Talk about talking

   My time has come. It seems that in any organization I join I end up being president. I don't campaign. I don't volunteer. I don't even speak up, which is really ironic in this case because I'm now president of Gwinnett Toastmasters.
Now that I'm here, I guess I should use my written words to extol the merits of improving one's spoken words.
   I could briefly describe the Toastmasters program. I could mention that it's a warm supportive group of about 30 people who help each other at all levels from overcoming fear of public speaking to fine tuning professional skills. I could give an overview of the training manual, which includes outlines for ten speeches starting with a five-minute icebreaker and progressing to talks that help you work on organization, humor, vocal variety, and inspiration. I could tell you how much fun it is to participate in table topics-one-minute impromptu speeches that help you to think better on your feet and special events like the Tall Tales Contest. 
   I could tell you how therapeutic it is to get up before a captive audience and say whatever you want to say. I've heard Toastmasters practice sales pitches, recall the good old days, share grief, hype social causes, practice stand-up comedy acts and lampoon ex-spouses. Advanced manuals include interpretive reading, monologues (my husband did a great impersonation of Bob Newhart) and motivational speeches. The latest craze is mastering power point presentations.
   I could invite you to visit my club on Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m. at Matthews Cafeteria in Tucker. I could also mention that for those who would rather not get up before the sun, there are other Gwinnett clubs. The Atlanta Mastercrafters in Duluth meet on Thursday nights, the County Seat Toastmasters on Monday nights and the Stone Mountain Club meets on Thursday nights. (www.toastmasters.org  )
   Or I could tell you about my peer, Gina Wilson, who is president of the Gwinnett Gavel Club, an affiliate of Toastmasters and the Girl Scouts. The largest club of its kind in the area, it boasts 20 members ranging in age from 10 to 17.
   Gina, age 17, is a Lilburn homeschooler. She needed a speech class and came across this club. What started out to be mere course credit turned into a passion, and ended up as a term in the presidency. 
   "I did my first speech and discovered I really liked being in front of an audience," said Gina, "and I wanted to go on to give better speeches."
   Gina is far more outgoing than I am, but in her two-year membership she has enjoyed one of the things I find most gratifying in Toastmasters.
   "Some people think it's only for outgoing, talkative people, but there are a lot of shy girls in the club. But you see them slowly work out of that," Gina said.
   I can speak up for that.

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