I decided to begin my blog with some background: This is starting as a Toastmasters project. As such, I’ll speak to why I joined and continue to benefit from Toastmasters.
Sometime in 2000 or 2001 a friend of mine suggested I might enjoy Toastmasters. At the time I chaired Town Meeting’s Capital Budget Committee (CBC). It wasn’t difficult being a member of the committee or managing the small meetings. Departments with capital needs would present the requests to the committee. The committee would discuss the need and assign a priority based on specific criteria. The committee would vote to recommend Town Meeting (TM) approve the request. As chair, it was my responsibility to stand at TM and report the committee’s vote.
You might think, “No problem. Stand up, report the vote, sit down.” This wasn’t easy for me. One-to-one or small groups, no problem. Speaking to a large audience was terrifying. People wanted to know details, such as why members voted against something. It wasn’t easy to stand up and explain.
How Toastmasters Has Helped Me
Among the issues I’ve worked to overcome is the use of fillers. It can be very distracting when someone is speaking and connects parts of sentences with the all-too-familiar “um” or “so” or “like”. You may get the gist. Although I will still throw an um or ah into a sentence, I’m very aware each time I do. Most of the time, however, I pause. If I forget where I was going or am at a loss for the word I was looking for, I stop. It’s something that many people never think about. Have you ever had trouble listening to a speaker or follow what he/she was trying to say because they said “um” every few words?
Building confidence in speaking to groups has been my greatest achievement as a Toastmaster. At Town Meeting, I now stand and speak extemporaneously to issues without fear. As the chair of the Land Use Committee, I presented proposed changes to the Town’s Zoning Bylaws. My ability to present and to respond to questions and comments with relative ease came with my Toastmasters participation. The topics were not always simple, and the questions were not always easy. However, my confidence in my ability to speak with the knowledge I had on the issues came from within. I credit my participation in Toastmasters.
Why I Continue with Toastmasters
I finished all of the projects (speeches) necessary to be a Competent Toastmaster and a Competent Leader in 3 or 4 years. You may wonder why I’m still a member. I enjoy the opportunity it provides to continue learning to improve my communication skills; and to watch and learn from others. Sometimes I get to help others as they work to improve their communications skills.
Every speech a Toastmaster gives is evaluated. Not critiqued, but evaluated. It’s a good thing. I still appreciate the evaluations. I admit that I’ve never been one to “use the stage”. However, I’ll try.