The time for his public talk was getting close. He needed to get the details just right.

Craig Kotajarvi was nervous.

The wellness coordinator with MHealthy Health and Well-Being Services recalls the co-presentation with his supervisor, a great presenter. “It was a tough act to follow. I was nervous about forgetting details and just simply didn’t know how to interact with the audience without forgetting the subject matter and staying on task,” he says.

That was before he joined Wolverine Toastmasters. Kotajarvi says that today, “I feel more comfortable speaking to an audience and engaging an audience since joining Toastmasters.” He says the group offers building blocks to become a better speaker.

For those whose public speaking skills similarly need work, the University of Michigan staff and faculty chapter of Toastmasters International wants to help.

Now entering its third year, Wolverine Toastmasters is reaching out to the U-M community at an open house at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 6 at Wolverine Tower, Room G18.

“It’s hard getting up there for that first time,” says Sheryl Bourlier, founder and president of Wolverine Toastmasters, formed in October 2013. She also is business analyst lead for the U-M Office of Financial Analysis.

Nervous public speakers can be guilty of talking either too fast or too slow, over-gesturing with their hands or being too stationary, or being too quiet, Bourlier says.

Positive feedback and sound advice from fellow members helps attendees become less afraid to take on roles on in meetings, and become more confident about not relying on notes. They even learn to develop speeches on the fly, and a range of leadership skills.

The group meets twice each month: At Wolverine Tower Room G18 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, and at the North Campus Research Center each third Thursday of the month, either in building 100 or 300.

It was 1905 when Ralph C. Smedley, director of education at the YMCA in Bloomington, Illinois, saw a need for individuals to learn how to speak, conduct meetings, plan programs and work on committees.

Toastmasters began as a series of speaking clubs where members could learn these skills in a social environment. Smedley named the group the Toastmasters Club, after the term referring to a person who gives toasts at banquets and other occasions.

While serving on the Voices of the Staff development team in April 2013, Bourlier began thinking about a new Toastmasters club for U-M staff. To gage interest, she sent an email announcing the club’s creation, through U-M’s Business and Finance unit and Information and Technology Services.

By October that year, the club was meeting in Wolverine Tower, with 25-35 participants and sometimes more. Bourlier describes the program as individually based self-paced training. Attendees can take their time before choosing to speak before a meeting. “You are going to get the most out of it by participating,” she says.

The Oct. 6 event will include a representative from Toastmasters International. New and returning attendees will be welcomed, have a chance to meet with group organizers and others, and hear about how Toastmasters can help members.

“Anyone is welcome to come as a guest to see if its something you want to do,” Bourlier says.

Beyond improving their public speaking skills, members also learn leadership skills such as providing effective feedback, how to run meetings, critical thinking and clear communication. These skills are especially useful for managers or supervisors.

“I do hear members say they’re feeling less nervous and can take on additional roles,” Bourlier says.

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