The Thrill Speakers Toastmasters Club provides undergraduate and graduate students alike a place to practice making speeches, build confidence and gain leadership skills.

In the Binghamton area alone, there are five separate Toastmasters groups, although they vary in membership and participation. At Binghamton University, the Toastmasters Club is called Thrill Speakers. Matthew Grenier, president of the BU Toastmasters Club, which has been around for approximately 10 years, said that there are currently 15 members.

“But sometimes there are as few as five, which makes meetings very difficult,” he said. “It is a challenge to get people to come, but guests can come any time.”

In addition to simply practicing speech-making abilities, Toastmasters groups across the country compete in bi-annual speech-making contests. One type focuses on humorous speeches, while the second involves tall tales and international speeches.

“Tall tales are exaggerated stories,” Grenier said. “International speeches are meant to be inspirational.”

On Saturday, BU’s Thrill Speakers will compete in an area contest at the Vestal Public Library dealing with tall tales and international speeches.

“All of the Binghamton area Toastmasters compete in the area competition,” Grenier said. “Then it moves on to division, national and sometimes even international, depending on the contest.”

To increase membership at its weekly meetings, the Thrill Speakers Toastmasters group sends out weekly announcements via B-Line and frequently visits classrooms to promote itself.

At the meetings, which are held on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in room B08 of the New University Union, participants prepare their material for giving or judging speeches.

A “Toastmaster,” the leader of the meeting’s speeches and events, is also selected. The Toastmasters judge speeches based on many factors, including vocal quality, posture, eye contact and correct grammar usage.

Also at each meeting, one member is designated as the “ah counter.” This person documents how many times the speaker stammers or hesitates during his or her speech as a way to teach speakers to avoid making these errors.

When the meetings come to a close, the club’s president gives ribbons to award those who were voted best speech-makers, planned or impromptu.

Toastmasters is an international organization, founded in 1924 by YMCA Director Dr. Ralph Smedley. The organization is dedicated to improving oral communication and leadership skills. It currently boasts 12,500 clubs in 106 countries worldwide.

The club is sponsored by the School of Management because it’s not chartered by the Student Association. The club is independently funded by membership dues.

Thrill Speakers Toastmasters Club at BU is always looking for new members, and anyone can join for a one-time fee of $20, which includes all necessary materials and manuals. Membership fees are $30 every six months. Further information is available on www.toastmasters.org.