Growing up, and being rambuctious boys, my friends and I held belching contests. The winner, the one with the loudest and longest belch, didn't win a prize or an award but they did win the admiration of their friends. This is very much like speaking - every single day - in a discussion with family, a presentation at the office, or a hilarious laugh-so-hard-you-cry storytelling with your friends. Strong delivery in any of those situations demands and results in the respect of our peers.

Belching was not just a socially unacceptable menace that young children did to annoy their elders. It was an art. We had to learn how to properly construct it, deliver it, and then maintain it at just the right level for the highest volume and longest duration. Letting out to much air at once would make it loud b,ut too short. Trying to make it really long would usually result in a series of stutter burps that were too quiet. Like anything, it took practice and persistence - both of which, as kids, we had time for.

Now, though, most of us don't really have the time to take a public speaking course for even a few days. And even then, a few days ain't gonna cut it. That's why Ralph Smedley founded Toastmasters in 1924.

When we speak at Toastmasters, we learn how to properly construct our message, time our delivery, and maintain the interest of our audience. Whether that audience is our family, our business associates, or our friends doesn't matter much. Toastmasters is a forum for practicing the art of speaking in any situation. We've all heard terrible speakers - "um, I um, sorry. I'm a little nervous. Well, it started, um, when... wait, it has to be your bull."   Hopefully you get the point.

Most Toastmasters clubs meet every week for about an hour and a half. Speaking and participation are difficult to avoid, so you always come away having learned something. But here's the greatest part: Toastmasters meetings aren't where the real practice takes place. The meetings are where we learn what areas need the most work. The real practice takes place once we leave and continues throughout every conversation or presentation with family, work, and friends.

Toastmasters is an incredible forum for learning. I believe everyone should be required to attend Toastmasters once a week during their four years of high school and all the way to the end of college. But unfortunately, we do not practice the art of belching in Toastmasters. You need to find your nearest Belchmasters for that.