Getting to the point is goal of Plainly Speaking Toastmasters
Plainly Speaking Toastmaster's Lores Porter speaks during last week's meeting at the Alliance Church in Plains. (Scott Shindledecker/Valley Press)
Phrases such as “um” or “uh” won’t cut it with these folks.
Getting to the point is just one of the goals of Plainly Speaking Toastmasters.
Each Tuesday evening, save for holiday weeks, the group gathers in the Plains Alliance Church Library.
They perform various speaking exercises and all are designed to improve how they communicate with others. Speaking clearly and concisely are obvious elements, but listening is another important skill they practice
Member Kathleen Hubka has a degree in communications and she didn’t think she’d care for a group which specialized in the subject.
“But it’s so nice, it’s a good refresher on things I’ve learned,” Hubka said. “But it’s also a social outlet and we are friends.”
Hubka said it’s also nice to know on the long, winter nights in Montana, “We’ll know we’ll be together on Tuesdays. We learn things about each other and ourselves,” Hubka said.
While the social aspects are a major attraction, Hubka said it’s a great way for people to improve themselves.
“Business people can benefit from it, anyone can benefit,” she said. “You will be able to present yourself better to others while gaining communication skills.”
During last Tuesday’s gathering the group participated in a listening exercise.
Toastmasters President Cindy Thomas explained a person’s ability to listen and repeat back what another said would determine how each would be judged. The topic was “keepsakes.”
For Hubka, her most memorable keepsakes are the saddle and tack which belonged to her father. Her husband brought it to Montana after they moved here.
“It’s not even mine, but it does remind me of him and the times we rode together back in Nebraska,” she said. “It smells like horses and it sits there as if it takes in everything going around here.”
Toastmasters is open to anyone 18 years and older. But Hubka said junior members are welcome, too.
They meet each Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Plains Alliance Church at 505 W. 5th St., unless it’s a week in which a holiday, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, occurs.
The group is looking forward to 2022. It will be its 25th anniversary.
Another highlight of the group is they are diligent in keeping their meetings to one hour.
“We know how busy everyone is and we believe it’s important to keep our meetings short,” Hubka said.
For more information, go to https://9601.toastmastersclubs.org/.