Get rid of 'ums' and 'uhs' at NPC's Toastmasters Club; next meeting is Monday

Is it a challenge for you to develop cogent responses to questions quickly? Is your message lost in a field of ums and ahs? Or are you already an adept speaker but aspire to give a TED talk?

If so, you can get help from NPC's Toastmaster Club, which meets at the Club on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Next meeting is next Monday (Feb. 27) from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the McClendon Room. Admission is free.

The NPC’s Toastmasters Club consists of many seasoned professionals who continue to find value in practicing in this safe and friendly environment.

Current club President Melonie McCall has been a member for over a decade. She said that she joined with the goal of improving her oral communications skills so that her impromptu interactions at meetings would indeed be “more cogent.”

But in addition to these skills, McCall says that Toastmasters has been a vehicle “for personal growth in both the speaking and leadership arenas. It has also provided opportunities to network ... inside and outside of our club. I’ve made some good friends via TM. More importantly, I am more comfortable when sharing my thoughts with others in a large group.”

Toastmasters International has been building speakers and leaders for more than 100 years.