New Toastmasters club aims to bring confidence and leadership to Lansdowne

Lansdowne is preparing to welcome a new Toastmasters club, an initiative sparked by both community interest and a noticeable gap in local opportunities for public speaking and leadership development.

According to the club’s sponsor, Laura Skoblenick, the township itself reached out to Toastmasters International to explore launching a club, recognizing the value such a program could bring to residents.

While Toastmasters clubs operate throughout Eastern Ontario, the closest existing club is the Thousand Islands Toastmasters Club in Brockville, about a 30-minute drive from Lansdowne. That distance, Laura explained, can be a barrier to consistent participation, and “consistency is key in Toastmasters, and proximity makes that consistency much easier to maintain.” A local club, Laura says, removes travel challenges and makes it far more feasible for residents to attend regularly and grow their skills.

Toastmasters International, for those who don’t know, helps members overcome public speaking anxiety, engage audiences and craft compelling speeches. Though Laura says the biggest takeaway she hopes members gain is simple: confidence. “Confidence in speaking, in expressing ideas, and in showing up in both personal and professional settings,” Laura noted. “People are more capable than they think when given the right support and environment.”

Beyond speaking skills, members also develop leadership abilities through meeting roles and club officer positions, as well as active listening skills, critical thinking, time management and interpersonal communication.

In the short term, the club’s focus is on building a welcoming environment and gathering the 20 members required to officially charter with Toastmasters International. Long term, the vision is to establish the club as a valued part of the Lansdowne community, one that helps residents achieve personal and professional growth, Laura says.

Her motivation for leading the effort stems from personal experience. A Toastmaster for 11 years at Downtown Kingston Toastmasters and a member of Mastermind Leaders, which is a virtual advanced Toastmasters club, Laura credits the programs with helping her grow as a communicator and leader. Laura says she “wanted to pay it forward to support others’ growth just as my home club helped me.”

Laura says Toastmasters is open to anyone 18 or older who wants to build confidence in speaking and leadership. If someone is interested, Laura says the first step is simply attending a meeting as a guest. While the club is still in its pre-charter phase and cannot yet register official members, guests are welcome to participate fully, including taking on meeting roles and delivering speeches.

Once the club reaches 20 members and charters, there will be a one-time new member and chartering fee of $180, followed by dues of $150 every six months. These fees provide access to Toastmasters’ online learning program, Pathways, as well as district workshops and club operating costs.

For those sitting on the fence with indecision about joining, the idea of being evaluated, especially by roles like Grammarian or Ah-Counter, can be intimidating; however, Laura ensures potential members that meetings are a supportive environment and “everyone is here to learn, grow, and support one another. There is never any pressure to try something if you are not quite ready.”

In discussing the average time people remain members once they have joined, Laura says, “There’s no average timeline, as members join Toastmasters for a variety of reasons and stay for different lengths of time. Some people join with a specific short-term goal in mind, such as preparing for a wedding toast or improving their confidence for presentations at work, and leave once they feel they’ve achieved that goal. Others stay for the long term because there are always new skills to develop and leadership opportunities to explore.” She says some members have been part of her home club since it was chartered more than 15 years ago.

The new club held its first demo meeting on April 27 at the Lansdowne Community Building, drawing a full room and enthusiastic participation. Attendees especially enjoyed ‘Table Topics,’ the impromptu speaking portion of the meeting, said Laura, who added that guests described the atmosphere as welcoming and encouraging, with many expressing interest in returning for future meetings.

As the club continues to build momentum, organizers hope more residents will discover the benefits Toastmasters can offer, whether they’re preparing for a wedding toast, seeking professional advancement, looking to take on a leadership role or simply looking to grow their confidence in a supportive community setting. For more information on the new Toastmasters Club and the weekly meetings held each Monday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., email lansdownetoastmasters@gmail.com, check out the Lansdowne Toastmasters Club Facebook page or Toastmasters online at www.toastmasters.org.