What I Learned at Toastmasters Last Night

As I mentioned in another post, I attended the 30th anniversary of the Toastmasters club I used to belong to last night. While you can outgrow the format that Toastmasters uses, you can never outgrow learning and at each Toastmasters meeting I’ve been to (with only a couple exceptions), I’ve learned something useful. Sometimes I learn something new about communication while other times I’ll learn about something unrelated to speaking through one of the speeches that night. Speeches are a true gem because everyone has a story to tell (a point I emphasize in the classes I teach). So have an open mind when you’re listening to someone talk.

Public Speaking Is Powerful

It’s nice to hear people’s success stories of dealing with their public speaking fears. It’s even more powerful to hear about the doors that have been open because of it.

A Speech is More Than Just Presentation Skills

The folks that spoke at this meeting were all very good style-wise. But after a day or so, I often forget about their style but remember the content. People often take notes on content but rarely take notes on style.

A Support System Helps Tremendously

Dealing with a fear, or any challenge for that matter, is a lot easier when you have a support system in place. You can deal with most challenges by yourself, but it’s a lot easier when you have others there encouraging you.

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