Emi:
Past President,
Past VPE, Past VPPR, Club webmaster,
Stay-at-home mom,
member since 1999
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If you're at all familiar with the Toastmasters organization,
you may think of it simply as a "public speaking"
club. It is so much more than that, though. In fact, people
visit Toastmasters clubs for a wide variety of different
reasons to overcome shyness, to brush up on presentation
skills, to develop leadership skills, or simply to become
a better speaker, among a host of other reasons. While my
initial reason for visiting a club was fairly unique, the
benefits Ive reaped from the last ten years of membership
are not, though I could not have imagined such benefits
when I began my journey. Continue reading and youll
get an idea of what I mean.
Back in June of 1999, I walked into a Chandler restaurant
to attend my first Gilbert Toastmasters meeting. Actually,
thats not entirely true. Ten years ago this month,
I had my husband drag me to my first Gilbert Toastmasters
meeting. As a moderately functioning agoraphobic, being
outside of my house meant being way outside of my comfort
zone.
While it was my idea to visit a Toastmasters club, I needed
my husband to take me. He and our toddler son sat immediately
outside the meeting room for that moment when I would have
to flee the premises, a moment that never came. I felt so
welcomed and was made to feel so comfortable that on that
first visit, I filled out the application, submitted my
dues check, and didnt look back.
In this new environment, I found mentors, counselors, confidants,
and so much more amongst the club membership. What seemed
to be a conspiracy to challenge me to grow was simply a
club following the Toastmasters program. While my goal was
simply get out of the house once a week, they didnt
allow me to settle for that. They challenged me through
helpful evaluations, gentle prompting, and outright nudges.
At one point I was encouraged to attend a Toastmasters
conference, an idea that terrified me, but I gave it a try.
I have really enjoyed these conferences and have made some
great friends there. I had so many opportunities to improve
my conversational skills and grow as a communicator, but
something else happened at these events I watched
others serve the organization and learned that so many of
them started out just as insecure as I was. Yet there they
were, speaking to larger groups on the art of leadership
and serving as leaders themselves. Before long, I was ready
to begin growing as a leader.
Serving as an officer grew my leadership experience beyond
telling my toddler No! when he attempted to
climb up the bookshelf. Through the VP of Public relations
position I was able to develop the passion of sharing my
story with others. One of the first ways I was able to do
that was by taking advantage of the growing medium of the
internet. I launched this website, which enabled me to learn
the marketable skills of website management. As a direct
result, I was hired by a couple of fellow club members to
manage the website for their real estate business
a job I still have today. Employment turned into friendship,
but the friendships didnt stop with them. My closest
and dearest friends and mentors are all Toastmasters Ive
gotten to know over the last ten plus years, and I wouldnt
have it any other way.
I have taken a little time off to give my son a pair of
brothers and to attend a few college classes. But I always
returned to my beloved club as soon as I was able
including with baby and bottle in hand. My Toastmasters
friends all the while kept nudging me in the direction of
personal growth. I didnt fight it.
The club itself also changed over the past decade. From
Chandler we moved to Mesa, back to Chandler, back to Mesa
(yes, Gilbert Toastmasters has received the brunt of many
jokes), finally settling in its hometown. Twenty-plus members
grew into fifty-plus members, and the club is one of the
most successful in the state of Arizona. Sadly, Ive
had to say goodbye to fellow members over the years, but
others have stayed and those who have left have been replaced
by new friends. Each member along the way has contributed
to my personal growth.
Over a decade after first walking into a club meeting as
a shy agoraphobic, I have been President of my club, an
Area Governor (a leader who oversees a group of clubs),
Ive recently facilitated a workshop teaching teenage
boys Toastmasters skills, Ive presented upwards of
40 speeches, and spoken to audiences as large as a few hundred,
and I am now taking my next leadership leap as Gila Division
Governor with over 30 clubs in my service area. I am happy
to label myself as a recovered agoraphobic.
Today I am confident and capable, all because I walked into
a club meeting, met a bunch of friendly people committed
to helping me grow, and embraced the Toastmasters program.
My story all started by visiting Toastmasters Internationals
website. I visited a couple of clubs, and found one that
fit my personality - this one. Do the same and youll
have begun a potentially life-changing journey. What do
the next ten years have in store for you? How will your
story play out? Take the first step.
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