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I joined Toastmasters, because I go to university, sleep during lectures, catch the buses, go to work and take breaks. At the end of the day, I get home to my lovely girlfriend - and all I want is a cheeseburger. I joined Toastmasters because I needed courage to tell her that I don’t like tofu.
Before Toastmasters, I often arrived at home and I smelt a girly meals cooking, when I craved a cheese burger. Unfortunately I lacked the courage and the words to tell her. Thanks to my Toastmasters training, I now have the confidence and initiative to commend, recommend and commend her cooking. And before you know it we are pulling up to the drive-through.
Toastmasters are also great for bosses. "Nic, I have seen your performance figures for the 1st quarter and they are disappointing" Table topics teaches you how to use your knowledge of completely irrelevant topics to you advantage. "Boss, the way I see this company is like a game of 7s. Like the Samoans I am trying to pace myself so I can beat those Fijians."
Toastmasters builds confidence and the ability to make words work to your advantage.
Nic Keating
Victoria University Toastmasters
Why I joined Toastmasters
The reason for me joining Toastmasters is that I believe that my next step in my personal journey in life was towards improving my communication and social skills.
Before joining Toastmasters, I was a very shy, introverted kid, with the unfortunate mishap of having crooked feet, and who despite all his qualifications and life experience, felt a ‘nobody’ in society, constantly the laughing stock of people around me.
But my internal thoughts processes are that I want to be a person respected around my peers, find my inner child qualities that I had lost by growing up to be part of adult world too quickly and also be proud of who I am, be proud of my achievements and look forward in my life.
One way was to improve my communication skills, and I joined Toastmasters. Since being part of Toastmasters at Victoria University of Wellington, I’ve been able to meet people from all walks of life who have inspired me to be a better person, given me a more positive outlook in life, and also freedom to express myself to what I am about and who I am, plus also the ability to laugh at myself, again.
Being part of Toastmasters has been a ‘turning point’ of my life, and it has allowed me to be the person I want to be, has given me self-belief in myself, and the opportunity to start living my dreams again. Thank you.
Why I joined Toastmasters
"One wedding and no funerals"
"Would you like to be my best man?" my friend Eduard (aka Eddie) Vaks asked.
My brain screamed "NOOOO!!!" but I knew he'd already been turned down by his long time schoolfriend and I didn't want to let him down. Eddie’s mother cooks a mouth-watering Russian feast (and I love food), so a refusal would hurt us both.
Recalling the persecution of high school past, the terror of tumultuous teens, I was determined to seek help.
Six months to go. Time to act now or never!
I had recently met Brenda West from the Wairarapa while walking Wellington's Eastern Walkway with friends.
Brenda is an accomplished speaker and was currently president of SKM Toastmasters on Wellingtons Terrace.
Brenda explained the advantages I would get from Toastmasters, and subsequently I joined a meeting at SKM Toastmasters to see what it was all about.
The wedding speech in 2004 was a success, and got some good laughs. I felt confident and relaxed throughout what would normally have been a level one panic.
Wedding guests complimented me on my speech and I was filled with pride in my success against the (perceived) odds.
Three fun-filled years have passed and I am now in Brenda's position, introducing my friends to Toastmasters - and I'm also president of the club!
Luke Guyton
Why I Joined Toastmasters
A fickle turn of fate? After-effects of trauma? Bio-rhythms connected to my age? The best way to explain these questions is to tell you my story of - “Why I joined Toastmasters”. This & is why I am a Toastmaster!
In my late fifties I began a new field of study. I wanted to become a counsellor, and this required a ‘B.A. in Counselling’. I was after a new direction in my life, and a new job. Just as I was at eighteen, when I began training for my chosen career back then, I was excited. I felt exactly the same – quiet and shy, but also independent and indomitable. I was perfectly ‘in control’ of my life!
In the first year, we were put in groups to produce presentations. Hmmmm! Fine – I could do that! Another part of the course was an hour-and-a-half verbal assessment - to be ‘passed’ before progressing to the next level. Fine – I could do that too!
At my first presentation I stuck religiously to my notes. I mumbled very nervously into my pages of research. Stage fright? Where did that come from? At my second presentation (in spite of my resolution not to) I stuck religiously to my notes, and mumbled into my pages even more nervously!
At my third presentation, a member of my group absolutely ‘lost it’ due to nerves. What did I do? The same! - I ‘lost it’. Amazingly, I was still given a pass for my part in these. And then & along - came - the - end - of - the - year, that one-and-a-half-hour, verbal assessment!
I froze and I failed!
But I’ve always been a perfectionist! I was sooooo angry with myself. And & at fifty-eight I was held back in my course for a whole year. I would now be over sixty when I got my degree. This could not go on! I was lousy at speaking in public. I had stepped out of the shoes of ‘Independent, Indomitable Woman’, and into the shoes of a ‘Woeful Widow’! I ruminated relentlessly upon my problem. Had my confidence been slipped into my husband’s coffin along with his sadly missed self? - Or had it been stowed in the hold of a plane, on a big ‘O.E.’, in one of my children’s suitcases? I became immersed in a wave of negative thinking. And then, one fortuitous day& a flyer came through my mailbox;
- Do you need a boost in confidence?
- Do you need to improve your communication skills?
- Do you need career advancement?
Oh yes!
The flyer also offered a fun way to interact with a different group of people, would help me with this ‘stuff’ that I couldn’t do! The flyer was from the ‘Island Bay Toastmasters Club’.
I joined and I grew in stature and I conquered!
The end of my story of becoming a Toastmaster is self evident. I am here today, entering a competition - voluntarily! Happily, I passed that – horrible ‘hour-and-a-half verbal assessment’ at my second attempt! Instead of ‘F’ for Fail, I was given an ’A’ for a perfectly capable pass. The astonishing change in me was entirely due to Toastmasters.
I proudly mentioned this ‘A Pass’ before I began one of my speeches, and thanked everyone at my club for their wonderful help and support. I was given the best reward that I could ever receive & a huge, ‘shared’ smile on every face in the room – what a magical moment! And my success was due to – every – single - member of our club – a shared ‘A’!
I get so much pleasure from seeing others join our club, as do all Toastmasters. It is really fantastic to watch others finding their confidence and gathering skills.
And me? Well of course, I’m still learning ... I’m still having fun ... and I’m staying on!
Here’s my story:
“When I joined Toastmasters, I couldn’t even stand in front of an audience and tell you why I joined& now look at me& I can tell you why and so much more&speaks volumes doesn’t it&..”
Grant Steere
Why did I Join Toastmasters?
As part of my post-grad studies and in my job, I have to give presentations to large groups of people. I used to find this very scary. I didn’t like speaking in front of large groups at all, not even people I knew well.
A fellow student suggested that Toastmasters would improve our presentation skills. I’ve been coming to Toastmasters for about a year, and my confidence and skills have improved immensely.
My boss recently gave my team very little notice that someone would have to do a talk in front of our entire section. I wasn’t working again until the day of the meeting, and it might be me giving it! I arrived at work an hour before the meeting, and just had time to go through the presentation that my workmates had written. I thought “I can do this”, which was quite exciting. Somebody else did it, but I’m sure with my Toastmasters training I could have done an excellent job, even though they had the advantage of having had time to practice.
I love that speaking has become not something I fear but something I can enjoy doing, and I have Toastmasters to thank for this.
Elizabeth Robertson
Victoria University Toastmasters
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