Ora Nelson
Staff Writer
Toastmasters International has recently set up a chapter at Troy University but needs members to charter the club.
The club centers around giving people a place to grow their confidence in public speaking and communicating without judgment.
“One of the top fears next to death by fire is public speaking,” said Patrick George, faculty adviser of the Troy Toastmasters, “and I think we can do our part in trying to make less people have that fear by offering this organization as a place people can participate in and practice (their public speaking).”
The Toastmasters International mission statement is to “provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”
“The purpose of this is to improve your speaking skills,” Vice President of Public Relations Maxwell George said.
Troy student Trinity Tew is the president of Troy Toastmasters.
“You don’t have to be good at public speaking to be in this club,” Tew said. “The whole point is to become a good public speaker.”
“So that’s one thing that I’m especially trying to help people see – that you don’t have to be intimidated by it because this is a safe place for you to get the confidence that you would need for public speaking.”
The club has already gotten approval from SGA to become an official club, but is still waiting to charter with Toastmasters International.
“To charter, we have to have 20 paid members,” Tew said. “So, until we get that number of paid members, we can’t quite do everything that we’ll have the freedom to do once we are chartered.”
After the club charters, members will be able to compete in national and international competitions to win awards and titles in public speaking.
“I’m very passionate about helping people gain the confidence to do things they would never think they would do,” Tew said. “With Toastmasters, there’s nothing that would hurt you from trying something new.”
Tew said she hopes Toastmasters will give students the confidence so “you can talk about anything to anyone and know that they’ll listen.”
“I hope Toastmasters helps people face their fear of public speaking,” George said. “I mean, that’s what it’s designed to do.”
“The biggest thing people should know (is) that they don’t have to have any skill set and speaking or communication or leadership,” Tew said. “This is to take them from wherever they are to where they want to be.”
Toastmasters meets every Thursday from 6-7 p.m. at John Robert Lewis Hall in room 154.
Those interested in the club can reach out by email at toastmasters@troy.edu or via Facebook and Instagram @toastmasterstroy.
