What is the common denominator among DCSA employees reporting tremendous strides in their public speaking capabilities, positively impacting the agency’s national security vision and mission?
 
It’s Toastmasters International.
 
Their reports and testimonials coincide with the DCSA virtual Toastmasters Clubs’ second anniversary in May and an official designation as distinguished clubs.
 
“It is an honor for DCSA Toastmaster Clubs to achieve distinguished status in such a short period of time,” said Misty Cunningham, former Chapter 2 president, and investigations contract analyst. “This status recognizes the achievements of our clubs’ members and encourages continuous improvement of each current and future member. It reflects the vision of our founders and continuing leadership who worked so hard to set the stage, ensuring our progress and most importantly - our members' public speaking success."
 
The Distinguished Club recognition – awarded to both DCSA chapters in April – is the result of education, membership, training and administration goals achieved coupled with club members’ progress in their communication and leadership skills. 
 
“The inclusion of the DCSA chapters into Toastmasters Distinguished Club program demonstrates our members’ commitment and dedication to improving and enhancing their communication skills,” said Heidi McKeever, former DCSA Chapter 1 president, and special agent. “Being a member of Toastmasters has allowed me to hone my public speaking skills in a safe and positive environment. My confidence improved significantly when it comes to addressing large groups of people.”
 
The DCSA chapters are among the distinguished high-quality clubs that enhance members’ experience by encouraging and celebrating their achievement in a supportive, fun environment while offering a professionally organized meeting with variety. 
 
“Chartering and launching a Toastmasters club at DCSA began as a simple idea – to empower voices and build confidence,” said Laura Bauer, former DCSA Chapter 1 president and club co-founder, who is a management and program analyst. “Today, it has grown into a thriving community of leaders, communicators and collaborators. Watching it flourish has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my career.”
 
DCSA club officers – trained in all aspects of club quality to ensure that members have access to a formal mentoring program – are provided evaluations that help them grow and are motivated to achieve their goals.
 
“The enthusiastic participation of Chapter 2 members highlights the supportive and collaborative environment fostered within DCSA Toastmasters,” said Julie Gonzalez, Chapter 2 president, and program analyst. “This participation reflects DCSA’s values of integrity through honest and open communication, and its commitment to excellence by encouraging continuous improvement in communication and leadership skills.”
 
Each year the Distinguished Club program recognizes club achievements in education, membership growth, club leadership and club communication. 
 
This recognition does not measure everything that makes a club successful, but it reflects the activities required for a club to achieve success. It also reflects the personal and professional development that is making a difference in club members’ day-to-day requirements, including leadership.
 
“Being part of DCSA Toastmasters has been invaluable to me as a leader. The meetings are uplifting and supportive, while also providing meaningful feedback for improvement,” said Melissa Beecher, Chapter 1 vice president of membership, and a special agent in charge. “Through Toastmasters, I have become more comfortable and confident with gathering my thoughts and coherently presenting them to an audience. It's also been an opportunity to network and build relationships with other DCSA employees, for which I am deeply grateful.”
 
Those receiving tips and training from Toastmasters members prior to speaking roles are also grateful. DCSA Toastmasters are available to coach and assist other Gatekeepers within and outside of the club with their public speaking and presentation skills. 
 
“Prior to Toastmasters I would not be comfortable with public speaking, to include speaking up during a meeting. Toastmasters has provided a safe space to work on impromptu speaking, critical thinking, how to receive constructive criticism, how to provide constructive criticism, also how to prepare for what you are not able to prepare for when speaking, such as IT issues,” said Adrienne Witt, a Toastmasters member and personnel security specialist. “Toastmasters within DCSA has also given me the ability to connect with others who are not in my directorate and gives me a broader understanding of what else our agency accomplishes and how my work directly impacts them.”
 
Toastmasters’ education programs – including the programs at DCSA – are enhanced by the following growth principles:
 

• Experiential learning – Practice and improve your communication and leadership skills by giving speeches and fulfilling club roles.
• Peer feedback – Grow and nurture your public speaking and communication skills through honest and supportive peer evaluation.
• Mentoring – With support from experienced mentors in the DCSA clubs, Gatekeepers can achieve more than they ever thought possible, both personally and professionally.
• Self-paced program – Opportunities to develop skills at each member’s pace enables everyone to experience long-lasting growth.

“Toastmasters directly benefited my work as an Intelligence Analyst by sharpening my skills in providing and receiving feedback,” said Chapter 2 member Carolina Dearing, an intelligence operations specialist. “This newfound confidence, cultivated through Toastmasters, empowered me to deliver a speech at a DOD conference to a large audience of thousands – both virtually and in person – an opportunity I might have otherwise hesitated to pursue.”