The first time I heard the word Toastmasters, I thought…..toast…..what?
I’d never heard of Toastmasters International. And I lived in a town where a
Toastmasters club had been around longer than I had! Sometimes the best things
are the best kept secrets. Today, I want to let you in on this secret, which
really isn’t a secret at all. Toastmasters International is an organization
that helps its members develop and hone their leadership and communication
skills.
First, let
me take you back, over ten years ago, to where I was when I first darkened the
door of my local Toastmasters club. I was in a really tough place in my life. A
few years prior, my family had been torn apart by divorce. If you’ve ever been
there and done that, you know what I’m talking about. It was a huge
life-changing event that almost destroyed me. You can just imagine where my
confidence and self esteem were after that. Yep, in the crapper. Can I say that
here? That’s exactly where I was….lower than I’d ever been, with an
emotional pain that manifested itself physically every single day. Finally, I
became numb and was just going through the motions to move forward, keep my job
and try to hold it together when my children were around. I was failing
miserably.
After a few
years of this, (yes, I said 'years') I happened to be sitting at my desk one day, in my little gray
cubicle, listening to a book on CD. It was written by a life coach, CherylRichardson, who casually mentioned she’d learned to speak in public through
Toastmasters. This gal wasn’t just any life coach. She was well known in her
field and, later on, I’d see her on Oprah. But she’d planted a seed, sparked my
interest, when she mentioned Toastmasters.
And I’d thought:
Toast…what? I did what I often do when I hear about something new to me. I
googled it. Found out there was a club meeting right here in my hometown that
evening. I knew I had to be there, to check it out, to see what Cheryl was
talking about.
Now, I wasn’t
interested in public speaking. No way! I could hardly look someone in the eye
when speaking one on one. And to give a presentation at work? Hey, if they’d
asked me to do that, I probably would have found another job. (Seriously.)
So, I showed
up at the club meeting, slinked into the back row of seats, and experienced my
first taste of Toastmasters. I’d like to say that I saw the value of the
Toastmasters educational program and signed up that night. For me, that wasn’t
the case. Remember, I was in a very emotionally painful place. What I found
that night was what I needed.
And, I don’t know what you believe. But I
believe, for me, it was a God-thing. Here’s why. I saw people with positive
attitudes. I saw people that were rooting for each other to succeed. These
Toastmasters, they applauded everything! (You Toastmasters out there are smiling right now, aren't you? Yeah, you know it's true.) The atmosphere made me feel good and
the people were friendly.
I didn’t
join that night. I went home and thought about it for a week. Because that’s
just who I am. The next Monday night I showed up with a check in hand. I was
in! (Shout out to Burlington Toastmasters!)
No one in my
club knew why I joined. They didn’t know where I was in my life. All they knew
was that I was a new member and they were determined to make me feel welcome
and get me involved.
In that very
first meeting, I’d seen a man give a really good speech. I’d told him I enjoyed
it after the meeting. He told me something I’ll never forget. He said when he
first visited the club, he’d sat in the back row just like I had. He said his
fear of public speaking had been so great that he couldn’t even stand up and introduce himself. Gosh, even I
could do that! Probably not very well, but I stumbled through it. I was totally
blown away by this guy’s confession. I’d just seen him get up in front of a group
of people and give a good speech, without any apparent nervousness. Wow! So,
during the week, from the time I visited to the time I joined, I thought about
him. I thought of how far he’d come just by joining Toastmasters. And I decided
if it could do that for him……then what could it do for me? I needed to find
out.
Toastmasters
was a part of what it took to get me from the broken place I was in, to where I
am now. Did it cure my pain? No, it’s not about that. What it did was give me
tools to make my life better, no matter where I chose to take it. The
educational program helped me develop skills that affected my personal and
professional life in a postitive way. I could communicate one on one more
easily. I could speak up in meetings instead of being shut down by my own fear.
And finally, and surprisingly, I found a real love for speaking in public, something I never would have
considered before Toastmasters or even as a new member. But I found a love for
it because I saw how people can help other people best from the stage. You can inspire, motivate, teach and train so many people at once! And I
knew that’s what I wanted to do.
Without my
Toastmasters experience, I would have missed out on so much over the past ten
years.
Life is so much better now, y'all.
This is my
personal take on Toastmasters. You can read my story in the book “Heart of aToastmaster” by Sheryl Roush. It's full of stories of people just like me, who found the benefit of Toastmasters
for them.
To see where
I am now, visit my website www.jeanbaileyrobor.com.
Or look me up on SpeakerMatch. Toastmasters has helped me stop putting
limiting beliefs on me. And it’s helped me heal from some pretty deep wounds.
So, what’s
in it for you? Are you ready to find out? Why not visit a meeting and see?
Visit Toastmasters.org and find a club meeting near you. You might find more
than one. Visit them all and see what’s the best fit.
Who knows?
Maybe a year or two from now you’ll look back and see how your life is better
because you took the initiative to invest in you through Toastmasters. And, if
you do, let me know.
Rock on,
Jean Bailey Robor is that “No Buts About It” expert who simply wants you to lead happier, more successful lives. Getting past what’s holding you back and changing your mindset can put you on that path to better living. Click here to book Jean for your next event!
