Our Story
Creating Tomorrow's Leaders... Today
Remember those days of being a teen, finishing or right out of high school? Filled with excitement, you were stepping out into the real world for the first time - and were determined to excel. But although those days were filled with freedom, there also came new, scary opportunities you never had to deal with before... like that intimidating college speaking project or daunting first job interview. Although teens need leadership skills just as much as adults to excel in these areas, sadly, many aren't able to learn them until later - and often, that later is after a humiliating speaking assignment or painful rejection from the perfect job. But Gavel Clubs, a part of Toastmasters International, are changing this. They're helping teens gain confidence today before they step out into the world... so they can become the leaders of tomorrow. And Queen City Gavel Club, the oldest of its kind in the US, has a rich history in doing this - and in lives changed. It's a club that is creating Tomorrow's Leaders... Today.
The following article was written several years ago by one of our members. See What is a Gavel Club? for about how Gavel Club is run.
"I'd like to call this meeting to order!" Bang bang. Parker G., the club's 14-year-old president, starts the meeting as the gavel hits the lectern, breaking the silence. After a short, inspirational message and the Toastmasters Club Mission, it's time for the Table Topics. Katie H., age 15, is called on to talk about the quote "Life is Like a Box of Chocolates." After her thoughtful response, she leaves the lectern - amid the loud applause of the audience - with a big smile on her face. Then, the timer starts the stopwatch as Ben J., age 13, delivers an expressive speech on what really makes a sports superstar. Awaiting his evaluator's encouragement and critique, he heads proudly back to his seat. Soon, the filler-word count - known here as the "Ah-Um report", is given, spreading more than a little chagrin across the room as everyone realizes how many ah's, um's, and the like they let slip! Finally, awards are presented - along with a hearty handshake and big smile - for the Best Table Topic, Most Improved Speaker, and Best Evaluator; but then, bang bang, the meeting closes as the motion to adjourn is accepted.
If you drop by Queen City Gavel Club, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, on any given Thursday; you'll find a very unique kind of meeting in session: one that's focused on helping members overcome their fear of public speaking - and become a bold, confident leader. Unlike most, however, this club isn't for adult Toastmasters seeking to polish their skills - it's for 6th to 12th grade students. Yet if you took a seat around the table, the similarities would be striking... everyone is nervous when the Table Topics are called, working on suggesting helpful improvements for their fellow speakers, and trying to get through their roles without that "ah" or "um"! And in the true dynamic, supportive Toastmasters style, a teacher or textbook doesn't run the meeting - the participants do.
However, although this club is a part of Toastmasters International, it's called a Gavel Club, and its members are called "Gaveliers". Gavel Clubs are a subdivision made for those who wouldn't normally be able to participate - in this case, due to age. Yet being able to speak with confidence is just as important for these middle- and high-schoolers, who, in just a few short years, will have job resumes, college interviews, and a career in front of them. Because of what they have learned here, they'll be confident and able to compete and excel in those situations. And, most importantly, they will be able to be a leader who isn't afraid to stand up and share their ideas. The club sponsor, S. Mitchell, concurs: "For [these kids] to get this training, at this age... when they get into college, when they get into the workforce, when they have those opportunities... they're ready for it! They're not worried about being nervous or how to 'put it all together'."
And the unique feature of this Gavel Club? They've been helping teens gain confidence for many years - and are believed to be the oldest gavel club in the U. S. Started in 2002 by several moms wanting a place for their children to develop public speaking skills, the club has changed many, many lives since. When her daughter first started many years ago, D. Edwards said she was absolutely terrified to give her first speech. But all that has changed. Now, "Her professors have actually asked her to teach classes! She talks about [Gavel Club] all the time... it has helped her so much." Edwards' son also previously attended the club. He has since been interviewed on television, radio, in the newspaper - and has used his speaking skills in front of crowds at science conventions. She said he recently told her, "It was all because of Gavel Club... Now, I cannot believe how much it has helped me, even in everyday life and in my job." And Edwards says the club has greatly helped her children to talk on their feet. Just like "answering a Table Topic", being able to speak on a dime was priceless - especially in their job interviews. "All of them, the very first job they've interviewed for, they've gotten." The Edwards family is an example of how the Toastmasters experience - through a Gavel Club - can make a big difference in a teen's future.
Much of the success of the club throughout the years, however, is due to its outstanding leadership. In time, all the original founders' children graduated, and the leadership passed on to S. Mitchell. Having graduated three of her own children from the club, she helped shape the club into what it is today. Mitchell found out about Toastmasters through her father, who attended one of the clubs while working at State Farm Insurance. Mitchell explained that “There's just so many aspects Toastmasters allows... from being able to speak on your feet and speak your thoughts... to the in-depth projects you are able to give, in your own style... to the evaluations of your peers.” Her answer to how the club has helped her own children was simple: "To be able to communicate their thoughts effectively, and to articulate what they believe and why - in any situation - even stepping up for the underdog."
And this excellence in leadership has produced even more leadership - this time, in the members themselves. Several Gaveliers, have achieved a Competent Communicator, as well as Advanced Communicator Bronze awards, after completing three speech manuals.
One former club President, Parker G. stated that success didn't come overnight - it took the practice and encouragement of the club to help him become a confident leader. Part of that was learning how to speak on his feet. He laughs, "One year, I got a Table Topic asking me to 'Explain what I was doing in the mall last night dancing in a tutu'! The first year I probably wouldn't have stayed up there 20 seconds." As President however, he ran the club's Executive Committee meetings with proficiency and kept everyone on target. He even gave a speech on these meetings' method - Parliamentary Procedure - from the Success/Communication Series, helping train not just the officers but all the members on something vital in future business meetings. Even the club's Word of The Day, a weekly vocabulary stretcher, benefited from his initiatives. Now, students compete for points every week for usage of recent ones like libel (to defame), juxtapose (to compare), and even hebdomadal (weekly). Sentences like "Your speech had a modicum amount of filler words" or "Your eye contact has greatly ameliorated" may not be heard in most settings - but they are here! Parker is an example of how training received in Gavel Club can help anyone become, as he sums up in two words, "more confident".
And confidence in leadership quickly spread to new members - even fulfilling a family tradition. For the family of J. Johnson, growing leadership through Toastmasters and Gavel Clubs was something "going on three generations." Her father was a Toastmaster, and got Johnson involved, right out of college, in the local Toastmasters club as well. Although she was a little reluctant at first, to her surprise, she found the experience "definitely helped... even though I was new and less experienced, and a lot of people had been doing it for a long time, they were still really encouraging." Reflecting on her own involvement in Toastmasters, she wanted to make sure all her children could have that same training. After discovering Gavel Clubs for teens, she started the leadership tradition early with her oldest son. Through
Queen City Gavel Club, she says he too found a love for speaking, and learning how to "craft" your talk has been priceless - "It's been a new field [for him], and writing it all down and thinking it through has been just as good as the practice of getting up there." Johnson says he also learned from things others researched for their speeches - and brought it up for discussion during the week. She laughed, "That was an unexpected benefit!"
S. Mitchell, a former club leader, agrees: "I thoroughly enjoy(ed) seeing everyone develop skills year after year, and seeing how they progress(ed)... from the most shy to be able to speak in front of people, without that extreme fear - to those that are more naturally inclined to speak, to be able to just soar.”