One of the biggest fears in America is speaking in public. Students in the College of Business can relate. Business majors sought the help of Thomas Bryant, professor of management and marketing . Bryant has organized Toastmasters, a low-cost international professional development program. Bryant said students came to him because they were having trouble making business presentations. Bryant became aware no curriculum at Nicholls that addresses students who need assistance in developing their business presentation skills existed.

According to Bryant, Toastmasters helps its members improve their skills in public speaking, presentation, organization and leadership.

“As members develop their skills, they are given opportunities to advance in the organization by receiving designation as a competent toastmaster (CTM) then later advance to a competent leader (CL),” Bryant said. A member becomes a CTM after gaining experience in giving speeches and running meetings. A CL is an experienced CTM.

“Members accomplish this by speaking to peer groups and working with other members in a supportive environment.”

An informational meeting was held on Feb. 16 at Powell Hall. CTM David Breaux, an engineer from Baton Rouge, led the meeting. The members had an opportunity to participate in the different roles the meetings offer. There are prepared presentations and impromptu speeches. Evaluators, grammarians and “uh” counters, critique the speaker. Once the speaker has presented, the evaluator gives feedback on the speaker’s performance.

“It is important to encourage the speaker, therefore the evaluator gives the speaker three comments on what was done well and one comment on what needs to be improved,” Bryant said. “The grammarian informs the reader of any grammatical errors and the ‘uh’ counter records the number of ‘uhs’ or ‘ums’ the speaker utters. Some clubs charge the speaker five cents per ‘uh’.”

Toastmasters charge a set-up fee of $16. This fee covers the cost of the manuals and books that are provided. A $3 monthly fee is also assessed to cover publications and activities. The local organization may apply additional fees if needed.

Anyone interested in joining Toastmasters can attend the next meeting. Meetings are held weekly on Wednesdays at 12:15 at Powell Hall in Room 209. For more information about Toastmasters contact Bryant at ext. 4179 or visit the Toastmasters’ website at www.toastmasters.org.