Employee Competes in Toastmaster Contest

Susan Gerbeth-Jones has practiced public speaking through the Duke Toastmasters Club for five years, but when she walks to the podium Thursday, she'll be competing for the first time in the Area 62 Toastmasters speech contest."I love doing this," she said. "But I still get nervous."Gerbeth-Jones, the assistant dean of IT for the Nicholas School of the Environment, will take part in the competition as winner of the Duke Toastmasters Club spring International Speech Contest. The podium will be hers for five to seven minutes when she presents "Stepping Out.""I talk about how stepping out of your comfort zone presents opportunities you don't expect and also influences others on your team," she said.Toastmasters International was created in 1924 to help people improve their communication and leadership skills in a friendly atmosphere. Members receive a "Competent Communicator" curriculum that helps them develop speaking skills through a series of 10 short speeches. Members work through the curriculum at their own pace. Two to three members offer prepared speeches at each meeting, while others take leadership roles, including the toastmaster (the emcee for the meeting), humorist, timer, speech evaluator and "um" counter.For Gerbeth-Jones, participation in Toastmasters has been both educational and fun. She has completed the Competent Communicator and the Advanced Communicator curriculums. The work has built her confidence in speaking in public, whether presenting devotionals at her church, formal presentations at a conference, or simply expressing an opinion in a meeting. "I have a ball participating in Toastmasters," she said. "It is a nice challenge that pushes me out of my comfort zone, and usually I'm glad that I did it."