Toastmasters to welcome BC champion public speaker

By Naomi Ambrose, Contributor

Douglas Toastmasters invites all Douglas College students and staff to its open house next week to meet and to watch Carol Carter, the current champion of public speaking in British Columbia and one of the top 18 speakers in the Toastmasters world this year. The meeting is open to the public and will be held on October 2 at 5:00 p.m. in Room 207 in the Students’ Union Building of the New Westminster campus.

“I wanted to bring a professional speaker like Carol so people could learn how to make an inspiring speech to win people’s hearts. I want people to find out what Toastmasters can do for them…Toastmasters is for everyone who wants to improve themselves. [It is] a nurturing environment if you want to become a great leader,” said Michelle Leong, Douglas Toastmasters mentor and co-organizer of the open house.

Carol Carter said that “[The open house] may turn out to be the single most important time you invest in yourself. I wish I had found Toastmasters when I was in my late teens or early twenties. The lessons I’ve learned, the people I’ve met, and the growth I’ve experienced over the last two-and-a-half years has changed my life. I’ve seen other people grow exponentially through the Toastmasters program. Anyone who wants to have confidence, clarity, leadership skills, and the ability to influence individuals or groups of people should be at this event.

“Toastmasters has given me so much. I can’t say enough about this organization… It’s the least expensive, yet most effective self-development you could ever give yourself. It is the perfect model of servant leadership at work. I wish I had found it sooner. I am all over any chance to share my experience with others.”

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches communication and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. The organization currently has more than 260,000 members in approximately 12,500 clubs in 113 countries. Since its foundation in 1924, the organization has helped more than four million people lead and communicate with poise and confidence. In British Columbia, there are over 250 Toastmasters Clubs and over 4,500 members.

Douglas Toastmasters meet every Tuesday at 5:00 pm in Room 207 at the Students’ Union Building at the New Westminster Campus. For more information about the event and the club, please visit http://douglastoastmastersoctoberopenhouse.eventbrite.ca or call Michelle Leong at 604-527-5038.