Reach Out

'Reach Out' was the title of speech that I presented at the International Speech contests at the Club, Area and Division level. I spoke about the way a young lad reached out to me on the ice-rink, the way my aunt reached out to me all my life and the way I reached out to her at the end of her life.


Whilst out running yesterday, I got to thinking about the many ways we, as members of our Toastmasters club, can reach out within our club and beyond.


The Club
Greet guests with a smile, a universal language of welcome.
The smooth running of a meeting depends on volunteers. Contact the VPE and volunteer to do a role. This not only helps the club but helps you to acquire a range of leadership skills.
Volunteer to be a committee member and help your club to thrive. Again, this present an opportunity to gain new skills and strengthen existing ones.
Volunteer to help organise club contests, take a role or be a contestant.
Reach out and share your knowledge with other members e.g. if you have completed a path in the new Pathways Educational Program share your learning with members starting Pathways.
Volunteer to be a mentor.


Beyond the Club
Visit other clubs and meet new members and see how other clubs run their meetings. Bring the best practices back to our club.
Offer to do  role at the club. Being the General Evaluator is a good role to chose as it offers the opportunity to provide feedback through fresh eyes.
Attend conferences and contests at Area, Division and/or District level and offer to do a role. The organisers will almost certainly be grateful, and you will learn a lot in the process.
Offer to help with community programmes such as Youth Leadership, Speechcraft, Freshers' Fairs, Hosting a stand at local Community Fairs and Open days etc
Offer to coach a failing club.
There are a growing number of global Virtual Toastmaster clubs and these offer opportunities to take on a role, attend meetings and see first-hand how technology is bringing toastmasters from around the world closer together.

I hope you will consider enriching your Toastmasters' journey and 'Reach Out'.

Contests - Worth Having A Go!

 


Dear Fellow Toastmasters


I am writing to share some learning with you following my recent participation in the International Speech and Evaluation contests at Club, Area and Division level.

The Division contests took place on Saturday 30th March. The winner of the International Speech contest was Gordon Adams (third from right in photo #1) and the winner of the Evaluation Speech contest was Vinette Hoffman-Jackson (second from right in photo #2). 

#1 Contestants, including Elizabeth Jordan and Surosh Pillay  receiving Certificates of Participation

#2 Vinette, Hoffman-Jackson, winner of the Evaluation Speech contest with Elizabeth Jordan

1. It's definitely worth having a go at contests. Why? You learn such a lot in the process: How to craft a speech with a great opening and close, storytelling, humour, tips to engage the audience and more.
2. Seek Help. Find an experienced Toastmaster who is willing to listen to a recording or watch a video and give detailed constructive feedback. Feedback from non-Toastmaster friends and family is also be helpful. Thanks especially to Bob Ferguson, DTM, Surosh Pillay (fellow Competitor), Olivia Hylton-Pennant, Phyliss Clark, Mundia Chitambala and Julie Kertesz.
3. Learn from others. There are scores of you tube videos of speeches by winners of the World Champion of Public Speaking. It's worth visiting clubs and hearing their contest speeches and it's worth offering to be a Test Speaker at contests and having your speech evaluated.
3. Video your speech. It's a great way to observe your body language and see if it matches your message. Listen to your message - is it memorable? Is there enough vocal variety? What's in it for the audience? Is it a gift to be treasured?
4. Invest Time in preparing for the contest. It's important to put time aside to practice, review, rewrite, consult and practice some more.
5. Start early! The Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests are coming up in the Autumn. Now is the time to start preparing!
6. If possible, practice speaking on a larger stage to a larger audience before a Division or District contest as these tend to be held at larger venues the ones we are used to our clubs and can be daunting.
7. Have your own ritual for keeping calm on the day e.g. breathing exercises or listening to music.
8. It's great to have support on the day. My husband supports me always. It was fantastic to have a couple of members - Claire Baker and Phil Carey - at the Division contest. Looking out in the audience and seeing their faces meant a lot to me. Good Luck messages from club President, Jillian Haslam, and from family and friends meant a lot.
9. Respect your competitors and wish them 'Good Luck' as you focus on your personal goal.
10. Whatever the outcome, celebrate your getting to where to got to, and know that tomorrow is another day.