Welcome:
Lexington Toastmasters is a very active club of about 50 members who have varying interests, backgrounds and careers. Our club meets every Thursday (except holidays and snow days) from 12:00 Noon until 1:00 PM, at the Cambridge Savings Bank in the center of Lexington, Massachusetts. Guests are always welcome.
How we run our meetings:
At each meeting, the Sergeant of Arms informs us that our meeting has begun. Next, our Toastmaster, who has previously been assigned this role, introduces and manages the meetings agenda as well as ensures that each speaker keeps to the timed schedule. We have an individual present a Thought/Joke of the Day, and also a Grammarian who presents our Word of the Day, followed by one to three "formal" speeches which range from 4 to 10 minutes each. The formal speeches are followed by Table Topics, a section of the meeting in which a few members are given topics and asked to give a 1-2 minute impromptu speech on them. Next, Speech Evaluators provide commentary on the formal speeches and, finally, the General Evaluator critiques the speech evaluations and provides observations about the meeting as a whole.
We manage all this in just 60 minutes! Each meeting provides many opportunities to speak as well as the chance to hear immediate formal evaluations. Why not join us for a meeting at no obligation to you, to see and hear for yourself how we accomplish this?
How you will benefit as a Lexington Toastmaster:
Lexington Toastmasters are people of all levels of public speaking skills, who have joined the club because of their desire to learn to speak more confidently in front of an audience. Our club has helped many people overcome their anxieties about public speaking by providing frequent speaking opportunities and structured feedback. As a Lexington Toastmaster you can expect to improve your public speaking skills while building your listening and analytical skills. In addition, you can hone your organization and planning skills when asked to manage a meeting as its assigned Toastmaster, and can expect to polish your teaching and people skills when you are assigned as a mentor to a newcomer to Lexington Toastmasters.
Our club also provides a wonderful, enriching way to meet new people in a very supportive environment. This occurs at the meetings and also comes through our occasional evening social events which are open to members and their spouses/guests. Typically these events are cocktail/dinner parties hosted by a club member at their home in Lexington or an adjacent suburb, and are very well attended. We schedule social events every six months or so; our most recent dinner party was held in October of 2006.
How you can find us:
To join us for a meeting, come around to the back of the Cambridge Savings Bank, and down the stairs to the lower level. You will find us in the far meeting room at the end of the hall. Metered parking is available in a public parking lot behind the bank as well as along Massachusetts Avenue and its side streets in the center of Town.
You are welcome to join us for a meeting at any time!
For more information please contact Galina Pekurovskaya, VP of Membership, at galina_pekurovskaya@us.ibm.com.
