The Competent Communicator
As a new member, you will receive the New Member Kit from Toastmasters International. Included in the kit is a Competent Communication Manual plus three pamphlets entitled "Your Speaking Voice", "Gestures: Your Body Speaks", and "Effective Speech Evaluation". In addition, every month you will receive the Toastmaster Magazine from the headquarter sent from the U.S.
"Your Speaking Voice" provides tips for adding strength, dimension, vitality, and authority to your voice. An effective voice isn't necessary just for public speaking. A good controlled voice is an asset in everyday communication with others.
"Gestures: Your Body Speaks" helps you to understand how to become skilled in non-verbal communication. Research shows that more than half of all human communication takes place non-verbally. In public speaking, your body can be an effective tool for adding emphasis and clarity to your words.
"Effective Speech Eva luation" provides tips and techniques for giving helpful evaluations. Members prepare and present speeches based on projects in the "Communication and Leadership Program" manual to their fellow members. These fellow Club members evaluate the speeches, enabling the speakers to develop their speaking skills. By reading this manual carefully and applying the tips and techniques to your evaluations, you will quickly be able to give helpful, positive, constructive evaluations that will motivate and genuinely help the receiver.
The Competent Communication Manual comprises ten speech projects. Each project is designed to develop your speaking skills one step at a time. Every project builds upon what you have learned in the preceding project. Each project begins with a unique set of objectives. The objectives for the first speech, "The Ice Breaker", are simply to begin speaking before an audience, to introduce yourself to your fellow Toastmasters, and to help you understand what areas require particular emphasis in your speaking development. The Ice Breaker is a four to six minute speech.
As you progress from one speech to the next, you will be challenged with new goals and objectives. Once you have completed the ten speech projects outlined in the manual, you will receive a Competent Communicator (CC) award, identifying you as a Competent communicator. You will then have the opportunity to pursue some of the more advanced programs. If this is your first CC award, two Advanced Communication Series manuals is given to you free of charge from Toastmasters International. Read the information below to know more about the Advanced Communication Series.
The Advance Communicator Series
After receiving CC recognition, you can work in the Advanced Communication Series manuals. There are 15 manuals, each containing five speech projects. Many of the manuals are career-oriented. You choose the manuals you want to complete and the skills you want to learn. Working in the advanced manuals, you’ll refine and enhance your speaking skills and become eligible for several awards:
Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB)
To be eligible for this award, you must have:
Achieved Competent Communicator award (or achieved Competent Toastmaster award)
Completed two Advanced Communication Series manuals
Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS)
To be eligible for this award, you must have:
Achieved Advanced Communicator Bronze award (or achieved Able Toastmaster award or Advanced Toastmaster Bronze award)
Completed two additional advanced communication manuals
Conducted any two presentations from The Better Speaker Series and/or The Successful Club Series
Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG)
To be eligible for this award, you must have:
Achieved Advanced Communicator Silver award (or achieved Able Toastmaster Bronze award or Advanced Toastmaster Silver award)
Completed two additional advanced communication manuals
Conducted a presentation from the Success/Leadership Series, Success/Communication Series or a Youth Leadership
Coached a new member with the first three speech projects
By the time you earn the Advanced Toastmaster Gold award, you will have completed six of the available Advanced Communication Series manuals and will have learned many valuable speaking skills.
To apply for any of the Advanced Communicator awards, complete the appropriate section of the Advanced Communicator Award application in the back of any advanced manual and ask your vice president education to submit it online to World Headquarters. You'll receive a certificate and, if you wish, World Headquarters will send a letter to your employer about your achievement.
(Source: http://www.toastmasters.org/commtrack)