I joined Bayview Toastmasters in 2018 after two business groups I was a member of closed down. I wanted to fill the void and rebuild my professional network after losing key connections. Bayview fit the bill with its diverse list of members, many of whom were fellow entrepreneurs.
I was among peers who would ‘talk shop’ and help brainstorm business ideas – just what I was looking for. The added bonus was being able to brush up on speaking skills in the process. But one day in 2019, I realized I no longer had time for extracurricular activities. I needed to focus on building my business. I was going to have to leave Bayview.
Francisco Park, Holly Bowers, Victor Kolesov
It wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I had become friends with my fellow members and would miss their companionship. I didn’t want to see their disappointment, so I planned to quietly let my membership expire without telling anyone. As fate would have it, incoming President Melissa Atchley asked me to take over as Vice President of Public Relations (VPPR) for the upcoming Toastmasters year. Now I was going to have to tell her I was leaving the club.
As it turns out, I ended up staying. Melissa got me, hook, line and sinker! Melissa had recruited my help with VPPR tasks throughout the previous year and showed lots of gratitude along the way, which always made me feel like what I did mattered. When the time came, I was already halfway in. All she had to do was give me more encouragement, and I committed to stay. Well played, Missy—I see what you did there!
Surprisingly, I liked the VPPR role, which made the year fly by! Just a year earlier without an officer role, I felt I had no time for Toastmasters. Now I was busier than ever, but enjoying my experience.
What changed? Looking back, I realized I hadn’t created any goals since I joined. I went through the motions of filling meeting roles and delivering speeches but never gauged my improvement in any particular area or set deadlines for reaching milestones. If Toastmasters was helping, I had no way of knowing how, where, or why, making it easy to set Toastmasters aside as lower priority when life became busy.
With Melissa’s mentorship, I created a plan to get the most out of my Toastmasters experience for my second year. Here’s what worked:
Setting Goals: I had specific, measurable goals for my second year. Furthermore, the goals were linked to my work goals so they felt worth my time and delivered more bang for the buck. For example, I learned YouTube SEO, and my fellow Bayviewer and I created videos to promote our Spring Open House, attracting eleven guests as a result.
Time Management: I was engaged now, but still busy. I decided to take the opportunity to learn how to get on top of my schedule. I read The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working by Tony Schwartz. One of the keys is to turn off all distractions, including your phone, and only check at scheduled intervals. (I dare you to test it out. You’ll get back a couple hours in your day!) The book shifted my perspective on work and I learned it well enough to teach it. As a result, I can now say yes to opportunities I never thought I’d have the bandwidth for prior to this pivotal year.
Accountability: I knew others were counting on me and that I had their support. I was always on the phone communicating with members about club activities and found it easier to work on a task when I had someone to bounce ideas off of. Club members challenged me to learn new skills and be a self-starter. I once excused myself from editing a Zoom meeting video, saying I didn’t know how, but Bayview member Rob Murray challenged me to teach myself. “It’s the people who level up their skills that are going to thrive in the pandemic.” Today, I’ve added video editing to my repertoire and am teaching others in D101 how to do it.
Toastmasters membership offers three major benefits:
- It keeps you accountable and continually pushes you to grow both personally and professionally.
- The supportive network of fellow members creates a sense of community and belonging that makes challenges easier to tackle.
- By taking on leadership roles, you develop essential skills that help you manage responsibilities more effectively, making you more productive in all aspects of life.
Bikram Bhandari, Kristian Crump, DTM, Melissa Atchley, DTM
Staying with Toastmasters is a commitment to your ongoing growth. I am glad I renewed my membership back in 2019 and have not looked back. As a result of actively participating in Toastmasters for the past six years, I have grown far more than I ever thought possible. I am not the same person as when I joined, and am thoroughly convinced that I will continue to evolve as I ‘stick with the program’ called Toastmasters.
I can’t end without saying one more thing. At a recent hospital stay, Bayview members checked in on me as often as my friends and family, and brought me coffee and flowers. I joined for professional connections and instead gained friends. Think back on your Toastmasters journey thus far. I’m sure you also got more than what you bargained for, and have so much more to look forward to.
By Tonia Eaton, Bayview Toastmasters