This may offend some Toastmasters out there, but Toastmasters almost ruined my presentation. And it could ruin yours too. Now before you send the Grand Toastmaster after me, hear me out.
I was a card-carrying member of Toastmasters for over a year and value much of that experience. I joined prior to launching my first book as I needed a live (and captive) audience to practice new material on. My fellow Toastmasters and I would give each other our undivided attention and feedback. While the feedback could vary greatly, I looked for consistent themes that resonated with me.
Some of that feedback even helped shape a presentation I still use today.
So how did Toastmasters almost ruin my presentation?
Toastmasters encourages a dramatized style of speaking that Toastmaster and former club president Al Pittampalli calls “unsuitable for most real-world contexts.” (You can read his article, “Toastmasters has a problem it desperately needs to address”
