Elaine Lung, DTM

Elaine Lung has been with Toastmasters for over two decades since joining the Xilinx Xpressionists in September of 1999. Given her tenure with Toastmasters, one may presume that Elaine has always had a strong passion for public speaking and presenting. However, this is not the case. Elaine began her journey hesitantly. For much of her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, Elaine described herself as someone who was comfortable with letting others speak on her behalf. Today, Elaine is the owner of her self-founded business, Elaine Lung & Associates, which centers on enhancing speaking skills for business professionals. She is also a certified speaking coach, President of her own Toastmasters club, Silicon Valley ImprovMasters, and a recent winner of the District 101 Speech Evaluation Contest. How did Elaine transform from a fearful fly-on-the-wall to a businesswoman with a career centered around public speaking? Read on:

Prior to joining Toastmasters, what was your experience with public speaking like?

I grew up in the Midwest (Ohio) in the 70s and 80s in a household with two outspoken brothers, where speaking up was never fully encouraged nor expected of me. Women were just beginning to rise in the workplace, and speaking up as a woman was more challenging. I felt comfortable not speaking up in social situations. Despite my shyness, I was a good student and always had plenty of stories and ideas brewing in my mind. In school, I excelled at reading and writing, which refined my skills as a storyteller.

When I entered high school, I took a leap of faith and decided to participate in a high school speech contest. Entering the contest, I did not understand how the judging panel would be evaluating me. Per contest rules, the judges were to remain impassive during all participants’ speeches. Since I did not realize this rule, I panicked increasingly as I spoke and was met with a stoic audience. I fumbled through my speech, making several mistakes along the way. After I finished speaking, I walked out of the room with my shoulders slumped. As I left, feeling ashamed, I made eye contact with one of the judges. The judge gave me a shocked look, as if she could not fathom how I could have failed so miserably. That look stayed with me for 20 years. For two decades, sentiments of not feeling “good enough” stayed with me. In my mind, I constantly reinforced the thought that what I had to say was not important enough. I stayed quiet through school, college, and my initial years in the workforce. I kept my head down and worked hard, but I increasingly saw how my social anxieties were holding me back in advancing my personal life and career.

When did your Toastmasters journey begin?

After 7 years of working as a CAD engineer at Xicor, I transitioned to a new management role at Xilinx in 1999. As an engineer, I was able to stay quiet, as long as I worked diligently. When I joined Xilinx, I found my role to be quite different and realized that I needed to make a change. One day, coworkers mentioned that Xilinx had its own Toastmasters club. I was anxious to attend a meeting; even the prospect of observing other speakers and not participating myself seemed overwhelming. With my coworkers’ encouragement and mutual participation, I attended my first Xilinx Xpressionists meeting.

What were your initial experiences with Toastmasters?

When I started attending Xilinx Xpressionists meetings, I initially hid in the back of the room. Despite my hesitations, I found the club members to be very inviting and warm. Soon, the Vice President of Membership helped me complete my membership application. During my first meeting as a member, I was called on for table topics. I don’t recall anything from that experience because my mind blacked out. However, that initial experience of others caring about what I had to say was the beginning of a new, transformative journey.

After joining Xilinx Xpressionists, you worked your way up to leadership roles in various Toastmasters clubs. Can you elaborate on this journey?

At Xilinx, I received great support from my company with regards to my public speaking journey. The club officers created an environment within which I felt safe. About 6 months after joining Xilinx Xpressionists, I was approached by the club Vice President of Education who asked me to run for his role in the next club election. I became the Vice President of Education, followed by Secretary, culminating with President. Eventually, I left Xilinx and became involved with district leadership. With the help of friends, I went on to found three Bay Area Toastmasters clubs in succession:  Silicon Valley Storytellers, San Mateo Storytellers, and Silicon Valley ImprovMasters. The people in these clubs truly enabled my success. I experienced firsthand the power of networking, and I found that Toastmasters is as much a networking group as a self-improvement group.

You currently serve as President of Silicon Valley ImprovMasters, which you founded in 2015. Can you talk about how your club differs from a standard Toastmasters club?

Our club focuses on honing the improv mindset. Through this club, I have gained more confidence with speaking on the fly as well as listening attentively to ask educated questions after speaker presentations. Life is without a script. Improving your improvisational skills will not only help you become a better speaker, but will also help you move through life more effectively.

Of all the speeches you have now delivered, which one of yours is a personal favorite?

One speech that stands out to me is a story about forgiveness. In my speech, I reminisced about a time I had paid for an expensive dinner that I had been looking forward to eating all day. I had just sat down to eat when the doorbell rang. After opening the door, I returned to the dinner table to find that my delicious meal had disappeared! My brother’s dog, Petey, had eaten my dinner! In the moment, I was furious with Petey. The speech traced my journey of coming to terms with my lost meal and forgiving Petey.

I woke up one morning to demo the speech at a 7 AM Toastmasters meeting at a new club 50 miles away. During my speech, an audience member started crying. She later told me that my experience with Petey reminded her of the journey of forgiveness she was seeking in her relationship with her son. In that moment, I realized that not every person in the audience would hear the same thing when I told a story. My 50-mile, early-morning trek had been worth it. I went on to tell that speech to other audiences. Another individual approached me one year after I had delivered the speech at a different event to describe how the story had resonated with her. These experiences were very memorable to me!

Do you have any final words of advice for our members? 

