Toastmasters relaunching
Confidence with public speaking is set to be given a boost in Tokoroa with the relaunch of a local Toastmasters club.
Toastmasters New Zealand Division B director Ross Kennedy said interest in Toastmasters, which helps people become confident with public speaking through prepared and impromptu speeches, is once again growing in Tokoroa after the Forestlands Toastmasters Club closed at the end of 2015.
In part that’s due to Tokoroa’s Julian Leite who won two awards through Rotorua’s Geyserland Toastmasters Club last month. One for being the most improved speaker and the other an oral reading contest award.
Kennedy said now’s the right time to get a new club up and running.
‘‘Toastmasters has evolved since the last club closed and there are changes happening to how we run our programmes to make them more attractive to all people over the age of 18,’’ he said.
He said an initial meeting will be held at the Tokoroa Council of Social Services (TCOSS) in Maraetai Rd on Thursday at 7pm and at least 20 members are needed to get it up and running.
Kennedy said anyone over the age of 18 was able to attend.
‘‘Toastmasters provides a safe non-judgemental environment in which people can feel safe, push themselves, and overcoming that anxiety,’’ he said.