By facilitating inclusive meetings, nurturing creativity, and building community, I helped a writers’ club earn social media recognition—and grew as a leader.

The Toastmasters Rough Writers Club during one of our weekly meetings. (Photo:Ana Clara Otoni)

Public speaking has always excited me. The chance to share ideas, connect with people, and deliver a message I truly believe in? I’m in.

Throughout school I was the student who signed up for every theater performance. In journalism school, speaking to a crowd felt natural, even when my heart would pound heavy, my palms would sweat, and my mouth would go dry. I had the honor of being valedictorian and delivering a speech I wrote myself at graduation.

But doing that in my native Portuguese is one thing. Doing it in English was a whole new beast.

That challenge is what led me to Rough Writers Toastmasters, a club dedicated to improving both public speaking and storytelling skills.

I quickly realized this wasn’t just about giving speeches. It was about learning how to communicate effectively, offer constructive feedback, and build a creative, supportive community.

Joining the club

I started as a member somewhere in 2019, attending weekly meetings with structured speaking opportunities and feedback.

I also tried every role in a Toastmasters meeting: Toastmaster of the Day, who leads the meeting; Table Topics Master, who runs impromptu speeches; Evaluator, giving feedback; General Evaluator, Timekeeper, and Grammarian. Each role helped me develop important professional skills: leadership, planning, giving feedback, and confidence under pressure.

What began as an in-person adventure quickly became a virtual journey when the pandemic hit. Yet, even through screens, Rough Writers maintained its heart — a group of passionate speakers and writers committed to helping one another grow.

This taught me how to keep people engaged in virtual meetings and manage communications in a new way.

Becoming Vice-President of Public Relations

In July 2020, I became VP of Public Relations of the club.
My responsibilities included:

Redesigning the club’s website and creating its visual identity (still used today).
Running social media accounts to engage members.
Sharing updates about meetings, workshops, and contests.
Promoting the club and helping retain members.

“The energy of this club is truly remarkable… Social media and online presence are best in class,” said Lucas Stidham, Director, Area E-1, District 1 Toastmasters, about my work.

In three months, the club won an award for best online presence, showing that our social media and website strategy helped keep members engaged.

Proud moment as we received the Best Online Presence award from District ONE Toastmasters. (Photo: Ana Clara Otoni/LinkedIn)

One of my favorite things about Rough Writers Toastmasters was its incredible diversity. The club brought together veteran Toastmasters, new speakers, published authors, students, business leaders, and creatives from all walks of life. I got a chance to learn and shared stories with a U.S. Air Force veteran, a Los Angeles Times journalist, a community college student and even a former Hollywood talent manager and a former backup dancer for the iconic American soul singer James Brown! Being part of this mix helped me connect with people from many backgrounds and see the world in new ways.

In this short video, I share my three favorite things about the club—diversity being at the top of the list.

Publishing and leading workshops

The club published an annual anthology, and to my surprise and delight, I had the chance to publish my first short fiction story, “Les Batailles de la Femme” (Woman’s Battle) — a piece inspired by the early years of French philosopher and mother of existentialist feminism, Simone de Beauvoir.

Holding that book in my hands felt like proof that creativity thrives when shared in community. In this short video, I share an inside look at the plot of my published short story.

As VPPR at Rough Writers, I also led a workshop on writing author bios to help fellow writers craft compelling self-presentations for publication. This experience deepened my passion for storytelling and mentoring others: I loved creating a hands-on, visual approach to help fellow Toastmasters craft compelling bios and elevator pitches.

Breaking away from text-heavy slides really made a difference. After the workshop, several members shared how valuable the session was, highlighting how the examples, practical exercises, and vibrant yet minimalist design helped them better understand and apply the concepts.

Some of the slides in my presentation on "A Killer Author Bio: How to Write Your Hero Journey" (Photo: Ana Clara Otoni)

The impact

Rough Writers Toastmasters was more than a club—it was a place to practice public speaking, storytelling, leadership, and teamwork. I:

Published a short story in the club’s anthology.
Led workshops and created educational content.
Managed the club’s website and social media strategy.
Increase Rough Writers’ visibility internationally. One of my key accomplishments was pitching and securing a feature article in Toastmasters International magazine, which highlights clubs around the world.
Took all key roles in weekly meetings to build skills and confidence.
Recruited new members and helped maintain a positive club environment.

The best part of joining Rough Writers Toastmasters was being part of a community of kind, helpful people who were always ready to give constructive feedback.

This is a skill I learned there and still use in my career—giving honest, useful feedback is one of the best ways to help someone. I also made friends I keep to this day, who continue to inspire me.

Joining Rough Writers helped me become a better communicator, leader, and teammate, and these lessons guide every project I do today.

Skills I developed

Public Speaking, Storytelling, Leadership, Community Building, Feedback, Workshop Facilitation, Communication, Social Media, Digital Branding, Confidence, Event Coordination.

Ana Clara Otoni

How I became a published writer and helped build an award-winning club