Advenures in Toastmasters: Day 2

In my first Toastmasters blog, I talked about my first Toastmasters meeting and how I was nervous/excited about joining a group that would allow me to help expand my public speaking skills. In this entry, I am going to talk about how having a group like Toastmasters can help anyone with fear and anxiety speak well.

It’s Monday, August 5th, 2008, and it’s my second Toastmasters meeting. I don’t feel any anxiety or nervousness this time. Instead of staring at the clock waiting for the time to leave, I’m actually rushing to get there on time. I’m ready for whatever the night has to offer. I arrive about 5 minutes early and there’s only a small group tonight, 5 others. I know that I will have a role to play tonight (I volunteered at the last meeting to be the “timer” for this meeting).

The meeting goes as I expected. There were informal topics about the Olympics that were discussed. I got to share my opinion on politics and the role it plays in the Olympics. Vlad gave a great speech about “removing TV from your everyday life” and how it’s helped him. Other than that, there’s nothing especially interesting about the meeting.

However, the really interesting part of the night was after the meeting. Bob, a visiting Toastmaster, and I were talking to Vlad about his speech. Bob was Vlad’s evaluator for his speech. Bob gave Vlad some great feedback on his speech. Bob, Vlad, and I were talking about storytelling in speeches and how the use of it can help a speaker. We explained to Vlad that incorporating personal stories draws the audience in. It also helps the speaker remember the speech since they are telling a story from their own experience.

Then Bob told Vlad and I a story about a young lady who was part of his Toastmasters group. According to Bob, this young lady’s first talk consisted of her staring at her feet and saying “I can’t talk in front of people. I can only talk to horses and dogs”. Bob explained that she worked in a pet store. Her fear of speaking forced her to only stare down when talking in front of a group of people. Bob then told us that over the course of the year, she ended up winning the clubs Most Improved award, and eventually went on to win one of the Toastmasters speaking contests.

I mention this story because it shows that with the proper tools, environment, and practice, anyone can overcome their fear and become a great speaker. I truly believe that there is a great speaker in everyone. The trick is finding a way to let that person shine through. For Bob’s friend, it was joining Toastmasters and getting the opportunity to speak again and again.

I would like to end this post with a great quote I found recently. It’s from the former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. She said “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Or as Nike put it “Just Do It”.

Speak well!

For a more definitive guide to becoming a better public speaker, click here. The Public Speaking Extraordinaire program has everything you need from learning to control fear to what to do the night before a big speech. You can get this guide day or night! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my free guide on how to Control Fear and Gain Confidence. Just sign up in the box on the side.