are held annually at club, council and region level with the winner of region progressing to the international contest which is conducted in conjunction with the international convention held every two years. Competition is enthusiastic and of a high quality, with members keen to receive the prestige of winning this competition.

Writing competitions in fiction, non-fiction and poetry are held yearly at region level with winners progressing to an annual international competition which is also hotly contested.

POWERtalk clubs also are often called upon to judge speech competitions throughout their local communities.

CONGRATULATIONS Mary Wong, our Speech competition winner for 2010. Mary now progresses to compete in the Council Speech contest being held at Chermside Library meeting rooms on 26th March 2011. Good Luck, Mary!