Have you balked at the idea of toasting the bridal couple at a wedding? Have you frozen up trying to pitch a business idea to a group of potential investors? Did your farewell speech for a retiring colleague end really badly?
While the fear of public speaking is often an obstacle in people’s personal and professional lives, the truth is that the phobia can be easily overcome with simple solutions, like joining your local Toastmasters club.
Kitimat’s Nechako Toastmasters president Cameron Orr said there are a number of benefits of a Toastmasters membership, including everything from improving public speaking skills and gaining a competitive advantage in the workplace, to improving self-confidence and self-awareness.
To attract new members, Nechako Toastmasters club will be starting their season with an open house and keynote speech from the club’s area director Larry Luther.
“We are sure that with the community’s current economic boom we will see new faces appearing at the club,” said Orr.
“Rio Tinto’s Kitimat Modernization Project worked well for our club in bringing in new people. We are sure that as more people arrive for new projects they will find us and realize how valuable the Toastmasters club is.”
The open house will focus on those “foot in mouth” moments, public speaking and leadership development, and how Toastmasters is a path towards more confident and competent communication.
“Toastmasters has helped me better organize my thoughts when I’m speaking to a group. It’s a lot nicer now that I can fall back on my Toastmasters experience rather than my nerves when making any sort of a presentation,” said Orr.
Luther will travel from Prince George to attend the open house to provide more context about the Toastmasters experience. With more than nine years of Toastmasters experience, Luther will deliver a speech all about the club and what he’s taken from being a member for almost a decade.
The open house will take place on September 19, at 7 p.m., in the Kitimat General Hospital multipurpose, which is also the venue for the club’s regular meetings which take place the first and third Thursdays of the month, at 7 p.m.
The club also has a Facebook page - Nechako Toastmasters - which posts regular updates about the club’s activities.