What's in it for me?: The benefits of Toastmasters
What makes Gilbert Club #499 special?: Gilbert's bragging rights
Member testimonies: How Toastmasters has helped us
What can I expect at a meeting?: How the meetings are conducted
Functionaries: Who does what at the meetings
Meet the Gilbert Club officers
Frequently asked questions: A work in progress

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Member testimonies: How Toastmasters has helped us

Emi:

Current VPE,
Former VPPR,
Club webmaster,
Stay-at-home mom,
member since 1998

I left my family and my home in Hawaii in 1995 and relocated to the Phoenix area 3 weeks after getting married. With no support system in place and a genetic predisposition, I easily slipped into major depression but wasn't diagnosed until over two years later. Being a stay-at-home mom aggravated my condition by helping me cut off my connections with the outside world. After a while going out caused anxiety attacks and eventually I developed agoraphobia. I ended up on antidepressant medication.
I discovered Toastmasters through a family member and started attending Gilbert. I joined after my first visit in spite of the fact that it was very uncomfortable for me to be out of my house. Yet at the same time, I wasn't uncomfortable at the meeting. The Club members gave me an extremely warm welcome and kept me at ease. I started working my way through the 10 Basic Manual speeches and immediately noticed my confidence level going up, and my self-esteem with it. I realized that the Toastmasters format allowed for that to occur easily. Evaluators are encouraged to find and cite strengths within a speech and make a couple of suggestions so that I could do even better in the next one.
It didn't take me very long before I began to view my fellow Gilbert Toastmasters as a part of my support system. I could open up to them and they would encourage me. I no longer see them as fellow club members, but as friends.
Oh, just as a postscript, with such a significant boost in self-confidence, I've been cured of my agoraphobia, and I have even been able to get off my antidepressants. And of course, I'm a better speaker!


 

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