Starting from Good Morning: The Toastmasters Journey of a self-proclaimed “Silent-Killer”
How was your first experience of public speaking? To me: it was nothing short of a nightmare. Given that I was infamously called “the silent killer” of the class, imagine that moment when I had to deliver an impromptu speech infront of my classmates as my tender step into public speaking. I stood there for what felt like hours and just managed to finish it off with the two words “Good morning”.
This was a wake-up call: making it pretty clear to me that my writing skills alone wouldn’t help me in the long run.
But how? What should I do to silence this irritating inner self? That was when I saw the true wonders of an International community called “The Toastmasters”.
It took me all the courage and a good amount of prep talk to walk through the doors of the CIPM Toastmasters Club as a guest, as I thought a club wholeheartedly dedicated to public speaking might not be the ideal place for a silent killer like myself. But thanks to my inner daredevil, I was ready to take the plunge and give it a go.
Keep going girl, you love taking risks, don’t you?
I received invaluable advice and guidance from my fellow toastmasters, especially my mentor — a well experienced and active member of the club.
One of the first gems my mentor dropped on me was to record myself delivering a speech. I won’t lie, it felt weird at first, but it helped me pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses during the speech, ultimately boosting my confidence and providing me the tools to give myself some constructive evaluation.
Another major truth bomb dropped on me by an eminent Toastmaster was that,
Practice is the key: you have to practice until you feel like you won’t go wrong
And that became my mantra! It helped me conquer my nerves, which was one of the major problems I was facing when it came to public speaking.
From delivering my ice breaker to being the second runner-up in the humorous speech contest held at the club level, participating in and witnessing amazing speeches at the humorous speech contest at the area level, volunteering for the subcommittees of the VP Education and Public Relations, and playing the role of contest chair for the International Speech and Table Topics Contest, I can humbly say that I’m proud of my achievements in just one year as a member of Toastmasters.
What sets Toastmasters apart is the supportive and friendly environment that constantly encourages your growth and development. Mistakes aren’t laughed at or criticized but are used as opportunities and space for improvement through valuable feedback.
Not only has Toastmasters helped me improve my public speaking skills, but it has also elevated my soft skills that are essential in becoming a successful leader. To be honest, I still feel a bit nervous when delivering speeches, but I feel much more confident in myself than I was before.
It’s easy to delete a word out of a paper, but it’s hard to take back a word flown out of your mouth
Not to scare you, but that’s the reality: the power of the voice. I welcome all out there to join Toastmasters to witness the power of the voice and master it, of course. Don’t let fear hold you back — I believe in you!
