The toastmasters approach: An innovative way to teach public speaking to EFL learners in Taiwan

Toastmasters is a widely recognized international club that aims to develop and enhance the art of public speaking by offering participants educational programmes and chances to speak before groups. This article reports on the integration of the Toastmasters approach to an EFL oral-communication class in Taiwan. As both the author of this study and the teacher of an EFL course, I organized the course content and the course delivery that this paper describes. At the end of the semester, the participants completed a written questionnaire that asked their opinions about the effectiveness of this unorthodox teaching approach. Students enthusiastically reported that they had improved their proficiency in public speaking and that they had made gains in various skill areas. Drawing on these experiences, this article addresses the value of a Toastmasters approach to foreign-language curricular design.