Free speech: Ever-active Toastmasters canvas Southern Nevada

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 | 8:27 a.m.

If you like to eat, join the Bon Appetit Toastmasters' club.

If you like to drink, join the I'll Drink to That Toastmasters' club.

If you like to be merry (and are single), join Bachelors and Bachelorettes.

If you don't know whether to be or not to be, try Curtain Call, a Toastmasters' club for drama enthusiasts.

If you would rather eat a bug than stand up in front of a group of people and give a speech, join any of the more than 60 Toastmasters' organizations in Southern Nevada.

There is a club for almost every interest and one for almost every locale. Several major corporations and government agencies sponsor Toastmaster clubs.

The organization has a storied history.

Toastmasters International was founded in 1924 in the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana, Calif., to help people overcome the fear of speaking in public, and also to inspire leadership skills.

Relatively few of us have what it takes to stand in front of an audience and deliver an effective speech smoothly, without a lot of "ums" and "ahs" and "ers" and other nervous phrases.

In the past 77 years millions of people have overcome their terror through the help of Toastmasters. There are more than 180,000 members in 8,300 Toastmaster clubs in 70 countries.

The 60 clubs in Southern Nevada are part of Toastmasters International District 33, which comprises Southern Nevada and Central California.

Las Vegas resident Maria Martinez-Riach is the governor of District 33, which has more than 150 clubs. Every club is structured the same: At each meeting selected members give an impromptu speech and a prepared speech, and they evaluate the speeches of others.

"But each club has its own personality," Martinez-Riach said.

There is Early Risers, whose members meet weekly at 6:30 a.m. I'll Drink to That has been meeting in bars for the past 24 years. Energizers is for employees of the Department of Energy, and Chamber Voices is for members of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

The goals of each club are the same: to build confidence and to improve skills in public speaking, leadership, mentoring and coaching.

"There is a whole array of benefits with the program," Martinez-Riach, an accountant, said. "At Toastmasters, you learn by doing.

"We have manuals that guide us through various things we should learn, but (learning) involves so much more than public speaking tips it is conquering fear."

It took Martinez-Riach several months to overcome her fear of public speaking when she joined Toastsmasters seven years ago.

"But there was so much support in the group that it gradually became easier and easier," she said.

Support is the key. Most people are afraid they will be humiliated when they stand up in front of a group. Members of Toastmasters give and receive constructive criticism that lets speakers know when they have made an error, but that it isn't the end of the world and that they will do better next time.

While Martinez-Riach is the governor of 150 clubs, her home club is Valley Voices and Vices, a club for employees of Valley Bank of Nevada.

Singular sensation

Many members become so enthralled with Toastmasters, they belong to more than one club.

Damencele DiPasqua of Las Vegas belongs to five.

"Each club satisfies a different area of communication skill," DiPasqua, a member for 13 years, said.

She is a professional speaker and belongs to Powerhouse Pros, which caters to those who earn money speaking; Bon Appetit, which holds monthly meetings at different gourmet restaurants; to Curtain Call; MGM Lions Roar, for employees of MGM Grand; and TNT, for residents of Henderson.

Linda Wood, a Las Vegas free-lance writer and businesswoman, has been a member for three months. Her club is Bachelors and Bachelorettes, a singles group.

Only a single person can belong to B&B. When a member gets married, he or she is given a party -- and thrown out of the club.

"I heard about the club through a client I was working for who wanted to be around singles," Wood said. "I found several different things for him to do -- I recommended church, but that didn't go over too well."

Her client didn't join B&B, but she did. "I wanted to meet people, but I also wanted to get back into public speaking," Wood said.

Wood has spoken in public on occasion over the years, but is interested in becoming a professional speaker and has been on a fast track to success.

Being a member of Toastmasters is good for the resume, she said.

"I've done eight speeches in three months," she noted. "The last standing record was 10 speeches in eight months. They assign speeches to you, but I said if anybody doesn't show up ... I'm ready."

The first goal new members of Toastmasters try to achieve is the title Competent Toastmaster, or CTM.

"It shows you have gone through a certain amount of required speeches and that you are a competent speaker. From there, you move up to higher levels," Wood said.

Becoming a competent speaker is a systematic process, which involves critical analysis of the speaker by members. Analysis helps both those who are being critiqued and those doing the critiquing. It forces everyone to focus on details.

"We have a Wizard of Ahs who counts the number of times a speaker says 'ah,' " Wood said. "President Bush has copped the title."

Wood said evaluators look at such things as body movement, eye contact, facial expression, how often you refer to your notes and how far you move from the podium, as well as the quality of your voice.

"And we have a grammarian," she said.

Speaking of which ...

Wendy Clayton, a member of the Energizers and the Powerhouse Pros, which is for professional speakers, joined Toastmasters four years ago to improve her communication skills on and off the job at the Department of Energy, where she is an executive.

"Everybody communicates," Clayton said. "You don't have to have a goal to be a professional speaker."

She said even after four years she still finds Toastmasters fun and exciting. "It enhances people's courage, confidence and composure," she said.

Clayton said people join Toastmasters for a variety of reasons.

"Some are petrified to the point of physical pain to speak in front of anybody," she said. "Then you have those who are outgoing extroverts who want to be paid speakers."

Susan Davlin, who edits the monthly Toastmasters International District 33 Newsletter, joined the organization three years ago when working in the community affairs department of Southwest Gas. She belonged to the company-sponsored Gas House Gang.

There are two categories of clubs: public and private. Private, or specialized, clubs restrict their membership either by interest or employment. Public clubs are open to everyone.

"There is a club meeting somewhere every day of the week," Davlin noted. "The earliest meeting begins at 6:30 in the morning and the latest begins at 8:30 at night."

Davlin said she joined Toastmasters not only to improve her communication skills, but also her leadership skills.

Members are encouraged to take an active part in their club's operation, not merely to speak.

Davlin went through the various levels of leadership, eventually serving as an area governor, who is responsible for overseeing five clubs. She has received the organization's highest honor, the Distinguished Toastmasters Award.

While there is a lot of formality in each club, within the structure members find time to socialize and make lasting friendships.

"It's a neat social life," said Vince Dempsey, who has been a member of Toastmasters International since 1978.

His club is I'll Drink to That, which meets Thursday evenings at the Stake Out Club on South Maryland Parkway, across from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus.

"The club was formed in 1977 by a group of people who like to drink," Dempsey said. "We have a pretty dynamic group. Every meeting is like a different show. We never know who's going to speak about what."

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