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We are currently seeking nominations for officers for the 2022-23 year. Terms start on July 1, 2022 and end on June 30, 2023. See below for more information.

YOU CAN BECOME AN OFFICER OF NYU TOASTMASTERS

What are the benefits of being an officer for NYU Toastmasters?

• It’s an opportunity to display and develop your leadership skills (and helps you move faster through leadership assignments in your chosen educational pathway)
• You’ll play a significant role in shaping our club’s culture and identity
• You’ll also play an essential role in supporting the entire NYU community including administrators, faculty, students, and alumni
• You can grow your professional network beyond NYU by participating in Toastmasters International events and trainings for officers
• It’s an opportunity to add leadership and project management experience to your resumé and demonstrate valuable professional experience to your employer

What’s involved?

• Officers serve for a one-year term beginning on July 1^st, 2022  and ending on June 30^th, 2023
• Officers meet 3-4 times per year, depending on what’s happening and what needs doing
• Officers are required to attend one formal training (Winter and Summer) put on by Toastmasters International, usually held on an evening or weekend
• Other responsibilities depend on your role and are outlined below

Roles

• President – Calls and presides over officer meetings, makes announcements at meetings, is a liaison with other local clubs, Toastmasters International, etc.
• VP Education – Ensures meeting roles are filled and ensures members are making their way through their educational paths. Oversees the club mentorship program.
• VP Membership –. Greets and stays in touch with guests and new members, provides them with information packs. Maintains mailing lists and answers questions about membership. 
• VP Public Relations – Promotes the club and manages communications  within the NYU community to administrators, staff and faculty. Manages the club’s wordpress site.  
• Secretary – Keeps minutes at officer meetings, keeps files containing meeting agendas and other archival information.
• Treasurer – Processes membership applications, keeps track of how much money we’ve submitted to Toastmasters International, how much credit our club has, and any other money matters (NOTE: Currently our club does not have a budget as we charge only what is due to Toastmasters International).

What’s coming up in the year ahead for NYU Toastmasters? 

Two years after the COVID pandemic changed NYU Toastmasters’ meeting format from fully in-person to fully online, the club is at a critical point in mapping  its path going forward. The club is in the process of being assigned a Club Coach by Toastmasters International to assist in this process. There are many opportunities that are open to the club, including practicing hybrid (both online and in-person) meetings, alternating between online and in-person meetings, partnering with student clubs or other groups  at NYU, or opening up the club to non-NYU members as other universities (such as Columbia) have done. As an officer, you will have an essential role in deciding the club’s future. Your service benefits the entire NYU community. 

What if I’m new to Toastmasters? 

You don’t need prior experience in Toastmasters or have had other leadership roles (in or outside of Toastmasters)  to be an officer in NYU Toastmasters. All you need to start  is your enthusiasm and desire to learn. You will get trained for your role and have the support of other officers and experienced members. 

What’s the election process?

Any active member, including current officers and including brand new members who have just submitted an application, may self-nominate for the roles listed above. Fill out the nomination form here (https://forms.gle/H6vcUKwDAddTPqh3A) to let us know which role(s) you are interested in. The deadline to fill out the form is Tuesday, May 10th. The nominating committee will be soliciting nominations between now and May 10th. 

• Self nomination form goes out May 2, 2022 Please respond by Tuesday, May 10th 
• The nominating committee will present a slate of candidates at the Tuesday May 17th meeting.
• A ballot will be emailed to members on Tuesday  May 17^th
• Ballots will be due back by 5pm on Friday, May 20^th
• New officers will be announced on Tuesday, May 24^th

What do I need to do?

If you want to be an officer, please fill out the nomination form to nominate yourself. If you want to talk about the information above or have any questions, please reach out to toastmasters-leaders@nyu.edu.

This year, New York University Toastmasters celebrates its five year anniversary! We received the news about becoming an official club on June 5, 2014.  The official charter date is May 16, 2014.

The club was created thanks to the efforts of Sophie Oberstein from the NYU’s Talent, Learning & Organizational Development. We want to thank NYU HR and in particular Clarissa Pitts and Rich Hurley for their continued support of this club.

Four of the charter members* continue to be members to this day:

Mary Lou Atkinson
Cassandra Bizzaro
Alicia Kubes
Yolanda Rayside

Many thanks to all our members since 2014 who have helped to keep this club going and thriving. We wouldn’t be able to exist without you!

