Almost as scary as snakes and high heights

Shelli Donofrio Ubriaco (pictured) can help you if you suffer from glossophobia.

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking.

According to some surveys and studies involving lists of fears, it ranks as high as third place, just below fears of snakes and heights.

Locally, anyone 18 or over interested in conquering a personal fear of public speaking, and gaining greater self-confidence for that school or business presentation or job interview, may want to consider joining the Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma branch of Toastmasters International.

“The cure (of the fear of public speaking) is practice, practice, practice in an ultra-safe, positively reinforcing environment. Every Toastmaster wants every other Toastmaster to succeed,” said Ubriaco, an OLG employee, motivational speaker and Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma Toastmasters area governor, speaking to SooToday.

“The way we help people overcome nervousness is providing a forum for them to practice at the Toastmasters meetings...it really is the most positively reinforcing environment I’ve experienced.”

Thursday marked the first ever Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma Toastmasters open house, held at Sault College, to boost community awareness of the need for clear communication.

Ubriaco was the keynote speaker.

“Better communicators build better communities,” Ubriaco said.

Ubriaco’s lively, humorous keynote speech started off with her speaking about her lifelong love of food as a platform to share speaking techniques with the audience, such as good eye contact, reducing use of filler words, the value of recording one’s self when practicing a speech as well as the art of good listening.

Toastmasters allows its members opportunities to practice a variety of speaking techniques and to sharpen listening skills, through both speeches and “table topics” held in small groups.

There is a communication track and a leadership track within the Toastmasters curriculum, in which members may progress in rank and eventually become a Distinguished Toastmaster.

“You’re given a manual which prescribes 10 basic speeches…the first speech is the icebreaker,” Ubriaco said.

“The subsequent speeches build on all the skills learned in the previous speeches and that’s how you learn to speak more effectively, in any situation…in general conversation, so that you sound confident and speak eloquently.”

“If you have to deliver a business presentation or a school paper, the best place to do that is the Toastmasters Club, you can incorporate it into your required Toastmasters speeches en route to your Toastmasters certification,” Ubriaco said.

“It’s for anyone 18 and over, not just the business professional or students.”

“It’s for all citizens, for seniors in the community who wish to keep their speaking skills sharp if they serve on committees, boards or if they volunteer, these skills are directly applicable to your home life, your school life, your community work and your workplace,” Ubriaco said.

“For job interviews…Toastmasters table topics teach you how to think on your feet, to deliver impromptu speeches.”

“Another thing we really try to focus on is to eliminate the use of filler words like ‘um, uh and so’…those really detract from your message.  If you can learn to speak without those and embrace ‘the pause’ your message will come across so much more impactful,” Ubriaco said.

While members are evaluated by other members, the Toastmasters curriculum is self-paced, and it is not a program from which one graduates and moves on, but rather an ongoing learning process for those who have learned to enjoy public speaking.

About 80 people attended Thursday’s open house event, and about two-thirds of that number were non-members checking Toastmasters out.

Organizers hope to hold an annual Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma Toastmasters open house, and increase membership.

There are currently about 80 members locally.

“But we want more because we want people to benefit from Toastmasters like we have,” Ubriaco said.

Anyone 18 or over interested in joining can get all the information they need, including membership fees, by clicking on the Superior Speakers website and following the links.

There are four Toastmasters clubs in the Sault, which come under an umbrella organization known as Superior Speakers.

Two are for employees only at OLG and the MNR, while the other two are community clubs, one each at Sault College and Algoma University.

There has been a Toastmasters International presence in Sault Ste. Marie for over 50 years.

Established in 1924 in the U.S., Toastmasters International has about 250,000 members worldwide.

“Not everyone aspires to be a public speaker like John F. Kennedy or Barack Obama but certainly the skills you learn at Toastmasters will help you in day-to-day life, to enhance your everyday communication skills,” Ubriaco said.

(PHOTO: Photo supplied by Shelli Donofrio Ubriaco)