Local executives will host an information kickoff session for a Nassau County Toastmasters International club on Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Fernandina Beach Police Department’s Community Room, 1525 Lime Street in Fernandina Beach. For more information or to RSVP, contact Division A Governor Stacey Dingman at 904-244-2664 or stacey.dingman@jax.ufl.edu, email preferred.

Professionals who want to improve their presentation and public speaking skills are invited to attend and learn more about charter members for this newly forming Toastmasters Club. The benefits of joining a Toastmasters’ Club include improving your speaking effectiveness, listening skills, leadership acumen, self-confidence and network.

Participants will learn about leadership and have an opportunity to lead as Toastmasters focuses on leadership development skills. The club is fun and inexpensive, offering significant value to all participants.

From a humble beginning in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit organization now has nearly 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries, offering a proven and enjoyable way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.

Most Toastmasters meetings are comprised of approximately 20 people who meet weekly for an hour or two. Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.

There is no instructor; instead, each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved.