What is Toastmasters all about?

Toastmasters meetings are a safe environment in which to learn. Everyone who attends is there for the purpose of gaining the skills from the Toastmasters program. You will learn the basic techniques to capture your audience and effectively communicate your message. Participants at meetings have a variety of opportunities to learn about public speaking at every meeting.

We learn by:

• Practicing speaking in front of the group.
• Listening to others speak to the group.
• Evaluating and listening to evaluations of speeches.
• Following the Toastmasters program of advancing in steps.
• Mutual support and encouragement are the cornerstones of Toastmasters meetings.

Improve your self confidence
By practicing speaking to a group in an environment where everyone is also learning, you become more comfortable with the task. All Toastmasters know what it’s like to feel butterflies when called upon to speak. Experienced Toastmasters also know that the fear can be overcome just by trying.

• Learn at your own pace.
• Toastmasters share and understand your feelings.
• Opportunities every meeting to speak at the podium.
• Do what you want – prepared or impromptu speeches

Improve your listening skills
We learn about listening as well as about speaking. To fully participate in Toastmasters meetings, you must listen carefully to the other speakers. We develop our skills by listening on different levels. We listen to the content but we also learn to be aware of the impact of the speech organization and presentation.
You need to be alert at Toastmasters meetings because:

• You may be asked to answer an impromptu question.
• You may be asked to evaluate another speaker.
• We learn by listening to evaluations of other speakers

Sharpen your thinking
A Toastmasters meeting excites your brain. Participants at meetings who are not giving a formal prepared speech are usually asked to participate in “Table Topics”. This is a 2 minute impromptu speech on a topic selected by the Table Topics Master with the speaker having no time for preparation.
Subjects could be on a theme such as:

• Construction
• My Favorite food
• The best day I ever had was….

or the topic could be more challenging:

• Do today’s youth have a more difficult time than youth of twenty years ago?
• Can we improve our economy with natural resources at the expense of our environment?
• How will you convince your boss to give you a raise?

Almost everyone who speaks at a Toastmasters meeting has their speech evaluated by another Toastmaster. Evaluating challenges you because you must always remain encouraging, constructive and positive. As an evaluator, you need to be very alert. You have to think on your feet in order to mention all the good points of a person’s speech and mention some aspects that may need improvement.

Develop your leadership skills
There are many opportunities to be a leader within Toastmasters.

• Club and District Officers are elected annually in May to lead and represent the club and District from 1st July.
• Members chair meetings and take on other responsibilities.
• Toastmasters is an international organization with leaders from each geographical area represented on the International Board of Directors

History of ESSENTIAL Toastmasters Club

Essential Toastmasters Club was chartered in May 2002, with the name of Eli Lilly Toastmasters Club. This new club was sponsored by The Excellence Club and mentored by DTM Alexander Sutjiadi. The charter members of this club were the employees of Eli Lilly: Sales & Marketing Staff, Training staff, Finance staff, and the managers in the management team. The idea of having this club came from the Sales & Marketing Manager, Mr. Averell B Gaspar, who has seen a TM Club in the Philippines. He told his subordinates & colleagues in Eli Lilly Indonesia to join the club to improve their communication & leadership skills.

The Charter President of Eli Lilly Club was CTM Budi Santoso, who was very active in encouraging his colleagues to be active members. Initially the members were not very enthusiastic in attending the club meetings, some members did not renew their membership in the following term because they did not feel the benefits of the Toastmasters or they leave the company.

In the year of 2004, only few members left in the club…. And finally, the last employee member, CTM Budi Santoso, also left the company. Since there was no other employee joined the club, the company stop providing meeting room for the club. Therefore, the club name was changed to be the “Essential Club”, which meant that every member is essential/ important. The club struggled to get good but inexpensive meeting places, among of them were: Allianz Life Club (as join meetings for almost 1 year), Gado-Gado Boplo Casablanca, Dabu-Dabu Hang Lekir, and finally Parousia Hall in Plaza Semanggi. This hard situation has made the club officers more committed to hard work in running the club, and made the club stronger and healthier.

Since term 2004-2010, ESSENTIAL Toastmasters Club has always received Distinguished Club Award:

• 2004 – 2005 : Distinguished Club
• 2005 – 2006 : President Distinguished Club
• 2006 – 2007 : President Distinguished Club
• 2007 – 2008 : Distinguished Club
• 2008 – 2009 : President Distinguished Club
• 2009 – 2010 : President Distinguished Club
• 2010 – 2011  : President Distinguished Club

In terms of club extension, ESSENTIAL Toastmasters Club has sponsoring/mentoring several new clubs:

1. Allianz Life Club
2. Kampus Emas Club
3. Inti College Club

ESSENTIAL Toastmasters Club has produced some Champions in Speech Contest:

• Maria Megawati – Division I Champion in Humorous Speech Contest 2004
• Ersa Triwahyuni – Division I Champion in International Speech Contest 2006 and District 51 Runner Up in International Speech Contest 2006
• Liza Andriani – Division I Second Runner Up in Humorous Speech Contest 2007
• Ratu Gumelar – Division I Second Runner Up in Table Topic Speech Contest 2010

This club will always grow and support the members to be better communicators and leaders. Because every members are ESSENTIAL.

Mission

To provide a mutually supportive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Executive Committee of the Essential Toastmasters Club 2010-2011:

Club President
Zilva Boaz

Vice President of Education (VPE)
Maryani Koswara

Secretary
Benita Nusetyarini

Vice President of Membership (VPM)
Lusiana Maria

Vice President of Public Relation (VPPR)
Zulhendra

Treasurer
Dita Puteri

Sergent at Arm (SAA)
Syarif Abdurachman

Immediate Past President (IPP)
Maria Gracia Rolano

Advisor
Liza Andriani