Do you dread speaking in front of an audience? Do you become tongue-tied when answering impromptu questions? I answered ‘yes’ to both questions before I joined Toastmasters! Toastmasters helped me conquer my fear of public speaking, put forth words in a coherent manner while answering impromptu questions, and become a more effective communicator! I also learned new leadership skills along the way. 25th Anniversary Dinner
A outstanding event held on January 19th at the Victorian Inn in Hutchinson. Three of our original members were present, John Orvis, Joan Cotter and Dan Field. See all the pictures on our FaceBook page.
Past club members, Joey Bisky, Greg Urban, Anne Groestch, Irv Cotter and Allen Tokuda came out to share in the celebration along with many of the current members.
Vickie Shoutz acted as Toastmaster. Bob Anderson gave a brief history of the club. John Schafer gave the keynote speech. Plans are underway for the 50th aniversary event, so come out and make some history - join the club.
FaceBook and LinkedIn
As part of our redesign of this web site, we're putting a page on FaceBook and LinkedIn. Check out our pages their and become a fan or a group member to keep track of all the happenings.
Tip Of The Week
A new thing for 2009 is the Tip of the Week. These pro tips will help you become a better speaker and leader. It's best to hear them at the meeting, but you can read them here as well.
Got a Question About Joining Toastmasters? Get An Answer Here
Check out our New Member FAQs.
Like David Letterman's Top 10 Lists, here’s our:
Top 10 Reasons To Join Hutchinson II Toastmasters Club
by Vickie Shoutz, ATMG/CL
- Other options to consume your time could be much worse than practicing your presentation skills - like alligator wrestling or getting a root canal.
- Practicing the delivery of an important message is much easier in front of a supportive crowd (we’re not an angry mob).
- It’s a great way to jump start the day as we meet at 7:00 a.m. Your other option is to sleep in and waste good “exercising your brain” time.
- If you feel your life is boring, you can life vicariously through other's adventurous stories.
- Where else can you have a blank mind in front of a room of people that truly relate to your dilemma and be applauded for being brave enough to give it a try?
- It’s a low cost, high return on your investment unlike other returns we may count on like social security or winning the lottery for example.
- When you’re done reading your monthly Toastmasters magazine, you can place it in the bottom of the birdcage and your parrot can improve his speaking skills.
- You receive a Toastmasters Magazine each month that is packed full of great tips and insights that can help you improve your speaking skills. It’s a guarantee that you won’t just toss it in the trash or use it for starting a fire.
- We have high quality members who are there to mentor and provide constructive feedback in order to help you meet your speaking goals.
- When else do you have the opportunity to be a bit selfish and have a whole hour every week devoted to a focus on improving yourself?
Smart Money
We are always looking for ways to make our money work harder for us. Money Magazine published a list of the 50 Smartest Things You Can Do With Your Money. A subcategory within this article is entitled, "Great Ways to Better Yourself." They point out that no one ever got a raise by being a wallflower. Their smart money solution: join Toastmasters.
Toastmasters provides a motivating and encouraging environment where you can:
- Learn to communication confidently and effectively in public.
- Listen critically and provide constructive feedback.
- Improve your thinking ability.
- Learn leadership and project management skills.
- Network with peers and leaders at Hutchinson Technology and in the Hutchinson community.
- Serve your workplace, community and special interest group effectively by being better equipped for leadership roles.
Companies like Hutchinson Technology considers the Toastmaster program to be effective to the point where they will reimburse your membership dues. Your money stays in your pocket. Now that's smart use of your money!
Visit the News Archive
h2tm.org and h2tm.info are domain names belonging to the Hutchinson Toastmaster II club..