ELTAM - Communication and Leadership

... Making effective communication a worldwide reality...

Welcome to the Communication and Leadership Club. It is a joint project of ELTAM, the American Embassy and the Centre for Foreign Languages.

The mission of the Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

How we started...

The idea about the project was born in May 2001 at IATEFL 2001 in Plovdiv when Mary Nizamovska and I started a workshop called Communication & Leadership. We gor extremely interested and enthusiastic about the topic and decided to start the project in our country. We wrote the project, submitted in at the American Embassy and won the grant.

The project was successfully launched in October with a three-day workshop. The Open Society Institute - Macedonia financially supported the workshop and made it possible for us to bring Ed Pope, a distinguished Toastmaster's speaker, to Macedonia. The workshop was a wonderful introduction and demonstration of the program. It's was attended by 40 teachers and 30 other people of different occupations: sales representatives, managers, journalists, students, etc.

The Club now has 20 members. It is chartered with Toastmasters International (TI) an international educational organization. Our mentor, sponsor and sponsor club are from Phoenix, Arizona.

How we work...

We organize our meetings according to TI's educational program and their manuals Communication & Leadership. Members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice:

In the Club, members learn to relax, plan and present a terrific speech, whether you have 10 days to prepare - or just ten seconds. You'll learn and parasite in a friendly, comfortable environment with people who are there for the same reason you are - to become a better communicator.

Upon joining the club, each member receives a variety of manuals and resources on speaking and monthly magazine that offers the latest insights on speaking and leadership techniques.

Toastmasters produces results. Around the world more than three million men and women of all ages and occupations have benefited from Toastmasters training and more than one thousand corporations, community groups, universities, associations and government agencies now use Toastmasters training.

Toastmasters has helped many members in their community services activities. Using the speaking and leadership skills developed in the Club, people have become more active in business and services. Members are able to organize activities, conduct meetings, and speak in public as their organization's representative. Some even become active in local, state or national government.

Ready to join? Our meetings are open and anyone who is interested could attend. They take place at the Center for Foreign Languages, Room 31, at 6:30 p.m. Ask for Marija Kusevska, Meri Nizamovska or Fanija Smickovska. We will help you understand how the club works.

We believe in caring and sharing and we would like to share our knowledge with you. This month, we give you the 10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking:

1.Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.

2.Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

3.Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.

5.Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

6.Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don't want you to fail.

7.Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.

8.Concentrate on the message -- not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.

9.Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.

10. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to
effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need.