A toast to life

As Shelley Dittmer stood to give her very first speech, anxiety instantly set in, even though she knew more than anyone else in the world about the topic — herself. Her hands shook and her palms were sweaty. Her mind swirled with nervousness.

“I was a mess,” Dittmer said. “It was a disaster.”

And she isn’t alone. It’s said that public speaking ranks as American adults’ No. 1 fear, and that’s above death. But now, after lots of “disastrous” speeches, Dittmer said she’s starting to get the hang of this scary beast known as public speaking, thanks to the help of the Mayflower Toastmasters.

“Everybody has butterflies — we teach them to fly in formation,” said Elizabeth Brothers, the vice president of education for the club.

The Mayflower Toastmasters club meets at the Mayflower Retirement Community in Winter Park, where many of the members live, and is a part of the Toastmasters International organization.

The non-profit organization’s goal is to help people become more comfortable, competent public speakers. Members do that by giving planned and impromptu speeches for the about 30 members present.

Staying sharp

The members range in age from 19 to about 92, but for the many who are retired, this group is a way to make friends, share a part of themselves and keep their minds sharp.

“It does help my mental health,” said Jane Miller, who joined this year.

Brothers, who lives at the Mayflower, said that it’s helped her with her recall. Reaching in her mind for a particular word she wants to use or a story she wants to tell in everyday life is much easier with the practice she gets doing it at the meetings, she said.

“You learn to think fast on your feet,” Brothers said.

History lessons

For the several who proudly claim the 80s age set, this is a way to reach out from their small retirement neighborhood.

“It keeps the people in our age bracket connected to the outside community,” Hal Frederick said.

And just because most of the members are retired, doesn’t mean the meetings or the speeches are boring. Attend one yourself and you might hear about Miller’s first kiss, or how to be a southern lady — straight from the lips of a true southern belle — world travels, or about being a Florida Cracker from a Florida Cracker. There are stories told about growing up in Orlando, too.

“The history of Orlando is right here with us,” said Carolyn Behling, president of the club.

Cheering you on

And, of course, they’re all becoming better speakers while sharing a part of themselves. Even talking about most people’s favorite topic, themselves, can be stressful at first, as Dittmer shared, but at a Toastmasters meeting members get to talk in a comfortable environment among friends. There’s lots of clapping and encouragement.

“Everybody is rooting for you and wanting you to succeed,” Brothers said.

Not only is the club teaching public speaking skills, but confidence in communicating in any setting, said member BJ McKee, the southern lady who can “hold her own” anywhere now.

Members said that since they’ve joined, they’ve become more outgoing in life. Miller, who has been blind for about 20 years, said she’d spent most of her time at her apartment and not doing anything that would put her in a social setting, but she had the desire to talk. It took her a while to warm up — about four years of guest attendance — but now she’s one of the best speakers, the club members said.

“Now I can share my experiences with other people,” Miller said.

Learn more

The Mayflower Toastmasters have meetings at the Mayflower Retirement Community in Winter Park Fridays at noon. For more information, call 407-644-1607. Guests are welcome, and there is no pressure to participate. Visit the Toastmasters International official website at www.toastmasters.org.