# AGOISSI Toastmasters Club thriving at DLA Land and Maritime

/ Published Dec. 12, 2022
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 
While many activities faltered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGOISSI Toastmasters Club 3500 based at Defense Supply Center Columbus adapted and thrived.

AGOISSI stands for A Group of Individuals Seeking Self Improvement and is one of the oldest organizations at Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime.

The club just marked its 60th Birthday earlier this year and was named Best Toastmasters Club of 2021-2022 out of hundreds of clubs in four states that fall within District 40.

“We are so much more than public speaking,” said DLA Land and Maritime Contract Specialist Jeannie Gross, the club’s president. “Toastmasters provides leadership training, mentoring, networking, personal development, friendships and assistance to achieve your own personal goals.”

The AGOISSI Toastmasters Club hosted its first annual Speech-A-Thon and Open House Nov. 30 with six club members presenting speeches on a variety of subjects in the Building 20 Auditorium.

Defense Finance and Accounting Service – Columbus employee Lulu Townsel and DLA Land and Maritime Purchasing Agent Ron Gillespie took top honors for the day for their entertaining speeches on volleyball relating to life, living with cats and advice on making your speech a performance.

Townsel delivered two speeches in which she compared life experiences to volleyball and rendered festive remarks on the human relationship with cats. She topped off her second speech by dressing the part with colorful cat overalls and Santa hat. Gillespie persuaded the audience that public speaking should be more of a performance than a static action by having a volunteer from the audience do certain specific poses over and over until the volunteer and the audience figured out he was actually teaching him the Hokey Pokey dance in slow motion.

Gross came up with the Speech-A-Thon and Open House idea as a way encourage friendly in-house competition while showing associates what Toastmasters is all about.

“Toastmasters is a Command-sponsored program that provides an excellent opportunity for those associates looking to improve their public speaking skillsets as well as heighten their leadership abilities,” she said. 

The speeches delivered at the Speech-A-Thon were created from different facets and levels of the Toastmasters Pathways curriculum.

“We work very similarly to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America,” Gross said. “Where we have a project we do and at the end of it instead of a merit badge, we get a certificate, and we are all working toward what is called the Distinguished Toastmaster Award.”

Gross said it is the highest achievement that any member can receive in the organization. 

According to the Toastmasters website, there are 11 specialized learning paths with more than 300 unique competencies members can create speech projects under.

Projects vary from topical informational type speeches and persuasive presentations to speeches which are more of a stand-up comic performance or historical speeches familiar to the audience.

Greg Ramsey, the support agreement manager for DLA Installation Management – Columbus, said that Toastmasters is excellent preparation for speaking at events such as acquisition forums, supplier conferences and director’s forums.

“There have been many times where Toastmasters has not only helped me with the job,” Gross said. “But has helped me in my communication with my spouse and my siblings as well. It can just help with all areas of life.”

Feedback from senior members is an integral part of Toastmasters meetings.

“Evaluations are what I think is the meat and potatoes of Toastmasters,” Gross said. “Not only do you have an opportunity to get stage time and present in front of your peers, but you also get an evaluation from someone who is experienced in Toastmasters and public speaking.”

“Speakers are given real feedback on things like message clarity, delivery, volume, facial expressions, body language, vocal tone and variety...all of these things are a part of the Toastmasters way of evaluation,” she added.

The Speech-A-Thon and themed meeting competitions serve as positive reinforcement opportunities for members preparing to showcase their skills at the club’s annual speech competition next month.

Winners of annual club competitions go on to compete at the Area, Division and District levels before moving on to the regional quarterfinal. Those winners advance to the semifinals of the World Championship of Public Speaking during the organization’s international convention each fall.  

Gross said that Toastmasters is not just all about learning the art of public speaking. Members rotate through other roles at each meeting such as Grammarian, Toastmaster of the Day and speech timers.

But one of the best parts of being in Toastmasters is that it’s a place to be yourself and have fun, Gross said.

At the Dec. 7 regular meeting for example, the group had an Ugly Sweater contest while giving out education awards.

“Toastmasters is an awesome place to get outside of your comfort zone,” Gross said.

Those who are interested in joining the group are welcome to attend a regular meeting anytime as the club always welcomes guests and membership is open to all who work on the installation.

AGOISSI Toastmasters meets the first, third and last Wednesdays of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Room B150N in Building 20, virtually via Zoom or through a call-in number.

For more information on joining AGOISSI Toastmasters, view meeting announcements on DLA Today or email jean.mcgarvey@dla.mil.

The annual club speech competition is scheduled for Jan. 11 in the Building 20 Auditorium and will also be livestreamed on Zoom. All associates are welcome to attend.

Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, the organization’s membership exceeds 352,000 in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries and was chartered in 1924.