Tag Archives: job search

Scared of public speaking? Build in-demand career skills at Toastmasters

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Toastmasters helps build personal communcations kills businesses value.
Toastmasters International helps you build personal communications skills businesses value. Photo: Toastmasters International

My experience as a member of Toastmasters International helped me pass a teaching test to successfully earn my first contract as a business communications instructor at Conestoga College in 2020.

In every semester I have instructed since then, in person or online, I mention my membership in the Cambridge Toastmasters Club. I, particular, I suggest my international students investigate Toastmasters to build communication and leadership skills in a new culture.

Effective communication is the top skill employers look for in 2024, according to LinkedIn.

Toastmasters International was founded in 1924 at YCMA in Santa Clara, California. Today, it has more than 270,000 members, in 150 countries, in more than 14,000 local clubs around the world.

Cambridge Toastmasters was founded 50 years ago and meets Thursdays at 7 p.m. Members range from senior business leaders to entrepreneurs to recent college graduates practicing their communications skills and receiving feedback in a supportive environment.

Toastmasters offers members opportunities to build personal confidence and leadership skills through practicing public speaking. This link shares information about Toastmasters programs.

There’s also a Toastmasters International YouTube channel with self-help videos you can learn from and share at no charge.

If you’re scared of public speaking or worried your communication skills aren’t as strong as you like, I encourage you to visit a Toastmasters Club to see what they offer.

Find a club near you with this online tool.

There are dues to join a local Toastmasters club, which vary depending on factors such as meeting frequency and location meeting costs.

Paper Business Cards Remain in My Networking Tool Kit

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I’m a fan of business cards as networking and job search tools.

And I know that sounds weird in a digital world, where people might just say: “Look me up on LinkedIn!”

I always try to remember to carry business cards with me so that I may efficiently share my contact information with someone – if they ask for it. 

(Here’s my LinkedIn profile, in case you’re not interested in my business card: www.linkedin.com/in/kevinswayze)

Again this week in class at Conestoga College, I told my 20-something-year-old students about the value I give to simple paper business cards in a digital world. They’re graduating at the end of this semester and will be looking for work. I encourage them to add business cards to their job-search tool kit.

And since the class was about Starting a Consulting Practice, talking about business cards was even more appropriate in a world of personal business branding. In mind, it’s showing you’re ready to connect with potential clients.

I adopt the outlook that you never know who you might meet today, who might be the connection to the job you are looking for. My ritual of placing business cards in my pocket at the start of the day primes me to be ready and open to opportunities.

You can order 100 business cards for $5 at Walmart, I tell my students. That’s about the price of two basic coffees at Starbucks, after you add the HST.

I suggest students pick a simple design that’s easy to read. And put their name and essential information on one side. That way, if someone wants to take a photo of your contact info, it’s easier.

In a digital world, I think paper business cards remain a good addition to anyone’s job-hunting and networking kit.

What do you think?