A student walks up to the stage in front of millions of people and freezes. Unprepared for the speech at hand, imagining the audience naked cannot even relieve the stress. The student is stuck.

For the Syracuse University community, there is a way out of this public speaking nightmare: Orange Orators, a public speaking group that gives students the skills to speak professionally in any number of scenarios.

‘I’ve done a lot of speaking in my head, but never aloud to the crowd,’ said Kelvin Ringold, the vice president of Orange Orators. Ringold, a motivational speaker, joined Toastmasters in February 2009 to polish his public speaking skills. After a year and a half of membership, he can’t get enough of it.

‘I love the supportive atmosphere,’ Ringold said. ‘It’s very supportive and enthusiastic.’

President of Orange Orators and fellow member Carolynn Rayome had a fear of public speaking since her childhood.

‘I avoided public speaking for the most part,’ said Rayome, also a program coordinator of learning communities at the Office of Residence Life. ‘I felt like I always choked. I always thought to myself, ‘Wow, that went really badly,’ after my public speech.’

Rayome noticed she does not visibly shake anymore when she’s on stage practicing and toning her public speaking skills at club meetings.

Orange Orators is a perfect niche for people like Ringold and Rayome. The club was chartered in April 2007 and is part of a nationwide organization, Toastmasters International.

Whether they are working on public speeches, corporate presentations or sales pitches, the group aims to build and perfect communications and leadership skills. The group is open to all SU faculty members, staff and students.

‘There are no ‘teachers,” Rayome said. ‘We all teach each other and learn by doing.’

The meetings are held every Tuesday at the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in the E.S. Bird Library from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

All new members are paired up with more experienced counterparts. This develops a mentor-mentee relationship. Eventually, all the members will graduate from the club as a ‘Distinguished Toastmaster Member’ and earn a certificate of completion.

The road to graduation is about how much effort members put in, and no one is forced to speak publicly at the meetings — only when they are ready to.

‘It’s all about where you are,’ Rayome said.

Orange Orators isn’t just for SU students. Current members range from computer technology trainers who need to give presentations to their clients to ministers who speak regularly to their congregation.

‘Everybody’s stories are different,’ Rayome said. ‘This is what makes Toastmasters so great.’

Rayome stressed that in today’s market, it is necessary and crucial for students to perfect their communications skills in time for their college graduation.

The completion certificate can help build a student’s resume. When asked by Rayome how important their involvement in the group was, students felt they couldn’t get this type of experience in the classroom.

It’s not all work, either. Members of Orange Orators can share work with play. They frequently hold contests that cater to developing their skills as communicators.

The club frequently hosts auctions that allow the members to bring in any object from home to sell. During the auction, the toastmasters will attempt to sell their object at the highest price by speaking publicly in front of an invited audience.

Despite all the public speaking, LeKita Dawkins, a Toastmasters member and vice president of the group’s public relations, still feels anxious whenever she is scheduled to give a five to seven minute speech.

‘I was a shy kid. I never talked, never interacted,’ she said. ‘I can feel my anxiety level going up whenever I go in front of a crowd.’

Dawkins joined because she felt Orange Orators was a good venue to feel comfortable with speaking in front of a crowd. It has helped to increase her self-esteem and self-confidence.

‘We all provide support for each other,’ Dawkins said. ‘It’s a great community.’

ekim13@syr.edu

Published on September 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm