ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Do you suffer from glossophobia? If you do, you are not alone. Many people list their worst fear as speaking in public.

The solution for this anxiety-producing phobia can be found right here in Elk Grove. Since 1988, The Speaking Machine Toastmasters Club has helped nervous individuals become more confident while standing in front of an audience.

That’s one of the reasons Jocelyn Wong and Monette Stevens recently joined.

“Toastmasters has been a confidence-builder for me,” Stevens said at the Sept. 24 meeting. “Now, I’m aware of word whiskers, like ‘ah’ and ‘um.’ I am trying to remove them from my speech. This alone makes me sound more confident.”

Wong agreed. 

“Meeting new people in an informal setting gives me more self-assurance as well as speaking formally on the program,” Wong said.

Parvinder Kaur, also a newer member, concurred. 

“I was born in India and though I speak English, Toastmasters has helped me to understand common English idioms. I’ve learned to add interesting attention-getting details to my speeches.”

Myls Mylvaganam, Toastmasters’ vice-president of membership, said, “Since I joined Toastmasters, I feel more confident giving presentations at work conferences.”

Seasoned members are still learning by attending meetings.

Donna Lewis, a member for 12 years, said, “Toastmasters has brought me out of my shell and greatly enhanced my leadership abilities.”

Earl Carrington has been with the organization for seven years. 

“I love the intergenerational interactions and opinions,” Carrington said. “I especially enjoy the Table Topics portion of the meeting. It’s fun and helps me think on my feet.”

At this meeting, Vicki Geddes was the Table Topics Master and prepared questions ahead of time. She chose participants to answer with no advance knowledge of the subject. Those chosen then gave their answers for up to two minutes.

On Sept. 24, Geddes’ questions were: What brings you joy? Who is your most wild and crazy relative? Some vacations are great, others not so much; what wild thing happened on a vacation? What wild animal would you like as a pet? After a wild day at work, how do you relax? These questions were inspired by the meeting’s theme, “Living the Vida Loca.”

What would you have said?

Another benefit of Toastmasters is learning from speeches given by a diverse group of members. After the speeches, evaluators are assigned to tell the speaker and those listening what worked well and then give suggestions for improvement.

For example, the first speaker, Adrian Standic, used his own pictures and videos to speak about how to capture those important moments in life. 

His evaluator, Earl Carrington, praised Standic’s humor and gestures. He recommended a bit more practice with the video to avoid glitches.

The second speaker, Mary Ly, in her speech, “Don’t be a Hero,” advised her audience not to do everything yourself at your job or at home. 

“Failing occasionally is not the end of the world,” she said.

Ly’s evaluator, Rasheed Bustamam, who spoke via Zoom, said the topic was easily relatable to working professionals and was well structured. Bustamam said that Ly might try moving from behind the podium to better connect with her listeners.

Terence Custodia spoke from his own experiences with selling products online. He gave three rules for standing out among competitors.

Mylvaganam, his evaluator, “loved” Custodia’s opening that was an attention-grabber and the humorous phrases. Mylvaganam suggested Custodia be less connected to his notes.

Are you ready to face your fear? This enthusiastic and encouraging group welcomes you. Those who join will be provided with an experienced mentor to help structure and practice speeches.

Speaking Machine Toastmasters meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays at The Park on Laguna Springs, 9670 Laguna Springs Drive.