Your local Palmer Toastmasters Club is growing, thriving

PALMER — Toastmasters is a friendly, cooperative, self-paced environment that encourages its members in learning the arts of public speaking and leadership.

The reasons anyone joins Toastmasters are as varied as the number of members, but whether you want to improve these skills for work reasons or simply as a personal confidence booster, you will find a great group of people at the Palmer Toastmasters Club.

Toastmasters is a program with several million members and a presence in 122 countries around the world. Toastmasters was formed 90 years ago as an education program that helps its members learn how to be better communicators and better leaders. Palmer Toastmasters focuses on developing leadership skills through the three key communication techniques of speaking, listening and thinking. Our club provides a supportive, fun and friendly atmosphere in which members thrive. Membership dues are affordable and everything is structured and self-paced.

And we are accomplishing goals and improving our skills. Here’s the proof: just during the last few months, for various projects, conferences and contests, we have had many Palmer Toastmasters members making headlines:

• Bret Kolb earned his Competent Communicator certificate.

• Chris Parker also earned his Competent Communicator certificate.

• Meschelle Kolb earned her Competent Leader certificate.

• Karen Robinette, current area governor of several clubs in the Valley and Anchorage, completed the long list of requirements to earn the Distinguished Toastmaster’s Award. This prestigious designation is the highest level of achievement within Toastmasters International and requires, on average, several years of speech and leadership projects with a minimum requirement of at least 44 speeches; fulfilling a minimum of 21 different roles within the leadership structure of membership meetings; conducting one leadership training workshop; mentoring at least one new member; serving in an officer role at a club level for at least six months; sponsoring a new club or coaching an existing club; and completing at least one in-depth, well planned and executed high performance leadership project. Ms. Robinette is a founding member of the Palmer Toastmasters Club, and is the only current member of the club who holds the Distinguished Toastmaster designation.

• The International Taped Speech Contest first place winner was our very own Meschelle Kolb. At the time she won this contest, she had been a member of Toastmasters for about one year. This international competition was open to several thousand Toastmasters in rural regions from the entire Toastmasters International world. The first, second, and third place winners in this contest all call Alaska their home.

• John Royce, formerly a member of the Palmer Toastmasters Club and a Distinguished Toastmaster, took third place in this International competition.

• John Rozzi won first place in the Table Topics/Impromptu Speaking contest for Palmer Toastmasters.

• Vicki Kluever won second place in the Palmer Toastmasters Table Topics/Impromptu Speaking contest and went on to be the second place winner in the overall Alaska/Yukon regional Table Topics Speech contest in October.

• Kluever also won the Humorous Speech Contest with the Anchorage Advanced Toastmasters, and went on to win for Area 5.

• Jan Thurlow won the Humorous Speech Contest for Palmer Toastmasters and went on to win for Area 7.

Thurlow then won second place overall in the Alaska/Yukon regional Humorous Speech contest in October.

It seems Palmer Toastmasters might be a breeding ground for future comedians, noting the number of Humorous Speech Contests won by our members!

Come see for yourself what we’re all about, and how we can help you accomplish goals and improve your skills. Toastmasters meets at 6 p.m., Tuesdays in the lower level at the MTA Building in Palmer. If you need a ride, call 907-539-7111. Guests are always welcome, and there is no fee to attend.

For more information, visit palmer.toastmastersclubs.org/, or visit Toastmasters International site at toastmasters.org.

Kelly Caraway has been a Palmer Toastmaster since February of this year. She teaches traditional cooking and preserving methods, and edited a recently published book written by her husband, Tim Caraway. Toastmasters is helping her with confidence and delivery when speaking on issues that matter to her, as well as providing great leadership training through her new role as Vie President of Public Relations for Palmer Toastmasters.