YOUNGSTOWN — For a group whose meetings involve handshaking, eye contact, close seating and public speaking, staying active during a pandemic with social distancing has been an adjustment.

All of the things that made a Toastmasters meeting an unique experience came to a screeching halt in March. Social distancing became the norm to avoid spreading the coronavirus, and Toastmasters International issued a statement prohibiting clubs from meeting in-person.

Many Toastmasters have presented speeches on overcoming obstacles, and COVID-19 was an obstacle that Toastmasters were determined to overcome in a virtual way.

Keeping their regularly scheduled days and times, Executive Club 408 Youngstown and the Warren Toastmasters have been meeting online for several weeks. Executive Club 408 gathers every Monday from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Warren Toastmasters have meetings on Saturdays twice a month on the second and fourth week from 9 to 11 a.m.

There have been several video conferencing options available for online meetings such as Zoom, Skype, WebEx and Go To Meeting.

For both clubs, Zoom has been the preferred choice.

“We had to ensure that we had a way forward for all of the agenda items. Most of them were rather straightforward, but a few of them required some thought such as discussion — how do we ensure that everyone has a chance to speak and that we maintain discipline and order in that discussion at the same time,” explained Executive Club 408 member Jim Hruska, who has coordinated the club’s Zoom setup.

BeckyAnn Harker, the Warren’s club vice president of education who oversees the scheduling and club goals, was slightly skeptical of online meetings, “I just couldn’t envision how we would manage all of the parts, especially doing speeches,” she said. “We talk so much about making eye contact with the audience, using body language and using our space effectively. How can we do those things when we are stuck on a tiny screen?”

Toastmasters clubs are divided into districts throughout the U.S. The Youngstown and Warren clubs are part of District 10, which serves Northeast Ohio. District 10 leadership conducted Zoom online training for the clubs. It has paid off as many clubs are having successful club meetings on Zoom.

The online meeting has presented a new role, the Chat Master.

“The chat area is for those side conversations. The chat master skims the chatter and summarizes the relevant parts with the whole group,” Warren Toastmaster Carrie Zapka noted. “The chat section has been great for humor. Instead of just one joke of the day (part of our agenda each meeting), we get several laughs.”

It is not certain when Toastmasters International will allow in-person meetings. Those who are interested in Toastmasters can attend an online meeting as a guest. Executive Club 408’s Hruska suggests going to the club website at https://speakingclub.org/ to contact one of the officers for an invite. As for the Warren club Zoom meeting, individuals can email for an invitation and login information at vpe-3577689@toastmastersclubs.org.

“The main thing is that we are still connected and still holding active meetings,” said Don Scarmuzzi, Warren Toastmaster’s treasurer.

Toastmasters International, the governing body of Toastmasters, notes that since 1924, Toastmasters has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. Toastmasters now has more than 16,800 clubs worldwide with a membership that exceeds 358,000 that meet on a regular basis.