[Oleophobic]

I'm a CBC and since I grew up here I have no problems with English and can speak it fine. In fact, I think I'm pretty good. However, one thing I recently realized when preparing for interviews was that whenever I'm in a situation where I'm the one telling a story or giving an explanation (like in response to an interview question where you would most likely draw on some personal experience) I would have a hard time organizing my thoughts and making the sentence flow. Obviously, even if I use cue cards when preparing a lot of it still requires me to improvise and string coherent sentences together. This sucks for me because when this happens, it feels like I don't sound "intelligent" anymore. I know quite a bit of vocabulary and a good amount of idioms and expressions, but often times my mind draws a blank whenever I'm in a position where I am telling a story or explaining something, or even just giving my opinion on a particular topic. This is even more pronounced in pressure situations like if I'm explaining something to my manager or in a meeting at work. It sometimes happens when I'm talking to friends but to a much lesser degree.


I really want to feel more comfortable speaking from my own mind, especially when I don't have a script (or a teleprompter). I've been exposed to a lot of well-spoken people, in real life as well as on TV of course and I'm amazed at how well they put their words together in a sentence. Don't get me wrong, my situation isn't that dire. I definitely don't sound uneducated or anything when my "speaker's block" occurs but I definitely feel like there is room for improvement.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to be well-spoken? Yeah people say you should read, but read what? If you guys have any suggestions on books or any other methods that have helped you please share.

Thanks

[Mike Oxbig]

Meet some online gamers and use ventrilo? It helps your brain react and speak what u need to say, instead of saying ahhh's and ummm's. :whistle:
Its all practice getting the words out smoooooooooooooth

[Hurricane]

Sounds more like anxiety than an issue with your English.

Practice is what it takes...public speaking practice. Put yourself in as many of those uncomfortable situations as possible.

Obviously confidence is a big factor too. If you have a lack of confidence, figure out what causes it, and avoid those things pre-interview. Or do things/talk to people who inspire your confidence right before going.

Otherwise, Google standardized interview questions, and prepare good answers for all of them. Then you should be able to recite them correctly when asked. Preparation is pretty important.

[GabAlmighty]

Drugs, shit works wonders

spuds job interview - from film...Trainspotting - YouTube

[MindBomber]

One comment I consistently receive from Professors, I have an excellent vocabulary. I have never played silly computer games or memorized cue cards, I do not have much faith either would significantly improve ones speech patterns. You need to start reading daily, even just 20 minutes before bed each night would be of significant benefit, RS does not count. Read material written with the skill level you would like to achieve in writing or speaking, whether that simply be the financial pages or sharp editorials or prose shouldn't matter much. Words, and patterns they are used in, will enter your mental lexicon and slowly integrate into your verbal and written speech patterns.

[StylinRed]

sounds like you have public speaking issues and not vocabulary issues

you just need to put yourself out there more and speak publicly more often

force yourself to engage strangers in conversation that should help choose chicks to wring 2 birds with 1 stone ;)

[Manic!]

Toastmasters International - Home (http://www.toastmasters.org/)

[asian_XL]

no one is born to be a good speaker, even the best speaker or MC would need to sit down quitely and organize their thoughts before they present. Practice and more practice, then you will gain more confidence. Once you get comfortable speaking in front of people, then you will learn how to handle objections and audience's reactions.

The training manager at my work place taught people about sales interview is like story board telling. There's always a script, without a script your mind will jumping around with no control. Treat your audience as your friends, speak in a natural manner, and you need full control or full picture of your story. Watch a couple episodes of Russel Peters and you will see it's actually a script.

[FerrariEnzo]

practing in front of mirror, to me wouldnt help because its a totally different feel.


you should practice by talking to random people or GIRLS... that would help you boost your confidence

[Gnomes]

I was gonna suggest toastmaster but Maniac beat me to it. They do practice impromptu speeches, and prepared speeches every week.

[TheNewGirl]

Practice, practice, practice.

Improv classes and blind dates work like nothing else for learning to think quickly and communicate clearly.

[Presto]

MB's suggestion of improving one's lexicon is one that I subscribe to. Of course, make sure you aren't just reading romance novels, and talking about the interviewer's ample, heaving bosom.

[Grandmaster TSE]

practice for sure!

one thing is you might want to take your time, all good public speakers will speak at a pace they are comfortable with

[Mr.Ping]

I personally think the best way to be a "smooth" talker is to practice arguing with people sounds stupid but works. Find a contraversial topic next time you hang out with friend..and just argue.

