Learning the Art of Eloquence

THE IDEA OF SPEAKING in front of a large crowd may bring on a case of nerves for many. Toastmasters could help put those tensions to rest while teaching invaluable life lessons and skills you may have never expected. We sat down with Gina Mongiello, Pequannock Township native and vice president of public relations for Master the Craft Toastmasters of Pompton Plains to learn more about this wonderful organization.

The Toastmasters Club was founded in 1905 by Ralph C. Smedley in Illinois to help teach public speaking (taking its name from the term for a person who gives toasts at occasions) and is over 100 years old. The Pompton Plains chapter began in 2009 when a pastor from First Reformed Church, Roland Petit, wanted to help people during the job crisis of the time.

The group still has an original member from 2009, Andrew Paleologos. “There are many positive ways members of Master the Craft have supported me over the years, and if I could pick one thing right now, it’s companionship—how people cared not only to help me be a better communicator but, more importantly, a better person at work, home and the community,” Paleologos says.

Mongiello joined Toastmasters in 2020, when meetings were fully in person until the pandemic caused a shift. Zoom meetings helped fill the void until hybrid gatherings helped close the gap starting in July 2022.

SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Club meetings give members structure, feedback and community support to pursue passions, choose topics and get feedback on their public speaking.

The meeting structure is important, and members have rotating roles such as an “ah” counter, grammarian, the listener and table topics master. Club roles help with leadership skills, and there is always a toastmaster (MC) who leads the group through the first half of the meeting. A general evaluator leads the second half, and members combine this structured format with a relaxed and welcoming feel to explore ways to communicate ideas effectively.

Members include executives, engineers, life coaches, lawyers, small business owners and more. “All walks of life come to give presentations to get their ideas across,” says Mongiello. “We not only help with public speaking and leadership, but Toastmasters is also a place to make friends, receive valuable feedback and develop your passions and pursuits.”

Members find the club invaluable. “I attended my first Master the Craft meeting in April 2023 and immediately felt a connection with the people and the concept of Toastmasters,” says member Bob Smith. “I saw new horizons of communication open up as I was encouraged to step out and give a short talk or just interact with some of the forms of communication used in the meetings.”

Smith appreciates that meetings are based around members supporting one another to become a master at better communication, “which translates into a more confident lifestyle with family, friends and business associates,” he says. “I feel supported by the club when I give speeches and find members listening to me attentively as well as taking the effort to provide thoughtful and insightful feedback if they are evaluating me,” says member Deepa Mathew.

“Master the Craft offers an encouraging environment where I feel free to express myself,” says Ron Kavanagh. “The positive reinforcement, constructive feedback and non-judgmental atmosphere motivates me to take risks to improve.”

OPTIONS FOR EDUCATION

The Pathways learning experience is Toastmasters’ education program. “This includes impromptu speaking opportunities to aid members in interview prep, online meeting management, leadership development, project management and conflict resolution,” says Mongiello. “Teaching others to communicate in an effective and authentic way is priceless”—a way to invite people into your story. She adds that it’s important for business owners to communicate the value of their enterprise and services to prospective clients.

Learning how to organize thoughts and deliver a speech is also a valuable tool in many other aspects of life, such as speaking at an HSA meeting or writing a eulogy for a loved one. Mongiello says the skills you learn from Toastmasters can teach the confidence to get those messages across, communicate ideas, help with storytelling and bring topics to life. The beauty of Toastmasters is you select the topics, and meetings are a safe space to share.

If you like to challenge yourself, there are other opportunities through Toastmasters as well. Mongiello won the Area Contest 31 this year, speaking about her father, who passed away in the fall of 2024.

She also won Toastmaster of the Year Award in 2024 for outstanding service to her district and the Distinguished Toastmaster Award in 2024, which represents the highest level of achievement for members displaying outstanding enthusiasm, participation and leadership in Toastmasters.

In addition, she facilitated a Youth Leadership Program for a group of 15 teens in the New Jersey Homeschool Association for eight weeks, during which she helped youth develop their speaking and leadership skills.

“Students worked hard to overcome their fears of public speaking and fine-tuned their message, engaging the audience from their own personal style of speaking,” she says. “Family and friends were invited to a final celebration, where four of the students gave a speech to about 50 people— what an achievement!” says Mongiello.

Working to best develop and articulate your message is the most meaningful gift you can give to the person who most needs to hear it.” - Gina Mongiello

Another personal goal was Mongiello’s 77-day live challenge in September 2022, in which she went live on social media for 77 days in a row, finding creative ways to approach a variety of topics.

She is currently working on a pathway called strategic relationships to explore a dream to open a cafe where all are welcome. Menu items such as Forgiveness Soup promote a place where patrons can heal their souls while dining on fresh and healthy foods, which Mongiello loves to prepare. The pathway is a method to try out an idea without taking the plunge and assessing upon completion if it’s a good business plan to embark on.

TELLING YOUR STORY

In her spare time, Mongiello loves wildlife photography and using her images to inspire others with online posts that connect to important issues or thoughts of the day. The great outdoors inspires her.

In April 2023, she began walking the 130 miles of the Jersey Shore, finishing in November 2024, and is writing a book about the experience. The book will contain 40 chapters of 40 different walks, with journal prompts after each. She met up with different people on her beach walks and will reflect on those encounters.

Mongiello is strong in her faith in God. She is passionate about raising awareness about depression and suicide in the elderly population, wanting to help older adults find new purpose and have more natural means for well-being and to feel more valued in society.

It’s clear that Toastmasters is for all— and your story is one that someone may need to hear. As Mongiello says so eloquently “You, at every age, have a unique message for the world. Working to best develop and articulate your message is the most meaningful gift you can give to the person who most needs to hear it.”

To become a member of Toastmasters, call Ron Pizza, vice president of membership at Master the Craft Toastmasters of Pompton Plains, 973-809-7213; visit the chapter’s Facebook page; or find a local chapter via www.toastmasters.org.

The group meets the first and third Monday of every month. Meetings are on Zoom on the first Monday and hybrid on the third Monday in Keator Parlor in First Reformed Church’s Friendship Hall, Pompton Plains.

BY ANTONIETTA HENRY