Toastmasters, originally formed more than 90 years ago, exists to help people of all stripes—professionals, college students, stay-at-home moms, retirees, etc.—overcome their fear of public speaking. What may not be so well known is that there’s a chapter right here in Niverville.
The Crow Wing Toastmasters Club was established five years ago when Sylvia Nilsson-Barkman, current Toastmasters District Director, asked fellow member Holly Rafferty to start a club in Niverville.
Rafferty, working in the palliative care field, had joined Toastmasters desiring to be more comfortable giving reports to various committees. “This helped me greatly with organization, public speaking, and with the impromptu interviews I was asked to give to the press,” Rafferty says. “I had been a member in Steinbach for six years when we talked about starting the Niverville chapter.”
Henry Friesen, a local accountant, also became a member, making his office available as a meeting place. Already an accomplished public speaker, Friesen’s greater interests were in offering encouragement to others and helping them improve their speaking skills through the evaluation process—a process Friesen says he is still learning from today.
“It’s all the little things that really make the difference,” Friesen says. “Staying within a particular theme, collecting your thoughts, paying attention. The importance of listening and thinking!”
The constructive evaluation process is the heart of the Toastmasters program. With each speech given, an evaluator points out its strengths and suggests improvements.
“This invaluable feedback is what we call Grow Points,” Friesen adds.
Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organization which began in the early 1920s, continues to help people around the world. Local meetings take place on Monday evenings, at 7:30 p.m. at the Niverville Heritage Centre.
