Raftery to present ABCs of Public Speaking at library

SAUGUS – Sherri Raftery will present the ABCs of Public Speaking workshop at the Saugus Public Library on Wednesday, Dec. 21. As the Chairman of the Saugus Cultural Council and a previous District 31 Toastmaster Governor, Raftery has plenty of public speaking experience, along with tips and tricks that will help others improve as communicators.?We always have to get up in front of people to speak, whether it?s with a small group or a large group, and whether it?s a toast, presentation, or just speaking at a town meeting,” Raftery said. “So it?s a beneficial workshop because it?s a way to help people feel confident enough that they can express their thoughts and opinions without too many filler words.”The ABCs of Public Speaking Workshop – which is sponsored by the Saugus Cultural Council – focuses on animation, body language and cultivating a connection while speaking in public.Raftery said mastering public speaking is about making eye contact, using body language and space effectively, referencing personal stories that help you make your point, and of course, practicing.?The most important way to calm your nerves is to do more public speaking,” Raftery said. “My motto is the more you take center stage, the better your public speaking skills get because you feel more comfortable the more you do it.”Raftery received her bachelor?s degree in performing arts and communications from Emerson College, and her master?s degree in education with a concentration in arts and learning from Endicott College.She said the workshop is useful for middle school, high school and college students, as well as adults who are seeking employment or growth at their current jobs. Raftery?s daughter, an eighth-grader at Belmonte Middle School, improved her presentation skills greatly by attending such workshops and taking pointers from her mother.Great public speaking skills can also be used to give back to others, as Raftery pointed out. She currently serves on the Board of Ambassadors for the Home for Little Wanderers, a non-profit child and family service agency based in Boston that helped Raftery when she was a child.?I grew up in group homes, and now that I?m older, I?m able to help raise funds and awareness for the Home,” Raftery said. “I?ve spoken at the Kennedy Library, the Seaport World Trade Center and the Home in One Women?s Golf Tournament among other places on behalf of the Home.”In 2008 Raftery was chosen to be the guest of honor at the Home for Little Wanderers? annual Voices & Visions gala fundraiser, where she told her story in front of more than 900 people.Raftery has also served as a guest speaker for the 2008 Orphan Train?s Celebration in Freemont, Neb., the Women?s Crisis Center in Brockton, North Shore Children?s Hospital, the Essex County Youth At Risk Conference, the Society for Women Engineers and the Toastmasters Leadership Institute.The ABCs of Public Speaking workshop with Sherri Raftery will be held Wednesday, Dec. 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room at the Saugus Public Library, 295. Central St. For more information contact Raftery at 978-235-2035 or [email protected] Trufant can be reached at [email protected].