Local toastmasters are giving individuals a chance to speak on any topic they would like. But only for three minutes.
The Arbutus Toastmasters Soapbox Night in Parksville will be at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre Monday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The event is free.
Matt Breedlove, a member of the Arbutus Toastmasters Club of Parksville, said anyone is welcome to attend the soapbox night. He said the first half of the night is a condensed version of the club’s regular meeting, to provide guests with a sense of what the toastmasters do.
“Then the second half of the meeting, we invite anybody and everybody to come and stand on our soapbox — we actually have a soapbox — to experience public speaking,” Breedlove said. “For three minutes, they can say what they want. They can sing, they can recite.”
Breedlove said the soapbox night can give people an idea of what public speaking is like or, for those who are already familiar with public speaking, the soapbox night is a chance to revisit it.
After previous soapbox nights, Breedlove said, people have joined the club because they realized public speaking was “not as scary as (they) thought it was.”
The Arbutus Toastmasters of Parksville meet every Monday evening (except statutory holidays) at 7 p.m. at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre (132 Jensen st.). Guests are welcome.
For more information on the Soapbox Night in Parksville, visit www.arbutus.toastmastersclubs.org.