In a recent post, about making friends, I spoke about how joining a group was one of the ways to meet new people. Having tried out a few groups through the Meetup app, I have signed up to the Bristol Central Speakers; my local branch of the International Toastmasters.
According to their website the group is :
“… a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.”
I joined up with the hope of improving my confidence in speaking in front of groups of unfamiliar people – exactly the kind of skill I will need to develop if I want to teach.
The group meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, so I have only attended a few times, but I have already spoke at each meeting. At the beginning of the session everyone introduces themselves and briefly answers the ‘question of the day’. This way everyone gets to speak, even if they are not one of the scheduled speakers for the evening.
The reason I wanted to give you a quick update about this group is because on my last visit I entered the Table Topics talks. What this entails is giving a short, 2 minute speech, that is improvised to answer a random question. My quest was to discuss our family Christmas, and I was very surprised at the end of the evening to be presented with a winning ribbon!
Now feeling very encouraged, I am currently working on my ‘Ice Breaker’ speech, which is the first official speech a Toastmaster Member gives. This will start me on a ‘Pathway’ and will hopefully make me a more confident speaker, which in turn will help my prospects when I become a teacher.
Over to you
Sometimes you have to come at your goal from an unusual angle. While joining a public speaking club may appear a bit tenuous in terms reaching the goals that make up my grand plan, All steps in the right direction, however small, are worth taking.
What small task can you do towards you life goals today?