[mr_chin]

I personally think the best way to be a "smooth" talker is to practice arguing with people sounds stupid but works. Find a contraversial topic next time you hang out with friend..and just argue.

I like debating and arguing but people tend to avoid it, and when they get into one, they become ignorant and makes you look like the stupid one.

I think the OP needs to hang out with more public speakers. The people you hang out with has an affect on you on almost everything.

Sometimes it could be because you are trying to think up vocabularies to use in your sentences, and will suddenly go blank just because. Try to get use to vocabularies naturally, and don't force on it.

[JKam]

Toastmasters International - Home (http://www.toastmasters.org/)

+1

I went to a couple of meetings at school but they had the meetings way to early so I dropped out of the club. Still really good though. From what I saw they had a laid out plan for you to follow to help you improve.

[Mr.HappySilp]

This is what I do for interviews. Review the job description and try to think of questions you might be asked or what quality you have would want them to know.

I don't make cue cards or have a script but I review on what I want to say so it feels more natural.

[sonick]

+1 for Toastmasters.

[Gridlock]

Never be the smartest, or richest guy in the room. Depends on what you are looking to accomplish.

If you spend your time with people that talk poorly, then obviously that level of communication is acceptable. Therefore, you have no need to improve.

Same with people that want to make more money, but hang out with poor bums working at Wal-Mart. What tips are you going to pick up, if they are in worse financial shape than you?

[roastpuff]

+1 for Toastmasters. Seriously helped my public speaking skills improve immensely.

[ruthless]

In regards to preparing for interviews, practice your response to questions with someone. Have them ask you various questions, kind of like a practice interview, and reply. It will definitely help you organize your thoughts and when the time comes you will remember what to say. Another thing, have examples from work, school, life which can help make a good fit with the employer. For example if it's a team oriented role have examples of group projects where you've worked with an X number of people; and even have examples of issues that popped up in the group, and how they were resolved. Have examples for common questions such as: describe a time when you displayed leadership, or a time where you were not able to meet a certain deadline and what did you do?

If you need practice questions pm me :thumbsup:

[InvisibleSoul]

I'm a CBC and since I grew up here I have no problems with English and can speak it fine. In fact, I think I'm pretty good. However, one thing I recently realized when preparing for interviews was that whenever I'm in a situation where I'm the one telling a story or giving an explanation (like in response to an interview question where you would most likely draw on some personal experience) I would have a hard time organizing my thoughts and making the sentence flow. Obviously, even if I use cue cards when preparing a lot of it still requires me to improvise and string coherent sentences together. This sucks for me because when this happens, it feels like I don't sound "intelligent" anymore. I know quite a bit of vocabulary and a good amount of idioms and expressions, but often times my mind draws a blank whenever I'm in a position where I am telling a story or explaining something, or even just giving my opinion on a particular topic. This is even more pronounced in pressure situations like if I'm explaining something to my manager or in a meeting at work. It sometimes happens when I'm talking to friends but to a much lesser degree.

I really want to feel more comfortable speaking from my own mind, especially when I don't have a script (or a teleprompter). I've been exposed to a lot of well-spoken people, in real life as well as on TV of course and I'm amazed at how well they put their words together in a sentence. Don't get me wrong, my situation isn't that dire. I definitely don't sound uneducated or anything when my "speaker's block" occurs but I definitely feel like there is room for improvement.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to be well-spoken? Yeah people say you should read, but read what? If you guys have any suggestions on books or any other methods that have helped you please share.

Thanks

Wow... pretty much everything you wrote above also fits me to a T. If I have time to formulate my thoughts, such as posting on forums or writing emails, I think I would come across as quite articulate. However, it's a completely different situation when it comes to thinking and speaking on the fly, such as having conversations in person, especially in more formal settings. This does have major ramifications in life, as I am a horrible interviewee. I've been with my current employer for more than two years now, but my interview went absolutely terribly. If it were not for my good fortune that I had someone with clout lobby very hard for them to give me a chance, I wouldn't be here. Of course, during those three months, it wasn't difficult to prove I was in fact very capable and articulate in writing, but usually the initial bad impression during the interview would close most doors.

I've thought about taking some courses on public speaking to try and help improve my oral linguistic skills, but have never actually gone about doing anything about it. Good for you on trying to take some action.

