Photo By Kari Hawkins | Maj. Rontario Hicks read more read more
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When you stand at a podium in front of an anticipating audience does your heart race? Do your hands get clammy? Does your voice shake?
For many, public speaking is a source of anxiety, causing feelings that range from a slight nervousness to paralyzing panic. That anxiety can hinder a presenter’s ability to communicate ideas, concepts and information to their audience.
Maj. Rontario Hicks, the military deputy for the Army Contracting Command Logistics (G-4), understands the implications related to poor public speaking. While mastering public speaking is not essential to career growth, Hicks knows it can impact his career, which led him to join Premier Providers at the Army Materiel Command, one of four Toastmasters International clubs offered at Redstone Arsenal.
“People automatically assume all Soldiers are comfortable standing in front of people and talking. Like many others, I’m always nervous talking in front of an audience, no matter the occasion,” Hicks said. “I’m not a natural born public speaker. For me, it is a learned ability through hard work.”
The fear of public speaking can have negative consequences for professionals in practically every career, and government service is no different, said Army Materiel Command’s Jesse Barber, who led efforts to organize Premier Providers and who served as its first president.
In an environment where power point presentations and team discussions are part of the everyday work environment, public speaking is a soft skill that can open doors to opportunities for professional growth, he said.
“We started Premier Providers as a vehicle to help improve our employees’ ability to brief senior leaders,” Barber said. “Toastmasters is an excellent opportunity to learn public speaking and leadership skills in a non-attributed environment.”
Premiere Providers was chartered in 2017 at Army Materiel Command headquarters. Other Toastmasters clubs on Redstone Arsenal are: Confidentially Speaking; Von Braun Speakers; and Strategic Speakers. The Redstone clubs are all part of Toastmasters’ District 77, Area 13.
“All four clubs have been successful in assisting Redstone Arsenal employees with improving their speaking skills,” said Hicks, who serves as vice president of public relations for Premier Providers. “Premier Providers has quickly become a pinnacle organization. In its first year, it achieved presidents distinguished club status, which is the highest level of recognition for a Toastmasters International Club.”
Since 1924, Toastmasters International clubs have been successful in offering programs that help to develop employees with their leadership responsibilities.
“The success of Toastmasters club’s stem from having motivated members willing to take on any task required to ensure continued club excellence,” Hicks said. “We understand that encouragement is needed at all levels for our members to shine and rise to the top.”
While public speaking is the focus of Toastmasters, the clubs offer much more, Hicks said. Each club includes mentors who guide and lead members through the organization, planning and delivering of a speech. Members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills and self-confidence. They participate in exercises that lead to personal and professional growth.
The end result is to develop and equip members with the ability, through speech, to do greater things within their workplace and their community, Hicks said.
“Members at all levels of speaking experience are empowered to excel within the club. This empowerment enables members to become more confident speaking in front of others, regardless of the size of the audience,” he said.
“Our members influence each other to recognize their abilities to be greater than themselves through listening, learning, communicating and leading. Our members help establish a supportive club environment to ensure each person meets the needs of self-fulfillment and self-development aligned with the club’s educational goals.”
Toastmasters International provides a series of public speaking books that members use to develop their progress through the program. Members choose a book topic to study, which highlights the type, time allotted and objectives for each speech. Speeches are presented at the club meetings, and are evaluated by club members for presentation, vocal variety, proper usage of the English language and the reliance on filler words.
“The speeches involve influential topics that require some research, so you take away something new at every meeting,” Hicks said. “I’ve conducted speeches on topics ranging from how colors affect vision in babies to how homeowner associations affect a community. No matter the topic, by the end of the speech, everyone in the room has learned something.”
In addition to the formal speeches, each club meeting includes Table Topics, where members practice presenting brief, spontaneous speeches on fun topics that challenge them to think outside the box. Hicks’ first Table Topic speech was based on the term “Pigs in a Blanket” and he quickly composed and presented a funny speech about pink pigs with wings flying across the moon.
“These are very random topics that teach members how to talk off the cuff and not be caught off guard in a crowded room,” Hicks said. “Many times public speaking can be on-the-spot, and we want our members to be comfortable in any situation.”
Toastmaster members can use the skills they learn in their club to improve their performance in the workplace, Hicks said.
“When members achieve their communication or leadership goals, we send the information about their accomplishment to international headquarters along with their supervisor, which usually leads to accolades at work,” he said. “Everything we do can be transferred as improved skills for the workplace.”
Premiere Providers has 26 members. Like other Redstone Toastmaster clubs, there is always room for more, Hicks said.
“We want to grow Toastmaster clubs so that more Redstone employees can take advantage of this program,” he said.
By helping employees improve their speaking and leadership skills in the workplace, Toastmasters also positively impacts Army readiness.
“Toastmasters helps employees learn how to analyze key issues, and communicate their ideas and solutions to develop effective strategies,” Barber said.
“The Army Materiel Command’s number one priority is readiness through supply availability, and the capabilities our employees offer in communicating that message and in communicating their ideas to senior leaders in support of that priority can be learned through the Toastmasters experience.”
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2018 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 270809 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 371 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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