BUMC Toastmasters News, New Members Welcome
This month the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) Toastmasters chapter achieved “distinguished” status. Toastmasters International has a list of ten benchmarks that it uses to assess clubs and those clubs that attain five of the benchmarks are considered distinguished. Some of the benchmarks achieved by this club include several members achieving “Competent Leadership” status, club membership of more than 20, and club officers that participated in the winter training session.
‘Clubs that attain distinction are those with members dedicating themselves to improving their communication and leadership skills. BUMC Toastmasters is fortunate in that it has a committed group of officers and members whose search for self-improvement attracts potential members, ensuring that the club will continue to grow,” explained club member and Area Governor Joshua Paulin.
“We are excited to sponsor this opportunity for the medical campus,” explained Yolanta Kovalko, administrative manager, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, BUSM. “We welcome anyone interested in improving their public speaking and leadership skills. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations.
The BUMC club is proud of its diverse membership. Members hail from Uganda, South Korea, Tunisia, China, Egypt, Venezuela, Canada, Poland, Turkey, Nigeria and the U.S. The majority of members are affiliated with the BU Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Dental Medicine, and BMC. There are also club members who are residents of the South End community.
“One of the major goals of BUMC Toastmasters is to help members to find their voices and to learn how to lead. Choosing words that clearly express ideas motivate and inspire people to exceed their expectations is another goal of our group,” explained Kovalko.
Most BUMC Toastmasters meetings are held 5-6:15 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at the School of Medicine room L-109A/B. Prospective members are encouraged to “sample” a meeting without commitment. For more information, please contact Yolanta Kovalko at Yolanta@bu.edu, 638-5244.