What is ‘Alicante Speakers Club’?
We are a Public Speaking Club in Alicante – the eleventh such club to be founded in Spain. It is a really exciting development for the city of Alicante because it means you have a service here to help you become an accomplished public speaker. It is a voluntary association with the philosophy of ‘learnig by doing’. If you have the desire to become an excellent communicator, our club will give you the platform to develop those skills.
Alicante Speakers Club began in 2008 with the support and guidance of the well established Toastmasters Club in Torrevieja named Las Palmeras speakers club. We joined Toastmasters International in May 2010. Toastmasters International is a worldwide non-profit organization with nearly 352,000 members in 16,400 clubs in 141 countries. It is dedicated to developing the public speaking and leadership skills of its members. Already well established in Spain, there are other Toastmasters International clubs. There has been so much club growth, that Spain has split into two Divisions, Division K, Barcelona and our Area (Mallorca, Alicante, Valencia and Murcia) and Division H, the rest of Spain.
What happens at the meetings?
Typically our meetings are attended by around twenty people and members practise public speaking by delivering prepared speeches, making impromptu speeches and speaking as part of an official role [e.g. chairperson of the meeting, general evaluator of the meeting, timekeeper]. You will be able to learn, practice and improve your communication skills in an environment of safety and support. Each member had two educational manuals: [1] manual for public speaking development; [2] manual for leadership skills development. Both of these manuals have detailed and helpful exercises.
Now new members can take advantage of Pathways Learning Experience, old members will have 2 more years to change.Embark on a journey of personal and professional development through Pathways, Toastmasters’ new education program! Pathways is designed to help you build the skills you need to communicate and lead. It is comprised of 10 paths that teach more than 300 unique competencies:
As you progress through Pathways, you will:
•Practice and improve your communication and leadership skills.
•Give speeches in your club based on assignments in Pathways.
•Challenge yourself to build and refine certain competencies and skills.
•Complete a range of projects that include persuasive speaking, motivating others, creating a podcast and leading a group in a difficult situation.
Develop real-world, transferable skills in many different areas through Pathways—communication, leadership, management, strategic planning, service to others, public speaking and more.
For more info visit: https://www.toastmasters.org/
You learn at your own pace, firstly from watching other members, and later by participating yourself when you feel ready. Whenever you speak, you will have the benefit of helpful and constructive feedback from other members to help you learn and gain in confidence. You can even use the club for practical purposes, such as rehearsing your business presentation to club members and getting constructive feedback before doing it for real! Please watch the Toastmasters International welcome video to get more information about what happens at meetings.
Why do people join a Speaking Club?
People are generally comfortable communicating with others by phone, by email, speaking with friends and speaking in a one-to one situations. However, many people feel uncomfortable speaking to groups in formal situations. It is often seen as a really frightening experience and something to be avoided at all costs. Yet good personal communication skills are more vital than ever in this age of almost instant world wide communication. Many times you may be required to speak in formal situations such as interviews, business meetings and family occasions (e.g. weddings). You need to be ready! People are not born with public speaking skills – these skills need to be developed. That’s the reason why people join speaking clubs and that’s where we can help you.
“Concentrate your attention on what self-confidence and the ability to talk more effectively will mean to you. Think of what it may mean to you socially, of the friends it will bring, of your increased capacity to be of service …., of the influence you will be able to exert in your business. In short, it will prepare you for leadership.” Dale Carnegie
What can I gain by being a member?
The aim is to empower members to achieve their full potentials and realize their dreams of being a good public speakers and leaders. We do this by providing a mutually supportive and positive environment for members and guests to improve personal communication skills and enhance self confidence.
At our club, you can learn to express yourself more clearly and get your ideas across to others. You can gain more confidence to speak up and influence the things that really matter to you. Across the world leaders of all sorts of organizations, large or small, share the need to get their point across in order to advance their cause – you can learn to do this too.
Additionally, you can learn timekeeping skills, protocol for meetings, how to think fast on your feet and how to be a better listener. You can make a lot of new contacts and enjoy a wonderful learning experience.
So if you want to improve or polish up your speaking skills, then please come along as our very welcomed guest to one of our evening meetings and see for yourself just what you can gain from being part of Alicante Speakers Club. It’s absolutely free to attend as a guest and there is no obligation to join. In fact, we recommend that you come to a couple of meetings before making up your mind whether or not to join us.
What’s special about our club?
The great advantage of Alicante Speakers Club is that we have a truly international membership. We have an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas and understand other cultures. Our club helps non-Spanish members integrate into local Spanish life and practise their Spanish skills, and it also allows Spanish members to practise and improve their English speaking skills or to develop their public speaking skills in Spanish while learning more about the life and customs of other countries.
How much does it cost?
Alicante Speakers Club is a non-profit organisation run by the voluntary work of our members. There is a small subscription fee of €60 every six months [March & November] to help with basic running expenses [affiliation dues to Toastmasters International, resources for the club. On joining, there is an initial additional registration fee of €20.