The club is a truly remarkable cross-university collaboration. These are just some of the NYU units that have been represented at the club: Tisch School of the Arts, College of Dentistry, College of Nursing, School of Professional Studies, Steinhardt, Office of the Provost, Stern School of Business, Studentlink,  Opportunity Programs, Financial Operations and Treasury, Information Technology, Development and Alumni Relations, Facilities and Operations, the Wasserman Career Center.

Join us at our next meeting on June 6th at 5:15pm to help us celebrate this important milestone.

* Charter members: Noemi Smith, Cherone Slater, Crystal R. Scott, Yolanda Rayside,
Mary Lou Atkinson, Rhonda Carlotta Alphonso, Kamlesh Devjani, Veronica Holton
Cassandra Michelle Bizzaro, Tunazzina H. Ahmed, Alicia Kubes, Joanne Alecia Williams,
Linda Yu, Peter Sheehan, Jessica Thomas, Garvin Anthony Reid, Belinda Kelly Roman,
Marie-Rose Emma Nduku, Shirish R. Patel, Carmen Diaz, Sonia Ajwani, Samanta Shaw,
Jayson Valcik, Robert S. White.

The summer 2019 meeting schedule has been announced. All meetings will take place at 105 E. 17th Street, Room 191.

Thursday June 6th at 5:15 pm

Monday June 17th at 12:15 pm

Monday July 15th at 12:15 pm

Thursday August 1st at 5:15 pm

Monday August 19th at 12:15 pm

 

As a reminder, this is a closed group for the NYU Community only (staff, faculty, students, and alumni).  If you are an NYU community member but not a member of Toastmasters, you are welcome to attend our meetings as a guest and fill any of the roles except speaker.

Members of NYU Toastmasters are encouraged to sign up for speeches and roles on the google sign-up sheet that is shared with them.

Questions? Please contact us at nyutoastmastersclub@gmail.com

A big congratulations on behalf of all of us at New York University Toastmasters to Cassandra Bizzaro who earned her Competent Communicator (CC) Award on February 26th, 2019.

Cassandra is a longtime member of NYU Toastmasters who helped to get the club off the ground when it was first founded. Although she had to take breaks on her journey to earning her CC, she never gave up and through perseverance and discipline was able to reach this important milestone. She is an inspiration to us all. Below you can read more about Cassandra’s story– what Toastmasters means to her, how she was able to stay motivated,  and some tips for new members.

Congratulations, Cassandra!

How did you motivate yourself to keep working on the Toastmasters program? 

“It was really my fellow community of Toastmasters who kept me motivated! When I had a large gap between progress in speeches they would reach out with a genuine message to see if they could help in some way or offer some words of encouragement.”

What have you gained from Toastmasters? 

“My favorite part of NYU Toastmasters has been getting to know new people across the University. We are such a large institution and I enjoy hearing the stories of my fellow colleagues while we are all working together on professional development.”

Any advice for members who are worried they don’t have time to come to meetings or do speeches? 

“If you don’t have the time to dedicate to making speeches yet you can still gain a lot by just attending the meetings to watch and listen. Don’t be surprised if you get asked to serve in some sort of role! It’s a great learning opportunity and such an easy lift. For example, when you serve as the Table Topics Master you are gaining experience speaking in front of a group and facilitating a discussion. When you are the Toastmaster you gain that same experience but are also refining your skills of organizing and executing effective meetings. Every role gives you that much more experience which directly translates to your job and even into your personal life.”

Photos: NYU Stern, Queen Walker

Post submitted by: Alicia Kubes, VP Public Relations

Happy new year to all!

NYU Toastmasters is happy to announce the meeting dates and locations for January and February 2019

January 14th (Monday), 12:15pm, 105 East 17th St., room 191

January 22nd (Tuesday), 5:15pm, 433 First Ave., room 760

February 7th (Thursday), 5:15pm, 105 E. 17th St., room 191

February 26th (Tuesday), 5:15pm, 433 First Ave., rm 760

As a reminder, this is a closed group for the NYU Community only (staff, faculty, students, and alumni).  If you are an NYU community member but not a member of Toastmasters, you are welcome to attend our meetings as a guest and fill any of the roles except speaker.

Members of NYU Toastmasters are encouraged to sign up for speeches and roles on the google sign-up sheet that is shared with them.

Questions? Please contact us at nyutoastmastersclub@gmail.com

We had a great meeting this past Tuesday.  Queen Walker gave a speech on uplifting the spirit as part of the “Specialty Speeches” manual.

We will meet again on Thursday October 4th, at 12:00pm at 433 First Avenue, Room 760. We’ll take a few minutes to settle in and then start the meeting promptly at 12:15pm.

Members of the NYU community can sign up for a role here.