One comment I consistently receive from Professors, I have an excellent vocabulary. I have never played silly computer games or memorized cue cards, I do not have much faith either would significantly improve ones speech patterns. You need to start reading daily, even just 20 minutes before bed each night would be of significant benefit, RS does not count. Read material written with the skill level you would like to achieve in writing, whether that simply be the financial pages or sharp editorials or prose shouldn't matter much. Words, and patterns they are used in, will enter your mental lexicon and slowly integrate into your verbal and written speech patterns.

I don't believe this is the solution to OP's (or my) issue. When I was younger, I used to read a lot, to the tune of a novel a night, and sometimes more. I would consider myself to also have a fairly extensive vocabulary... but this did not seem to have helped my ability to speak well. I would think having confidence and an extroverted personality would definitely help, but admittedly those traits are not my strong suits. I definitely am much more at ease and can get my thoughts out more succinctly when speaking with friends, but clam up in more formal situations.

[Anjew]

as many have already mentioned... make an effort to carry friendly conversations with strangers when you have the chance.

[RabidRat]

RS Toastmasters group sign-up / meet? :alone:

I could really use some help with this too. I'm fairly good with writing but I could use improvement in spoken communication.

[Oleophobic]

Thanks for all the responses so far

One comment I consistently receive from Professors, I have an excellent vocabulary. I have never played silly computer games or memorized cue cards, I do not have much faith either would significantly improve ones speech patterns. You need to start reading daily, even just 20 minutes before bed each night would be of significant benefit, RS does not count. Read material written with the skill level you would like to achieve in writing, whether that simply be the financial pages or sharp editorials or prose shouldn't matter much. Words, and patterns they are used in, will enter your mental lexicon and slowly integrate into your verbal and written speech patterns.

Admittedly, reading (as a hobby) is something I've neglected since elementary so I'm definitely gonna spend more time reading. I agree with what you said about RS not counting lol, though I admit I'm amazed at how well some people on here express themselves (Noir, El Bastardo for example) and often take pointers from their posts.

Wow... pretty much everything you wrote above also fits me to a T. If I have time to formulate my thoughts, such as posting on forums or writing emails, I think I would come across as quite articulate. However, it's a completely different situation when it comes to thinking and speaking on the fly, such as having conversations in person, especially in more formal settings. This does have major ramifications in life, as I am a horrible interviewee. I've been with my current employer for more than two years now, but my interview went absolutely terribly. If it were not for my good fortune that I had someone with clout lobby very hard for them to give me a chance, I wouldn't be here. Of course, during those three months, it wasn't difficult to prove I was in fact very capable and articulate in writing, but usually the initial bad impression during the interview would close most doors.

I've thought about taking some courses on public speaking to try and help improve my oral linguistic skills, but have never actually gone about doing anything about it. Good for you on trying to take some action.



I don't believe this is the solution to OP's (or my) issue. When I was younger, I used to read a lot, to the tune of a novel a night, and sometimes more. I would consider myself to also have a fairly extensive vocabulary... but this did not seem to have helped my ability to speak well. I would think having confidence and an extroverted personality would definitely help, but admittedly those traits are not my strong suits. I definitely am much more at ease and can get my thoughts out more succinctly when speaking with friends, but clam up in more formal situations.

Wow you're right our situation is very similar. Just like you I used to read a lot when I was a kid (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew (yes I read Nancy Drew too :whistle:), Encyclopedia Brown, and other novels like The Golden Compass/Subtle Knife/Amber Spyglass to name a few). Ever since I started high school though, the only reading I've done consisted of forums or random news articles.

I think I have a fairly extensive vocabulary as well. I can also understand 100% of everything I hear on TV, whether it's the news, politics, Stephen Colbert's satirical comments, etc. Hell, I understood 100% of George Carlin's Modern Man speech (http://goo.gl/azg5z) and all idioms used. The problem comes with coming up with some of these expressions on the fly (within reason of course, nobody likes a snob who uses big words all the time).

For the record I don't need help with interviews or anything anymore as I already have my career job. With that said, I do want to sound more intelligent at meetings and even in casual conversations and it's about time I started doing something about it.

Anyway I really appreciate the suggestions (and the PMs)!

