For many years I would wonder about organizations like the Kiwanis or Rotaries or others that serve as good examples of civic volunteerism, and mistakenly grouped the Toastmasters as one of them.
When I relocated a few years ago to a new area I figured that I had a chance to get involved to meet new people in this new location. It was something by happenstance, a training on Project Management had an excellent instructor who mentioned in passing a joke she heard at her Toastmaster's meeting, and it reminded me that I had wanted to check it out for a while. So I did what any web-savvy person would do, which was to find a local meeting and checked it out.
I went to probably 10 8 different meetings before I found my 'home'. And it was so interesting to see each small club (some only had 7 or 10 people in attendance the day I visited) had so many similar procedures, and each club made me feel so welcomed. As one who used to teach (in a prior lifetime) I had a fair amount of public speaking experience, but the Toastmasters group obviously knows a tremendous amount about public speaking and is highly recommended for career advancement.
I have not had much experience working with people who earn serious six-figure incomes (like the CEO who is $500k+ and the VP of R&D above $250k), so naturally I get a bit nervous around them. And when making presentations to the Senior Management group (as I was upon occasion), it is public speaking at its best - or worst. And this is where Toastmasters comes in - you learn not to say "umm" or "ahhh" and you learn how to be humorous and relaxed, in addition to gaining great confidence and ability in public speaking.
The group I found is an amazing resource - like-minded folks who want to improve themselves and improve their careers. A great place to meet great people and learn a lot.
If you want to advance your career work on your public speaking and presentation skills. It gives you the confidence and 'voice' that you need to advance right on up. If you don't believe me, show me any successful executive in any business who speaks poorly, either in person or in front of a group; it is something definitely to consider.
Wow, just this morning I was thinking about Toastmasters and whether I should check it out. After reading your post, I sure will!
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