June 4, 2009
Organization of the week: Toastmasters at the UW
Editor’s note: There are many organizations open to the UW faculty and staff. Some have been around for years and some are new. Some are structured groups with officers and committees; some are much more informal. University Week provides a space for campus groups to publish their information, and beginning this quarter, we’d like to introduce you to one group a week. This week, representatives of Toastmasters International clubs that have created a page on the UWeek Organizations site, discuss what makes their chapters of this international club special.
Since its beginnings in 1924, Toastmasters International says it has helped more than 4 million people improve their public speaking skills and confidence. Globally there are more than 12,000 Toastmasters Clubs with more than 220,000 members. Generally, the clubs are listed as “community” or “company” clubs. Company clubs restrict their membership to their employees only, while community clubs are open.
There are 163 Toastmasters chapters throughout Seattle and Western Washington (find any chapter through the group’s home page), but three have so far created UW Organizations pages.
How can you get involved?
Contact any of these groups to join up. All Toastmasters groups are open to the public and continue to seek new members.
Purple Toast Toastmasters
Paul Nordby, president of the Purple Toast Toastmasters Club and a data control technical for University Advancement, said this chapter has flourished since moving to the UW Tower, at 4333 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., from its previous upper campus location. The group has about 13 regular members and is always looking for more. Nordby said each Toastmasters club “has its own culture, depending on its members.”
Nordby helped charter this group himself three years ago. “It’s a great confidence boost for people and that’s why I am still doing it.” Members also have friendly competitions and learn how to evaluate each other’s skills. Nordby said his group welcomes everyone, and wants to see Toastmasters continue to reach out to under-served and under-represented populations.
He said those attending Purple Toast Toastmasters at UW Tower need to sign in at the UW Tower front desk to enter the building. The groups meets from 6:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. That time helps ease University District parking concerns, he said.
More details on this Toastmasters group are available on the group’s Web site.
Those interested in attending a meeting might want to e-mail Nordby or the club in advance, so they know to give your name to the UW Tower security guard.
If you have comments or questions, e-mail the group at purpleto@gmail.com or Nordby at pnordby@u.washington.edu.
Speak to Succeed Toastmasters Club
Jean Zhou, representative of the Speak to Succeed chapter of Toastmasters, and a computer support professional, at Harborview Medical Center, said this chapter was formed in 1982 and has gone through several “life cycles” since then. “There is a lot of diversity in our job titles and race and backgrounds. Many of us are from different countries,” said Zhou, who herself is from China. Other members are from the Philippines and Ethiopia.
This chapter meets from noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday in Room 16 of the Engineering Building of Harborview Medical Center, 319 Terry Ave. and always welcomes new members.
“We’re very easy-going and supportive,” Zhou said. “And everybody has a sense of humor. It’s a lot of fun.” Each meeting, members practice speeches both prepared and impromptu, and everyone learns at his or her own pace.
She said that the group’s membership tends to fluctuate, but for good reasons. “The founding members have already left — they got promotions,” she said. “Everybody has either become a manager or found their dream job.”
You can learn more on the group’s UWeek Organizations Page or its Web site.
UW Toastmasters
Lana Georges, a technologist for Environmental Health and Safety and a representative of UW Toastmasters, said that group usually meets from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays in 309 HUB.
“One of the things I like about our club is that we have dedicated participants who meet on a very regular basis,” showing up for meetings to support speakers even if they themselves are not speaking that week, she said. She said the group averages about 13-15 members a meeting.
Georges said meetings are usually left open and topics change often. “It depends on who the Toastmaster is — it revolves around the personality of the Toastmaster.
She said this group, too, is very supportive. “We really reach out to help each other out,” she said. “If someone needs to leave, someone else steps up — that way we have a nice flow for the session.”
She illustrated this by telling how her husband, who was managing a venue for an independent film festival in Seattle, asked her to fill in for him one night. “One day he was troubleshooting at one of the venues and I was volunteering at another. He couldn’t make it and asked, ‘Can you do the opening for this film?’ I said, ‘sure,’ and it made me reflect on my experience with Toastmasters and how I would have been reluctant to say yes had it not been for my training with Toastmasters.”
Georges said UW Toastmasters is open to all faculty, staff and students at the UW. Learn more online at the UWeek organizations pages or here.
Husky Toastmasters
Also on campus, though not yet listed on the UWeek Organizations Page, is the Husky Toastmasters club, which meets from noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday in 170 Schmitz. Learn more online here.
