Toast Masters International is a mobile educational club that focuses exclusively on public-speaking training through immediate immersion, active participation, positive leadership and class collaboration. Learning at Toast Masters is achieved by actively participating. Meetings occur weekly or bi-weekly in various communities around the world. There are no instructors, only mediators and professional speakers as part of members participating. The weekly workshop consists of an ongoing feedback process, as each member speaks, which tactfully allows each speaker to recognize areas that need improvement. Participants can expect to become proficient in debate, improvisation, preparing speeches, eradicating clutch words, improving vocabulary, becoming better listeners and acquiring confidence in speaking.
Community colleges are a great resource for public-speaking education. Courses might include introduction to oratory, speech or debate and different levels of proficiency. These classes generally consist of academic material studied in class, strategies for writing and presenting speeches and voluntary participation. In turn, the instructor evaluates the student's performance and gives personal feedback. College credits may be earned for higher level courses or for earning an associate degree in communication.
The teaching method at Buckley School of public speaking consists of a number of components, including: determining the weaknesses and strengths of each speaker, tactful and intense personalized coaching, using polemical debate as learning exercises where students defend a point of view, and study material and strategies for debate. Part of the curriculum at Buckley School includes crafting and rehearsing speeches for different subjects and styles. A great emphasis is given to writing since the school believes that great speaking skills are founded in good writing. Buckley School is located in Camden, South Carolina.
Speakeasy is a company dedicated to providing communication development courses, with offices in Atlanta, San Francisco and New York. It also offers an onsite consultation for companies and clients. The courses include one-on-one instruction, presentations and meetings on the following topics: communicating to drive results, talk so people listen, making first impressions count, planning presentations that work, and developing communication impact and style. Private coaching is also available.
There are generally four main types of public speaking styles covered in public-speaking schools: informative, persuasive, ceremonial and extemporaneous. Depending on the school and level of proficiency, other types of styles include motivational and debate.