Ethiopia: East African Youth Team Up Under Toastmasters Clubs to Develop Public Speaking, Leadership Skills

Silence is not a virtue, or is it? Members of Toastmasters clubs in east African countries have many things to say to prove that silence is not always a virtue. Rather, in most cases being well versed in speaking is.

Humans have been speaking since childhood; so, why do they have to learn it again as adults? Being able to utter words from ones mouth does not necessarily make a person a good speaker. There is more to the ability to speak, especially to make public speeches and communicate effectively than throwing ordinary words.

Even though healthy humans are born with the innate communication skills like seeing, hearing, speaking, smelling …etc, the issues of making effective communication and public speaking requires qualities beyond the normal or natural gift. They will find out the gap only when the circumstances unfold.

As people are social animals who live through series of interaction with many people, they have to develop courage or confidence to express themselves in gatherings, considering the limited span of time available, and other variables to garner the desired result.

In October 1924, Ralph C. Smedley of Colorado, USA took the initiative to establish the landmark personal and social development venture, Toastmasters International after observing the difficulty people faced to make effective public speaking for a toast.

But the problems of making public speech or communicating effectively is shared by a considerable number of people across the world. In spite of knowing what to say and having the drive to speak, people face difficulties to properly express their thoughts, feelings, respond to questions, and address issues so that they can gain the desired outcome.

Currently Toastmasters clubs are operational in all corners of the world. There are 192 districts around the world. The clubs operating in East Africa are recognized as District 114.

The first Toastmasters club in Ethiopia, which is part of the District 114 was established 66 years ago. Among the first and most notable members of the club was the globally renowned painter, Maître Artist World Laureate Afewerk Tekle.

Yet, the activities of the clubs in the country cannot be said to have grown tantamount to the long time they used to operate as, 6 decades later, there are only 11 clubs all of which are operating here in Addis Ababa.

“Ethiopia is a big country. But there is lack of awareness about our club. In Nairobi there are about 40 clubs. They also get supports like media coverage. Here we are operating under financial and venue constraints” said Demelesh Wondimu, the incoming Area Quality Manager of East Africa , or District 114.

Recently hundreds of Toastmasters club members had gathered here in Addis Ababa to attend the annual conference of the clubs, TEACON25 held at Elilly Hotel. It is the first time for Ethiopia to host the conference. Participants drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda had joined their fellow Ethiopians at the TEACON25.

Ethiopia’s legendary long distance athlete, Haile Gebresellasie had also participated and spoken at the conference where he shared his more than two decades of journey towards being successful athlete and businessman.

The conference had incorporated important events like public speaking competitions and mentoring. Many of the contestants in the public speaking presentation had passed through rounds of practice and mentoring until they develop the courage to run for regional and international challenges.

“I used to consider myself not as outgoing, somebody that cannot communicate in front of people. I gained an ability to talk about myself effectively express myself with confidence. I do not run away from opportunities to speak” says Robert Karanja, a Toastmasters club member from Kenya. He has been leading the District 114 for 11 months.

“I have been a public speaker throughout my life. But when I joined TM I leaned that my public speaking was hopeless” says Ken Agutu, TM from Kenya. Agutu joined a TM in Nairobi after he retired and as he was in search of places to spend his time.

Since the last 5 and half years after joining a TM club he says he has developed skills on making effective public speech.

“One thing many people do not realize is that communication is everything. People do not understand that there is a lot of power in communication. If you are able to go to some ones office you have only one minute to present to him and if you are clear and able to make understand then it is likely he will listen to you. But if the presentation is not good speaking too fast or to slow, it distorts the communication. This are some of the thing that help you in business” says Agutu.

I Ethiopia too, people come from a culture that has been propounding both eloquence and silence. This situation puts people in quandary if they don’t manage to figure out when they have to be silent and when they have to be articulated speakers.

However, in life circumstance over all we can understand that in a time and place where we have to vividly express ourselves silence cannot tide us over a long distance but ability to speak can deliver us more miles than we normally could.

Many incidents like social get together, employment interview, business presentation etc bring to your attention that you have lost something or many things because you could not properly explain your intentions, what you know or what you want.

Hence people who lack the ability to make effective public speaking learn the hardest way from their failure that the ability to express oneself is a master key for success. The high grades you earned in school, the certificate of recognition you obtained from your employer can lead you to the next step up the ladder only when you can describe them properly.

“In one of the international NGOs there was someone who was the most qualified for a position. He was being interviewed to assume that position. Though he was qualified he couldn’t express himself during the interview” Karanja recalled about the incident that lack of ability to express oneself causes.

That is why people give their time and energy to master the arts/skills of public speaking, leadership and communication. At Toast Masters Clubs in Addis Ababa youth and adults gather to exchange experience and train each other on this vital skills.

As we grow older and climb the ladder of career or education, we will find out that we have missed something that we should have learnt in school.

We may perform well academically and secure a paying job. But our success in work and life depends on how we communicate in our office and in our social life, according to Tiruneh Alemarye, President of Toastmasters Club at habesha brewery.

“Education focuses on intelligence quotient. But as we join the world of employment our world is not limited to the interaction between us and our job. We do our jobs together with others. We have to master the skill of leading and coordinating others. We do not get this in higher education. We only learn about it later.”