Toastmasters International visited the NJIT campus to recognize the school’s very own Toastmasters club on April 24. The charter ceremony was a moment of triumph and joy because it showed how far they came as a club on campus since their re-organization in the fall of 2016. The chartering ceremony involved NJIT students, staff and faculty, as well as leaders from the Toastmasters International organization coming out to celebrate this accomplishment.
Toastmasters is an organization that promotes public speaking, better communication skills and leadership qualities. They believe these skills are fundamental to have when going out into the workforce; skills that are not taught in a classroom, but learned through experience.
Companies are frequently searching for employees with the skills that the Toastmasters help their members to develop. The Toastmasters is an international organization and has clubs all throughout the world. They have been recognized by famous magazines, such as Forbes and Fortune, in part due to the opportunity to earn public speaking experience in a relaxed environment. Employers also encourage their employees to join the Toastmasters because of the irreplaceable communication skills that they help members develop.
The term toastmasters dates back to the time when the club was originally founded in the 1920’s. A “Toastmaster” was somebody who gave toasts at banquets and other occasions. The Toastmasters club was founded by Ralph Smedley in 1922. By the 1930’s there were 30 clubs throughout the United States and one in British Columbia in Canada, thus establishing them as an international organization. Today there are 15,900 Toastmasters clubs throughout the world with a membership of 345,000 people throughout the world with clubs in North America, Europe, Africa and many other continents.
The NJIT club was originally founded as “Y” club and had been around on campus since 2014. At some point the club was abandoned and left without membership and direction. However, they were re-organized by the current E-Board led by David Liptsyn and the club has since regained its footing. They now have 20 chartered members that were recognized at the ceremony and are always looking for new members that are dedicated and passionate. Today, as a part of an internationally recognized organization, The Toastmasters aim to be a resource for students, staff, and faculty at NJIT, Rutgers and Essex County College, as well as the Newark community as a whole. It is resource that can teach them to hone the skills they need in order to succeed.
