A local personal development club is speaking highly of its new venue.
Queenstown Toastmasters recently moved its fortnightly Tuesday sessions to a new setting — Sherwood’s function rooms.
Club president Paddy Turnhout believes the new venue will help provide additional inspiration for members to develop leadership and public speaking skills.
‘‘We meet every first, third and fifth Tuesday for about an hour-and a-half, from 6pm, so it’s fantastic to be able to use the amazing facilities at Sherwood.
‘‘Toastmasters is all about inspiring people to extend their leadership and public-speaking skills, so the more inspirational the space, the better.’’
Turnhout, 24, says the club’s open to anyone over 18 — current membership is sitting around 30.
‘‘We have everyone from mechanics and personal trainers to professional public speakers, all of whom have one goal in common: to grow and improve personally through Toastmasters’ supportive, structured programme.
‘‘We welcome newcomers, who can just pop along and get a flavour of things for three free sessions, then consider becoming a member.’’
Turnhout, a personal trainer, says everyone at a meeting’s ascribed a role for the night, meaning all get a chance to practise leadership and public speaking each fortnight.
Meeting elements include formal prepared speeches, constructive evaluation of others’ speeches, and off-the-cuff challenges like “FOBFO” —
Fear Of Being Found Out.
He says that’s essentially a 60-second off-the-cuff talk about a randomly-selected topic.
‘‘It’s a fantastic way to build confidence and eliminate some of the unnecessary, but very real, fears many of us have about public speaking.’’
