Why I Joined Toastmasters & Why You Should Too

Last week I joined Toastmasters. Honestly, I had no idea what exactly it was, except that you give speeches to a group of other people and listen to them. I’ve heard it recommended to me, so I thought I would check it out. Sitting in on a few sessions as a guest, here is what I can tell you:

• There are clearly defined structures and themes to each meeting. There are preparation and strategy to achieve different levels within Toastmasters.

• Far more than simply giving speeches, I can see how their claims of building personal growth, learning leadership skills, and building confidence will come to pass if I give myself fully to this process.

• There are other roles than just giving speeches! From roles of the timer to the grammarian to evaluators, this is a well-rounded experience.

• The community is welcoming and supportive. Even though my local group is meeting via Zoom, they have been so encouraging!

For fun, I’ve included for you my first speech - the Ice Breaker. In this speech, I give a little background about me, why I’m at Toastmasters, and what I hope to gain from my experiences.

But, is Toastmasters right for you? If you are looking for a place to build your speaking skills, video presence, confidence, leadership, and awareness, I would encourage you to consider finding your own local Toastmasters group.

When considering if improving your public speaking is of any value…

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” Colossians 4:6

Facing the Inevitable

Inevitably, I, being a human on earth, have been faced with change ebbing throughout my nearly 40 trips around the sun. People we love pass away from this earth. Life choices and circumstances take us from town to town or state to state or country to country. Once I was a child, but since I have grown. I once had a child, and he is growing before my eyes. I have a little more gray hair than I once did, but I have traded my youth for deep and true love one might only read about in fairytales.

It wasn’t always this way, my comfort with change. The third time I moved, I was eight years old. This was the first one that traumatized me. I was picked on in my new school, and making friends was hard. I carried this difficulty with me into my adult years. Somewhere after 10 moves, it finally started getting easier for me. This most recent move, number 25, may have been my hardest in the middle of a pandemic. The roots I had firmly planted were upheaved, and I was transplanted to a faraway land called Sherwood.

Along with this move came a career change which has been my lifeline to cling to when the nights were extra dark and lonely. I have had many professional titles - among many were waitress, manager, administrative assistant - but none are more precious to me than my current title - writer. Wading in ankle-deep into an ocean-sized world of grammar and essays and book proposals is fun and exciting and frightening all at the same time. Blogging and Instagram posts are just the tip of the iceberg. I had no idea how deep or wide this path would take me once I broke below the surface. 

Fortunately, I have not experienced this journey alone. I am married to Bob, my husband of nearly 18 years. I mentioned that I am deeply in love with this man, but I will also assure you that it was not always this way. Actually, it mostly wasn’t this way. Married after 7 short weeks of meeting, we immediately went into a toxic cycle of shame and anger, and frustration. You may be wondering - why did you stay? The answer? Maybe it was because we had our son 13 months after we married. Maybe it was because we both hoped something, or at least the other person, would change one day. Realistically it’s likely because we were both too stubborn to acknowledge that we may have made a mistake. Eventually, we both did the work we needed to turn our lives around. The journey wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

Now our son reaps the benefit of finishing out his teenage years with parents who love each other and can then, in turn, love him and parent him as he deserves. Brayden is an up-and-coming photographer and loves teenage boy things, like video games and food and his girlfriend. Yes, he managed to find a girlfriend in the middle of a pandemic. These two gentlemen have been my closest companions in the most difficult year of my life.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the importance of God in my life. He is what I write about, and I attribute my joy and energy to Him. That’s all I need to say about that for now.

Aside from the difficulties, I have found joy in our cross-country move. The deep attachments and obligations I previously held onto were broken loose. I now have the freedom to cultivate the life I have longed for - a gift or a curse depending on how you look at it. I also find great joy in the outdoors, and there is no shortage of trails and adventure in our new home. The mild winters, the lengthy fall and spring, and yes, even the rain, all accentuate the Portland suburbs' beauty. 

So, that is a little about what has brought me here, to Oregon. But why Toastmasters? Well, a few years ago, I was looking for feedback on a class I taught from my supervisor. He referred me to check out Toastmasters. I had no idea what Toastmasters was, but if it could help me refine my engagement skills, build confidence, and diminish my awkwardness in front of an audience, then I was all in. Truth be told, I didn’t really understand what I was getting myself into until this last week. I just know it was recommended to me by someone I trusted, so here I am. Along with my joint website with Bob, we are creating video content, and I hope to find speaking opportunities at local and virtual conferences and classes. Rather than getting overwhelmed with all, I don’t know, and all I can’t do yet, and all I am intimidated of, I remind myself to focus on one step, one task, one skill at a time. Toastmasters is that next step.

Change is good and inevitable. But change is also traumatic. Our frequent bouncing from place to place has kept me in survival mode. This uncertainty seeps its way through into my work. I watch videos I have done before, and I cringe at the insecurity emanating from me. My goal for being here in Toastmasters is to regain my confidence. The confidence I need for making new connections in a new profession. The confidence I need to impart the knowledge and wisdom I have gained to others. Confidence to make a home no matter what change lies ahead because inevitably, change will meet me once again.

If you found value in this article, here are some additional articles for you.