Staff Writer

Tom Macisso is a master clapper. He gets a lot of practice at his twice-monthly Toastmasters meetings.

Macisso, a Kennebunk resident, once was intimidated in front of a large crowd, and he isn’t alone. The number one fear of Americans is not spiders or death, he says, but public speaking.

Macisso recently started a Toastmasters speaking group in Kennebunk. He said the organization’s supportive style not only eased his fear of public speaking but helped him become a better listener in the office and at home.

“There’s a lot of clapping involved at the meetings,” Macisso said.

Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization founded in 1924 to help people become more comfortable speaking in public. Today the organization has more than 250,000 members worldwide.

So far Macisso’s new group is not chartered – it has five members but needs 20 to be considered a chartered club. It has met twice so far.

Macisso said the meetings are designed to be a “structured but fun environment.”

First-timers don’t have to speak at meetings until they feel ready. When they do start, their first speech – called the icebreaker – is about themselves.

“It’s a good way to introduce yourself to the club,” Macisso said.

After the icebreaker speech, successive speeches are longer and more complicated. The goal is to work on specific problem areas, such as transitions, non-verbal communication and vocal pitch.

“You never get over the fear, but you learn how to control the butterflies,” Macisso said.

A grammarian, timer and judge at the meetings listen intently to the speeches and give individual feedback.

Macisso said most clubs have an “um” jar so every time a speaker says “um” they must put a nickel in the jar.

“In the beginning I went with a roll of nickels,” he said.

It’s been three months since Macisso stopped attending his work-related Toastmasters group and he has caught himself making public speaking errors.

“There I just said ‘um,’” Macisso said. 

There is an additional cost to join the club beside the nickel jar.

Macisso said the new chapter charges $20 for new members to receive a public speaking manual with the requirements for each speech and an additional $27 every six months for travel expenses and room rental.

While there are two public groups in Portland and a few open groups in Portsmouth, Macisso said the chapter he is helping start is particularly lucky because fellow member Kristine Smith is an area governor, a position for experienced toastmasters.

Both Macisso and Smith learned about the program through work.

Both believe the lessons learned help managers motivate their employees. Many companies use Toastmasters to help employees become more comfortable speaking to their peers and customers to improve sales and corporate communication. Yahoo, Warner Brothers Studios and Disney all use Toastmasters, according to the Toastmasters Web Site.

“Any time you can persuade someone to do something versus make them do it, they work better,” Macisso said.

And it’s not just in their respective jobs that persuasion and better speaking skills have helped the toastmasters.

Smith, mother of two teenagers said the club helped her listen better and deal with daily confrontations as a parent.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.