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I-SS employees look to sharpen public speaking skills
Regan Hill
Jim Ward gives a speech about his life in the airline industry during the I-SS Educators Toastmasters kickoff meeting Tuesday afternoon.
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Published: October 28, 2009
More than two dozen Iredell-Statesville Schools employees attended the first district Toastmasters meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Toastmasters is a club devoted to helping individuals develop leadership and public speaking skills.
The intent of the meeting was to gauge interest and to eventually form a club for school staff.
Toastmasters at the Lake Presiding Officer Anette Powell said the I-SS club is unique because it is the only Toastmasters club that targets solely educators.
"I'm thrilled because anything to help people who are teaching our kids to be more comfortable with their voice is good for everyone," Powell said.
Participants on Tuesday included a principal, a central office administrator, bus drivers and classroom teachers.
The 90-minute meeting was broken down into three sections: table topics that allowed people to learn to speak on their feet without having prepared any written material; planned speeches and impromptu speaking.
Scotts teacher Andrea Euler was interested in joining the club because she wants to hone her public speaking skills.
"I have an interest in becoming a better communicator for my job," she said.
She was inspired to become a better speaker after hearing a speech at an education conference last year, and working on her communication skills will help her better converse with her students, she said.
"I would like to be able to apply effective communication to make me a better teacher," she said.
Euler hopes to be able to talk in front of a crowd and be completely comfortable while doing so.
Lakeshore Elementary teacher Karen Ryan was chosen to give an impromptu speech about her favorite Halloween candy.
Ryan's speech, which was comical and delivered with ease, was about her love for chocolate.
"Even though I talk a lot, I need to learn to do it better," she said.
She also wants to use the club as a networking tool to get to know fellow I-SS employees.
"I want to spend time with people outside the classroom," she said.
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