Gwinnett-Tucker Toastmasters Club #833

Celebrates 50 Years

By Tana Poncsak

For many, the thought of public speaking may cause weak knees and sweaty palms. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit, educational organization that’s been helping people get over their fear of public speaking and more since 1924.

According to the Toastmaster International website, the organization has 14,700 clubs with an estimated 280,000+ members in 144 countries around the world. One of the oldest Toastmaster clubs in the state of Georgia is the Gwinnett-Tucker Toastmasters Club #833, currently designated as a President’s Distinguished Club after achieving a number of specified goals. Members of the club meet at Matthews Cafeteria, located on Main Street in the heart of Tucker every Friday morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

But when members gathered on June 2, 2023, the meeting was extra special. The club celebrated a milestone – its 50th Anniversary! Featured guests included Toastmaster district officials and former members. In addition, the meeting included Table Topics where members were given a topic and asked to make a short and impromptu speech. Cake was served, and members were given some extra time at the end of the meeting for celebrating, socializing, and networking.

The Gwinnett-Tucker Toastmasters Club #833 was founded on June 1, 1973. Cindy Smallwood, chairperson for the 50th Anniversary

Celebration, said that members initially met in homes, but at some point in the 1980s, the group made Matthews Cafeteria their meeting spot.

Smallwood has been a member of the club since 2015. Like many, she felt shy and intimidated when it came to public speaking. After taking a job that required her to speak in a number of public forums on a regular basis, and along with the encouragement of her new boss, Smallwood joined Toastmasters for help. Her initial goal was to gain the skills she needed and be done, but she’s remained a longtime member because of the encouragement she found in the group.

“The confidence that it gave me and growth and the improvements overall, not just in speaking but in my confidence level, was just astonishing to me,” she said. “So I stuck with it and continued. A big part of that is due to the members.”

Giving feedback to other members is a big part of the process, and Smallwood said that feedback is given in a positive and helpful way.

“Of course, members come and go throughout the years, but they’re all such great people,” Smallwood added. “It’s such an encouraging environment. It’s positive. Everybody’s rooting for each other.”

And while a big part of the program is about public speaking, there’s also a leadership aspect that goes along with it. Smallwood pointed out that as members build their confidence, their leadership skills grow as well.

Smallwood recalls this in her own experience and also in seeing others who have initially come a bit quiet and reserved, but, because of the program and the encouragement of other members, they have gone on to become great public speakers. She also said there are members who

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