Oak Ridge Toastmasters earns award for membership achievements
Carol Finley garnered two Toastmasters District 63 2022 Awards for Oak Ridge Toastmasters Club 1858, Oak Ridge.
The president was Carol Finley.
She led her officers to garner the Special Herman Thompson Award from District 63. This award goes to a Toastmasters club that persists under a stressful environment, succeeds in maintaining members, has district involvement and conducts events outside the club.
Finley has served as president of Toastmasters clubs four times.
Three of those terms were while in Oak Ridge Toastmasters Club. During the transition following the worst portion of COVID pandemic, she led the Oak Ridge Toastmasters into hybrid meetings (in-person and Zoom) with the assistance of her executive leadership team.
In addition, she initiated in 2021 and 2022 along with the Speech Department of Roane County Community College presenting model meetings on the Oak Ridge RSCC campus with their communication students to demonstrate the workings and value of the clubs in developing leadership and public speaking skills. Both the speech classes and club meet on the Oak Ridge RSCC campus.
Finley said, “I enjoy educating college students at RSCC as we give a sample ... meeting to fellow Toastmaster Amy McCarrol's speech class each semester.”
Finley retired from being hospital supervisor at Parkwest Medical Center.
“Oak Ridge Toastmasters had helped me be a more-effective leader and communicate more clearly with my staff and the patients,” she said.
She has served three different Toastmasters clubs. When she moved to Oak Ridge she transferred her Toastmaster membership to develop her skills with “Engaging Humor” following the pathways to which the Toastmasters International has updated to all digital programing.
She patiently assists club members from the the written manuals to the digital-only programing, as well as assists in keeping the website updated.
While she was vice president for public relations. to broaden her interest in working as a team-player, she used her hobby as a photographer to promote the Oak Ridge club.
Finley is most adept at forming a collaborative attitude within her approach to leadership, drawing with visible navigation to a consensus among groups, yet guiding calmly through stressful adjustment to changing conditions within an organization.
Many people dread making speeches, fielding interviews, and leading committees and organizations. Toastmasters provides opportunities to practice with others who are building their network opportunities, developing leadership skills in real situations while strengthening their sense of humor, organizing speeches and making technical presentations. Many members are tearing down their fears or discomfort in public with people they do not know.
Visit and join Toastmasters to improve your grammar, tell jokes, use your voice effectively, speak extemporaneously (“off-the-cuff”) while having fun.
Oak Ridge Toastmasters Club welcomes the attendance of Roane State students and the public over age 18 throughout Anderson, Roane and Knox counties interested in improving communications skills. They meet in the A-108 Conference Room (enter at the flagpole) at Roane State Community College Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave., the second and fourth Mondays, at 6:30 p.m.
The focus of the program is self-paced learning to meet people and feel comfortable talking with anyone on any topic and situation. Contact oakridge.toastmastersclubs.org.