For a new group, the Prairie Wind Toastmasters Club covers a lot of ground.

The Toastmasters' membership includes employees of Great River Energy's Coal Creek and Stanton Stations, Falkirk Mine, McLean Electric Cooperative at Garrison and local residents from Underwood, Center and Washburn, charter member Lyndon Anderson said.

The 27-member club will celebrate its charter ceremony from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at Great River Energy's Coal Creek Station in Underwood.

Anderson, North Dakota communications supervisor for Great River Energy, sees Toastmasters as a leadership training program for Great River Energy's next generation.

"This is an idea a couple of us had," Anderson said. "We wanted to start a club so we would have leadership opportunities for workers in our plant. We have an aging workforce."

As senior Great River Energy employees retire, less experienced workers will need to step into leadership roles. Toastmasters will provide workers with an opportunity to develop leadership skills, he said.

"I really am enthused because the club offers leadership opportunities for people in rural North Dakota," Anderson said. "The unique thing about this club is that, in North Dakota, most of the clubs are located in the larger cities. There are very few located in rural areas."

Toastmaster clubs are intended to promote leadership, listening and public speaking skills, he said.

Mark Jennings, area vice president and agricultural leader for Farmers Security Bank of Washburn, said he had quite a bit of public speaking experience before he became a charter member of Toastmasters.

A major benefit of Toastmasters is that it allows all members to develop their public speaking skills, he said.

Members give five-minute speeches and ask other speakers questions. One recent discussion topic asked members to describe their favorite childhood springtime activity, Anderson said.

Since the Toastmasters' initial meeting in January, members have been making early-morning commutes to Coal Creek Station twice a month. Most members are used to being at the mines by 6:30 a.m., so their 7 a.m. meetings are very lively, he said.

Great River Energy Engineer Supervisor Bob Johnson, Hazen, has to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to make it to Toastmaster meetings on time, but meetings are worth the drive, Johnson said.

"It's a good group and meetings are fun," he said.

"The club is an open club, so we would welcome membership from anyone who wants to travel," Anderson said.

"We've had a lot of laughter and a lot of learning," he said. "They thoroughly enjoy coming to each meeting."

(Reach Alyssa Schafer at 250-8264 or alyssa.schafer@;bismarcktribune.com.)