by Lynne Cockrum-Murphy
Did you know every Tuesday night here at New Vision Center we host Toastmasters? This international organizations’ mission is to “provide a positive and supportive environment to empower its members to develop communication and leadership skills resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth”.
You might be thinking to yourself, “That’s nice, but the very thought of speaking in front of a group makes me break out in a cold sweat.”
As Toastmasters, we totally understand; we once felt that way too. Now, every week, we give prepared speeches, respond to impromptu questions, and evaluate each other, in a cooperative effort to help club members improve public speaking skills.
One example of the success of the Toastmasters program can be found within the New Vision club. Last year, member, Tracy Wang decided to face her fears. She joined New Vision Toastmasters, attended meetings regularly, and signed up for both speaking and functionary roles each week. These simple actions can be daunting enough for most of us. In Tracy’s case she had several additional challenges: English is not her first language, and she has a noticeable stutter.
Despite these hurdles, Tracy persevered and managed to hone her speaking ability to the point where she competed in Toastmasters International Speech contest, coming in 2nd in the State of Arizona! Although it was Tracy up on stage speaking she had the entire club supporting, coaching, and cheering her on. And that, in a nutshell, is what Toastmasters is all about.
If you’d like to experience a New Vision Toastmasters meeting, we invite you to join us Tuesdays from 6:15 – 7:30pm. We look forward to sharing our passion and enthusiasm for Toastmasters, with you.
Join us all for our open house on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 6 pm we are in the Grace Chapel right here at NVC. Come, have a snack, see how toastmasters works to support the growth of all members.