A new campus club, Osprey Toastmasters, is providing students who are eager to become better speakers and leaders a chance to attend a forum to develop communication, leadership skills and introduction to new career possibilities.

“Toastmasters is a public speaking club that is devoted to helping people becoming more confident and more capable public speakers,” said Kevin Balogh, president of Osprey Toastmasters.

The club’s mission is to help students overcome insecurities and improve self-confidence,
he said.

“Learning to speak while in college will give you the confidence for when you get to the professional world,” said Adrianna Gonzalez, career coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences.

The most important part of speaking is the ability to articulate yourself, your strengths and your relevant experience in an interview, Gonzalez said.

The bi-weekly Toastmaster meetings include different exercises, including the “icebreaker speech,” which is one of the first speeches new members give to help people get to know them. Other speeches include the impromptu speeches known as Table Topics.

Toastmasters is also an international organization with many corporate ties including Pfizer, Inc., Wells Fargo and Verizon.

“This is an excellent opportunity for people to practice in an environment with very low risk,” Balogh said. “And you can have fun with this because the crowd is easy, and they all know why they are here: to improve their speaking.”

E-mail Matt Head at [email protected].