Visiting with Liberian Toastmasters in Minnesota

(Updated 8/27/08) They huddle every other Sundays, rehearsing speeches, fine-tuning sound bites and punchlines, managing bodily gestures, undergoing peer evaluation, and building a bond of supportive relationships, all in one breath.

One could easily mistake their meeting for a crucial political campaign session, with a seasoned corps of political experts, debate coaches, and public relations specialists, preparing a major candidate for a defining debate in a hotly contested election.

Seyon Nyanwleh, Ralph Smedley Toastmaster Club’s Vice-President for Public Relations, would shrug off this perception, although his penchant for politics, including his long-nursed ambition of becoming president of Liberia, makes it all too easy for one to believe that his membership is motivated more by political preparation than by “developing communication and leadership skills to foster personal growth”, one of the goals of the club.

Wayne Douglas Doe, President of the Club, intervened. “The main reason for establishing ourselves under the banner of this wonderful club is simply based on the facts that we [Liberians and Africans] tend to behave differently in many different settings. It is interesting how we follow protocols at our various jobs—speak within allotted time, abide by established procedures and, sadly, do it differently in our community meetings, events, and gatherings—get angry when asked to make our point within a specified timeframe or respond negatively when urged to live by basic rules”.

Back in 1942, Ralph Smedley, working as a director of education at a YMCA in Santa Ana, California, observed that many young people needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings”. He formed what is now called “Toastmaster International”. The group would later grow into a global institution, as it is now, attracting 235, 000 members in 11,700 clubs, and expanding to 92 countries.

The term “Toastmaster” at the time conjured up an image or the calling of a person who proposed toasts and introduced speakers at a banquet, official records revealed. The founder, as it is recorded, was convinced that the term would make for “a pleasant, social atmosphere”, appealing to “young men”.

Today, Toastmaster International, also referred to as TI, has grown beyond the “appeal to young men”. The goal, the organization insists, is to develop men and women to learn the art of public speaking, promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, and contribute to the betterment of mankind, amongst several core values.

The group, the Ralph Smedley Toastmaster Club, under “Area 51, District 6”, covering the Northern Division”, comprising mainly of African immigrants of the West African brand, also highlights a collection of some of the most respected leaders and resourceful members of the Liberian community in Minnesota.

Wayne served in many coveted leadership positions in the Liberian community, from Vice-President of OLM (Organization of Liberians in Minnesota) to the Chairman of the 2006 Inaugural Ball Team. Seyon Nyanwleh currently runs ASSA, Inc, a non-profit and sports outfit which has earned the distinction of being amongst the most productive Liberian organizations in the state of Minnesota. And the list of other club leaders, including Cyrus Tarpeh and Duannah Siryon, speaks to a unique assembly of community leaders building an institution to impact a community they cherish so much.

Liz Moore, one of the group’s cherished mentors, reflected:” In the fall of 2006, a group of African immigrants began meeting with experienced Toastmasters, including Mary Adams and myself, with the intent of starting a Toastmasters Club”, adding “we are open to all, although most of our members are Africans”.

Liz also revealed that, although the club has endured its share of challenges, especially in area of recruitment, it has managed to maintain its focus on developing the skills needed to improve the communication and leadership skills of its members, which in turn would foster their confidence and personal growth.

Seyon agrees, pointing out” look, I am a better public speaker today because of Toastmaster. And I would encourage Liberians and Africans to take this club seriously because if and when they do, they will certainly look back one day with a deeper sense of fulfillment”.

Sounds like a sales pitch, right? Well, not quite yet. I walked into an office space peopled with about five members. It was time for Seyon, who had just won an award for his performance, to explain what he thought about his success.

Before then, I was welcomed and told that I made the right decision to visit with the club. As if their statements, one after the other, were carefully scripted, everybody sounded almost the same, telling me how I stand to gain enormous benefits if I subscribe to the concept that inspired the Toastmasters Club. Now, this was the real sales pitch, isn’t?

Before long, the group plunged into business. Seyon Nyanwleh was asked to go first, to make a presentation.

True to his political style, he combined political rhetoric and theatrical speechmaking, brilliantly summarizing why it was important to work hard, especially coming on the heels of an award he won for performance.

His achievement, he said, “represented the hard work of everybody”.

Soon after, he was evaluated.

Then came Wayne Doe, beautifully highlighting the true meaning of the “Cross”. Wayne punctuated his speech with biblical quotations as he referenced how the cross has come to mean a whole to countless number of people.

How each said what he said, is what the Toastmaster is all about. The discipline of working within established rules—allotted time, dress code, and message, aptly defines why, Wayne said, it is so important to be a member of the toastmaster Club.

You might not be a major contender in a defining debate on the eve of a hotly contested election, but you might as well as think about visiting with the Ralph Smedley Toastmaster Club in Brooklyn Park, to see how the transformation takes place—from a nervous wreck profusely sweating on stage to a confident orator, beautifully delivering and inspiring audiences with messages that resonate and strike chords. CLICK HERE FOR PICS & Video Clips

Editor’s Note: Abdullah Kiatamba is Editor & Publisher of The Liberian Journal, based in Minnesota. Part II of Visiting With Liberian Toastmasters is Coming Soon. Please contact Seyon Nyanwleh for any further questions on the Toastmaster Club. He can be reached at 612-730-1373.