Are you a speaker?  Chances are you are a speaker if you are a student, a parent, a lector, an usher, a catechist, a priest, a religious, a youth minister or someone who says hello to a person on the street.  And I know how you can become an even better speaker.

I have been giving presentations and speaking to groups of two to more than 500 people for more than 40 years, so I should be really good at it by now.  I may be good, but I will also admit that I am always striving to be better.   Between the shaking knees, the rambling thoughts, the need to say “umm” and so many other minor issues, I was like a golfer who went out twice a year and whacked the ball down the fairway, not consistent, not effective, and often way off in the rough, but I would eventually get the ball onto the green and that was good enough.

In 2021, I was invited to join a new Toastmasters public speaking club, initiated at the request of Bishop McGrattan.  Bishop McGrattan knows that there are more than 500,000 Catholic speakers in the Diocese, and he wants to encourage us to become better speakers.  Knowing the value and strength of Toastmasters, Bishop sees this as an excellent way to support the faithful in their role as witnesses to the Gospel, a theme central to our ongoing diocesan renewal.   And so, the “Heart of the Rockies” Toastmasters Club continues to host meetings on Monday evenings via Zoom since I joined four years ago.

You may be wondering, what is Toastmasters?  And what makes “Heart of the Rockies” special?

Toastmasters International is the parent organization that supports Toastmasters clubs around the world, where club members gather in person or online to practice their speaking  skills using professionally developed education programs to guide members through speech preparation, from planning and structure, to delivery using effective  vocal variety, gestures, courage and confidence.

Heart of the Rockies takes the tools of Toastmasters and applies them using a Christian spirit where members share their experiences and skills in a safe and fun environment to accept the invitation from the Gospel according to St Matthew.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.”  (MT 28:19-20).

We, at the Heart of the Rockies, invite you to join us for one hour each week to grow in your skills as a witness to the world.  Heart of the Rockies meets online on Monday evenings from 7:00 – 8:00 pm and is open to everyone ages 18 and older.  For further information on how to connect or to visit the Heart of the Rockies Toastmasters club, please contact me at danieldeck.tm@gmail.com.

As a long-term toastmaster and member of Heart of the Rockies once said, “Toastmasters told me to be better, and I am better because of Toastmasters!”

Daniel Deck
Heart of the Rockies Toastmasters Club