Toastmasters Club

Geospeakers

Geospeakers is part of Toastmasters International, an organization dedicated to helping people become better communicators and leaders.

The Mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Geospeakers meets on the U.S. Geological Survey's campus in Menlo Park, California. Our common goals are:

to express ourselves clearly and comfortably in a variety of situations, and
to learn organizational and leadership methods by taking on various meeting roles and serving as club officers.

Geospeakers is an approved training program for USGS employees. Our meetings highlight both prepared and impromptu speaking in a supportive setting. Although the Toastmasters structure may seem foreign at first, members quickly find it provides a framework that makes it easier to practice public speaking.

Geospeakers is open to all who share our goals; we are a multi-cultural, mixed gender, mixed age, fun group of dedicated and motivated people. Our members have included students, non-USGS, and USGS employees from all divisions and from all types of positions – science, technical, clerical, and administrative. As you might expect, the speech topics are as varied as our membership: they include both humorous and thoughtful treatments of parenting, work, travel, remodeling, as well as presentations on geologic topics and social issues such as child molestation law and gun control.

Members have reported improvement in all types of communication thanks to their Geospeakers’ training. They give better speeches at conferences, they lead better seminars, they provide more information and ask more questions at meetings, they have smoother interactions with the public, they’re better listeners and communicators both at work and at home, they have more confidence in general, and they’ve even learned to give toasts!

Visitors are always welcome at our meetings. You may take part if you wish, or just watch and listen. As a guest you will be introduced so that the members of the club know who you are, and we encourage you to join us. The decision to become a better speaker, however, is up to you. Feel free to contact Ann Gunderson if you have any questions.