My Toastmasters Journey

I have come a long way as a speaker who aspires to motivate and inspire people. My public speaking journey began when my first manager, Bill, recommended that I try Toastmasters at the beginning of my industry career as a software engineer at Sprint in October 2001.

Sprintmasters was the club I joined. I was an active member, obtained my Competent Toastmaster (CTM) designation, and eventually became the club's president until I left for my academic job at Penn State in 2005. I had a long hibernation as a Toastmaster but woke up one morning in September 2017 and realized how important it was to continue my dream to become a motivational speaker, which led to joining my current home club, the State College Toastmasters Club. Later, I joined an advanced toastmasters club called Achievers.

I have enjoyed every moment of my Toastmasters membership, and I am so glad and proud that I have been improving myself as a speaker. I particularly like the Pathways system the Toastmasters International (TI) introduced by the time I revived my TI membership. I am happy to report that I have finished two pathways so far: dynamic leadership and engaging humor. I am well on my way to becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), one of the top recognitions you can receive as a toastmaster.

During my first pathway (dynamic leadership), my focus was to become more comfortable speaking in public. I would have difficulty breathing and blanking when under pressure and surrounded by unfamiliar settings. As I struggled through many trials and errors, I had an epiphany. I was short of breath because I forgot to breathe, and I was blanking because I forgot to think. I ultimately developed a technique borrowed from the mindfulness community, which is stopping, breathing, and thinking every time I face a public speaking panic attack. It made a huge difference, and I am a much more confident speaker today.

During my second pathway (engaging humor), I focused on breaking away from memorizing scripts. I had not quite understood what more seasoned toastmasters meant by never memorizing speeches at the beginning of my second pathway, but I soon realized the limitations of memorization. It drove the fear of forgetting my lines, which was, in turn, in the way of me developing into a more effective speaker by using more facial expressions, gestures, and vocal varieties.

These days I am striving to become a more free-style, impromptu speaker, not relying too much on a prepared script but using talking points and structures like selling the sizzle, serving the steak, and closing the deal. For this to happen, practice is the key because you need well-prepared, rich ingredients to cook delicious meals with a short notice. Because of this reason, I am constantly in the hunt for collecting more stories.

What is your public speaking experience? Are you motivated to embark on your own journey this year to upgrade your public speaking skills? What would be your goals? My journey has been fascinating, and I am certain that you will enjoy yours, too!