[dlo]

read more books, get better vocabs, dont call them girls "bitchezz" :)

[rsx]

I watch a lot of documentaries, listen podcasts and pretty much emulate and learn new vocab through them. Reading is very essential too.

To practice, try telling your friends about what you've learned, interesting anecdotes that would start a good conversation. Don't dumb it down or talk at their level.

[fliptuner]

All I have to say is, good for you for taking the initiative to better yourself. Especially for something many people may consider trivial, depending on their field of work/social circles.

[InvisibleSoul]

Wow you're right our situation is very similar. Just like you I used to read a lot when I was a kid (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew (yes I read Nancy Drew too :whistle:), Encyclopedia Brown, and other novels like The Golden Compass/Subtle Knife/Amber Spyglass to name a few). Ever since I started high school though, the only reading I've done consisted of forums or random news articles.
LoL, shit... maybe there's a correlation between reading Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew novels and the ability to speak publicly... because I also read a ton of them (yes, I also read Nancy Drew - the Super Mysteries were awesome :lol) back around Grade 7. I can't remember the last time I read a book "for fun" though. Probably haven't since early on in high school.

[Drow]

I have that fear too... When speaking to someone important like during a sales pitch / job interview / girl you wanna get, i'd get scared over whether or not i sound like a dumbass. Lack of vocabulary or usage of stupid words like "stuff". Always saying "um" or "uhh". I dont have a bad case of it like some other people do, but i'd like to completely get rid of it. I find a good way to handle this is before you blurt out your sentence, Taking a 1 second pause to collect your thoughts sounds a lot better than "ummmmmm"

[unit]

Worst Stutter - YouTube

just kidding. i can relate to your post. interviews are high stress situations and theres nothing natural about speaking calm and collectively in those situations. practice makes perfect

[MG1]

Admittedly, reading (as a hobby) is something I've neglected since elementary so I'm definitely gonna spend more time reading. I agree with what you said about RS not counting lol, though I admit I'm amazed at how well some people on here express themselves (Noir, El Bastardo for example) and often take pointers from their posts.

Reading is a good start, but take it one step further and read out loud. You can start by reading stories to children.


Reading out loud, exercises a different part of the brain. Start out with simple stories........ work on reading with expression.

[too_slow]

I would highly recommend the toastmasters program to overcome your fears in presentations/public speaking as well.

Also, have a good nights sleep and try not to drink any stimulants (i.e. caffeinated drinks) prior to the interview. Be sure that you've done your research on the company and the position that you are applying for. Linked-in is a very powerful tool for you to collect intel on basically anything. Network with alumni's of the organization... etc

[Alpine]

It doesn't really sound like you are nervous, it just sounds like you just need to organize your thoughts a little bit better.

In an interview setting, take a deep breath before answering the question, and follow the STAR format: Situation, task, action, result. Always start off and focus on setting up the situation or context first before jumping into your actions and the result. I always find that if your thoughts are organized, you will automatically appear to be well-spoken (regardless if you have an advanced vocabulary or not).

Before you talk to your boss or tell a story, try writing down the main points on a piece of paper first and number them in the order that tells the best story.

Hope it helps, and yes, always read/practice out loud!

[Matlock]

I sat in toast masters a couple of times as a guest, but never actually took the time to join. However, the last time I went there I was kind of turned off because some lady flooded the place with a bunch of her esl students. Not that there is anything wrong with being esl.

Joining toastmasters is still on my to do list of things I have yet to do.

[sonick]

I sat in toast masters a couple of times as a guest, but never actually took the time to join. However, the last time I went there I was kind of turned off because some lady flooded the place with a bunch of her esl students. Not that there is anything wrong with being esl.

Joining toastmasters is still on my to do list of things I have yet to do.

I asked my friend about this and he said this was his experience too.

I went to one Toastmasters meeting myself at SFU, and while it was pretty interesting and no ESL students, the setting felt too staged/artificial. Still kinda interested in it, though; my public speaking is not bad but could always be better.

[Gnomes]

RS Toastmasters group sign-up / meet? :alone:

I could really use some help with this too. I'm fairly good with writing but I could use improvement in spoken communication.

+1 would also like to join one with 'familiar' people. I once joined one as guest - went there alone and felt kinda awkward during break time and after the meeting

[Ludepower]

You know when the cashier says how are you?
You reply "good"...then comes the awkward silent pause until your done.

That's what you gotta work on....haha..cause I suck at it.

