Great response to the Toastmasters’ open night in John B Keane’s pub
LISTOWEL’S nascent Toastmasters club couldn’t have picked a more appropriate setting for its first open night.
Home of the choice turn of Hiberno-English phrase, John B Keane’s was the venue for a night of great public speaking as the Toastmasters got together there on Thursday, March 8.
To say they were inspired by the surroundings and collegiality of the experience would be an understatement. Throw in word-meister Billy Keane as host and the public-speaking gang were fairly in heaven.
PRO Tom Dillon said the evening provided an excellent opportunity of promoting the club and highlighting the personal merits of joining Toastmasters; as they discussed everything from International Women’s Day to the joys of having dogs as pets as well as that age-old question not-yet-answered - ‘Are faraway hills greener?’ It’s not clear whether the toastmasters managed an answer either, but they certainly had a lot of fun debating it right at home in Listowel.
“There are lots of ways Toastmasters can help a person find their voice and the benefits extend not just to being able to speak in public but in one-to-one conversations as well,” he said.
“Every Toastmasters meeting includes a session where topics are put to the floor and this helps people develop their communication skills and ability to speak in front of a crowd when they stand up to respond. That’s one of the ways Toastmasters encourages and helps build a person’s confidence,” Tom said.
“Listowel is known far and wide for being able to put the world into words and it would be fantastic to see a thriving Toastmasters club in the town because of that,” he added. Their next meeting is at 8pm on Thursday, March 22 in the Listowel Arms Hotel.