Author: Dionne Lewis

Getting to Know DTM Ann Swartz

Distinguished Toastmaster Anne Swartz has been a member for 20 years. Currently, she is a member of Toastmasters of Westfield. We asked her a few questions about her Toastmasters experience.

What do you do outside of Toastmasters?

I am a health and wellness coach at RWJBarnabas Health, working at several hospital and office locations in the Southern region of New Jersey. I help their employees improve their health and well-being.

I am also a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I attended Washington University in St. Louis and earned a business degree in marketing and public relations. I’ve also taken exercise science and physiology courses at Kean University. You may be interested to know that in my early career I worked for NBA Properties, Inc.

Did you have any public speaking experience prior to Toastmasters?

I had limited public speaking experience and when I worked at the NBA in the 90s, I would freeze and get nervous. My voice would shake – especially when I interacted with upper management. Interestingly, I always felt comfortable teaching fitness classes, but in a room filled with business executives, I was a deer in headlights.

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Toastmasters of Westfield Speech Contest

Toastmasters of Westfield will have a Fall Speech Contest on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 7:45 pm at Sunrise Assisted Living in Westfield, NJ. The purpose of the contest is to allow people to accelerate growth as a speaker, leave one’s comfort zone and challenge our members.

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Club Spotlight: Toastmasters of Westfield

Club: Toastmasters of Westfield

Charter Date: March 1, 1961

Club Members In Their Own Words:

“I joined the Toastmasters of Westfield to help me advance my career. At that time, my direct supervisor at NBA Properties informed me that in order to get promoted to the Director level I needed to feel more comfortable speaking at staff meetings and doing presentations to large audiences. I developed the skills I needed and earned the Director position. Toastmasters has helped me in many aspects of my life professionally and personally. 20 years later I’m still an active participant and mentor.”- Anne Goldman Swartz, DTM

“Toastmasters ‘Keeps Me Coming Back’ – Our Westfield Group had been consistently supportive, warm and dear to me for over 23 years. I joined to become more confident, go after a higher level position in the Auto Industry and later to become a Motivational Speaker for a Major Weight Loss Company.  Communication is the key – never stop!”- Noel Crawford, DTM

“I joined Toastmasters so I can learn to craft my message and deliver it in a meaningful way. The aspects of leadership development were not even something on my radar until I realized they were available to me. Using the communications track as well as the leadership track, I am more confident in personal and business situations. The fact that I have met so many great people who are now my friends is just the icing on the cake.” –Lou Bonanno

 

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