This fall, I returned to Toastmasters — the super-effective organization of clubs for training people in the skills of public speaking and leadership — by joining Denver’s brand new “Liberty Toastmasters.” The club was created by Brad Beck, a classmate of mine from the Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR). The members include most of my favorite people from that LPR class, a number of friends from Front Range Objectivism, and various other good folks.

Liberty Toastmasters is somewhat unique, in that it focuses on “issues such as personal responsibility, individual / property rights, limited government, free markets, and a strong national defense.” Of course, not all members do that effectively or consistently, but the group doesn’t assume that they do. However, I hope and expect that we will all learn to be more effective advocates for liberty — not only by cultivating our speaking and leadership skills, but also by refining and augmenting our understanding the theory and practice of individual rights in politics.

Happily, the club was written up in the Denver Examiner, with the focus on Yuriy Belits. I had the pleasure of evaluating his speech at that meeting.

If you’re interested in becoming a more effective activist, I’d definitely recommend joining a local Toastmaster club. If you’re already an experienced Toastmaster, you might think about creating a similar “Liberty Toastmasters” in your area. From what I’ve seen, it’s a great way to network with — and influence — people interested in defending this country from the statism of left and right.