Bay Harbour Toastmasters for Confident Communication

Have you ever sat in a meeting and wanted to speak up and share your views but lacked the confidence to do so? Maybe you have been asked to speak to a group and made an excuse or else just mumbled together a few words and sat down again as quick as you could. Or maybe you know you are terrified of speaking in public, but you just avoid every situation where you have to. If that sounds like you, then Toastmasters is the answer. We now have a Toastmasters club running here in the Bay and we would love you to come along and see how Toastmasters can make a difference for you.

News Flash!  We have new premises!

Bay Harbour Toastmasters are now meeting in The Boardroom at 25 Canterbury St Lyttelton, a brand new building above Albion Square.
We meet every 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm. Come along and find out how you can improve your potential, grow your confidence and become a better communicator and leader, whilst making new friends.
Upcoming meetings: October 12 and 26; November 9 and 23.
Note there is an Open Evening on October 26 – an opportunity to visit and find out all about Toastmasters. To find out more contact Jann Meehan on 329 4936, 021 2631040 or jann@jannmeehan.co.nz.

What is Toastmasters all about?

Have you ever sat in a meeting and wanted to speak up and share your views but lacked the confidence to do so? Maybe you have been asked to speak to a group and made an excuse or else just mumbled together a few words and sat down again as quick as you could. Or maybe you know you are terrified of speaking in public, but you just avoid every situation where you have to. If that sounds like you, then Toastmasters is the answer. We now have a Toastmasters club running here in the Bay and we would love you to come along and see how Toastmasters can make a difference for you.

Toastmasters is communication and leadership training in a supportive and fun environment. It is a “learn by doing” model that is a fantastic, proven method of learning. Good public speaking is achieved by constant practise and that’s what a Toastmasters Club will give you. You have opportunities to chair a meeting, to deliver prepared 5 minute speeches in topics of your choice and also to deliver 2 minute impromptu speeches on provided topics. This is all undertaken with the support and encouragement of the other members and with the excellent speech manuals that Toastmasters provide.

There are many benefits in belonging to Toastmasters. People normally join to improve their public speaking skills, however there are many other spinoffs from this. Many people find that their one on one communication improves, along with their listening skills. That alone can make a difference in their lives. Probably though, the main thing that everyone gets from belonging to Toastmasters is an increase in confidence. As your confidence increases, you are more able to reach your potential, and all sorts of doors can open for you as a result.

Our members in Bay Harbour Toastmasters love the club and are all progressing rapidly. One had said that she felt she had “finally found her voice.” Another member, Jan Eveleens made a submission to the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan. He spoke confidently to his submission and was able to achieve this without referring to his notes. He would never have contemplated doing that before his Toastmasters training.

We have a mix of new members and experienced Toastmasters in the club. In fact, we are very lucky to have 2 extremely experienced Toastmasters, Celina & David Templeman who live locally in Teddington. David has been on the executive team of Toastmasters NZ for the last 2 years, and in May this year will become the head (District Director) of Toastmasters NZ. He will be in charge of more than 270 clubs throughout NZ, each with approximately 20 members and he will still be attending our meetings here at the Bay and supporting and training our local members. It is fantastic to have someone of his calibre in our club.

So if you struggle with speaking in public and want to overcome that fear once and for all, now is the time to tackle it. Facing your fear and getting yourself out of your comfort zone can be freaky, but the benefits well outweigh any initial nervousness. As you progress in Toastmasters, you will find improvement in your confidence along with better communication and leadership skills. You will meet new friends and have some fun along the way. What’s not to like? Come along to one of our meetings and give it a try.

View the Toastmasters website to find out more: www.toastmasters.org.nz or phone Jann on 021 2631040.