Self-confidence for women

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33962, 1 October 1975, Page 6

Self-confidence for women

The women’s movement could be helped along if more women learnt how to express themselves clearly and gained self-confidence in public speaking, according to Mrs Jean Clarke, president of the New Zealand Toastmistress Federation.

I “Unless you have poise i and self-confidence you can'not convince others that [your ideals and ideas are right,” Mrs Clarke said.

Mrs Clarke, of Christchurch, was elected president at the federation’s annual conference in Tauranga last week. She said that in T

come very vocal and were winning support for their causes largely because of the efforts of the toastmistress club there. The aim of the Toastmistress Federation was to help women gain self-confidence and equip them for whatever they wanted to do, Mrs Clarke said.

This applied to all women, not only those who had a cause to publicise or a speech to make.

The reason many women joined a toastmistress club was because they were suddenly confronted with the ■prospect of having to make a speech. Crash courses were available for these women, but most women stayed on for a couple of i years.

impromptu and prepared speaking assignments, debating and training in chairing meetings. “When a woman has chaired a toastmistress club meeting she could cope with anything that might arise.”

Delegate The women who joined toastmistress clubs were grandmothers, mothers or young girls straight from school. Quite a number of them, since joining, were standing for local body elections and other positions in public life, Mrs Clarke said. The Toastmistress Federation was formed two years and a half ago with four clubs. There were now 40 clubs with a total membership of 700. Mrs Clarke was a past president of the Avon club. She said she joined the club when she was a delegate to the National Council of Women. Full potential “I found I was bursting to get up and say something about various issues but could not put into words what I really wanted to say. I think this is the case with many women, they are afraid to stand up and say something because they are not sure of how to say it.” Mrs Clarke said the federation would continue as it was now, a development organisation to help women realise their full potential Another Christchurch woman, Mrs Wills van der Goot, was elected secretary at the annual conference.