[iEatClams]

Toastmasters International - Home (http://www.toastmasters.org/)

The problem with these guys now is that its hard to find a good "club". Many toastmasters meetings are now filled with ESL students trying to practice their English. Make sure you find one that has predominantly native speakers (English was their first language, or they don't have any accents).

This has been a big complaint between me and my friends.

[iEatClams]

I asked my friend about this and he said this was his experience too.

I went to one Toastmasters meeting myself at SFU, and while it was pretty interesting and no ESL students, the setting felt too staged/artificial. Still kinda interested in it, though; my public speaking is not bad but could always be better.

+ 1 on the too staged thing.

[Iceman_2K]

Definitely give Toastmasters a try. Another tip would be to try your hand at improv classes. I know that's what helped me get past this, and I don't have this problem any more.

[iEatClams]

I watch a lot of documentaries, listen podcasts and pretty much emulate and learn new vocab through them. Reading is very essential too.

To practice, try telling your friends about what you've learned, interesting anecdotes that would start a good conversation. Don't dumb it down or talk at their level.

You also learn a lot by hanging out with great speakers or super articulate friends. If you hang out with geeks, chances are your social skills are not going to be that great. But hanging out with very outgoing, social people will help you become more sociable imho.

I have some friends in Sales (not like customer service sales). Like pitching sales ideas and making presentations in boardrooms to executives etc. They are great speakers and hanging out with them I picked up a few tricks here and there.

[will068]

Practice.

Just youtube great speakers you want to mimic and just practice.

Whatever speech you're about to say - recite it 17 times. Know what you're saying by heart. So when you're giving a speech, it feels like a conversation, it flows freely and your audience is more engaged. Since you know your speech by heart, it is much easier to improvise if you have a great idea that pops up during your speech and you want to implement that idea as well.

If you're still young, get a part time sales job at the mall. Learn to sell. I know it helped me a lot. You practice it enough, you can recite anything at will.

Keep in mind, like any skill, it degrades if no practice is done.

[achiam]

One comment I consistently receive from Professors, I have an excellent vocabulary. I have never played silly computer games or memorized cue cards, I do not have much faith either would significantly improve ones speech patterns. You need to start reading daily, even just 20 minutes before bed each night would be of significant benefit, RS does not count. Read material written with the skill level you would like to achieve in writing or speaking, whether that simply be the financial pages or sharp editorials or prose shouldn't matter much. Words, and patterns they are used in, will enter your mental lexicon and slowly integrate into your verbal and written speech patterns.

Trust me on this one suggestion - go to Chapters, and buy a copy of The Economist. Read it, and have a dictionary by your side. If you don't have time, go to isohunt.com and download the audio edition, and play it on your ipod or in your car while driving. Not only will you learn a fuckload, your vocabulary will increase exponentially.

Download economist audio Torrents - KickassTorrents (http://kat.ph/usearch/economist%20audio/)

[ilvtofu]

I did toastmasters a few years back too but I have always been in similar shoes as the OP
I didn't enjoy toastmasters because (at least from my experience) it was mostly speech-giving which is great for presentations etc. but for day-to-day personal interactions I didn't find that it helped much.
I think in the last year or so I have improved a lot and actually interviewed yesterday for a job and felt great about it, whereas in previous years given the same questions I would have been way out of my comfort zone. For me the greatest learning experience was simply working at a job where you have to talk to many different people on a daily basis and where conversation is encouraged.

I hate to sound racist but surrounding myself with middle aged white people really helped, they seem to love fake and friendly conversation whereas before I had only been around asians/cbcs who are either too friendly/casual (to an awkward extend) or conceited. It helps a lot to be the one who is initiating conversation, like if you're just waiting for your drink at starbucks strike up a conversation about work, schooling, the weather (people seem to love talking about the weather here...) and news topics that aren't going to be too sensitive, but overall it really does help with the improv aspect of conversation.

[trancehead]

I did toastmasters a few years back too but I have always been in similar shoes as the OP
I didn't enjoy toastmasters because (at least from my experience) it was mostly speech-giving which is great for presentations etc. but for day-to-day personal interactions I didn't find that it helped much.
I think in the last year or so I have improved a lot and actually interviewed yesterday for a job and felt great about it, whereas in previous years given the same questions I would have been way out of my comfort zone. For me the greatest learning experience was simply working at a job where you have to talk to many different people on a daily basis and where conversation is encouraged.

