TMOD theme on journey in Toastmasters

MY JOURNEY IN TOASTMASTERS

When my friend David first described Toastmaster to me, it sounded like a university classroom all over. And trust me; my university classroom was absolutely uninspiring. So I kept my distance. As it turned out, David happened to be a very persuasive communicator. He kept revisiting the idea of Toastmasters over next few telephonic conversations, until finally I gave in and agreed to attend one session as a guest. David was a member in Chicago. He got in touch with our VP Ed here and got me a seat in one of our club meeting.

Fellow Toastmasters, that was 15 months back and ever since, I am a passionate Toastmasters. Once I attended the meeting as a guest, I witnessed firsthand that it was nothing like a university classroom. The entire format appealed to me and I could really see how my communication skills may benefit from the program. I could also guess what made David such a persuasive communicator. Needless to say, I signed up immediately.

I know we are recording this. So VP membership, the next time you are looking to convince a guest or just need a testimonial, you now have an absolutely original one at your disposal.

Ever since, I have thanked David multiple times but more importantly, I made it a point to guide other people in my circle to this wonderful educational program. I am also happy to share that four of them have joined Toastmasters in different cities on my word. So I figure I have paid my dues.

I would like to share more about my journey here in Toastmasters but first let us understand how a Toastmasters meeting works. Every Toastmasters meeting is divided into three parts. The first part is the prepared speech section where members prepare a speech in advance, get it mentored and deliver the same. The second part is the impromptu session where anyone including the guest can participate. And the third part is the most important evaluation session where we will all learn how to improve ourselves. Let me now invite the General Evaluator to explain his role. Please help me welcome TM Name with a big round of applause.

Once the General Evaluator has explained his role, start the prepared speech section. After this session, continue with the theme as under.

Right after joining the club, I spent the first 2 months solely taking up TAG roles. Despite repeated reminders from my mentor, I couldn’t start writing my ice breaker for a long time. While I took up table topics and even volunteered for the role of a Table Topic Master, writing my ice breaker remained elusive. One fine day, my mentor made an observation “Richard do you realise that two new members who joined after you have delivered their ice breaker. When are you lifting that hammer?” That was the day I started working on my ice breaker. The fact is upon delivering it, I realised I feared needlessly. Worse, it delayed my level completion by a month and I couldn’t participate in ISC. So new members – don’t repeat the mistake. Learn from my experience. Start working on your ice breaker today.

Right now, it’s time for the second session of the day – the table topic session. Please help me welcome the Table Topic Master TM Name.

Once the Table Topic session is over, continue the theme as under.

Over the last 15 months, my engagement with Toastmasters has benefited me in more ways than I could imagine. I feel my communication skill has increased manifold. I feel more confident while expressing my thoughts. These thoughts come out more structured, logical and balanced. Speech evaluations have taught me to be more analytical in decisive moments. This has garnered me rich dividends and appreciation in my job. But the richest experience I gained was in my role as the SAA during the last six months. I learnt what all goes behind hosting any successful meeting, assuming responsibilities, executing them perfectly and working in a team. I am sure other members here had a similar outcome with their journey in Toastmasters.

We will continue with the theme but now it’s time for the evaluation session. Please help me welcome the GE TM Name.

Once the evaluation session is over, conclude the theme as under.

There is one other benefit I reaped from Toastmasters that deserves a special mention. Over the last six months, I have observed that in every social engagement I am a part of, someone inevitably mentions that I am a Toastmaster after which multiple people ask me about the program, benefits and other details. More so, I sense respect and admiration in their tone – something people associate with high educational qualifications. So there you see, I may not have had the best university experience yet my engagement with Toastmasters has afforded me the same respect I would have garnered with an elite university degree and that’s something to be absolutely proud of.

It’s time now for awards.