Grand Terrace Toastmasters Help Members with Public Speaking

GRAND TERRACE>> Public speaking is known to be feared more than death among some people, according to a Washington Post survey. Public speaking can be involved in everyday life from presenting at a board meeting, socializing at a party and conversations between family members. Grand Terrace Toastmasters Club 290 offers help to individuals seeking opportunities to prepare speeches and improve communication skills, said Andrea DeLeon, Vice president of Public Relations at Grand Terrace Toastmasters Club. “It’s like a weekly seminar series, every week someone is learning something new,” DeLeon said. Toastmasters Club 290 is a part of a larger organization called Toastmaster International. The international group's main goal as a society is to “provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.” “Toastmasters Club 290 is on a mission,” said Melinda Muganzo, toastmaster member. The Toastmaster Club starts their meeting with a word from their “Toastmaster” of the day who sets the meeting in motion. Then the appointed “Jokemaster” begins the meeting with a light-hearted joke to get the members in a good mood. Then, the “Grammarian” presents the word of the day that can be used in this meeting’s speech presentations. Three members are scheduled to give speeches in widely different topics. At the Grand Terrace Toastmasters weekly meeting on Friday, Feb. 3, three members presented speeches to be then evaluated by designated members on their performance. Koji Hirota, scientist and Toastmasters member, conducted a humorous speech on New Year's resolutions, while Jana Arellano, radiation therapist and Toastmaster member, presented a speech on the topic of how the brain is never too old to learn. Lastly, Liliana Valle, a pilot and Toastmaster member, conducted a speech on asserting oneself with the help of some audience participation. After the speeches are concluded, the designated evaluators will evaluate their performance and give them positive and constructive critiques to help them improve. The meetings also include a table topic section where members discuss the theme of the day and are given opportunities to give responses and present their way of thinking. Four members of the Toastmasters are given the chance to give responses and then be evaluated on the way the presented their response. At the end, one of them will be chosen for the best table topics speaker award for that meeting. Lastly, members hear from the volume control and "Ah" counter who conveys to the members how their volume was during their speeches and how many filler words they may have used while speaking. At the end of the meeting, members vote on categories including best speaker, best evaluator and best table topic speakers. At the Friday, Feb. 3 meeting Hirota won the Best Speaker award, M Dunn won the best Evaluator award, and for Table Topics award there was a four way tie. The Grand Terrace Club holds weekly meetings every Friday at 7 a.m. at the Azure Hills Church conference room.