Wordspinners Club will celebrate their 25th anniversary hosting a digital open house on Zoom Wednesday, March 8, from 6-7 p.m.
This Toastmasters International club chartered in 1998. It originally met in person in East Ridge and was hosted in several locations over the years around Chattanooga.
The club currently meets in person at The Concierge Office Suites and on Zoom making it the only hybrid club in Hamilton County currently. The club is open to the public.
Officials said, "The longevity of the club is a tribute to the club’s board desiring to meet the needs of its members by developing leadership skills along with public speaking and communication skills. Meeting participants give speeches and work through a learning path in the Pathways learning experience. Participants learn how to structure a presentation and incorporate tone and body language to truly engage with an audience. The best part is encouraging feedback is given to participating speakers. Friendly speaking competitions are available at the club, area, district and international levels of the association. Members volunteer their time and gain recognition as leaders for their participation in all these areas of this amazing international association."
Current Club President Vicki Blair said, “Toastmasters literally helped me find my voice, giving me the confidence to speak in front of a group. Using an agenda in the meetings inspired me to stay cognizant of my time and others’ time in business meetings.
"I look forward to inspiring new members to own the room in 2023. I hope you will go to www.6969.toastmastersclubs.org to inquire about attending our 25th Anniversary and future meetings. Make being a better communicator one of your stretch goals and achieve it by attending club meetings.”
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. The organization’s membership is approximately 280,000 strong in more than 14,700 clubs in 144 countries. There are 11 clubs surrounding Chattanooga.
Oct. 22, 1924, is the charter date for the very first Toastmasters International club by founder Ralph C. Smedley. He had a vision to help members grow and develop confidence as they faced their fear of public speaking. The association’s clubs of today offer interpersonal communication development for speaking and listening with various projects for leadership development taking into account self-paced adult learning methodology.