Did you know that many Americans fear giving a speech more than death? Yet, giving speeches and making presentations are critical in today's society. In fact, most job descriptions require that applicants have "strong spoken and written communication skills." - Even if you don't have to make presentations at work, chances are you will be called on to make some type of a speech in your lifetime. So, why are so many people afraid of public speaking? Researchers will give you a multitude of reasons, but here are the most common:

80 hours 1 minute 3 seconds, that was the magic number for those who participated in the Guinness Record Attempt at the Embassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale June 10th-13th, 2010.  Read the whole article from the Sun Sentinel HERE.

Being a good speaker is not a prerequisite of belonging to Toastmaters. Rather, the club's purpose is to help people who are not good speakers improve their speaking ability. "Some of the best speakers I have known were not always that way," Wellington Toastmasters President Jim Anzalone said. "Most of them have developed their craft over the years in order to become great sepakers - and Toastmasters has been a great part of that for those folks."

See the full Wellington Magazine Article HERE

2010 Florida's 50s Pageant Winner Sheila Vitiello, DTM from Club Achievers (left) was privileged to crown her successor, Annette Watkins from Club Awesome (right) as the 2011 Florida's 50s Queen.  Both women attribute Toastmasters to helping them develop their speaking skills which are so critical in the Interview portion of these contests.  Annette will compete in the National Beauties of America Pageant in August.  We wish her continued success!

For more information, Click Here