In the video below (6:50), I talk about why I joined and continue to stay involved in Toastmasters. Below the video is the transcript.
This is me at age three. Big smile. Big teeth. Bad hair. Maybe you’ve had one of those mom haircuts. My mother was just trying to get my bangs straight. Instead, they just got shorter and shorter. Well, one day, I got revenge of sorts on my mother. And better than that, I discovered a new power, the power of the spoken word.
My mother had brought me to work to meet her boss and coworkers. And one look at her boss . . . And I was in awe. She was perhaps the ugliest woman I have ever seen. Long pointy chin, hooked nose, bushy eyebrows over beady eyes.
“Mom, she looks just like the Wicked Witch of the West!”
Complete silence, until my mother turned to me and said, “Diane, don’t you mean like Glinda the Good Witch?”
Hello. Had my mother lost her mind?
“No, Glenda was pretty!”
Fortunately, the Boss Lady laughed, and all was well. And I had a newfound power, the power of the spoken word. But over time, that power diminished–from the crisis of confidence that comes with the teen years to being an engineer and being more concerned with my abilities to calculate than my abilities to communicate. And finally, as a stay-at-home mom, where I felt like I had no voice. I was invisible. I was somebody’s mother, somebody’s wife and to small children in the grocery store, I was “the church lady.”
Several years later, I decided to visit a Toastmasters club. Not because I wanted to find my voice and not because, like most people, I wanted to improve my communication or leadership skills. I was there because I was hoping that they would let my 14-year-old homeschooled son give a few speeches. Because I thought public speaking was important. And him giving speeches to me and his sister just wasn’t going to cut it. They were very gracious and said that, although he was too young to join, they would let him give a few speeches on one condition. I had to join the club. I said “yes.” And the next week, when we showed up, they asked if I would be Educational Vice President. I didn’t know what they were asking. But I said “yes” again. And I just kept saying “yes.” Yes to giving speeches. Yes to taking on leadership roles, and more. And, not only did my son get to give a few speeches, but I developed communication and leadership skills. I began to find my voice–from the person who could only do a 30 second table topics and shaking during an icebreaker to someone who’s confident in giving speeches today. But even better than that, even better than my own improvement has been the opportunity to help others find their voice, to help others improve.
I’ll never forget when Barb visited the club. Up until that time, I was the only woman in the club and I was thrilled when Barb came to visit. She said yes, too, and agreed to give her icebreaker just a couple of weeks later. When the day came for her icebreaker, she walked up to the lectern like a prisoner on a death march. She set her notes down, grasped both sides of the lectern, looked down and didn’t look up until she was done. And in the middle, she started to hyperventilate. It was one of those speeches where, not only was she glad to be done, but we were relieved when she was done, too.
She didn’t say a word again until the end of the meeting, when she turned to me and said, “I quit.” All I could think of was . . . No, I don’t want to be the only woman in the club again. But what I said was, “Barb, why did you join this club in the first place?” And she told me that she had joined because in a couple of months, she would be giving some speeches to raise funds for a medical mission team. But now, she wasn’t going to because this was all too hard. I turned to her, smiled, looked her in the eye, and said, Barb, don’t give up on your goal. You never know what difference you’re going to make, if you just give up. Keep trying. Stay in the club. We’ll help you. I’ll help you.
Fast forward six months. Barb didn’t quit. And not only did Barb raise thousands of dollars for her medical mission team, she also won our club Tall Tales contest. Barb found her voice.
Not only did Toastmasters help Barb find her voice. Toastmasters helped me find my voice. And Toastmasters can help you find your voice, too.
Find a club near you at: https://www.toastmasters.org/