Being confident is all talk

In Filly Misiluti's Samoan/Scottish family the men did the talking and the woman were "in the kitchen and doing the cleaning".

So when the sales order co-ordinator got a promotion at Telecom and found herself speaking to colleagues, she was well out of her comfort zone.

"I literally shook for hours before I gave a presentation," says Misiluti.

Fortunately a colleague invited her along to a meeting of the in-house Telecom Talkers Toastmasters club and just months later Misiluti's confidence at work has shot through the roof.

"I was shy and nervous. In four months at Toastmasters I have come out of my shell. I am now confident about what I am doing and I am able to relay information in a clear-cut manner to the (internal) corporate teams. Now (presenting) is like writing or breathing. It is a lot more natural."

There are 220 Toastmasters clubs in the country ranging from community clubs that meet for breakfast, lunch or in the evening, to a number of in-house clubs at companies such as Telecom, Vodafone, PricewaterhouseCoopers and ANZ.

Up to 50 per cent or more of members have joined in order to improve their career prospects - or to overcome fears of public speaking at work.

At a typical club such as Belmont Toastmasters Club near Devonport, around 15 to 20 people will congregate for a fortnightly two-hour meeting.

The first part of the meeting involves around three members giving prepared speeches on virtually any subject they wish. Once members have completed 10, they are awarded the Competent Toastmaster (CTM) award, which they often include on their CVs.

Later in the evening the speeches are evaluated - using a process which looks for the positive and give positive recommendations. Following this, those that choose can give impromptu speeches on topics given to them as they approach the lectern.

Rather than being highly competitive the club is collegial. When one of the impromptu speakers is lost for words, a member of the audience chips in with an idea to help them along.

Learning public speaking isn't just for those climbing the greasy pole. Self-employed financial planner David Yates of Integrate Financial Services in Takapuna is working to position himself as a leader in the ethical investing field.

He plans to raise his profile in the industry and present seminars, as well as be featured in the media. Yates joined Belmont Toastmasters in order to improve his speaking skills. As well as feeling more confident in front of an audience, he has found that his communication skills have improved on a one-to-one level with clients.

Likewise Mandarin speaker Maria Kuo who is studying to become a secondary school teacher, realised she wanted to improve the clarity of her English speaking before she got in front of a class of Kiwi teenagers. As well as taking English lessons she joined Toastmasters to practise communicating to groups and especially to ensure she was expressing thoughts directly in English rather than translating from Mandarin.

Public speaking does in some instances become a career in its own right. Motivational speaker and author Mike Handcock addresses audiences around the world. It began almost by accident. As the best speaker in the management team at the old Royal & Sun Alliance in New Zealand he often fronted company presentations.

Handcock says it's not unusual for speakers on the international circuit to earn US$10,000 a shot for a speaking slot, plus expenses.

Many other professionals such as author Lisa Dudson, a financial planner at Acumen and finance writer Mary Holm are paid by a variety of organisations to speak to their clients. Teaching public speaking can also be lucrative.

Even if you're not going to be paid to speak, the knock-on benefits in the workplace of public speaking can be fairly broad.

Matt Hopkins, a scientist with the New Zealand Defence Force, said public speaking had given him the confidence to seek promotion.

"I have become proactive in terms of my career, knowing what I want and asking for it," he said.

When the possibility of a promotion came up late last year, Hopkins took no prisoners, documenting why he was the person for his job and presenting his case effectively to his superiors.

Hopkins, who presents at international defence conferences, said he was inspired to join Belmont Toastmasters after listening to the leaving speech of his department's handyman - who happened to be a Toastmaster.

"My role involves explaining complex subjects in reasonably short periods of time, succinctly. I also present to international audiences on subjects such as undersea acoustics."

Before joining Toastmasters he suffered the Kiwi affliction of believing subconsciously that international experts were superior simply because they were from overseas. These days he sits through conferences mentally evaluating others' speaking styles.

Misiluti says she has gained leadership and networking skills as well as improving her public speaking. In the past, she shied away from speaking to her boss, let alone people further up the chain.

"It has opened doors and given me more direction with where I would like to go with my career. I would love to be a project manager."

In our rushed society, many people would prefer a short course to improve their public speaking and presentation skills to joining a club.

Tony Burns, director of Effective Speaking, says short courses are a great way to get started, but many people find a combination of short course and ongoing training works for them.

"Our courses are aimed at making a significant improvement to people's performance. Our participants get advice on how to improve and then try it out straight away during the course - usually resulting in dramatic improvement that the other course members can see and the presenter experiences internally.

"But we also acknowledge the value of ongoing practice which is why our course fee includes regular practice seminars for our clients for as long as they wish to attend."

For those who need to improve their public speaking now and can't wait a few months or a year for their confidence to improve over time might prefer a short course. As well as commercial companies, it's possible to do short courses at Auckland and other universities, however your impatience will cost you.

Courses advertised on Effective Speaking's website this month cost $600 plus GST for one day. Toastmasters, says Hopkins, "costs $11 a month. Damn good value for money if you ask me."

You may also want to do a course in Microsoft Powerpoint, although it is often said that they can detract from the message.

SPEAK UP FOR YOUR CAREER

* Public speaking training improves general confidence

* Practice often leads to rapid improvement

* Can assist in mapping out career

* Can become a career in its own right

* Costs vary enormously

* Professional public speaking engagements pay very well



* Diana Clement is a member of Toastmasters.