FH Toastmasters - Your Prescription for Effective Communication!

The Toastmasters Education Program has two aims: 1) to help members become better communicators, and 2) to teach them to be better leaders.

For the "Pocket Guide" to the new system, click here
For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here
For the Training Script, click here

Each member is responsible for setting and achieving his or her own individual goals. The program is divided into two tracks. The chart below summarizes the milestones on the tracks to achieving the rank of "Distinguished Toastmaster."

The Communication Track (highlighted in YELLOW below) is dedicated to improving speaking and listening skills. Toastmasters complete various speech projects at each education level, and obtain feedback from fellow club members.

The Competent Communication Manual is designed to give a strong start in developing a core set of skills for public speaking. Each of the ten projects in this basic manual focuses on a certain aspect of speech making -- from organization to delivery. Every project builds upon what you have learned in the preceding project. As you complete these projects, you'll learn the importance of the many components that go into compiling a great speech.
The Advanced Manuals challenge members to further improve their skills in a specific area of public speaking. Some manuals focus on "real life" situations such as public relations and technical briefings, while others help develop more widely applicable skills such as humor and storytelling.

The Leadership Track focuses on development of leadership skills through a variety of club activities. Speech projects along this track are focused primarily on leadership skills.

The Toastmasters International
Educational Program

COMMUNICATION TRACK	LEADERSHIP TRACK
*Distinguished Toastmaster ( DTM )* Achieve Advanced Communicator Gold Award (or ATM-Gold) Achieve Advanced Leader Silver Award (or AL)
Advanced Communicator Gold ( ACG ) Achieve Advanced Communicator Silver Award (or ATM-S) Complete 2 additional advanced manuals *Conduct a Success/Leadership* program, Success/Communication program, or a Youth Leadership program Coach a new member with the first three speeches**	Advanced Leader Silver ( ALS ) Achieve Advanced Leader Bronze (or "old" CL award) Serve a complete term as a district officer Complete the High Performance Leadership Program Serve successfully as a club sponsor, mentor, or coach
Advanced Communicator Silver ( ACS ) Achieve Advanced Communicator Bronze (or ATM-B) Complete two additional advanced manuals *Conduct two Better Speaker Series* and/or Successful Club Series programs**	Advanced Leader Bronze ( ALB ) Achieve Competent Leader Award Achieve Competent Communicator Award (or CTM) Serve at least six months as a club officer and participate in the preparation of a Club Success Plan while in this office Conduct two programs from the Successful Club Series and/or the Leadership Excellence Series
Advanced Communicator Bronze ( ACB ) Achieve Competent Communicator Award (or CTM) Complete two Advanced Communication Program manuals
Competent Communicator ( CC ) *Complete the Competent Communication* manual**	Competent Leader ( CL ) Complete the Competent Leadership Manual

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The Competent Communication Manual

The Competent Communication manual (also called the "basic manual") helps you to develop the basic skills that you need to prepare and present an effective speech.

The manual is organized into ten separate projects, each with its own individual focus or objective. An extremely effective tool in developing your speaking skills, the Competent Communication manual never tells you exactly what to do or what to speak about, but rather it provides a set of guidelines for you to think about as you prepare your speech.

As an essential part of the Toastmasters program, another Toastmaster will evaluate each speech that you give, providing positive feedback and suggestions for improvement, as necessary.

After completing the Competent Communication manual, you earn Competent Communicator (CC) recognition and are able to focus your efforts on the projects in the advanced speech and leadership manuals of the Toastmasters program.

Your club's Vice President Education (or other Club officer if a VPE is the one earning the award) can submit an application for a CTM or other award online at the Toastmasters International website.

The chart below lists the ten projects in the Competent Communication manual.

	Project	Time	Objective
1	The Ice Breaker	4 - 6	Self-introduction to your club
2	Organize Your Speech	5 - 7	Organization/construction
3	Get to the Point prior to Oct 03, was "Speak with Sincerity"	5 - 7	Achievement of a purpose
4	How to Say It prior to Oct 03, was "Work with Words"	5 - 7	Precision in word choice
5	Your Body Speaks prior to Oct 03, was "Show What You Mean"	5 - 7	Gestures and body movements
Evaluate Your Progress - Part 1
6	Vocal Variety	5 - 7	Voice volume, pitch, rate, quality
7	Research Your Topic prior to Oct 03, was "Apply Your Skills"	5 - 7	Effective use of research
8	Get Comfortable with Visual Aids prior to Oct 03, was "Add Impact to Your Speech"	5 - 7	Effective use of visual aids
9	Persuade with Power	5 - 7	Persuasion
10	Inspire Your Audience	8 - 10	Inspiration
Evaluate Your Progress - Part 2

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Advanced Speech Manuals

The Advanced Communication Manuals train you for different speaking situations that Toastmasters can encounter outside the club environment. There are currently 15 Advanced Communication manuals, and each manual includes five speech projects. Within each of these advanced manuals, the individual projects all focus on a single, specific theme to help Toastmasters improve their speaking skills in that particular area.

Please see below for a list of the current Advanced Manuals, or click here to download a list containing the names and descriptions of the manuals and individual projects.