bullient!! That’s the right word to describe the ambience of the first meeting of Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters. Our first milestone! What a day it was! Full of enthusiasm, excitement and radiance! All of us had butterflies in our stomach as to how it will shape up, but am glad and overwhelmed by the way the meeting was conducted.
Am sure all of you have read and heard quite a lot about Toastmasters in the past few months but it was totally a different experience to be a part of it.
Where do I start? What do I say? Humor, fun, excitement, tension, pride, learning, knowing and enjoying, yes! A Toastmaster meeting is all about this and much more. Knowing our fellow Toastmasters from a different but pleasant perspective, we are colleagues for years but it was surprising to know all those facts about the five different ice breakers of the meeting who broke the ice and introduced themselves to all of us.
Everyone has the urge to be a great speaker and in our meeting everyone is a learner. We learn from each others’ mistakes. As one of our speakers aptly said “I am glad to be a Toastmaster, because I am not expected to be a fluent speaker or give a good public appearance, I do, I learn, like everyone else in the club; with no inhibition of being embarrassed”. A Toastmasters club adopts a "learn-by-doing" philosophy, wherein each member learns at a pace suitable to his or her developmental needs. The Toastmasters program is divided into two separate tracks, Communication and Leadership, with members progressing along each track by presenting speeches and taking on roles within their club, district, and Toastmasters International itself.
We are not alone; we have able mentors from Oratorium MyInfy Toastmasters who will be mentoring and evaluating us. Their honest and positive feedback is a boon to us. As a grammarian, it was my duty to be a keen observer and a patient listener. Moreover, we can keep changing our roles in every meeting. Like this all of us will learn to be good leaders too.
All said and done, it doesn’t end there, you are generously lauded for taking the courage to be one of the speaker or role taker for the meeting, which definitely boosts our self confidence.
If you are like most people, then public speaking is not your favorite pastime. Yet survey after survey shows that presentation skills are crucial to success in the work place. The person with strong communication skills has a clear advantage over tongue-tied colleagues – especially in a competitive job market.
Many people pay thousands of dollars for seminars to gain the skill and confidence necessary to face an audience. But another option is less expensive and held in high regard in business circles – Toastmasters International!!
This organization has been around for more than 80 years and offers a proven – and enjoyable – way to practice and hone the communication and leadership skills of its members. The nonprofit organization now has approximately 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries.
Don’t delay!
Become the speaker and leader you want to be. Confident, charismatic leaders weren’t born that way. As you progress in Toastmasters, you’ll get to practice your skills by organizing and conducting meetings and motivating others to help you. Become a better negotiator. Gain trust. Sharpen your management skills. Inspire your team. Be decisive!
Be a Toastmaster!
Tahera Haq
Vice President – Public Relations
Leaders’ Garden Toastmasters
2522 good job :);)
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