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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 13 Oct 2010
Time: 17:05:16 -0500
Remote Name: 72.64.101.29
Hi Julie, Thank you for your kind words. .... Toastmasters is for EVERYONE! Not just people who stutter. "Toastmasters International is a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. With nearly 226,000 members in 11,500 clubs in 92 countries, Toastmasters offers a proven - and enjoyable! - way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills." People all over the world participate in Toastmasters to improve their COMMUNICATION skills. It has nothing to do with FLUENCY. Should you join? YES! Definitely! The key word in all of Toastmasters is FUN! We have FUN while we learn - and practice - our communication skills. .... 90% my speeches in Toastmasters have nothing to do with stuttering. I talk about everything from childhood stories to Dancing With the Stars! Ha, ha, ha! However the skills I have developed in Toastmasters have helped me improve my speaking skills so that when I talk to non-Toastmaster groups, like classes of student SLPs, I can talk about stuttering with confidence and know that I'm communicating with my audience very effectively. ..... I wish you the best in school, Julie. I hope you'll be able to attend the NSA annual conference in Ft. Worth next summer. It's right in my back yard! ... Russ