Those in the Foothills who are looking to sharpen their public speaking skills have a golden opportunity coming up.

The Big Rock Pioneer Toastmasters Club is holding an open house tomorrow (March 19) at the Okotoks Public Library from 7-8:30 p.m.

Toastmasters International, which celebrates 100 years this October, is a non-profit dedicated to helping people build confidence and public speaking skills.

Big Rock Pioneer Toastmasters President Leonard Quilty says the local branch tries to foster a supportive environment.

"We're all about helping people develop their communication and leadership skills. So we provide a supportive environment, members can come in and give speeches, we give feedback and evaluation on their speaking skills. We also offer an opportunity for leadership development, which is a big part of Toastmasters. The Toastmasters byline says 'Where leaders are made.'"

Those interested in joining the local club must be at least 18 years old to join, though they do have some youth programs available.

"It's for any age group, any profession. I'm a teacher myself but we have people there from different walks of life and different stages of life. It just depends on one's desire to further develop their communication and leadership skills," says Quilty.

He says the event will be a great introduction for newcomers.

"We have an agenda that we stick closely to, so we'll have one or two prepared speeches, we'll have an opportunity for what we call 'table topic' speeches, which are impromptu, and we provide feedback on that. We'll have some refreshments as well. And we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, it's pretty close to March 17 so we're having a St. Patrick's Day theme."

More information on the Big Rock Pioneer Toastmasters Club can be seen on their Facebook page.