Local Toastmasters Club Awarded Highest Honor

Deerbrook Park Toastmasters Club, which has served the Deerfield-Northbrook-Highland Park community for over 35 years, today announced that it’s been awarded Toastmasters International’s PRESIDENTS DISTINQUISHED CLUB AWARD for the third year in a row. This award is the highest recognition for excellence that a Toastmasters club can receive and recognizes a club’s outstanding achievement in building its membership and working with its members to accomplish their communication and leadership education goals.

Deerbrook Park Toastmasters is a community club, which means that it is open to all who are over 18 years of age. (Some clubs are company clubs open to company employees only.) Deerbrook Park Toastmasters meets twice a month from 6:45 pm to 8:45 pm at the Deerfield Public Library, 920 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL (lower level), usually on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. However, because of Library scheduling requirements, meeting dates sometimes vary so check the club’s website (see below) or the Deerfield Public Library website for meeting dates. AND GUESTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!

Toastmasters International, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary, is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. The organization's membership numbers 358,000 in 16,700 clubs in 143 countries. Toastmasters International has continually helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders.

A Toastmasters club meeting offers a supportive group-environment where people with diverse skills and backgrounds come together to practice their skills and exchange valuable feedback. In addition to delivering speeches, members are asked to evaluate other member’s speeches while also developing their own listening and interpersonal skills. The opportunities for growth are unlimited. Since individuals join with their own unique goals and needs for improvement, they are able to continue to develop their communication and leadership skills for as long as they wish, and many members continue on in the program throughout their lives.

In order to provide members improved opportunities to learn communications skills and grow in confidence in today’s world, Toastmasters International has revitalized its education program. Based on extensive research and member surveys, this new, innovative program offers:

• Learning paths tailored to personal and professional goals and relevant to an evolving global marketplace
• New technological resources to improve speeches and support meeting roles
• Mobile access to educational materials (smartphones and tablets)
• Expanded video and digital content to facilitate learning among our global community of members

There are ten possible paths for learning:

• Motivation Strategies: Build motivational leadership and communication skills
• Presentation Mastery: Build public speaking skills
• Leadership Development: Build communication and leadership skills
• Innovative Planning: Build creative project management and communication skills
• Visionary Communication: Build innovative communication and leadership skills
• Strategic Relationships: Build networking, leadership and communication skills
• Dynamic Leadership: Build strategic leadership and conflict resolution skills
• Persuasive Influence: Build skills to lead in complex situations
• Effective Coaching: Build interpersonal communication, leadership and coaching skills
• Team Collaboration: Build collaborative leadership skills

These areas of learning are based on the core competencies in the program which are:

• Public speaking
• Interpersonal communication
• Leading and managing
• Leading strategically
• Building confidence

Few start out as confident and skilled speakers. However, time and effort, the right education program and a supportive environment can help tremendously in effectively developing that confidence and skill. This is where Toastmasters can help—and it’s one of the most affordable options for accomplishing this. Plus it’s extremely affordable. The first year’s cost for joining Deerbrook Park Toastmasters is $131 ($108 annually thereafter). Also, because the club meets at the new Deerfield Public Library, members have access to modern AV equipment that offers even more learning opportunities.

Are you afraid of speaking before an audience or do you just want to become a more skilled speaker? Come and see what Toastmasters is all about. Even if you were a Toastmaster years ago, come and see what the new Pathways learning experience can offer you. Guests are always welcome. For a list of days and times visit the Deerbrook Park Toastmasters website at: http://deerbrookpark.toastmastersclubs.org/ or email us at: contact-4868@toastmastersclubs.org

As one of our long-term club members has said repeatedly: “My only regret is that I didn’t join Toastmasters sooner”!