I hate to sound racist but surrounding myself with middle aged white people really helped, they seem to love fake and friendly conversation whereas before I had only been around asians/cbcs who are either too friendly/casual (to an awkward extend) or conceited. It helps a lot to be the one who is initiating conversation, like if you're just waiting for your drink at starbucks strike up a conversation about work, schooling, the weather (people seem to love talking about the weather here...) and news topics that aren't going to be too sensitive, but overall it really does help with the improv aspect of conversation.

this

talk to really white people.
having gone to ubc, i met a few and made friends with a few and im definitely more articulate than when i first came to university.

most asians/cbcs talk in a different manner

and i understand what u mean when ur sort of at a loss for words. picking up those connectors and multiple bullshit stock phrases u can cycle through really help

[kunoman1]

Here's a thought with speaking on the spot..although it may not work for you. Go out on say the bus and start talking about a completely random embarrassing thing to a complete stranger. For example, talk about your recent trip to get a vasectomy and just make up a story.. That way when you get into a scenario when you are presented with a question or an opportunity to tell a story, it will be easier as you've done way more difficult and awkward things before.

Another would be to voice record yourself (say on your phone) making up a story or tell a stories to friends and practice speaking out loud.
..random food for thought

[AzNightmare]

Yeah, I have problems like this too.
And to top it off, I mumble quite a bit and my voice is on the lower side, so I can imagine people can't hear me well,
cause it just sounds like muffled bass.

And when I'm talking, sometimes I can't generate flow well.
In my thought train, there are multiple ways to say the same thing I want to say,
and then my mind tends to over complicate things and I stumble on the word choices when they come out of my mouth.

I also seem to have problems joking at work. (not sure if they are called banter jokes?)
People would walk by my desk and throw in a comment, and I would have to think fast
to say something quirky back, but I always draw blank. so I just laugh, "haha...." and kind of shrug it off.

Like an example, I could find the printer jammed, so I would try to fix it.
Then co-worker walks by and says, "heh, looks like you broke it again."
and I would just say, "no... just trying to fix it... ha ha ha... ?"

Wonder if it makes me seem boring or unfriendly. No one else seems to have problems joking back.
And as someone posted eariler, seems like the culture of white people are just more confident and well-spoken.
As I noticed it's more cacausian people that are doing this.

[RabidRat]

Yeah I'm just really bad when I get put on the spot. It takes me way too long to figure out how I'm going to say what I need to say and it comes out kinda jumbled up and disorganized. I'm an engineer and interact with people constantly, so it's particularly important that I get past this.

It's not nearly as bad when I'm relaxed and talking to people I'm familiar with. It's also a non-issue when I have access to a whiteboard and I'm so absorbed into what I'm explaining visually that I forget my anxiety. So I think a lot of the problem is with confidence.

Anyway I'm serious about signing up with a bunch of you for Toastmasters. There seems to be a huge number of them in Vancouver though, any suggestions?
http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/searchresults.cfm?Country=Canada&State=British%20Columbia&City=Vancouver

[Oleophobic]

I also seem to have problems joking at work. (not sure if they are called banter jokes?)
People would walk by my desk and throw in a comment, and I would have to think fast
to say something quirky back, but I always draw blank. so I just laugh, "haha...." and kind of shrug it off.

Like an example, I could find the printer jammed, so I would try to fix it.
Then co-worker walks by and says, "heh, looks like you broke it again."
and I would just say, "no... just trying to fix it... ha ha ha... ?"

Wonder if it makes me seem boring or unfriendly. No one else seems to have problems joking back.
And as someone posted eariler, seems like the culture of white people are just more confident and well-spoken.
As I noticed it's more cacausian people that are doing this.

I have the same problem lol. I can be quite witty when I'm with my friends but I can't imagine being that comfortable and witty in the office without either sounding like an idiot or inadvertently misuse an expression. I know someone who said "pour salt on my injuries" instead of "wound" despite knowing the correct expression. Definitely a confidence thing...

[goo3]

I asked my friend about this and he said this was his experience too.

I went to one Toastmasters meeting myself at SFU, and while it was pretty interesting and no ESL students, the setting felt too staged/artificial. Still kinda interested in it, though; my public speaking is not bad but could always be better.

I think that's normal. It feels staged because it is staged, but that's not the point. It's for ppl to practice and give feedback.