Yes. Here are 3 reasons why they develop a transferable set of skills that lead to writing success.
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Public speaking and online writing have many things in common.
To be a successful online writer one needs to be able to repeatedly come up with fresh, interesting, and engaging content in short timelines.
Staying relevant requires publishing frequently and also engaging in meaningful online conversations with other writers as well as readers.
Most importantly, successful writers publish quality work that is insightful, incorporates personal experience and insight, and is relatable to a diverse audience.
Here are 3 reasons why Toastmasters, who belong to one of many global Toastmasters International clubs, have transferable skills that make them successful online writers.
1. Table Topics Toastmasters train for something called, “Table Topics” where they are given a topic and have approximately 10 seconds or the time it takes to walk from their place in the audience to the speaking stage before they have to deliver a speech on the topic in a maximum time of 2 minutes.
The best Toastmasters are able to:
recall a relevant story/experience,
bring this alive for the audience through what I like to call “Speaking in the Moment,”
follow this up by highlighting what is important/relevant about the story to the topic and
conclude with a “call to action” in the typical “do this and x will happen” format.
All of this happens in the Toastmaster's mind without a pen and paper on the fly. A highly valuable method for framing articles quickly and efficiently in a structure that translates well into an interesting read.
2. Evaluations Every speaking part of a Toastmasters meeting has an evaluation that either directly follows, or is given at the end of the meeting.
This is done in the format of another speech and aims to provide concise, specific, and valuable feedback for the speaker.
Essentially this requires:
listening while at the same time processing,
framing content into a logical structure, and
tidying up and summarizing content in a short period of time to deliver possibly directly after listening to the speech.
These abilities definitely rate as valuable online article-writing skills but also are invaluable for coming up with insightful, specific, and valuable comments for other writers.
Reading and commenting on the writing of others is an essential part of developing an online network fundamental to writing success.
3. Courage Seasoned Toastmasters know one of the hardest speaking skills to master is speaking with emotion.
They also know that this is one of the most powerful ways to make an impact.
As Susan Cain reflects in her new book Bittersweet,
Whatever pain you can’t get rid of, make it your creative offering.
It takes courage to both revisit and write this kind of material with emotion and even more so to hit publish.
Yet, when this is accomplished, just as the audience will feel a deep connection with the audience, so do the readers with the writer.
Great online writers require a number of skills to continually come up with quality content to engage, inspire, and capture the loyalty of an audience.
There is much advice on how to practice writing to become a better writer, which is certainly useful. However, there is also much to be gained by learning via parallel crafts and public speaking shares many transferable skills with online writing.
Toastmasters International is an international club known for developing confident and proficient public speakers around the world. If you are looking for ways to increase your skills as an online writer, perhaps it is time to consider joining one near you!
For more information, or to find a local club, visit Toastmasters.org.
Do you think that public speaking and writing share a broadly transferable skill set?