Competent Communicator Certificate
I finally became eligible for the Competent Communicator certificate. It took over 3 years, but it is done. I filed for the certificate, received it and promptly kept it in a file. No need to hang it out for display but I am attaching a copy of the certificate here.
One argument for joining Toastmasters is that it will help you become a better speaker. This I turn will help you in your career. In fact, toastmasters can send a note to your employer to inform them when you have received your CC certificate.
There are other ways toastmaster can help you become a better speaker. Table topics is one of the better things that come to my mind and is a primary reason for my joining. This helps you improve your impromptu speaking skills.
Going through programs such as the CC not only helps improve your public speaking but also speech writing and speaking style. You complete 10 different speech projects and you get evaluated by your peers. This is one of the strength of Toastmasters. At the same time, it is a weakness.
Your peers can range in skills from the beginner to the highly skilled. You improve by giving speeches and learning from the feedback an evaluation provides. And evaluations are only as good as the evaluator. A teacher cannot teach what he or she does not know. And this is what I have experienced. Over time, the highly skilled moves on because Toastmasters have may have nothing else to offer them. So you are left with mostly those who are beginning, or who are mid-range. This is not to say there are not those skilled speakers who enjoy the club and sharing what they know.
Because of this, a CC certificate may not have the same effect in improving your employment chances as a formal education in public speaking would. But for personal growth, it is still worth it.
As I had mentioned earlier, I have been a member of Toastmasters many times, in different clubs. My membership with Town Center Talkers is the longest and most productive. It was important for me to receive the Competent Communicator Certificate as a tangible proof of that accomplishment.
© 2019, Norman Talon. All rights reserved.