Toastmasters International began in 1924 and they have about 280 000 memberships in more than 14 700 clubs in 144 countries. Here at CHIRS, we are lucky to be participants in this great initiative. Clients and staff alike have an opportunity to engage in public speaking, improve our written and verbal communication skills and partake in leadership roles. For the past three years, we have been conducting the weekly Toastmasters meeting on Zoom on Thursday afternoons. As of Thursday, May 25th, 2023, we are taking a small pause, but we will be back in action in October 2023.
I took this unique opportunity to interview a few of our participants. Participant Michelle K., who was previously involved in Toastmasters prior to her head injury, stated that she joined because she thought it was a productive and entertaining activity where she could re-establish skills that changed after her head injury. Another participant, Zia L., has always enjoyed creative writing and being part of a team. Zia stated that he is able to explore this interest further with speech-writing and public speaking thanks to Toastmasters. Both Michelle and Zia agreed that the evaluation portion of the Toastmasters meetings is helpful in boosting self-confidence, providing valuable feedback, and is a great way to engage everyone to participate. They both shared that the creativity behind the table topics encouraged some entertaining conversations. Michelle applauded all participants in the quickness behind these discussions as they were able to practice speaking on a topic off the cuff. Both participants gained self-confidence in public speaking, enforced their critical thinking skills, and learned to appreciate that everyone speaks at their own pace and timing.
Elizabeth S., one of the CHIRS students from this semester, has always enjoyed public speaking; she joined the program on May 4th, 2023 and fit right in with the group. Although she only attended 3 sessions, she wanted to share her experience. Below is an excerpt from our conversation regarding Toastmasters:
"From my perspective, Toastmasters provided clients with a welcoming and inclusive space for them to share their interests, thoughts, and passions. As well, the structure of Toastmasters programming allowed for participants to display their amazing creativity and exhibit confidence of their self, skills, and talents”.
The companionship and comradery that grew within the Toastmasters team will be missed dearly. Michelle explained, “It was nice to interact with others from CHIRS who have a similar experience to me, and Toastmasters provided a nice format to interact with others productively”. Zia said, “I will miss being part of the team and listening to other people’s work". Cheers to all the creative work made, skills gained, and laughs shared. We bid farewell to Toastmasters for now and we are counting the days for it to return!
Big thank you to Elizabeth S., Michelle K., and Zia L. for sharing their experiences.
Elizabeth S. and Zia L. presenting the last speech shared during the final Toastmasters session
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