Why take advantage of the support?
When I started my journey as a Toastmaster, my goal was to improve my presentation skills, and there I adopted the “Presentation Mastery” pathway and completed it. Learning definitely happens outside your comfort zone!
Give 15 speeches and one pathway is done—just in a jiffy! Your speeches can be about everyday events like driving to work, taking a different route to the office, interacting with kids, or cooking with a new recipe. Everything needs a little deliberation and drive! That is what Toastmasters provides!
Why should you try it?
The next thing you need is to convince your stakeholders. The stakeholders are upper management at work, peers, and customers for your product. And there I took up “Persuasive Influence” as another pathway. How can you influence people and get them to see your viewpoint? You can never underestimate the strength of influence!
It’s no wonder YouTube has over a million influencers! You can influence people with your fashion, with your voice, and with your thoughts!
Toastmasters journey helps you influence people with your thought process. Can any other learning platform lay claim to that?
Now that you have an idea and people ready to be influenced by you, the next thing you need is Leadership skills to continue forward. I adopted the “Leadership Development” pathway and have hit the ground running. I led volunteer projects and got an opportunity to volunteer in my community. You can learn a lot when you are doing something in your spare time.
Envision a thought and put it to work! That is what Toastmasters is about.
What is the most important trait of a toastmaster?
“Persistence” is the most important. You have to strive to be better than your best. We can improve and keep pushing ourselves to create the best version of ourselves. That is what makes this journey so fulfilling!
You can pause and take breaks, but be sure to return to the Toastmaster journey. It is a process of self-discovery and learning. It does involve a lot of work on your part, but it is well worth it! All of this comes at a fraction of the cost that a regular career coach or life coach could typically charge.
Last but not least, Toastmasters is a platform that is non-judgemental. You are not being judged as a person in any shape or form.
Learn, perform, get feedback, and perform again! This goes on in a cycle.
Join this journey and continue, you will be amazed by the heights that you can transcend.
Don’t think twice before renewing your membership next time. It is well worth every second and penny!
Good luck!
Written by Priya Shastri, DTM