Tuesday, 11 January 2011 12:51

Right before the Christmas break, the premier Toastmasters Club in Toronto held their annual holiday party to celebrate the closing of 2010. It was a night to remember as cameras captured all the Liberty Village Toastmasters madness including exclusive up-close interviews with members on the red carpet and an inside look of the awards ceremony at Supermarket Restaurant and Bar on Augusta Ave. Not only did they enjoy celebrating the end of the year, but members have been hard at work each week to improve their communication skills as well as focus on personal growth development.

Let’s face it; delivering presentations can be one of the most nerve-wracking and sometimes painful experiences. Everybody gets the jitters, and if you don’t, you’re probably lying! Even the best speakers were once terrified novice presenters lacking confidence and the right communication skills. There’s always that three minute timeframe right after you take a seat from your speech when you think back and say to yourself, “Yikes, I really shouldn’t have said that but I should have said this!” and “Eeks, I really shouldn’t have kept looking at the ceiling”, but you obviously didn’t stop because your nerves were taking over and all you wanted to was end it. So for those of you who live in the downtown Toronto area, Toastmasters International opened a chapter in Liberty Village to help you build confidence, develop leadership skills, and foster better communication skills.

The Liberty Village Toastmasters curriculum is designed to assist members with the necessary tools to feel confident when speaking with others and in front of others. The goal is not to communicate effectively, but to develop personal growth in everyday situations. Steve Young, blogger and member of Toastmasters International, said, “Toastmasters current reputation is that most people on initial inspection believe that it is simply a program for speakers to get together ,and practice what, for most people is an often unused skill...unfortunately what most people don’t understand is that the skills learned in mastering public speaking and leadership are core skills needed for dealing with other people every single day."

The club encourages everybody to join and attracts at least 20 dynamic members from every industry who struggle with the same fear. Their weekly meetings involve project completions with immediate feedback, impromptu topic speeches, and timed presentation exercises that aim to help individuals to increase self confidence, become a better listener, and to improve the ability to motivate and persuade.If you’re looking to grow as a public speaker and expand your social network, this may be the perfect opportunity. Their next meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, January 11, 2011 at the Harbourfront Community Centre on Queens Quay. For more information on Liberty Village Toastmasters, visit www.libertyvillagetoastmasters.com. Click on the following videos to watch InLibertyVillage’s exclusive footage from the party on December 17, 2010.

Red Carpet Access

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Freya Ledda