Carlow Toastmaster meetings happen in Carlow all the year round from Sept – May. As more and more people are having to improve their presentation skills for interviews or presentations, attending Toastmasters meetings can really help you to improve your confidence as well as giving you plenty of practice for speaking in public.
The meetings take place on the first and third Wednesday evenings of the month in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow from 8:15pm. The format is:
15 -20 min: Greeting, introductions and explanations of the various roles
25 min: The topicsmaster presents various topics and invites attendees to speak on a (unknown) topic for 1-2 minutes.
15 min: Tea break
30-40 min: 2 or 3 prepared speeches followed by evaluations
15 min: Feedback and fun from people doing the various roles.
Visitors are welcome to sit and watch, they won’t be asked to speak publicly but are very welcome to do so.
I recently caught up with Lorna Sixsmith of Garrendenny Lane who joined Carlow Toastmasters 3 years ago. As an ex-secondary school teacher, Lorna was accustomed to speaking in front of rowdy teenagers but found that she was finding it difficult to relax when speaking in front of adults for a length of time. Having completed 11 speeches and undertaken numerous roles at the club meetings, Lorna now says that she is no longer nervous before giving presentations or talks in public. Her most recent presentation was a talk on blogging to 150 women at the National Women’s Enterprise Day conference and although adrenaline was surging, the butterflies were stationary!
If you would like to attend a Carlow Toastmasters meeting, just turn up at the Seven Oaks about 8:10 on the first or third Wednesday of the month or phone Lorna on 056 4442310 for more information.