For anyone who grew up letting someone else do the talking for them, or for anyone who has felt too shy to speak up, it is never too late to become the person you have always wanted to be. Toastmasters can help you along your journey.

Written by Ramya Ramachandran of Intuitively Speaking Toastmasters Club

Henry Miller, DTM, PDG and Peggy McGrath

By the time Henry Miller arrived in California in 1989 with his two children, he had already lived on two continents, performed on many of the world’s most famous stages, and had a budding career as an accountant with Helmsley Spear Inc.  It wasn’t until eight years later in 1997 that his Toastmasters journey began.  His travels from Trinidad to Jamaica to New York City to San Jose were just the foundation – the next stage of his life would be filled with many more achievements and successes. 

In Toastmasters, Henry is a DTM in the traditional program and is District 101’s first ever Pathway’s DTM.  Over the past 21 years, Henry has been District 4 Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training (LGET)(2008-09) and District 4 Governor (2009-10), he has competed at the Regional levels twice and once at the Semifinals of the World Championship of Public Speaking for District 4.  In 2017 he won the Humorous Speech Contest at the District level.  He is associated with five clubs and serves as a coach and mentor to several individuals and clubs in the area.  But mostly, Henry is a man dedicated to service, the support of others and is a sheer joy to speak with!  I am honored to have had the opportunity to conduct this One in 101 Interview with him this April 2019.

Q:  When did your Toastmasters journey begin?

A:  I was working in Technical Support and had to deal with customers over the phone who sometimes had heavy accents.  My manager, Archie, was monitoring one of my calls.  When the call was over, he was impressed with how I had handled the situation and said, “Henry, you should join Toastmasters!” to which I replied, “Sorry, I don’t drink in my lunch hour.”  Not long after I joined SCO Toastmasters, and so began my Toastmasters journey.

Q:  You began your career as a musician.  How does music influence your speeches?

A:  Music has always been a part of my life.  I play the trumpet, guitar, and bass guitar.  I also have done music composition and arranging.  I was part of the Trinidad Folk Performing Company called “Ambikaila”. The company traveled to England, France the US, and the Caribbean. Their tours included 21 performances at the Royal Festival Hall in England and performances at the Kennedy Center in the US. These experiences helped me gain confidence when facing audiences.  I do believe the structure of a good song is similar to that of a good speech; they both need a foundational statement.  When you feel strongly about a situation, the words often begin to flow.  Public speaking is also a performing art with words.   

Q:  In Toastmasters you’ve achieved many notable accomplishments.  Which one are you most proud of?

A:  At the 2008-09 International Convention, the year I was LGET for District 4, I was personally presented with the award for Excellence in Education, Training, and Exceptional Leadership by the International President of Toastmasters.  That was quite an honor. 

That award was indeed a team effort.  Our team was all about leading by example. Our District leadership team had a close relationship with the Area and Division Governors, and we worked on inspiring all of our members to ‘Raise the Bar.’  We achieved that by bringing World Champions to speak at our conferences and to provide workshops and training through the Toastmasters year.  

Q:  What inspired you to pursue attaining your Pathways DTM so quickly?

A:  As a Pathways Guide when the program was launched I got a lot of pushback from club members to adopt the new program.  I decided to pursue Pathways to become familiar with the good, the bad and the ugly about the application and the various paths.  I wanted to be as informed as possible to be an effective guide.  I quickly realized that most of the content matched up perfectly with the traditional manuals. I then took some of my old speeches and further refined them in Pathways.  The on-line lessons helped me identify some of the blind spots in those speeches and reinforced what I had learned from the traditional manuals. 

Q:  What’s the best approach to pursuing the Pathways Program?

A:  It’s essential to develop your own plan.  That said, my approach is to open a path and at the same time open a notepad or Word application on my computer.  I then cut and paste things that catch my eye.  By the end of the lesson, I have all the information necessary to give a new speech or edit one of my old speeches.  With this approach you can make some of your old speeches new again.

Q:  Of all the lessons you’ve learned about effective public speaking and speech techniques, in your opinion what are the most important?

A:  This has been the subject of much conversation throughout the years between many fellow Toastmasters and me.  I do believe it comes down to these three main points:

1. Authenticity. Sharing who you are and what you are about, drawing from your experience and expertise (academic or life). Always model what you preach.
2. A good speech must have a good structure and a purpose. The purpose must resonate with the audience.  The structure should offer balance, using humor as a resolution to any tension in your speech.  Never leave your audience hanging.
3. A good speech has a strong message, one that you repeat throughout your speech. There’s a “Scarlet Ribbon” analogy I adopted from a World Champion Toastmaster’s coaching – “A good speech should have a Scarlet Ribbon running through it – it is woven throughout your speech, and at the end, you need to tie the bow.”  Sell the message, be confident, believe in what you are saying and tie the bow at the end. The speech is a gift to your audience.

Q:  What’s next for you in Toastmasters?

A:  I am taking a bit of a step back.  I will continue mentoring, coaching clubs, participating in the five clubs I’m associated with, and writing in my blog, Henryomiller.com.

Q:  It has been such a pleasure speaking with you today!  Do you have any final words of advice or thoughts for our members?

A:  Toastmasters is a journey – yours and mine.  It is a personal development journey to be of value to others – It is a journey that makes life worth living – as I have stated in some of my speeches, “make you good better and your better your best – never let it rest until your good becomes your better and your better becomes your best.”

Written by Peggy McGrath