Rising Phoenix Toastmasters develops speakers, leaders

Please raise your glasses for a toast. Do you want to share a few thoughts with the board members? The floor is yours.

Are you ready for your next speaking engagement? You may be talking to five people or 50 people. You may have to give a 15-minute or 50-minute speech. Regardless of the details, the thought of giving a speech may be overwhelming for some people. Yet, sooner or later, the speaking spotlight will shine on most professions at some point in their careers.

The challenges of delivering a speech – minor or major – is a problem that plagues many individuals. Even the likes of Britain's King George VI battled a lifelong struggle to overcome a speech impediment, as made famous in the biography-historic 2010 movie, "The King’s Speech."

It’s ironic. In a social media-driven world, the platform for chats, opinions, and discussions is a crowded one. But the demand for excellence in communication and leadership is still lacking by many accounts.

Toastmasters is an avenue to meet those needs, and East Cobb community members have a premiere Toastmasters club in their backyards: Rising Phoenix Toastmasters. The club’s concept is to polish professional proficiencies and speaking skills.

Rising Phoenix Toastmasters adheres to these strongholds of leadership. In fact, Toastmaster’s mission is deeply rooted in these pillars. The Toastmasters organization began as a series of speaking clubs at a YMCA in 1905, according to Toastmasters International.

Since then, speaking groups cropped up nationwide. Indeed, according to Toastmasters International, the organization – which has more than 352,000 members in 141 countries – is a world leader in communication and leadership development. The clubs are vital to the community, and widely available throughout Cobb County.

One of those clubs – Rising Phoenix Toastmasters – meets Saturdays at 10 a.m. in the Northeast Cobb Family YMCA meeting room (located at 3010 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, Ga. 30062). For more information or membership details, drop in and visit Rising Phoenix Toastmasters or check out the club online at, risingphoenix.toastmastersclubs.org/.

Submitted by Rising Phoenix Toastmasters, VP of Public Relations.