Mission Statement
WSSA formed SpeechAnxietyMasters Club (SAM) to provide those with speech anxiety a place to gradually become accustomed to addressing groups and to further WSSA’s primary objective and Cause: Remove stuttering and speech anxiety from the planet. At present, SAM is open to all who request an invitation. Meetings typically last around one hour.
General
1) For privacy reasons, SAM will not share contact info of participants with anyone.
2) At the participants request, identities may be hidden, including the use of
pseudonym first-names and/or have their faces blocked out.
3) Participants will be gently encouraged to speak, but never required, and only called upon when they request.
4) Participants can give speeches, comment verbally or via chat, or simply audit (watch silently).
5) Speeches or “talks” will be anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes on a subject matter of the speaker’s choosing. Volunteers will be asked to come prepared.
6) The moderator of the meeting will call upon participants who wish to provide “constructive comments” of talks given. Comments must be framed positively and with encouragement.
7) Participants should mute their audio when not speaking to block out any background noise.
8) Participants that wish to provide comments or speak in any manner should use the “Raise Hand” button in Zoom. The moderator will recognize the request and attempt to call upon that participant at the appropriate time.
9) Respect others. All language used, whether oral or written, must be professional and courteous. Anything considered offensive, obscene, racist, sexual, or otherwise discriminatory will not be tolerated.
Meeting Roles
Host – The person who calls the meeting, sends the invitations and updates to same, and who opens and closes the meeting, explaining WSSA’s sponsorship, its Cause and services.
Moderator – A Certified Speech Coach or PWSS that coordinates and conducts the meeting, has participants introduce themselves (or introduces those who do not wish to do so), and acts as a moderator.
Speaker – 1 to 3 speakers may be selected in advance to give presentations on a variety of topics. Speeches, or “talks”, will run 2-5 minutes. Extemporaneous talks may also be provided by participants, at the direction of the Moderator.
Evaluators – Initially this will be the Moderator (one of our Certified Speech Coaches or a PWSS). The Moderator will ask volunteers for their feedback, with the goal of providing the speaker with fair and supportive evaluations and suggestions.
Timer – Confirms the length of the speeches being presented before the start of each meeting, times each one and provides warning indicators to assist the speaker to finish in the allotted time. The Host or Moderator may serve as Timer.
TopicsHelper – This person will help participants select topics for their upcoming speeches, offering a list of original or creative topics for consideration. The Host may serve in this capacity as well.
