1)
Courage – ‘Courage is what it
takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to
sit down and listen’ said Winston Churchill. In Toastmasters we do both
in almost all the meetings week after week. In a year’s time this may become a
personality trait to you and soon you can be seen in almost all walks of life
raising your hand on many voluntary activities and taking initiatives to
transform the society for betterment.
2)
Communication – Communication is the sugar and
salt of the all the dishes in life and yet people don’t really get it right. The
art of excellent communication can convert non-leaders into leaders and good
leaders into great. It is indeed fuel for excellence. Toastmasters can take
your communication skills from A to X (well, Y & Z always remains as Work In Progress) without much strain. Toastmasters can
also help you in developing your own unique style to do the same. At
Toastmasters you learn to believe in yourself and be you while talking or even
listening.
3)
Confidence – If you can speak to any crowd of
people with confidence, if you can sell membership to unknown people, clubs to
never heard organizations and if you can change lives by speaking your own
stories in just 5 to 7 minutes. You can approach anything with confidence.
Seeing your certificates, trophies, plaques and receiving so many compliments
from people of all ages and professions can just multiply your confidence in
yourself. What dose of vigor it adds to the life! Kudos!
4)
Giving Feedback – how many times you hear people
saying ‘I told you /him/her but you/he/she did not listen’. Well, delivering
feedback as well as making the next person listen is your job if you are
providing feedback. Ken Blanchard said, 'Feedback is breakfast of champions' but you must get it right. Giving feedback is an art and you learn this art by
practicing in a positive and mutually supportive environment at Toastmasters.
5)
Time Management – Toastmasters Leaders at Club,
Area, Division, District and beyond also go to jobs, own businesses, have
families, enjoy life and yet can do so much for themselves and fellow members in
Toastmasters. Undoubtedly, you become more productive and better time manager.
6)
Networking – Greet guests with a smile, do a
firm handshake, introduce yourself with enthusiasm, give all your ears to the
fellow members when they speak about themselves and above all BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN OTHERS. You see people doing this week after week and do it
yourself as well. On top of this you have a world of 16000 clubs across the
world and 3.5 lacs people in these clubs across the globe who will welcome you
with open arms. Many more have already gone through the system and hence the alumni base is really huge across the world.
7)
Achieving Results – By taking up a leadership
role at Club and giving it honest efforts for six months you will learn a great
deal on how you set goals, encourage people to contribute, track progress and finally
achieve results. In case you take up a role at Area and expose yourself to the
kind of synergy different organizational units have and the magical way the
entire eco-system helps individuals stay inspired and focused is amazing. You
practically learn the skill of ‘achieving results’. In words of Past
International President of Toastmasters International Mohd Murad, DTM – ‘Toastmasters
teaches a critical leadership skill of achieving results in most unique way!’
What are you waiting for!! If you have not tried
Toastmasters, give it a try for six months at least. And if you have already
been a Toastmaster for some time; it’s time to add some more zing to your
voluntary work in the club and the District.
Happy Toastmastering! Happy leading!
superb effort
ReplyDelete