For some, just the notion of public speaking is nerve-racking.

That hasn't been the case for Charissa Anderson.

"When I made my first speech in college, I just fell in love with it," she said. "I just thought this is what I'm supposed to do in life."

A professor told her about Toastmasters International, an organization that helps people become more confident in front of an audience, but "I didn't have time to join until I graduated and got a job," said Anderson, a Social Security Administration claims representative in Gainesville.

She now is involved with Gainesville Toastmasters in a big way, serving as the group's vice president of membership.

The organization is celebrating its 50th year in Gainesville, meeting at 5:45 p.m. each Monday at Brenau University's John W. Jacobs Jr. Building.

To mark its half-century of existence, the local group has held some membership drives and joined the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.

"We're just getting out there more and letting folks know that we're here and they should come join us," said Marsha Richter, one of the club's veteran members.

Toastmasters International started in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, Calif. Today it has some 250,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries. The Gainesville club has about 20 members.

"Our function is to help people take advantage of their abilities to speak, to make their voice heard and to communicate with people at a better level than they would have," said Ed Whitesides, the group's president.

"We provide a forum for people to develop those skills and we can oversee the growth, and we also have an outreach to the community," he said. "We like to work on community projects."

One community effort involved working with and coaching students at Lanier Career Academy in putting on a presentation, Whitesides said.

"We're about to adopt some new projects going forward," he said.

The group is meeting at Brenau as part of a mutually beneficial agreement.

"They like it because they want some of their students to be involved in Toastmasters," Whitesides said.

In a typical meeting, the group rotates the duty of emcee, or toastmaster, among the members.

The emcee introduces each speaker and presents the "Word of the Day." And then someone delivers the invocation or brief inspirational message. Each meeting also features a humorist, or someone who tells a joke or funny story.

Then, a few of the members will present prepared speeches, with other members serving as evaluators.

There's also a handbook - Toastmasters has a manual that "provides structure and guidance to improve skills, such as organization, vocabulary, vocal variety and body language."

Assigned evaluators "provide constructive feedback in oral and written form," with evaluations designed to be "highly encouraging and providing a positive learning experience for all."

"It's really great, because you see somebody who gives their first speech and they're incredibly nervous; they're shaking their papers. And then they just evolve and become such a great speaker because of the critique and the practice," Anderson said.

Bill Warner, the group's sergeant-at-arms, remembers a different kind of Toastmasters when he first participated in the organization back in the 1960s in St. Petersburg, Fla.

"It was pretty much a men's luncheon group, so I didn't stay in it too long," he said.

Warner has participated in the local club for about two years. "I'm pretty much retired from anything ... and I had a lot of fun with this," he said.

Gainesville's club has a diverse membership, including in age and years of membership.

Anderson has been involved about six months and as of the Sept. 28 meeting had given three speeches.

She said Toastmasters has helped in her work.

"It helps me communicate better and to be a better listener, definitely," Anderson said.

"A lot of people don't understand Social Security — they don't understand our programs or the rules. I've learned that you have to (simplify information) so they understand, and I think I've become better at that."

She hasn't served as emcee yet, however.

"I haven't done because I'm scared to do it," Anderson said, laughing. "I just like to speak."