ICRT Toastmasters Interview with L. J. Lamb

ICRT 專訪 L. J. Lamb
	現場錄音
RM:	L. J. Lamb is the Area A1 Governor for Toastmasters International District 67. Good morning L. J.

LJ:	Good morning, Rick. How are you doing this morning?

RM:	Fine. And we had some Toastmasters representative last Monday and you are here today. Could you briefly explain how Toastmasters works?

LJ:	Toastmasters is a learn-by-doing educational organization, which concentrates on communication and leadership skills. Here in Taiwan we are particularly proud of our English level. Members practice their communication skills by giving a series of speeches and workshops, each of which has a specific set of objectives. Speeches proceed from a simple self-introduction of 4 to 6 minutes to advanced speeches and workshops that can be up to 4 hours long.

RM:	I did not realize until you came in this morning that one of the founding principles of Toastmasters is also leadership, not just public speaking ability.

LJ:	Right. The original founder Dr. Ralph Smedley wanted to help people with their leadership skills, particularly in conducting meetings, but of course this has advanced quite a lot since the original founding principles. We just got a new leadership manual, which emphasizes building leadership skills, and again, it is a learn-by-doing training program.

RM:	Alright, so there is more than just improving your English.

LJ:	Oh, yes!

RM:	LJ is here with us for the next hour or so. This is ICRT FM 100, and we will have the latest on the weather conditions with Gavin Phibbs.

RM:	8:36. Good morning. It’s Monday, the 24^th day of July. L. J. Lamb is here. He is the Area A1 Governor of Toastmasters International. And L. J., how does Toastmasters train for leadership?

LJ:	Our new leadership program focuses on various meeting roles, and in this aspect of the meeting roles, we look at areas for training, such as listening, critical thinking, evaluation, time management, planning and implementation, organizing and delegating, motivating, and team-building. These are all of course very, very important in leadership, whether they are in the commercial, government, or any other area.

RM:	I would think that most people, when you are trying to recruit new members for Toastmasters, would say give us an example of someone who went through the program and succeeded, because then we could model our life experience on theirs.

LJ:	That’s right. When I was in Spain, I was the President of The Achievers Toastmasters Club. One of our members was assigned to me as a mentee. In other words, I was helping her get through her first three speeches. She told me that she was extremely nervous about giving public speeches. In fact, she was working at the Italian Embassy in South Africa, and she had to give reports, staff reports to the Ambassador and the rest of the staff. When she would get up to give her little speech, she would absolutely freeze up -- she couldn’t even say a word. So, after working with her for her first three speeches over a period of about two months, she was to get up, give her speeches very fluently, and overcame her fear of public speaking.

RM:	So, in Taiwan, that actually means more money.

LJ:	Oh, yes. Definitely.

RM:	If you can give a presentation in English, you are going to be promoted. What are the speeches … Alright, let’s first let’s do the website – www

LJ:	Our website is www.toastmasters.org.tw

RM:	Toastmasters one word. Toast as in toast, and masters

LJ:	As in masters.

RM:	Speeches? I think they keep a lot of people from joining. Oh, my goodness, I don’t want to stand up and make a speech.

LJ:	Actually, this is a key to improving your communication and leadership skills -- is getting up in front of people and giving speeches.

RM:	I just hate to stand up. I don’t want to talk in front of people. They are going to laugh at me because of my poor English. Actually, Toastmasters is such a supportive group. Nobody laughs at you and everyone who is there is there to improve their skills. I’ll tell you what I will do. I will go out and hire a private English tutor, and I’ll get perfect. And once I get perfect, then, then I’ll join Toastmasters.

LJ:	That’s great! I hope you’ve got millions of dollars. I have been in Toastmasters for about 3 years and 9 months, and I don’t consider myself anyway close to being perfect. That is why I continue to give speeches, give workshops, and give evaluations at Toastmasters.

RM:	Oh, yeah, but if I join, I would like to meet some interesting people also. I don’t want to work hard and then go do more work at a school.

LJ:	You definitely are going to meet some interesting people. In our Prestige Club, for example, we have 4 lawyers, a doctor, a whole bunch of MBAs, people from banks, financial institutions, physical therapists, people working at the Veterans Hospital, all kinds of interesting people.

RM:	I am afraid of the bad feedback that I will get back from my speech, and it will so disappoint me that I will never go again.

LJ:	Our feedback structure or evaluation session for speeches is very helpful. First of all, we always try to tell the persons what they did right in their speeches. Secondly, we tell them potential methods for improving, and finally, we sum up with a happy note and say we are going to support you and we are looking forward to your next speech. And, you did a great job.

RM:	What have you personally gained, because you are a native English speaker? Most of the members in Taiwan I guess would not be native English speakers.

LJ:	Most of the people are not native English speakers, but they do want to improve their English, and this is an excellent way to do that.

RM:	But what have you gained. You have been involved, what 4 years?

LJ:	Almost four years. Three years and 9 months. I have made a lot of friends – very nice people and supportive people who are interested in self-development and helping others to improve their communication and leadership abilities. Secondly, I have definitely improved my own communication skills. I have a better understanding of the need for organization and time management in both written and oral communication, as well as presentation skills involving body language and vocal variety. Third, working with people in a non-profit environment has helped me to improve my leadership skills and gain a greater appreciation of leading by persuasion, rather than just ordering people around and telling them what to do.

RM:	Alright, the web site once again www.toastmasters.org.tw

LJ:	www.toastmasters.org.tw

RM:	Alright. Thanks you very much for your time, L.J. This FM 100 ICRT.

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